Sony just confirmed what we already knew. The PlayStation 5 console is a runaway success. The company released its numbers for October – December 2020 (Q3 in the Japanese financial year) and it has shipped an impressive 4.5 million units worldwide in 2020. This is said to be the best quarter ever for Sony’s games division ($ 8.43 billion). The bigger challenge for the company in a post-pandemic world has been to meet the demand for the PS5  across the year during a year full of lockdowns. It has been a time when many of us have depended on our gaming consoles to escape the vagaries of household chores or bizarre requests from dragon bosses who’ve milked WFH to the hilt.

Indian consumers have had to wait longer than some of their global counterparts as Sony grappled with unprecedented demand in those countries since the worldwide launch on November 12, 2020. But when the India launch date arrived two months later, on January 12, the demand was such that the  Indian supply of consoles was gone within seconds of going up on the e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Reliance Digital. Thousands were left bitter by the fact they couldn’t get their names on the pre-order list. Their exasperation was compounded by the fact that Sony provided no schedule for the next shipment.

But the start of the delivery period for the Indian consoles,  on February 2^nd,  hasn’t gone well for hundreds of  PS5 fans across the country. Many who were the first to receive their PS5 units took to social media to proudly post pictures of themselves with the much-desired console. But a vast majority of others were left frustrated at the delay in receiving their consignment. Though they were told of a pre-scheduled  10-day  delivery period, they took to social media to vent their irritation at having to wait.

The target of their posts were e-commerce companies.  ‘Beta Tumse Na ho Payega’ were among the many wickedly funny posts on Twitter and Reddit. Some tagged Jeff Bezos himself to lament what was happening in India with the delivery schedule. The dreaded ‘Preparing for Dispatch’  phrase became the most hated among eager gamers.

As for thousands of others who missed out in the ‘fastest fingers first’ melee on January 12,  Sony hasn’t announced its next pre-order date. The PS5 has clearly hit the right note among gamers who’ve been gushing about it. It’s clearly a time of ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it’, as many Indian gamers have started to post pictures of their brand new PS5s, even as some others are busy chewing their nails as they hit the refresh button with the hope to see the ‘preparing for dispatch’ status change. Stay tuned as we get our hands on the PS5 for a deep dive review.