Online retailer says PS3 is 'most pre-ordered console yet'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Feb 16th 2007 at 9:00AM }

According to a Gamesindustry.biz article, the UK's online retailer, Play.com, is currently taking six times more PlayStation 3 pre-orders than it did for the Xbox 360 and 15 times more than it did for the Nintendo Wii. The retailer offers a £524.99 console bundle that includes Motorstorm, Genji 2 and Resistance: Fall of Man. Sony adds that, "Woolworths, Amazon and Play, to name a few, are reporting record breaking pre-orders and an overwhelming demand for PS3."

Though this record pre-order pace is somewhat misleading when taking into account the stock shortages experienced by both the Wii and Xbox 360 -- being allocated more units obviously means you can accept more pre-orders -- the truly good news here is intended for consumers. With Sony promising one million PS3 units for the European launch and retailers accepting a greater number of pre-orders, gamers that want a system on day one (and can tolerate bundle deals) stand a good chance of avoiding the usual frustration that accompanies supply issues. Not to mention the fact that the added wait until March 23 has, at the very least, provided some consolation in the form a much better selection of launch titles.

See also:

[Thanks, Keith.]

Tags: Euro PS3, EuroPs3, PS3 launch, Ps3Launch

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

CowboyGA @ Feb 16th 2007 9:09AM

It is misleading. PS3 has had the most anticipation of any system to date (which led to some being jaded, realizing the pricetag and the x-mas shortage). No one really thought the Wii would be the invisible system that it has been at stores. It was hyped with 4 million actually being available, meaning no reason to pre-order. As for the 360? There really wasn't any huge hype around its release. It more or less appeared and became available.

I think the story makes sense, no surprises in it for me.

Ashley Allen @ Feb 16th 2007 9:11AM

I don't know any people who want a PS3 let alone someone who has actually pre-ordered!

IslandLife @ Feb 16th 2007 9:13AM

DANGER, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON Here come the fanboys!!
Hmmm, how long before the Sony-haters put their "creative" spin on this?

bootsielon @ Feb 16th 2007 9:15AM

Island Life:

There you go. Look above you.

CakeOrDeath @ Feb 16th 2007 10:34AM

Srange then that it is still available at Play.com even now.

CakeOrDeath @ Feb 16th 2007 9:19AM

And Amazon
And Game
And Gamestation
And Argos
And Woolworths

(HMV and Virgin are yet to start their pre orders)

arrrgh @ Feb 16th 2007 9:19AM

Good for sony! Maybe this will start making PS3 a real contender finally and they'll start ACTUALLY giving us a reason to buy it

IslandLife @ Feb 16th 2007 9:22AM

@bootsielon

Yup, that's exactly what I mean. *Sigh* So much hate. Where's the love people, where...is...the love.

Jake @ Feb 16th 2007 9:23AM

Launches are misleading. Most systems have successful launches and sell out whatever they offer. The really interesting thing will be to see how sales make pace after the system is readily avaiable in stores for purchase.

iceatcs @ Feb 16th 2007 9:26AM

HMV and Virgin already start on pre-order for PS3 as I went Oxford Street and High Wycombe yesterday.

GunForHire @ Feb 16th 2007 9:59AM

Lets see how many of these end up on Ebay.

A friend of mine has preordered 3 of the things, all for Ebay.

fishamaphone @ Feb 16th 2007 9:30AM

Pure speculation: what if the territories are split?

What if Wii dominates Japan, 360 dominates N. America, and PS3 dominates Europe?

What if? What kind of market would that create? Would exclusives be determined by regional niche? Would this settle into a pattern?

Again, absolutely *no* reason to believe this is how things are gonna play out, but it's fun to speculate.

jay @ Feb 16th 2007 9:33AM

iceatcs, really? Virgin never take pre-orders.

This is strange. Very strange. I bought ExciteBike and a couple of classic Mega Drive carts today and the Gamestation guy (mate of mine) said they haven't taken a single PS3 pre-order.

Whats also worth noting is that play.com have had been offering PS3 pre-orders for over a year.

Even funnier (for the PS3 preorder people), I placed my Play.com preorder on my Wii just 1 week after they started taking them. I didn't have the unit a month after launch and they said "it will take a couple of months".
So, regardless of anything, I really do wish people who have placed pre-orders all the luck in the world. You are going to need it if you expect to get a system before Summer.

Sockatume @ Feb 16th 2007 9:35AM

If this is true, it's hilarious, because Play.com infamously overbooked pre-orders for the Xbox 360 and Wii. It took several months for them to actually fill all their 360 pre-orders and people are still waiting for Wiis from them. I thought they would've learned but if they've really taken fifteen times as many pre-orders as they did for the Wii, there are going to be tens of thousands of dissapointed people come the end of March.

The True Gamer @ Feb 16th 2007 10:03AM

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Baby21 @ Feb 16th 2007 9:37AM

Same thing happened to me anyway, I went to Woolworth for preorder Wii but I was surprise that they told me that I am first person order in this store when that day was 4 days before launch day.

