Sony warns of PS3 shortages

Sony has said that shortages of PlayStation 3 hardware could be imminent, following strong demand for the console over the holiday period.

According to a statement issued by the company's senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, following the release of January's NPD figures, demand for the console at retail has been exceptionally high over the last couple of months.

"We're working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months," he said.

January's US sales figures showed the PS3 experienced the highest year-on-year growth of all the consoles, amounting to 36 per cent. The console sold 1.36m units in December - a higher number than Xbox 360, just behind on 1.31m.

"The strong demand carrying through the holidays was evident and early in the month we [knew] there was going to be limited supply of the PS3 at retail in January," Seybold added, speaking to Joystiq. "We're working closely with the retail channel to meet this demand, but expect tight supply for the coming months."

In response to the shortage, Amazon US has restricted customers to one PS3 per household.

"As you may know, the PlayStation 3 120 GB is in great demand. In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase PlayStation 3 120 GB, we are limiting the total number of [...] units that can be purchased. As a result, each household may only purchase one PlayStation 3 120 GB unit," the website currently reads.

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