PS5 inventory tracking changes could make consoles harder to find: What we know

PS5
(Image credit: Future)

Finding a PS5 hasn't been easy since the first day of pre-orders. Thar's why we made a guide to help you find a PS5 in stock. And while it will considerably improve your chances of snagging a console, but it remains a challenge.

Unfortunately, some retailers just made one method of finding PS5's a bit more difficult. Walmart, for example, has removed the PS5 from its website and Target's made changes that have reduced the reliability of inventory counts (via SlashGear).

Target still has the PS5 listed online and does give in-store inventory listings. But according to popular restock trackers BrickSeek and PopFindr, the changes Target has made render the stock tracking considerably less dependable.

BrickSeek has actually removed the PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S from its search results, which it reports was done at the request of retailers. Given the volume of traffic that it must see based on these searchers, that's an interesting decision to say the least.

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With limited supply and massive demand in the face of the upcoming holidays, the price of any of the next-gen consoles on reseller sites is 2-3x retail value. That means the motivation for scalpers remains incredibly high. If you have to find one before the holidays, your best bet is to follow our instructions on how to find a PS5, but if you can't find one before the holidays then there's reason to believe that availability will improve in January and beyond.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.