Amazon's PS5 And Xbox Series X Invite System Could Finally Get You A Console
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Amazon has started a new invite-based system for purchasing high-demand items like the PS5 or the latest-gen Xbox consoles. The retailer's product page for the PlayStation 5 now shows a "Request Invitation" option instead of the usual "Add to Cart" or "Buy Now" buttons. Amazon makes it abundantly clear that it wants high-demand items to fall in the hands of genuine customers, not bots.
Once users click on the invite button, they will be put on a list of customers hoping to buy the consoles. Depending upon the restock situation, Amazon will notify the shortlisted buyers via email in order to purchase it. However, getting on Amazon's invitation list isn't a guarantee that you will be able to buy the console. Amazon makes it abundantly clear from the get-go that all requests won't be granted. Once an invitation request is submitted, Amazon tells the potential buyer that their account will be verified.
The e-commerce giant also warns that the invite system "depends on several factors," and that means predicting wait times for potential buyers is not a viable option. However, lucky customers who get an invite to buy the PlayStation 5 or one of the latest Xbox Series consoles will have 72 hours to complete the purchase before the link expires. So far, it appears that the invitation system won't make any distinction between customers who have or lack a Prime subscription.
Desperate times, desperate measures
Amazon tells TechCrunch the invite system ensures that buyers are able to get their hands on items "without having to worry about bad actors buying and reselling at a much higher price." The program is currently live in the United States, but there is no official confirmation regarding an expansion into other markets. However, the console shortage problem is not limited to the U. S. We're aware of consumers who bought the PlayStation 5 for as much as $900 from scalpers who had managed to hoard the limited supply of Sony's console, nearly double the official asking price of $499 for the disc version.
The company will vet all invitation requests by looking at the account's previous purchase history to filter out bots and spammy profiles, making sure that invites are sent out to genuine customers only. For now, the invite system covers only the PlayStation 5, but in the coming days, it will go live for the Xbox Series X as well. The latest tactic brings back memories of OnePlus' early days when the company followed a similar (read: infuriating) invite system to sell its coveted "flagship killer" phones.
The situation is not too different for graphics cards, either. In February, Best Buy pushed graphics cards behind the paywall of its Totaltech subscription. For gaming enthusiasts hoping to get their hands on one of NVIDIA's RTX 3000-series GPUs, Best Buy asked them to pay a sum of $199 (annual plan) to buy the graphics cards.