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, but scalpers have been using bots to snatch up stock once it becomes available and then reselling them 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 be PlayStation’s biggest console launch in history.
It turns out that some retailers did react after the extent of the console botting and scalping problem became 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 had taken to thwart “grinch bots” and ensure that legitimate customers were able to obtain two of the holiday season’s hottest items.
Geisler revealed that the store had implemented bot preventative measures hours before Walmart’s Black Friday event on 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 to block a bot once 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 from Walmart have 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 restock on 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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