You’ve seen the headlines by now. Trying to buy either the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X is a challenge—to put it mildly—with the incredible demand and scalpers stockpiling consoles in order to sell them at double or in some instances (like with the special-edition Halo Infinite Xbox Series X) triple their retail value. And it only stands to get worse, with Black Friday looming this week and holiday gift-giving just beyond. Despite the hurdles, I managed to snag both a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X for myself and a friend, respectively, at retail prices within one week. What it took: persistence, and utilizing the strategy below. Here’s quick background on how we got here with the stock issues, then a game plan for (hopefully) getting one for yourself without shelling out more than they’re truly worth.
Sony PlayStation 5
Sony’s PlayStation 5 plays games at up to 60-fps 4K, features exclusive titles like Ratchet & Clank, and comes with a DualSense controller and its excellent haptics and trigger resistance.
Microsoft Xbox Series X
A powerhouse capable of the same resolution and frame rate of the PS5, the Series X boasts a wider range of backward-compatible games and a quick-resume feature to instantly pick up where you left off.
Microsoft Xbox Series S
An all-digital, next-generation Xbox console capable of 2K (1440p) resolution at 60 FPS, this is the smallest Xbox ever, making it easy to move between rooms or travel with.
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Why Is It So Difficult To Find Video Game Consoles In Stock?
The latest gaming systems are beastly machines capable of rendering the newest titles at a 4K resolution up to 60 frames per second with support for ray-tracing. This makes for highly detailed graphics and smooth performance without stutter for fluid gameplay. Gaming computers three times the price struggle to keep up with this level of fidelity. In turn, that means even PC gamers are also in the race to grab a console, especially since the silicon shortage has sent the resale price of computer graphics cards soaring past the retail value of a console.
Whenever a new generation of gaming consoles arrives, it’s normal for scalpers to come out of the woodwork to snap up hard-to-find systems and sell them at high markups. Compounding the supply issue is that this latest round of debuts arrived at the height of a global pandemic. With more people bored at home, demand for consumer electronics—particularly gaming consoles—has reached unprecedented heights. While that would be fine if supply could match demand, COVID severely hampered silicon chip production. This created a global chip shortage, pitting Sony and Microsoft against vehicle manufacturers like Ford and computing companies such as Apple. Amid this, it’s not uncommon to see this trickle down in the form of people lining up outside of stores for these expensive consoles. Online queues are no better than those physical lines as people refresh retailer pages. If you don’t arrive to an online restock and check out within the first ten seconds of a scheduled drop at retailers like Walmart or Best Buy, you’re out of luck, as scalpers, parents, and people who just want a console snap up stock frustratingly fast.
So How Do I Buy One Of The New Consoles?
While it may seem that the odds are not in your favor, there are some tips I can share to level the playing field. First of all, remember that the reason your competition is so fast is because a majority use bots to automatically add a system to their cart and check out. By taking away purchasing opportunities for actual customers, scalpers artificially spike the supply so they can continue to resell the consoles at a higher price. To combat this, it helps if you have accounts at all major retailers with your payment information saved or otherwise on standby. Quick reaction speed doesn’t hurt, either. Once you find out about a restock, you must be prepared to check out within seconds. While it's important to make an attempt for every drop to increase your chances, I got my consoles from Target and Kohls since the crowds tend to focus on Best Buy and Walmart. Prepare to immediately chase phone notifications, make more frequent trips to your local retailers, and, if all else fails, buy a refurbished system.
Check Twitter
Problem seeing the embedded tweet? Link here.
Your best friend on the hunt for a new gaming console at retail price is the little blue bird named Twitter. This live-blog social media platform is well-suited for sharing stock updates in real-time. One of the best console stock update accounts to follow is @Wario64, who relays both console restocks and game deals (with links) the second they drop. To follow an account, open up their profile and hit the “Follow” button on the top right. Once that’s done, a little bell will appear to the left of the Follow button; click this and turn on account notifications for all that account’s tweets.
