No PS3? Look at the alternatives (topix.net)

- topix.net -

Attention shoppers: We have no PlayStation 3s. If you thought last year's shortage of Xbox 360s was bad, this year's shortage of PS3s will reach a new level. All the stars are aligned to drive shoppers mad with frustration.

Sony's got the best brand name and market share in video games, so it will attract the most fans. But the company had fewer than its promised 400,000 units available on Day One of sales. It won't be easy to reach 1.2 million sold by year-end in North America. And that number is less than the 1.5 million Xbox 360s sold by Microsoft last year.

It's worth noting that shoppers were frustrated with Microsoft's shortages last year, and they also noticed reliability problems such as overheating on many of the consoles. It took about 10 months before Microsoft decided to replace failed consoles free of charge.

'There are no reports of problems so far' with the PlayStation 3 shipments, said Jill Hamburger, vice president of gaming at Best Buy. 'We expect regular shipments throughout the season, but we don't know what the schedule is now.'

Fortunately, there are other choices. Nintendo's Wii game console will be more plentiful, with approximately 2 million units earmarked for sales this year in North America. Nintendo promises weekly shipments. And this year, Microsoft has abundant supplies of the Xbox 360.

Sony hopes to replenish supplies as it can, as consoles are shipped in by airplane. Typically, a single factory can make 100,000 units a week, but Sony hasn't said how much capacity it has. Dave Karraker, a spokesman, said Friday that the PS3s were likely to be sold out and consumers should stay in touch with local retailers. He said Sony doesn't recommend 'after-market retailers,' because it isn't easy to verify their legitimacy.

On eBay, the PlayStation 3, which is supposed to retail for up to $600, is selling for $2,000 or more.

Edgar Alcala, an 18-year-old San Francisco student, waited more than 40 hours to get a PlayStation 3 at Sony's PlayStation store at the Metreon in San Francisco. But he said he was willing to sell it on eBay for the right price.

All three console makers are heavily advertising their consoles to stir up demand, but that doesn't mean they have enough consoles to feed demand. Each console is unique and will have its own set of exclusive games. So it isn't necessarily a good idea to surprise a gamer who expects one system with something else -- unless you check ahead of time.

If the consoles are hard to get or too expensive, there are cheaper options: the $199 PlayStation Portable, the $129 Nintendo DS or $79 Nintendo GameBoy handhelds. And so far this year, Sony's older $129 PlayStation 2 has been outselling the Xbox 360. But be warned: Your kid may never forgive you if you buy an older system.