PlayStation has launched a new PS5 leasing program in the U.K., and gamers are already urging each other to boycott it.
The service, called Flex, allows players to rent a PlayStation console for a monthly fee rather than buying one outright. Almost immediately, the rollout sparked backlash online, with users reviving warnings that the future of gaming and hardware looks a lot like "you will own nothing and be happy."
Flex: The PlayStation 5 recession indicator
Sony has partnered with the U.K. subscription company Raylo (no relation, Star Wars freaks) to create a PS5 leasing program that might save you a little money on a system—if everything works as described. Raylo has done the same with all kinds of devices, appliances, and accessories, including iPhones and smart TVs.
As such, the offer is only available in the U.K., with no stated plans to expand to the U.S...yet.
Rental plans start at £9.95 for a basic system leased for a 36-month period. The price goes up with shorter terms, peaking at £19.49 for a month-to-month lease. You can also rent the PlayStation Portal, a digital controller, or a VR headset. Sign up, and Raylo will soft-check your credit and ship you a console.
At the end of the lease term, gamers can cancel and send the system back, upgrade to something better, or extend the lease period. You can also potentially purchase the device from Raylo, though the details on that are cloudy at best.
"You have the option to return, upgrade or you may have the option to purchase the device at the end of your lease, subject to Raylo's discretion and pricing at that time. Please check with Raylo for details," the FAQ reads.
PlayStation hyped this program via X on Thursday, shortly after tech company HP announced something similar for laptops. Watchdogs warned that the monthly rental price for these devices outpaces the cost of buying one in just 16 months.
This also comes on the heels of former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicting that everyone would soon be renting electricity from Amazon Web Services.
"You're going to buy compute off the grid," he said in a New York Times interview. "That's AWS."
"Unbelievable how far Sony have fallen"
Warnings about this phenomenon have circulated online for years. Ironic declarations that "you will own nothing and be happy" rang out once again following the launch of PlayStation Flex, with many X users urging each other not to buy in.
"Seriously you'll never own a PS5 this way, don't even dare do it," said @nightmaremperor. "Tell these companies making subscriptions to consoles and PCs to go pound sand and you don't support a subscription model for hardware."
"Fellas I mean it when I say this, if you can only afford to rent a PlayStation, you don't need a PlayStation," wrote @zzRedzzVT.
"Disgusting greed from Sony, now the timing makes sense, they will use the state of play to make gamers forget," said @EPG_Gaming_247. "Unbelievable how far Sony have fallen."
This doesn't just apply to Flex.
"Do. Not. Normalize. Renting. Your. Computers," said @DemShenanigans on the HP program.
Even if there is a viable rent-to-own option, folks are suspicious.
"I'd not be shocked if there's some language around fees etc if it's not returned in a particular condition etc," wrote Redditor u/BlitzWing1985.
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