PS5 console raffle begins on Box.co.uk with new ballot system

If only they were selling the console alone (pic: Sony)

UK retailer Box.co.uk has begun a raffle system to buy the PS5, as GAME gears up for another stock drop next week.

The way retailers have handled the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X has been nothing short of a disgrace. Most of them have done absolutely nothing to discourage scalpers, while Microsoft and Sony have likewise made no attempt to help get consoles into the hands of ordinary fans.

There have been a few exceptions though, such as Currys PC World with its VIP system and Box.co.uk who have run a number of special ballots to give everyone a fair chance of buying an Xbox Series X.

They’ve never been able to run the same thing for the PlayStation 5 simply because, being a smaller retailer, they haven’t had enough consoles to make it worthwhile. But now they have.

The ballot will work the same way as the Xbox, where you register your email address at the website and then wait till July 22 to see if your name is randomly selected for the chance to buy the console.

The downside is that Box.co.uk is only selling the console as part of a bundle, which makes it considerably more expensive than the console alone, especially if you don’t want a racing wheel.

The bundle will cost £849.99 and includes the disc version of the console, an extra DualSense controller, a Logitech G923 racing wheel, and a copy of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

That’s almost twice the price of the console on its own, which is going to put off most people almost as much as scalpers.

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For the next chance to buy a console on its own, at the normal price, GAME is currently advertising a date of July 30 for its next delivery of stock.

Stock checker PS5 Stock UK predicts that GAME will put them up for pre-order on the morning of Wednesday, July 21.

They suggest there’ll be around 8,000 consoles, which although a relatively small amount is only a few weeks since their last drop – which again suggests stock of the PlayStation 5 is becoming much more easily available.

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