Retailers face PlayStation shortage
Sony warns of supply problems
Sony is having problems meeting demand for its PlayStation 2 consoles, with limited supplies available to the UK in the all important Christmas sales season.
The PlayStation 2 is the best selling console in the market. The UK’s leading computer games specialist, Game, has advised custimers on its website that “Sony is currently suffering manufacturing and shipping delays of PlayStation 2 Consoles, which has led to a UK-wide stock shortage.
“We have been officially advised by Sony that the UK market will not receive any deliveries for the rest of November.” Game said it is expecting new stock during December, which will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis.
Both Boots and Dixons are advising that PlayStation 2 consoles are currently unavailable though their online stores, while Index is advising a 14-day delivery time. Amazon.co.uk is quoting a two to three month delivery time for the newer compact model, launched this month.
Demand for the slimmed-down model appears to be at the heart of the problem. With Sony having cleared supplies of the older version, interest in the new version appears to have caught it out. Production has been ramped up to try and meet global demand.
In the US, where retailers are also experiencing shortages, a spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment America told journalists: “Consumer demand for the new PlayStation 2 has exceeded our expectations, and we are doing all we can to fulfill the wish lists of people who want a new PlayStation 2 unit under their tree this holiday season.”
