Play-Asia cans PS3 pre-orders

By Games Industry.biz Published 30 October, 2006

Curses!

Following the closure of Lik-Sang last week, fellow online retailer Play-Asia.com has told customers reserving an import PlayStation 3 that their preorders have been cancelled.

In an email sent out to consumers yesterday, Play-Asia cited "licensing and distribution limitations" as the reason for the cancellations.

"As a result, we are very sorry to let you know that we have now cancelled your non-binding reservation with us," the email continues.

"Rest assured, as this was a 'no money down' reservation only, no funds have been debited in any way."

All the listings on the retailer's website for PS3 units, games and accessories have now been changed to read "preorders closed".

The news comes less than a week after Lik-Sang announced it was to close following a series of lawsuits filed by Sony over the issue of import PSPs. Earlier this month, Sony warned that it would "utilise the full scope of the law" to prevent retailers from importing any of its consoles.

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Comments (70) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Zomoniac #1 5 years ago

    Well at least they haven't been shut down too. Damn Sony. Damn them to hell.

    First \o/

  • rudedudejude #2 5 years ago

    Ahh well. Sony and their customers will lose out yet again.

    What a great decision Sony, you bunch of communists.

  • el_pollo_diablo #3 5 years ago

    Does this have implications for any company other than Sony?

    I'm thinking Nintendo really, as the 360 isn't really a massive force in Japan exclusive gaming.

  • PuffyPipe #4 5 years ago

    Sony can chow on shaft.

  • El_MUERkO #5 5 years ago

    so Sony have succeeded in moving everyone from the gray market to ebay where people are even more likely to get ripped off ... nice

  • kangarootoo #6 5 years ago

    @Adam_T

    "What a great decision Sony, you bunch of communists"

    Communists? Did you grow up in the US the 50s or something? :)

  • peterfll #7 5 years ago

    There are still other places to order a PS3 from abroad from.

    Lots of independant Canadian places, as an example. I'd list them, but fear some sort of Sony zealot might hijack the forum and send the boys in Blu Ray Blue the details.

    Point is; you can still import a PS3 this year if you really really want to.

    My feelings toward the PS3 and whether I'll still buy one are mixed since the whole Lik-Sang shebang. I'm still sulking basically.
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 13:05

  • Xerx3s #8 5 years ago

    Sony is our friend.

  • lambtron #9 5 years ago

    The PS3 is too good for us! ;)

  • Nostromo13 #10 5 years ago

    come march what do you think europe's allocation will be? i am guessing 100,000.

  • Eldritch #11 5 years ago

    I'm waiting for Sony to allow grey imports, if customers agree on buying at least 12 UMD films for every PS3 games and at least 50 UMD films for a PS3 itself.

    That way, there'll still be plenty of room in that E.T. landfill left.

  • Markusdragon #12 5 years ago

    Europe doesn't mind the delay, and it doesn't mind the delay so much that we're getting rid of companies that exist purely because Europe hates the delay to an extreme.

  • JediMasterMalik #13 5 years ago

    Really, we all knew this would happen, if it didn't, Sony would have sued Play-Asia aswell, at least Play-asia are being smart about it, unlike Lik-Sang. It'd be ncie if Sony didn't do this to stop Europeans getting Ps3's, but they have, and there's little point bitching, it's not gonna help any. Is anyone really surrpised by this?

  • brooza #14 5 years ago

    come march what do you think europe's allocation will be?

    7

  • brooza #15 5 years ago

    It's all because, after how well Sony have treated us Europeans, we had the unmitigated gall to take PS3s from the Japanese allocation. Why can't we just be patient.



    (Yes, I know it all stems from before the PS3 debacle, so if you like just replace PS3 with PSP in the above sentence - it still fits!)
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 13:43

  • AcidSnake #16 5 years ago

    "you bunch of communists"
    That's completely the other way round...
    It's a filthy capitalist ploy!...

    Add one to the "that's why I will not be buying a PS3" list then...

    And still....after all this shit Sony's been doing...
    It will still sell in europe...

  • bigbadbeasty #17 5 years ago

    Releasing in March!?? Hahahahahahaha

  • JonFE #18 5 years ago

    @disc, after the numerous occasions where you've been vocally against the x360 and for PS3, it's nice to finally see your change of heart :)

    @Jedi, I really wonder, if, by any chance, you where in Japan around Nov/Dec and saw a PS3 for sale for half the price we Europeans are supposed to pay for it in a few months time (see how I avoided mentioning March :), would you go for it or would you consider that buying it would be illegal?

  • SeesThroughAll #19 5 years ago

    I wasn't planning on importing anyway...

