Sony has made launch sales online only to maintain social distancing, calling for consumers to “be safe, stay home, and place your order online”.

The next-generation console, which retails for $500 or $400 without a disk-drive, was sold out on major retailing sites in Japan with some conducting lotteries to distribute limited stock.

On Japan’s top flea market platform from Mercari Inc, consoles were selling for more than $900.

Pent-up demand for the PS5, which offers cutting-edge graphics, faster load times and a new controller with immersive feedback, has been exacerbated by the pandemic, which has seen consumers flock to gaming but has strained supply chains.

Analysts see shortages of consoles from Sony and rival Microsoft Corp, which launched Xbox devices on Tuesday, extending into 2021.

PS5 is officially available in the US

Thursday, Nov. 12 is when the PS5 is officially available in the US. Sony is making both versions of the console available simultaneously: a $400 digital-only version and a $500 model with Blu-ray. (As we have recommended before, if you don't need the optical drive for games or movies, we recommend you go with the $400 one.)  

To be clear, we fully expect that every major retailer to sell out quickly. We'd be surprised if the national stockpile of PS5s survives the day. But unlike other stores, Walmart has already vowed (in a tweet to a customer) to make its inventory available in segments throughout the day.