Next-gen consoles have few answers to Argentina's longstanding reliance on piracy

PlayStation 5 pre-orders went live in Argentina on September 29. There were six official retailers available, including Sony and a few local technology and supermarket chains. Sony was out of stock in a manner of minutes, while the rest displayed banners on their landing pages that weren't working, requiring a manual search that added an extra step while trying to purchase the PlayStation 5. All of these additional options sold out soon after, with only a few units remaining in medium-sized stores within the hour.
On Microsoft's end, Xbox Series X|S pre-orders went live on October 8. The flagship model sold out quickly, but the Series S endured for a couple of weeks. The biggest difference between the next-gen consoles was related to payment options; while Sony offered plans for up to 12 months without added interest with one local bank, Microsoft had none.
But if there's one thing that both of them shared in common, it was the collective disappointment, and anger, around the entry cost of the new generation.
In order to fully understand, it's important to do some math beforehand. Argentina's local currency is tied to the US dollar, and fluctuates often -- at the time of publication, the official rate conversion states that $1 USD equals $86 Argentinian Pesos (ARS), but there are several other types of USD. Banks only allow customers to purchase $200 USD a month at the official rate. People who want to purchase more have to rely on unofficial exchange houses -- the so-called underground "caves" -- where they use "Blue Dollar" instead, which sits on $163 ARS. The latter is by and large the most established, and is often considered the norm.

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