This Absolute Hero Built A Real-Time Tracker For PS5, Xbox Series X Stock

This Absolute Hero Built A Real-Time Tracker For PS5, Xbox Series X Stock

With how the launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series X went last year, it’s no surprise that fresh stock of the next-gen consoles in Australia has been supremely hard to jump on. Without announcements in advance or any prior warnings that might help regular folk grab a console over dickhead scalpers, one Aussie figured they’d make the solution themselves.

The site is, aptly, called PS5 Stock. It was made to provide a quick, visual refresh of the major Australian retailers and their landing/listing pages for PS5 consoles around Australia. (If you’re on your phone, there’s a mobile alternative site here.)

When the site launched, creator Mo contacted Kotaku Australia by email. There’s no surprise as to why they built the website: like everyone else, getting a PS5 was a right pain in the arse.

“Obviously stock is very limited in Australia and I’d missed the original preorders,” Mo told Kotaku Australia over email. “I was sitting there one day thinking about how many people were looking for PS5s and I had something like 15 tabs open in Chrome and going through refreshing them one by one and I just thought there had to be a better way, so I decided to build it and then let everyone know about it.”

Despite being the creator of the website — and constantly refreshing themselves — they haven’t been able to secure a PS5 of their own. As we were chatting, the site’s popularity exploded, so a second tab was created to monitor Xbox Series X stock.

ps5 xbox series x
Image: PS5Stock.com

I asked Mo how long it took to put the site together, and they admitted the biggest challenge wasn’t the site itself but actually dealing with the individual Australian retailer pages.

“It wasn’t the website part that was hard, it was more the blocks that other websites put in place,” they explained. ” For instance, Target doesn’t let you just run automated scripts to check their website code (and for good reason, it’s good security). So I had to rethink my code multiple different times.”

“By the end of it, I had to learn 4 different languages and it took me about 3 weeks of nights (7pm-12am) to get the website up and running. I’m honestly just glad that it came out the way it did and that it’s going to be able to help people get a PS5. I have it open on a screen next to me while I’m working, wallet on standby.”

When they do get a PS5 of their own — if fans of the site don’t get there first — Mo’s hoping to knock out Spider-Man: Miles Morales. They were also a little sympathetic towards Sony and Microsoft about the stock troubles, given the timing and similarities in the console’s components.

“Obviously PS5 and Xbox both using the new AMD architecture, paired with a simultaneous launch didn’t help with stock constraints,” they said. “Pair that with the fact Sony is really heavily focusing on the US market means it’s making it tough for Australians to get their hands on one.”

And if you’re still trying to get a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, PS5Stock is a good tab to have open. Just keep in mind the server costs are being completely covered out of the creator’s own pocket. So if you do grab a next-gen console from the page, there’s a PayPal link at the bottom of the page where you can say thanks. (And of course, we’ll keep you posted as soon as we find out any info about future PS5/Xbox drops.)

This article was originally published on February 2, 2021 and has since been retimed. Good luck in your console hunt!


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