How difficult was it for you to buy a PS5 or Series X/S?

[kubev]

I ordered my Xbox Series X when pre-orders first went live. I had roughly a dozen browser tabs open on my PC and several store apps ready on my phone, and I snagged one from Walmart within a minute after preorders opened. I didn't initially want a PlayStation 5 but eventually ordered my PlayStation 5 DE by purchasing access via PowerUp Rewards and getting the console from GameStop.

 

[The Shape]

I managed to pre-order it a month before launch, but it was kinda hard. Had to keep looking at a handful of online stores for a couple weeks with tabs open on my browser all the time.

 

[NewDust]

Pretty easy, but lucky. Got two pre-orders for PS5. The first in Feb 2020, which I was only able to get in December and went to a friend.

In July I saw pre-order slots open at another retailer and thought I might as well play it safe. Had an account there, but forgot the password. Once I had reset the password, I put in the pre-order and then, one minute later, pre-orders closed. This was the system I got at launch.

So I was pretty lucky that I was awake that morning, saw the dealsite list the availability, make it in time, even with the password reset, and lucky enough that I still got allocated to the launch window even with a pretty late pre-order.

 

[Tyaren]

Got my PS5 at launch. It wasn't difficult, but it took a little effort.
After/during the big PS5 reveal show, where price and preorder information was revealed, I did not, like most people, jump online to preorder one in an online store, I instead decided to do it the old fashioned way and preorder one in person at the local Gamestop right when it openend the following day. Only a couple of others with the same idea were also there.
While all online stock had long been sold out already, the stock that was going to be delivered to the store on launch day was still untapped and so I was able to secure one of those PS5s.
Due to covid I was only able to pick up my PS5 a day after launch though, because they gave everyone an appointment/time window to pick up their console in the store.

 

[Hilarious_Bearious]

Put my list on the PS5 waitlist at JB Hi Fi, got a call a few weeks later saying my PS5 had arrived.

 

[Mórríoghain]

Extremely easy. Stock is abundant in Turkey, bought it for around $550-ish in May last year. Now the same listing is around $950 👀

 

[KDash]

I got my Xbox Series X when they first went up for pre-order at the Microsoft Store. Site was having a lot of issues loading at first, but I managed to get one about half an hour later once it started to work normally.

Haven't tried getting a PS5 yet. Been tempted to in the past, but all I really want to play on it right now is Spider-Man 2, which is still a year or more away...so I'm holding off. Also, not enough money. Heh.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

PS5 was easy, got a preorder first night they went up and it was delivered Day 1.

XSX took me all the way from launch until the beginning of this April to get one. They seem much easier to get now.

 

[Forearm_Star]

Very easy.
Was able to secure both for myself day one through back channel gamestop employees. (Friends I used to work with)

I also lucked out and got a few for friends who needed a system from different online drops that first holiday season.

 

[Joe White]

Really easy. I just reserved one of each from local store at the end of 2019 and then collected both at day-1. Only kept XSX, but I have had plenty of other opportunities and people pushing PS5 during past 1,5 years.

 

[Otakunofuji]

The day pre-orders went up for the Series X on Amazon in September 2020 I actually waited around for like 20-minutes in the hopes the Series S would go up, which it never did, so I bought a Series X instead. It was wonderfully painless. lol

 

[Deleted member 9241]

I got both at launch and it felt like a full time job mixed with a huge amount of luck that I finally got one of each. It wasn't just me. I had my wife checking sites/inventory/tweets/ect. too. We did that for a week or two, but I lucked out and never looked back.

 

[Damien1990]

Easy. Pre-ordered PS5 as soon as it was first available on Amazon UK and was delivered day one.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

My first/launch PS5 was arguably more difficult because I was constantly refreshing Best Buy's app until I had a chance at adding the thing to the cart and then dealing with the checkout system failing until it went through.

My second one the following January was less difficult because I got onto the page at just the right time and managed to grab one right when the button became clickable to add to cart.

 

[Darren Lamb]

Hasn't been bad for me.

