Business Week reports that game enthusiasts and consumers were excited with the demo units of the much-anticipated PlayStation 3, which is set to launch this November 17th in the US. The lucky gamers were able to personally test display units. In fact, the PS3 seems to have been grabbing the attention away from Sony’s other new offerings, including LCD televisions, digital cameras and laptops.
The buzz over the PS3’s unmatched power (it’s the most powerful so far, compared to its main competitor, Microsoft’s new Xbox 360, released earlier this year) has Sony expecting supply shortages. Months before the launch, rights to pre-ordered units have already been selling on eBay for several times over the retail price ($600 for the top of the line model).
Kazuo Hirai, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said about 400,000 units will be available in the U.S. in the initial launch and an additional 600,000 by the end of this year.
Sony hopes to have a total of 2 million consoles in the U.S. market by the end of company’s fiscal year, which ends in March.
“Unfortunately, there are going to be some shortages,” Hirai said in an interview. “I ask for everybody’s patience. We are pedal to the metal in terms of trying to get as many units as possible into both the Japanese and American market.”
The PlayStation 3 will start selling on November 17th, from $500 for the basic, 20 GB model to $600 to the top-of-the-line 60GB version.