PS5 stock to drop at GAME, Very, Argos and Amazon as Tesco warn customers of scam – latest UK console news

TARGET RESTOCK

Target restock of PS5 consoles has happened, according to reports.

Target has gone live already with its PS5 restock around 7:20am EDT, according to Games Radar.

Here are the all-important links if you’re trying to get your hands on one:

Good luck!

CURRYS PC WORLD ANNOUNCES ‘PS5 VIP PASS’

The UK retailer has announced what it calls the “PS5 VIP Pass,” which is pretty much a lottery system.

How it works is that when the retailer has new stock, it will send – some – PS5 VIP Pass holders buying codes via email.

These codes are valid for up to 72 hours and guarantee the customer a console.

Those who aren’t sent codes will remain in the lottery pool for future restocks.

Registering for a pass is free and the company is currently taking applications.

AMAZON DROP COULD BE THIS WEEKEND OR NEXT WEEK

Rumours are continuing to circle Amazon could be set to have a large drop of PS5 consoles as early as this weekend – but could also come next week.

Reports say the online retail could have as many as 8,000 consoles to off load but when exactly this will happen is uncertain.

One stock tracker @PS5StockAlertUK on Twitter said: “News: Amazon is expecting around 8K stock to be delivered this weekend. There may be more shipment deliveries made that I don’t know other than this.

“8K might sound small to you, but Amazon have always released under 5K stock each restock, so this shows an increase in supply”

TARGET TO GET PS5 AND XBOX RESTOCK – REPORTS

Target is said to be getting a restock of PS5 and XBox consoles as early as today, reports suggest.

The news comes after key Target employees shared details with TechRadar’s Matt Swider and YouTuber Jake Randall.

Swider and Randall said that there is an 80 per cent chance that this is true, IBTimes reports.

Swider added that there is a 90 per cent chance that online retailer Antonline will also be restocking their PS5 inventory, while Amazon is not expected to replenish their stock this week due to a shift in schedule.

NEW WWI GAME SERIES ANNOUNCED FOR PS5 AND XBOX

Isonzo has been named as the latest game in the World War I Game Series from Blackmill Games and M2H.

The first title in the series was Verdun, a game which was hotly followed by Tannenberg.

Now though comes the announcement of Isonzo – and it’ll be bringing First World War Alpine warfare to the Xbox, PlayStation and PC, The XBox Hub reports.

Developer and M2H co founder Matt Hergaarden said: “The Italian Front was the perfect opportunity for us to elevate the WW1 Game Series, both figuratively and literally. Alpine warfare in Isonzo brings lots of fresh game mechanics to the series, along with the all new Italian army, facing off against Austria-Hungary.

“We can’t wait to share more of what we’ve been working on – there are many exciting reveals on the way.”

PLAYSTATION PATENTS ABILITY TO ADD TROPHIES TO OLDER GAMES

Sony has patented the ability to add trophies to older, emulated games, potentially allowing the rewards to be added to titles that pre-date the trophy system.

The patent was published on March 18 and spotted by the Bartman013 on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, IGN reports.

The patent is described as a “Method and apparatus for awarding trophies,” and describes how an emulated game could still trigger trophies “by comparing a memory value of the emulated game to a predetermined value and assigning the one or more trophies to the user based on the detected trophy trigger.”

CHINA TO GET PS5 LATER IN SPRING

Sony Entertainment has announced that the PS5 will hit shelves in mainland China sometime between April and June of this year.

A few details still remain unclear though such as the console’s price, and whether those sold here will be compatible with the online PlayStation store in other countries.

PLAYSTATION GIVING AWAY FREE ORIGINAL RATCHET & CLANK

PlayStation is giving away free Ratchet and Clank from 2016 ahead of the launch of the latest game in the series.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is due to drop in June as a PS5 exclusive but ahead of that PS4 and PS5 gamers though can download the remake for free.

Once downloaded, Ratchet and Clank will remain in your library after the giveaway ends.

Accessing the game, now or later, does not require an active subscription to PS Plus, Inverse reports.

CHIP SHORTAGE COULD MEAN PS5’S ARE EVEN HARDER TO FIND

A global shortage of semiconductors could mean gamers find it even harder to get their hands on a PS5 or a Xbox Series X.

The shortage began following factory closings during the coronavirus pandemic.

While chip production has restarted, demand currently far outweighs supply, and it seems that it could have an impact on several different industries.

Both Sony and Microsoft are both struggling to meet demand at the moment, reports say.

COULD AMAZON HAVE MORE CONSOLES TODAY?

The US will have a massive PS5 and Xbox Series X restock today

Store Target and retailer Antonline are expected to have more consoles today.

Meanwhile, Amazon is overdue for a restock – but TechRadar reckons there’s just a 25 per cent chance more consoles will be available today.

SMYTHS STOCK SELLS IN MOMENTS

New stock dropped at Smyths Toys yesterday – but (predictably) it sold out incredibly quickly.

AUTO CHESS FOR PS5 TO DROP MARCH 30

Chess enthusiasts equipped with a PS5 console will be happy to hear the free-to-play chess simulator Auto Chess is launching later this month.

According to reports from GameSpot, Auto Chess is expected to launch on March 30 for PS5.

Gamers can expect “unreal load times” and cross-play capabilities with mobile, PC and PS4, publisher Dragonquest Co. has said.

Dragonquest took to the PlayStation blog to detail some other aspects of Auto Chess’ PlayStation 5 release, including “next-level visuals” and “seamlessly smooth graphics.”

UK GAMING MARKET HIT RECORD £7BN DURING LOCKDOWN BOOM CONTINUED…

Dorian Bloch, senior client director at GfK, which compiled some of the gaming data, said: “Xbox One and PS4 enjoyed uplifts and of course, at the tail end of 2020 we saw the introduction of PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, whose effect will be significant for 2021 and beyond.”