    Just a Wii for me, then :)

  • mkreku #20 5 years ago

    Boycott Sony!

  • Zomoniac #21 5 years ago

    come march what do you think europe's allocation will be?

    7

    You're more optimistic than me. We haven't had the last delay yet...

  • mrsquare #22 5 years ago

    This is going to be fun - I have visions of importing games becoming like trying to get some booze in prohibition America. We'll all be heading down our local speakeasy to try to get a go on Pysvariar 3...

  • dbeamish #23 5 years ago

    sony have teh bad aids

  • Xerx3s #24 5 years ago

    It's not a question of whether sony is right or not, but one about customer being king. I'm a consumer. A very sceptical one at that. I despised everything about the xbox when it came into play and boycotted it for 1,5 years until MS finally had proven itself that it could satisfy my needs.
    Every product needs to earn the right in my eyes to be bought. Yet sony goes to great lengths to make me feel like something not worth their attention. Even if they are right, it's a platform that benefit's me, the consumer, the guy that pays their bills by buying their products. If they attack it, they attack me. I don't care that they are right, I want to play those games and if they won't let me, that's just fine. There are two other companies that luv my money.

    Last year, I didn't believe that the revolution could turn into a good long-term investment. Now, I'm planning to buy it. Why? Because ninty showed me what I wanted to see while I didn't get the feeling that someone anally probed me.

    Comman sony, remove my scepticism! Resistance and HS are a good step in the right direction but it takes alot more of that and alot less of this to get me there.

    To the "Z0MG! BUT SONY IS RIGHT!!one!" comments that might erupt below this, Re-read this again.

  • chupachups #25 5 years ago

    "It will still sell in europe..."

    Sony isn't invincible, everyone said all this before about the PSP but that turned out to have fairly disappointing sales. And a long time ago they used to say Atari, Nintendo and Sega were invincible...

  • JediMasterMalik #26 5 years ago

    JohnFE, that would not be illegal though, that's not copyright infringement. I'm not saying Sony are correct in terms of morals, but the law is on their side, nothing we can do about it is there? And yes I would get on, in fact I may be getting a US one around January, thanks to family in the US. ;)

  • lambtron #27 5 years ago

    It wouldn't be illegal as long as you declared it bringing it through Customs Jedi...

    Import tax FTUL :(

  • MadMirko #28 5 years ago

    It will still sell in europe...

    Maybe, but preventing the hard core Sony fan to import the machine and show it off to his mates is not going to help that.

  • AcidSnake #29 5 years ago

    @chupachups:
    Atari is invincible!
    You'll see when they release the PowerSphere!

    Anyway...I still firmly believe it will sell out at launch...and that, in turn, will convince the uninformed masses that it's worth the money, without informing them of the fact that they might have gotten their hands on it some 10 months earlier like USA and japan (I'm still assuming another delay to september 2007)...

  • Gurgeh #30 5 years ago

    "I'm thinking EU won't see any PS3s before November 2007"

    That would be a huge mistake IMHO. They might as well trickle out whatever hardware they do have over the slow time from spring to autumn. Financially they're going to be running on empty for the next 2 years and the only way to turn that round is software sales, which is difficult to do without the hardware to run it. Of course they've now blocked grey imports of hardware too...

  • jack_klugman #31 5 years ago

    But where will SCEE execs buy their PS3s now?

  • haowan #32 5 years ago

    We don't mind waiting, remember?

  • BartonFink #33 5 years ago

    After all - This is waiting! is the new slogan for SCEE

  • BadBoyBonner #34 5 years ago

    Microsoft must be pissing themselves

  • BadBoyBonner #35 5 years ago

    And I do not mean becuase they have ordered a (European) PS3 to use as a portaloo! lol

  • dk_rare #36 5 years ago

    Sony now has the power to control what we have always taken for granted.

  • Salubrious_K #37 5 years ago

    Maybe Sony should get mail forwarding services like Parcel2Go shut down. After all I could use a service like that to forward on a PS3 bought in the US.

    Actually on 2nd thoughts, why not shut down all international shipping services. I'm sure they could be used to transport unsafe electrical goods to EU!

  • BadBoyBonner #38 5 years ago

    You would think Sony would be doing all they could to subdue the apathy they have created, not milk it for all it’s worth!

  • repairmanjack #39 5 years ago

    "It would make little sense to launch new hardware in small quantities in the dead of Spring, when you could launch with full force and effect in busy November. The upside being that the longer you wait, the better the 'launch' lineup will be, in terms of quality and quantity. "


    Personally I want it out as soon as possible. If they get it out in March it should be ripe for a healthy price cut (or two) by the time Christmas '07 comes around.

