Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

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VideoGameCritic
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Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby VideoGameCritic » April 3rd, 2021, 12:05 pm

I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth to get a Playstation 5, but I do find it interesting how the system has been effectively sold out since launch. And this with no compelling games to drive sales!

What is going on? Are the scalpers controlling the marketplace now? Is production low? Or are people just going crazy over this new console?

I never even hear anything about the Xbox Series X! How's that going?

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Gentlegamer
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby Gentlegamer » April 3rd, 2021, 4:59 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:Are the scalpers controlling the marketplace now?


Yes

Voor
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby Voor » April 3rd, 2021, 5:42 pm

The pack in game, Astros Playworld, is pretty fun.

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BlasteroidAli
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby BlasteroidAli » April 3rd, 2021, 7:30 pm

The Scalpers are on the Xbox 1 series X. Currently it is £449 in the UK but selling for about £550 to 600. So I do not have one. I blame shop's like Amazon. They let people inflate the prices as they wish. It is not just that. I wanted Demolition by Judas Priest and the only way to get it is in a cut price double pack, That pack originally cost £10/99. For me to buy it today it will cost... £299.99 for 2 cds. This is Amazon's practice. The allow the market to decide. Though amazon are saying it is currently unavailable. Ebay has it for bidding and for £100 mark up.

Though like the ps5, there really is nothing out for it that I want. As such I am not going to buy it. Both of them are the next gen that I really have no interest in. Game prices up, loot boxes, DLC where most of the game is added later for a hefty mark up. Xbox's idea that everything has to be online. Plus it makes me think Gears 5 c+. Other than that and the new halo nothing I want on it.

Oh and do not get me started on the Xcom Gears of war RTS. Jaw dropping cuts scenes tied to a 30 year old game style. Bizarre. Out for the X.

Herschie
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby Herschie » April 4th, 2021, 8:57 pm

You're not really missing much, at least not at the moment. Now in my case that will change April 14th at 11 pm Central when the Jackie Robinson version of MLB The Show is released. In fact pretty much the only game I play and I'd say the best looking game is MLB The Show 20. And that's a PS4 game! Though you can play in full 4K settings with a silky smooth framerate, unlike on the PS4.

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MSR1701
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby MSR1701 » April 5th, 2021, 10:33 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth to get a Playstation 5, but I do find it interesting how the system has been effectively sold out since launch. And this with no compelling games to drive sales!

What is going on? Are the scalpers controlling the marketplace now? Is production low? Or are people just going crazy over this new console?

I never even hear anything about the Xbox Series X! How's that going?


There up to a 5th Playstation now? ;-)

With the exception of the PS3 right after launch (which was VERY slow to sell due to the pricing and no must-have games), I have to struggle to think of a system that wasn't hard to find for a time after launch for a good while. The Wii, the XB3360, 3DS/NEW 3DS, Switch/Lite... Heck, the PS4 was constantly out of stock when I was working retail years ago, though I blame bad distribution within the company for that one...

Also, with the exception of the Switch, I have a hard time seeing any launch lineup for the last ten years or so not being hype (and in the Switch's case, it was mainly a certain Zelda game). While Microsoft doesn't have many exclusives as Nintendo, they are the "casual/sports" gamer system of choice for those that don't game a ton but enjoy their shooter/sports games/whatever indie is big at the time (Fortnite, etc.).

Sony has always had a blah line-up of games to me since the glory of the PSX launch; the PS2 had a couple of gems, the PS3 had almost nothing worth the cash they were asking, the PS4 was full of PS3/WiiU games, the PSP had Lumines and...Darkstalkers? Whad DID the PSP launch with again? Oh and the Vita had big Sony names like Uncharted and Wipeout, forgetting that their Big Names are not necessarily system sellers (though Sony badly handled the Vita anyway).

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Retro STrife
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby Retro STrife » April 5th, 2021, 11:19 am

Yeah I think MSR1701 is right. Last year someone on the forum asked "when will PS5s be readily available?" I did a little Google research and found that, in the case of the PS4, it was at least April of the next year before you had much hope of seeing one on a shelf. And the PS4 was less anticipated than the PS5, since it followed up the PS3 (Sony's weakest and lowest-selling home console). So I always thought April at minimum for the PS5, but it's seeming like it could be even later than that.

I think you're right about the scalpers too. Plus, if a PS5 ever sits on the shelf, you can bet an impulse buyer will snag it pretty quick. Like the NES Mini... it was so sought-after that eventually the "gotta have one" mentality had people buying one that had absolutely no interest before. I think that happens with new game consoles too, like the Switch and PS5. Some of these impulse buyers do it to resell, and others just want the coolest new thing to say they have it.

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ASalvaro
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby ASalvaro » April 5th, 2021, 1:40 pm

at this point i just don't see there is that much of a difference between the PS4 and PS5 and heck even the PS3 still looks awesome to go out and spend a ton of money on a PS5..you would have much more fun at catching up on things like VR games on the PS4 at much cheaper prices than getting a new PS5

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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » April 5th, 2021, 5:00 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth to get a Playstation 5, but I do find it interesting how the system has been effectively sold out since launch. And this with no compelling games to drive sales!

What is going on? Are the scalpers controlling the marketplace now? Is production low? Or are people just going crazy over this new console?


Yes.

The scalping's easy to see, and every successful console launch struggles to meet demand. Plus, with a pandemic keeping a lot of people indoors?

Demand is pretty intense vs. the global semiconductor shortage. Even finding a good graphics card is nearly impossible in some areas.

As for the games people want? At launch, the PS4/Xbone version of Cyberpunk was considered one of the worst games ever made. I imagine it helped make some decisions, like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong on the 2600 or Streetfighter 2 on C64 and Spectrum.

It's easier to ruin an old console's reputation than it is to build a new one's.

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DrLitch
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Re: Why is a PS5 so hard to find?

Postby DrLitch » April 7th, 2021, 6:41 pm

I wonder if the PS5 shortage will impact game development for it - at least insofar as release scheduling.

Graphics cards are crazy. Even last gen cards are flipping up to twice or thrice MSRP - i.e. Radeon VII was a $700 card on launch, used on eBay, $2000 plus. Even the low end cards are flipping high. Maxwell gen cards, 2014 - 16, the higher end models are starting to creep up in price on the used market as people desperately scramble to get a GPU. Now is a terrible time to build a gaming PC, and apparently, a terrible time if adoption of next gen consoles is on the agenda. On the other hand, if the crypto bubble busts, GPU's will hardly be rarer than hens teeth.


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