One shop means nothing. So it is all about national not compare on your local shops.

Wii @ Feb 16th 2007 9:45AM

I dont understand why Sony is so popular here in the UK... is it something to do with it having the most dysfunctional families in the first world?

P.s. that last statistic is true according to BBC news 2 days aho

is @ Feb 16th 2007 9:44AM

Its not blind sony hate (though I do hate sony), but its true to say that the anticipation for PS3 is higher than it *was* for Wii in the UK. Nobody knew what the wii was until it was here, and even then people were taken by suprise. The point being, now wii is becoming an established product, anticipation of the famous ps3 does not, by a long shot, mean that it will outsell wii. In fact, I thnk the cances of that happening are slim to none.

Would help that prediction tho if nintendo would get some in stores!

Poisoned Al @ Feb 16th 2007 3:06PM

Like the artical said, it's hard to judge the figures because the Playstation will not have the supply problems the Wii and 360 had (after 4 months it better bloody not do). However, never underestimate the power of a brand name. For every PS3 basher on the internet there are 10 "Joe-six-packs" that are not really gamers. They know of Playsation. They can count to 3 (so 3 is better then 2) and they know they can play their bloody awful EA sports games on it. Same goes with kids. They have a Playstation 2. They like their PS2 can just about count to 3. Daddy will have a hard time telling a kid that the cheaper system is better (tho in the end, the price might mean "You get a Wii/360 or NOTHING") Success in this business isn't determined by gamers and fan-boys. It's determined by the great unwashed that know nothing of core processors or great games. Give Joe-f**k-wit the choice between Half-Life 2, Oblivion or Fifa '07 (replace with dumb American football title for the US), guess which one they will pick. THEY control the destiny of the industry.

Depressing, isn't it?

Skwurl @ Feb 16th 2007 10:50AM

#7

"Yup, that's exactly what I mean. *Sigh* So much hate. Where's the love people, where...is...the love."

If you're expecting a barrage of people to use the word 'love' and 'Sony' in the same in the sentence, you're either new to this, or delusional.

iceatcs @ Feb 16th 2007 9:48AM

Yeah I know Virgin don't have online ready yet but the stores. I have ask them the reasons but they told me not sure but could because of problem online stocking with 360 and other systems on their launch day.

Myke @ Feb 16th 2007 9:48AM

One word.

Two syllables.

One capital letter, and note even at the front of the word.

...........eBay.............

Myke @ Feb 16th 2007 9:49AM

not*

Christ, I need my coffee

Baby21 @ Feb 16th 2007 9:51AM

Nah... We british ain't stupid enough doing on eBay because we will know going loss profit.
I mean UK is the highest price in the europe, who are we going to sell to?

honkyjesus @ Feb 16th 2007 12:42PM

hmm, this seems a lot like the us launch... how is that going?

Neccy @ Feb 16th 2007 9:59AM

This is VERY misleading if you look further into the details, however i do belive play.com's Ps3 "Bundle" is better value than it's wii or xbox360 "Bundle" equivilent. You get some top ps3 games and i think thier even throwing in the HD Cable.

So is this Ps3 bundle better six times more better value than the Xbox360 bundle? Who knows, but when you delay a console as much as thge ps3 has been delayed i guess you got to make up for it somehow.

Plus they have a honking big advert on thier site for the ps3, which i don't remeber seeing an xbox or wii version of that, however like the article says thats probably due to console rashioning due to the incrediable demand of the other consoles.

BIGGEN @ Feb 16th 2007 10:42AM

and it only took 3 comments for the word fanboy to creep into THIS article. anyone who uses that, n00b, and pwned should be shot.

Vidikron @ Feb 16th 2007 10:36AM

I have a very hard time believing this is due to eBay. eBay prices for the PS3 tanked fast in N. America. Plus, as #19 pointed out, the European PS3 is already selling for much higher than the other markets.

Gareth @ Feb 16th 2007 11:16AM

If this is true (consider the source), why are Europeans bailing Sony out of a hole after the way they're treated? Even if I had originally planned one of these over-hyped and under-performing machines, having been placed on the 6 month waiting list YET AGAIN by Sony, I'd have told them to stick the console up their arse.

I guess some people just keep coming back for more... lapping it up like some kinda dumb animal.

When the PSP2 and PS4 come out Europe will be paying more and waiting longer AGAIN, and you fools will STILL be queuing up to buy.

No wonder Sony treats you with such contempt.

mcr @ Feb 16th 2007 10:42AM

These things are sitting in dusty piles in US stores. Why would anybody lock in to pre-order a system that doesn't have a lot going for it currently? I guess people on the continent didn't learn much from the US PS3 launch. There's no need to camp out in sub freezing temps, risking gunshot or other bodily harm for the PS3, particularly at those prices! Just wait until some better games emerge and the inevitable price drops occur. You're not missing anything for now, really.

