Impossible to score a PS5: There are several reasons why it’s tough to find a PS5. One of the biggest being the pandemic. Covid has ravaged many industries eventually leading to upset production. Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said in a GQ interview that coronavirus means “supply chains become a little complicated than would normally be the case.”
The semiconductor shortage was the biggest issue for the PS5. These little chips hold up the electronics industry. You will find them in smartphones, TVs, cars, washing machines, and game consoles.
Because of this supply bottlenecks have hindered how many Playstation’s can be made.
Another issue is the large scalper market. This is where buyers use a fleet of bots to buy large quantities of any item and then resell it for a much higher price. This has always been an issue in the past but it has become even more of an issue now than ever before.
So many consoles are bought within minutes of going online and then immediately put up on eBay or other websites and are being sold for double the price. Since this results in a shortage buyers have no option but to wait for the next drop or buy it from the scalpers.
A UK scalping group had sold an estimated 60,000 PS5 and Xbox Series X console during November 2020 earning them about $30 million from Playstations alone. Thankfully this practice is being investigated.
The lack of Playstations is solely due to these reasons they also are just high in demand. The Playstation 5 sold 4.5 million units during the 2020 financial year which was significantly higher than the launch of the PS4 and it went way past the company’s expectations.
Of course, you cant leave out human error as an issue. The Playstation’s pre-order launch was a disaster due to a lack of communication. It was like a free-for-all between retailers where chains were releasing deals in the middle of the night with no warning. In September 2020 the official PlayStation Twitter account said that “PS5 preorder could have been a lot smoother. We truly apologize for that.”
PS5 Tips for Restock
- Make sure you sign into you account early so you’re ready as soon as the restock happens instead of the consoles selling out while your signing in
- Have the payment information ready because many people have taken to long to put in their info and the customers cart becomes empty or unavailable
- Using multiple devices to check different websites will boost your chances greatly of getting a console
- Bundles are a good way to get a PS5. It is more expensive but fewer people will buy the bundle and it will sell out a lot slower. The bundle comes with a bunch of great accessories that I’m sure anyone would enjoy
- Look at stocks and social media such as twitter for trends. Those are great early warning procedures
