Sony Defends PS3 Stockpiles

Europeans are waiting to buy PS3s while Americans have no trouble finding them. And that's a good thing, according to Sony.

Does the presence of PlayStation 3s on store shelves in the US mean that Americans aren't interested in the console or that Sony has done a good job of getting them into stores for people to buy? Jack Tretton, head of PlayStation in North America, knows which explanation he prefers.

"Our goal is to fill shelves across the United States," Tretton told Reuters this week. "Our goal is not to have empty shelves, it's to have full shelves. If we have empty shelves, that's one less consumer who could have bought a PlayStation 3."

Tretton said that while supplies are building up in North America, there are still areas that are running short. "April or May is when we feel like we're going to catch up to demand and have product fully in stock across North America and stay there," he said.

There's no doubt that building PS3s is a tough job. Last week Sony revealed the first of what will probably be several simplifications, removing some of the hardware that lets the PS3 play PS2 games. This task will now be handled by software, though less efficiently at first, which means Sony's new system will play fewer of its older games.

The decision to make the change now, as Sony explained this week, was to cut costs. Research firm iSuppli estimated last year that Sony is losing as much as $300 for every PS3 it sells. The loss is estimated to be higher on the lower-specced 20 GB model, which could be a reason why Sony has decided against releasing that particular version in Europe this spring.

The PS3's European debut is set for 23 March, and Sony has promised it will have 1 million systems for the launch. It's not clear if people are quite as enthusiastic about the console as Sony would contend.

At leading online retailer Amazon.co.uk, PS3s have been available for pre-order for nearly two weeks, and the situation is similar at other retailers. The Wii, meanwhile, sold out its launch allocation last autumn in mere minutes. Despite this, retailers across the UK have said demand is strong.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo