HMV has a cunning PS3 plan

HMV’s offering 5,000 people the opportunity to pre-order a PS3 online – provided they also buy a PSP and some games, bringing the total to a very reasonable £674.99. Apparently if you order this bargain bundle you’ll take precedence over other HMV online customers in the PS3 stakes – although there’s no guarantee that if you do take advantage of this fantastic deal, you’ll get your console on launch day or at any time close to launch day. The small print says “HMV cannot guarantee that registration on the Priority List means that you will receive your PS3 on the estimated release date, nor that your order will be fulfilled within any given time frame.”

A Sony spokesperson told Gamesindustry.biz, which broke the story:

“This is just one of a number of value added incentives that retailers will be offering to mark the launch of PS3.

“Consumers are free to shop around to find a package that best suits their own needs, and offers the greatest value for money.”

But why shop around when HMV’s offfering such a good deal?


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0 responses to “HMV has a cunning PS3 plan”

  1. Gary

    There’s a brilliant comment on Eurogamer. Ramaldi wrote:

    I love the way, at the bottom of the page, they tell you that “customers who bought this also bought…”

    A private jet? 50 hookers and a limo? A rolex for each wrist? Two 1080p Sony TVs to use the dual HDMI feature of the PS3? Hang on…

  2. So this is to get in line to buy the console that costs twice as much as the Wii, is half the fun to play, and is only in short supply because Sony are too fucking useless to manage to make enough for their own (late) launch date? Uh, I think I might be washing my hair then.

  3. This article on PS3 scalpers in the US seeing their arses says it all, really:

    http://tinyurl.com/2ews3y

  4. This article about PS3 scalpers in the US seeing their arses says it all really:

    http://tinyurl.com/2ews3y

  5. I tried to post a link to an article about PS3 scalpers in the US losing loadsamoney as PS3 sales continue to tank, but WordPress didn’t seem to like the TinyURL for some reason.

  6. Gary

    The post went into the moderation queue as suspected spam. Dunno why, because it’s set to treat posts with more than one link as spam. Unless it included your site link in the total.

    Should be there now.

  7. Thought it could be that but I’ve posted a single link before (earlier today even!) so it is odd.

  8. It was probably the combination of a link and the word “arses”.

  9. mupwangle

    I would be very surprised if there is anything like the shortages in the states or the UK launches of the wii and the 360. I think they’ve got their supply chain sorted. It’s also spring not christmas and the £100 price difference between here and the US will get a lot of coverage.

  10. Gary

    Is it just me, or is the tale of sad would-be ebay scalpers wallowing in misery utterly heartwarming?

  11. >Is it just me, or is the tale of sad would-be ebay scalpers wallowing in misery utterly heartwarming?

    More heartwarming than the conclusion to “A Christmas Carol”. One could almost believe it was to describe such situations that the word “schadenfreude” was invented. Danke schoen!

  12. Gary

    HMV’s backed down, according to computeractive:

    However, the company has now changed its plans, and will offer the PS3 on a “first come, first served basis, with priority going to those customers who registered an initial interest to receive PS3 pre-order details once they were confirmed”.

    In a statement prepared for Computeractive, HMV said: “Now that we’ve been able to confirm our level of PS3 stock with Sony, we’re in a position to revise our original online offer.

    “We will therefore be writing imminently to all the customers who have indicated that they wish to make the dual purchase to advise them that they can now pre-order the PS3 console by itself, if they prefer.”

    The company has also promised to inform all its other online customers via email that they will be making a limited quantity of PS3 consoles available to pre-order online with the majority of consoles being made available to pre-order through the chain of stores.

    Translation:

    Zoinks! Foiled again!