PS4 Shortages, Still? What Gives, Sony?

[[NOTE: I have written a new blog in order to remedy some of the mistakes that I made in this one. This one will stay up for reference, but before you comment about how "dumb" I am, please read the newest blog at http://n4g.com/user/blogpos... ]]

I’ve been looking for a PS4 now for about two months. Yes, I know we just got past the holiday season, and yes, I know there could be many people out there who have the system. Yes, I regret not putting this thing on preorder now.

But it’s been two months now, and Sony has yet to solve this supply problem? I don’t want to be the one to think there something sneaky going on, as I think Sony has done a good job in this new gen so far in the way of consumer goodwill and getting indie game developers involved, but it could be time to call this out and perhaps get Sony to get more supply lines going, or investigate the eBay trolls, or something, because it’s rather ridiculous.

Why do I say that? Look at the first week or so of the Xbone’s launch. Notice that I couldn’t find that in stock, either. Now, of course, because the Xbone is in stock now as opposed to during that time frame, it could mean that Sony is just on the ball with how to sell their system compared with whatever Microsoft is doing. That is true, in a way.

That is, until you consider that the two systems are virtually neck to neck in sales, and while we see the PS4 ahead, it’s not by much. It’s hard to declare a clear winner right now, even though the PS4 is ahead of the game on that front. So, how is it that Microsoft is able to do what Sony cannot if this is true? It makes it hard to believe that shortages across the board are so extreme and so widespread that you cannot find one anywhere while the XBone is clearly in stock wherever you go, especially when you consider that the Xbone had the stronger launch title lineup, headlined by Killer Instinct, and when, at the time, we thought that Microsoft had rescinded their draconian DRM restrictions (there is more than one outlet reporting THAT fiasco that recently sprouted up, so don’t think it’s just an anti-Microsoft fan’s dream that they are going through this)?

Sony has already been accused of limiting supply of the PS4 to drive up the price and/or demand for the system. Of course, they laughed off this idea, but they need to do more than that to kill that kind of suspicion, especially after seeing that the numbers aren’t that much of a landslide. Right now, the only place to buy the system is through either eBay, a combo on Newegg, or through a third party seller on Amazon.com, and all of those START at the 699 price point and go up to the four digit range. I don’t think a single person, unless they have a meth lab in their basement or they think they’re buying Alienware, will go and buy ANY console system for that much. You might as well use that money to upgrade your PC and download stuff off of Steam or GOG, because you can probably get it to where your PC trumps the tech specs all three systems COMBINED with not a lot out of pocket.

Yeah, they got to do SOMETHING about this and at least acknowledge that this just isn’t normal for a game system to be THAT out of stock in THAT many places, while the untrusted sources are able to sell it for triple its original value. Look at Best Buy, for example. Christmas Day, I saw that the PS4 was in stock. This was AFTER the shopping season had passed. So, do you think it might’ve not had this effect? Nope! It was out of stock the very next day, and in order for me to go find out if my local Best Buy has it in stock, I need to make a ten minute drive to see if they even have one (which, last I checked, they DID have a few units…which was on Sunday before Christmas Eve), because they won’t even tell you over the phone.

It might be a good idea, because what I believe is going on is the eBay issue. People are finding ways to get around the “one per customer” route (that does exist at some stores) to be able to get these things on eBay. I don’t think there can be any other way to describe such a shortage other than accusing Sony of something we really DON’T want to accuse them of or Sony just being lazy in getting more supply chains open and just deal with this issue.

Of course, I could be paranoid or just wrong and this all is exactly what Sony has said: that this will remedy itself by next year. But so far, it doesn’t look like it’ll be the case as long as this is never addressed in full context that tells us that Sony is taking this supply shortage extremely seriously and aren’t just artificially inflating demand by limiting supply. Address why we cannot find this system anywhere, but eBay trolls seem to find the consoles rather easily.

Because, if they don’t do that – NOW – you’re going to be seeing a vast shift of people who will give up and just buy the Xbone for the sheer act of them not being able to find any other entry into next gen gaming outside of the failing WiiU. I assure you customers will NOT wait for Sony to leisurely get off their ass and correct this situation before they get sick of them not addressing such an issue. No system in the history of EVER has had this bad of a supply issue at launch. I was able to find a Wii rather easily, though it was a used one I got from a Gamestop, I could still at least FIND one. So not even the Wii’s shortages were THIS bad.

And if they were…perhaps Sony should’ve learned from the mistakes of the past.