EB/GameStop PS3 pre-order bonanza

If hadn't already heard, today's the day to get on with your PS3 pre-order badself at your local EB Games or GameStop location. That is, if you haven't already done your pre-order somewhere else, or haven't decided to forgo the PS3 entirely for that attractive "Wii60" alternative. Unfortunately, the console looks to be in quite limited supply, so you had best get over there on the double if you don't want to be playing with your sister's Barbie dolls come this November. Reports vary, but from the sound of things, most stores are getting 16 units, with 2 of those available to store employees, which should give a pretty good indication of the scarcity of the PS3 headed into the holidays -- GameSpot and EB can't even guarantee those numbers to pre-order customers, who will be required to put down a $100 for this quasi-assurance. Oh well, you and your sister can always "B who U wanna B" this fall while you wait for those elusive blue lasers to stockpile.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Korey @ Oct 10th 2006 1:55PM]

i just got an email from them about it. too bad i dont want one thier pretty dumb..

[funkbass23 @ Oct 10th 2006 2:56PM]

They're pretty dumb you mean? Oh, the Irony!

[James @ Oct 10th 2006 2:01PM]

Just called all the Gamestops here in Riverside, CA and they all said that yes today was the day but all the spots are LONG gone.

[Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 5:18PM]

I have a PS3 for $600.00. The 60 GB one. Call me at my home phone in Riverside [phone]

[Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 5:15PM]

I have a PS3 60 GB for $600.00. Call me at 951-742-7488. Ask 4 Steve

[Carlos Rivero @ Oct 10th 2006 2:04PM]

darn i could not get my hands on a preorder.... it took them 5mins this morning on ALL local stores to give them all...

[Jason @ Oct 10th 2006 2:06PM]

Got in on spot #2 today at my local Gamestop. There were definitely not 16 at the store I went to. I read the memo and the store I went to only had an allocation of 8.

[John @ Oct 10th 2006 2:11PM]

Got a #2 spot at local EB in Scottsdale this morning. Store only had 3 golden tickets.

[Jason @ Oct 10th 2006 2:13PM]

Wii60? Didn't you know that Wii60 is dead? $299 X360 + $249 Wii > $499 PS3.

The whole Wii60 joke only worked because people thought you would be able to buy both for less then the cost of a PS3.

[Cags @ Oct 10th 2006 2:51PM]

i missed by about 6 people. My Gamestop only gave 15 orders.

[Brad @ Oct 10th 2006 2:18PM]

Well looks like people will start selling their presales

[Wolvereen @ Oct 10th 2006 2:22PM]

OK, honestly, I normally I don't complain about this kind of stuff, but I just had to vent.

COmmence Venting...

So I get to GameStop early, and am the first(!) in line. I stand there, and when 10 comes, the door opens and a dude comes out to ask if I am waiting to pre-order a PS3. So I says, yes young man, I am! TO which he replies "unfortuantely ALL of the PS3's we were alloted are already gone. THose who pre-ordered games were the first to pre-order a PS3" But, I ask, isn't today the first day to take pre-orders? To which he doth reply "yes, but they got to pre-order early because they ordered a PS3 game".

So WTF!? Apparently there was a PRE-Pre-order? How is that remotely fair? What was the point of making a corporate-wide national announcement that your chain is STARTING to take pre-orders today if they have already been taking pre-orders!?!?

So NO stores do not have 16 units, in some cases they have ZERO!!

[Ebzy @ Oct 11th 2006 8:38AM]

oh my god they pissed off wolvereen
the bastages

[Simon @ Oct 10th 2006 2:18PM]

bah, I learned my lesson. Got one of the very first ps2's and paid almost $500 for it. Ridiculous! I will wait, thank you very much. I will snap up a Wii though, much much better qulaity/fun/price ratio. I also don't like sony's attitude towards it's user base, they have been very arrogant, and self entitled, like we should be kneeling down to them, when it's we, the gamers who should be pandered to. So, screw you sony!

[U are FOOD @ Oct 10th 2006 3:07PM]

You damm right! Sony is full of it. I hope Nintendo gets back on top in the gaming industry. Sony, I will never be yout puppet!