PS5 DE: bought it from someone here in the b/s/t thread at a slight premium, got it on launch day. I did think about upgrading it to a disc version at times and have experienced the queues and sellouts, but I also didn't try that hard to procure one. I can believe it's a fucking pain though

Series X: Managed to get two for launch day, somewhat by accident. Ended up selling one after pitching it to my friends. Seems like more are available now

Series S: I bought one on a whim from the MS store a few months back. Always felt like a Series S was gettable, even if it's only been consistently on shelves in the past 6 months

 

[logash]

I got invited by PS to buy a PS5 the day they went up so it wasn't hard. About an hour before the invite came through I was on Best Buy and Amazon struggling to get one though. Then Geoff Kelighy tweeted out an Amazon link and I was able to get it. Yes, that means I was able to get two preorders that day. I sold the second one at cost to my cousin. I was even invited a second time by PS and was able to get my friend one.

As far as Xbox goes, I struggled a bit to get one fall last year. It look maybe 2-3 weeks of manically following Wario64's tweets to finally get one from Microsoft store.

Over all, judging from twitter, I feel like I had an easier time getting them than most.

 

[HeihachiMishima]

Pretty easy here as well. Got the direct pre-order from Sony and they delivered it launch day.

Got another invite from them a few months later, and got a second one the same way. Gave it to my brother.

 

[Mass Effect]

Super easy because of that early Amazon pre-order link that got leaked by Wario64.

 

[jroc74]

PS5 was easy for me to pre order.

After that, a 24/7 Twitch stream for another PS5 and a XSX. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.

 

[RowdyReverb]

PS5 - got super lucky and got a Digital Edition on launch day from Amazon thanks to the Wario64 backdoor link

XSX - got one about 6 months later from Target via Hot Stock. Wasn't hard, only had to try for a few days.

Super easy because of that early Amazon pre-order link that got leaked by Wario64.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that link was clutch

 

[OrochiJR]

Got my Xbox last spring, and it was not that hard IIRC. PS5 was another story, I just got lucky last summer when I managed to get an order in during a very short order window.

 

[Lucreto]

PS5 is still hard to find. Xbox series X I can walk in to a shop and buy one any time I wish. Supply has finally outpaced demand for Xbox.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I'm fortunate and it wasn't difficult at all.

I was invited by Sony via PS Direct to buy my launch unit. I got another PS5 via Amazon at launch which I sold to a friend at-cost.

I got lucky and saw a Wario64 posting at just the right time to get a Best Buy preorder for a launch unit Series X.

And then I was invited by Sony to buy from them again in early Spring 2021. I never signed up but I went ahead and took it and sold that unit to another friend at-cost.

So, I've gotten 3 PS5s at MSRP and got my launch Series X at MSRP. Very, very fortunate.

 

[Gibordep]

Easy.
Day one I bought one Series X and one Series S. I had a PS5 reserved but cancel it (I will have it day one if I didn't calcel it).

 

[Hippopuncher12]

I was able to pre order both before launch (got 2 Series X orders actually and sold one to a friend at cost). For my PS5 I was invited to do their direct queue thing so that obviously helped, if I didn't have that it probably would have been impossible.

 

[Ryu bogard]

XSX- managed to pre-order during launch. PS5 i just got on a waiting list at a sony store last week. I was told minimum waiting period is 18 months. I see it available via scalpers for double the price. But i am not buying that.

 

[andymcc]

after trying with no success around the launch of both systems, i sort of gave up and told myself i'd just buy one when i'd see it on the store shelves. i saw that best buy stock trick that was posted two months ago and a best buy a city over had PS5s. bought it right off the shelf.

 

[Scarlett]

Easy.

US friend texted me complaining that Best Buy Canada just put them up, but the US Best Buy had not.

I turned to my keyboard and ordered one.

Then the site crashed.

Series X came this winter. I made casual inquiries at the two GameStops I frequent for nerd merch, and eventually one offered to set one aside if I did the bundle. The bundle was... a game. Easy.

 

[Suikodan]

Pre-ordered them when pre-orders opened for launch day.

It was pretty easy. Was even able to order a second PS5 for a friend. You need to stay in touch with trackers but it's no rocket science.

 

[Senor Spielbergo]

Series X I got when the pre-orders went up. PS5 I got a few months later through Sony directly. 6/10 hard to get.

 

[SeanMN]

Xbox: I was ready when preorders when live - refreshing several store pages on my computer and phone. After 40 minutes my transaction finally when through on the Microsoft store

PS5: I purchased this for a friend summer 2021. I was able to jump on a store link immediately after Wario64 posted about it.

Overall it was definitely more difficult to purchase a console this generation than any prior generation I can recall.

