We're a few weeks into the launch of the Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles, and gamers who didn't grab one early on are having a tough time trying to get one now. Deliveries of new stock varies from retailer location to location, but one thing they seem to have in common is that as soon as they get a hold of some more Xbox Ones or PlayStation 4s, they're not there for long, disappointing to not only consumers, but to Sony execs as well.
President and CEO of Sony of America, Jack Tretton, popped over to the PlayStation Blog podcast, and talked about his concerns regarding the PlayStation 4's shortage.
"You have competition out there. There are lots of things that people can spend money on, especially during the holidays; and the holidays only come around once a year, so that's really when you want to take advantage of the market opportunity...It breaks my heart if somebody's got $400 in their hand and they want one and we can't sell them one."
Demand is apparently through the roof for the PS4, and has been since launch.
We learned earlier this month that as of December 1, Sony sales were at 2.1 million consoles sold worldwide since the console first launched in North America on November 15, over a million of which came from the first 24 hours.
"The initial success of the PlayStation 4 bodes well for its future. The PlayStation 2 and Wii went on to be the best selling console systems ever. DFC Intelligence does not believe that the PlayStation 4 will surpass those systems but reiterates its forecast that the PS4 will be the number one system of this generation." It also noted that the PS4's early sales numbers are "the best start for any game console in history." Prior, the best record was held by Nintendo's Wii, which sold 1.6 million in its first two weeks.
At the time Sony had revealed its initial sales, Sony Computer Entertainment President and Group CEO Andrew House wrote on the PS Blog that the sales were "an impressive and record-setting accomplishment for our company and for our industry, and we couldn't have done it without you. I want to personally thank PlayStation fans, both old and new, for your vote of confidence. The best part: the PS4 journey has just begun. In addition to an incredible line-up of PS4 games from the best developers in the world, we will continue to introduce valuable new features and services to PS4 in the months and years ahead."
He continued, saying that the "PS4 delivered the best launch in PlayStation history," while claiming that "demand remains incredibly strong and continues to overwhelm the supply worldwide." House has since promised that the PlayStation 4 will be in "good supply" for the holiday season. But according to WorldsFactory, close to 2 million customers are on a wait / notify list for GameStop to be informed when the retailer will have more consoles in stock.
Bear in mind, that's just from just one store. While the odds are good that a number of these customers are also on lists from Best Buy, Target, etc., but the total number of gamers with a desire to get the console in their grubby mitts is surely higher. This close to a holiday and with Sony struggling to ensure supply keeps up with demand, the chances are good that there's going to be some disappointed kids come Christmas morning.