Update: So, Sony’s messaging on this was a bit fractured so we’ve updated the story now that new context has come in from retailers like Wal-Mart. While yes, you won’t be able to just walk into a store and find a PlayStation 5 on the shelf, stores will be allocating some stock for in-store pickup at designated times on launch day. Wal-Mart posted on Twitter that it will have four waves of pre-orders for in-store pickup on November 12 at the following times:
The day you've all been waiting for is almost here: the #PS5 is coming 11/12 for online orders only! If you missed out on preorders, you'll have four chances to order throughout the day:
???? 12 PM ET
???? 3 PM ET
???? 6 PM ET
???? 9 PM ET pic.twitter.com/84e7bD4Up5
— Walmart (@Walmart) November 5, 2020
So yes, you still should not be camping out for a console, but you might still have a chance to buy and pick-up a PlayStation 5 at retailers next Thursday if you order one at the designated times. It’s yet-to-be-seen if other stores will be taking a similar approach.
Original story: While those who don’t manage to get a pre-order in for a new console have made a tradition of contacting local retailers, camping out in front of stores before they open, and fighting against dozens or hundreds of other people who are doing the same thing in order to get a new system, Sony is making a decided effort to mitigate this in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The company has announced that any extra PlayStation 5 stock it has will be handled online, rather than sending any systems to stores as part of general merchandise. This will remove any need for customers to go to the store as they wait for new stock to arrive.
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony explained that it would not be sending any surplus consoles to stores like Wal-Mart, GameStop, or Best Buy, and any stock those retailers do get will be available exclusively through their online stores to be shipped directly to customers. This means you won’t be able to track down a PlayStation 5 looking for a home by being the first person to a store, so you and your family can safely stay home and keep an eye on online shops instead. If you’re one of the people who pre-ordered in-store and have one reserved at a specific location, your console should still be available on launch day. So unless you know your going to have a PlayStation 5 waiting for you, stay the fuck home.
This is definitely the right call. I say this having even pre-ordered my PS5 at my local GameStop because it was both convenient and also no one in my small middle-of-nowhere town in Georgia is anywhere near as online as I am, and I was able to pretty easily secure my system. This was immediately followed by opening up Twitter and seeing just how bad the situation was for anyone trying to order online. However, after Sony’s announcement that it wouldn’t be allocating extra consoles for in-store purchases at launch, there have been reports of pending online pre-orders now being projected to arrive on the November 12 release date. So this might work out for a fair amount of people who were in a state of limbo before.
In other news:
- Warframe Cross Generation Play Arrives Alongside PS5, Xbox to Come
- Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 to Feature Hades, Sekiro, and Wand of Gamelon
- The Promise of an N7 Day Mass Effect Panel Will Get Me Through This Week
As of this writing, we’re exactly one week away from the launch of the PlayStation 5. Games like the Demon’s Souls remake and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are headlining the launch, with others like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Fortnite helping to round out the third-party selections. Bugsnax will also be there, and also will be the first free game on PlayStation 5 for PS Plus subscribers, but the offer won’t extend to those who want to play Young Horses’ latest on PlayStation 4. Destruction AllStars was originally going to be a multiplayer romp for those who got the box at launch, but it has since been delayed until February.
