A few weeks ago we visited a Costco in Chandler, AZ. and were shocked to see a small pallet of Playstation 4 consoles. This was the only time we had seen the consoles in a retail setting since launch in the area, and as we had noted prior, the Xbox One is readily available at most area retail outlets but not so common for Sony’s system.
Upon our return visit, there was not a single Playstation 4 unit to be found, but there was a large pallet of Xbox One systems and controllers. I asked the clerk about this and he he told us that they cannot keep the Playstation 4 in stock. He said no sooner do they arrive than they are gone with a day or so at best. On the other hand, the Xbox One has been slow to move recently as he indicated the abundance of them in the store. The staffer stated that they got the order in for the President’s Day weekend but as of Monday, very few of the units priced at $479.99 have moved.
The staffer said that many customers upon seeing the abundance have asked where the Playstation 4 units are kept and are disappointed when they hear the units are not in stock.
While it is to early to say Microsoft is fighting an uphill battle, it is clear that supply and demand for the Playstation 4 continues to be an issue and that demand for the Xbox One has been waning in recent weeks. Perhaps the pending release of TitanFall will increase sales of the Xbox One which would be welcome news for retailers looking to move their stock.
