202: 202: Silent Hill Townfall

GameStop hikes used PS5 Pro price to $1,400 as GTA VI demand looms.

This morning's headline comes from Andy Robinson at Video Games Chronicle.

On Tuesday, an anonymous Reddit user posted what they claimed was an internal email announcing the significant price hike for used PS5 Pro consoles.

No reason was given for the price increase in the alleged email, but it noted that the pre-owned consoles will have a higher price than the new console, and this is intentional.

Updated listings on the GameStop website have since confirmed that the price increase is legitimate.

Pre-owned standard PS5 Pro consoles are currently listed for $1,399.99 compared to the new price of $899.99.

According to the leaked internal email, special edition versions will retail for even higher at $1499.99.

Although no explanation has been given for the price hike, it's likely that the retailer is preparing to capitalize on demand driven by the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI next month.

Grand Theft Auto VI is set for release on November 19th, and will likely drive a significant increase in PS5 and Xbox Series X console sales.

A senior games buyer for an unnamed retailer told the game business this summer that the combination of component shortages and price increases mean consoles w- uh, consoles have been in shorter supply than usual, and the release of GTA VI will likely lead to a situation where console stock sells out.

Quote, "We've been informed that because of the ongoing issues around hardware component availability, we won't be getting the units we want ahead of GTA," the senior games buyer, speaking without his employer's permission, told the publication.

"Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year-end period," he added.

So basically, what this means, uh, what's going on here is that GameStop is taking advantage of the upcoming console shortage by playing the role of scalper, really, uh, a job usually reserved for dbags on eBay.

Um, now, I don't want to tell anybody how to live their life or how to spend their money, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Please, for the love of God, do not spend $1,500 [laughs] on a PlayStation 5.

Not now, not ever, not even for GTA VI.

Uh, one other interesting side note is that this week, Xbox secured exclusive streaming rights to GTA VI, meaning that if you can't get yourself a console at a reasonable price, you could buy the game digitally, sign up for Game Pass, and then play the game on, you know, whatever screen you want.

Uh, it's a bold strategy, Cotton.

Let's see if it pays off for 'em.