“All major retailers and Sony, [they] had so many bugs and issues where the PS5 would get taken out of my cart,” Ace tells IGN. So, after failing to secure a PlayStation 5 through the usual digital stores and even directly from Sony, Ace did what anyone does after missing a sale, and started shopping the gray market. Ace ended up paying $900 for a PlayStation 5 on Craigslist – and they weren't the only ones going to such extreme measures. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are this season’s hottest items, and their popularity is wildly driving up prices among unofficial retailers. It’s a trend we’ve seen in another industry, on a far more regular basis — the second-hand market reacts similarly when there’s a limited sneaker release from brands like Nike or Air Jordan. It’s an apt comparison, says Professor Jemayne Lavar King, an Assistant Professor of English at Johnson C. Smith University and author of Sole Food: Digestible Sneaker Culture. Professor King says the way customers are responding to the hard-to-find PlayStation 5 — creating a surge in demand and prices in second-hand retailers — is part of a consumerist trend that’s been building up over the years in no small part because of the rise of sneaker culture. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/playstation-5-review"] “The same individuals who would pay $500 for a pair of Nike Dunks, or maybe a pair of Air Jordans, or whatever shoe that happens to be in demand at the moment — these are the same individuals who are also playing the latest consoles,” says Professor King. He says that the same consumer culture for sneakers has conditioned buyers into paying more for something that they can potentially get cheaper down the line if they wait.

21st Century Customers

The first signs of trouble began when the PS5 suddenly became available for pre-order at different retailers, despite Sony promising that the pre-order date wouldn’t be a surprise. Notifications that PS5s were sold out quickly followed. Even the Xbox Series X, which announced its pre-order date weeks in advance, faced similar shortages. It seemed that anyone who couldn’t get a pre-order was suddenly facing the reality that they might not be able to procure a new system, even by the end of this year. In the void of any official retail listings, scalpers have moved in, selling PS5s for sometimes triple the retail cost on sites like eBay and Craigslist. [caption id="attachment_244314" align="aligncenter" width="930"] A snapshot of going PS5 prices on eBay. Captured by IGN.[/caption] “We know there’s going to be an abundance of PlayStation 5s around the holiday season. But entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the pacemaking culture, the pick-me culture, the ‘I have and you don’t’ culture. It’s the same marketing,” Professor King explains. He likens it succinctly by saying the second-hand console market is “the same offense in a different sport” to the sneaker market. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CIf%20people%20continue%20to%20buy%20products%20off%20these%20scalpers%20that%20are%20gouging%20the%20living%20heck%20out%20of%20the%20average%20consumer%2C%20then%20they%20will%20continue%20to%20gouge%20the%20living%20heck%20out%20of%20the%20average%20consumer.%20Do%20NOT%20buy%20a%20marked%20up%20console%20from%20these%20scumbags.%E2%80%9D%20-%20eBay%20reviewer"]Even the official retailers are imitating the marketing strategies pioneered by streetwear fashion. Sony announced it would open up a limited number of PS5 orders directly to its most loyal PlayStation customers, and other retailers have created digital queues for the next batch of PS5 or Xbox Series X sales, with a precise date and time for when the sale goes live. This is otherwise known as a “drop,” a term that began simply by referring to a product release, but became synonymous with the streetwear industry thanks to brands like Supreme, whose product drops have led many zealous fans to camp outside stores for days to score items emblazoned with the red Supreme logo. The digitization of the drop is already well underway with sneaker brands. Nike’s SNKRS app features a calendar of upcoming releases that customers can sign up to be notified of when they go up for sale. Valued customers are allowed early pre-order privileges, not unlike how Sony sent unique invites to PS5 pre-orders for loyal PlayStation players. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"]