[arbilli @ Oct 10th 2006 2:26PM]

I happened to be taking a "boondoggle" from work this morning when I wandered into the local GameStop to see if they had a copy of Dark Crusade. First thing the clerk behind the counter said, as soon as I walked in the door, was to the effect of �Dude, you�ve got to preorder a PS3, NOW�. I just couldn�t resist, it was like I�d wandered into the gravitational pull of that massive black box of death that is the PS3. To be honest, I didn�t want a PS3, heck I still don�t ( I�m a WII man), but I�m getting one anyway. Well there�s always ebay.

[Ryan @ Oct 10th 2006 2:21PM]

"Wii60? Didn't you know that Wii60 is dead? $299 X360 + $249 Wii > $499 PS3.

The whole Wii60 joke only worked because people thought you would be able to buy both for less then the cost of a PS3. "


I would still rather spend $650 for Wii60, ie TWO consoles, for $50 more than the expensive PS3. It is a better deal all around. With a few exceptions you can already play most PS3 launch window titles on the 360, with more to come prior to PS3 launch.

Frankly the titles they will have do nothing to excite me currently. I may buy a PS3 when the price drops to under $300, so I'm waiting awhile.

[Gamey McGee @ Oct 10th 2006 4:57PM]

While I wholeheartedly agree that you should buy what you want, the Wii60 is a propaganda move on Microsoft's part. Don't be fooled.

If HD matters to you, the Wii60 is a bad move. Almost nobody thinks HD-DVD will win the movie format wars except for HD-DVD patent holders and Microsoft. The Wii is a GameCube with a carpal-tunnel inducing controller.

I'll take my HDTV and plug it into my PS3 to watch movies and play games. It's the major advantage a PS3 has over other consoles. While it may not matter to everyone, it will matter to most in the long run. The analysts may be right to think that the PS3 will come out on top. It has good games and the best resistance to technological advances. The Wii is the must susceptible. The 360 will have a dizzying support matrix just like MS has with Vista. It'll confuse people.

[Alondo @ Oct 10th 2006 2:32PM]

Sorry to hear about the horror stories. I got in to the store and got the 15th one and was promptly followed by a guy who snatched up the 16th. My brother got his at another location and we are thinking of camping out at another chain just in case the GameStop reservation doesn't pan out.

[tonyatf @ Oct 10th 2006 2:37PM]

it was first come first serve. if they did not let you preorder and you were first in line, call their corporate office and DM and complain.

[JinKazama @ Oct 10th 2006 2:44PM]

#2 on the list at my local Gamestop.

Unlike most, the Wii will be the system I wait on, I bought the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube on release day while they were fun, I played my PS1 and PS2 1,000 times more. I really got burned on the gamecube aside from Nintendo's first party titles (Mario, metroid...) I was really disappointed in the system and wound up giving it away. No way I'm gonna pay for Gamecube 1.5 with a new controller after that experience.

[Andy @ Oct 10th 2006 2:52PM]

I got #1 spot at gamespot in South Bend, IN. I arrived 2 hours before the store opened.

[Jasen @ Oct 10th 2006 2:56PM]

Try Sears. Really. I did the whole Halo 2 midnight release foolishness. Went to Sears the next day and they had copies lying around. Skip the specialty shops and order from a general department store.

[Brent @ Nov 15th 2006 8:09PM]

Hey, Jansen, about what u said about Sears, do u know where I might be able to find out which locations of the Sears chain might have the PS3 units during the midnight releases? If so, when? If u have any info, please send it to the following email address:
[e-mail]

[M. Rod Von Hugenstein @ Oct 10th 2006 3:13PM]

Seriously, what does the PS3 do that is so awesome that everybody has to have one the instant they are available?


Maybe I am an old guy, and I don't get it, but seriously, relax. Besides, has anyone really ever had a good experience with first generation, bleeding edge tech? Macbook Pro, and Xbox 360 come to mind.

[o rly @ Oct 10th 2006 3:51PM]

M. Rod Von Hugenstein : "Besides, has anyone really ever had a good experience with first generation, bleeding edge tech?"

Yes, with my Dreamcast, and it still gets play. I didn't have the terrible experience (lack of available systems, hardware problems, and crappy visuals (no anti-aliasing for example)) most people had with their PS2's during launch, and will probably have again at the PS3 launch.

[Batman @ Oct 10th 2006 2:56PM]

Looks like I'll be camping at my local Wal*Mart when they come out.

