Every console launch since PS2 has been focused on the people lining up outside the stores to get the initial supply. For publicity reasons, it made sense to send more consoles to stores than Amazon or whatever.

Since it launches tomorrow , in a normal year that'd mean midnight tonight. You'd have to camp 12-18 hours earlier to 100% guarantee it, and besides Jeff apparently finding a Wii U the day of, unceremoniously in the Target game section equivalent of the beaded curtain room in a VHS store, they sell quick.

So far Walmart has revealed how their handling it, simply by allowing more online preorders that unlike last month are tied to actual stock at whatever actual WM store you're near. And not at midnight, but throughout the day tomorrow.

How are other stores handling it? Anyplace actually doing shopping in person at a brick and mortar? Anyplace selling online at midnight tonight? Any reason to line up or load browser tabs tonight to snatch one?

Newegg is apparently opening up pre-orders online at 12:01 tonight but that might be only for bundles.

I would bet that more stores are going to open up online orders too. I have no idea about physical stores but there's no way I would line up for a physical store considering how bad covid is right now.

Best Buy has said that they will only be doing online orders. Having said that, I was in the local store for something unrelated yesterday and noticed they had broken street date on the Series S. So mileage may vary.

I don't know if this will help any but I camped out for the second wave of PS5 pre orders at GameStop. I went in last week and asked how they were handling it. They are not doing midnight launches but they are opening up at 10 A.M. instead of Noon. They didn't know if they had extras yet but they are expecting people to camp out. I imagine if you drove by your store they would more than likely have a sign posted if they have any and of how many they have.

I wouldn’t advise lining up anywhere or gathering in places right now with covid as bad as it is.

We can't camp because we're on lockdown until December. And nobody's in stock. I'm usually a brick and mortar purchaser but I'll take what I can get this time around.

I don't think I'll camp out tonight but I might try and get a PS5 when stock is back in somewhere. Really hoping to get a 3080 at some point first though!