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Sony has finally released their new gaming console, Playstation 5 and it has taken the gaming world by storm. Due to the unexpected rise of the Covid-19 virus, there was only a limited stock made for the initial release. This has caused major problems as many people are likely to not receive a console on release day. Many stores such as Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy and others have been conducting limited releases online to give people a chance to attain the console. This has caused an uproar due to how quickly the console continues to go out of stock when it comes time to go sale.
People in the gaming community have shared their displeasure with these online release events because of how quickly the Playstation 5 (PS5) goes out of stock. What made this specific release so difficult is the limited quantity that is available and people using bots in order to buy their PS5 consoles. These bots give certain people unfair advantages as they can instantly checkout with the press of one button while other users struggle to even add their consoles to their carts. When they do somehow beat the odds and get to the checkout screen, there is a risk of the site crashing due to the increased internet traffic. This has caused many people to take to social media and share their grievances, even causing the topic to begin trending on Twitter.
Not only is the limited quantity of the PS5 a major hurdle, but people who are also buying multiple consoles in attempts to re-sell them at inflated prices have also made life more difficult for the average consumer. Some individuals have been able to get up to 8 consoles and have begun selling them for close to $1000 online for a console that is worth $399 and $499 depending on which version you get. Some have even taken to more violent approaches as it has been reported by the Chicago Sun Times that a teen has been charged for an alleged armed robbery during a PS5 meetup sale in Austin.
Sony has put out a statement on Twitter on November 25th, that they acknowledge “demand for the PS5 is unprecedented, so we wanted to confirm that more PS5 inventory will be coming to retailers before the end of the year.” This has put some consumers at ease as they plan on buying the console when the second wave of inventory is released. Walmart has been restocking their inventory weekly and have been selling the PS5 at certain times during the day. Certain sites have begun tracking these times to allow people to have their chances at buying a console.
