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regenhuber

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,224
Covid is a factor here for the demand side, as people don't go to movies, concerts or vacation (as much) during this.
I also think the media coverage of chip shortages and crazy scalping drives people into FoMo.

If you really want a next gen console asap, the aftermarket is your best bet.
I know it sucks to pay more but here on eBay a PS5 is 750€, XSX 650€.
So there is still a ton of supply, just not at 500€.

Hardly an issue worth worrying about compared to the gas/electricity prices.
 

AM_LIGHT

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,728
I feel extremely lucky having secured a PS5 on launch. I bought series X at a later date but that was very easy because it's available on every online vendor here.
 

GundamStyle

Banned
Jun 10, 2018
349
Im hoping to get a ps5 in store 2022, i can go to a big chain eletronics store every day when they open to increase my chances.
 

Phalk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
259
Campo Grande, Brazil
Kids being upset because they can't get a PS5 or a XSX? What kind of kids you have there? Kids don't 'like' gaming consoles for some 20 years, they like Minecraft and Fortnite. Consoles are for young and adults nowadays and has been the case for some time.
Also, the demand is higher than it's currently possible to manufature, even one year after release, simple as that. There's nothing to do about it.
 

Fadewise

Member
Nov 5, 2017
3,210
I'd like to the see the console makers commit at least some portion of their stock to direct sales with a waiting list. Sony and Microsoft already do direct sales to some extent, but they are still largely a first-come-first-serve affair that rely on watching the Twitter feeds and Discords like a hawk to know when you can hop in a queue to maybe get a chance at buying one. I don't mind waiting to buy stuff if that's the reality, but it would such a nicer experience to just reserve my spot and know that I'll get it when my number comes up instead of having to constantly play this song and dance. The seal has been broken on sneakerbots and scalpers, even once the supply chain recovers fighting for this type of stuff is going to be a reality going forward, and the platform holders need to reckon with that.

Valve and EVGA are the only players in the gaming space that seem to have gotten this right; queue-based direct sales with provisions to ensure that existing and active customers have priority. Sony and Microsoft could easily implement something similar if they wanted to. I know that the counterargument is "well, why would they want to, they get their money either way", but I would put forth that it's a customer service issue. EVGA has made me a customer for life with what they did in service of me getting a new GeForce 3000 series card.

Nintendo though....i wouldn't trust them to do it without implementing some sort of half-assed-yet-overly-byzantine version of it...
 

Nayenezgani

Member
Jan 16, 2021
469
You are not following, yet you are on a primarily gaming forum..... seems to me you are being disingenuous. You seem fine with other forms of escapism, and cannot seem to understand the thought of somebodies escape primarily be gaming? Come on now, cut the shit.

If you're going to be combative, don't be slow and wildly off the mark. I'm saying there are lots of gaming options besides the next gen systems. There were some great switch titles released this year, and one of my favorite games, Inscryption, ran on my old toaster of a laptop. Throw in phones, tablets, emulation, and cloud services and there is a massive catalog of new and older games to play.
 

Snake Eater

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,385
If you're going to be combative, don't be slow and wildly off the mark. I'm saying there are lots of gaming options besides the next gen systems. There were some great switch titles released this year, and one of my favorite games, Inscryption, ran on my old toaster of a laptop. Throw in phones, tablets, emulation, and cloud services and there is a massive catalog of new and older games to play.

what Christmas spirit calling people slow!
 

LProtagonist

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
7,606
At this rate I haven't actually found a reason to get one, there's not any games that make them a must-buy. So I'm not as upset as I would be otherwise.
 

Remark

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,577
I mean there is a lot of factors at play as to why they aren't in stores which you literally listed so I don't understand the point of this thread.
 

WhtR88t

Member
May 14, 2018
4,609
I actually don't feel like it's that difficult to snag one…

I decided I wanted to get a Series X… a week later I had one. Just had to watch for them to appear for a few days. Tried exactly once and got it. No big deal.
 
Nov 14, 2017
2,069
Between COVID and the chip shortage I'm really not sure what you were expecting.

