For many gamers, it has proven to be incredibly difficult to obtain either a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X in the month since the two next-gen consoles launched. Not only has the usual paradigm of supply and demand made availability scarce, butscalpers have been using botsto snatch up stock once it becomes available and then reselling consoles at three or four times the retail price.
Barring luck and good timing, it’s nearly impossible for a human being to place an online order faster than a bot, and many disappointed consumers have questioned why retailers didn’t have anti-bot protections in place in preparation for what turned out to bePlayStation’s biggest console launch in history.
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It turns out that some retailers did react after the extent of theconsole botting and scalping problembecame evident. The console scarcity situation, as bad as it might seem, could have been even worse. On the official corporate Walmart website, Chief Information Security Officer Jerry Geisler discussed steps the company has taken to thwart “grinch bots” and ensure that legitimate customers are able to obtain two of the holiday season’s hottest items.
Geisler revealed that the store had implemented bot preventative measures hours beforeWalmart’s Black Friday eventon the evening of November 25, when both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles would be restocked. Geisler states that the company’s preventative actions blocked more than 20 million bot attempts within the first 30 minutes alone.
The website now has a number of strategies in place to attempt toblock a botonce it has been detected. And although bot scripts are constantly being rewritten, Walmart is likewise regularly updating its bot detection tools. In addition to stopping bots, Walmart also has instituted an audit of orders after they are placed and quickly cancels any that are determined to have been placed by bots.
Thanks to these measures, Geisler expresses certainty that the majority of the PS5 and Xbox Series X console purchases fromWalmarthave been made by legitimate customers. Geisler then went on to assure readers that the company will have more next-gen consoles available online soon.
Walmart’s preventative measures seem to have been effective.Best Buy had issues with its PS5 and Xbox Series X restockon December 15, which led to much negative feedback on social media. On the other hand, Walmart’s restock that same day was for the most part successful, and satisfied customers joyfully shared their success at acquiring a new console on Twitter.
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