Topic: Giving in to the scalpers

Hi All, I was able to get a pre-order for the series X with Microsoft direct. After 5 days it died and instead of offering a replacement (when available) they said they could only refund the money. I hate this waiting and not knowing when u stock will appear. I checked game the other day and they had the series X to pre-order for the end of Jan. But even though there were loads of bundle options none would let me order. The only one that would was the all access and I have 3 years of gamepass ultimate already. So now I'm really considering ordering a boxed version from CEX. I really miss the fast load times and how fast the console started up. Also I have a few games where they looks so much better on the series X and it is noticeable. The reason I'm trying to convince myself it's OK to pay more is that you get a 2 year warranty with CEX.

If you have Twitter follow Wario64, he posts when places get shipments in of Series X/S and PS5 and when they they will be available to purchase. That's how I was able to get mine from Walmart.

@Tasuki Thanks, will check him out. Really annoyed I missed out on the game stock during the week there.

@Nexozi Yeah I don't know how he knows, maybe some insider information but he's always right on who gets them and when the orders go live. He will even Tweet out when there are no more for that run.

To add to that Site Supply is a good follow as well. They seem to know when drops are coming even before Wario64 does! I've already seen Series S/X on retail store shelves 2 weeks in a row now so the situation is slowly but surely improving. Don't give into scalpers!

@Nexozi I gave in to a scalper last week when I bought a Series X off them. With the way the pandemic is going and with limited stock, it’s just not worth the hassle trying to get one online. I wouldn’t buy from CEX, yes the 2 year warranty is good but they are selling it for £650. I bought mine off someone in the local area for £550 and he gave me the online order/receipt. If you have Facebook or know someone who does then just use the marketplace and look for a Series X in your local area, I’ve seen quite a few going for £550 in my area but mostly there are going for £650. If you do end up buying from someone just make sure you take someone with you just in case, especially if your carrying cash.

I gave in! I ordered one from CEX. Checked out the local ones around me and some were looking £700! Plus after my 1st one broke after 5 days I want to make sure I have a decent bit of coverage. @redd214 @MaccaMUFC

@Nexozi congrats, glad you got what you were looking for! Hope it gets to you soon!!

@redd214 Thanks, wanted to hold off. Though seeing the stock go from Game so quickly the other day and the expected delivery for them isn't even due to the end of the month. Figured it's worth paying the extra as the next chance to order again won't be until Feb. Also another excuse is that I changed the TV in preparation for the new console and only got using it for its proper purpose for 5 days. 😂

@Nexozi I’m happy for you that you’ve got a Series X again, I couldn’t imagine going back to my One X now. I don’t blame you for wanting an extra year of warranty after your first XSX broke, was it brand new from CEX? Just they usually deal with pre-owned goods.

Do let us know if your XSX is running smoothly this time, I’m quite nervous about mine as I’ve been encountering some problems like the whole screen going green after the XSX being left on for a bit while the TV is switched off. It happens all the time but switching the HDMI source back and forth always sorts it out but it still shouldn’t be happening at all.

I’ve also noticed that whenever I have a disc inserted it makes a lot of loud rickety noises. I’ve found the menu/homepage very sluggish to navigate and whenever I’ve been using the rewards app my inputs are delayed and sometimes the app just completely shuts down its self. I don’t know if these problems are something to do with my XSX or if it’s something on Microsoft’s side.

@MaccaMUFC I got my first one direct from Microsoft on release. The WiFi speed was about a 5th of that of the one X. Then after 5 days it stopped displaying to the TV at all. I had to send it back to Microsoft and the gave me a refund. I asked if they could replace it and they said no.

Hopefully it'll arrive before the weekend and then I can testing it out. Will update if there are any issues.

You really notice the boot up and loading times when going back to the one X. Also Cold War looks a bit fuzzy sometimes.

That's a few strange issues, like the TV just displaying a green screen. Maybe it's a timeout thing and after a while it just goes like that.

I'd be a bit worried about the disk making noises. Does it stop after a while?

I didn't get using the memu/homepage enough to compare to the one X. That and the app issue are probably software issues for Microsoft to fix in a future patch.

@Nexozi One thing I have noticed is the download speed on the Series X has improved dramatically, with the One X on average I was getting 60 Mbps but since having the XSX it’s been well over 200 Mbps, sometimes even going over 300.

I’ve read about the green screen issue is something to do with Auto HDR apparently but the issue isn’t bad enough for me to disable it.

The noise with the disc only happens when installing and whenever I start it up, after a good few seconds it stops. I do keep the console vertical while playing but then when I’m done I do a hard shutdown and lay it horizontal, I do this to prevent dust getting into the console from the top.

I played a bit of Cold War last night and I must say I’ve not had this much fun with Call of Duty since the Xbox 360 days. Though I’ve only finished the first mission in the campaign, I’ve played a few hours in multiplayer and zombies and the game just looks fantastic. I’ve tried turning the ray tracing on and off in the settings to see the differences but didn’t see any difference, the lighting and reflections look the same even when switched off which I thought was strange so I don’t know if it’s even working or it’s just poorly implemented.

@Reverandjames The graphic improvements and load times are def worth it.

@MaccaMUFC Was really disappointed with the wifi speed and if it hadn't stopped working I would have been raising it with Microsoft. The noise when starting or installing the games could be worth contacting Microsoft about. Hopefully the auto HDR will be fixed soon then with a patch. Have to agree with u about Cold War, it's really good fun. I played a lot of modern warfare, but cold War is so much more fun and enjoyable. I haven't played the campaign yet, will start that when the series X arrives. Might try playing with the ray tracing on when playing the campaign and off when online.