After waiting a total of seven years, tech giants, Sony and Microsoft have finally released the PS5 and the XBOX Series X. Highly anticipated, both consoles sold out within minutes of their releases and have been one of the most sought-after items of the holiday season. Due to the consoles selling out so fast, many people are furious because they were unable to get one for themselves.

The release of a new console is a very big moment for the gaming community because of the fact that we as a community finally get to see and try out a product that these companies have been developing for years. In the time leading up to the announcement of the new consoles, many rumors and leaks have appeared on the internet, giving fans a taste of what they might be able to expect once they finally have their hands on the consoles. While some people don’t enjoy hearing the rumors because of the possibility of them being false, others are fine with it because it gives them an idea on what to expect. 

Godinez High School senior Brian Enriquez  personally doesn’t mind seeing all the rumors and leaks that surface the internet and actually finds them quite interesting. 

“I don’t really mind seeing the rumors about the new consoles. They’re not 100 percent confirmed, so it’s not like it’ll ruin anything for me. It’s pretty funny seeing how some people react to the rumors… At the end of the day I’ll still get the console that I want,” said Enriquez.

When it came time to officially unveil the new consoles, there were a lot of mixed emotions. Design-wise, people made jokes about how the PS5 looked like a wifi router, and the XBOX Series X looked like a fridge. Internally, the consoles were much stronger and faster than their predecessors, and also included some new features. 

The pre-order release for both consoles was nothing but a disaster. On Sony’s side, the pre-orders for the PS5 were said to open on September 17. But due to unknown reasons, retailers released the console one day early, leading to many people rushing and struggling to secure the console. On top of the console being released early, all the sites were crashing due to the amount of people going on all at once. The pre-orders for the XBOX Series X went up a week after the PS5 but had the same issues with many people experiencing multiple crashes and glitches. 

Long-time gamer, Michael Burgos, 35, described his crazy experience on how the PS5 release went for him. 

“It took me six hours in a virtual line for BestBuy. The release overall was sloppy. They were supposed to release on a specific day, but then I get a message saying that they’re releasing one day early… many retailers over promised but under delivered,” said Burgos. 

Those who couldn’t get any of the new consoles for themselves looked towards the aftermarket to see how much people would be selling them for. The prices were outrageous. During the holiday season, people resold their consoles for over $1000, and now they’re going for around $700.

“It’s so crazy to see how in-demand these consoles are. I think this is one of the biggest console releases ever… Everybody seems to want them,” said Burgos. 

At this point in time, many people still don’t have their hands on the new consoles. Sony and Microsoft have been releasing small batches every few weeks, but those sell out within seconds. Both companies have promised that they’re trying their best to increase production, but due to COVID they’re having a bit of a hard time. All we can do now is patiently wait for more units to come in.