GameStop and EB Games stores are going to start accepting pre-orders for Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console on Tuesday, according to their Web sites.
Due to “extremely limited supply,” the stores expect their allocations of what is perhaps the holiday’s season’s most eagerly anticipated gadget to run out in minutes.
A $100 deposit is required for each order, but even that won’t guarantee that a PlayStation 3 will be available when the console goes on sale on Nov. 17, according to the notices, because the stores have no control over production and shipping issues.
The console will be sold in two versions, for $499 and $599. Sony Corp. has said it plans to ship 2 million units by the end of the year.
GameStop and EB Games are both owned by GameStop Corp., based in Grapevine, Texas. It has over 4,400 outlets, making it the world’s largest video game retailer.
GameStop has not yet announced pre-orders for the season’s other object of gamer desire, Nintendo Corp.’s Wii console. It is expected in stores Nov. 19.