PS3 available on BestBuy.com ... still
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jan 6th 2007 at 11:00AM }
BestBuy.com and Best Buy stores, following a well publicized New Year's Eve sale, still have PlayStation 3 units available. We've received documentation from sources using Best Buy's Retek Store System (RSS) showing megalopolis' like Los Angeles are sold out, but states like Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota are stocked. This is all a moot point because BestBuy.com has units for purchase. If gamers want a unit, it's available.
One of our sources says, "It would appear that nobody is really buying them. As of today, my store only had somewhere around 12 units left, but other stores were in the 30s ... While some people are blaming it on the fact that nobody wants a PS3, I like to imagine it's because the parents who would be buying them already jumped for a Xbox 360 or managed to get a Wii. After all, if I just spent $600 on little Susan for Christmas, I would not want to drop another $600 minimum for her. No kid is worth that much."
Although it could be the sign that PS3 supply is starting to exceed demand, this Best Buy situation could merely be an anomaly. Amazon.com can't keep units in stock, but we don't have data on how many units Amazon.com received. It's certainly an indicator of things to come when a major U.S. retailer has PS3 units available online and in stores that aren't being sold less than two months after launch.
[Thanks to our BB guys]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Matthew @ Jan 6th 2007 11:07AM
PS3 is for little babies with flaming tears and creepy laughs.
MosquitoControl @ Jan 6th 2007 11:07AM
"While some people are blaming it on the fact that nobody wants a PS3, I like to imagine it's because the parents who would be buying them already jumped for a Xbox 360 or managed to get a Wii. After all, if I just spent $600 on little Susan for Christmas, I would not want to drop another $600 minimum for her. No kid is worth that much."
Although potentially true, it still means no one want a PS3 now. This will change as games come and price drops, the question is will it change for many people, or just for some?
This thread, like many PS3 sales threads, will get a handful of posters saying things along the lines of "it's the greatest unit in the world, I love mine, you're just jealous because you can't afford one." Which may be true for several people, but isn't that really Sony's problem?
ZaBlanc @ Jan 6th 2007 11:08AM
Even if, in some fantasy world, Sony was making stock available at a *HUGE* rate -- it still would be dissapointing that so soon after launch they can't sell them.
I don't see Wii having this problem. And there is NO WAY Sony is out-stocking them.
It's price. $600. After Christmas. They have run out of the hardcore fans who will drop that kind of money for a system that comes with one controller, no memory cards, and a no game.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Anyone ever heard of Neo Geo? 3DO? Come on, Sony. You're being retarded. Lower the price!
Gator @ Jan 6th 2007 11:08AM
Is it possible to get an RSS for the wii...all i care about is the wii.
Zach @ Jan 6th 2007 11:09AM
Good, I live in Missouri and all my friends either have a 360, Wii, or both. And the one friend who does have a PS3 has 0 games.
Fozzie @ Jan 6th 2007 11:11AM
Bullshit.
Amazon had a big sale this week and it was an all-day event -- nobody was buying. It isn't just Best Buy, and it isn't just online; it's every damn retail outlet in the world.
Robert @ Jan 6th 2007 11:10AM
This was definitely not the case with the 360 last January. Call it an anomaly if you want, but I have had about five opportunities to purchase a PS3 online or in-store (at MSRP) compared to zero opportunities until February last year for the 360.
Ben Friesen @ Jan 6th 2007 11:11AM
I would have thought more people would want to play the one good game for the system.
jsn @ Jan 6th 2007 11:12AM
It's foolish to think that Sony suddenly ramped up production numbers to a point that they can meet christmas demand. They go from only being able to make 150k or so for the US at launch to exceeding Christmas demand only a month later? It's simply asinine to think that.
People aren't buying them because they only have ONE GAME that you can't get on the cheaper and just as powerful 360. Why are people so resistant to accepting that?
What The @ Jan 6th 2007 11:13AM
The 360 was stocked everywhere in mid January and stores had big huge signs outside saying they were "IN STOCK" and they didn't sell. This is what happens. Initial demand, then realizing launch games suck, so the people who wanted one got one and those that are using it for Blu-Ray movies got one and are still getting one (they are sold out all over southern California, and the blu-ray movie sections everywhere are ransacked, nearly everything selling out) as with the case of amazon not being able to keep them in stock.
