PS5 Demo Stations Spotted at Best Buy

Those who won't be able to get their hands on a new PlayStation 5 console right at launch will apparently have at least some chance to try one out anyway if an newly shared image of a PlayStation 5 demo station is an indication of what's to come. Demo setups for the next-gen PlayStation console have been spotted at Best Buy with the console housed inside a protective box and hooked up to a display advertising Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales which indicates we'll see that game be one of the main ones playable at these sorts of PlayStation 5 demo stations.

Twitter user Okami13_ shared the image below and credited fellow Twitter user Postrigodon with the shot of the PlayStation 5 demo station at a Best Buy. There's no controller hooked up to the device which means people can't walk up to the console and start playing right now, and the bareness of everything around the console's setup suggests that there's still more to be added to the display as PlayStation 5 accessories and such hit the shelves. Some people may already be getting those accessories ahead of schedule though and won't have to wait until they hit the shelves.

Playable #PS5 demos getting set up in Best Buy Canada!

You will soon be able to try it out in stores.

However, Best Buy is doing online purchases only for the first few weeks - possibly until 2021. This is in Montreal.

Thanks @Postrigodon for the image, looks awesome 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HHJgB1WrP2

— Okami (@Okami13_) November 3, 2020

Demo stations have long been a part of new console releases as a way to let people preview the new tech and games that come with it, but it'll be interesting to see how such a thing is handled this time. Retailers like Best Buy are obviously still very much under the guidance of government and company-wide guidelines on how to handle social distancing and related measures, and taking turns grabbing a controller and huddling around a display seems like it'd be counteractive to those. Even if it just plays gameplay by itself without needing input from a player, there are still demo stations going up in stores.

Best Buy itself is one of several retailers that took in pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 and the next-gen Xbox consoles and sold out almost immediately after opening those pre-orders. For those who were able to secure their purchases and have a PlayStation 5 waiting for them, Best Buy offered some guidance recently on how the pickup procedures will work. For those who haven't yet gotten their console, you've got another chance coming soon if you're quick enough.