Hours after Sony announced the PlayStation 5’s release date and pricing, pre-orders went up. Several retailers, including Amazon, and GameStop, went live with their pre-order pages for the PS5, but as of right now. They all seem to have sold their allotments within less than 24 hours, and there is no indication when or if a new lot will be available.
For example, Amazon’s product page says, “Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock” for both the standard and digital versions. Target advises customers to check back on launch day, indicating that it does not expect to get any more pre-order units.
At this point, it looks like your only chance is to register with Sony directly. Last month, it posted an invite-only pre-order page on its website. It explains there is a limited quantity of units available. To get an invite, users must register with their PSN ID. So pre-ordering a pre-order has just become a thing with the PS5.
In the company’s FAQ, under the question, “If I receive an invitation, am I guaranteed to be able to pre-order a PS5 console,” the answer is: “No. Each invitation is open for a limited time and quantities are limited per PSN ID per transaction.” This stipulation applies not just to consoles, but also accessories like controllers and headsets.
A shortage of PlayStation 5 units was not unexpected. Earlier this week, we reported that PS5 production was reduced from 15 million units to 11 million, according to Bloomberg. Yesterday, Sony issued a statement refuting shortage claims.
“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false,” read the statement. “We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production.”
