A Filipino gamer in a private Facebook group told the story of how their supposedly brand new PlayStation 5 (PS5) already had games installed when they booted it up. 

They said they weren’t sure if this was an isolated incident or whether there are many others that have experienced what could potentially be a trust-eroding issue for the store. 

The said console was bought online through the official Shopee account of a game store on September 21, 2021, with the console arriving on September 25. The buyer described the product as being “well-packaged” and protected with “bubble wrap.” 

“Sobrang excited ko siyempre and binuksan ko agad ‘yung package.” (I was so excited, of course, and I opened up the package right away.) 

But they noticed that the box wasn’t sealed and that the plastic handle of the box was not in good condition. 

The buyer then asked a friend who had also bought from the same game store if he had a similar experience. The friend said that indeed, theirs wasn’t sealed as well. 

When the buyer booted up the PS5, what they saw “surprised” them. There was already at least one game installed. They also saw evidence that the PS5 had already been used at that point, as the buyer saw photos in the gallery showing in-game accomplishments. The PS5 automatically takes screenshots of in-game achievements. 

Later, the buyer would find more evidence that there may have been another game installed on the unit, showing a photo.

The buyer expressed their disappointment, thinking they bought a brand new console when they saw evidence that it had already been used.

In the comments section, people speculate that the unit might have been a “display unit” meant to demonstrate the console, and that this could’ve been an isolated case. Some profess buying units from the same store with more satisfying results. 

The buyer is looking to get a refund for the unit, with the store scheduling a pickup on September 29, as per their latest comments on the Facebook group post.

Rappler will be reaching out to the said store for their statement on the matter. – Rappler.com