According to a report by VGC, the bot tracking group, Natacea, saw the PS5 fall behind the Adidas Yeezy Slide ‘Bone’, Nike Dunk Low Panda, and Panini Donruss Optic Football Trading Cards, as the most scalper-targeted products on the market. This marks the first time the PS5 has fallen out of the top three since it launched two years ago. Scalpers are still pretty interested in the PS5 but they’ve got other bigger fish to fry right now, or so to speak. Unfortunately, unless lady luck favors you on that particular day, you still won’t be able to get your hands on a PS5 this holiday season by simply walking into a store and buying one. Despite the improved stock situation, getting a PS5 these days will still require you to shop around, pre-order, and buy the console as part of a more expensive bundle. Scalpers are a problem in every industry with high demand. These said individuals use bots to purchase products in limited supply and jack up the price to make a profit. This is a huge problem for the PS5 that Sony highlighted after it reached 25 million units in sales. After it outpaced the PS4 at launch, the PS5 now lags behind its predecessor and it’s got plenty of catching up to do. Speaking of the PS5, Sony is reportedly working on a slimmer version of the console that’s presumably coming out next year. If true, Sony will be able to ship plenty more consoles at once at a minimal cost. This should help alleviate the still-ongoing stock shortage of units due to the silicon chip problem faced by the tech industry as a whole. Also, if you want to buy a current-gen console in this market but can’t get your hands on an Xbox Series X and PS5, the Xbox Series S can be had cheap throughout the holiday season.
