WOULD-BE PS5 owners have been urged not to look for stock at physical Game stores.
It comes as the UK partially lifts lockdown today, re-opening shops – including high-street retailer Game.
The store seems like an obvious place to look for a PS5.
But there’ll be no stock in Game stores this week.
That’s partly due to a lack of supply, but it’s also linked to a dictum from Sony urging retailers not to sell units from store shelves – and stick to online instead.
“Breaking: Game not to receive PS5 shipments till the end of April,” said respected PS5 Twitter account @PS5StockAlertUK.
“They currently gave no stock at all. The current release date down on the bundles page is a placeholder, which they’ve done before for other products.
“They will either do backorders next week, or no sales at all.”
It went on: “Game currently does not know how much stock Sony will ship to them.
“Also, as contact by Sony, Game will not be selling the PS5 in-store once retail opens up in the UK.”
The order to avoid selling PS5 consoles in physical shops was given by Sony months ago.
It’s a bit to reduce the spread of coronavirus, by preventing gamers from swarming stores to bag a PS5.
According to the stock tracker, Game is expect to have new units available as early as April 27 to 29, but it could be later.
The shortage of consoles at Game is believed to be related to Sony’s chip shortage – part of a wider problem globally.
The shortage first began last year, as chip-making factories were forced to shut down during the pandemic.
Some firms – like car makers – needed fewer chips as demand dried up.
But electronics sales soared as the world began spending more time at home.
Then once the world began kicking back into action, a backlog in orders put strain on the chip-makers.
Several products were delayed as the shortage ramped up, including two of last year’s iPhone models.
Samsung has also warned that one of its top models may need to be pushed back.
The shortage has also been linked to a drought in Taiwan.
Chip-making is a liquid-intensive process, and Taiwan has reportedly imported water to help ease the supply strains.
The PS5 has been largely sold out since it launched in November 2020.
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan recently admitted that it would be much easier to get a PS5 from July onwards.
Resellers were peddling the console for thousands of pounds in the days after launch.
And even months later, the PS5 is still in such high demand that people are selling the console for £1,000 on eBay.
The full PS5 costs £449/$499, while a Digital Edition without a disc tray is priced at £359/$399.
They’re up against the Xbox Series X (£449) and Xbox Series S (£249), which hit shelves worldwide November 10.
All four consoles have been sold out around the world, with stock seesawing in and out of availability over the past few weeks.
The PS5 launched with major exclusive games like Spider-Man Miles Morales and a revamped version of Dark Souls for players to enjoy.
Xbox gamers, on the other hand, have a new Halo title to look forward to later this year.
Game has not confirmed an imminent restock.
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