The demand for PlayStation 5 Pro consoles is currently outpacing supply in Japan, due to ongoing memory shortages that have yet to be resolved. Now, Sony is offering Japanese players a unique way to earn their way into a PS5 Pro lottery system, but only if they can demonstrate that they’ve already been gaming at a certain level.
Sony’s Japanese PlayStation blog notes that players who want to enter the PS5 Pro lottery must have 60 hours of gameplay time on their PlayStation accounts between September 2024 and September 2026. That time can be split between PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 consoles.
Some hardcore gamers can get in 60 hours of playtime in a week or even more. So, the threshold isn’t too extreme. But it’s likely in place to prevent scalpers from getting their hands on PS5 Pros and flipping them on the secondary market at greatly inflated prices.
If Japanese players meet the criteria laid out by Sony, they will be entered in the lottery system and subsequently notified that they have a chance to purchase a PS5 Pro directly from the gaming publisher. However, if any buyers fail to act on their opportunity, their systems will be offered to other players in a future lottery.
Sony’s decision to stop supporting physical PS5 discs starting in 2028 has drawn pushback from some players, but the company appears dead set on following through with that edict. Earlier this month, Sony settled a lawsuit alleging that its PlayStation Store violated state and federal laws governing digital game prices. Sony admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, which is valued at nearly $8 million.
Looking ahead to next year, Sony has revealed that it will be skipping the 2027 CES, which will mark the end of an association with the event that dates back decades.