Sony is taking new registrations for the chance to buy PlayStation 5 consoles directly from the company.
Having made a limited number of PS5 consoles available for US consumers to purchase from PlayStation Direct over the holiday season, the company is now taking fresh sign-ups and has extended the offer to Europe.
Registration is currently open for players based in the US, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. They will need to use an email address associated with a PlayStation Network ID and opt in to receive marketing emails.
PS5 console covers trailer
“We will have a limited amount of PS5 Consoles available for customers to purchase direct from PlayStation,” Sony says.
“If selected, we will contact you via email with instructions and details.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s US arm launched PlayStation Direct to sell consoles, games and accessories direct to consumers in September 2019.
“PlayStation Direct has achieved significant revenue in the US market within little more than a year of starting operations,” SIE president and CEO Jim Ryan said last May, when the company also confirmed plans to launch its online store in Europe.
Ryan said PlayStation Direct was expected to generate over $600 million during Sony’s current fiscal year ending in March 2022.
PlayStation Direct launched in Germany and the UK in November 2021.
Sony has reportedly extended PS4 production because PS5 remains in short supply due to component constraints.
That’s according to a recent Bloomberg report, which claimed the company had planned to stop producing PS4 consoles last year but has now told assembly partners it will continue making them through 2022.
In a New York Times interview published last week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer claimed persistent console shortages are not actually a result of less systems being produced than was the case in previous generations. Instead, scarcity has been caused by a surge in demand since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, he claimed.
“When you think about trying to go get an Xbox or a new PlayStation right now in the market, they’re really hard to find,” Spencer said. “And it’s not because supply is smaller than it’s ever been. Supply is actually as big as it’s ever been. It’s that demand is exceeding the supply for all of us.”
Sony recently revealed the most downloaded PS4, PS5 and PS VR games of 2021.
The platform holder released separate top 20 charts for PS4 and PS5 in both the US/Canada and Europe. Sports games claimed a quarter of the places across the charts, while Call of Duty titles took five spots, as did Rockstar games.
On the PS VR chart, Beat Saber, Job Simulator and Superhot VR took the top three spots in both the US/Canada and Europe.
Fortnite was the top free-to-play game in both regions. ahead of Warzone and Rocket League.
