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Amazon.com passes on Wii, PS3 preorders

With days to go before console launches, online megastore says it won't take preorders; may not be able to deliver product until 2007.

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This weekend is shaping up to be a hectic three days for gamers looking to get the newest additions to the next-gen console family. High demand and low supply are causing problems for retailers, with GameStop already admitting that it won't be able to fulfill the PlayStation 3 preorders it has taken.

Seeing the opportunity to avoid a potential nightmare, online retailer Amazon.com has opted to not take preorders for the PS3 and will not take further preorders for the Wii. A forum goer claiming to be a member of Amazon's video game editorial staff broke the news on the products' message boards.

"This was not an easy decision, but we made the decision because we want to ensure that we can fulfill all of the orders that are placed within a reasonable time period," reads the post.

For gamers hoping to get the new consoles in time for Christmas, Amazon cautioned that delivery by the end of 2006 wasn't a guarantee. "We understand your frustration, but we believe it would be extremely irresponsible if we took preorders for product that we may not be able to deliver until 2007."

The news was better for the Wii, though, as Amazon stated that customers who did preorder the Wii online should receive their systems "shortly after" the system's launch date of November 19.

Amazon was not available to confirm or deny the news as of press time.

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