The harsh truth behind the next gen console shortages

Since the launch of the next gen systems like the Xbox Series X, Xbox series S, and PS5, it’s been damn near impossible to acquire one of them. This is due to a plethora of reasons. Due to Covid-19, everyone and their grandmother is trying to buy a console. People are stuck in doors more so they need more entertainment to keep from losing their shit.

This concept applies to most technology that is made today, not just the next gen consoles. For a while the Nintendo Switch was impossible to obtain, it took me five months of searching before I could get my hands on one.

Manufacturing the consoles is much more difficult as well. Due to factories having to work less and produce less GPUs and other pieces that they need for their console. So they are making less consoles and have a higher demand, that’s not good.

On top of that, scalpers are using bots to scoop up a majority of the available consoles so that they can sell them back to gamers at a criminally increased margin. These assholes will try to sell these consoles to gamers at 60% more than it’s worth or more.

These scalpers are the worst, they make it to where people either get screwed out getting a console or they get gouged for their money.

People are calling for companies to try to stop these scalpers from buying up the consoles and selling them. They want the consoles to find their way into the hands of actual gamers rather than scalpers.

These different stores like Best Buy, Gamestop, and Amazon could go out of their ways to prevent scalpers. There are measures they could take to prevent bots from buying the console before real, human gamers get their hands on them.

Unfortunately, these companies don’t care as much the gamers do. This sounds bad right? Well, you have to look at it from the perspective of a company. They order one thousand Xbox Series X consoles, they restock their supply on the website. Within ten minutes of resupplying they are all sold. Now, it doesn’t matter to these companies if one thousand scalpers bought them or one thousand honest gamers bought them. At the end of the day, they made the same amount of money regardless.

Sure, the argument could be made that most gamers will buy more than just the console so long as they can get their hands on one. But, these are the same people that more than likely already own a console and will still purchase games and the subscription service. So, all in all they won’t lose money regardless.

So, keep in mind. Although it does suck to see every console drop ripped apart by scalpers in mere moments, companies aren’t going to try to stop them. They make their money, that’s all they care about, and to be honest, that’s all they need to care about.