Perhaps it was inevitable: pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 have been a bit of a mess – and scalpers are taking advantage.
Pre-orders for the PS5 went live late on Wednesday night UK time – before Sony had officially announced they had begun. This sparked a scramble from those desperately trying to secure their pre-order. As retailer websites wobbled under the pressure of the online horde, the victorious took to social media to celebrate, while the defeated were left deflated, hoping for better luck in the coming weeks.
Now, just a few days later, the next step in the console pre-order dance has been taken: concern over cancelled pre-orders, retailer warnings about delivering on launch day, and scalpers laughing all the way to the bank.
PS5 Showcase Livestream REACTION + ANALYSIS – PlayStation 5 Games – EGX Digital 2020 Watch on YouTube
Let’s start with Amazon, which has sent an email out to some who have pre-ordered a PS5 to warn that the retail behemoth may not be able to get them a PS5 for launch.
Amazon has sent an email saying PS5 orders may not arrive on launch date due to high demand pic.twitter.com/xip55XEwYD
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 18, 2020
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Even Geoff Keighley, PlayStation news extraordinaire, is not immune.
Amazon has just informed me I may not receive my PlayStation 5 pre-order on release day due to “high demand.” pic.twitter.com/3S1ZqmhWKa
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 18, 2020
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On these shores, social media is flooded with complaints from angry customers who either couldn’t secure a PS5 pre-order, or who thought they had one but don’t. Argos has come under fire for its online system. A successful pre-order from Argos relies upon the receipt of an email confirmation within two hours of an order being placed. If you don’t get this email, you don’t get your pre-order. It looks like there were quite a few people who didn’t get this email, even though they went through the entire online process.