Launch failure: how we struggled to buy the PS5 and Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PlayStation 5 are finally here, and for many of us to The edge, it was one of the most anticipated weeks of the whole year. But in fact, getting a console, even the pre-ordered ones, wasn’t easy.

Like every major hardware launch, demand is already through the roof, meaning consoles are selling out instantly. The pandemic has almost certainly thrown many keys into the already complicated logistical challenge of shipping millions of game consoles around the world. And there has also been a frustrating lack of communication from retailers on when and where to expect consoles, leaving customers desperate to search the web for a clue as to how they can get their hands on. on new machines – and often still empty.

A few of us at The edge have been hunting this week, and we wanted to share our experiences. Hopefully anyone who wants one of the new consoles from Microsoft or Sony can get one soon.

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Nick instead: I was one of the lucky few who got a PlayStation 5 pre-order when the valves opened in September. I was also eyeing an Xbox Series S, but figured I would wait for that, thinking it might be easier to secure the less powerful, cheaper Xbox closer to launch day.

I was wrong. Both Xbox consoles, like the two variants of the PS5, are virtually sold out everywhere. I watched with a mixture of horror and relief at how some of my friends, coworkers, and random internet shoppers went to try and acquire a pre-order or post-launch unit.

This was a mess, and I really wished both companies had set better expectations for how many units were available and what retailers were doing to ensure fair and reasonable pre-order processes that weren’t plagued by scalpers and robots. We haven’t seen any of this – it’s been completely free for everyone, and neither company seems willing to at least offer an explanation or just point to the COVID-19 pandemic as an obvious hurdle, which I believe think, would have gone a long way to help ease the tension around securing these products from day one.

Of course, I was also looking at my PS5 Walmart pre-order with growing concern, as it had not been delivered earlier this week even as the PS5 launch approached in a few days. I was then informed of a possible delay, dashing my hopes of getting the console on launch weekend.

But to my surprise, Walmart shipped my device from Kentucky on Wednesday night and it arrived in New York City on Thursday night. It has since arrived via FedEx at my doorstep, and it is now receiving hundreds of gigabytes of game updates and downloads as I prepare to play this game at some point on Friday.

As for the Xbox Series S I’m eyeing, I guess I’ll wait until next year when Halo: Infinite spear. I just can’t be bothered to jump through the hoops needed to get one before this.

Taylor Lyles: I had an Xbox Series X and a PS5 at launch, but the way I got my PS5 was pretty hilarious. Every Thursday I have a team meeting at 12:30 p.m. ET, but my gut was telling me the package was coming during that meeting. I had the Ring Doorbell camera feed on my phone at the start of the meeting because I was afraid someone would come to my porch and steal my package unattended. Mama Tay was do not go let a porch pirate steal her newborn baby.

As soon as I pointed out the projects I was working on, I immediately saw the UPS man in front of my house and texted Zoom saying, “My PS5 is here. I will brb. I dragged my ass up the stairs with a mask on, scared the UPS man as he didn’t expect someone to be waiting outside on the porch on a cold rainy day.

I ran back up, unpacked the PS5 and decided to place my new console on my lap to let everyone know that I had the PS5 in my possession. A few coworkers captured my enthusiasm and I had to post a tweet because it was the most Taylor way to get my PS5, to be completely honest.

Cameron Faulkner: (My boss looks at me.) My main goal for the arrival of next-gen consoles has been to give readers so many ways to get one. It’s hard to do during a pandemic, for many reasons: Money is tight, everyone is home and online at the same time, and the companies responsible for making the consoles and distributing those consoles to retailers. are going through the pandemic like everyone else.

(Okay, I think my boss stopped looking at me.) When the PS5 came out and a few of my coworkers shared stories about having one for myself, I didn’t. I absolutely don’t need it, because I have a good PC which cost me more than enough to build. And it’s not like the PS5 is bursting with exclusive games – still, at least.

Still, I was reduced to setting replenishment reminders for myself. Don’t worry, we always do our best to get you first, but hopefully there will soon be a PS5 left for old Cammy to buy.

Jay Peters: At the start of this week, I thought I was ready to have two next-gen consoles by the weekend. I had pre-ordered an Xbox Series S from Newegg and a PS5 Digital Edition from Target weeks ago. But here we are Friday, and neither will I, both because of my own impulses and for reasons beyond my control.

I don’t have this Xbox Series S because I’ve had my head turned by some great reviews for the Xbox Series X and tried to research a pre-order for one of them. Monday night, I stayed up late trying to book one for in-store pickup at Target. But by sheer luck, I saw that Microsoft’s online store had opened orders for the Xbox Series X. After minutes of frantic refreshments, I broke through and was able to check out a console – but with a date. shipping scheduled for late December. Despite this potential wait, I clicked the buy button, secured my order, breathed a sigh of relief, and canceled my S-Series pre-order. There’s no way I actually have to wait until December, right?

Well, my Xbox Series X order status remains “pending” with no indication of when to ship. And Target’s in-store reservation system was a bust – the website said I had reserved one, but I never got a confirmation email. I called my Target nearby the next day to ask if they had the order, and the person I spoke to said there had been an issue with the online reservations and to try the next day. (Fortunately, my credit card was not charged.)

I don’t have my PS5 either, although I pre-ordered it in September. I didn’t receive any concrete follow-up information on this until yesterday – the official launch day of the PS5. Fortunately, he’s supposed to arrive on Sunday. But retailers’ lack of transparency and their overloaded checkout processes made the week much more frustrating than I expected.

Chaim Gartenberg: I had gone into this entire console season planning to skip the two next-gen consoles during the initial run, as there aren’t many exclusive games and I wasn’t ready to stand until 3 in the morning to try to refresh Best Buy in hopes to snag a console from the first day

However, I’m also a huge tech nerd (see: all this work), and extremely predictably found myself caught up in the excitement and hype, so I spent the entire launch day trying (and fail) to buy a PS5. I’ve never owned a PS4, so I’m justifying it as a way to catch up with a bunch of old games I’ve never played (looking at you, Person 5).

Sadly, buying a PS5 is, uh, pretty much impossible these days, which means I’ve resigned myself to going back to my original plan: just wait until there is more stock (and more games) to play before. buy one. After checking Sony’s website one more time, just in case that latest batch of consoles is available.

Its good. Really. I’m not at all jealous of the shiny new gadgets.

Megan Farokhmanesh: All week, I’ve watched my bright, kind, hardworking coworkers fight bitterly with digital carts over $ 500 disco bricks that barely fit in their TV cabinets. As the tide rose, hope swelled eternally with each new drop window. And each time, my colleagues have been annoyed by unseen forces – shoppers with trigger fingers, broken internet connection, Jeff Bezos. Their failures, I am not at all ashamed to say, have become my entertainment.

Look, I also want one or both of the big fancy boxes, but I’m just not willing to spend that much money on something with barely any exclusive games right now. I know it would only be a taste of fleeting happiness in the face of relentless fear and insecurity about what the future might hold. And I think my colleagues know that too, because I asked them the question.

Either way, I’m saving all of my blind-eyed angst shopping for choosing the real champion, Black Friday. I can’t wait to get my new console back without any issues in about three months.

Adi Robertson: I’m surprised everyone has so many problems. Thought I would have a PlayStation to check out Souls of the demon, so I ordered one from Amazon this week and it’s scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Pretty inexpensive too!