How I Got a PlayStation 5 & How You Can Get One, Too

Patience, determination and complete degeneracy pays off, friends.

As some of you may remember, I was having a bit of a rough time trying to get a PlayStation 5 after I got my stimulus check. Everyone got an influx of cash at the same time, online bots were (and still are) still rampant, and there's just not enough of 'em to keep in stock.

So how did I get one? And how can you get one?

Degeneracy

I'm on Twitter a lot. No, I will not give out my handle; I don't want people seeing the stupid crap I'm looking at. I bring this up because it's how I snagged one of these fancy black-and-white rectangles.

I've been following a lot of PS5 restock accounts. Matt Swider is a good one to keep up with. His alert is actually how I ended up ordering one. These kinds of accounts essentially tweet out an alert every time a supplier has a restock of PS5s, whether it be Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, Amazon or the PlayStation Store itself. This is probably your best bet, as you'll be alerted exactly when it's happening and can swoop in as quick as possible to try and buy one before everyone else.

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The small problem, however, is the time some stores restock. Walmart and PlayStation have a history of doing it mid-day, like 2 to 5 p.m. However, Target will restock at, say, 8 a.m. Since my sleep schedule is ruined and I stay up late and wake up late, that's a tough one for me. My ruined sleep schedule is actually how I got one, though.

I was playing a game with my friends at around midnight one night (as we do) when I received the notification: PS5s in stock at Sam's Club. Members only! So I checked the site. Yep, they had 'em, and after a few minutes they were still there. The bots didn't snag them up, and the membership fee was too much for some people, so they stayed in stock.

So now I'm a Sam's Club member, and I own a PS5 bundle.

These things are pretty nice, guys.

I don't think most people realize how damn big these things are. Here's a picture of it next to my TV and PS2s as I booted up Persona 5 Royal (super stoked to finally get around to this, by the way).

Like, this thing is huge. An absolute monster. But it's kinda cool seeing this huge chunk of technology sitting next to your TV.

Also, these controllers? They feel niiiiice. Super solid chunk of hardware. The HD rumble stuff that Nintendo brought to the table with the Switch is here, too, and the way the triggers can give resistance depending on what you're using them for is just sick.

All PS5s come with a game called Astro's Playroom pre-installed. So if nothing in the console's small library right now interests you, try this one out. It's a pretty fun little platformer and it's free, so you can't complain. Plus, it showcases the controller's specs and has a lot of neat gimmicks with the motion control, touch pad and rumble features.

TL;DR

So, yeah, you just have to be a determined degenerate loser like me and follow a bunch of Twitter accounts to finally get one of these things. That may not be an answer people want to hear, but it's how I did it and how a lot of other people did it.

• If you don't have a Twitter account, make one and then follow the surplus of PS5 restock accounts
• Be ready at any moment to swoop in when the alert comes
• Never sleep

Or you could just go to eBay and buy one off some guy in Michigan for $1,000, but we both know that's not happening.