Sony apologized for the sudden launch of PlayStation 5 pre-orders, which caused many gamers to miss out on securing a console.
After a livestream revealed that the PlayStation 5 will cost $499, and $399 for the digital edition, Sony said that pre-orders for the console would start the following day. However, chaos ensued when pre-orders opened on Walmart’s website hours later, followed by several other retailers, without warning.
Adding to the confusion was Sony’s own pre-order notification system, which started in August. However, players who signed up did not receive an email until hours after PlayStation 5 listings went up and were sold out.
Sony acknowledged the issues with PlayStation 5 pre-orders and promised to give players more opportunities to secure a console ahead of and after its November 12 release.
Let’s be honest: PS5 preorders could have been a lot smoother. We truly apologize for that.
Over the next few days, we will release more PS5 consoles for preorder – retailers will share more details.
And more PS5s will be available through the end of the year. pic.twitter.com/h1TaGsGBun
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 19, 2020
One of the major criticisms against the PlayStation 5 pre-orders was that during The Game Awards in July, Eric Lempel, Sony’s worldwide head of marketing, said that players will be provided ample notice before pre-orders for the console started. Unfortunately, the opposite happened, causing an uproar among potential PlayStation 5 buyers.
Digital Trends has reached out to Sony for further insight on what went wrong with the PlayStation 5 pre-order process. We will update this article as soon as we hear back.
Final Fantasy XVI, God of War: Ragnarok on PS5
The livestream where Sony finally announced the PlayStation 5’s price started with a showcase of games coming to the next-generation console, including the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI and God of War: Ragnarok.
The showcase also unveiled the PlayStation Plus Collection, which will give PlayStation Plus subscribers on the PlayStation 5 access to a variety of PlayStation 4 classics for free.
