Place your pre-orders early as PS4 demand could well outstrip supply

The arrival of any new game console is frustrating for consumers, but this holiday season may be a rough one for would-be PS4 buyers.

Sony CEO Jack Tretton expects to have more PlayStation 4 buyers than the company will be able to satisfy.

"I certainly think, given the technology that we're offering, given the software lineup, given the price point we have, that we'll have consumers interested in excess of what we're able to manufacture," Tretton told Forbes during a post-E3 interview this week.

Tretton's comments echo those of the parent company's President and Group CEO Andrew House, who cautioned at last week's hardware unveil that demand "may well outstrip supply."

GameStop stocks up

Making Sony's PS4 supply chain problem potentially worse is the insatiable appetite of specialized video game retailers like GameStop.

Tretton revealed that GameStop executives have committed to buying "every single unit" of the PS4 Sony can come up with, a good indication that demand for the next-gen console will be higher than many expect.

However, the retailer isn't just buying blindly. At the end of March, GameStop already signed up nearly 900,000 eager buyers looking to be notified about PS4 pre-orders.

Although GameStop hasn't disclosed preorder numbers in the wake of the full E3 unveil, it's likely that number has mushroomed considerably since then.

• Check out our up-to-date review of the PS4!

Via GameSpot UK