In the United States, scalper bots are capable of buying and reselling PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles in less than half an hour after they go on sale. How do these programs work? How do they avoid detection by Sony and Microsoft? And how can you as a consumer protect yourself from getting ripped off by scalper bots when you go to buy new consoles online? The answers to these questions may surprise you! Here’s how scalper bots profit by buying and reselling Sony PS5 and Xbox consoles.
Nintendo Switch shortages are expected
There’s no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. Unfortunately, it’s also become one of the most difficult items to find. That’s because there’s a new breed of scalpers out there, using bots to buy up all the consoles they can find and then reselling them at a huge markup. They’re even going so far as to use burner phones in order to stay anonymous and avoid detection by retailers. The problem is so bad, some stores are refusing to sell any more pre-orders for fear of running out completely before Christmas arrives. Others have resorted to only allowing customers to purchase a single console per person. Either way, if you don’t get your hands on one soon, you might be out of luck until next year.
The PlayStation 5 may be released in 2020
Although the PlayStation 5 hasn’t been officially announced yet, there are already rumors swirling about its release date. Some believe that the console will be released in 2020, while others think it may be delayed until 2021. Regardless of when the console is actually released, there’s no doubt that it will be in high demand. That’s where scalper bots come in. These automated trading tools use a variety of methods to buy and resell products for profit. The bot exploits these in-demand products by buying them at their original price and then reselling them at an inflated price to make a profit margin.
Microsoft could release the new console next year
There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the release of Microsoft’s next console. Some believe that it could come as early as next year. If that’s the case, scalper bots could start buying up consoles and reselling them at a higher price, making a profit off of unsuspecting consumers. It seems like there is no stopping these predatory businesses from profiting off of people who want to play games on their new consoles. The only way to avoid this would be to not buy any new consoles until they are released and you can get them in person instead of online.
Why will gamers want to buy these consoles?
Gamers are excited about the next generation of consoles because they offer significantly more power and better graphics than the current generation. The increase in power means that games will look and play better, and the extra features offered by the new consoles will further improve the gaming experience. In addition, the new consoles are backwards compatible, so gamers will be able to play their old games on the new hardware. Finally, this is a great time for Sony to release a new console as it has been over seven years since the PlayStation 4 was released. Microsoft hasn’t updated its Xbox One console since 2013 either, so both companies have plenty of catching up to do.
What can game developers do about it?
There’s not much that game developers can do about scalper bots. They’re automated programs that are designed to buy up as many units of a product as possible, and then resell them at a higher price. This leaves fewer units available for genuine customers and drives up prices. In some cases, the bots even managed to buy consoles before they were officially released. Developers have taken steps in recent years to ensure pre-orders will be fulfilled on time or provide consumers with limited edition items. Other measures include using digital distribution instead of manufacturing physical discs and consoles.
