It seemed inevitable that pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 would sell out quickly. Between last year’s shortages and the number of consoles expected to hit the shores of the United States, it’s understandable why one would be willing to fork over $100 for nothing more than a slip of paper that may or may not guarantee you a PS3 on launch day.
So, naturally, PS3 pre-orders at GameStop/EB locations around the country were quickly whisked away by avid gamers, wonderful spouses and eBay connoisseurs (also known to many as eBay bums). In fact, they flew off store shelves–or more appropriately, store registers–quicker than the Xbox 360 did, according to Kotaku. Kotaku is also reporting that a GameStop spokesman confirmed that by 2 p.m. Mountain Time (4 on the East Coast, and 1 on the West), every one of the 3,600 stores’ pre-orders had been sold out. Judging by first-hand reports from all around the country, this happened within minutes of each store’s opening.
This isn’t a major surprise, and was widely anticipated. GameStop/EB’s plans for an online pre-order program have yet to be revealed, and will be announced at a later date.
