With only about 6 million PS4s and Xbox One systems expected to ship worldwide this year, demand will be insatiable. Retailers such as Best Buy and GameStop have pre-sold their expected shares of the 3 million to 4 million systems due in the U.S. on each system's launch date.
Both retailers hope to have a few extra systems at launch for last-minute purchase, but shoppers may need to physically wait in line at midnight sale events. GameStop already has a waiting list of 2.2 million customers to alert when systems are available.
Pre-ordered systems are already being hawked on eBay at a premium, with $399 PS4s getting $600 or more, while Xbox Ones ($499) are going for as much as $1,000 or more. "There is consumer demand well in excess of supply," says Baird Equity Research analyst Colin Sebastian.
Interest in the new game consoles is rivaling that of tablets on holiday wish lists. About 18% of homes with broadband Internet connections plan to buy a tablet this holiday season, compared with 16% for a game console, according to a recent survey by Parks Associates. Last year, tablets outpaced game systems 19% vs. 11%.
The PlayStation 4 promises 10 times the computing power of the PS3 and has a new controller with a small touch-screen display that brings new interactivity to game mechanics. Also 10 times more powerful is the Xbox One's Kinect controller, which lets you power up the game system with your face and use your voice and gestures to control games and TV programming. Both systems also make it easier to connect to social networks.
Source : USA TODAY
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