Anyone screaming death to the ps3 should change their tune to Class Action Law Suit against Microsoft for a major console change and lying about hdmi for the previous system. I need to jump in when the suit starts to make sure i get my check and/or refund immediately and pick up another PS3.
Lansing @ Jan 6th 2007 11:15AM
As #3 said, "It's Price"
Economics can't get any simpler than that. Whoever thought 600 dollars was an acceptable MSRP was or is legally insane. I watched the announcing of the price live and at that moment I knew the system would not sell solely based on its outrageous price.
The problem can only be fixed by a steep price drop of at least 200 dollars and they better do it soon.
Prediction: Xbox360-Wii-Playstation3 (at current prices)
Earl @ Jan 6th 2007 11:17AM
Here is the proof, for all the fanboys that were saying people were making these stories up.
kayzai @ Jan 6th 2007 11:17AM
Erm.. BUT SONY SAID THEY COULD SELL THE FIRST 5 MILLION PS3 WITH ANY GAMES!!!
WHATS GOING ON PEOPLE???
THIS THING HAS BLU-RAY, LINUX, WEB BROWSER, 120 FPS, 2 HDMI PORTS, INNOVATIVE MOTION SENSING, 4-D, 2 ETHERNET PORTS, REAL-TIME WEAPON CHANGE, RUMBLE ....
and it even has game console tagged on.
YOU PEOPLE DON'T KNOW VALUE!!!
OH, by the way. I have more sense than money. So, I bought a Wii and will get 360 ver 2.0 soon.
PS3 FTW!!! hmmmmm. maybe not. LOL
jsn @ Jan 6th 2007 11:17AM
"what the" you're a retard, 360's WERE NOT stocked everywhere in January after their launch. This IS NOT "what happens". If you think that, you must be new to buying consoles because it has NEVER happened that way. PS3's were sitting on shelves two days before Christmas, that is NOT normal and it is NOT good for them.
Flunk @ Jan 6th 2007 11:19AM
Every other day there's a story about shops in the US that have PS3's in stock. Big deal!
It's even more frustrating when the other parts of the world (Yes, that's right, the US isn't the only country in the world!) get nothing until March.
Brandon @ Jan 6th 2007 11:19AM
This is the case in all of our stores. I work at EBGames and we cannot sell them, we have even recieved emails from corporate saying that the poor launch line-up coupled with the price tag and public general desire not wanting one keep them on shelves and they ask us to push it.
Mephistopheles @ Jan 6th 2007 11:20AM
The Circuit City where I live has had eight units in stock for the past two weeks. Anyway, right now there is no reason for me to get a PS3. What am I going to play on it? I don't like any of the games that have been released thus far.
nootau @ Jan 6th 2007 11:23AM
People who think "No one has any money" are deluding themselves about the PS3. If someone wanted a PS3 BEFORE christmas during the shortage, what makes you think they just didnt save their money and wait until AFTER christmas. In other words....if they didnt save their money to buy a PS3 now, they didnt really want one that bad. This means the demand has dropped considerably or it was never there.
a2 @ Jan 6th 2007 11:25AM
Same thing is occuring in Japan. It's just too expensive, coupled with hardly any games. The only reason to buy a PS3 right now would be if you had to have Blu-Ray player or Resistance: Fall of Man. Any of the other major games can be had on other systems.
Ben Friesen @ Jan 6th 2007 11:29AM
One of the major problems with the launch line-up is that Resistance wasn't meant to carry the console - yes, it's a solid game, but it's not fantastic in the way that Zelda is, and it's never going to sell systems in the way that Halo did. As a matter of fact, Halo is taking up a large chunk of the demand for console shooters - that's why the PS3 isn't doing well.
ymmv @ Jan 6th 2007 11:31AM
If this goes on for a few months, be prepared for a lot more PS3 exclusives going to the Xbox 360. Publishers need to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of next-gen games even to break even and the installed base for the PS3 is going to be far too small to bet ten to twenty million dollars on.