[Whitney @ Oct 10th 2006 2:58PM]

There are 5 Gamestops near my college (half an hour outside of Minneapolis), all within a 2 mile radius of each other. After extensive guesswork as per which would be the least crowded, population research of the individual cities, and a 6:45am wake-up, I secured the #7 spot at a store that is supposedly getting 16 PS3s-- so, 14 minus the employees.

I can't wait to hawk that puppy on eBay during the Christmas season-- at this point, I'd much rather have a Wii and a wad of spare cash than a PS3.

[Jason L @ Oct 10th 2006 3:27PM]

stopped by a gamestop before i went to work
i must've been 17/19th cause there were two people ahead of me when they said "sorry we have no more"
guess i'll have to find it elsewhere

[Jeff Barrick @ Oct 10th 2006 3:24PM]

I got #9 of 16. I think the mall stores are getting more, cause the stand alone near my house only had 6 and I was number 7 so I went to the mall and they had 16 available.

[eduardo cardona @ Oct 11th 2006 2:34AM]

I arrived at gamestop this morning at 8:30am. I was number nine. The store owner stated that they were getting 14 units at launch. He stated as long as SONY has no set backs in the next 37 days, we would be guranteed to recieve one at lunch. I will also go to TOYSRUS because they have not sold their preorders yet. Hopefully, I could get a preorder there to. I plan on selling my PS3, assumming that I get the item of course.

[Ben @ Oct 10th 2006 3:09PM]

I went to one as soon as I saw this online, and the manager told me they sold out within an hour of opening. Also, he said he knew of "no stores getting that many" when I mentioned the 16 number.

[Pitta @ Oct 10th 2006 3:21PM]

Well, I lucked out big time. Got to my local GameStop @ 6AM, nobody there. me and a buddy waited out till 10 AM and each got one of the 4 they had. Then Ran over to EB games down the street and each got another! We were the last ones in line to get one!

You can find my auctions on E-bay on launch day!

[Justin Pitta @ Oct 10th 2006 3:27PM]

I agree, the GameStop I hit was a Standalone, but the EB was a mall store...

Not that it matters now, they are all gone by now...

[Justin Pitta @ Oct 10th 2006 3:29PM]

Hey Jason L...

Send me your e-mail, and I'll tell ya when I post mine up on E-Bay :-)

[Nate @ Oct 10th 2006 3:34PM]

#10 in line, and I went at noon... ha

[What the... @ Oct 10th 2006 3:43PM]

Not that I personally care... I'll probably just wait til they are in stock and play with my PS2 til then... I only play Madden anyways. BUT, I just want to say...

I just love the irony on this website (or heck, many in the gaming community)...

The same people who are complaining about the price of a PS3 are snatching up all the PS3's to eBay them to the less fortunate... the people who actually want one and aren't dorky enough to get up at 6am and wait outside a video game store for 4 hours until they open.

Aaaah... the smell of young budding entrepreneurs. Probably less than 20 years away from their first SEC investigation.

[moridin @ Oct 10th 2006 3:48PM]

You know, from everything I've heard so far, everyone wants to buy one to sell. So if no one actually wants one...

You do the math. At $600 a pop, it's looking doubtful how much more people are going to be willing to pay for one, even if it is scarce. Supply and demand, people. Basic econ.

Given that the PSP didn't so hot out the door either due to pricing and a lack of must have titles at launch (same situation with the PS3) I'm thinking it's going to be a risk buying a bunch of these and trying to pawn them off.

[Dp462090 @ Oct 10th 2006 3:56PM]

Too late where I live, gonna try another city.

[mooooo @ Oct 10th 2006 3:58PM]

What the hell kind of firm is this??? Any dumb businessman knows that if there is more demand for a product than they can account for, they should increase their supply or raise prices. Why the hell would those monkeys have only 16 per store and write that in stone? They ought to be flexible and tell people that they'll increase their quantity in stock if people purchase like mad. Stupid incompetent rats, I say...

[funkbass23 @ Oct 10th 2006 5:08PM]

They wouldn't do this for several reasons.

First, if they promise more than they can give, then it is a bad PR move and they will potentially drive people away from being future customers of the store. Look what happened during the Xbox 360 launch. They were finally giving the last pre-ordered units in March.

