AMAZON is set to drop small batch of 500 PS5 consoles TODAY – with insiders predicting a stock drop another drop at Smyths Toys this week.
On Friday morning, stock tracker PS5UKStock highlighted how the online retailer would have PS5s for purahcase after listing the consoles on Friday, but without the option to pay.
But hours later, the tracker tweeted how a “large shipment” is “moving tomorrow and being distributed across the weekend”.
Smyths Toys is also tipped to be restocking at the end of this week between March 18 – 20, according to @PS5StockAlert.
The restock news comes as Curry’s made a dramatic change to way customers can buy PS5s, introducing a new “raffle” system.
The tech retailer is planning to scrap the queue system it and many other websites have previously used as it “unfairly” rewards those with stronger interview connections and with time to sit online.
Now Curry’s is allowing customers to register for a “priority pass” which enters them into a raffle which in turn gives them a special code that’s valid for 72 hours and allows them to make a PS5 purchase.
Follow our PS5 live blog below for the very latest news, updates and stock drop rumours…
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HOW MUCH IS A PLAYSTATION PLUS MEMBERSHIP?
Membership prices vary depending upon the period of use.
One months membership costs £6.99.
Three months membership will set you back £19.99.
A twelve month membership plan costs £49.99.
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CHILDREN GAME DANGER
Children playing games on Xboxes and PlayStations have been groomed by paedophiles.
They are among more than 1,000 victims to be targeted online in the past two years, according to police force data.
Many grooming cases involve popular sites and apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
But a handful of the 1,009 online grooming cases involved PlayStations and Xboxes.
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GAME OVER FOR SCALPERS
A crackdown on PS5 scalpers is coming – to the delight of gamers everywhere.
The UK Government has responded to a “scalping” petition vowing further action against the rogue resellers.
A petition asking the Government to “prevent or deter” this practice has racked up over 17,000 signatures online.
According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, action is on the way.
“Using automated software to buy more tickets than allowed by the retailer is probated, with unlimited fines for breaches,” it said.
“Government is discussing other markets with relevant trade associations.”
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FIFA 21 DOMINATES SALES ACROSS THE US AND EUROPE
According to PushSquare, Fifa 21 is the most bought game for PS5 games across Europe and the United States.
It was also the best-selling PS4 game in the European region.
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GTA 5 TO BE RE-RELEASED ON PS5
Grand Theft Auto 5 is being remastered for release on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X – and it won’t be a “simple port”.
That’s according to Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar parent company Take Two Interactive, who discussed the US firm’s upcoming remasters during a virtual conference this week.
The GTA 5 remake was announced last summer with the promise of boosted graphics and improved performance.
It’ll be the third iteration of the game after it launched on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013 and was later remastered for the Xbox One and PS4.
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SCALPERS FORCED INTO RESELL
PS5 scalpers have been lowering the price of consoles due to the rise in stock.
The PS5 has been selling for over £700 as gamers desperately try to get their hands on the console.
CeX was previously selling consoles for £810 in December, but it is now going for £750.
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AMAZON STOCK UPDATE: APPROXIMATELY 500 CONSOLES TO DROP ON MONDAY
A popular stock tracking Twitter feed has said Amazon’s shipment of consoles is now “on the move” to distribution centres.
But PS5UKStock has tipped gamers that the site will only have 500 consoles – which it says is “still not huge”.
It comes a the retail giant is expected to drop its latest stock from as early as Monday.
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PLAYSTATION GIVE THEMSELVES PAT ON THE BACK
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan praised the company for delivering a “considerable amount” of consoles into the UK market last week.
He told GQ,”We’re doing our best. I was just looking at the supply figures for the UK – we put a considerable amount of product into the UK market last week.
“And that will continue over weeks and months to come.”
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WHEN WAS THE PLAYSTATION 5 RELEASED?
Sony launched two versions of the PlayStation 5 in the US on November 12, and in the UK on November 19.
The full PS5 costs £449/$499, while a Digital Edition without a disc tray is priced at £359/$399.
They’re up against Microsoft’s Xbox Series X (£449) and Xbox Series S (£249), which hit shelves worldwide on November 10.
The PS5 launched with major exclusive games like Spider-Man Miles Morales and a revamped version of Dark Souls for players to enjoy.
Xbox gamers, on the other hand, have a new Halo title to look forward to later this year.
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PS5 STOCK TO DROP AT UK RETAILER GAMEBYTE NEXT WEEK
A UK retailer has announced that it will drop a batch of PlayStation 5 stock next week.
Gamebyte, an online store based in Manchester, says it’s selling the consoles using a lottery system “in a bid to protect genuine gamers”.
It’s designed to block the activity of so-called “scalpers” – seedy groups who use automated bots to buy up PS5s in bulk and sell them on for profit.
The £449 PS5 is currently sold out at almost every retailer worldwide – and there’s no word on when restocks will drop.
“We will have a limited stock of PS5s launching next week on site,” Gamebyte said in a statement. In a bid to protect genuine gamers and combat scalpers, we will be sending out the link to purchase to those registered on the Gamebyte store site via email.”
To register your interest, head to this link and plug in your contact details.
