The newest generation of consoles began last month with the very anticipated launches of thePlayStation 5and Xbox Series X, but it hasn’t been a smooth transition for many. Stock of both consoles has proven to be insufficient to meet demand, thanks in part toconsole scalpersgrabbing huge quantities.
Many potential buyers have encountered frustrating obstacles even when they manage to find a store with one of the coveted devices available. Yesterday, a Twitter announcement revealed thatBest Buy would be receiving a restock of the PS5and Xbox Series X on December 15, advising consumers to check in at 8:00 a.m. CT. The consoles would be available only for curbside or in-store pickup, potentially putting a damper on scalpers.
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This news garnered several thousand likes and retweets. Alas, as has happened many times with other stores since the consoles launched, things did not go as planned with the restock. The influx of traffic to Best Buy’s website immediately crashed servers, and customers were unable to access the site for hours.
Despite Best Buy’s assurances that there would be stock available, those seeking to purchase a new console continually ran into crashes or error screens that the servers were overloaded. Customers were left with no option but to repeatedly refresh the website, and those consumers who did manage to navigate to the consoles’ pages encountered “coming soon” orout-of-stock messages. It’s unclear if there is stock to purchase at this point or if everything has already been sold out.
To make matters worse, Best Buy has not addressed the issue with an updated Twitter post. The company’s latest tweet is still the announcement of newPS5and Xbox Series X stock becoming available the morning of December 15. This has led to a lot of frustration from would-be purchasers, and Best Buy is now trending on Twitter.
It seems this type of situation might be par for the course when attempting to purchase a PS5 or Xbox One, at least for the immediate future. Despite Sony’s reassurances that there would be morePS5s available before year’s end, those consoles may prove difficult to get. It’s the holiday season, and people who wouldn’t usually desire a console have joined the fray alongside gamers seeking holiday gifts for loved ones.
The situation has become so notorious that comedian Pete Davidson recently parodied it in aSaturday Night Livesketchsung to the tune of Eminem’s “Stan.” In the skit, a hopeful man named Stu sends a letter to Santa Claus requesting aPS5for Christmas and, when that doesn’t happen, the disappointed gamer becomes increasingly unhinged and angry. For many people these past few months, that sketch may hit a little too close to home.
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