DualShock 3 Going to be a Hot Item

If you were planning on picking up a DualShock 3 by casually browsing over to your favorite videogame import website when it’s released in Japan on November 11, you’re probably going to be disappointed. According to GamesIndustry.biz, demand for the new controller is so high that pre-orders have been filled, and prices are likely to inflate.

Play Asia has stated that its allocation has been pre-sold and will have limited availability. National Console Support is suggesting that, to sell the DualShock 3, the entire PlayStation 3 console would have to be sold right along with it.

“Please wait for further updates from our Japanese distributors in the next few days but so far, it’s not looking good for readily available stock on November 11,” states the retailer. “If prices ratchet up too high, we’d advise patience since prices should eventually drop to normalcy within 2-3 weeks after the Japanese debut.”

Who would have thought that a controller could create such a buzz?

With an unannounced release date in North America and Europe, there will certainly be a lot of gamers looking to get their hands on the new controller. What’s interesting is that Sony may ultimately benefit from holding back on the DualShock, as they sold Sixaxis controllers up until now, and now many gamers might go and replace those controllers with the new DualShock upon its release. It’s unlikely Sony lost many, if any, sales of its console over the lack of rumble, and they could very well cash-in by releasing the controller now.