With alerts set up, your phone and devices will send a notification for every tweet, which potentially indicates a console is in stock. Until you score a console, you will need to have your card and/or account information on hand for a quick checkout. For PlayStation 5 updates specifically, the best accounts to follow are @PS5StockAlerts, @PS5Drop, @MattSwider. As for Xbox Series X, follow @GYXDeals, @XboxStockAlerts, and the aforementioned @Wario64. While these accounts prioritize online drops, they will tweet out the rare in-store purchasing opportunities that retailers share ahead of time.
If possible, leave your phone notifications on all the time so you can feel a vibration and hear an alert for every restock. If your job has you in front of a computer, leave Twitter refreshing in the corner of your monitor. Make sure that you have the volume for devices that receive alerts turned up as much as reasonable, since notifications can come in while you cook, decompress, and more often than not sleep. While most retailers typically restock in the early evening when most people get out of work, drops have frequently occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST. Keep in mind if you keep your phone in Do Not Disturb mode while you sleep, you may miss these restocks. So green-light your notifications for the time being, but please don’t sacrifice your sleep or health.
Join Discord Stock Servers
Discord is a social networking chat app primarily used by gamers. Think of it like Slack for life outside of work, with different servers and channels to hop into for instant messaging, voice chats, and video calls. You can join groups that employ stock bots to monitor website inventory and ping you the second a batch of consoles arrives. If anything, it’ll give you a jump of 45 seconds to a minute ahead of the Twitter accounts posting to millions of followers. To get started, simply sign up using your name and email.
Once you have an account, join one or more of these servers: Open Source Bots, StockRadar, and PG’s Fast Alerts.io. From these servers you can keep an eye on drops of the latest consoles and graphics cards using their correlating channel thread. For example once you join the StockRadar server, you’ll want to click on the subsection labelled "playstation-alerts" for PS5 updates or "xbox-alerts" for Xbox Series S or X restocks. As with Twitter, both apps send stock updates for online sales so keep your notifications running and the app on in the background.
Check Your Emails And Sign Up For Manufacturer Queues
Microsoft occasionally sends emails to purchase a Series X, like the one I received in the email above. To join this list, you must have an Xbox account. Once signed in on the site, click on your account name in the top right corner, click on the “More Options” pop up, and select “Xbox Settings.” From here, click “Contact Preferences” and make sure that both Xbox Newsletter/Marketing and Partner Marketing are checked. Then hit save. If you suspect you aren’t getting the emails even after this, check your spam and junk folders, as they can sometimes end up cast away in here. To receive invites to purchase the PlayStation 5 directly from Sony, you just have to register to buy the PlayStation 5. Check your inbox throughout the day for email opportunities to purchase a PS5 directly.
Check Stores
While retailers have attempted to curb scalpers by making consoles available only for local pickup online, stores like Best Buy and Target occasionally stealth drop consoles without announcements. Try to work store trips into your routine by breaking up your grocery runs at Target, or make it a habit to pass by a Best Buy on your way home from work. These could increase your chances of a fruitful trip. When I spoke to employees at the local Best Buy, Walmart, and Target near the Popular Mechanics office, they told me that the PS5 and Xbox Series X last an average of five minutes before selling out. Xbox Series S consoles have a slightly longer shelf life—three hours. If you’re up for some camping, you can check for in-store drops on retailer sites, with announcements like this Best Buy drop list revealing stock drop locations days or even a week ahead of time. Walmart announced that it would carry both consoles in store on a first come, first serve basis for Black Friday.
While you can pay retailers for their premium service subscriptions like Walmart Plus, Amazon Prime, and TotalTech from Best Buy and exclusive access to console drops, it doesn’t make much of a difference to spend the money solely for a shot at the consoles. Fifteen dollars a year enrolls you in GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards program, which affords members exclusive access to expensive console bundles padded with games, controllers, and gift cards at full price. While dropping exclusive console drops behind a paywall and bundling unnecessary add-ons to jack up the overall price seems sleazy, it’s a hell of a lot better than paying for scalped consoles. And the practice deters resellers. Plus, I’ve gotten as far as check out at least three times after buying the consoles I needed on different drops.
