Sony’s PlayStation 5 console launched on 12th November to intense interest online and the first day real-world sales was limited to pre-order pickups because of the Covid-19 pandemic that has driven a boom in gaming demand.
Sony has made the launch sales online to maintain social distancing and called for consumers to be safe, stay home and place their order online.
The next generation console that has been priced at US$500 and US$400 without disk-drive was sold out at major retailing sites in Japan with a few conducting lotteries to distribute limited stock.
On the top flea market platform from Mercari at Japan, consoles were being sold for more than US$900.
The pent-up demand for PS5 which provides cutting-edge graphics, fast loading time and a new controller with immersive feedback has been exacerbated because of the pandemic and that has seen consumers flock to gaming but has also strained supply chains.
Analysts have also seen shortage of consoles from Sony and rival Microsoft that launched Xbox devices a few days ago extending to 2021.