There's a console shortage again. Wiis and PS3s are in short supply, and it's nearly as hard to get either system as it was in 2007. Odds are this is all news to you, since the common perception is that nearly everyone who wants a Wii has it, and that most have already made the jump to PlayStation 3 once the Slim dropped, if they hadn't already. This isn't the case, and according to a recent Gamestop conference call, both systems will be in short supply for at least a few more months.

When asked about the shortages, Gamestop's executive VP of Merchandising Tony Bartel had the following to say:

"Obviously it's a question we ask the platform holders constantly. I can tell you that we do anticipate we will be in this situation, at least with the PlayStation 3, for another couple months unfortunately because we could sell a lot more hardware than what we have on both the PS3 and Wii platform."

He then stated that he believes the Wii will come into stock quicker than the PS3, but couldn't give a date that the drout would be over. He also didn't know why it was happening, either, stating that he believes it's likely related to "the unprecedented hardware demand in December," saying that, "we [Gamestop] are still scrambling to catch up from the surge that occurred."

This matches up with tips we'd received earlier in the week about the console shortages lasting for a few more months before becoming more readily available. This is sad news for anyone looking to buy a PS3 for God of War III, Heavy Rain, or FFXIII, and Nintendo fans looking forward to the company's stellar summer line-up. Hopefully both companies can press more motherboards in time, because lost sales are a shame, and hurt the entire industry. Maybe we should get in touch with Kevin Butler from the future, he might know if things are fixed by the time the Move comes out.

[Source]