US: Sony warns of PS3 shortages

Such is the momentum driving Sony’s PS3 onwards and upwards right now that SCEA has warned consumers that retail may face shortages of the in-demand console over the coming weeks.

We’re working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months,” communications boss Patrick Seybold said in a statement.

The platform holder last week suggested that PS3’s 276k unit sales in the US in January – somewhat behind Xbox 360’s 332k sales – would have been higher were it not for what SCEA boss Jack Tretton described as the tight inventory we’ve been experiencing as a result of high consumer demand since last fall”.

The next few weeks will see several PS3-exclusive titles hit retail including Heavy Rain, God of War III and Yakuza 3. There’s also the little matter of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII, which is released on March 9th.