Amazon Limits Number Of PS3 Slim Consoles Per Household

So, Sony announced the PlayStation 3 Slim yesterday, and while we're sure you read about it, and are clamoring to get one, Amazon wants you to hold your horses. While they have the console up for pre-order right now, they are now limiting the number of consoles available to a household down to a marginal one console per home. Of course, this isn't really unheard of, especially not with the launch of a new console, so it's not necessarily unorthodox. But, Amazon is also saying that there are already shortages across the US. So, did Sony not manufacture enough for the initial September launch? Or has the PlayStation 3 suddenly become preternaturally desired?

"As you know, the PlayStation 3 120GB is in great demand, and there are shortages of this product across the US," Amazon declared in an official statement. "In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase the PlayStation 3 120GB, we are limiting the total number of PlayStation 3 120GB units that can be purchased. As a result, each household may only purchase one PlayStation 3 120GB unit."

There are analysts like Jesse Divnich of EEDAR that say retailers aren't making much off consoles anyway. While the markup on the machines is low, almost nothing, retailers are able to also make money on the peripherals, from controllers to cables. And let's not forget the video games. Divnich also noted that a household probably has no reason to have more than one or two PS3s (or any console for that matter)  in their home anyway, because buying up a load of them could send up red flags.

It will be interesting to see the sales numbers released by Sony after the launch fo the new console. Will the PS3 Slim really impact the market all that much? Will an impending Microsoft price drop of the Xbox 360 (the Elite is currently the highest priced console available) change things? Whatever happens, the future is still bright for these consoles, especially considering the possibilities of including upcoming peripherals bundled with consoles, like Microsoft's Project Natal and the Motion Sensing controllers from Sony.

[via TG Daily]