For the duration of the pandemic, my most significant source of happiness has been writing about how previously difficult-to-find technology is now readily available at regular price points. The Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch OLED were the first to support it, followed by the Series X and eventually all Nvidia and AMD GPUs. The PlayStation 5 is almost ready to be welcomed into the fold.
We reported yesterday that Sony had begun one of its once infrequent (but much more frequent) restocks of PS5 consoles. About 19 hours later, the $549.99 console bundle that includes the PS5 with a disc drive and Horizon: Forbidden West was still available. There will still be unsold inventory after the last customer has made it through the checkout line. You could probably take a nap now, then come back and buy one later if you wanted to.
Many people, including many of us here at The Verge, are rediscovering the joy of being able to buy a gadget whenever the fancy strikes them. That's fantastic, by the way. Even though it was thrilling to alert readers when they had mere minutes — no, seconds — to snag a console in the early days, we can all agree that it's time to move on.
Even by the end of February, Sony had trouble meeting the demand for PS5 consoles (the PS4 had sold more in its lifespan at that post-launch mark). According to the NPD Group, sales of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X were significantly higher in July 2022 compared to July 2021, indicating that game consoles are now much more accessible to consumers.
I don't want to say that the PS5 is "easy" to buy because if that were the case, stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and others would have it in stock and ready to ship immediately. You can now ask for an invite to buy one from Amazon, but that only counts for half because you have to wait to see if you get the invite. You can also use this form to see if Sony will invite you to buy a PS5.
The PS5 restock has been going on all night and well into the next day. I hope this is a good sign that stock won't be as problematic during the holidays in 2022 as last year.
