The PlayStation 5 pre-order debacle has been nothing short of terrible for most people, with retailers sporadically making inventory available at random times, with only eagle-eyed gamers refreshing store pages able to nab one against bots that automatically snatch up a console.
Digital Trends reached out to several retailers to try and get some clarity regarding availability, and Walmart replied with some actionable info. They will be reopening pre-orders for the PS5 on Tuesday, September 22, but you will have to do so in an actual store.
That is coincidentally the same day as Sony’s own pre-orders for those that signed up and were judged on their PlayStation Network activity as to whether they would be invited to order one from the company. Emails went out late on September 16 with the September 22 date, and the caption, “Be one of the first people to pre-order PlayStation 5.”
September 22 will be six days after the first pre-orders went up through retailers, although it’s presumable this process should be a lot smoother for those lucky enough to be chosen, as Sony more than likely allocated a unit for each email that was sent out.
At this time, there is still no clarification as to what other retailers are planning on doing regarding pre-orders. As of the morning of September 17, it seems that more PS5s were in stock the night before, despite Sony stating that pre-orders would begin on that date. It might be a safe bet that most won’t be refilling that inventory until September 22 along with Walmart and Sony. Hopefully, some retailers will still allow gamers to order online and not take unnecessary risks with the pandemic by having them wait in line at a store.
