Analyst: Console Shortages To Stretch Well Into 2007

According to a new analyst report, shortages of the Wii and particularly the PlayStation 3 could continue far into 2007 in North America, as the companies struggle to fulfil continuing major demand for the next-gen consoles. A new Reuters report on the relative unavailability of the consoles cites American Technology Research analyst PJ McNealy suggesting that the PlayStation 3 will likely remain scarce through the June 2007 quarter in the U.S. "They have to launch in Europe, and they're stretched," commented McNealy. McNealy also noted that Sony's target of 1 million by the end of 2006 might only translate to 600,000 to 800,000 units at retail by the end of December, since some may have shipped but would still not have arrived in stores. He did not address whether Sony has missed the milestone or not. According to the piece, Wii shortages are less extreme, with more reaching stores on a regular basis, though they quickly sell out when they do. McNealy suggested that Wii shortages could ease in the March 2007 quarter in North America. The most recent update on Nintendo sales in the U.S. indicated that over 600,000 units were sold in the first eight days in the Americas, but retracted a statement that "well over 1 million" Wiis would be available by the end of the year, casting uncertainty over an exact target figure.