Hell they just had a huge Halo tournament last week and played on XSX dev kits in "retail mode" because they didn't have enough retail units.
 

Incubuster

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,268
I actually don't feel like it's that difficult to snag one…

I decided I wanted to get a Series X… a week later I had one. Just had to watch for them to appear for a few days. Tried exactly once and got it. No big deal.
This is exactly what I experienced not even two weeks ago. I had spent like a week looking for a Series X and got notified a Walmart drop was happening. I made sure my account was updated, and had the page up on my computer. I refreshed the page at the time the drop started and I got one. Maybe not as simple and antiquated as going to a store and buying one but given all that's going on, I feel it was painless.
 

daegan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,907
It's a bad way of doing things. It's also the best possible way for them to do it until things stabilize. You had grown adults beating the shit out of employees and each other over trading cards this summer. Consoles aren't gonna been any better.
Sony and Microsoft already do direct sales to some extent, but they are still largely a first-come-first-serve affair that rely on watching the Twitter feeds and Discords like a hawk to know when you can hop in a queue to maybe get a chance at buying one. […]
Valve and EVGA are the only players in the gaming space that seem to have gotten this right; queue-based direct sales with provisions to ensure that existing and active customers have priority. Sony and Microsoft could easily implement something similar if they wanted to. I know that the counterargument is "well, why would they want to, they get their money either way", but I would put forth that it's a customer service issue.
Sony and MS literally send you an email to let you know when your chance is arriving. Valve and EVGA are dealing with fractions of the amount of hardware that Sony and MS are (and IIRC not a single consumer Deck is out yet so let's wait until those are delivered before cheering for them.)

It absolutely sucks for people who are more tuned out to basically not be able to get these systems; but I'd also argue those people are not the part of the market who is going to make it worthwhile to release anything but the biggest games on those platforms which is why this frustrating path is probably the least worst option.
 

demondance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,808
I'm with OP. At least you aren't fighting bots if they just sell these in person. Scalpers got to get off their asses and get one themselves.
 

njean777

Member
Jan 2, 2020
172
If you're going to be combative, don't be slow and wildly off the mark. I'm saying there are lots of gaming options besides the next gen systems. There were some great switch titles released this year, and one of my favorite games, Inscryption, ran on my old toaster of a laptop. Throw in phones, tablets, emulation, and cloud services and there is a massive catalog of new and older games to play.

Going to ad-hominem right off the mark, nice. You know exactly what you were doing, cut the shit.

For someone who's primary escape is gaming, there's a lot of other devices that can play games that aren't a PS5 or Xbox series X/S

And for somebodies thread title that is literally about the ps5/ XSX well....... what is your point here? The whole topic is not about all the other avenues of gaming, it is specifically about the new generation of consoles. So your point is?
 

T0kenAussie

Member
Jan 15, 2020
5,119
Chip shortages have companies overpaying to jump the queue in fab lines. Especially in the auto industry with higher profit dumb chips.

this gen may stretch to 10 years given how hampered everything is by the chip shortage.
 

m4st4

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
5,505
I would love to get a Series X but I already own Series S, PS5 and Switch. It is a luxury, I can wait, other things are more important in life. I'll probably push to get it just before Hellblade.
 

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,116
Phoenix, AZ
And for somebodies thread title that is literally about the ps5/ XSX well....... what is your point here? The whole topic is not about all the other avenues of gaming, it is specifically about the new generation of consoles. So your point is?

Well, if you go back and follow the comment chain, the original comment was someone saying

At the same time, gaming escapism is something that helps people to stay sane during this mess.

And someone else arguing there's plenty of other forms of escapism.

That's when you replied with the post I quoted, saying that someones primary escape may be gaming.

Which is why said there's plenty of gaming options that aren't a PS5 or Xbox series S/X, which relates to the topic of people not being able to get PS5s. So this theoretical person who's primary form of escapism is gaming that you mentioned, has plenty of other options for gaming until they can get the PS5 they desire.
 

Yung Coconut

Member
Oct 31, 2017
4,267
The entire situation sucks, but it's not just Covid. Retailers definitely need to do more to combat bots on their ecommerce platforms.

