To keep up with the consistently high demand for the PlayStation 5, Sony is resorting to airlifting the consoles into the United Kingdom.
As reported by The Sun, Sony is loading jumbo jets with PlayStation 5 consoles in order to satisfactorily stock local retailers in time for the holiday season. Three planes have reportedly already made their deliveries while another two are scheduled to arrive before the middle of November. The most recent arrival was reportedly stacked with over 50 pallets of PS5s that were then loaded into three trucks and dispatched to Sony's distribution center.
Speaking to The Sun, an anonymous source said, "A phenomenal operation has been under way to stock UK shelves of PS5s for Christmas. Sony just wants to keep fans happy after a slew of issues with its new kit, and this is an unprecedented air-lift." It's currently unknown whether Sony is planning something similar for the United States or other regions.
Despite launching in late 2020, the PlayStation 5 is still notoriously difficult to purchase. Due to complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a worldwide chipset shortage, the stock of Sony's latest console is still difficult to come by for many consumers. Many resorted to standing in massive lines to finally claim their PS5 while others have been forced to shop online and go head-to-head against scalpers looking to resell the valuable devices with an exorbitant markup.
Both Sony and several major retailers have taken extreme lengths to combat resellers looking to take advantage of the shortage. Japanese distributor Nojima Denki resorted to simply writing the names of customers who placed an order for the device on the PlayStation 5's box. On the other hand, Sony began taking direct registrations for the console, selecting lucky recipients "based on previous interests and PlayStation activities." The measures put in place seem to be having an effect as the resale prices of the PlayStation 5 are beginning to plummet.
If you manage to get your hands on a PlayStation 5, you're spoilt for choice in terms of excellent exclusive video games including Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, Returnal and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. If none of those are quite tickling your fancy, you could wait a few months for games like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine.
Source: The Sun