Yesterday, retailers GameStop and EB Games opened up pre-orders for Sony’s forthcoming next-generation Playstation 3 gaming console…and shut down pre-ordering almost as quickly. In most location, pre-order slots available to the retailers were snapped up within half an hour. So, if you were planning to get a pre-order in before the units officially hit market in early November 11, you may be in trouble—or you might try your luck with online vendors.
However, for folks thinking gamers’ eagerness to snap up pre-orders means repeated delays and sticker-shock haven’t dampened enthusiasm for Sony’s new game console…the numbers are just too small to make that kind of assessment. Most retailers appeared to have a dozen (or fewer) pre-order units allocated to them.
Sony recently said it plans to have 400,000 Playstation 3 units in stores for its North American launch, while another 100,000 units are destined for launch in Japan. By the end of 2006, Sony hopes to have shipped 2 million units, with some 6 million units out the door by the end of the company’s 2007 fiscal year.
If demand for Sony’s Playstation 3 is as high as many outlets believe it will be, the company could facing a repeat of its introduction of the Playstation 2, in which limited supplies created significant consumer backlash. against the company. Sony has already delayed the launch of the Playstation 3 in Europe due to component shortages.