Evan @ Jan 6th 2007 11:35AM
The chart in the photo estimates that the average store in that district already has enough units in stock to last 2 weeks.
The chart also includes the average weekly sales for that district. We can see exactly how many PS3 are being sold... an average of 9.25 per store per week.
Thrawn @ Jan 6th 2007 11:34AM
http://nelson.ytmnd.com/
Dakara @ Jan 6th 2007 5:35PM
Like I said before, my neighborhood stores are STILL sitting on Units. One has 6, the other has 10. I don't think this is an anomaly, I think this is a catastrophe.But hey, who is to say that in a year or two things won't pick up. Right?
LaughingMan @ Jan 6th 2007 11:39AM
Last Sunday I was in a Best Buy at about noon when I saw a crate of PS3's out on the floor. Maybe 3/4ths of them were gone, but the fact that there were any left surpised me. Later on about 2:00, I came back to return something I bought previously and there were still plenty available.
Revo @ Jan 6th 2007 11:41AM
"2. This thread, like many PS3 sales threads, will get a handful of posters saying things along the lines of "it's the greatest unit in the world, I love mine, you're just jealous because you can't afford one." Which may be true for several people, but isn't that really Sony's problem?"
But if people *really* want a PS3 they'll work overtime for it, remember?
Seriously though, this is the single biggest problem with the PS3. They can ramp up production, but that doesn't mean a thing if demand is low. And unfortunately for Sony, most of their problems are tied together. The high price could lead to a low adoption rate and thus a small install base, which means few exclusives simply because they won't be profitable.
That includes the big games, like Assassin's Creed and (the rumors say) MGS4, but it applies even more to the niche ones like Rez and Ico that helped make the PS2 a great, well-rounded console. The comparatively smaller library would in turn dissuade other gamers from a purchase, and at that point the PS3 is caught up in a vicious cycle of small fanbase and few games.
In my opinion, the only way for Sony to break this chain is to either lower the price of the PS3 or to go into overdrive trying to keep games exclusive to their console by any means necessary. The former isn't likely any time soon, since they're losing such a massive chunk of cash with each PS3 sold, so they have no choice but to go with the latter option. Of course, that could mean handing out wads of money in return for exclusivity and thus this option isn't much better.
Sony is struggling right now as a company, and their PlayStation line is about the only thing they have going for them profit-wise. That means that neither option is looking very tempting at this point, but I think they'll have to choose one or the other if they want to stay in the race this generation.
Ivan Girderboot @ Jan 6th 2007 11:49AM
I was in EB games in Massachusetts yesterday, they had about 12 units in the back -- the manager said they they're just not selling.
Wii's and DS's on the other hand, are hard to find nowadays...
Jeff @ Jan 6th 2007 11:58AM
"If you think that, you must be new to buying consoles because it has NEVER happened that way. "
Oh no?
I walked into a Toys R Us on Xbox launch day and bought one. No preorder. No premiums, no bundles, no nothing.
I got my PS2 one week after launch.
I got my GameCube one day after launch.
I got my Sega Dreamcast on launch day.
I got my Playstation (1) one month after launch.
I got my Intellivision and NES within one month of launch, respectively.
I live in New York City, so you can't accuse me of being in a low-demand area.
If you think shortages are the way it always is, then *you* are the one who's new to consoles. These lengthy shortages are *not* normal - you're drinking the MS Kool-Aid if you think otherwise. Shortages have *always* lasted at most 1-2 months, and even within those 1-2 months, you can always find a system if you look hard enough. By the end of that period, they're in plentiful supply.
Don't blame Sony for the fact that MS couldn't figure out how to produce Xbox 360's for six months. (And look at MS's sales figures for that period; it had nothing to do with demand that was too high.)
kayzai @ Jan 6th 2007 12:06PM
I wonder what happened to all those SONY fanboys that come here to spew Sony's trash.
I knew it was time boycott to SONY after what they did to lik-Sang (who was actually legally HELPING Sony move PSP stock).
Sony forgot one thing: WE NOW HAVE CHOICE!
If I want a LCD TV - I get a Samsung, Panasonic
Game console - Wii360
MP3 player - Ipod
Mobile phone - Nokia, LG, Motorola etc.
