Launch Failure: How We Fought To Buy the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PlayStation 5 are finally here, and for many of us in the the edgeThis has been one of the most anticipated weeks of the entire year. But in reality, getting a console, even a pre-ordered one, wasn’t easy.

Like every major hardware launch, order is already through the roof, meaning the consoles are sold out right away. The pandemic almost certainly has thrown many wrenches into the already complex logistical challenge of shipping millions of gaming devices around the world. There has also been a frustrating lack of communication from retailers about when and where to expect the consoles, leaving customers desperate to search the web for any clues on how to get their hands on the new hardware – often still empty.

Little of us in the edge We were going to research this week, and we wanted to share our experiences. We hope everyone who wants one of the new Microsoft or Sony consoles can get it soon.

Nick insteadA: I was one of the lucky few to pre-order PlayStation 5 straight away when the gates opened in September. I was also looking forward to Xbox Series S as well, but I felt I’d wait, thinking maybe it would be easier to secure the less powerful and cheaper Xbox as launch day approaches.

I was wrong. Both Xbox consoles, like both versions of the PS5, are sold pretty much everywhere. I’ve been watching with a mixture of awe and relief at lengths some of my friends, co-workers, and random internet buyers have gone trying to disable a pre-order or post launch unit.

It was a mess, and I really wanted to see the two companies set better expectations about how many units were available and what retailers were doing to ensure fair and reasonable pre-arrangements that weren’t struggling with speculators and robots. We didn’t see any of that – it was completely free for everyone, and neither company seemed willing to at least provide an explanation or simply point to the COVID-19 pandemic as an obvious obstacle, which is something I think would have gone a long way to help ease tensions around insurance. These products are on the first day.

Of course, I was also looking forward to my PS5 pre-order Walmart with growing concern, as it didn’t ship earlier this week even as the PS5 launch nears in a matter of days. Then I was notified of the possible delay, denting my hopes of getting the console for the weekend.

But to my surprise, Walmart shipped my unit from Kentucky late Wednesday, and it arrived in New York on Thursday evening. It has since arrived via FedEx at my doorstep, and it’s now packed with hundreds of gigabytes of updates and game downloads as I prepare to actually play the thing sometime on Friday.

For the Xbox Series Ss I’ve been looking forward to, I think I’ll wait until next year Halo: Infinite launch. I simply couldn’t bother to jump through the necessary hoops to get one before then.

Taylor Lyles: I got Xbox Series X and PS5 at launch, but how I got PS5 was pretty hilarious. Every Thursday, I have a team meeting at 12:30 PM ET, but my instincts were telling me the package would come during that meeting. The Ring Doorbell Camera was turned on on my phone when the meeting started because I was afraid someone would come to my balcony and steal my package unattended. It was Mama Tai Not I’ll let the balcony pirate steal her newborn.

Once I reported about the projects I was working on, I immediately saw a UPS guy outside my house, and sent a message on Zoom saying, “My PS5 is here. I will.” I recently loaded up the stairs wearing a mask, which terrified the UPS man because he wasn’t expecting that No one waits outside on the balcony on a cold, rainy day.

I ran upstairs, disassembled the PS5, and decided to put the new console on my lap to let everyone know I have a PS5 in my possession. A couple of pals filmed my excitement, and I had to post a tweet because that was it Taylor’s most way to get my PS5Quite frankly.

Cameron Faulkner: (My boss looks at me.) My primary focus on the arrival of the next generation of gaming machines was to give readers many ways to obtain them. It’s difficult to do this during a pandemic, for many reasons: cash is scarce, everyone is at home and online at the same time, and the companies responsible for making keyboards and distributing them to retailers are going through a pandemic stage just like everyone else.

(Well, I think my boss stopped looking at me.) With the release of the PS5 and a few of my pals posting stories about getting their own stories, the expectation of getting one for myself had begun. I totally don’t need it, because having a good computer costs me more than enough to build it. And it’s not like the PS5 is bursting at the seams with exclusive games – for now, at least.

However, I was switched to setting restock reminders for myself. Don’t worry, we’re still trying our best to make sure you come first, but I hope there’s a PS5 left soon for Ol ‘Cammy to buy.

Jay Peters: At the start of this week, I thought I was completely ready to have my next generation controller by the end of the week. I pre-ordered the Xbox Series S from Newegg and the PS5 Digital Edition from Target weeks ago. But here we are on Friday, and I won’t get either, either because of my own motives or for reasons beyond my control.

I don’t have this Xbox Series S because I turned my head with great reviews for the Xbox Series X and tried to find a pre-order for one of these. Monday night, I stayed up late to try to reserve one for pick-up at Target. But out of sheer luck, I saw that the Microsoft Online Store opened orders for Xbox Series X. After minutes of frantic update, I hacked and was actually able to check the console – despite the expected shipping date in late December. Despite this potential wait, I clicked the buy button, secured my order, sighed, and canceled the pre-order for my Series S. There’s no way I’ll have to wait until December, right?

Well, my Xbox Series X order status remains “pending”, with no indication of the actual shipping date. And Target’s in-store reservation system was down – the website said I booked one, but didn’t receive a confirmation email. I called my nearby Target the next day to ask him if they had the request, and the person I spoke to said there was a problem with bookings online and trying again the next day. (Fortunately, my credit card has not been charged.)

I don’t have a PS5 either, although I pre-ordered it in September. I didn’t get any specific tracking information about it until yesterday – the day the PS5 officially launched. Fortunately, it should arrive on Sunday. But the lack of transparency from retailers and overburdened payments made a much more frustrating week than I had anticipated.

Haim Gartenberg: I got into this entire console season and I plan to skip both next-gen consoles during the initial rush, since there wasn’t much in the way of exclusive gaming and I wasn’t prepared to stay until 3am to try my hand at the Best Buy update in hopes of ripping a console First day.

However, I’m also a tech geek (see: This whole job), and I fell into the excitement and hype traps very predictably, so I spent all of my launch day trying (and failing) to buy the PS5. I’ve never owned a PS4 so I justify it as a way to keep up with a bunch of vintage games I’ve never played (looking at you, Person 5).

Unfortunately, buying a PS5 is practically impossible these days, which means that I have given up on going back to my original plan: Wait until more stocks (and more games) are available to play before choosing one. After I go and check the Sony website again i.e. if the last batch of controllers is available.

There is nothing wrong. really. I’m not jealous of the shiny new gadgets at all.

Megan Farokhmansh: All week, I watched my nice, kind, hardworking mates fight bitterly with digital buggies for $ 500 disco cubes that barely fit their TV platforms. As the tide rose, hope swelled forever with each new landing window. And each time, my mates were thwarted by unseen forces – buyers with trigger fingers, faulty internet connection, Jeff Bezos. Their failures, which I am absolutely not ashamed to say, have become my entertainment.

See, I also want one or both of the big fancy boxes, but I’m not willing to throw that much money into something that hardly has any exclusive games yet. I know it will only be to savor fleeting happiness in the face of constant dread and insecurity about what the future may hold. And I think my colleagues know that too, because I asked them.

Anyway, I am saving all my dead worries in order to pick the true hero, Black Friday. I can’t wait to pick up my new console without any problem in about three months.

Adi Robertson: I am amazed that everyone faces so many problems. I thought I’d get a PlayStation to be able to check out Demon souls, So I ordered once from Amazon this week and it’s scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Very cheap too!