For those that were in the "trying to buy a PS5/next gen GPU" game this year, how did it go?

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Folks, it did not go very well for me. I did not preorder the PS5 as I was moving in December and didn't want to ship it right after getting it. I assumed I would be able to buy one in December, pretty horrendous call. I kept trying the "refresh every two seconds around the time of Best Buy/Target/Walmart drops" and this failed for me. I eventually came up with a very good plan, I downloaded and activated a PS Direct notification bot. This would immediately tell me when a PS Direct queue started so I could be first in line. Then I was instantly owned by Sony who then changed (literally in the first one after I downloaded my bot) PS Direct queues to be random instead of who clicked on the website first. This was a pretty major own from Sony, I have to admit.

Anyway, I do not have a PS5, hoping I can get one by January.

I also do not have an RTX 3080 at all... Hoping it will be possible to buy a 3080 ti.

If you did succeed in buying one of these mythical items, detail how you managed the feat.

 

[Transistor]

Got my hands on a PS5 thanks to Walmart / Target shadow dropping their pre-orders early. Wasn't so lucky on a Series X or a 3080, though.

 

[Tohsaka]

I managed to get a PS5 pre-order from Walmart the second time they started taking them.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

I was successful on all the things I wanted (PS5, Series X, AirPod Max) this winter, fortunately. Pretty lucky/thankful. Even got a couple extras of each that I sold at cost to friends/co-workers.

That said, I'm most bummed I could not get a pre-order on the Analogue Pocket. That kills me. There was an issue with Apple Pay, and the moment I realized it after two failed purchases, it was sold out. I want the AP so bad, and I have a feeling with how they're sold I'm gonna be at least 6+ months late to the game.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

Secured the bag from Target, thanks to the assist from Wario64. Got it on launch day.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I didn't even bother.

I built a new PC and just bought a 1660 as something temporary until this mess settles down.

 

[Deleted member 81269]

Secured a PS5 DE after the showcase after GAME in the UK put preorders up at midnight. A few weeks later I got a disc version from game after spamming add to basket on their site. I sold the DE to my friend at cost.

 

[Serpens007]

Looks like I won't be getting that 3060Ti in a while really lol It's all I care for right now. Maybe a Series S down the line and a PS5 in years from now. The Series S stock has been pretty ok here at least.

 

[CorpseLight]

Was able to get a Series X on the pre-order day from Best Buy on the first try.

 

[Nothing Loud]

In the end I got about 5 PS5s and 4 XSX using no bots, just having tweet alerts from different stock trackers and being quick with my fingers. I sold one to a stranger, but mostly gave them to friends and family, who paid me back. Just a couple of days ago I drove 1.5 hours away to pick up the last PS5 I snagged from the BB drop a week ago to send to my friend in Korea. It's possible to get one, you just have to play the game right. Have all your details saved, have the right accounts followed, etc.

I also got a preorder for both back in September. I never turn down the chance to preorder a new console and I KNEW this pandemic was going to make it extra difficult to buy in stores.

 

[Shryke]

Lucky to get a PS5 due to the Amazon back door link. Will just buy some 3xxx card next year. Too much of a hassle to fight the bots for that.

 

[thebishop]

I've been trying to get a PS5 with no luck.

My PC is holding up for now, but I might buy a 3070 at some point.

 

[killa2max]

Pretty successful. Got myself a PS5 and Series X along with 2 Series X consoles for my friend and girlfriend. I'm still on a 970, so I want to upgrade that at some point, but I might wait a couple of years before making that plunge when PC has greatly surpassed current console tech (obviously the 3000 series is better than what's in consoles, but not so much better that I feel the need to upgrade my PC when I have the new machines).

 

[TitlePending]

I had three total - two pre-orders across Walmart and Target, and another bundle from Costco.

Sold my Walmart and Target units to friends at cost (one gave me a $20 tip!).

Now any friend who wants a next gen system is more than likely to get a PS5.

You're welcome, Sony.

 

[DarkChronic]

Yeah got one of the shadow dropped Walmart preorders right after the PS5 stream that night. Got lucky.

Haven't tried too hard securing a 3080. I have a 2070 Super so it's been one of those, "If I come across a 3080 in stock, maybe I'll get it." Dropping $700 on a new card when I already have a high end card seems really dumb so I'm glad the decision is being made for me.

