If you’re one of the millions of folks trying to acquire a PS5 in this absolute mess of a world, then I know your pain. I, too, have been trying my darnedest to get my hands on one to no avail. Keep in mind that I run a video game website, which means a PS5 is something I very much should have.
Today, Walmart offered us a glimpse of hope, letting us know that they’d be dropping a batch of PS5 consoles at 3 p.m. Eastern (which is 2 p.m. my time). All that hope was dashed, as the 3 p.m. stock sold out in less than four seconds.
Yes, in less than four seconds, the shopping page went from this beautiful blue bubble:
To this heartbreaking pop-up message:
Here’s a closer look:
At this point, the PS5 listing displayed a message that said more stock would be arriving at 3:10 p.m. Eastern. The same thing happened then, with a message that more stock would be available at 3:20 p.m. Eastern. Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I returned again at 3:20, and lo and behold:
I had to verify the reCAPTCHA several times to get through, and once I did, what did I see? A message letting me know more stock would be available at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
At this point, I’m starting to feel like the bandits from Unrailed!, perpetually tossing resources into the void for no discernable reason besides the fact that that’s what they’ve been programmed to do. That’s me. That’s who I’ve become.
Trying to acquire a PS5 feels like a sick joke.
I refreshed at 3:00 PM on the dot. In less than a second, added it to my card and checked out, only to see the popup of Out of Stock or whatnot. 3:10, same thing. Retailers should stop making excuses about bots, and make the PS5’s and Video Cards pickup at stores only, and 1 purchase per individual. Bots can’t drive, and if it’s 1 per individual, unless someone has a handful of ids all with their own individual credit cards, good luck picking up more than 1. It’s so simple, yet retailers don’t do it.