mrpayroll

Rob Fahey 14:57 16/11/2004

Nintendo sees demand at double the expected level, Sony plans small shipments

Both Nintendo and Sony are anticipating short supply of hardware when their new handheld consoles launch, it has emerged, with the PSP likely to suffer most as only 200,000 units will be available on day one.

Nintendo has seen demand for the DS rise to around double the expected level, with pre-orders for the console currently standing at two million units, leading to a third factory being brought online to manufacture the console.

However, the new production facilities won't help the situation at launch, and only a million units will be available to the channel to begin with - although a further million will be made available by early in the New Year.

Nintendo's projections for sales by the end of March, when its financial year ends, stands at four million units, up from previous predictions of 3.5 million unit sales.

Sony faces even worse shortages, however, with only 200,000 units of the PlayStation Portable due to ship in Japan on the December 12th launch date, while additional shipments through December will bring the total number of units available to half a million.

It's likely that this low number reflects difficulties in manufacturing the technologically advanced PSP console, but some commentators have suggested that Sony may be deliberately reducing the number of units it manufactures early on, to avoid taking huge losses on hardware.

The company's manufacturing costs for the console are likely to fall rapidly in the early months of production, and the firm may be hoping to build hype for the system with a limited launch and then to release a proper supply of units to the market once per-unit losses have fallen to a more acceptable level.


Time to stir up a frenzy!

Chris

Noonan

I hope this doesn't delay my PSP import pre-order. I noticed that Dec 12th is a Sunday. That's an odd release date.

Joe Molotov

November 21st is a Sunday too.

_tony_

damn, this will probably delay the impending "free" sites as well.

Bluebomber

I almost have to ask what else is new, consoles at launch are almost always in short supply.

Flay

Glad I preordered 50 of each for Ebay fun.

ClownFace666

Bluebomer sort of has a point.

Playstation 2
Gameboy SP
Super Nintendo (Back in 91)

etc.,

all had the same problems.

bluntman72

I have mine on preorder and will buy it the first day, but I will probably end up ebaying it since I dont really have the urge to play it right now since Halo2 and GTA:SA are taking up all my time.

BeckysBoy

I would actually extend this out to say that if your console DOESN'T have problems with shortages -- at least on the first day when lines of eager gamers are likely to be covered by the media (ala Halo 2) -- you lose valuable marketing capital. Thus, it's conceivable that Sony deliberately underproduced in hopes of creating a shortage when there otherwise wouldn't have been one. They want to see lines like those for the PS2. It makes people think, "Damn...I was going to wait, but I guess I had better get mine now!"

DVDHO

Word of advice dont buy a launch PSP,it will break on you faster then a 30001 PS2 model,+ PSP looks like its going to have crap launch title's,just my 2 cents.

darkside

I don't think its fair to call the PSP junk before it hits the market. The PSP reminds me most of the Sony mindisc player. Those are tough little buggers with optical disc drives that are very durable. They only thing you really have to worry about is the screen and if you scratch it up that is really your own fault.

As far as the launch games go I find them a mediocre bunch, but there is good variety. GT4 will be the game that will sell this system. When it hits the market I expect PSP systems to fly off the shelves.

Trigger

When they announce there is gonna be a gas shortage for a day or two, people here freak out and all line up at the pump to buy gas whether they need it or not. I think shortages like these are by design a marketing tool and nothing more.

The Franchise

"When the Poo-S-Poo launches it will smell like poo and play like poo and if you touch it you'll smell like poo as well...... plus it'll break like poo and play poo-poo games as well".

Sorry your post cracked me up. How old are you? (I know my asking that is ironic considering my poo-poo post but in the spectrum of informtive posts DVDHo's has to rank amongst the bottom of the poo-poo barrel).