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I sold my PS5 because I didn’t play it. I didn’t see the point in keeping that spaceship under my telly when all it did was gather dust, so I got rid and bought something nice with the cash, probably a tattoo or a holiday or something. I’d played through Miles Morales, bounced off Returnal, and had good fun with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, despite their short runtimes. I bought FIFA on my Xbox Series X because it’s also my Game Pass machine, and having two current-gen consoles felt like overkill at a time when neither had any exciting exclusives.
The PS5 had to go, but I’m starting to regret that. Sony’s monstrous machine finally has an exciting lineup of exclusives (God of War Ragnarok doesn’t count as exciting when the first game was so boring), and I’ve got console envy. Sure, I’m looking forward to playing Starfield in September, but what about Final Fantasy 16, Spider-Man 2, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
I’m not even that big of a Final Fantasy fan, but the new games look great, especially 16. Kaiju battles in a medieval fantasy world? Yes please. Then there’s the positive reception to the demo and its stunning graphics, and suddenly I’m sad that I don’t have a PlayStation 5. Bear in mind, before this I played half of 7 Remake when it came out and finished it when the PC port released, and that’s my only Final Fantasy experience to date. I enjoyed it enough, but wouldn’t buy a PS5 just to play the second instalment. I’d rent one, though, especially with the promise of 16 to go with it.
Spider-Man was a great game, and I enjoyed Miles Morales even more. I figured that it’d be years before the sequel arrived, and while I was technically correct, Insomniac worked far quicker than I ever imagined, and it looks like I’ll miss out on the sequel due to its exclusivity. I’m sure it’ll come to PC eventually, but patience isn’t the name of the game when your job requires you to be on top of the latest releases.
So what gives? I’d love to be paid the kind of money that I could just grab a PS5 and still make rent, but I’m not there yet. I want to be able to rent one for a couple of months, so I can binge a few games and send it back in perfect condition. I had a look for this sort of service online, but the only options are as part of rent-to-buy schemes, which defeats the object. I don’t want to be locked into a 24 month payment plan to play Spider-Man 2, I just want to rent a PS5 for October.
I don’t see the downside. Sure, maybe some players will wreck or rob the console, but any renting situation throws up that risk, and you can still hire cars (far more expensive and easier to break or steal) for a couple of days. You just need to sign a document and pay a refundable deposit. Don’t get me wrong, I know why Sony doesn’t offer this service – it wants to sell five hundred quid machines – but third parties could become the Hertz of games consoles by lending them out in busy periods.
Upon discussing this with my colleagues, I found that this is actually a service in Asia, one that fellow Features Editor Tessa Kaur plans to utilise in exactly the same way I’m dreaming of. They want to play Final Fantasy, and will be able to, thanks to a good renting service. But in Europe, or specifically the UK? Nada. British businesses are missing a trick by not allowing me to play video games.
Even if this mythical service did exist in the UK, it would be incredibly popular at this time of year, with so many big titles hitting the shelves. I would by no means be guaranteed a console, but I’d like the option. I just want to rent a PS5, and maybe even the games too as I’d have no use for them after returning the console. I think there are plenty of people who’d like the same. Spider-Man comics fans who can’t afford a PS5 might chuck 50 quid at a month’s play, maybe more. Final Fantasy nerds (that’s affectionate, don’t worry) would rent for a little longer to encompass both games and see the entirety of Valisthea in the meantime.
Maybe I’ve spotted a gap in the market, or maybe I’m missing a key flaw in this business plan. Rent-a-console could be the next Netflix or it could be the next Blockbuster, but I’m hoping for the former. They might need to come up with a catchier name for it, though.
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