GameStop To Begin Taking PS3 Pre-Orders

In the lead up to the November 17 launch of the PlayStation 3, U.S. video games retailer GameStop has confirmed that it will begin taking pre-orders for the upcoming console starting today, October 10, according to numerous online reports. According to the retailer, it will require a $100 deposit in order to pre-order a PlayStation 3, though this alone will not guarantee that a customer will be able to purchase a console on the launch day. Reservations and purchases are said to be limited to just one per household, while some employees are suggesting that most stores are only expecting eight units total to sell. Other, more prominent stores could see as many as sixteen PlayStation 3 hardware units, according to these reports, while in either case, no more than two consoles will be able to be purchased by store employees. In August, following the announcement of the financial results for the company’s second quarter, GameStop's executive VP and CFO David Carlson expressed some concern regarding the PlayStation 3's release. At that time, he commented that the company was remaining conservative “until [the consoles] actually show up at our warehouse.” He also noted at that the company was expecting itself to receive "around a million units of PS3 in the US”, though later clarification found that number to be considerably less. Sony's Ken Kutaragi confirmed in early September that the company only anticipates 400,000 PlayStation 3 consoles will be available in North America for the November launch. [UPDATE: GameStop's corporate office has informed Gamasutra that it has stopped taking pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 as of noon PST, due to all existing pre-order slots being filled.]