ST. LOUIS — Pre-orders for the Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 video game are underway, via GameStop, and there is already a back jam.
Thursday, via Twitter, GameStop announced, "We are pleased to announce that further quantities of PS5 consoles will be made available to pre-order."
The console will cost $500 and launch Nov. 12, setting up a holiday battle with Microsoft's Xbox Series X over whose new console will turn up under more Christmas trees this year.
Video game fans have been chomping at the bit for the new consoles, and not just because they've been stuck inside since March. The roughly 7-year life cycle of a video game console has been nearing an end. Both predecessor consoles, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, launched in 2013.
The new consoles promise faster load times, souped-up graphics and new games. Sony's console is also more expensive this time around; the PS4 launched for $400 in 2013.
Sony's PS5 will come in two different models — a standard version with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive for $500, and a digital-oriented version with no disk drive that costs $400. While you can still buy games on optical disks, it’s increasingly common for gamers to download them in digital form instead.
The U.S., Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea will see the console on Nov. 12; everywhere else will get it a week later.
While the PlayStation 5 doesn't launch until November, several retailers are getting set to accept pre-orders.
Sony has set up a site where customers can register for the opportunity to preorder a PS5. It explained online that there will only be a "limited quantity" of consoles available for pre-order.
Best Buy has the PS5 console now listed online, but as of Thursday morning it still says "Coming Soon."
According to Target, its already sold out of preorders and is telling customers to check back again on the release date. It appears Walmart has also sold out of its stock of preorders.
In a presentation Wednesday, Sony previewed games including “Spider-Man: Miles Morales," which will be available at launch, and a Harry Potter game, “Hogwarts Legacy," which will be out in 2021. It gave a sneak peak of “Final Fantasy XVI," which will be exclusive to PlayStation, but did not specify when that game will launch.