Supply and Demand

Earlier in the year, analysts wondered if the new consoles would be delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic but Sony and Microsoft repeatedly assured customers that these systems would be available in time for the holidays. What the two manufacturers cautioned — repeatedly, in fact — is that there could be shortages. That there might not be enough consoles in 2020 for everyone. But a PS5 and Xbox Series X aren’t like limited sneaker drops. Some shoes, once they’re sold out, no longer go into production, driving up their collector resale value. PS5s and Xbox Series X are consumer goods and will be in production for years. And yet the language from console manufacturers has broadly been to shine a light on shortages: Microsoft CFO Tim Stuart says that Xbox Series X and S demand is huge and thinks “we’ll continue to see supply shortages as we head into the post-holiday quarter, so Microsoft’s Q3, calendar Q1 [the period ending March 31, 2021].” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said in a recent interview that, “Everything is sold. Absolutely everything is sold. I’ve spent much of the last year trying to be sure that we can generate enough demand for the product. And now in terms of my executive bandwidth I’m spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand.” [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CNow%20confirmed%20sold%20out%20everywhere%20until%20Black%20Friday.%20With%20Covid%20going%20to%20hit%20again%2C%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20see%20production%20meeting%20supply.%20Glad%20I%20got%20mine%20below%20a%20grand!%E2%80%9D%20-%20eBay%20Reviewer"]When even the heads of the companies making them are telling us that they don’t have enough consoles to go around, it’s probably no wonder that every deal chaser on social media is blasting links to digital stores that may have a drop of PS5 or Xbox Series X stock. I myself acquired a PS5 pre-order, not from any traditional retail channel, but through a sneaker deals Twitter account. Professor King doesn’t see those company announcements as an apology — he sees a tactic: “That particular strategy is to build — and it happens in everything — you want to build anticipation. And there’s a false pretense. You know — I know that these units are going to be readily available, but to make money in advance you create the illusion that there are not going to be that many of them. You just don’t acknowledge the fact that we’re going to have more pretty soon.” Creating a narrative of scarcity has been good business for sneakers, and it may well be good business for console makers as well. There certainly appears to be an enhanced fervor to acquire a new console driven in part by their scarcity. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] That scarcity is exacerbated by factors outside of Sony and Microsoft’s control. While there could be elements of marketing engineering at work, driving up hype and in turn demand, we’ve also seen scalpers utilizing tools like bots to pick scan retail sites and buy up PS5 and Xbox Series X stock before customers can get a chance to order one at retail price. Shopping bots have been around for years now, and are used to purchase all different kinds of items online, such as concert tickets. But they’ve become particularly aggressive when it comes to sneakers and streetwear. Bird Bot, a retail bot used to buy up Nintendo Switch stock, was originally developed by a sneakerhead who learned how to program bots trying to purchase sneakers. Reports have emerged that one Europe-based reseller group purchased nearly 3,500 PS5 consoles through bots, ensuring in some cases that resellers are the only place some customers can acquire the sought-after console. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CIf%20I%20could%20have%20gotten%20one%20at%20the%20regular%20selling%20price%20it%20would%20have%20been%20a%20good%20value%20but%20I%20knew%20I%20was%20paying%20way%20too%20much%2C%20but%20my%20grandson%20wanted%20it%20for%20Christmas%20and%20he%E2%80%99s%20a%20great%20kid.%E2%80%9D%20-%20eBay%20Reviewer"]Making matters worse is how the Bots Act of 2016 only outlaws the use of bots when purchasing digital tickets. Bots for shoes and popular holiday gifts are still technically legal, though they are against individual stores’ terms of service. What has emerged is a perfect storm where the video game console market and the trends of 21st-century consumerism collide. Whereas in the past the barrier to acquiring a new console or shoe may have been strictly financial, i.e. not having the funds to purchase the desired item; it’s no longer enough to just have the money. Customers are expected to be first, whether they’re competing against digital bots, or other customers who have more available time to queue up in line — physical or digital — for the same item. While Covid-19 may have had a unique impact on availability — something we won’t fully understand until concrete sales and production figures is released — it’s also not unfair to say that some of these conditions have been created by retailers who want to drive up demand. The console marketing cycle effectively began in 2019, pre-COVID, and anticipation for the PS5 and Xbox Series X has been building ever since. Stoked by a chaotic pre-order experience, official company communication that stock remains rare, and bots that remain legally dubious, we have a situation where hype and rarity are funneling customers to an unfair gray market that has had plenty of experience charging desperate customers a premium. [caption id="attachment_244314" align="aligncenter" width="926"] A snapshot of going Xbox Series X prices on eBay. Captured by IGN.[/caption] While writing this article, I scoured retailers like eBay to find the going price of a PS5 on the second-hand market. While there are listings that go as high as $2,000, searching through sold listings reveals customers typically purchase second-hand PS5s at around $950 but can go as high as $1,200. This is a staggering price compared to the suggested $499 retail price for the PS5. But Professor King says these rates of increase are typical in the sneaker market. “How much is a sneaker worth? A sneaker is worth however much someone is willing to pay for it. How much is a console worth? Well, a console is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it, and typically someone is willing to pay retail plus half of what it costs.” At the time of writing this story, one retailer on eBay is selling a PS5 disc version for $1,699.99. eBay’s website says this seller has already sold 33 units, and a notification below the listing says in bright bold red, “Almost gone.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

This week, a new standalone version of Red Dead Online was announced, alongside a Bounty Hunter expansion, and double rewards for A Land of Opportunities missions.

