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| PS2 Christmas shortage due to Suez blockage |
| Tuesday, December 07, 2004 at 12:07 by Craig Beaumont |
Problems with the supply of Sony's slim version of its Playstation 2 console have hit major retailers in the UK, with stores such as Virgin, Dixons and Amazon all announcing a shortage of the machine saying that stocks may not arrive till after Christmas.
The problem is down to the seasonal demand in the run up to Christmas and a hold-up in the Suez canal where a ship carrying the stock of PS2 console has been delayed by a Liberian-registered fuel tanker that has broken down. Sony is reported to be airlifting consoles to the UK in an attempt to meet demand and stop Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox Live service becoming a greater hit this Christmas. A spokesperson from Sony said:
"A super-tanker full of PlayStation2's from our factory in China got stuck in the Suez Canal. We are having to make arrangements to fly them over in Russian cargo planes."
Customers can still get hold of some consoles in the UK, but stores are being devious in how they are selling them. As PS2's are restocked, bundles with games, eye-toys and memory cards are being allocated the first consoles, meaning they have to spend around £250 before getting one. Customers who just want to buy the console on its own are being told that it isn't possible.
Meanwhile, as parents desperate to get their children a PS2 in time for Christmas are bidding up to £400 for a standalone console on eBay, just to make sure they can get one by the 25th.
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| Oh well, looks like this may be he year Xbox strikes back. Not that I dont like my PS2 (I have had one since launch) But I am fed up with the vast amounts of dross that have started to appear. Reminds me of the dying days of the PS1 when you started getting Barbie games n stuff for a tenner!!! Xbox releases are far more in keeping with advances in technology. And for all you muppets harping on about Half Life 2 on PC being superior to Halo, theyre both good games and soon Half Life 2 will be on our beloved Xbox anyway yay! (along with Far Cry and Doom 3 too, previously showcase PC games) |
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| I'll be interested to see how HL2 looks on an Xbox compaired to the PC version. Still think the graphics will be toned down for it, but apart from that, it's a fantastic game :) |
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| Hilarious! Sony is airlifting them to the UK!! |
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quote:
Originally posted by kavakava
Hilarious! Sony is airlifting them to the UK!!
With the Xbox and the PS2 priced so close to each other in the UK and Xbox Live taking off in a big way, Sony seem desperate not to lose any ground to Microsoft - especially at such an important sales time as Christmas |
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| No doubt the graphics will be toned down for the Xbox version of Half Life 2. But then an Xbox only costs £100 whereas a PC meaty enough to run it at a decent rate will set you back around £1000 (even more for Alienware etc), thats 10 times more expensive... go figure. |
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| That's if you bought your Xbox recently, they were £299 or £399 when they first came out (i can't remember exactly, but i'm sure someone will tell me) - That's the price of a good upgrade now ;) |
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| I think my Xbox was £279, I got it a couple of months after it came out. I do agree it's unfair to say and Xbox is 100 quid as it's so heavily subsidised by MS. (And before any one says anything I know the PS2 is heavily subsidised by Sony, although I suspect not quite to the same level as the Xbox, i think you have to buy at least 4 games for MS to make any money on the sale)
Whether or not that is the price of a good upgrade is a little more debatable, my current Graphics card cost 280 notes, which is more than my Xbox cost! And that's without adding extra RAM, a new CPU or a quick Mainboard upgrade! |
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Problems with the supply of Sony's slim version of its Playstation 2 console have hit major retailers in the UK, with stores such as Virgin, Dixons and Amazon all announcing a shortage of the machine saying that stocks may not arrive till after Christmas.
The problem is down to the seasonal demand in the run up to Christmas and a hold-up in the Suez canal where a ship carrying the stock of PS2 console has been delayed by a Liberian-registered fuel tanker that has broken down. Sony is reported to be airlifting consoles to the UK in an attempt to meet demand and stop Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox Live service becoming a greater hit this Christmas. A spokesperson from Sony said:
"A super-tanker full of PlayStation2's from our factory in China got stuck in the Suez Canal. We are having to make arrangements to fly them over in Russian cargo planes."
Customers can still get hold of some consoles in the UK, but stores are being devious in how they are selling them. As PS2's are restocked, bundles with games, eye-toys and memory cards are being allocated the first consoles, meaning they have to spend around £250 before getting one. Customers who just want to buy the console on its own are being told that it isn't possible.
Meanwhile, as parents desperate to get their children a PS2 in time for Christmas are bidding up to £400 for a standalone console on eBay, just to make sure they can get one by the 25th. |
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