 

[LonestarZues]

Got a PS5 at launch from Amazon.

 

[RedHeat]

I was able to get a PS5 thanks to the Amazon sneak link when it first came up.

 

[nny]

I got a PS5 (preordered in September, I believe) and a Series X (simply ordered online Dec 23rd, had it in my hands the next day).

 

[Xeonidus]

That shadow drop of the PS5 preorders worked put well for me. I really lucked out with Bestbuy. I was on their email list but as soon as that event they held ended I saw reports on Twitter that some companies were opening preorders. Checked Bestbuy right before leaving to pick up my son from daycare and it looked like they weren't accepting them yet. 10 minute drive to the daycare after and I checked in the parking lot. Wham! Preorders available and I snagged one right away.

Got home then Bestbuy emailed and said preorders were available...

 

[MrKlaw]

Got a 3080, xsx, 2x PS5 all on launch days. Didn't do anything special so guess I was lucky

- xsx from game on all access
- ps5 - one from amazon, one from game. Kept both preorders as I was worried one might not turn up. Sold the spare at cost to someone from here
- 3080 had a few tabs open and wasn't picky on model so clicked the first 'buy' button I saw which was a Palit from scan. Works fine, is quiet, and came with a nice polycarbonate sag bracket. Also got it for pretty much normal price

 

[Heliex]

I got my PS5 delivered from Best Buy at 11:30 AM on release day. Was a really smooth experience overall with zero hiccups.

 

[TronLight]

I was able to buy two PS5s, but I canceled both pre-orders (long story).

I also literally just received my 3060ti. I guess I was lucky, although I paid an inflated price for it... I was aiming for a 3070 but it was too expensive.

 

[Waffle]

It went well. Preordered the PS5 (bricked then replaced) and a series X from Best Buy. Also bought a second PS5 about a week after launch by refreshing the PlayStation Direct store for a few hours.

 

[TΛPIVVΛ]

Got the trifecta LG CX EVGA 3080 XC3 Ultra and PS5 on Aussie release :) For the PS5 I watched their showcase and had an incling pre orders would go up just after got a link for the pre order and secured one. 3080 the same after embargo lifted new witch cards sku's I was after and snagged the evga at MSRP

 

[toastybanana]

I woke up in the morning and randomly went over to the Argos website and they had PS5 preorders up. Right place at the right time I guess. Had to try harder for the 3080 by joining a discord server for alerts. Insomnia worked in my favour with a 5am Amazon alert netting me a card last month.

 

[kaputt]

I decided to buy a PS5 later this month and had no success at all. I live in Brazil.

I kinda gave up by now and will finish playing Fire Emblem on my Switch and some other games on my aging PC. By February or March I hope they have their stock sorted out.

 

[Uzupedro]

Was able to get a PS5 on 11/26, it didn't need too much efforts for me, a couple days refreshing some store pages and that's it.
Arrived on 12/21 btw.
(Brazil)

 

[Deleted member 21875]

I managed to get hold of a 3080 FE eventually. Looking at the situation with pretty much all new GPUs being hard to find, I feel I was pretty lucky.

 

[ElOdyssey]

Piece of advice for those looking to get the 3xxxx cards. Newegg has a terrible system and it will be bought out by bots in literally seconds. Your best bet is to find a twitter handle bot to alert you when Best Buy has them in stock. Me and buddies has the best luck here because their system is sort of anti bot. If you are also one of those lucky peeps that have a Microcenter nearby then I would look there too.

 

[Killzig]

thankfully I got a 3080 so I'm good for now. I'm happy to wait for a hardware revision but I know that's going to be just as much of a shitshow to pick up. Supply constraints seem to be like they're just going to be a thing for a while. (Finally got some plates from Rogue after being signed up on a bot for a good 8 months)...

 

[Kingpin Rogers]

I tried to get a PS5 and failed thanks to Amazon issues but thankfully my brother got two so I was able to get one of his orders. Didn't try for a 3080 at launch but looked shortly after and realised it was hopeless so I got a 1660 super until stock issues are sorted.

