According to the official PlayStation Twitter account, you may still have a chance of getting a PlayStation 5 console at a retailer (instead of paying a marked-up price to a scalper) later this year.
In the tweet, embedded below , Sony indicates that demand for PS5 “is unprecedented” and they are confirming that “more PS5 inventory will be coming to retailers before the end of the year” with no details beyond that. It ends with the advice to simply “stay in touch” with local retailers.
We want to thank gamers everywhere for making the PS5 launch our biggest console launch ever. Demand for PS5 is unprecedented, so we wanted to confirm that more PS5 inventory will be coming to retailers before the end of the year – please stay in touch with your local retailers.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 25, 2020
It’s encouraging to know that more inventory is coming, but it rings hollow in a world where reseller groups are stockpiling literally thousands of consoles to flip at massively increased prices. Many gamers are shelling out hundreds of dollars above the retail price, some going for as high as $2,000 per console. There is no indication the rollout and purchasing strategy for getting a PS5 will be any different over the next month, so prepare to be beaten by scalpers and bots once again in all likelihood.
One method that Sony used for pre-orders that did seem to work well was an email invite system. Users that were part of PlayStation Network already, and especially those currently subscribed to PlayStation Plus, received an email invite to pre-order a console. Users were split into groups and had to login via their PSN ID to claim a console for release date delivery. It worked for me and others I’ve spoken with, whereas refreshing webpages incessantly for hours has no guarantees.
Eventually stock will catch up and demand will start to decrease, so if you can’t get one this holiday season I’d urge you to hold off if possible and try not to reward scalpers with a big payday.
And for more on our assessment of the PS5, make sure and check out our full PS5 VR review, load times comparison video, and our Everything You Need to Know video for PSVR on PS5.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
