Even GTA 6 isn’t safe from the scourge of scalpers
Grand Theft Auto 6 and Sony have collaborated to create themed DualSense controllers and celebrate the launch of the game this November. However, the words “limited-edition controllers” immediately caught the attention of scalpers looking to profit. Although pre-orders are still available, scalpers have acted preemptively and listed them for twice the retail price on eBay.
There are two limited-edition GTA 6 DualSense controllers. Both designs include the game logo’s “VI” and several palm trees. The color palette is similar to Grand Theft Auto 6‘s art, featuring pink, purple, and blue hues. Stock is already running low; as soon as pre-orders went live, fans queued up to access the PlayStation website and purchase the controller.
GTA 6 controller listed for twice the price before pre-orders end
The limited-edition controllers’ retail price is $84.99, but scalpers are already selling them on eBay for twice as much. Considering that they’re not sold out yet, and it’s still possible to pre-order the controllers, it’s safe to assume that scalper prices will likely rise further.
In today’s day and age, it’s become practically impossible to buy limited or special edition hardware at retail price. Scalpers always seem to get to them first, forcing fans to pay absurd prices in order to add them to their collection. Thousands queued up to enter the Nintendo website after the Direct to buy Zelda’s 40th anniversary Switch 2 and Metroid Ravenous special edition. The 25th anniversary Xbox Series X25 sold out within a minute. You can find all of those things being sold for high prices on websites like eBay. This is a particularly big problem in the gaming community, but it has extended to other forms of entertainment, such as tickets to IMAX showtimes.
Sony is doing its best to keep scalpers at bay by limiting orders to one DualSense controller per account, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping the problem. For physical items, stores in Japan are resorting to facial recognition technology to prevent scalpers from obtaining unreasonable amounts of stock. This measure isn’t possible for online purchases, allowing scalpers to thrive.
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