HD movies - Toshiba is better the Sony anyday
There is NOTHING sony produce that I can't get elsewhere.
Farewell, SONY
nootau @ Jan 6th 2007 12:07PM
Just to jog everyone's memory, The xbox 360 shortage wasnt over until around March of 2006. Here is a quote and some linkage:
"Regarding shortages, he said, "Within the next four to six weeks, anybody will be able to walk into a store and buy an Xbox 360." -Peter Moore
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2239&Itemid=2
BTW-You could barely find a 360 until March.
Eddie @ Jan 6th 2007 12:33PM
I work at a certain retailer and we have had more than a dozen sitting in the back room for over a week now. I also saw several at Best Buy last night on the shelf.
Shagi @ Jan 6th 2007 12:10PM
YOU GUYS ARE FANBOYS
THESE ARE OBVIOUS LIES
GO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR GIMMICKY GAMECUBE AND XBOX 1.5
Seriously its like I AM THE ONLY SMART ONE HERE
PS3 RULES
tkodarkside123 @ Jan 6th 2007 12:09PM
@Jeff
I would have to disagree with you. Maybe you are just an extremely lucky person. I live in Oklahoma, and I'm certain that our demand for gaming isn't near as high as New York. I was able to pick up a PS2 4 months after launch, and a 360 5 months after launch. I searched my town and the nearest major city close by. I almost had to buy them on ebay!!
Oh well. I would assume that due to the initiall install base of the ps2, the demand for the ps3 would end up being the same way. My friend was at Best Buy last night picking of the Wire season 2 and counted 19 ps3's. He checked the boxes to make sure that there were actually units inside them. They weren't just display boxes.
Olson @ Jan 6th 2007 12:13PM
I'm waiting on a silver one and i'm sure alot of gamers are holding out for that shiny silver or white.
lowrysm @ Jan 6th 2007 12:14PM
Sony shutting down Lik-Sang was a big turn off for me too.
filterpunk @ Jan 6th 2007 12:12PM
The main reason I haven't bought a PS3 is simply because I can't afford it right now. All my extra cash has gone towards Christmas shopping, tuition, and books.
The other reason is that many stores only seem to be stocking the full-blown $600 version. I'm more interested in the $500 system, since I don't use Wi-Fi and don't need a 60GB hard drive right now.
I got a 360 as a gift, plan on buying the PS3, but have almost no interest in the Wii. Don't assume everyone is as spellbound by the second coming of the Power Glove as you are.
EuroLamer @ Jan 6th 2007 12:13PM
This is where arrogance gets you, Sony. I laugh at you - HA HA HA!!
filterpunk @ Jan 6th 2007 12:15PM
YEAH THE WII IS JUST A POWER GLOVE
wii sucks
PS3 RULES i just can't afford it
AND 360 RULES
GOOD GRAPHICS AND CRAP GAMEPLAY RULES
I HAVE NO PENIS
Pretty Obvious @ Jan 7th 2007 10:37AM
When Sony goes out of business this gen, I have a feeling Apple will take their place next-gen.
filterpunk @ Jan 6th 2007 12:20PM
You moron, don't use my fucking name,At least you go one thing right the WII IS A POWERGLOVE
its a crap gimmick, and it will fail just like the DS is GOING to
RolinCode3 @ Jan 6th 2007 12:19PM
@ Shagi -
Go back to smoking those Scooby Snax in the back of the Mystery Machine...nobody wants to hear your opinion.
Jose @ Jan 6th 2007 12:19PM
Although I've seen it myself: Target with five or six PS3 units sitting in a locking glass case, the clerk telling me that no one cares, and that they can't keep the dang Wii's on the shelf, it's only indicative of the lack of great titles on the machine. While the Wii merit's interest right out of the box, with Wii sports being the instant gratification that demo disks failed to be in the past, the PS3, out of the box, is capable of impressing only stoners with a predilection to shiny things. I hate Sony as much as the next guy, but let the AAA's come out, and you'll see that those PS3s get snapped up almost instantaneously. Having units on the shelf is never a bad thing, this is just round 1.
