Bring out the bubbly! According to a recent report, the PlayStation 5 has scored the biggest launch of any console in the UK, outselling the competition and its predecessors.
The data comes from Video Games Chronicle, and the site claims its sources stated that sales of the PlayStation 5 have "far exceeded" those of the PlayStation 4, which was the previous record holder. In 2013, the PlayStation 4 pushed about 250,000 units in its first two days out of the gate. Ergo, the fact that the PlayStation 5 surpassed that statistic and with flying colours is very impressive indeed.
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The console's success was almost written in the stars, though. From the moment we learned about the groovy next-gen features of the PlayStation 5, like the liquid cooling system, chunky SSD, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers, fans were already clamouring to get their mitts on one of these gizmos. In fact, more than two-thirds of PlayStation fans apparently booked the launch day off work, to spend as much time as possible with the new arrival. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the console, especially in regard to availability.
This report qualifies that owing to "significant supply constraints for both Xbox Series X/S and PS5, the consoles would likely have sold even better if more stock was available". You don't have to tell us twice. It was (and still is) very difficult to order a next-gen console, be that the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, and especially when scalpers have used bots to soak up stocks from online retailers. Not only this, but gamers found that their PS5s bought from Amazon were being switched for other heavy objects, like packs of cat food and household appliances.
And the Amazon controversy has reached beyond purely gaming news circles, too: the BBC's consumer journalism show Watchdog has committed to look into these issues, and have asked people to submit their stories for a thorough investigation. Additionally, Sony has assured that there will be restocks before the end of the year, and to keep across announcements from local retailers.
"Everything is sold. Absolutely everything is sold," said SIE CEO Jim Ryan last month. "I've spent much of the last year trying to be sure that we can generate enough demand for the product. And now in terms of my executive bandwidth I'm spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand."
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation 5, News