Ben Reid
10 Oct 2006 12:15
GameStop and EB Games began accepting a limited number of pre-orders for Sony Corp's forthcoming PlayStation 3 console in stores accross the United States on Tuesday morning, however most stores had sold-out within minutes.
"Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to deplete this allocation very quickly, most likely in minutes," GameStop said on its website.
It is believed that most stores were promised eight consoles each, however a few select stores will recieve double that amount. Employee pre-orders are limited to two consoles, leaving only six consoles available to customers, which are limited to one per household.
The $100 deposit that GameStop are asking secures the customer a system, however, the company added a clause into the agreement stating it doesn't guarantee the person will receive a PS3 at launch, as it has no control over shipping or production issues.
Some sources are already speculating that Sony's small pre-order offering indicates possible early problems that the PS3 could have at retail. While rival Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is anticipated to be widely available toward the close of '06, Sony's console may struggle to meet demand.
And with Nintendo's Wii console - which so far seems to be free of production problems - launching at around the same time, sales troubles could be on the horizon this holiday season for the Japanese electronics giant.
Source:
Betanews