Do they? They get their money either way. And if certain retailers (e.g. Amazon, Newegg etc) sell to scalpers there is a chance they get to double dip if it's resold on their platform. I'm sure retailers are just fine with the current situation.
 

Musubi

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,660
With how scarce they are, and how batshit insane people are I can see it being a constant headache for stores putting up with people…

1. Constantly nagging workers if they are in stock or when they get them
2. People fighting over them
3. People camping before stores open.

Yup. It's why Target quit selling Pokemon cards in store. It was becoming increasingly dangerous for the employees as all the crazies stormed the store and fought over cards. Now amplify that fervor for something that is way more mainstream like a game console and I feel like it would just be trouble and also wouldn't really alleviate the core issue the demand is far greater than the supply.
 

balb

Member
Oct 30, 2017
637
Do they? They get their money either way. And if certain retailers (e.g. Amazon, Newegg etc) sell to scalpers there is a chance they get to double dip if it's resold on their platform. I'm sure retailers are just fine with the current situation.

Retailer margins on consoles are fairly small.
 

Yung Coconut

Member
Oct 31, 2017
4,267
They want real customers so they can buy games, accessories and warranties.

They'll sell those things regardless of where people get their consoles. It's not like all of these scalpers have hurt sales of any of these products. The demand is high as ever and people are paying the prices.

Hell, look at the gpu market. Retailers and manufacturers are becoming richer than they could ever imagine from the pandemic. Insane msrps and shit is sold before it can even occupy space on a retail shelf.
 
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Tpallidum

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,165
Saw a snarky/joke Twitter post saying something like: "it's the end of 2021 and you still don't got a ps5 smh" and I'm just like. Yo that's not on me. That's on Sony. I refuse to go super out of my way to hunt down a next gen console. I'll get one when I can go into a store and just pick one up and not before.
 

Deleted member 12867

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,623
I don't even understand why they are still being scalped. Seems like a lot for how little profit they fetch now. After fees and shit I doubt they are making over $50. I will never understand why they don't allow you to queue your order instead of just letting it being this chaotic. Is it so hard to just give me the option to buy the thing and wait for it to be restocked.
 

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,503
Who is to say what should and what should not happen?
KGT9.gif
 

EJS

The Fallen
The Fallen
Oct 31, 2017
9,197
Series S | X can be purchased in Targets in-store, actually. You just need to put some effort in with that.
 

Kalasai

Member
Jan 16, 2018
905
France
In France the Serie S/X are sold in store. I have buyed my serie x one week ago on a shelve.

I know the fnac too have xbox and ps5 in shelve just before Christmas.
 

Septimus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,591
It will start to get better MAYBE by Q3. Big maybe though. It's affecting a lot things though. We got a 2021 Tesla Model 3 earlier this year with minimal wait time. Now a bunch of my friends want to get one as well but the most affordable version (the one I have) is now ~$5000 more expensive and back ordered until June next year. And this is California where they are made.

Just don't see it getting better any time soon for high demand items like PS5, entry level Teslas, GPUs etc.
 

Nayenezgani

Member
Jan 16, 2021
469
Going to ad-hominem right off the mark, nice. You know exactly what you were doing, cut the shit.

You have some odd interpretation of events to imply someone is a liar and then claim THEY started the personal attacks. You misunderstood my meaning and leapt to conclusions instead of asking for clarification. My opening reply to you is seemingly less retributive ad hominem and more a mere statement of fact.

If you don't accept my explanation, that's your prerogative, but then we're at an impasse. I'd recommend you just keep it moving.
 

njean777

Member
Jan 2, 2020
172
You have some odd interpretation of events to imply someone is a liar and then claim THEY started the personal attacks. You misunderstood my meaning and leapt to conclusions instead of asking for clarification. My opening reply to you is seemingly less retributive ad hominem and more a mere statement of fact.

If you don't accept my explanation, that's your prerogative, but then we're at an impasse. I'd recommend you just keep it moving.

