Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1438074
14 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 DECEMBER 2021 Games and games everywhere, but no console to play them on PAUL COCKS IT has been more than a year since the latest PlayStation 5 and Xbox X and S hit the market, and over these 12 months, some great games have been launched: As- sassin's Creed Valhalla, Demon's Souls, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Watch Dogs Le- gion and Madden NFL are among the most popular games. And although some argue that the games lineup this year has not been as strong as in previous years, another issue is causing greater headaches to thousands – millions – of gamers worldwide. Because more than a year after Sony and Microsoft launched the latest consoles, there are prac- tically no PS5 or Xbox consoles to be found ... anywhere in the world. Local and international retail- ers are restocking only a number of times a year. Some have been taken pre-orders, but are now not even bothering to try and give the clients an estimate for delivery of the consoles. In Malta, Scan has over a thou- sand pending pre-orders for the consoles. A spokesperson for the retail store told MaltaToday that the company cannot advise custom- ers as to when their orders will be fulfilled. "We have no idea when we will be able to deliver these consoles, because our suppliers do not know when Sony and Microsoft will be in a position to return to a normal, full production sched- ule," he said. And while many customers are willing to wait, even indefinitely, to get their hands on the latest gaming platform, some have opted to take the money back. "We have been giving full re- funds to any customers that ask," the spokesperson said. "We can- not blame them." He explained that the lack of consoles was due to a shortage in the worldwide production and availability of microchips and semicondictors. "As things stand now, we can only hope that things will im- prove in 2022, although there is no guarantee they will." The owner of a gaming shop in Birkirkara agreed. "We have stopped taking pre-or- ders because we can no longer guarantee delivery within a rea- sonable time," he said. "At the moment, we do not have any de- liveries from our suppliers guar- anteed in the next six months." To make matters worse, inter- national suppliers cannot even how much stock will be available in advance, so local retailers can- not plan ahead. "As a business we focus solely on gamers, providing games, con- soles and gaming pcs," the owner said. And while many of their regu- lar clients can still buy any games they want, most are miffed that they cannot get the latest con- soles or the parts to upgrade their gaming rigs. "These companies need to get their act together. Surely (chip manufacturers) Intel and AMD should have calculated the de- mand the new PS5 and Xbox would generate." COVID-19 blues Sony's and Microsoft's troubles can be traced back to the events of March 2020 when much of E u r o p e , A u s t r a l i a and the USA were forced into lockdown by COVID-19. Xbox pre-orders began on 22 September 2020 and sold out within days, swiftly fol- lowed by the first batch of con- soles in November. Xbox Series X restocks proved just as scarce. Sony, on the other hand, didn't announce the PlayStation 5 for months during the first half of 2020, allegedly delaying the initial reveal several times due to the pandemic. Rumours of a Feb- ruary launch event gave way to a supposedly scheduled March unveiling, which turned into a April reveal that never was. We didn't even see what it looked like until June. Manufacturing and shipping timelines were stretched, and demand has far outstripped supply. So COVID-19 has a lot to do with why there are no PS5 or XBOX X and S in stock today. Things didn't get off to a run- ning start for a product every- one wanted so badly. Other changes in people's lifestyles have also impacted console stock. The move from central offices to an almost uni- versal work from home God of War: Ragnarok is due to release in 2022 on PS5 and PS4, following a delay from its initial 2021 release window