“Guess I’ll try again in 10 years”: PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Launch Goes as Expected as Scalpers Take the Majority
Scalpers have struck again, as the limited edition PS5 Pro was sold out as soon as its pre-orders went live in a situation that Sony needs to remedy.
- The 30th anniversary limited edition bundle for the PS5 Pro sold out as soon as pre-orders opened up.
- However, it was not its players who managed to get one but scalpers in a situation that may seem all too familiar to Sony and the console's fans.
- Exorbitant offerings have cropped up, with scalpers raising an already high price tag to make a killing off of anyone desperate enough to get their hands on Sony's callback to the original PlayStation.
With preorders opening up for the PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony’s mid-gen update to its well-performing PlayStation 5 console, the company and its customers find themselves in a familiar situation to when the PS5 was launched back in 2020 at a time when Sony was plagued by supply chain issues.
However, the key difference to its current predicament is that this time around, it was Sony’s choice to release a limited edition 30th anniversary bundle for the PlayStation 5 Pro with only 12,300 units to be produced globally, which has resulted in a similar situation for the company.
Sony Battles a Different Kind of Inflation for the Limited Edition PS5 Pro
While the limited edition PS5 Pro is an attractive option for players looking to celebrate 30 years of PlayStation goodness with a console that has been designed to resemble the original PlayStation with a bunch of similarly themed accessories in tow, limited stocks for the console have led to scalpers once again gaining the upper hand, as it has sold out quite speedily after its pre-orders went live.
It is a situation reminiscent of the original PS5’s launch where limited stocks meant that scalpers who managed to secure a console could charge exorbitant prices for players looking to upgrade to a new generation of gaming given its staggering graphical and technical capabilities at the time. And with the PS5 Pro taking things up a notch, players will be eager to grab a console that brings the best of modern gaming to their homes while literally being a callback to 30 years of PlayStation’s history.
Could Sony Have Handled the Launch Differently?
Despite scalpers taking advantage of the time between the console’s announcement and its pre-order date to demand exorbitant prices for the chance to obtain one, Sony’s inability to ensure a smooth launch for a console that already carried an eye-watering price tag is a reflection of the gaming industry’s lack of efficient checks to limit scalpers making the most of online retail channels in such situations.
The post below showcases how these scalpers have since surfaced online, raising the already high price tag to amounts that most people would not be able to afford.
It is indeed unfortunate to see Sony’s attempt at a nostalgic touch on its new powerhouse be taken advantage of in this manner – especially considering that while the majority of gamers may not fall prey to such tactics, there is the possibility that some individuals may choose to pick up one of the scalpers’ consoles if they are unable to obtain one through the proper channels.
Another post showcases how a PlayStation fan was only able to purchase one of the limited edition DualSense controllers after pre-orders went live with everything else already sold out.
Responses to both posts were understandably negative, with many players questioning the greed of online scalpers and their ridiculous pricing for the limited edition PS5 Pro, with one player presenting a rather creative solution to the problem.
Another response from a player who may have hoped to play Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero on the console once again shows just how greedy scalpers can be with their pricing.
While the standard edition of the PlayStation 5 Pro remains in stock and could deter scalpers’ efforts to extort others considering it is not going to be a limited edition, the fact remains that the gaming industry needs to find an answer to this specific problem, and fast!