This week, a new standalone version of Red Dead Online was announced, alongside a Bounty Hunter expansion, and double rewards for A Land of Opportunities missions.

This week, a new standalone version of Red Dead Online was announced, alongside a Bounty Hunter expansion, and double rewards for A Land of Opportunities missions.

CD Projekt Red has shared a new gameplay video of Cyberpunk 2077 running on both PS5 (via backwards compatibility) and PS4 Pro ahead of its launch on December 10, 2020. This PS5 and PS4 footage follows the Xbox Series X and Xbox One X gameplay from last week's Night City Wire Special, and this time reveals gameplay from the beginning of Cyberpunk 2077. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/cyberpunk-2077-playstation-gameplay-video"] The gameplay switches back and forth from PS5 to PS4 Pro, giving PlayStation fans an idea of how Cyberpunk 2077 will look when it's released next month. If that wasn't enough for you, you can check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preview after playing the much-anticipated game for 16 hours. We came away hungry for more, saying, "It’s rad as hell, a gorgeous world that you could get absolutely lost inside of in precisely the manner you choose to do so. It’s certainly not without its rough edges, especially when it comes to its menus, but those blemishes didn’t do much to stop what it does well from shining brightly." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=100-new-cyberpunk-2077-screenshots-gangs-characters-and-playstyles-revealed&captions=true"] CD Projekt Red also held its fifth Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire last week, and revealed more details on Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand, a behind-the-scenes look at how the game's 90's-inspired soundtrack was created, and how they animated the hundreds of characters featured in the game. As a PSA, we also wanted to make our readers aware that it appears that copies of Cyberpunk 2077 and gameplay have leaked before its official release, so be careful out there, Samurai! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/cyberpunk-2077-the-final-preview"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

