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id Software co-founder John Carmack believes manufacturers of next-gen hardware like the PS5 and Xbox Series X should auction off their products to consumers directly.
As you can see below, the id Software co-founder and industry veteran spoke out against the current system of selling stock of PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S through retailers. Carmack suggests that hardware manufacturers should auction off their stock directly to consumers, a method he claims would eliminate scalpers, groups purchasing vast quantities of stock to resell at drastically higher prices for profit.
may be moving past that for a lot of products. There would be much indignation at reported prices out of the gate, but removing intermediaries should net out better for consumers in the end.February 19, 2021
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When posed with the suggestion that rarity of items leads to higher consumer demand, Carmack conceded this was likely the truth. “That is probably the current reasoning, with decades of evidence to back it up, but it is at least conceivable that things actually are a bit different now than when a lot of the marketing lore was laid down,” he said in a separate Twitter post (opens in new tab).
Scalping has been a massive problem for those trying to secure a PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S around the world since all three consoles launched in November last year. As of December, it was reported that upwards of 60,000 next-gen consoles were resold by scalpers for profit, leading one UK retailer to manually check each individual next-gen console order after massive hauls from one specific group.
Just last month, UK customers in particular were still struggling to get their hands on Sony’s next-gen console through official channels. Around the same time, UK politicians advanced plans to crack down on scalping with new laws that would restrict the resale of consoles, similar to the manner in which concert ticket resales are heavily restricted. The bill hasn’t passed into law as of right now, and there’s doubts it ever will, but the MP who proposed the legislation hopes it will spur the government into taking action.
If you’re still on the lookout for Sony’s next-gen console, you can head over to our PS5 deals guide for an up-to-date list of retailers with current and projected stock.
