Many Sony fans have been anxiously awaiting a chance to nab an elusive PlayStation 5 but low stock and scalpers have made that task exceedingly difficult. Instead of lying low and quietly having no scruples, one scalping group is publicly boasting about securing another 2,000 PS5 units during a recent GAME restock to flip for $1,000+. 

The UK scalping group goes by the name Carnage, and they took to Twitter to brag about securing stock getting "easier every time" as they boast a recent 2,000 system haul. The "easier" comment is uniquely gouache considering many are scrambling to get just one system as groups like these continue making these highly desired consoles incredibly inaccessible on a financial level. Still, it's not unexpected given the very nature of scalping, to begin with, and it's not illegal and many retailers aren't doing enough to prevent it. Unfortunately, this practice will continue to be a reality until the retail process changes on a fundamental level. 

The Twitter not-so-humble brag predictably was met with backlash, causing the account to go private. But, the internet is forever and the below screenshot was provided via TheGamer: 

Groups like these aren't just one person, and that's what makes it easier to secure stock like this on a mass level. Many members contribute to hauls such as this, often using bots and similar programs to make it through checkout processes easier, more time effective, and easy to do on a multiple transaction scale. 

Getting a new console at the start of a fresh generation is always difficult, but adding in the layer of quarantines and the ongoing pandemic makes it even trickier. With more people at home and manufacturing progress becoming intricately more complicated, the low-stock-high-demand cycle for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S isn't likely to end in the immediate future. 

For those that may not know what scalping is, it's the process of buying highly coveted items in order to resell at a much higher price point. With the PlayStation 5 specifically, scalpers have raised the price by double in many instances and people are still buying them even with that $1,000 price tag. Until the demand ceases to give scalpers profit for this avenue of 'business' and retailers/companies band together to better control the checkout process and more effective stock alerts, this will continue to be a profitable endeavor for many. 

In our previous coverage, we noted another major scalping group that goes by CrepChiefNotify. This group runs their network in a similar way to Carnage and they openly boasted taking advantage of COVID-19 lockdowns to turn a profit. 

"During the first COVID-19 lockdown, we noticed a huge shift in products that people were buying," said the Crep manager. "The focus shifted towards the most ridiculous things, like outdoor hot tubs. We noticed that these began selling out in stores and reselling on eBay for a profit. So our developer wrote some site monitor software, and we tracked the stock of the sites selling hot tubs! Every time they pinged into stock, we would notify our members to buy it all."

What do you think about the process of scalping? Leave them alone and let them make that bread, or would you like to see corrective action take place? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Hearthstone is getting a significant update in just a few days with the Darkmoon Races Mini-Set on January 21. Over the past few years, Hearthstone has become not just the core game, but many different experiences under one roof.

Don't like Standard and dealing with the metadecks? Hearthstone's take on auto chess, Battlegrounds, might be a nice escape. Still want the familiarity of cards but with an "every run is different" feel to it? Duels lets you play a roguelike run against other players, a natural progression from the dungeon delves that they were experimenting with a while ago. Arena lets players engage in a small scale format where single-card analysis and synergies can come to life outside of a constructed deck zone. And of course, there are still cozy Tavern Brawls that present strange game modes each week. 

The Darkmoon Races Mini-Set lets players pick up all the cards in the set at one price for $14.99 or 2000 gold. Alternatively, they can also be found in Darkmoon Faire packs once it launches. There are 35 cards in the new infusion, including cool characters that can really tie together strategies. Tapping into the powers of corruption? Dark Inquisitor Xanesh has a plan for you!

Battlegrounds is getting a few new heroes in this update as well. Tickatus is a premium source of Darkmoon prizes, gaining one for free every four turns. That sounds like it could get out of control! If you've been tinkering around with a taunt build trying to utilize many of the newer Battlegrounds cards that have "whenever your minion with taunt [does things]," Greybough looks like he's the perfect treant hero to take some chances on there. Some new Demon cards are also getting stuffed into the mix, so maybe Demons will be a viable faction (yeah right).

Duels is getting a bunch of new options with this patch. 10 new hero powers(!), 25 new treasures, and a ratings reset (both heroic and casual) are on deck. Duels is a fantastic way to inject a little variance and a lot of fun into classic archetypes, if you haven't had a chance to try it yet. It takes the dungeon run theme that began with Kobolds and Catacombs and ramps it up into a competitive PVP experience!

Are you playing Hearthstone? And if you are, what mode is your jam? Let us know in the comments below!

Bloober Team’s The Medium straddles the thin veil between reality and the spirit world. A new gameplay trailer focuses on how players, through protagonist Marianne, can interact with the game world around them by using her supernatural powers. You can watch the video above. 

First and foremost, Bloober Team sets out to answer an often-posited question: What does a medium do? Marianne can notice and feel things that other people will never be able to pick up on. These moments of sensory overload drive her intuition and choices. Players can highlight important objects or passageways in their surroundings in order to gain deeper insight into the context of any specific situation. Additionally, Marianne can tune into key items so that she can relive the past (or “echoes”) - you can see examples of this above with the dress shoe. 

More importantly, Marianne can cross over to the spirit world - a waiting room of sorts where spirits dwell before moving on to the afterlife. Players are tasked with revealing fragments of these lost souls in order to bring them peace. I’m definitely not looking forward to conversing with that creepy little girl in the mask. 

In addition to the gameplay footage, Bloober Team released an updated PC System Requirements chart for those who’d prefer to enter the spirit world on mouse and keyboard. You can see the image on those specs below: 

The Medium debuts on January 28 on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with a day one release on Xbox Game Pass alongside a bevy of remastered Yakuza titles. 

Some of you may recognize Cris Tales as one of the more eye-catching indie titles of 2021. For those unfamiliar, the game blends a striking, hand-drawn art direction with time-bending JRPG gameplay. It looks extremely promising, and those planning to pick it up should perhaps consider upping the ante with the game’s newly announced collector’s edition.

This physical bundle comes courtesy of Maximum Games Store and comes chock full of goodies. It runs for $99.99, and you’ll have to pre-order it fast as only “very limited” quantities are available. Cris Tales doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but the bundle is scheduled to release sometime this spring. Per the product page, the package includes the following: 

• Collector’s box
• An adorable Matias plush
• Lithographic art prints
• 3 character stickers
• Set of 4 enamel character pins
• A 60-page artbook
• 4 desktop wallpaper downloads
• 8 phone wallpaper downloads
• 10 character avatars

Cris Tales tells the story of Crisbell, who has the unique ability to peer into the past and future and manipulate events to her liking. The game is an unabashed love letter to classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Super Mario RPG. The classic turn-based gameplay is freshened up, though, thanks to the ability to battle across multiple time periods simultaneously and how players must strategically use different eras to their advantage. For example, Crisbell can send enemies into the past, which makes them younger and physically weaker, but also faster. This can also backfire, such as transporting a baby dragon into the future where it turns into an older, more powerful adult. Cris Tales looks great, which is why we consider it one of the year’s hidden gems worth watching. 

Look out for Cris Tales when it comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime this year. Watch us take the game for a spin in this episode of New Gameplay Today.