The release of the PlayStation 5 has a lot of uncertainty around it. As we head into the fall, the console still has a mysterious “Holiday 2020” release date. We have no price, no official date of release, and no retail pre-order information.
However, Sony seemed to take the first step toward the inevitable release of its newest console this week, opening online registration for people to potentially get invited to receive first crack at the pre-orders when they become available.
Sony stated that there will be a “limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order” come the holiday season, which made everyone feel a little uneasy regarding their chances at getting one in time for Christmas.
The invitation program that Sony has launched allows customers to take a shot at being among the first to get their hands on the console.
Of course, filling out the registration will not guarantee a pre-order invitation. Sony’s FAQ page notes that invites will be sent out based on “previous interests and PlayStation activities.”
It also says that even if you receive an invitation, you’re still not guaranteed to get a preorder. The invitations will only be open for a short time and limits each invitee to one console per PSN ID. This also includes two DualSense controllers and PS5 accessories.
The preorder invitation is only available to entrants with a U.S.-based shipping address. When the consoles run out, so does the invite, so anyone who receives an invitation is going to want to act quickly if they want to get their hands on one of the hottest gifts this holiday season.
You may have noticed there’s some missing information here. Most notably a price or release date. Sony is still staying tight lipped about that. Many believe that the console will drop sometime in November with the price falling somewhere between $500 and $600. Of course, that’s all just conjecture at this point with no official word coming from the PlayStation camp.
The same can be said of their chief rival, Microsoft, which is ready to drop the Xbox Series X. Both companies have the vague Holiday 2020 release date set with no pricing whatsoever. Sony’s decision to open this preorder registration seems to be the first real move we’ve seen toward getting any kind of information on a major console release this year.
With COVID-19 running rampant through the world still, the retail landscape has changed significantly. It is currently unknown what the holiday shopping experience will be like for 2020 or how these consoles will factor into it.