The PS5 Disc Drive is selling out ahead of the PlayStation 5 Pro's launch – here's why
The PS5 Disc Drive is selling out ahead of the PlayStation 5 Pro's launch – here's why
Sony's PS5 Disc Drive add-on that works on PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro is suddenly in high demand
📈 The PS5 Disc Drive, which costs $79.99, is suddenly selling out
🤷♂️ Retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Target have sold out
😈 It appears scalpers are snapping up the add-on to profit from it later
💿 You can still get the PS5 Disc Drive from Walmart
The PS5 Pro is a digital-only console that costs $699.99, so you’ll need to cough up an extra $79.99 if you want to attach a disc drive and a further $29.99 for the vertical stand.
However, despite taking the cost of Sony’s new console to close to $800, the PS5 Disc Drive has sold out at multiple retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Which begs the question: why?
It’s easy to think that people are excited about the PlayStation 5 Pro and want to ensure they can play their physical library of games. But for the PS5 Disc Drive to sell out suggests something more sinister is happening – and we’ve seen it countless times when it comes to PlayStation hardware launches.
Scalpers have seen an opportunity with the PS5 Pro’s release, and could well be snapping up as many PS5 Disc Drives as possible to create a limited supply that can be capitalized on when demand increases.
Listings for the PS5 Disc Drive have already begun appearing on eBay – even though you can still find it in stock at Walmart and the PlayStation Direct store – hoping that some consumers will be forced to pay over the odds after the PlayStation 5 Pro launches on November 7.
Resellers are listing the PS5 Disc Drive for over $100, with some even having the audacity to charge $249.99 for an accessory that costs $79.99.
Again, this isn’t a new phenomenon for PlayStation hardware this generation. After the PS5 restock crisis ended, we’ve seen countless scalpers snap up limited edition controllers like the Hogwarts Legacy PS5 controller and Astro Bot controller only to sell them for more than double the price. If you’d like to stick it to the scalpers, subscribe to The Shortcut as we always do our best to ensure you never pay over the odds.
The PS5 Disc Drive add-on launched in November last year, allowing those who picked up a PS5 Slim Digital Edition to snap on a disc drive thanks to the console’s modular design. For most, that didn’t make sense as you could just buy the PS5 Slim with a disc drive for $499.99 while buying the Digital Edition and the Disc Drive add-on would cost $529.98. It’s more than a little suspicious that the PS5 Pro Disc Drive is suddenly a must-have item, then.
If you’re interested in Sony’s more powerful PlayStation 5, PS5 pre-orders begin on September 26. The console lets you play the best PS5 games at higher resolutions and frame rates and should help the list of PS5 games with ray tracing support grow substantially.
Up next: Why is PS5 Pro so expensive?
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.