Black Friday: Fifth of Brits Aim to Bag a Games Console

As Black Friday approaches, over 70% of us have admitted that we’re more likely to make an impulse purchase on this day, with 1 in 5 Brits planning to buy a games console.

With such big purchases in mind, Uswitch sought to see whether legendary consoles, such as the PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Game Boy, were as expensive back in the day as they are now, adjusted for inflation.

The full study can be found here: https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/legacy-consoles-vs-modern-gaming/

Best selling consoles and what they’d cost now:

UK:

US:

• Most new consoles are cheaper than their predecessors taking inflation into account.
• However, Nintendo Switch is significantly more expensive than its original console for the brand, making it the only console to be pricier to buy now than back in the day.
• Nintendo Game Boy is 63% cheaper than Nintendo’s current flagship console retailing at £259.99.
• The PS5 base edition, released this year, is £138.83 cheaper than the real term cost today of the original PlayStation console.
• The original Xbox is £50 more than the popular Xbox Series X.
• Mega Drive would be a similar price to the popular Xbox Series X and PS5 now.
• Video games (27%) are the most anticipated tech product that consumers plan to buy this Black Friday, followed by headphones/earbuds (26%), and a mobile phone (23%).

Of gamers looking to get a new console, 55% are wanting to get their hands on the elusive PS5. So here are some expert tips on how to bag one:

1. Get on Twitter

Twitter is the place to be for fast, reactive updates of which retailers are expecting to drop new stock in the coming days and weeks. There are a number of dedicated accounts that give you daily updates on where to look for PS5 stock.

User account @PS5StockAlertUK, for example, is quick to highlight shops that have the highly sought-after console in their stores.

2. Follow a specific retailer

There are around 15-20 major UK retailers that stock the PS5, and trying to regularly check stock with each of them could take up all your time between now and Black Friday. We’d suggest choosing a couple of shops and websites that you’ve had a good shopping experience with and focusing on them.

3. Be prepared to pay

The moment stock comes in, you need to be ready to click purchase. This is why choosing retailers you’ve had a good experience with is important. Make sure you’ve got all your payment details and two-factor authentication sorted in advance.

In fact, if you can sign into retailer accounts and register your payment and shipping details in advance, this will make things a lot faster when you’re looking to grab the last PS5 they have in stock.

4. Sign up to stock alerts

Once you’ve signed up and made an account, be sure to subscribe to stock alerts if you can. If they give you a heads up as to when PS5 stock comes in you could be first in line with your payment details at the ready.

5. Search for the right PS5 product

This may seem obvious, but make sure you’re searching for the version of the PS5 that you want — either the PS5 or the PS5 Digital Edition. It would be heartbreaking if you accidentally bought the model that wasn’t right for you. Or worse — missed a stock drop because you were refreshing the wrong product page.

6. Don’t give up

You’ve probably never had to work so hard to buy a gaming console, and it can be easy to feel downhearted, but don’t give up. You may miss a few stock drops, but if you’re consistent and patient you’re more likely to grab one by Black Friday.