Toni Dimaano Tech 01.24.2023 01:Jan AM EST

PlayStation Direct Scraps Invitation System Following PS5 Restock Mayhem

According to Tom's Guide, Sony's next-generation console was difficult to get for nearly two years due to meticulous PS5 resupply tracking.

However, it looks that the game company has finally stabilized the stock problem, allowing for trouble-free console purchases.

Invitations Are Not Required To Get Consoles Anymore

PlayStation Direct now has the PS5 console in stock for $499, but Sony's official retail division sells the device for its usual retail price without including any bonus content.

Even better, there's no longer a requirement to join a virtual line or to be invited in order to buy the console as customers can get their consoles by simply heading to the retailer to buy it.

Although it might not seem significant, after following the PS5 refill every day over the past two years, it is exciting to see the system finally become a widely available good.

It is not nearly as simple to purchase the $399 harder to find PS5 Digital Edition console, which may indicate that stock levels are lower than for the Disc Edition.

Customers who want to buy a PS5 from some stores like Amazon still need to sign for an invitation that grants them the opportunity to do so.

However, it appears that PlayStation Direct is secure enough in their inventory to let everyone who wants a computer buy one, Tom's Guide writes.

It is nice to see one of the top dealers of PS5 systems expose its inventory to everyone, and perhaps all major merchants will follow suit over the coming weeks.

Getting a PS5 system up to this point was almost an impossible undertaking, as anyone who tried to do so in the two years following launch will attest to.

What ought to have been a straightforward purchase required would-be owners to often check retailers and, in some cases, to sign up for retailer-specific membership programs.

Sony Has Apologized For The Restock Crisis

Early in December, PlayStation Japan declared that the PS5's long-term supply problems had been resolved, or at least in several Asian nations.

According to a separate report from Tom's Guide, Sony has now said that the supply problems have been fixed worldwide.

Jim Ryan, the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment, confirmed this information during Sony's CES 2023 presentation.

"Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward," he says.

Ryan also commended gamers for their patience over the last two years as Sony managed enormous demand in the face of international difficulties.

The PS5 was practically impossible to purchase for a very long time due to supply issues and a lot of scalping.

Though PS5 restocks now sell out in hours rather than minutes, things have improved over the past few months, the process of purchasing the console has still been difficult, to put it mildly.

Although stock trackers proved to be quite helpful for individuals who refused to pay high aftermarket costs, acquiring a PS5 unit still required a lot of time, effort, and luck.