It seems that Japan, home base for Sony, is getting the short end of the stick with the upcoming release of the PlayStation 3. First, they were only allocated 1/4 as many units as North America at launch, and today we’re finding out that even that initial number of 100,000 might have been a little high.
According to IGN, today’s Nikkei Keizai Shimbun morning edition stated that due to component shortages (more than likely involving the Blu-Ray player), that the initial estimate of 100,000 PS3s for Japan’s launch has been scaled back to 80,000. That’s a 20% decrease!
As you’re probably well aware from reading VGBlogger and other sites, the PlayStation 3 will not be easy to come by this year, especially with Sony adjusting shipment forecasts this close to launch. Although no official word of a lower North American target was mentioned, I can’t imagine us weathering this new shortage without losing a few thousand units in the end.
Having over 25 years of gaming experience, Zach knows a thing or two when it comes to one of his favorite entertainment activities. Additionally, he has also written many articles previewing and reviewing titles which can be found in various places around the net, including VGBlogger.com. 
