Multiple retailers have already sold out of PlayStation 5 pre-orders, despite Sony telling fans that pre-sales for the console would begin starting Thursday, September 17.
In the US, retailers includingTarget,Walmart,GamestopandBest Buywent live with their PS5 pre-orders within hours ofPlayStation’s PS5 showcase on Wednesday.
The first three have already sold out, while Best Buy’s website is seemingly experiencing technical difficulties, which have frustrated fans enough to cause the retailer’s name to trend on Twitter.
A Walmart spokesperson told VGC it would soon have morePlayStation 5consoles available for pre-order via its physical stores.
In the UK,GameandSmythsalso started taking PS5 pre-orders the day before PlayStation UK said they would.
The retailers immediately sold out of Digital Edition consoles, whichsources had previously told VGCwere expected to be in short supply compared to the standard hardware. As of Thursday morning, Game is not listing any PS5 products.
AmazonUK opened its pre-orders for the standard PlayStation 5 console on Thursday morning and sold out in around 30 minutes. The Digital Edition went live later and sold out in even less time.
PS5 pre-orders will be available starting as early as tomorrow at select retailers.
⚠ Sold Out Online ⚠Due to unprecedented demand we have sold out of our stock allocation online! 🤯Still looking to get your hands on a#PlayStation5for launch? Head into your local store and pre-order today 🎮pic.twitter.com/pFl5s7lP0Z
Sonyhassent out invitesto those who were invited topre-order PlayStation 5 directly from PlayStation, although invited customers will not be able to purchase the console until Friday.
In July, PlayStation’s worldwide marketing head Eric Lempel claimed the platform holderwould give consumers fair notice before pre-orders went live.
“So I think it’s safe to say, we’ll let you know when pre-orders will happen,” he said. “It’s not going to happen with a minute’s notice.
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“We’re going to at some point let you know when you’re able to pre-order a PlayStation 5 so please don’t feel like you have to go run and line up anywhere until you receive official notice on how that will work.”
Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners, told VGC he expectssupply issues for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series Xthis year.
“While production is ramping up and component scarcity is less of an issue than before, we believe that logistics issues will be a barrier for both platform holders to overcome this holiday, with the impact from Covid-19 leading to long shipping times and shortages on store shelves during the launch period.
“We expect Sony andMicrosoftto utilise air shipments, which will cost more, to meet demand this year.”
