PS4 Should be in ‘Good Supply’ Through the Holiday

Less than a week has passed since the PS4 ushered in the next generation of gaming consoles and interested parties all around the world are debating whether or not the system is worth the $399 price tag this holiday season. Despite the surprising amount of lackluster reviews for highly-anticipated exclusive launch titles like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack, plus a handful of missing features, the new Sony console still delivers a serious amount of potential.

Demand for the PS4 has been incredibly high so far. Over one million units were sold within the first 24 hours to dedicated fans who pre-ordered the console or braved the midnight release lines. Although there are over one million happy customers playing PS4 from the comfort of their own homes, Sony hopes the sales will continue to thrive throughout the holiday season. Longtime Sony fans that remember hunting down a PS3 in the months after the console launched in 2006 may raise a hesitant eyebrow at the company’s optimism concerning console availability this shopping season.

As the company acknowledged last week, Sony remembers the flaws surrounding the PS3 launch just as well as the fans do. In addition to making sure the next-gen console had a lower financial barrier of entry, Sony also wants to make sure consumers can actually find the new console on the shelves this winter. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House addressed the issue of stock shortages in a recent interview with Game Informer.

“We are ensuring that we have the broadest reach to ensure that people are satisfied, especially when they’ve been loyal to brand for so long. On the other hand, we’re not engendering frustration by having a shortage of supply. I think through the holiday season that we’ll be in good supply.”

Assuming the consoles remain available in stores in the coming months, the company’s sales target for the console is five million units sold by March 31, 2014 (the end of Sony’s fiscal year). At this point in the US, availability isn’t quite as abundant as House suggested.

A quick series of calls to local GameStops, Wal-Marts, and Best Buys confirmed that there are no consoles available at any of the major retailers in the surrounding area of this writer. That said, most stores have not had a chance to restock since last Friday’s launch of the consoles and it’s likely we’ll see more units arriving in the coming weeks – especially in the lead-up to the Black Friday shopping frenzy around November 29th.

If all goes according to Sony’s plan, the console should be readily available to holiday shoppers sooner than later. Considering that the cost is a full hundred dollars less than the Xbox One’s $499 price tag, the console is likely to be quite appealing to savvy shoppers. The combination of convenience of availability and (arguably) affordable pricing may make the PS4 a safe bet for best-selling console this winter.

Do you plan on hunting down a PS4 before the new year or are you waiting to see how things shake out? Sound off in the comments.

___

The PS4 launched on November 15 and is currently available.