Of all the methods retailers have developed to combat duffers, the PS5 bundle may be one of the most effective. Recently, my colleague Roland Moore-Colyer wrote an article about how the PS5 is being sold not a la carte, but with games and accessories, which is keeping it in stock at least partially longer than ever. And while his reasoning is almost certainly correct, finding the PS5 only in bundles is, at best, a mixed blessing.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and console wars were fought between Sega and Nintendo, buying a console often meant getting a bundled version by default. New systems usually came with at least one game and often a second controller. As this practice died out, however, retailers tried to make up the difference by offering "bundles" that included the console, a game or two, another controller, and, if you were particularly unlucky, an unwanted accessory that could only be sold at that store.

Bundles are very common when game consoles are first released, and the reason for this is simple: the reason is simple. When a game console first goes on sale, people really, really want it. This is especially true because gaming consoles are often released just before the holidays. So retailers can sell a $500 console by itself, or they can sell it with a $60 controller, two $60 games, and a gift card. Either way, the console will sell.

As my colleague pointed out, the inclusion of games and accessories is the main reason duffers don't want the PS5 bundle; it's relatively easy to buy a PS5 at retail price and sell it on eBay for a profit. copies of Demon's Souls or DualSense controllers are much more difficult to resell.

The underlying message is clear: the PS5 bundle will act as a deterrent to duffers and bots, and as a result, more real people will get their hands on the hot new console. The bundled games are good, the extra controllers are useful, and the price is the same as if all components were purchased separately. So what exactly is the problem?

The main problem with bundles is that they assume that all gamers, or at least all households, have the same preferences and demands. A recent PS5 bundle sold at GameStop included a PS5, an additional DualSense controller, "Spider-Man: Miles Morales," "Demon's Souls" and a $20 GameStop gift card. All in all, the price was $730, about the same as if I had bought these items separately, but the math didn't work out. The bundle page is no longer online, so I could not verify the exact details.

Nevertheless, let's assume that we are paying the standard retail price for all of the bundles, as GameStop and its competitors usually do; since the price of the PS5 by itself is $500, the extra $220 is an extra $220, an extra you may or may not want, that makes up the system price That would account for nearly half of the price. One controller is all a single gamer needs, especially since "Demon's Souls" and "Miles Morales" are single-player games. The extra $20 gift card is a particularly naked ploy to get people to come back to GameStop. Yes, it's money that will eventually be spent anyway, but this way it will have to be spent at a specific retailer.

This is not even particularly pernicious as a bundle. Often, bundles include more niche accessories, such as charging docks for cameras and controllers.

In fact, gaming consoles are luxury items, at least at launch. Retailers are betting on the fact that if you have $500 to spend on a playful purchase, you probably have $700 to spend. If you really want all the items included in the bundle, that's fine. But retailers are not counting on it. I kind of want some of the bundled accessories, but I really want a gaming console. It's a classic case of short-term gratification over long-term value, and people do it all the time.

If we are forced to choose between two bad options, I will grudgingly admit that "the gamer gets the extras he doesn't need but might use" is a much better situation than "the duffer gets everything". But at best, it still encourages people to overspend, and at worst, to hold on to a lot of gear and games they don't really want in the first place.

If you're going to buy a PS5, a bundle is probably your best bet right now. Just make sure you actually have what you want bundled, or you may regret why you didn't wait a few more weeks.