PS5 and Xbox Series X pre-order bombshell drops 💣

The PS5 and Xbox Series X are the hottest products out there right now – a remarkable feat considering that they don't hit the market until mid-November.

Pre-orders for both consoles have been selling out almost as soon as they open, and despite second and third waves as retailers get allocated more stock, it's proving incredibly difficult to secure next-gen hardware.

If you've managed to get a pre-order and have been thanking your lucky stars that you're not having to stay up all night, madly refreshing pages until stock becomes available again, you're not out of the woods yet, so brace yourself.   

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It's becoming apparent that a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S pre-order isn't a guarantee of a launch day delivery; in fact you may not get your console until next year according to VGC.

A number of retailers have been contacting pre-order customers with the bad news, including GameStop in Ireland. Emails are being sent out with the notification that the chain "won’t be able to fulfil your pre-order until 2021.”

ShopTo is also struggling, saying it's received its PS5 stock allocation from Sony which has left it short – meaning it can't fulfil all of its pre-orders for the November 19 UK launch. The retailer encourages customers not to cancel their orders, and also asks if they'd be happy to swap their standard edition for the digital edition of the console, to cover all bases should the latter become available first. 

Meanwhile, Amazon has hit the same wall, and has contacted pre-order customers for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X to let them know they may not get their console at launch.

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The pre-order situation has devolved into a bit of a shambles, which Sony has apologised for and Microsoft has acknowledged. Both companies promised that more units were on the way, but in light of the stock allocation which has left some retailers unable to fulfil launch day pre-orders, they'll need to line up a lot more to keep up with the demand. 

We'll have to wait and see if more PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles become available for pre-order, or if those already placed will be delivered on time, but with just six weeks left until launch it's going to be a close call.     

Source: VGC

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