ISSUE: Playstation 5 Pre Order Mess
By: William Sikkens
Host, User Friendly 2.0 Saturday’s at 5:00 p.m.
Did you have a rough time trying to pre-order a PlayStation 5 (PS5)? If so, you’re far from being the only one.
Sony has apologized for botched PS5 pre-orders, noting that the process “could have been a lot smoother.” The company promised that more consoles would be available for pre-order in the “next few days,” and that retailers would tell customers about when those extra units would be available.
More PS5 units will be coming “through the end of the year,” Sony said.
This isn’t the first time that a major company has botched pre-orders. Another high profile example was the launch of a new version of SimCity by Electronic Arts. The problems that were created included lack of server capacity, dropped connections, and other things contributed to the end of the franchise.
Sony’s key competitor Microsoft is also launching a new console this year, called the Xbox Series X. Their campaign appears to be more coordinated with pre-orders starting yesterday (Sept. 22) at 11 AM Eastern. Stores appear to be honoring that schedule.
DIG DEEPER:
Sony effectively surprise-launched pre-orders for the console. They were supposed to be available on September 17th, but many retailers started pre-orders soon after the PS5 showcase event ended, thus catching many gamers unprepared resulting in them missing out on a system.
Individual retailers also had their own issues. Some, such as Amazon, warned customers they might not get their PS5 on launch day while other retailers cancelled orders.
The PS5 is still in high demand. It is one of Sony’s most important new products, but this is not a great start to sales. Sony has had problems with their gaming platform in the past including a hack of the Playstation Network that lasted 23 days in 2011. Some network subscribers still claim they were charged for the time only to be offered a free game from a very small list of options. Perhaps not the right kind of compensation for loyal customers.
William (Bill) Sikkens has been an on-air technology expert since 2014. With an expertise in I.T., cyber security and software design he has had more than 20 years’ experience with advanced technology. Sikkens conceptualizes and designs custom applications for many professional industries from health care to banking and has the ability to explain the details in a way all can understand. Article edited by Gretchen Winkler, who along with Jeremy Winkler are the co-hosts of User Friendly 2.0 here on The Answer Saturday’s at 5:00 p.m.
Links and brand/store information provided are for information only and are not endorsed by Salem Media Group, KPAM or the shows hosts
Got a technology question or comment for Bill? Follow him on Twitter @sikkensw
