This week on Retailers Do The Funniest Things, EB Games reveals a new PS5 bundle with two pads before Sony does.
A PS5 bundle for the standard edition of the system with an extra DualSense controller packed in has been revealed on the Australian retailer's website with no word from Sony.
The listing, which appeared on EB Games' website, before being pulled and then going live again, shows a new bundle that includes a standard PS5 and two pads priced at AU$899.95 (approximately £513 / $620) offering gamers down under a saving of AU$20 ( £11 /$14) over buying a PS5 and an additional controller separately.
Although there has been no official announcement from Sony that this is coming to other regions, or if the accompanying pictures aren’t just a mock-up by EB for a bundle it's created to try and get rid of some excess white PS5 pads, the look of it all does seem like a Sony bundle rather than one constructed by the Australian games store.
The bundle is available for pre-order now and has a delivery date of Friday, February 3. We have reached out to Sony for comment to find out if and when the rest of us can get our hands on one.
What is worth noting is that the basic PS5 with one pad SKU has vanished from the storefront entirely. It's not even listed as out of stock. This wouldn't be the first time Sony has phased out selling a console in its most basic form and replaced it with a more coach co-op friendly bundle. Those old codgers at the back will remember when Sony axed the launch model SKU of the original PlayStation and started bundling two pads and a memory card with the PS1. Could Sony be repeating this tactic again?
The co-op conspiracy
An extra pad is usually at the top of my list for additional things to buy with a new console, so having one packed in is great. Not only so you can always have one charging but when you have a mate round and want to go a few rounds in a good brawler or play some coop.
With Street Fighter 6 on the horizon, it seems like the perfect time for Sony to launch an edition of the console that caters to couch coop and local multiplayer. Playing Call of Duty, FIFA 23, or Fortnite online is all well and good, but you can’t elbow your opponent in the ribs when you’re losing.
But for me, the most interesting part of this whole story isn’t what is for sale, but what seems to no longer be. The listing for a standard PS5 with only one pad is no longer available on the site at all, it doesn’t even say it’s sold out. It’s just gone.
This suggests that Sony may be phasing out the launch model SKUs that just contained a console and a pad in favour of bundles to improve the value proposition to customers after the recent price increase (and making the console even more expensive via the back door).
The deluge of God of War: Ragnarok codes that have hit Facebook Marketplace after Christmas makes me believe this might be the case because it looks like there were a lot of parents that wanted to get little Atreus a PS5 for Christmas, but could only get one, in the UK at least, if it came with old man Kratos. If you haven't already played the sequel to the 2019 reboot, it's worth a go as one of the best PS5 games out there right now.