The gaming sector boom is topped off by another £199million from other game culture products, such as toys and merchandise.

However, the pandemic had a negative impact on game-related properties like movies – where there was a fall of 22.2% – as well as denting physical game events and venues by 97.2%, down from £8.80 million in 2019.

UK GAMING MARKET HIT RECORD £7BN IN 2020 DURING LOCKDOWN BOOM

Video gaming in the UK was boosted by the arrival of a “new console generation” last year as the market surged to a record £7billion.

Players pushed the sector’s value up 29.9% compared to 2019 with increases across both digital and physical sales, according to a report by gaming industry body Ukie.

Digital sales took the lion’s share totalling £3.90 billion, with digital console revenues rising 24.2%, mobile games up by 21.3% and digital PC adding 14.8%.

Despite store closures as the UK went in and out of lockdown, traditional boxed game titles also climbed by 7.1% to £646 million, but pre-owned game-buying took a hit, diving 22.8% compared to the year before.

Gaming hardware raked in £2.26 billion, thanks partly to new launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with console hardware alone making up £853 million of that figure, up 74.8%.

PS5 GIVEAWAY

A trusted stock tracker website is giving away a PS console.

To enter the competition see the tweet below.

PLAYING DIRTY – TESCO WARNS PS5 CUSTOMERS

Tesco has warned shoppers of a new scam targeting PS5 customers.

Scammers have picked up on excess demand, creating fake offers, deals and websites to steal money from unsuspecting Brits.

Now Tesco has warned that some enterprising tricksters are using the store’s branding to con buyers out of hundreds of pounds.

“We have been made aware of an unofficial pre-order site using the Tesco branding,” the retailer explained.

“This is in no way affiliated with Tesco or Active OnDemand. Please do not use these sites to pre-order a PS5 or Xbox.”

GENIUS PS5 CONTROLLER TRICK

Gaming fans have uncovered a genius PS5 trick that lets you mute the console with your controller.

The little-known feature is built into PlayStation’s next-gen DualSense joypad.

Silencing your console often involves physically muting the TV you’re playing on, but that’s not always ideal: maybe the remote is out of reach, or maybe you’re connected with wireless headphones.

Whatever the reason, it’s actually possible to mute the PS5’s system audio with the DualSense controller.

As revealed by The Verge (via My Mate Vince on YouTube), you can hold the microphone-mute button to mute audio.

PRAEY FOR GODS RELEASE ‘IN LATE APRIL’

Praey for the Gods is aiming for release on PS5 and PS4 in late April.

It was announced in October last year with a 2021 launch, but nothing has yet been released.

The developers issued an update on their Kickstarter page which said it should launch in late April.

The update read: “The game is content complete, through certification on PS4/PS5/Xbox One as of this week. Woo!

“As for launch, we want to spend a little more time polishing to make sure it’s ready but it’s definitely close. Based on what’s left to do, we’re estimating for a mid/end April window and we’ll keep you posted on that.”

FAMILY ARRESTED FOR PS5 BURGLARY

A mum and her sons have been arrested after they were caught with allegedly stolen goods – including a PlayStation 5 – in a car.

Police received information that the silver Kia the were travelling in had reportedly been involved in a burglary.

Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit said on Twitter: “Ilkeston. Report from Nottinghamshire Police that this vehicle involved in a burglary. Stopped with Derbyshire Road Crime Unit.

“Mother and her two adult sons from Stoke-on-Trent in the vehicle along with stolen iPad, PlayStation 5 and other items. All arrested.”

STOCK UPDATE

There are no expected PS5 drops due tomorrow.

In the meantime, make sure to bookmark the retailers’ websites so you can be the first in line.

PENSIONERS GAME FOR EIGHT HOURS A WEEK, STUDY SAYS

Pensioners are spending more than eight hours playing video games every week, a report has revealed.

An in-depth report by data experts Limelight Networks called ‘The State of Online Gaming’ even found that some OAPs are so hooked on games – either on consoles, computers or smart phones – they miss out on sleep and meals.

The study quizzed 5,000 people and found that the average pensioner played games for 8.3 hours a week.

A total of 13 per cent spent a whopping 20 hours or more playing video games, with games like Candy Crush, Clash of the Clans, World of Warcraft among the most popular, following by shoot ‘em ups, strategy games, chess and solitaire.

Compared to younger generations, the OAP gamers weren’t far behind in the top score charts, only beaten in how many hours they played games online by those in the 26-35 and 36-45 age groups.

VERY PS5 DROP POSSIBLE APRIL 2

When it comes to the next PS5 restock for Very, “we picked up a drop pattern which points to April 2nd.

“Nothing to suggest a drop today,” tweets @PS5UKStock.

WATCH – TRAILER OF AUTO CHESS RELEASED NEXT WEEK

Auto Chess will be released on the PS5 on March 30.

Take a sneak peek at what to expect in the trailer below.

CONTINUED

“Chips are everything,” said Neil Campling, speaking to The Guardian.

“There’s a perfect storm of supply and demand factors going on here.

“But basically, there is a new level of demand that can’t be kept up with.

“Everyone is in crisis and it is getting worse.”

The shortage first began last year, as chip-making factories were forced to shut down during the pandemic.

PS5 SHORTAGE COULD GET WORSE AS INSIDERS WARN GLOBAL CHIP STOCK AS REACHED ‘CRISIS’

The PS5 shortage could get worse as chip-makers struggle to meet demand.

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has been largely out of stock since November – and might not be widely available until July.

Much of this is being blamed on a global “crisis” in the computer chip world.

Demand for chips is through the roof, and suppliers can’t keep pace.

Prices of chips are rising as a result, and major manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are being prioritised.