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TechRadar
Rob Dwiar

PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary Edition and DualSense restock live: the latest on PS Direct's stock drop

The 30th Anniversary Edition PS5 Slim on a gray background.
Anniversary Edition restock

Note: We called it quits on tracking today's (October 29) PS5 Slim Anniversary and DualSense restock at PlayStation Direct at about 5.15pm ET. The stock of the PS5 Slim went very quickly and while the DualSense lasted longer it too sold out. We kept track of both for a little while after they went out of stock just in case, but alas, no further stock dropped. You can see how we covered it all below.

In exciting news, we're expecting a PS5 Slim Anniversary and DualSense restock at PlayStation Direct today! While Sony hasn't outwardly confirmed it publicly in a statement or social media post, two pages have been updated to hint strongly at restocks coming at 9am PT today.

This is excellent for anyone who missed out the last two times at PS Direct in September and at other retailers earlier this month, and with it being direct at the source, we're hopeful of it being a sizeable restock.

Chances of bagging a PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary Edition pre-order or a PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense pre-order have been few and far between, particularly in the US, so I'm thrilled folks are getting another chance.

While this restock looks to only be for the PS5 Slim Digital Edition console and the PS5 DualSense controller from the wider PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection pre-orders and only in the US, we'll be keeping tabs across the other products as well as stock in the UK too, just in case.

Below we've gathered all the best quick links and information for this stock drop and will be covering it live to get you where you need to be quickly.

PS5 Slim Quick links

DualSense quick links

PS5 Pro quick links

30th Anniversary pre-orders

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the imminent PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary stock drop and 30th Anniversary DualSense restock at PlayStation Direct.

The team and I will be bringing the latest links and stock information to you right here as it happens to hopefully give you a great chance of scoring a limited edition console or DualSense.

So strap in, check out all the links on this page, and bookmark PS Direct's pages, as this could be an intense ride.

Why we're here and what we know

(Image credit: Sony)

This PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary restock has only recently come to light with both listing pages for the PS5 Slim bundle and the PS5 DualSense changing in the past few days to include a 'check back' note.

While we had almost totally given up on any more proper restocks in the US for any of the 30th Anniversary Collection, today seems like we're going to get another bite at the cherry. Both pages now display the note "Please check back on October 29th at 9 AM PDT" which is our clearest indicator of a restock happening in just a matter of hours!

As mentioned at the top of our article here, we aren't expecting any other 30th Anniversary items to get stock drops today but we'd keep those links to hand just in case. I'd recommend doing the same if you're in the UK too as sometimes stock drops can be replicated.

The PS5 Slim is the big attraction

The PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary Digital Edition console is a huge attraction in this restock and is likely to sell out extremely quickly once again.

It features that great retro aesthetic and comes with a disc drive cover for if you want to add a disc drive to it down the line - it comes as a digital-only by default.

Below is the main PS Direct link for the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary console as well as a bunch of other retailer inks you can use to check availability - just in case.

But the DualSense is a also kind of a big deal

I love the 30th Anniversary DualSense controller and think it's a superb addition to the whole 30th Anniversary Collection - something shared by many other fans given how quickly it sold out in the US when it was available and how quickly it goes in the UK too whenever stock pops up.

Its relatively low price (compared to the other items in the collection) as well as its potential for immediate integration into a setup (everyone always wants a bigger collection of DualSenses, right?) means it's particularly attractive to many fans so we'd get in position early for the restock of this item too.

The PS5 Pro is still readily available

(Image credit: Sony)

If you haven't managed to get your hands on the 30th Anniversary gear quite yet but still want some upcoming PlayStation goodness, then it's worth bearing in mind that the PS5 Pro is still up for pre-order at a wide range of retailers.

With brand new features like PSSR and support already confirmed for a wide range of games, it looks like a formidable option if you want to push your gaming performance to the max.

Don't forget your disc drive...

(Image credit: Sony)

If you do manage to get your hands on the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary bundle today, then you shouldn't forget to pick up the compatible disc drive accessory.

A disc drive is not included out of the box, so it's worth getting if you have lots of physical games that you want to play.

Luckily the accessory is readily available right now at a couple retailers, but there's no guarantee that stock will persist for long. You can browse a range of offers below.

There's one hour to go...

There's one hour to go until that 9AM PDT time referenced by the store listing pages. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the wording on these pages asks us to "check back on October 29th from 9AM PDT". This could suggest that stock is expected some time after that, rather on the exact hour. Either way, there's not long to go until we find out for sure.

In order to get prepared, we would recommend that you start getting the relevant PS Direct listing pages open in your browser tabs. Now is also a good opportunity to make sure that you are logged in with your PlayStation account and ensure that all your payment info is up to date.

A virtual waiting room has appeared!

(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)

We are now in a virtual waiting room! The queuing system has begun so get on it and click on the PS5 Slim page or DualSense page right now to ensure you get a place in the queue!

The on-screen message also confirms the restock properly, with it stating "Get ready for the restock of PlayStation® 30th Anniversary Digital Console and DualSense Controller!"

I'm in!.....But nothing has changed...

I've sat through the waiting period, waiting for the yellow bar to tick down and got the glorious jingle that notifies my turn is ready, and I am in!

But nothing has changed on either PS5 Slim or DualSense page... I've verified this with a colleague too who is experiencing the same situation. We're just back on the listing pages but the displayed information hasn't changed and there's no pre-order button still. Watch this space then, and we'll keep trying to let you know the moment that it does change.

Five minutes to go...

