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15 situation put incredible demand on computers and webcams, and therefore semiconductors and components – some of the same parts used by Sony and Mi- crosoft in their consoles. There was a huge surge in laptop sales, as people started working from home, and that's something manufacturers prioritised. A combination of shipping de- lays and booming demand for home entertainment devices – including Sony and Microsoft's first flagship gaming systems for years – left chip makers scrambling to fulfil orders. And without those chips, the PS5 and Series X are effectively a very fancy boat anchor or large over-achieving paperweights. Scalpers, scammers and min- ers Scammers, scalpers (people who snap-up multiple con- soles to resell online at huge markups) and resellers are also responsible for why you can't find a PS5 or Xbox X now. The most insidious resellers and scalpers are able to ping retail web- sites every few seconds to see if there's a restock with bots, scoop up the inventory either through automation or a manu- ally checkout, and take consoles away from everyday consumers. They then resell the consoles for doubling the money thety spent. This is not solely a global phe- nomenon either. A quick search on Facebook marketplace will turn up tens of PS5 and Xbox consoles for sale. Many who received their consoles after months of waiting have opted to not even open the packaging and to cash in on the huge demand there is. PS5 and Xbox X and S consoles can be found for sale for any- where between €750 and €1,000. And it seems, the posts don't last long online. Worse than resellers and scalp- ers are scammers who target down-on-their-luck consumers via Twitter, Facebook Market- place, OfferUp and complete- ly fraudulent websites made to look real. Scammers promise to sell buyers the PS5 or Xbox X for around $550, a small, but believable markup (except when you think that they must have paid tax, but most people ignore this detail). Of course, scammers never actually deliver the con- sole. Adding to the mysery are cryp- tominers. It may be more profitable to buy Bitcoin during its dips than actually mine it at this point. However, this hasn't stopped people from buying up processing units in an effort to one day profit from mining Bit- coin, Etherium, and other de- centralised, open-source block- chain currienies – once their electricity bills are covered. There is a very strong demand for graphics cards that most of of the more popular and powerful graphics cards are not in stock for more than a few seconds at a time once a week. AMD GPUs are going through the same cri- sis. And guess what PS5 and Xbox use for their graphics? AMD GPUs. Circling the wagons In February 2021, Microsoft's head of investor relations told The New York Times that Mi- crosoft had sold every Xbox unit it had the previous quarter adding that supply was "likely to be constrained at least through the end 2021". Days later, US President Joe Biden – an unlikely Xbox fan – took matters into his own hands, announcing an investi- gation into stock shortages and promising legislation to boost the supply of semiconductor chips used in both the Xbox Se- ries X and PS5. Analysts are now predicting that the semiconductor short- age will not be solved before mid-2022. in September 2021, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed that Se- ries X stock issues would last into next year. "People really want this new generation of consoles... and they want the new function- ality," Spencer said. "We're working hard to bring them to market but it's going to be a challenge that we'll work through for quite a while." The solution might include new spending outside of Taipei and South Korea by the ma- jor manufacturers. And the US government has now provided for $50 billion in new spending to boost chip production to do just that. Options for gamers Anyone who's really intent on the PS5 or Xbox X, despite the shortages, should keep an eye on Twitter and stock tracking sites such as Stock Informer to be notified when major online retailers receive some consoles. Most international retailers now have iOS/Android phone apps. And since apps tend to be more stable than websites, they're less prone to crash- ing when console stock goes live. Persistence seems to pay for some. For those who lack the patience to track stocks, there are other – albeit less palatable – options. Many gamers seem to be switching to other platforms, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Matthew, owner of ICC, a popular gaming outlet in Ik- lin, said that Nintendo sales had picked up considerably as it became obvious there would be very limited stock of PS5 or Xbox X and S available before Christmas. "Sony is now telling us it will be at least three months before a next resupply," he said. "The shortage of semiconductors and supply chain disruption have definitely put a damper on con- soles sales this year." He confirmed that games re- mained popular, nonetheless, with fan favourites like Fifa, Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed retaining a strong, loyal following. And 2022 promises to be even better, with some of the most anticipated games scheduled for launch, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights, Star- field, Elden Ring, Gran Turismo 7, and most likely God of War Ragnarok. Now, if only we had a next-gen console to plau them on! NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 DECEMBER 2021 As great a console as the PS5 is, many are cashing in their deposits and sticking to an older-gen console, in order to enjoy the games published this year and those scheduled for launch in 2022