To be annoyed about Sony and the Playstation 5

[Isithalftermyet]

I know its a first world problem but I've been trying to buy one for the family since it came out. That's a year now. Stock drops today at amazon and game. Missed out on both despite being in a virtual queue for an hour. I've come close so many times but always missed out.

Look on ebay and there are literally thousands listed. People boasting at having sold over 85 consoles - so how much of that profit did they pay tax on then? I just want to buy one for my family and not pay a scalper for the privilege. Feel like giving up to be honest.

Sony have managed this so badly. And it's their loss as that's already a years worth of their games we haven't bought. We did try one but it won't work properly on the PS4 so no point.

I know there are bigger issues and we are lucky to be able to afford one at all - at what would bit its normal price - but this has really annoyed me this morning. Rant over.

YABU for blaming Sony. It’s down to the global chip shortage.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–2021_global_chip_shortage

YANBU, ridiculous how many people have been snapping up as many as they can only to sell them on ebay at extortionate prices straight after.

I agree there's a lot more Sony could have done to manage the scalping issue. At the end of the day all they are bothered about is the number of boxes they sell.

Maybe they should have waited until they had enough stock going out at once so that this wasn't a problem. They must have realised what would happen with such a limited amount being released each time...

Don't get me started on the chip shortage - perhaps if manufacturers realised that we don't want or need wifi in our dishwashers, washing machines and fridges then there wouldn't be a shortage... But that is a whole other rant!

It can be easier if you look at the less obvious retailers for consoles, I got mine in Tesco at launch.

Sony would like if people could buy their products, it's not their fault there is a shortage of components.

I'm sure Sony would have been much happier if they could produce enough to fulfill demand. It has been out of their control.

Have you tried using stock informer alerts?
Littlewoods had stock earlier today - I bought one earlier in the year from Very
www.stockinformer.co.uk/checker-ps5-playstation-5-console

YANBU, I share your pain. Try preordering in a physical shop (Smyths toys will take preorders for example). I gave up and blew my ps5 fund on a Nintendo and some games so I would have new things to play and tbh I like their native games a lot. I’m still hoping to get a ps5 but it’ll be next year now.

I know I'm being unreasonable really, but I really thought I had a chance of getting one this morning and its given me the rage!

The best way to buy a PS5 is to physically go into a store & pre order one. You can do this at any Game store where they ask you for a £10 deposit. When stock arrives you pay the balance.
They are doing this to stop the scavengers profiteering. I have heard that Smyths Toys are doing the same but I got mine from Game so I know it works.

I'll try the stock informer - thx

YANBU but there are ways to get hold of them. You have to be persistent. It took me about three months of actively trying. Have Stock Informer whenever possible. Ideally sign up to alerts on Discord so you get notified whenever stock appears.

What I found is, there's a dump of stock which sells out in a couple of minutes (whilst you're sat waiting in the queue for an hour, by which time they've gone). But after they've sold out, there seem to be occasional stock drips over the next hour or two, presumably because orders get cancelled (payment not working or people ordering multiple consoles perhaps). If you keep refreshing the page during this period it's sometimes possible to grab one, because most people have been discouraged by waiting in the queue for an hour and have gone off to do something else.

Also, when there is stock available on Game make sure you bookmark the page. They seem to hide the page when they've got no stock. If you can get onto the page you may be able to find stock before it's widely reported as available.

Don't give up. And you're doing the right thing, don't give the scalper scum any money.

Also, on Game try ordering a bundle with a T-shirt that's the wrong size and a baseball cap you will never wear. When the stock becomes available people automatically try for the bundle with the games they want or just the standalone console. If you go for a bundle that nobody in their right mind would normally order, you may get lucky.

PS I'm the proud owner of a "Player One" t-shirt that is two sizes too small and a silly Playstation baseball cap.

Thx Lordalmighty and HarrietsChariot - I'll keep trying. There are even people selling on ebay who haven't received theirs yet. Just a photo of a pre order receipt... gah!

@HarrietsChariot

Also, on Game try ordering a bundle with a T-shirt that's the wrong size and a baseball cap you will never wear. When the stock becomes available people automatically try for the bundle with the games they want or just the standalone console. If you go for a bundle that nobody in their right mind would normally order, you may get lucky.

PS I'm the proud owner of a "Player One" t-shirt that is two sizes too small and a silly Playstation baseball cap.

That's actually a really good idea. I think that was my mistake this morning - trying for a bundle we'd actually like!

I want that cap and t-shirt now

I got mine from Game in late September, went in one Weds to pre order & picked it up 2 days later.

We also got one from game by ordering a bundle. It had 2 games we wanted but it was maybe 20 quid over what it would have all cost to buy separate. My dh sat for an hour in a queue to get a console on its own and lost out. I pointed out that the bundle was poor value so might still be available and it was. 2 mins later he had ordered. The annoying thing was the games weren't boxed up with the console, just bunged in separately . It ended up being worth the 20 quid premium. We had been patiently waiting for a year but that wasn't working.

Smyths rang us to tell us when they were getting stock, might be worth ringing a local one and getting your name known . They don't save them though so you will probably have to go along and queue.

Wouldn't expect abundant stock until well into 2022 to be honest. Same with Xbox Series X and PC graphics cards.

@Isithalftermyet

Maybe they should have waited until they had enough stock going out at once so that this wasn't a problem. They must have realised what would happen with such a limited amount being released each time...

Don't get me started on the chip shortage - perhaps if manufacturers realised that we don't want or need wifi in our dishwashers, washing machines and fridges then there wouldn't be a shortage... But that is a whole other rant!

They aren't going to wait because they risk Microsoft nicking customers. Release dates of consoles are carefully planned and the competition's release date can mean they risk losing millions of sales.

As a pp said, there's a global chip shortage so this affects lots of gadgets including mobile phones.

Download the Hotstock app, we managed to get an Xbox that way which I gather has been harder to get than the PlayStation.

(It sends a notification when there's stock, you have to pounce)

We got an Xbox x through HotStock too. Bloody amazing (didn't want the Forza but it was the only package available).

We gave up and bought one on FB marketplace. It’s sealed with the receipt and we paid £550 so seller made a good profit but we wanted it for a special gift and didn’t want to leave it too close to Xmas and risk higher prices. I’m glad we’ve got it at least. I’ve tried every time I’ve seen a drop but failed every time.

Another vote for the random t shirt and hat bundle!! Consoles on their own will go in seconds but the bundles seem to work well, I managed to get one from Game two weeks ago!

YANBU to be annoyed at all.

Was the chip shortage the reason for last years PS5 stock problem? Real question btw.

I think the people buying them and selling at a higher price are cheeky sods. Can't believe how much CEX mark them up.

I agree with people about going for the unwanted bundle first. V good advice.