Boxes forPlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, have been curiously spotted in a charity shop. Sites like Amazon have had their stocks of the nearly two-year-oldPlayStation 5continuously depleted by infamous scalpers and struggling production lines since launch, prompting questions as to why they would now be merely donated.
Acquiring the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X has been an unwinnable game of whack-a-mole for many, with horrific queues, scalpers scooping up stock for a quick profit, and production issues leaving stores bare for consecutive months. Blame was thrown at everything from COVID-19 fallout to trade disputes, but eventually fell squarely onto the semiconductor shortage. The pandemic saw the sale of devices that required these chips skyrocket, cryptocurrency mining resulted in a surge of GPU purchases, and the Suez Canal fiasco caused one of the most significant interruptions to global trade in history. Since then, the pandemic has ostensibly ended, cryptocurrency interest has plummeted, and the Suez Canal was only blocked for five hours earlier this year, meaning thatPS5 and Series X availability is at long last expected to dramatically improve. However, console accessibility is not expected to become so widespread that gamers can be expected to see them while browsing charity shops.
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Placed just above several rows of shoes, captured in an image uploaded to Reddit by u/mrmoustachepanda, boxes for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch are seen strewn about the highest shelf, with a third of the Series X hanging precariously over the edge. With no pricing to be seen, andnoticeable damage spotted at the top left of the PS5 box, comments assumed that these boxes were unfortunately empty, much to the dismay of anyone hoping to pick up an insanely depreciated console.
While some replies were melancholy, reflecting on how poor availability and scalping had made it a novelty to notice a console, others had fun, joking that some parents or a partner must have finally lost it.It is reminiscent of common GPU scams online, where only the packaging will be pictured, yet sold for the price of the absent card, with the intention of tricking unsuspecting buyers. Thankfully, GPUs are becoming significantly easier to acquire, and NVIDIA recently unveiled its RTX 40 series line up, although had to withdraw the RTX 4090 due to reports of melting power supplies.
Not only are new GPUs available, but thebeloved Steam Deck is now available to freely purchase. For nearly a year since release, reservations had to be made for the handheld, but now Valve are confident production will keep up with demand. The company’s confidence does not stop there, with a rumor recently suggesting that Valve may be preparing to fully launch the SteamOS operating system.
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