Hiya!

I really want to get a PlayStation 5. Never mind me being a Sony fangirl. There are simply some games which are going to be exclusive for the console and I gotta get my hands on them. Returnal, even though it’s a essentially a bullet-hell shooter, a genre I’m totally not good at, has a funky enough story and the roguelike elements is probably going to be intriguing enough for me to get invested. I haven’t played a lick of Demon’s Souls before because I’ve heard it was tough as nails but I think I’ve matured enough to handle the pain. The HD upgrade it got for the PlayStation 5 makes it look, well, not gorgeous but definitely much more appealing than it did on the PlayStation 3.

The main reason I really, really, really want a PlayStation 5 right now is because of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. I have played the Remake to death on the PlayStation 4. It’s one of the rare games I have solidly invested hours and hours of my free time trying to complete everything and then some. I actually completed 100% Final Fantasy VII Remake and I’m still aching for more! With Intergrade introducing a new chapter and a new character in the form of the Wutai ninja/spy Yuffie, I’m biting at the bit to try my hand on some new content, if it only gives me a new excuse to dive right back into the world of Midgar.

I won’t be able to play all those games I mentioned because, as of right now, I’m unable to purchase Sony’s new gaming system. I have scoured through the city and visited so many electronic stores in a vain attempt to purchase a PlayStation 5 and I have come up with nothing. Either they ran out of stock or they’re just taking pre-orders. They do have the games on the shelves and they do have the controllers in stock. They just don’t have the actual system available for purchase.

So, you would think the PlayStation 5 is a huge success for Sony, right? It’s practically sold out everywhere and the demand for it is still extremely high, which is amazing as the entire world is coming out of a bleak period of history with the world locking down and whatnot. The weird thing, though, is the fact I literally don’t know anyone who owns a PlayStation 5. None of my friends own one. My brother, who I can unapologetically state has been a hardcore gamer and has gotten Sony’s new systems just a couple of months after launch, has not been able to obtain one as well. Even big online retailers like Amazon can’t seem to keep it in stock. No one seems to have one so why is there a shortage of the system?

Well, the simple answer is there are numerous unscrupulous people who are hoarding all of the new stock as it comes out. These people will swoop in using their high-tech skills to automatically buy all the stock of the PlayStation 5 as soon as it becomes available and then resell them at a nifty profit. These scalpers have been doing it since the console’s launch more than 6 months ago and it looks like they’re still at it even today. This has led to the PlayStation 5 becoming one of the fastest selling consoles in history.

This kinda sounds like good news for Sony, doesn’t it? This would mean the company is rolling in the dough because of the number of sales, right? Well, good for Sony for raking in the cash and making a super successful system. In the long run, however, all this is doing is making the Sony PlayStation 5 a colossal flop in my mind.

Despite the Sony PlayStation 5 selling out practically everywhere, all of these sales are useless if no one’s using them. I may totally despise the scalpers for hoarding the systems but I can’t necessarily blame them if there are going to be those rich gamers willing to pay the exorbitant price tag these scalpers slap onto them when the resell the system. There are still gamers who are willing to pay the scalpers the premium price and this only entices the scalpers to keep on getting more stock and making the shortage of systems much worse than it has to be.

This wouldn’t be a problem if Sony would just get their act together and just make more PlayStation 5s, right? Too bad it’s not as easy as that because they’re not physically unable to do so, allegedly. As of this writing, there is a global semiconductor shortage and the PlayStation 5 needs semiconductors to, you know, work. Sony even forecast it’ll be a struggle for them to keep making systems for the next couple of years!

While this is all happening, you will have thousands of gamers such as myself unwilling to reward scalpers for creating this generally artificial supply shortage. This means there will be thousands of gamers who will be going without a PlayStation 5 for the next couple of years. This may sound good for Sony in the short term but, at the same time, it’s hurting them in the long run.

If no one has a PlayStation 5, there would be no one buying the myriad of accessories and games which are made for the system. Why would I buy a new PlayStation 5 controller when I don’t own a PlayStation 5? Why would I buy Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade if I don’t have the system I can play it on in the first place? In turn, why would game developers and publishers pay Sony the necessary licensing fees to put their games on the PlayStation 5 when they know not many people are going to buy it because they don’t have a PlayStation 5 to play it on? Sony may be selling out on the system side but they won’t be making many sales on the other aspects, which is where the real money is made! They’re putting a positive spin on the shortage by stating the PlayStation 5 is sold out. What they’re failing to mention is that not many of these systems are actually being used.

If these scalpers keep on hoarding the system and jacking up the price, then so be it; I won’t be getting the PlayStation 5. I am going to hold out until it actually becomes available at my local retailer at a reasonable price. I have a feeling a lot of gamers out there are going to follow my lead on this. The PlayStation 5 may be hailed as a success but we all know how bad it flopped because no one actually has it.

I guess I’ll just watch Maximilian geek out over Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade when it comes out.

Byee!

When do you think the PlayStation 5 will be available at a reasonable price? Let me know in the comments section below!