CD Projekt Red has shared a new gameplay video of Cyberpunk 2077 running on both PS5 (via backwards compatibility) and PS4 Pro ahead of its launch on December 10, 2020. This PS5 and PS4 footage follows the Xbox Series X and Xbox One X gameplay from last week's Night City Wire Special, and this time reveals gameplay from the beginning of Cyberpunk 2077. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/cyberpunk-2077-playstation-gameplay-video"] The gameplay switches back and forth from PS5 to PS4 Pro, giving PlayStation fans an idea of how Cyberpunk 2077 will look when it's released next month. If that wasn't enough for you, you can check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preview after playing the much-anticipated game for 16 hours. We came away hungry for more, saying, "It’s rad as hell, a gorgeous world that you could get absolutely lost inside of in precisely the manner you choose to do so. It’s certainly not without its rough edges, especially when it comes to its menus, but those blemishes didn’t do much to stop what it does well from shining brightly." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=100-new-cyberpunk-2077-screenshots-gangs-characters-and-playstyles-revealed&captions=true"] CD Projekt Red also held its fifth Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire last week, and revealed more details on Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand, a behind-the-scenes look at how the game's 90's-inspired soundtrack was created, and how they animated the hundreds of characters featured in the game. As a PSA, we also wanted to make our readers aware that it appears that copies of Cyberpunk 2077 and gameplay have leaked before its official release, so be careful out there, Samurai! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/cyberpunk-2077-the-final-preview"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has explained that more Xbox Series X units were built for launch than Xbox Series S, but that the ratio of units made of each console will likely be more even by next holiday season. In an interview with The Verge's Decoder podcast, Spencer explained the logic, saying that the company expected to see more demand for Series X at launch, something he says has proven to be true. "We figured that our first holiday, and probably our second holiday, you would see more of the higher end SKU, the Series X sold. We built more Series Xs than we did Series Ss." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/fixing-ps5-xbox-series-x-launch-issues-next-gen-console-watch"] It seemingly won't be too long until those numbers balance out a little more: "I think when we go into spring and summer, we’ll probably moderate that a bit." Spencer continued. "Over the long run, in most cases, price wins out. If you just go back and look at previous generations and when console generations hit the real sweet spot of sales, which is one of the reasons we like having that, that’s the Series S at its price point. "Then when we go back into next holiday, which we’re already thinking about with supply chain and build, we’re already in that framing, trying to look at what we think our ratio should be between the two." Interestingly, Spencer adds that Series S chips can be made more efficently than the larger Series X equivalent, which could theoretically help Series S unit production catch up to Series X: "The chips are very different in size — this is a little bit in the weeds — we can actually build more of the Series S [chips] in the same [chip] die space as we can the Series X." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-s-review"] Despite that lower demand, Spencer seems content with how the dual launch has worked for Series S – and explained that the decision to create a lower-priced console was "questioned a number of times internally". He continued, "The best argument against doing it was Sony. We didn’t think that they were going to do it. I’ve said it before, I have a ton of respect for what Sony does." With that in mind, Spencer says that, ultimately, the idea was pushed through because of how it could help grow a portion of the audience that may not otherwise buy a console at launch: "It was really this inclusion: how do we include more people in the launch euphoria and hype and everything that happens, and make it as accessible to [as many] more people as possible. Going to that [question of] how do you really build things that can get to true scale and influence everybody and impact everybody on the planet?" We awarded the Xbox Series S a 7/10 review, saying it "has its place and could shine as a second console, but it's hard to recommend as your primary gaming platform due to its 1440p resolution and claustrophobic storage capacity." If you're in the market for Xbox Series X and S – or some games for your new machine – Black Friday should be the best place to find them. Make sure to check out our best Xbox Black Friday deals page for more on that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has explained that more Xbox Series X units were built for launch than Xbox Series S, but that the ratio of units made of each console will likely be more even by next holiday season. In an interview with The Verge's Decoder podcast, Spencer explained the logic, saying that the company expected to see more demand for Series X at launch, something he says has proven to be true. "We figured that our first holiday, and probably our second holiday, you would see more of the higher end SKU, the Series X sold. We built more Series Xs than we did Series Ss." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/fixing-ps5-xbox-series-x-launch-issues-next-gen-console-watch"] It seemingly won't be too long until those numbers balance out a little more: "I think when we go into spring and summer, we’ll probably moderate that a bit." Spencer continued. "Over the long run, in most cases, price wins out. If you just go back and look at previous generations and when console generations hit the real sweet spot of sales, which is one of the reasons we like having that, that’s the Series S at its price point. "Then when we go back into next holiday, which we’re already thinking about with supply chain and build, we’re already in that framing, trying to look at what we think our ratio should be between the two." Interestingly, Spencer adds that Series S chips can be made more efficently than the larger Series X equivalent, which could theoretically help Series S unit production catch up to Series X: "The chips are very different in size — this is a little bit in the weeds — we can actually build more of the Series S [chips] in the same [chip] die space as we can the Series X." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-s-review"] Despite that lower demand, Spencer seems content with how the dual launch has worked for Series S – and explained that the decision to create a lower-priced console was "questioned a number of times internally". He continued, "The best argument against doing it was Sony. We didn’t think that they were going to do it. I’ve said it before, I have a ton of respect for what Sony does." With that in mind, Spencer says that, ultimately, the idea was pushed through because of how it could help grow a portion of the audience that may not otherwise buy a console at launch: "It was really this inclusion: how do we include more people in the launch euphoria and hype and everything that happens, and make it as accessible to [as many] more people as possible. Going to that [question of] how do you really build things that can get to true scale and influence everybody and impact everybody on the planet?" We awarded the Xbox Series S a 7/10 review, saying it "has its place and could shine as a second console, but it's hard to recommend as your primary gaming platform due to its 1440p resolution and claustrophobic storage capacity." If you're in the market for Xbox Series X and S – or some games for your new machine – Black Friday should be the best place to find them. Make sure to check out our best Xbox Black Friday deals page for more on that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Rainbow Six Siege’s next-generation update will arrive on December 1, and brings with it a variety of improvements and quality of life features that should help Siege feel at home on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Chief among the upgrades, Siege on next-gen will support resolutions of up to 4K and frame rates of up to 120FPS. The update will, akin to many games, provide two modes for this. Talking to IGN, Mazen Elbawab, Software Project Lead on Rainbow Six Siege, said: “You can either favour the resolution of the game or the frame rate. If you favour frame rate we guarantee you playing at 120FPS at the highest resolution possible, versus if you favour resolution then the game renders at 4K with the highest frame rate possible.”

