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Sony responds: PS3 retailers see returns
- January 10, 2007 17:11 PM PST
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The PlayStation 3 launch has met several key Sony milestones, but early indications suggest it may not be the grand-slam hit the company had hoped for.
UPDATE: Sony's senior director of corporate communications, Dave Karraker, has clarified to GamePro certain details about the PlayStation 3's sales in the U.S.
"As a general rule, Sony never gives out sell-through numbers, only shipped/sold-in." Karraker writes.
But he added that "NPD numbers come out tomorrow with the sell-through for the USA [not Canada] for December. We will be putting out a statement as soon as those come in to our offices."
We recently had an opportunity to speak with an unnamed GameStop employee who indicated that the PlayStation 3 isn't in nearly as short of supply as first thought.
"We have lots [of PS3s]. So does everybody else," said the employee, referring to other GameStop stores. He explained that Nintendo's Wii console was sold out nearly everywhere, and Nintendo is having difficulties meeting the explosive demand for the system. The GameStop in question had been receiving Wii shipments every week, according to the employee, but lately the shipments have shifted to bi-weekly with only a handful of consoles -- four, in the case of his store.
The employee explained that the PS3 has seen a large number of returns since its November launch, mostly due to customers failing to attain huge resale rates for the consoles on eBay auctions.
This isn't the only report of slowing PS3 sales. An ArsTechnica piece quotes an anonymous game retailer who explains that "It's not that we've gotten more PS3s than Wiis, it's just that no one wants them."
"We've seen a few returned. We have four in the store right now," the employee told ArsTechnica. The piece also confirms that failed eBay auctions are triggering a deluge of PS3 returns from would-be resellers hoping to recoup their PS3 purchase costs.
The ArsTechnica source also mentions that his retailer's vice president has asked all managers to place prominent notes advertising the fact that the stores have PS3s in stock.
Since Christmas, every game shop I've seen has had PS3s on hand. And the message from the clerks (I always ask) always seems to be, "we really need more Wiis."
I think it's a price issue. Sony needs to work on bringing that price down by at least $100 if they want to pose a more serious threat. Until then, I'm thinking the PS3 might wind up as a high-priced entertainment novelty rather than a video game revolution.
