If you want to preorder the PS5 or Xbox Series X at launch in Australia, it seems like you’ll have to fork over a heavy deposit.
Local Aussies Press Start reported Wednesday evening that EB Games will be requiring $200 deposits for any Xbox Series X or PS5 preorders. That’s a good move for Australia: the high price should at least cut down on scalping, something we’ve seen plenty of this year already.
As an added note, EB won’t be accepting pre-orders in store either. Orders will be restricted to one per customer, which isn’t a surprise given all the talk of supply issues so far this year, but also the anticipation around the next-gen launch.
It’s still not known what other retailers, such as JB Hi-Fi, Kogan, The Gamesmen and other online stockists like Amazon will be doing regarding deposits, or whether they’ll be following EB’s lead in taking online orders only. I imagine it’ll be down to the customer management system for each retailer.
Preorders for consoles usually don’t go live until the actual price of the console has been announced, something both companies have been stubbornly refusing to release for a while. I can’t imagine EB, JB Hi-Fi, Amazon and such have been thrilled about the cat and mouse game between Sony and Microsoft. That said, with the Xbox Series S blinking first.
And with word starting to leak about how retailers are handling pre-orders, it’s clear that a proper reveal can’t be too far away. I’d eat my hat — well, let’s go for munching on a beanie instead — if we got into October without having an official price for the Xbox Series X and the PS5.
As always, we’ll keep you posted as more info comes to light.
Leave a Reply