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FORTHCOMING GAMES OUT IN APRIL
- Outriders – April 1
- Guilty Gear: Strive Deluxe And Ultimate Edition Early Access – April 6
- Guilty Gear: Strive – April 9
- Final Fantasy 14 Online: A Realm Reborn Open Beta – April 13
- MLB The Show 21 Collector’s Edition Early Access – April 16
- MLB The Show 21 – April 20
- MotoGP 21 – April 22
- Judgement – April 23
- Returnal – April 30
- Terminator: Resistance Enhanced – April 30
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NEW GAMES RELEASED THIS MONTH
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time – March 12
- Marvel’s Avengers – March 18
- Balan Wonderworld – March 26
- It Takes Two – March 26
- Terminator: Resistance (Enhanced) – March 26
- Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 – March 26
- Disco Elysium: The Final Cut – March
- Tennis World Tour 2 – March
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GAMER BUILDS BONKERS MODDED PS5 WITH WHITE BODY PLATES AND WATER COOLING SYSTEM FOR ‘ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE’
A tech whizz has built a bonkers modified PlayStation 5 with a water cooling system typically sported by high-end gaming PCs.
The Vietnamese customiser also added sleek white body plates to his console, which he hopes to sell commercially in future.
A video showcasing the impressive build was uploaded to YouTube last month.
PC modder Nhenhophach says that he replaced almost the entire PlayStation bodywork with new plates and parts.
He reckons that the water cooling system – designed to stop the console from overheating – ensures it always runs at peak performance.
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RESTOCKS EXPECTED AT MULTIPLE RETAILERS THIS WEEK
It’s been a slow weekend on the PS5 front, but restocks are expected to drop in UK stores over the coming week.
According to reports from TechRadar, Amazon has inventory expected to come in next week.
The tech website said 46,000 Playstation 5 consoles were being prepped for an online order at Amazon.com.
And Argos is expected to drop stock around the end of this coming week, too.
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GAMING GOLD
A British YouTuber has splashed thousands of pounds on a golden PlayStation 5 complete with blinged out controllers.
Simon “Miniminter” Minter says he paid £8,000 for the 24 karats, gold plated version of the console built by a luxury retailer.
As well as gold-plated controllers, the set features a gold-plated headset and a certificate of authenticity.
Miniminter showcased the bonkers purchase in a video shared with his 4.6million YouTube subscribers last week.
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UPDATE: ONLINE RETAILER PS5 STOCK CHECK
Keep checking the following sites for PS5 stock levels here:
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NEW PATENT COULD LET YOU USE POTATO AS PS5 CONTROLLER
A new patent has been discovered which will allow you to map buttons onto any inanimate object to turn it into a PS5 controller.
According to the Metro, the patent, which was discovered by GamesIndustry.biz, using technology to turn any non-electronic item can be turned into a game controller by projecting AR buttons onto it.
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AMAZON DROP EXPECTED THIS WEEK
Amazon is expected to be the go-to site this week for those hoping to snap up a coveted PS5 console.
According to reports from TechRadar, Amazon has inventory expected to come in next week.
The tech website said 46,000 Playstation 5 consoles were being prepped for an online order at Amazon.com.
Timing around the restock was yet to be confirmed.
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HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMMERS
Follow these steps to protect yourself from hackers in the future:
- Make a ‘strong’ password with 8 or more characters and a combination of upper case characters, numbers and symbols
- Don’t do online banking on public WiFi, unless absolutely necessary
- Don’t click on dodgy email links claiming to be from banks
- Use different passwords for different sites
- Never re-use your main email password
- Use anti-virus software
- Don’t accept Facebook friend requests or LinkedIn invitations from people you don’t know
- Think before you put personal info on social media
- Find My iPhone, Android Lost and BlackBerry Protect all allow you to remotely wipe a stolen phone. Set this feature up
- Only shop online on secure sites
- Don’t store your card details on websites
- Password protect your phone and other devices
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WARNING OVER FRESH SCAM AT GAME
Gamers desperate to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 have been alerted to a new scam email doing the rounds.
The fraudulent message purporting to be from staff at UK retailer GAME asks recipients for their bank details. Customers ordering PS5 consoles have been urged to act vigilant amid a concerning rise in e-mail scams.
PS5 trackers have been set up on social media to alert gamers to restocks of the sold out console. Some also highlight prominent scams.
One tracker wrote on Twitter this week: “WARNING. We have reports of people receiving fake GAME emails asking for bank details. DO NOT RESPOND OR GIVE ANY DETAILS TO THEM! It’s a scam!
“The email is [email protected] The correct email for GAME is [email protected].”
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NEW VR SYSTEM ON THE WAY FOR PS5
Sony confirmed last week that they’ll launch a new virtual reality system for the PS5.
The gaming giant said a new VR headset that is currently in development will offer the “ultimate entertainment experience, with dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity”.
Sony released its first PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset in 2016, with the headset connecting to a PlayStation 4 console to enable users to play games.
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SMYTHS TO DROP FRESH PS5 STOCK NEXT WEEK
Smyths Toys are expected to drop at the end of next week.
According to a PS5 Stock twitter page, the drop will be the 18th to the 20th.
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UPDATE: ONLINE RETAILER PS5 STOCK CHECK
Keep checking the following sites for PS5 stock levels here:
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RESTOCK EXPECTED THIS WEEK
It’s been a slow weekend on the PS5 front, but restocks are expected to drop in UK stores over the coming week.
According to reports from TechRadar, Amazon has inventory expected to come in next week.
The tech website said 46,000 Playstation 5 consoles were being prepped for an online order at Amazon.com.
And Argos is expected to drop stock around the end of this coming week, too.
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GAMING GOLD
A British YouTuber has splashed thousands of pounds on a golden PlayStation 5 complete with blinged out controllers.
Simon “Miniminter” Minter says he paid £8,000 for the 24 karats, gold plated version of the console built by a luxury retailer.
As well as gold-plated controllers, the set features a gold-plated headset and a certificate of authenticity.
Miniminter showcased the bonkers purchase in a video shared with his 4.6million YouTube subscribers last week.