Crono @ Feb 16th 2007 10:58AM

*shoots biggen, for using all 3*

tack @ Feb 16th 2007 1:36PM

I tried to preorder a ps3 to sell on ebay. By the time mine came in it wasnt worth anything, so I used the deposit to get a 360 game at gamestop.

cristi? @ Feb 16th 2007 11:06AM

Well, they've had more time to pre-order, right?

Dan @ Feb 16th 2007 11:10AM

The problem is that consumers a lot stupider in the UK compared to the US. Americans see the price tag and say, why is it so expensive? British consumers see the PS3 and think, I have to much money on my hands, I think I'll get it.

Sony also has a much more respected brand image in the UK, since our media obviously didn't cover the US launch messup.

BIGGEN @ Feb 16th 2007 11:14AM

i'm glad at least you got the joke Crono ;D

skotbites @ Feb 16th 2007 12:55PM

Play have said it's only taking pre orders for the PS3's it's been allocated.

Wonder how much truth there is in that or if they'll come out saying "Sony cut our allocation" lol

Oh and I will get one just not sure when.

HotShotX @ Feb 16th 2007 11:45AM

Give them enough time and the PS3 will be the most returned console as well.

~HotShotX

Slaziman @ Feb 16th 2007 11:22AM

Brand loyalty goes a long way in the UK

CJC @ Feb 16th 2007 11:30AM

All of my Nintendo bias aside, it always comes down to the games.

You can't forget is that Europe is getting a MUCH wider selection of games than other regions had to start with, and 6 months is plenty of time to iron any bugs the PS3 may-or-may-not have had.

FrankTheCrank @ Feb 16th 2007 11:41AM

Wow. cool.

Mal F4cti0n @ Feb 16th 2007 1:13PM

It's due to the fact that they have more available than the Wii or 360 did. MS and Nintendo had release in US, Japan and Europe so there were not enough to go around.

Since the PS3 is not flying off shelves in the US or Japan right now, Sony is able to allocate a cool mil of the things.

Mmmmm, so let's think about this. Poor sales + 6 month later arrival = more consoles to pre-order. It's not f*cking rocket science people.

Nothing to see here, move along.

daddycool @ Feb 16th 2007 1:28PM

I'm American living in ht UK.I'll say one thing, they love their Sony over here. Everything is PS3 and Blu-Ray. They don't even mention HD-DVD when talking about next gen video. EVERYBODY is "waiting for the PS3". They'll pay for it too, they're used to getting reamed on price, it's like that for everthing. I don't know why, maybe it's because of Rockstar Games but these Brits love Sony and Playstation and they will have a WAY better launch in UK and Europe.

I pre-orderd my PS3 right after E3. When it got pushed back they called and offered me a Wii pre-order. I didn't take it. I might not take ny PS3 one either. IT depends on what games are out.

LordAlu @ Feb 16th 2007 1:29PM

I'm not sure about this article at all. We at GAME have been taking orders for the past week or so, and at our store it has peaked at around the 70 mark... to put that into perspective, we took nearly 100 XBox 360 orders, and over 130 Wii orders...

mushiking @ Feb 16th 2007 2:40PM

would someone explain to me why the delay was a bad thing? they're getting a better tuned system, a better Blu-Ray pack-in, Singstar, and a lot more games... if they anything, they should have just delayed the entire launch.

joe @ Feb 16th 2007 2:49PM

Well one the Brittish launch has a great game going for it.

Resistance Fall of man deals with an unstoppable alien menace being well.. stopped by the British.

Even at the end of the game british commandos keep up with the "superhuman" American killing machine.

Nationalism can go a long way to selling a system.

why not the LS2/LS7? @ Feb 16th 2007 4:00PM

Joystiq, when stating that these would be higher because of more availability of PS3 than 360 or Wii at launch, don't forget that the 360 launch was a disaster specifically because places took long preorder lists and didn't fulfill them until February.

In other words, 360 pre-order numbers probably were not crimped much by the supply issues, only the pre-order delivery rate.

It's sad to see the anti-PS3 crowd jump in here just to put in their two cents about how this means nothing. I'm tired of hearing Xbox 360 people act like the decision they made is the only smart one.

Please find the time to spend playing the console you have and like instead of going out of your way to crap on consoles you don't have and don't like.

joel @ Feb 16th 2007 4:03PM

Poisoned Al, your words ring true. My friend's boyfriend is a fucktard who blindly loves everything about Sony (I'm not saying I love or hate Sony, it's just that I'm aware of the pros and cons). He refuses to buy anything other than the PS3. He only plays Madden and any other sports title that has a mediocre score. He's too large a dumbass to grasp the challenges awaiting in a game like Prince of Persia, where you have to jump AND attack at the same time. He refuses to even look at a Wii because "it's for girls and fags." I'm not talking about some sixteen year-old, pimply-faced moron here. No, he's twenty-eight and sadly, he's the market.