Highly anticipated: With excitement and hype over the PS5 reaching fever pitch, many are asking: "Who cares about the price; when can I pre-order?" If some datamined information from a new PlayStation website is anything to go by, the answer might be very soon. It also indicates that purchases will be limited to one per household.
The leak is the work of Reddit user Kgarvey, who went digging through the source code of Sony's new direct.playstation.com website. One of the main takeaways is that customers will only be able to "purchase one version of the PS5™ Console: Disc or Digital."
The global pandemic has changed the world in many ways, one of which is an increased demand for gaming---spending on video games is at its highest in a decade, and more people are choosing home-based activities over going out and risking Covid-19 infection. As such, demand for the PS5 is expected to be huge, and Sony is reportedly doubling production to 10 million units. But it appears the company is still taking precautions to ensure consumers aren't left disappointed by limiting purchases, though anyone who wants a standard and digital version of the console, for whatever reason, will have to pre-order one of them from a third-party retailer.
Elsewhere, the site also contains images for the "PS5 Compatible" logo that could appear on upcoming cross-gen games and previously released PS4 titles. Sony has promised that almost all of its top 100 PlayStation 4 games will run on the next-gen machine at launch, but it seems not every title will work on the PS5. The poster created a mock-up of Days Gone to show how it will look. They also note, however, that the logo may be intended for accessories.
Sony offering pre-orders for the PS5 directly from its PlayStation shop is a new move for the company and one that will likely allow it to control its stock levels better.
With the discovery of the PS5 references, does this mean that pre-orders are imminent? It certainly looks like we don't have much longer to wait. If Kgarvey is right, they'll be available to reserve within the next two weeks. And the fact Amazon's PS5 pre-order placeholder page is now live suggests it could be even sooner.