 

[thankyoumerzbow]

one of my buddies worked at the equivalent of walmart here and he saved me a series x when they got a bunch in stock

 

[-orion-]

I had no intention of buying...
I went to a news site where it said there was restock on amazon (Brazil),
I went to it and it was still available, so I bought it. :D

 

[Taneleer]

I bought a Series X day 1, but I was waiting for them to go up. I wasn't going to get a PS5 right away, but FOMO got the better of me after a month and started trying to get one. Took me about 3 months, though I gave up for one of them, luckily I wake up early for my job and got a notification from wario and bought one at target.

 

[Helix]

got both fairly easily. the PS5 was an early pre-order and the S was just available in my area.

 

[CelestialAtom]

I got my PS5 at launch by sheer luck since I discovered a Twitter post with some receipts from different GameStops for pre-orders one day before they were supposed to go live, so I called my friend at the local GameStop and he verified that they just went live. So, I got a PS5 from it. For my Series X, I used the Xbox All-Access Program and it was easy as hell getting one since those jackass scalpers were not able to buy them up.

 

[G_O]

Really easy but I'm based in Europe which was far easier to obtain that USA I think?

got 3 ps5's and a series x on release date

 

[Disco Stu]

Easy. It didn't take much effort to get it at MSRP.

 

[ElephantShell]

Like 20 mins of stress when the pre-orders were first going live for PS5 but really not that bad.

 

[TheXbox]

I got a Series X at Target over the weekend. They just... had it. In stock, in store, same day pickup. First time I've seen that for either of the new machines. PS5 still seems to be impossible to get.

 

[denverchickennuggets]

Got lucky with the Series X back in early December 2020. Wasn't really thinking about getting one at that point, but happened to be on Wario's twitter page when he posted about a Series X drop in the MS store, and I went for it.

Haven't really tried to get a PS5 yet, but I did have one in my cart at one point a few months ago (I think at Best Buy). I didn't go through with the purchase because I feel like I have so many games to play, and because I find the PS5 design to be so remarkably hideous, but I'm sure I'll get one once enough Sony exclusives come out. I am definitely interested in playing the Spider-Man games.

 

[Cornbread78]

I got lucky, so it was really EZ..

- PS5 (x2) got pre-ordered from Target and received it the weekend after launch
-Series X I got at launch since my WalMart store got more units than pre-orders, so I bought one as they went on shelves.

 

[Deleted member 41651]

I used the Target glitch to snipe a PS5 canceled preorder. It took like two days with a total of 6 hours of sleep. I'd always get it in my cart but bots were beating me until I finally lucked out. The stress of maintaining my bank account balance while Target pinged me weekly was real.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

Didn't preorder so it took a couple weeks of watching Twitter for notifications. Thankfully I work an office job and I have the ability to sit and wait for stuff like consoles to drop.

 

[Solobbos]

I got a PS5 in like three months after I started trying, still missing a Series X after trying for over a year.

 

[TooBusyLookinGud]

Got both PS5 DE and Series X day one. Had a problem with my Series X second day and MSFT sent me a new one to take care of me while they fixed the old one. Sent the old one back to me, and told me I could keep the new one too if I paid a fee, but I was free to send it back.

I had two Series X systems in a span of two weeks after launch. MSFTs customer service is second to none.

 

[DWarriorSN]

Xbox was hard as hell until i got lucky with Best Buy but i had to drive 6 hours to get it and PS5 was easier since i got invited to the online store thing and got it delivered without any headaches.

 

[NoWayOut]

Stayed up most of the night on launch day to place an order on Amazon (PS5) and BestBuy (XSX). I was lucky and managed to get 2xPS5 (one of a friend) and the XSX.

 

[Faces of Death]

It was easy. I wasn't planning on getting a PS5 when I did, but a friend had found one in a store so I figured it was time for me as well. I did a quick look online and it was out of stock everywhere, so I just ordered it on eBay. Yeah I overpaid but it was worth it.

The Series X I wasn't planning on getting either, but I went to EB Games looking for a Christmas gift just as they got an order in that they weren't expecting. I bought one for myself, and picked one up for my friend. Also got a Series S at the same time for my girlfriend.

 

[Antrax]

Not that hard, but it's a bit of luck. I made a Twitter account just following accounts that posted stock updates and had push notifications on. I happened to be in the bathroom doing some *ahem* paperwork, and the notification came in (from Amazon). One-clicked it, and it arrived a week or so later.