Yesterday, Best Buy restocked its latest PS5, but there was a rather important catch to this restocking. The console is only available to Totaltech members, which might have been allowed if the annual membership fee had not cost $200.

Incidentally, Best Buy launched its Totaltech membership program earlier this month. This membership program offers 24-hour technical support, up to 24 months product warranty on most Best Buy products, free shipping, and several other benefits. This restocking of the PS5 marks the first time Best Buy has restocked the PS5 for a fee.

Perhaps Best Buy wanted to use the lure of the PS5 restock to encourage people to sign up for its new membership program. However, this move was not well received by gamers still trying to get their hands on a PS5 console.

A Reddit thread about the restock received over 100 comments, almost all of which blamed the retailer for the gate drop. One user described the restocking as "Basically Best Buy found a way to get the scalpel in," while another called it a "garbage event."

Of course, buying a PS5 on the resale market would likely cost an extra $200 anyway. Therefore, if you are a regular Best Buy shopper, this could be a real bargain. However, this may not last for long, as the average resale price of the PS5 is dropping rapidly.

Also, regardless, it smells like Best Buy is using the lack of PS5 inventory as a cynical way to promote their services, except for those products that people are still clamoring to get their hands on nearly a year after the PS5's launch.

Best Buy is not the first retailer to offer restocks of the PS5 exclusively to members of its Premium Reward Program; GameStop offers early access to restocks of the next-generation console through its PowerUp Reward Pro membership, which costs just $15 The cost is just $15 per year.

Amazon is also attempting to give Prime members priority access to PS5 restocks, though Prime membership is reasonably priced at $12.99 per month. In addition, Prime membership comes with a number of benefits, including access to the popular streaming services Prime Video and Prime Music, making it worthwhile to become a Prime member even before the PS5 restocking offer was introduced.

Despite the backlash, the PS5 was once again sold out at Best Buy. As such, it seems likely that Best Buy will offer further Totaltech-only price cuts; bookmark the PS5 Restock Hub to be notified when Best Buy and other major retailers have PS5 consoles in stock.