So after all this babble you do agree you did result to ad hominem? I just want clarification. Calling somebody "slow" is not seen as a statement of fact, you are personally attacking that person (unless they are physically moving slow.) so what did you mean by calling me "slow"? you are a liar (unless you can prove you are not), you know exactly what you are doing and are acting ignorant of it.

Calling you a "liar" about your behavior is not a personal attack. You can (if wanted) prove otherwise, calling somebody "slow" in the way you used it is insulting their intelligence and directly attacking them.
 

regenhuber

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,224
I'm sure retailers are just fine with the current situation.

Anecdotal evidence but retailers here (MediaMarkt) are just as mad as consumers over this situation.

They are missing out on the upsell opportunities (selling a accessories and games to people picking up a PS5), their websites/callcenters get swamped and can do nothing about it.
 

My Tulpa

alt account
Banned
Sep 19, 2021
1,132
If there were no professional scalper/bot industry betting on the indefinite perceived tech shortages… demand for RTX 3000 cards, Series X's and ps5's would be met by now.

I'm hoping scalpers will eventually be forced to sell their stocks closer to MSRP soon so they stop scooping up every stock drop.
 

regenhuber

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,224
If there were no professional scalper/bot industry betting on the indefinite perceived tech shortages… demand for RTX 3000 cards, Series X's and ps5's would be met by now.

I'm hoping scalpers will eventually be forced to sell their stocks closer to MSRP soon so they stop scooping up every stock drop.

Prices have come down a lot on eBay.de as far as I can tell. The Disc PS5 going for 750-800€ now, was almost 1000€ around launch.
Still a long way to go until they sell at 500€, you would need Amazon and co. to consistenly have stock for sale over a long period of time before a scalper would sell at 0€ profit minus eBay fees.
My guess is that next Christmas PS5's still won't be on shelves but will be ca. 600€ on eBay.

That said, the pro scalpers are only part of the problem. All that media coverage attracted a lot of amateur scalpers that flip only one or two consoles. A guy at work (who had a PS5 since launch) keeps tabs on all the twitter feeds and discords and snatched up at least 3-4 PS5s this year to flip them at an easy 200-300€ profit a pop.
There are ways to slow down bots and scripts but no chance to stop guys like this.
 

My Tulpa

alt account
Banned
Sep 19, 2021
1,132
Prices have come down a lot on eBay.de as far as I can tell. The Disc PS5 going for 750-800€ now, was almost 1000€ around launch.
Still a long way to go until they sell at 500€, you would need Amazon and co. to consistenly have stock for sale over a long period of time before a scalper would sell at 0€ profit minus eBay fees.
My guess is that next Christmas PS5's still won't be on shelves but will be ca. 600€ on eBay.

That said, the pro scalpers are only part of the problem. All that media coverage attracted a lot of amateur scalpers that flip only one or two consoles. A guy at work (who had a PS5 since launch) keeps tabs on all the twitter feeds and discords and snatched up at least 3-4 PS5s this year to flip them at an easy 200-300€ profit a pop.
There are ways to slow down bots and scripts but no chance to stop guys like this.

you are right, it's pro scalpers as well as amateur. (Much like what crypto mining became)

I remember the story that ~33k ps5's were sold the first two weeks of launch through eBay…and that's just eBay, not including 3rd party Amazon or StockX or places like that…and that was just sales at over $1000 a piece. Didn't account for unsold stock.

I can only assume hundreds of thousands of consoles being bought at launch by scalpers.

And then I remember in Dec/Jan of that year, numerous sites and YouTube videos teaching people how to create their own scripting bots to try and tackle each stock drop if they so choose

I see username after username on 3rd party selling sites of a single person (entity) having already sold 200-400 ps5's. They are buying in bulk, no doubt hoarding under the assumption of major holiday sales as the professionals keep supply dribbling out to a minimum (much like the diamond market)

Just looking at StockX right now, the average ps5 sale is still $200-$300 above retail price. With that kind of profit, the scalper market will still treat them like GameStop shares, betting on their value to provide a profit for the forseable future as normal demand is still prevented from being met by this perpetual scalper industry machine.