Where have all the PS3's gone?

[Mr. Adventure]

I finally decided to break down and get a PS3 and they are nowhere to be found, at least in a brick-and-mortar.

Anyone know what the deal is?

 

[Hermiod]

I finally decided to break down and get a PS3 and they are nowhere to be found, at least in a brick-and-mortar.

Anyone know what the deal is?

Believe it or not, it's a result of Sony struggling to keep up with demand, at least in the US.

 

[TheBrew]

Yeah, I've seen that too. I am wanting to get a PS3, but they are nowhere to be found!

 

[Sheep]

Rumor has it they're clearing out the existing SKUs so that they can be replaced with a new model. It'll likely be some internal streamlining update that won't be anything big, unlike going from the phat to the slim, for example.

 

[Teelie]

Another rumor is it's done to artificially boost "demand" for them since Sony is slipping behind in the console race again/still.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I have noticed that they are drying up. Most of the Gamestops around here only have used ones. The Walmart near where I work has a few, but the Walmart in my hometown has none.

 

[Venardhi]

Another rumor is it's done to artificially boost "demand" for them since Sony is slipping behind in the console race again/still.

At this point it would be idiotic for them to hold back consoles from willing customers. There is nothing to gain anymore from it being hard to find and exclusive. All it does is give that customer a chance to reconsider getting a 360 or Wii instead.

More likely the supply issue is a combination of the aforementioned ditching of the current SKU and the fact that Blu-Ray is really coming into its own and more and more people are adopting it. Naturally, many of those people are going to see the logic of buying the PS3 over a standard BRD player.