Jeremy Wright @ Jan 6th 2007 12:23PM
I was hoping this would simply be an anomaly. I mean I'm a 360 fan (not fanboy), so I was really hoping that Sony would at least be humbled this gen. Not down and out, just humbled enough that next gen they'd have another kick-ass system.
My fear this gen is that Sony will get so trashed that they'll leave the 360 as the only high-end system. MS's response to that kind of scenario is pretty standard: stop innovating.
The problem for the PS3 is that in order for them to even catch up to the 360, they effectively need to sell 2-3 PS3's for every 360 sold... And unless 20 fantastic games come out this year, that's just not going to happen.
Pisses me off really. I was hoping for a neck-neck race between the PS3 and the 360, as it's best for gamers.
GUTB @ Jan 6th 2007 12:33PM
As of right now, PS3 NOW IN STOCK is is bold print right at the top of the main page of Best Buy, but according to the following URL, they are currently in limited supply as Best Buy is enforcing a 1 per customer policy:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat104100050000&type=category
However, about 12 hours ago, that page said that the online stock was sold out. This tells us that Best Buy just recieved a large shipment if they still have them in stock.
tkodarkside123 @ Jan 6th 2007 12:24PM
@Shagi
How you can you say "You guys are fanboys" and "PS3 rules" in the same comment??? Fucking Hypocrit
Emanuele @ Jan 6th 2007 12:25PM
Wii and Xbox360 are GameCube 1.5 and Xbox 1.5??? Playstation 3 isn't a Playstation2 1.5 only because PS2 is a piece of shit and so they can't make a piece of shit 1.5!!!
FALL SONY, FALL!!! I'M A NINTENDO FANBOY YES, BUT YOU WILL FALL!!!
Blizz419 @ Jan 6th 2007 12:27PM
i dunno Jeff, my friend rob in NYC only got his 360 at midnight of launch cuz he worked in a clothing store inside virgin megastore and had connect in virgin to catch one without waiting in line, he didnt see any anywere for a few months sitting in stores after that, me personally couldnt get one until March i live in south eastern Massachusetts, and i was lookin everywere, driving to stores that are an hour away even to find one, looking online, in the end in March i was able to order a core from sears.com with PGR 3, and Kameo and a second wired controller, and it had a $20 mark up which i had to fix by directing them to same package on compUSA.com and ended up paying 10% less than retail, then i had to hunt down a hardrive which i found one in Canton 40 minutes away from me in Attleboro, so ya i went through alot of shit to get my 360 and i was looking and calling places every day so dont tell me the 360 was easy to get a month later, oh and to the retard the posted on the HD-DVD topic yesterday about the system being 4 parts, referring to having to get an external hard drive for the core, you are a fucking idiot learn to shut your face until you know what you speak of its the same hard drive thats on the premium system you fuckin idiot they are both technically external it snaps onto the side or top depending which way your system sits i keep mine horizontal.
Earl @ Jan 6th 2007 12:26PM
Go Shagi! You must be bored with dusting off your PS3, cause we know you don't have any games to play on it.
"it will fail just like the DS is GOING to"
I really hope you're being sarcastic... Or you really must live in a Sony rabbit hole. Keep dreaming Alice!
Is anyone getting paid by Sony to post this crap? Must be nice to be a fanboy, or employee, whichever.
Fernando Rocker @ Jan 6th 2007 12:27PM
@Shagi: Shut the fuck up... read the new preview of Metroid Prime 3 on Gamepro (from yesterday)... when this game came out, all the shit about that the Wii have shitty graphics will be gone... the publishers are going to release a lot of FPS with excellent graphcis and excellent control... besides... did you know all the great games that are coming to the Wii: the new Nights, the new Kingdom Hearts, Disaster Day of Crisis, Metroid, Project Hammer, Sword of Legendia, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy... and a lot of games from Square Enix... read it yourself if you want!
You have to undestand that the first Wii games was ports from Gamecube or other systems (even it was a port, Zelda looks amazing, not to nex gen, but still amazing)but the fact that the Wii has so many ports, it means that the publishers are more interested on the Wii than in the PS3
Just wait and see...
gman @ Jan 6th 2007 12:29PM
well, you're right about one thing...sony will fall that's for sure