Talk about having to git gud, PlayStation Japan is a step ahead of the rest of the world in how it’s handling the, so far, disastrous launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition pre-orders.
While the main PlayStation Direct website in the United States (and pretty much the rest of the world) struggled to contain the pre-orders for the limited edition PS5 Pro console and bundle, the Japanese had a simple requirement that’s so effective that you wouldn’t believe wasn’t standard.
As initially spotted by several onlookers online, the Japanese PlayStation homepage confirms that you need to meet certain conditions to pre-order the rare PS5 Pro bundle before you can pre-order: a PSN account registered in Japan with at least a 30-hour runtime on the PS4 or PS5 between February 2014 and September 19, 2024. This effectively prevents scalpers from running up their playtimes at the last minute for a shot at out-buying other PlayStation fans who want to get their hands on the highly sought-after memorabilia/collectible.
Scalping remains one of the biggest issues faced by console manufacturers today, especially Sony, whose latest console continues to rack up sales amidst the lack of any real competition as Xbox appears to be struggling with its own identity.
It wasn’t until only last year that Sony finally resolved the PS5 scalping issue, as the available supplies finally caught up with the demand. Now, it’s once again dealing with another problem, as scalpers have already started uploading their listings of the limited edition PS5 Pro console at ridiculous markups.
It’s unclear why there isn’t some sort of coordination between PlayStation Japan and the rest of the world, as a similar restriction would’ve prevented all this commotion, but maybe it isn’t too late yet. Sony could possibly retroactively drop successful pre-orders from buyers whose accounts don’t meet the same requirements. This would allow those who actually want to get their hands on the limited edition PS5 Pro bundle to get one instead of having to pay a premium just to own a once-in-a-lifetime model—there are only 12,300 units produced, paying homage to the original PlayStation’s release date on December 3, 1994.
While the PS5 Pro initially ruffled feathers for its pricing, subsequent reveals of the improved graphics in a handful of first-party and third-party titles have shown that it’s a worthy upgrade, even if you may not agree with the pricing. More and more experts have also since changed their tunes regarding the value that the PS5 Pro brings to the table.
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the “normal” PS5 Pro model isn’t sold out yet, so you may not have any trouble getting one at your local retail store. We recommend going to GameStop and trading in your PS5 if you’re upgrading, and you can also score Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered at a lower price with their help.
Speaking of Sony, the Japanese giant recently weathered a potentially disastrous storm to end its topsy-turvy two-month run after the PlayStation Network went down for several hours earlier this week. The cause remains unclear, but the lack of real-time updates did cause some to fear a possible security breach and extended downtime.
