PS4 and Xbox One Shortage in the US
There have been big problems with getting new PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles and DualShock 4 gamepads in the U.S. for a while now, with most major stores not offering them, or used pieces of they do.
- New copies of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles and DualShock 4 gamepads are hard to come by in the US right now;
- In large stores mainly used units available and they are often much more expensive than a few months ago;
- In Europe, the situation is better, but also here problems begin to appear in some places.
Microsoft and Sony have been struggling to meet demand for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 since the new generation launched, and it turns out it's not just the latest hardware that falls short of demand. Some markets have also been experiencing trouble acquiring the manufacturers' older consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, for some time.
As reported by Kotaku, buying XONE and PS4 in the United States has become a real challenge. New copies are unavailable in major stores such as Amazon, Target, GameStop and Walmart. Some of them act as middlemen for smaller retailers who still have some stock, but it comes with higher prices. Walmart, for example, is offering the PlayStation 4 1TB Slim for $430.94, while the standard console costs $400.
In the U.S., the situation is similar for new copies of the Xbox One. GameStop only has refreshed used units on offer. These only cost $10 less than new ones. Usually the price difference is much higher, which shows well that there is a supply problem. On the other hand, on Amazon (in the role of intermediary for another seller) you can buy a new Xbox One S for the ridiculous amount of $630, which is more than double the standard price.
Interestingly, the availability issues started with the DualShock 4 gamepads. Some time ago, a source associated with GameStop told Kotaku that quite a few stores from the chain are receiving 1-2 copies of the DS4 per month. On the company's website, you can buy the black variant of the controller for $59.99, but for other models, only used pieces are available for $54.99.
It's even worse at Amazon. Refreshed used copies of the controller can be purchased for $70, if they are available at all. Other retailers have DualShock 4s on offer, but often at even more heavily inflated prices.
Kotaku's editor contacted twelve stores from the GameStop network by phone, and none of them were selling new copies of Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and DS4. Some of these outlets admitted that they have not received shipments of these devices for weeks. Sony's official store has also run out of stock of DualShock 4 controllers.
There are no problems, however, getting the DualSense, the controller for PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with the PS4. In terms of controllers, things are good for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S fans. Pads from XSX work on XONE, but you can also buy controllers from the older generation.
The problem concern mainly the USA. In Europe, it is not difficult to find stores that offer unused copies of the PS4, Xbox One and DS4. Interestingly, however, the offer of the British Amazon lacked new DualShock 4.
Kotaku has asked Microsoft and Sony for a comment, but has not received a response so far. The editors believe that the problems are the result of several factors. Production of older consoles is slowing down as both companies focus on the next generation. In addition, there are problems with the availability of chips and those associated with the pandemic. So the situation will probably not improve soon.