 

[Uncle at Nintendo]

None and None

 

[JMY86]

My launch PS5 could not have been easier, I clicked on the link from Wario64 and checked out on Amazon with zero problems. My 3080 was another story entirely but was finally able to grab a card via the EVGA queue after nearly 2 months of failing miserably to find one.

 

[DarrenM]

Managed to get a PS5 and Series X. Both by staying up way later than I should have. I was very lucky to be able to secure both though. Hopefully the people still waiting can get what they need soon.

 

[Acidote]

I became unemployed due to covid so I ditched my plans for both things.

 

[Bundy]

Got my PS5 on launch day. Headset, second DualSense controller, docking-station, games. All good.

 

[Vic Damone Jr.]

Got my PS5 through the first preorders, I even got 4 total for my friends and family.

 

[Lil Peanut Brotha]

Gave up real quick

 

[Jroc]

Put my name on the Canada Computers waiting list for a 3080 back in mid November. Got my card three weeks later at the start of December.

I don't know how some people get stuck waiting months and months. Maybe I just got lucky...

 

[Elfotografoalocado]

Got a decently discounted RTX laptop (Zephyrus G14) that I needed for my work anyway, with an RTX 2060. Pretty happy about my buy.

 

[Phinor]

The US system of no backorders/pre-order queues seems like a fun system to waste time on.. for months and months if you don't get lucky.

I put in an order for 3080 as soon as (pre)orders opened in Europe. Got the card roughly a month later. Also put in another order for a friend to get 3080, that arrived around 6 weeks after launch. So it's just a waiting game after you get an order in. Put in a pre-order for PS5 as soon as pre-orders opened on a specific retailer, got the console a day after launch but I was well informed beforehand that I would get it from the very limited launch stock they would receive. Also had a launch stock Xbox Series X reserved but cancelled that order. Put in an order for 5900X as soon as (pre)orders opened and got the CPU a day later.

So everything went pretty well. The GPU situation especially was well-known to anyone who went through the same experience with for example RTX 2000 series cards. Just put in an order as soon as possible and start waiting for the queue to clear, that's all there is to it here. Although there's one extra note on that now, never buy Asus non-OC GPU models unless they are already in stock. Asus really messed up with the non-OC variants, still yet to ship almost any of those variants while OC variants are arriving if not daily, then weekly.

 

[Jersa]

RTX 3080 - Got frustrated after trying for a week, bought one at scalper prices to hold me over until I could find a 3090 at MSRP. Re-sold for what I paid. Felt really distracted at work trying to order one, so it was nice to have one in-hand.

RTX 3090 - Found one at Best Buy for MSRP a few weeks after launch.

Xbox Series X - Pre-ordered from Amazon, but after the shipping delays decided it wasn't necessary and cancelled the order. Regretting it now, because I've no way to play Daytona USA. I've been looking for one, but not really pushing hard to find it.

PS5 - Got a bundle order on Costco on launch day. Shipped and arrived around Thanksgiving.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

Failed to get a PS5 but also didn't try incredibly hard at the same time. I'll grab one next year sometime.

 

[joe1138]

Got a PS5 and XSX pre-ordered prior to launch however, Amazon delayed my XSX. I lucked out and was able to order one through Costco on release day with an extra controller.

Walmart came through for me with release date delivery on the PS5.

I definitely feel very lucky in both instances and am disappointed so many people have been unable to get systems of their own either due to scalpers/bots or supply chain shortages.

I'm hoping now that the holidays are over, it'll be at least a bit easier for people to get their hands on these systems.

 

[K1ng P3n]

Got my Xbox Series X on launch day and my PS5 the day after launch.

 

[Darknight]

I was able to get four PS5s, and four Series X systems. I kept one of each and the rest went to my brother, brother in law, daughter's best friend's brother, and friends.

 

[Skid 4]

I have failed at every attempt and will wait until I can walk into a store and grab one.

 

[ZeroCDR]

Got in the first PS5 pre-order wave no problem, Wario was on top of it and the bots weren't ready.

Looks like it has been an exercise in misery ever since.

 

[Hasney]

Got a 3080, Series X and PS5 on their respective days of release.

Got 3 PS5's in fact and sold the 2 spares at cost to friends who missed out.

 

[3bada]

Managed to get a PS5, 5900x, and 3080 at MSRP luckily