Christmas PS2s Stuck in Canal
Boatload of PS2s from China held up!
Christmas is barely three weeks away now and the PlayStation 2 is atop many shopping lists. There's just one problem: there aren't very many of the consoles available.
For the past few weeks, there has been a shortage of PlayStation 2s in the UK and throughout Europe, which comes as an ill-timed blow to retailers already suffering in the face of a public cagey about spending money this year.
The problem stems from severe shipping delays at the Suez Canal, where literally a boatload of PlayStation 2s en route from China is being held up by a gridlock of sea vessels, according to Friday's issue of MCV.
Responding to the pleas of high street and online retailers, Sony has arranged for shipments of PlayStation 2s to be airlifted to the UK in giant Russian cargo planes, but with stock manhandled off shelves as soon as it arrives, it's only a partial solution to the problem.
For the determined there is still the option of online auctions and prescient entrepreneurs have stepped up to provide the scarce hardware - at a premium, of course.
On eBay, the £105 PlayStation 2 is regularly going for £200 and more at the moment. Unless Sony can fix the problem very soon, many are looking at a PS2-less Christmas.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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