There hasn’t been an invite/list system on PSDirect for a long time now.
Just go on PSDirect, login with your PSN account and you can add PS5 consoles to cart and check out immediately.
Yesterday was the cut off for guaranteed delivery before Christmas though - so whether you get it pre-Christmas or not at this point depends on where you live.
I signed up for a PS5 through Sony back in January. Completely forgot about it and then out of the blue in July they emailed me with an invite to buy direct.
When you signed up to the psn, however many years ago that was, maybe you didn’t select the box that said “would you like to receive sales and promotions/sign up for our weekly newsletter?”
After 14 years of weekly newsletters, I’ve had a PS5 for over a year now. For a few months after I was still receiving emails that more consoles were in stock to purchase.
I think the one you are thinking of is the revised PS5 that can have a USB optical drive attached. Clever move by sony really as it eliminates making two different boards. Basically there will still be two skus on the market but under the panels will be the exact same motherboard. And Im talking "exact" meaning that someone who buys the new disc 5 will be able to detach the optical drive and turn it into a digital 5 just as someone who buys the digital 5 can add the usb optical drive and make it a disc 5. The only real aesthetic that would be different is the side panel.
I read that if you want to add the optical drive after the fact, it would include a side panel to make it look like the full disc 5 we have now. As it is currently they are stamping out two different boards. one with all the circuitry for the optical drive and one without. by consolidating to one single board and making the optical drive USB... it streamlines the whole mfg process.
Try and order it in a big store. For Spanish and portuguese gamers mediamarkt is accepting orders and will deliver in the first week of January.
Just buy it direct from Sony - it’s readily available 24-7 there.
Will it arrive by Christmas though? Depends on where you live - they ship same business day though.
Does it even make sense to buy a PS5 now knowing that a Slim version may be announced six months from now?
I just went to Target and saw two in the case. They're not all that hard to get; especially when looking online.