Many gamers have had a lot of difficulties getting their hands on next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Stores like GameStop and Amazon have had a hard time keeping the consoles stocked at all, with scalpers and eagle-eyed fans scooping them up almost instantly once stock is available. To help combat this, GameStop has announced that it will let Pro Members get first dibs on online console stock.

Nobody knows exactly how long the console and microchip shortage will last as companies race to address eh shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, many think the console shortage may last well into 2022.

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Despite the shortages, companies like Nvidia and GameStop have managed to post net increases in profits for the first quarter of 2021. This is largely a consequence of the pandemic seeing increased interest and spending in the games industry, which also likely contributed to the console shortages. GameStop made the announcement of the new Pro Member benefit via its official Instagram account, although it did not provide many details on exactly how it will work. Regardless, having more of a chance to get one's hands on one of the new consoles is a pretty big benefit for Pro Members to have access to.

Notably, the post does mention that Pro Members get early access to online console sales, so it does not seem like members will be able to take advantage of the new benefit in person. The move is likely part of GameStop's efforts to pivot towards online sales that saw the company hiring former Amazon executives. This new online shift has also seen the company say that it will start selling NFTs as well as closing down many of its physical locations. With consoles being in such limited supply, however, it does make sense to keep the stock online so that customers can have access to it no matter where they are located.

Of course, if GameStop does not introduce some security measures, the new benefit may instead make it easier for scalpers to get their hands on the consoles as they will have even less competition for them. Scalpers have been a severe issue for the new generation of consoles, and have only intensified the consequences of the shortage to the point that even Jim Ryan publicly commented on the situation. Hopefully, GameStop has something in place to make sure that people paying for a Pro Membership actually get a chance to buy the consoles with this new benefit.

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