Elbawab noted that these options will be added to the menus if the game recognises that you have a 4K TV capable of 120Hz. If your TV is not capable of high refresh rates, then the console defaults to 4K 60FPS.

While the higher resolution and frame rate will make Siege look crisper and smoother, the game won’t technically look ‘better’. “There is a certain increase to some of the textures but I wouldn’t qualify it as highly noticeable,” said Elbawab. “The focus was really on the performance side.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/rainbow-six-siege-ps5-and-xbox-series-x-official-trailer"]

That means no high-resolution texture pack, and definitely no ray tracing. “The idea was to get as close as possible to the competitiveness of PC hardware, which is why we focused on getting up to 120FPS,” Elbawab explained. “There’s a balance to strike, and we thought for now using ray tracing would not benefit that competitiveness, which is why we focused on 120FPS.”

Similarly, the update will not make use of the dedicated audio hardware in the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But that’s not to say that focus has been purely on resolution and framerate; the game loads quicker thanks to next-gen SSD storage.

“We also added optimisations to the log-in flow, so the start of the game should be quicker than it was before on both generations,” said Elbawab. Note that he said “both generations”; PS4 and Xbox One versions should benefit from these optimisations, although won’t see the speedy load times the SSD provides.

Matchmaking is cross-generational, so PS5 players can play with PS4, and Xbox Series X with Xbox One players. Progress also comes with you, so there’s no need to start afresh. However, true cross-progression and cross-play across platforms is not yet on the agenda. “Cross-play is on the table, but nothing is confirmed. There’s no commitment to it,” Elbawab said. “Cross progression is not impossible, absolutely not, but it depends on priorities, it depends on what the community would want.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/09/operation-neon-dawn-aruni-exclusive-details-gameplay-rainbow-six-siege"]

That covers features coming to both new consoles, but the PS5 has specific features to make the most of its UI and DualSense controller. “We match the Activity Cards to the Playlists we have in the game, so Ranked, Unranked, Quick Match, Newcomers, and also Time Limited Events,” says Elbawab. “These will take you as fast as possible to matchmaking.”

“Adaptive triggers have a unique feeling for using weapons and gadgets,” he says. “There are custom presets for all the weapons and for some specific gadgets. Haptic feedback has ‘Compatibility’ mode for the regular rumble from the old controller, or audio-driven ‘Advanced’ mode, so you’ll have some actions within the game that the audio data itself is driving the rumble, so you have a better feeling for what’s going on.”

Elbawab gives an example of pistol triggers providing resistance to the half-way point and then suddenly releasing, which provides a sensation akin to real handguns. Explosions use audio data to power the controller’s haptics to help provide a better sense of immersion. The controller’s speaker is also used to play some “key moments” such as pings or HUD sound effects. All of these features can be disabled, should you feel they distract.

Rainbow Six Siege’s next-generation update will be available December 1. For more information on the upcoming season, check out our look at Operation Neon Dawn and its new operator, Aruni.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Rockstar Games has revealed a standalone version of Red Dead Online which can be purchased separately from the game's campaign. As of December 1, players will be able to purchase Red Dead Online on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Epic Games Store and Steam. The game will cost $4.99 at launch as part of an introductory offer, which is 75% of the game's RRP. This offer will last until February 15, 2021. Of course, you'll need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to engage with the game's multiplayer features. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/28/red-dead-online-the-naturalist-trailer"] As well as the last-gen consoles Red Dead Redemption 2 is already available on, Red Dead Online will be playable on next-gen consoles via backwards compatibility and take up 123 GB of hard drive space. The standalone package will also give players the option to upgrade and purchase Red Dead Redemption 2's story mode at an additional cost. To coincide with the standalone launch of Red Dead Online, the Bounty Hunter role is being expanded, with an extra 10 ranks added to the role as well as new Legendary Bounties. Here's our review of Red Dead Redemption 2 from 2018. We scored the game a 10, touting its "meticulously polished open-world." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.