Microsoft and Sony have reportedly been contacting some Xbox Series X/S and PS5 owners, including PS5 Pro owners, to ask whether they would sell or trade in consoles they no longer use. The outreach points to a possible effort to secure more hardware as both companies face supply constraints in the United States.
Microsoft has reported falling hardware sales, which Asha Sharma has attributed to limited Xbox console availability rather than a lack of consumer demand. The company, according to the report, does not have enough units to meet the number of consoles consumers want to buy.
Sony is also seeking used PS5 consoles. One possibility is that it could refurbish them for resale through PlayStation Direct. Another is that it could recover components such as RAM and SSDs for use in assembling new consoles; the report presents these as possible explanations, not confirmed plans.
Buying back unused systems could give both companies additional stock to sell through their official channels instead of leaving consoles idle. The reported outreach may therefore be connected to supply shortages and a lack of components for building new hardware.
Sources: Everyeye.it.