We're only five minutes away from the stock drop! It's your last chance to get into position and make sure all your details are correct - and to get into the queue or waiting room if you haven't already!

Aaaaand now we're back in a queue

AS the clock ticks over to 9am PT, my colleague and I have just been booted out of the pages and back into the virtual waiting room - but this time with a longer wait time! Which is infuriating.

However, some people are reporting on social media that they are getting through and the Slim and DualSense are able to pre-ordered so hopefully you're one of the lucky ones!

Nonetheless, the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary restock is live!

The point remains, however, that the restock is now live and open for business! Hopefully, loads of folk made it through the waiting room and onto the pages properly.

These are bound to go extremely quickly so we wish you Godspeed and here are the links once again, just in case.

We're in! It looks like the Slim is gone but the controller is in stock...

(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)

We are finally in to see the stock situation at PS Direct with our very own eyes and can see that the PS5 Slim has (maybe somewhat predictably) sold out, but the DualSense is still in stock!

Remember you'll have to sign in to buy it but it is available!

30th Anniversary DualSense: $79.99 at PS Direct

It looks like the DualSense is gone too

(Image credit: Sony)

We've got some bad news if you were hoping to secure the special edition controller, as it appears as though stock has now ran out too. We have a few tabs open and logged in on the PS Direct site, with the product showing as "currently unavailable" on all of them.

There's no saying whether it will be back in stock, though, so if you're still stuck in the queue trying to get into the site it might be worth keeping that tab open just in case.

The controller was available for roughly half an hour, which hopefully allowed at least a few people to get their hands on one. If you managed to get one, definitely let us know by posting your victory on X / Twitter.

Limited PS5 Pro bundle is likely not coming back

(Image credit: Sony)

We don't expect the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Bundle to come back in stock any time soon, which is likely the last thing that you want to hear if you missed out the first time around.

Unlike the other 30th Anniversary products, we haven't seen any hints of a restock from PS Direct which would suggest that it's not going to happen.

The item was strictly limited to just 12,500 units and this supply probably ran dry in just a few hours given the strong demand.

Could the PS5 Slim be coming back?

(Image credit: Future/Sony/PlayStation)

It looks like stock for the Limited Edition PS5 Slim has ran out for the time being, but that doesn't mean that it won't be back. Today has marked the first official restock at PS Direct and there's no word on whether there will be any in the future. For our money, we wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more opportunities to pick one up down the line.

Keep a close eye on the PS Direct website and our dedicated where to pre-order the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection page for the latest.

As with any pre-order products, there's also a very small chance that some stock will be released as some customers cancel their purchases. If you have the time, there's no harm in periodically checking the relevant online stores in case you get lucky.

Is the controller getting a restock too?

(Image credit: Pickawood / Unsplash)

As for the controller, we expect a few more chances to buy it on the horizon. It has received periodic restocks at a wide range of retailers in both the US and UK. It also seems a lot easier to come by in general than the PS5 Slim bundle.

Today, the PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense pre-orders were available for roughly 30 minutes - a fair chunk of time compared to the much more fleeting bundle. This could suggest that there are many more units of the controller available at a time.

The best way to ensure that you get your hands on one if the possibility arises is to frequently check a wide range of store pages. You can view some of the best options below.

Avoid shady resellers 

(Image credit: eBay)

It might be tempting to turn to resellers on online auction sites like eBay, but we would definitely not recommend it. Plenty of listings for the Limited Edition items have popped up there in the last couple of hours, often at extremely inflated prices.

You shouldn't consider these for a few reasons, but the biggest is that it's just a bad deal for you. You're getting the same products as everyone else, but for significantly above their usual rates making for a very poor value proposition.

Every time that you buy from resellers, you also encourage that kind of behavior in future. In an ideal world, nobody would be hoovering up special edition gear just to flog it for a profit and the best way to achieve this is to make it an unprofitable endeavor.

Finally, you really can't be sure that the sellers are actually able to deliver the products that they are promising. Anyone can create a listing, so there's a chance that you're buying from someone who hasn't even managed to secure a pre-order yet. The best way to avoid disappointment is to only purchase from official sources.

What to do if you missed out on a PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary or DualSense today

(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)

If you missed out on today's PS5 Slim and DualSense 30th Anniversary Edition pre-order restock then you could well be wondering what on earth to do now - and might be quite deflated. However, while this restock was fleeting its mere existence gives us a bit of hope. As this one came to be, so could others - if Sony gets its act together, it could organise further restocks given the demand. It'll pay to keep an ear to the ground, and occasionally check the listing pages for similar updates and phrases that we've seen recently.

Elsewhere, other retailer pages for the products advise coming back on launch day (November 21). This isn't going to be a guarantee of any kind, but this is a promising sign that we could see restocks come release date.

Failing that, PS5 Pro pre-orders remain open ahead of that console's launch on November 7 which could provide some sort of alternative for some fans, there's currently a discount on the PS5 Slim EA Sports College Football 25 bundle at Amazon taking it down to $538.99 (was $569.98), and there are hopefully going to be some great Black Friday PS5 deals come the end of November too, all of which might at least take some of the sting out of it.

That wraps it up for the 30th Anniversary Bundle restock

The PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Bundle expectedly sold out quite soon after it restocked earlier today, and as of 5:15 p.m. EST, we haven't seen any movement on a stock resurgence. The accompanying DualSense controllers are completely sold out as well. We're keeping an eye on the storefronts for any potential restocks, so be sure to check back in with TechRadar if you still hope to get your hands on one of these limited PS5s.

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