TechRadar Says Nintendo and Rockstar Preorders Topped Apple's New Lineup in a Crowded Tech Week
TechRadar's weekly crossword post says Nintendo and Rockstar preorders drew more interest than Apple's new smartwatches, earbuds and phones, including its first foldable, as buyers chased limited stock.
The publication made the assessment in the introduction to its sixth weekly crossword puzzle, published the same day. According to TechRadar, Apple had been expected to dominate the news cycle with the new product family, but Nintendo and Rockstar proved more popular as preorders opened for their upcoming hardware.
TechRadar said the week was a good one for fans of Zelda and Grand Theft Auto who collect related technology and memorabilia. James Pickard, a deals editor at TechRadar, wrote that he spent most of the week working with the outlet's gaming team to track the latest stock and availability for readers, and that the process was somewhat chaotic.
Pickard compared the situation to the launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, when buyers searched for consoles to purchase. He wrote that the period was a nightmare at the time, but that looking back it was satisfying to learn when and how each retailer restocked and to find consoles for friends or for people who had been searching for a long time.
He added that buying such products online is now generally unpleasant, citing frequent page refreshes, queues and last-minute error messages that make the process more stressful than he said it needs to be. Seeing listings at three times the price on eBay, he wrote, leaves buyers feeling deflated.
TechRadar said it hoped its coverage helped get limited edition controllers and consoles into the hands of genuine fans, who can use them when the products arrive later in the year. The crossword post did not disclose the details of Apple's new devices or the Nintendo and Rockstar products beyond the preorder interest, and no sales figures were given.
The item also carried a promotion inviting readers to follow TechRadar on Google News and to add the outlet as a preferred source, along with a sign-up offer for breaking news, reviews, opinion and technology deals. A note accompanying the post described Pickard's background covering major sales events including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day.