Game Developer

To be available to purchase strait off the shelf without having a reserve? Cuase I dont feel like reserving it, dont got the cash right now, but i will a month or so after it comes out.

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Ben D.

It's hard to say. All the preorders are gone, but they haven't started online preorders yet. And Best Buy, who doesn't do preorders, is expected to get like half the PS3 shipment on launch day (about 200,000), so they should be available there. Sony also says they'll ship about 1 million PS3s by the end of the year.

However, Microsoft says they shipped about 900,000 in the same time frame after launch last year, and I think everyone remembers just how impossible it was to find one around the holidays...

My guess is that it's going to be tough to get a PS3 this year if you don't have a preorder; you'll have to be on the ball, and getting places early.

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Ryan H.

I wouldn't count on getting one off the shelf for quite some time without a good deal of luck and patience.

Sony is shipping even less PS3s than they did PS2s, and only slightly more than the 360 shipped at launch.

If they can shore up numbers quickly (read: before the end of the year) it may make things easier in the short term, but unless they've got their lines running like MAD right now (which I doubt) I wouldn't count on being able to walk into a store and find a PS3 for quite some time.

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Gabriel013

It could be much like the 360 launch in that the premium version is non existant but the cheaper version is available after a few months. I doubt you'll be able to walk into a shop and buy one in the first 1 or two months though.

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Mr. SunburnMan

They did say that they would ship 80% tard pack (premium) and 20% good pack.

But yeah, I expect another 360-like debacle. At least the retailers are prepared for it this time.

If you have any lucks, it'll be where they don't take preorders.

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Gabriel013

Not long after 360 launch I saw a good few budget packs around but not a premium pack in sight. This will be more of the same.

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HannibleL316

But were the 360's being offered anything like the ratio 80-20 that the PS3 is going to be?

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GamerPrincess

If it's anything like the XBox 360 launch, I'd say wait until about early February? I think that's when I'd slowly see available 360s on the shelf in Target and I'm pretty sure the PS3 launch will be the same maybe even more hectic.

As for in a month, buying off the shelf? If you really want to take that chance then prepare to call your local best buy or any other store that doesn't deal with pre-orders (since most of those stores won't sell to anyone without a reserve/pre-order) and be prepared to show up at the store at at least 7am. And no, I'm not exaggerating since this is what I had to do for a 360 (since I decided too late that I wanted one =\). I started this a week before Christmas and ended up getting one the first or second week of January.

Linkin Park 47

I would definitely say pre-order. In europe, PS2 caused riots with its amount or lack thereof.

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Gabriel013

I didn't notice with the 360 as I ordered online. With the PS2 I almost had to have armed guards to get home with it.

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