PlayStation 5 Disc Drive Shortage Frustrating Fans

The recent shortage of separate PlayStation 5 disc drives is still ongoing, much to the frustration of fans trying to pick one up for their PS5 Pro. Sony launched an attachable PS5 disc drive in 2023 as a peripheral for its digital-only PlayStation 5 offerings, but it would later gain a newfound use in the wake of the PlayStation 5 Pro’s unveiling and release in 2024. This updated iteration of the PS5 is only available without a physical disc drive, making the previous accessory a valued commodity for gamers who want to upgrade their hardware without having to give up their games on disk.

However, the resulting demand for the PS5 disc drive has created a shortage of the product since the PS5 Pro launched in November 2024, with PlayStation’s in-house PS Direct website struggling to maintain supplies. In territories like the UK, scalpers have been snagging the PS5 drives and reselling them for inflated prices in a situation mirroring the release of the base PlayStation 5 back in 2020. The high prices of these resold PS5 disc drives have been a headache for players looking to get one, as the PS5 Pro consoles they are being purchased to supplement are already quite costly.

The situation doesn’t look like it is going to get better anytime soon, as PlayStation Lifestyle reports that the PS5 disc drive shortage is still ongoing as of this writing. Both the US and UK PS Direct storefronts are still out of drives, and stock continues to disappear as soon as it comes in. Some third-party retailers like Best Buy and Target have provided PS5 disc drives for the lucky few who have managed to be at their stores in time for the random stock drop, but this is still eclipsed by the crowds of gamers who are still without one.

PS5 Disc Drive Shortage Continues

As noted before, scalpers were quick to catch onto the growing demand for the PS5 disc drive as a supplement for the disc drive-less PS5 Pro, seemingly choosing to hoard the drive itself instead of the console it was being sought out to support. Sony itself has yet to comment on the ongoing shortage, which many fans consider to be odd in light of the company’s efforts to maintain PS5 production during the height of the 2020 pandemic.

The PS5 Pro’s lack of a built-in disc drive has been a serious point of controversy ever since the console was first unveiled back in September, as buying the standalone PS5 Slim Disc Drive already adds about $80 to its hefty price tag if it is purchased from Sony’s first-party outlets. With scalpers hoarding these units and prices escalating as a result, many PlayStation 5 fans are currently left with little choice but to wait until supplies go up and demand goes down - something that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.