Buy Refurbished/Past-Generation Systems
Things are so chaotic that turbulent stock problems extend even back to the previous generation of consoles. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are new enough that their older siblings, the PS4 and Xbox One, are still getting exclusive releases, from the highly anticipated God of War Ragnarok to the upcoming Halo Infinite. While paying a premium on refurbished or preowned models in 2021 might sting a bit, it could be worth it if having a console is better than having no console.
PlayStation 4 Pro
Pros
- 4K, 60-FPS gaming with HDR support
- Play upcoming exclusives at higher fidelity with performance mode
Cons
- Expensive for an older pre-owned console
With HDR and 4K 60 fps capabilities, the PS4 Pro is just a slight step down from the PS5. And while you can’t play the latest PlayStation exclusive titles like Demon’s Souls or Ratchet & Clank, the PS4 Pro is a powerhouse for past games and upcoming blockbusters like Horizon: Forbidden West. The major difference between the PS4 Pro and the PS5 is the latter’s ray-tracing abilities and improved DualSense controller with haptic feedback.
Xbox One X
Pros
- 4K, 60-fps gaming
- Faster load times
Cons
- Unable to play next-gen titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator
Like the PS4 Pro, the Xbox One X was a mid-generation refresh for native 4K gaming. It’s more powerful than a base Xbox One capable of rendering more detail in virtual environments and offering faster loading times. The controller hasn’t changed much, but you wont’t get smooth fast refresh rates, ray-traced effects in lighting or reflections, and dynamic themes like on the Series X or Series S.
PlayStation 4 Slim
Sony PlayStation 4 1 TB Slim Edition Console
Sony PlayStation 4 1 TB Slim Edition Console
Pros
- Compact design
- 1 TB of Storage
Cons
- Locked to 1080p 30 FPS
Unlike the Pro model, this is just a slim version of the base PlayStation 4 that launched back in 2013. It has one less USB port and, as you’d expect from the internals of an eight-year-old console, it maxes out at 1080p at 30 fps, showing its age. It’s still a great option for playing the latest game, but we wouldn’t recommend paying over the standard $299 retail for this model.
Xbox One S
Microsoft Xbox One S 1 TB Refurbished Console
Microsoft Xbox One S 1 TB Refurbished Console
Pros
- Can run 1080p at 60 fps or upscale to 4K with HDR
- Can stand up or lay down
Cons
- Included controller feels cheap
A welcome redesign of the original boxy, VCR-like first generation of Xbox Ones, this One S is thin and ditches the need for an external power brick. Unlike the base PS4 Slim above, it can upscale games to 4K and play them at 1080p 60 fps. Plus it supports HDR for streaming content if you use your console as a media center for apps like HBO Max.
Wait, Previous-Generation Consoles Are Highly Marked Up and Sold Out Too?
Since these consoles are essentially discontinued and there’s such a high demand, you can bet they will sell way above their retail price when new. Pre-owned consoles are great alternatives if you can find them for a fair price in good condition, with retailers like GameStop and Amazon even offering refurbished units.
Good Luck
There’s still time, but you will need to be on your toes and prepared to checkout when you find a console you want in stock. Keep more expensive bundles in mind; while they cost more up front, they offer a better value than paying a scalper, and you can always resell the included extras you may not need. And if you’re really desperate and willing to pay over asking price, you don’t have to look far to find an exorbitantly priced console on reseller sites or your local selling apps like Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. Though, again, we don’t advise that, and this strategy should serve you well.
Hunter Fenollol, our resident expert of all things consumer tech, from smart home to VR gaming headsets, has years of knowledge creating product explainers, in-depth reviews, and buying guides to help you get the most from the latest electronics. Throughout college, he covered and reviewed the latest gadget releases for sites like Tom’s Guide, Laptop Magazine, and CNN Underscored. If he’s not elbow-deep in the latest hardware, you can find Hunter at one of Long Island’s many beaches, in Manhattan, or gambling away his paycheck.
