November is usually an exciting month in the world of electronic entertainment. It is usually the month that most video game manufacturers ready their newest software and hardware to be released to a holiday enthused buying public. Sadly, due to the current worldwide pandemic, a lot of video game companies chose to delay certain products due to a fear in having to scale back manufacturing and not being able to meet consumer demand. However, most of these companies also have to answer to their shareholders who know that consumers are still excited to buy the latest gadgets around this time of year. Flash back to the end of 2019. Both Sony and Microsoft were busy readying plans to release their newest and most powerful video game consoles yet in an attempt to defeat Nintendo, who had had another blockbuster hit with the launch of the Nintendo Switch system that was released in March 2017. The device singlehandedly unhinged Sonys PlayStation 4 video game system from the top and made Microsoft a distant third with their Xbox One line of video game systems. Nintendo has been riding high on a wave of hefty optimism as of late because the shutdowns due to the pandemic caused millions of people to turn to electronic entertainment to pass the time. This led to a worldwide shortage of Nintendo Switch consoles on retail shelves, as the company could not manufacture them fast enough to be able to meet demand. So when Sony and Microsoft both laid out their plans to launch their newest consoles in November of 2020, something like a microscopic germ wasnt about to thwart their best laid plans. Rumors were circling for quite some time that both Sony and Microsoft were preparing more powerful home video game consoles. Sony had the PlayStation 5 in development, and Microsoft had been working on its long-awaited Xbox Series X for just as long. Both companies have been bitter rivals in the video game wars since the early 2000s. By June of 2020, there were mixed reports as to whether or not both Sony and Microsoft would be able to manufacture enough of their next generation consoles to meet consumer demand, especially in an already unpredictable year. For a brief time, it looked like one or both manufacturers would delay the release of their consoles until quite possibly 2021, but that was eventually decided against, as it would mean missing the all important 2020 holiday shopping season. So both companies announced that their super consoles would launch in November of 2020 and be in short supply. On Nov. 10, 2020, Microsoft fired the first shot in the new console wars by releasing their Xbox Series X system for $499.99. The system was able to be preordered and quickly sold out. As predicted, it will be in short supply this holiday season, and possible manufacturing delays due to the pandemic will ensure it is in short supply well into the new year. Not to be outdone by Microsoft, on Nov. 12, 2020, Sony launched its highly anticipated PlayStation 5 system in two distinct flavors. The system is available as a digital only system for $399.99, meaning gamers will only be able to purchase and play digital games on the unit, or for $499.99, consumers can get an edition with an optical drive and purchase physical games for use on it. At present time, the $499.99 version appears to be the most popular version, but both systems are nowhere to be found at retail stores. It is way too early to tell which system will take the top spot, but the video game market has generally favored Sony usually right behind Nintendo, with Microsoft generally taking the third spot. However, that hasnt always been the case, as Microsofts Xbox 360 video game console had no problem beating the Sony PlayStation 3 console, but that was only because Sony botched the design and the launch of that particular system, and both systems failed to beat the Nintendo Wii video game system that arrived on the scene in 2006. Both the Sony Playstation 5 and the Microsoft Xbox Series X consoles are being sold for a premium on eBay and other online marketplaces. Believe it or not, some desperate consumers are paying well over $1,500 at present time to get their hands on these newest consoles. Truth be told, I always thought this practice was stupid because when a new video game console is released there are very few top tier games available to play on them. As a result, people paying $1,500 to own and play these systems have only a handful of mediocre games to play on these systems at present time. Said another way, even at their retail prices, these systems are really not worth owning at present time. Paying a premium at almost three times that cost is just insane, in my opinion, when very few new games were released for these consoles as of yet. Whenever a generation of hardware is released in the video game world, enthusiasts begin to speculate when and if the previous generation of consoles will become collectible and sought after. This is a practice that never used to occur, but with certain collectible vintage video games selling for three and four figure sums on the secondary market as of late, a whole new crop of would-be speculators have made video game collecting a thing. And given that both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are backwards compatible with each consoles previous generations of games, it may just take a little longer for consumers to be willing to part with their PlayStation 4 and Xbox One games any time soon. I have always followed the video game marketplace because, like it or not, video games are quickly becoming part of the antiques and collectibles trade. That said, my advice is always the same. Much like there is very little reason to pay three times the retail price to own a Sony PlayStation 5 or a Microsoft Xbox Series X, there is also little reason to attempt to speculate on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One games because these games will still be seen selling in stores for quite some time yet, albeit at a discount. The speculators who will make the most money this holiday season are the ones flipping the newest consoles for three times their suggested retail price. I guess not everything that sells for a premium is always collectible, now is it? Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace.