How to get a PS4 on launch day

The easy answer to this would be to already have one pre-ordered and paid for. But, if you're one of the hopefuls that won't have a pre-ordered PlayStation 4 waiting for them come Friday November 15 at 12:00 am, there is, er, hope.

I was told by a GameStop manager this weekend that every GameStop store will have some additional PlayStation 4 consoles for sale outside of pre-ordered units. Apparently, Sony wanted there to be consoles available for those that weren't able to pre-order. It won't be known how many extra consoles each store has until early Thursday, though. With people expected to line up early, here's what the manager told me he plans to do…

Let's say he finds out he has 10 extra PlayStation 4 consoles; at 6:00 pm, he's going to start handing out numbers to those lined up, asking customers if they already have theirs pre-ordered. If the answer is yes, he gives them their number for pick-up at midnight and they can return later. If the answer is no, he will give them a number for the 10 extra they have, and when he's handed out 10, he's going to tell people not to wait. That way, customers who haven't pre-ordered won't be waiting there for a console when there aren't any.

So, if you don't have your PlayStation 4 pre-ordered and were hoping to have one on Friday, there's still hope. Just show up as early as you can on Thursday at your local GameStop and wait in line. Hopefully, you're one of the first people in line that didn't already buy theirs, and hopefully that GameStop has enough to accommodate you. There's always hope.

And if you don't get one on Friday, it's okay. Sony will ship plenty more constantly throughout the holiday season.

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com