The official PlayStation Twitter has released a statement letting fans know that all console sales on launch day will be online-only and not available in-store. This decision has been made to protect gamers, retailers, and staff as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rumble on around the world.
“Please don’t plan on camping out or lining up at your local retailer on launch day in hopes of finding a PS5 console for purchase,” Senior Director of SIE Content Communications, Sid Shuman, advised in the statement. “Be safe, stay home, and place your order online.” While this is clearly a sensible and responsible decision from Sony, many fans are understandably upset that they won’t be getting their hands on a console right away.
Despite the statement, this announcement may not affect well-prepared gamers too much. UK retailer GAME requested all pre-order customers come into the store earlier this week to pre-purchase their consoles. They then provided customers with a pick-up time slot. This loop-hole means there will be no queueing or delay if customers stick to the time frames they have been given.
It will be interesting to see if Microsoft follows suit with the release of the Xbox Series X|S, but with pre-orders for both consoles being particularly scarce, many fans will be waiting long after launch day to get their hands on either console.
Update: All PS5 console sales on launch day, November 12 or November 19 depending on your region, will be online-only. No units will be available in-store for purchase.
More info: https://t.co/SikqDMEW9X pic.twitter.com/zXDCppsWm6
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 5, 2020
The PS5 launches on November 12 in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea and on November 19 in the UK and the rest of the world.