It's taken a week for the PS5 disc drive to sell out for real, but with PS5 Pro on the horizon I fear scalper mania is only beginning

With the news that the PS5 Pro would be launching without a disc drive, the disc reader upgrade that originally launched as a PS5 Slim accessory suddenly started looking mighty valuable to a lot of people. A week later, the PS5 disc drive appears to be properly selling out across all major retailers, and for scalpers who've spent all this time profiting off the mere fear of scarcity, it seems like feeding time is about to kick off in earnest.

Early after the PS5 Pro announcement last week, the disc drive accessory began to sell out from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. But it didn't actually sell out completely. It was available at the official PlayStation Direct store for most of the past week, and new units would sporadically appear at other major retailers in the US.

As I write this, Best Buy just listed the drive as being in-stock once again, but as of a few hours ago no major retailer was carrying it, and it seems likely those units will disappear pretty quickly too. Listings for the disc drive are all over eBay right now, tending to sell for around $120. Given that Sony's managed to keep some units pouring into various retail warehouses it's probably worth keeping an eye on proper retail listings if you still need a disc drive, but it's starting to look like the scalpers are winning.

That's going to be especially concerning for all the prospective PS5 Pro buyers who are now - like me - lusting after the 30th anniversary edition coming in a "highly limited supply" alongside the console itself. Here's hoping whatever protections Sony has against scalpers work out, because I'm afraid PS5 Pro pre-orders are going to be a bloodbath.

Here's where to pre-order the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection.