Want to guarantee your console? The line starts here.
by Mark Whiting, 10/02/2006
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Thinking about getting one of those spiffy new Wii or PS3 consoles this holiday? You'd best start lining up now. GameStop -- America's largest 'videogame only' retailer -- says they're not taking pre-orders on console hardware.
That little tidbit came up at the annual GameStop sales conference, held last Saturday in Dallas.
"The great thing is there is a lot of demand." said Steve Morgan, president of Gamestop. "But launch is one day. And really the key to this business is what flows after the launch. We did learn a lesson last year. I think the lesson is caution and optimism at the same time."
Predicted shortages of the PS3 come as no surprise in these here parts -- the comparatively low numbers of console units hitting North America practically guarantees it. Of note, however, is that GameStop also seems to be banking on a Wii sellout. With 1 million units inbound, that's a lot of holiday optimism.
GameStop's decision not to guarentee your hardware pre-order is by no means carved in stone -- but from this point it seems a pretty sure thing from a strictly-business point of view. Last year, GameStop caught some heat after it mistakenly took in more Xbox 360 preorders than it had the capacity to fulfill. Looks like they've learned something from the experience.
The message is clear: The best way to assure you've got a console under the tree is probably still the old-fashioned one. Get out, line up.
Agreed, in 6 months after launch PS3's will be available everywhere.
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