The PlayStation 4 (PS4) survives another year thanks to the PS5 shortage

It looks like the PlayStation 4 (PS4) isn’t going anywhere thanks to the never-ending shortage of modern-gen consoles. Sony needed to do something to fulfill demand and limiting the options consumers have to choose from just wasn’t an option (you don’t want consumers jumping ship to other options after all). So the company decided to continue development through the end of 2022 in order to keep fans happy.

This is a big move by Sony, and yet again, shows how the shortage is affecting the gaming industry. A shortage that is mostly caused by scalpers than anything else (or what we have been referring to as, “lowlife dingleberries that have no respect for anyone”).

Of course, chip shortages and shipping conditions have also put a squeeze on things, but nothing close to what scalpers have managed to mess up. There are still many thousands of PS5 consoles that are being held by scalpers as they try to extort eager gamers for as much as they can squeeze them for.

Maybe it is time that gamers take things into their own hands. If you know someone taking part in these scalping activities, feel free to report them to every dedicated gamer you know in your network. You might just find an angry mob outside their door the next day. That might light a fire under an agency somewhere to try harder at doing something about all of this mess.

Fantasies aside, it is nice to see Sony trying to at least do something to keep gamers occupies until these things can be sorted out. Unless, of course, these scalpers go after the PS4 units as well (some sites are selling the PS4 for $600+ right now). In which case, yeah, rat every scalper you know out to as many people you know. Power to the people!

It would help if companies like Amazon gathered together to end this madness by refusing to allow sellers to sell shortage-affected devices beyond their normal MSRP (automated filters). That would be a huge sting to the scalper community. Of course, doing so would also mean these retail fronts wouldn’t get their piece of the pie. Which is why none of them have done this. Hale to the United States of Corporate America.

Thankfully, a few companies like Best Buy (here) still sell the consoles at normal “current” value. So, as long as no one snipes these up as they roll out, you’ll be able to find them there at a fair price.

Thanks Poc for letting me publish this one (I honestly though editing would have shot this one down).  #RebelGamer #PowerToTheGamers