Second, it is not Gamestop that decides how much they can get. It is in fact Sony that delegates to the stores how much they will be able to produce and ship to that store. Gamestop just can't say to Sony, "Give me more, we are getting more requests". You don't think Sony realizes the excess demand?

Finally, it is Sony who decides what the price of these units will be, not the individual stores unless you are talking about the 60gb units in Japan, but that's an exception. Gamestop can have the option to bundle up the unit to benefit from the increased demand, but they cannot raise the price themselves.

Any idiot businessman would know that.

[Nathan @ Oct 11th 2006 6:13PM]

I got One I am first on the list at my store

[Jon @ Oct 10th 2006 4:54PM]

I was #8 In Amherst Mass (Umass) ... I went like 15 mins before the store opened this morning , a line full of geeks and asians .. I felt right at home .. I also bought the Brand Spankin NEW Sony SXRD 60" XBR2 from crutchfield .. nothing like being $5000 in debt in one day

[Carlos Rivero @ Oct 10th 2006 5:00PM]

so ... no HD tv but insted you got yourself a projector??
you guys think is better than getting a 5k tv??

[ProsumeThis @ Oct 10th 2006 4:30PM]

Game Stop will use this deposited cash to buy the consoles themselves perhaps:

calculate this: 4400 stores, 16 people pre-order quota, $100 each

now try to guess how much GS is paying Sony for each console; times 4 (units per store)

These 2 numbers are very close to each other. 7mil and change.

Seems like GameStop found this way to finance their console purchase without disturbing their cash flow.

An insult to end-user!

[Billy Bob @ Oct 10th 2006 4:34PM]

Yay. I got my preorder in.

I was first in line 3 hours before the store opened. My ticket says 004 by the date, meaning the gamestop employees took 3. (supposedly only supposed to take 2 per store?) Anyhow Im 004 on the list and I think they come in batches of 8 so I'm sure I'll get a launch one.

How nuts I didn't think that this time yesterday I would have my place locked in for a ps3. I am so happy.

Who cares about the price its a neat toy. I get every game system they are all so fun in their unique ways.

Thank you so much for this so I dont have to wait for 24 hours like a star wars geek to get one on Nov 16/17.

Joy oh happy day! PS3 is awesome! I like motorstorm, gthd, and heavenly sword. ROCK ON!

[Rocket Punch @ Oct 10th 2006 4:39PM]

Normal people will hardly have any chance of pre-ording. Just assume any undignified position of your choice and prepare to get rap3 by the "bundle" Nazis.

[supply-demand @ Oct 10th 2006 4:40PM]

If Sony could get away with it, they should sell the console for $1000 the first week, $900, the second week and so on until they drop down to their $600 price. That way they could take advantage of the demand for the new product that the Ebay resalers are capitalizing on.

Unfortunately their supply chain and accounting departments probably couldn't take the stress of a transitional pricing structure so all of the extra money will go to people with too much time on their hands.

Hmm.. I wonder if there are any patents on pricing new products like that? If someone was thinking of patenting something like this, consider this prior art!

[sycks @ Oct 10th 2006 4:43PM]

Gamestop/EB stores are a plague on society. Screw them. For those of you saying its Sony's fault um no, they announced a huge launch, then they restated a small launch, and 400,000 units is 400,000 units.

Greedy Gamestop/EB franchises have been like this since the Monster3D II 3DFX Voodoo2 was allowed to be pre-ordered.

Luckily there will be enough wii's to satify people's appetite for new toys. I'll just wait til Jan to grab one, after the holiday rush, when prices and lines are normal again.

[Gamey McGee @ Oct 10th 2006 4:57PM]

"Reports vary, but from the sound of things, most stores are getting 16 units, with 2 of those available to store employees, which should give a pretty good indication of the scarcity of the PS3 headed into the holidays"

Actually, no. That doesn't have a thing to do with holiday availability of PS3. ONE CHAIN is offering that many for the FIRST DAY of release. It in no way gives an idea of the ramp-up to the holiday buying season. There should be 2 million available by the end of the year. 400k in the US at launch. One store is offering 16 per store X 1,000's of stores.

I knew Engadget / Joystiq and company couldn't resist throwing a punch at PS3 given the chance.