Sony has posted very strong sales figures for the PlayStation 3 over the past several months. In January , Sony pushed some 270,000 units in the U.S. That followed the incredible holiday sales worldwide. But now it appears there is a shortage of PS3s, and it may soon get worse.
According to Sony Computer Entertainment America, consumer interest is quite high, and the company is working with its retail partners to meet the demand. Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media, told PlayStation Universe that we can expect “tight inventory” in the near future.
“We’re working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months,” Seybold told us recently.
We learned about this shortage, which appears to be regional, yet worldwide, firsthand as one of our staff members, who lives in Washington, was told by many local retailers he’d need to reserve a PS3 for pickup later this month. We’ve also heard from others, including posts on the PlayStation forums, about people having a hard time finding PS3s.
It should be noted that many retailers try to run out their holiday stock and replenish after March, so that would help explain why strong PS3 sales over the past several months have impacted current supply.
This shortage is also impacting the U.K. According to a recent statement by SCEUK sales director Mark Howsen, the demand for the PS3 Slim is 20 percent higher than originally anticipated.
“Whilst it is hugely pleasing that PS3 Slim has been greeted so enthusiastically, we understand that this has lead to some stock issues, particularly with the 120GB model. We are doing our best to address these issues and hope to catch up in the next few weeks,” Howsen told MCV.
With huge titles coming out soon, including God of War III, Heavy Rain, and Final Fantasy XIII, it’s unclear at this time how Sony will respond to the increase in demand for PS3s. One thing is clear, with these titles coming out very soon, Sony will need to ensure those new to the PS3 will have consoles to buy in the coming months. For those of us who already own a PS3, we can be glad we are prepared for the onslaught of killer titles.