Elijah Gonzalez 
With the release of the Playstation 5 fast approaching, Sony has announced that the console will only be available through online retailers on launch day. The next-generation system will be available on November 12th or November 19th depending on your region. This decision to launch online is a safety precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, as cases in the US and other nations spike. Sid Shurman, the Senior Director of SIE Content Communications, said:
“No units will be available in-store for purchase on launch day (November 12 or November 19, depending on your region) – 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. Be safe, stay home, and place your order online.”
Shurman clarified that this will not affect those who have already pre-ordered the console and have arranged for an in-store pickup. This announcement comes a few weeks after the company issued an apology on how they handled PS5 pre-orders. After announcing a September 17th pre-order date, several retailers listed their inventory early, and the console sold out quickly. With few additional listings since then, scalpers have posted exorbitantly priced pre-orders on eBay.
While Sony has not revealed an exact rollout plan for launch day, Walmart has announced that they will have stock up at 12 PM, 3 PM, 6 PM, and 9 PM ET. But given what happened a few weeks ago, it is probably fair to expect another hectic process.