    But then, they're gonna have to knock £200 off the asking price before they see any more of my money.

  • Xerx3s #40 5 years ago

    :\

  • rhinoxious #41 5 years ago

    If they get it out in March it should be ripe for a healthy price cut (or two) by the time Christmas '07 comes around.


    I very much dount there will be any significant price cutting on PS3 in 07, maybe a half-arsed bundle, like the PGR3 one.

    Stock will probably be very limited still, so why cut prices?

  • mingster #42 5 years ago

    Its not hard to predict the PS3 selling out.
    Especially if they only have a few for sale.

    This much linked article explains it clearly:

    hot potatoes
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 15:57

  • djcool3005 #43 5 years ago

    Well they will have trouble stopping people importing off ebay. I imported my PSP from Japan Via ebay back in June 2005. I couldn't be arsed waiting until September 2005 to get one but I already have a graphics card capable of next gen performance so ps3 isn't at the top of my list. A dual-core processor is what i need :)

  • peterfll #44 5 years ago

    I think another delay to the PS3 in Europe might be healthy in the long-term.

    It will erode Sony's marketshare (it certainly can't help it);
    They may not be the no.1 platform holder in all territories;
    It will make them a better and less arrogant company next time around.

    JediMasterMalik: If you bring a US PS3 into this country in January will you seek the copyright owners permission first?

  • MadMirko #45 5 years ago

    Will they? eBay already clamped down on PS3 auctions, I don't know if pressured by Sony or not.

  • WickedDeeJ #46 5 years ago

    Sony are a bunch of arseholes. All they want to use the law for is skinning customers in Europe. Well, good thing I know people in the US who can simply mail me a PS3, should the time come when it's affordable. SCEE: you will not get any of my business.

  • AcidSnake #47 5 years ago

    AH damnit! You mean we have to wait 'til march to get an ebola infection?!

    The less-fortunate get all the breaks...

  • Pirotic #48 5 years ago

    Seeing as Lik-sang has already bitten the dust, I suggest we all buy extra hentai figurines from play-asia to support them in this hard time.

    ... is that a valid justification?

  • Psychotext #49 5 years ago

    You can get hentai figurines?!? WTF!

  • captainrentboy #50 5 years ago

    [link url=http://videogames.destructoid.com/early-ps3-buyer s-clueless.htm
    ]http://vi deogames.destructoid.com/early-...[/link]

    You all seen that?It's quite funny,could all be blatently set up mind.
    The Wii comment guy is particularly clueless.(Seems he'll have the supply but there will be zero demand)
    Infact the whole vid pretty much sums up the vast majority of people coming in my shop expressing interest in the PS3 :)

  • Foxclose #51 5 years ago

    At least Play-Asia acts with some dignity, which is lights years ahead of how Lik-Sang acted!

    TBH: The PS3 will be in short supply throughout March anyway.

  • SeesThroughAll #52 5 years ago

    Foxclose

    +1

  • bigbadbeasty #53 5 years ago

    Yeah your right, Lik-Sang were well out of order... sigh

  • JediMasterMalik #54 5 years ago

    captainrentboy - after your rant about sony in the Splinter Cell comment thread, you really have no right to call anyone clueless.

  • secombe #55 5 years ago

    ...and yet we could go to Japan and get one ourselves, then bring it back legally.

    Where the hell is the sense in all this? The law is an arse!

  • captain-future #56 5 years ago

    FOOK YOO SONY.

    /it get's old I know... still!

  • Mr_Brown #57 5 years ago

    If they close down import PS2 games, I will go round to Sony's headquarters and break all their legs :x

  • SomaticSense #58 5 years ago

    "Europe doesn't mind the delay, and it doesn't mind the delay so much that we're getting rid of companies that exist purely because Europe hates the delay to an extreme. "

    That's a really good point that I'd not thought of before. These import sites must surely have been one of the reasons they thought "Europe doesn't really mind the delays", as instead of outright complaining, people just went and imported instead meaning that they no longer care about the delay as they have a PS3 anyway.

    Now that Sony is making it illegal to import (which is massively against our consumer rights), hopefully more people will in turn show them exactly how pissed off we really are.
    For example, most people who wouldn't have the patience to wait for the official Euro release who would have ended up importing a PS3 because of their inability to wait, as has happened with the ps2. These people will maybe now go and buy a 360 or Wii or both instead. Therefore instead of losing out on actual European sales and selling extra US or Japanese units instead, they'll lose out on any sale at all from that person as they have gone off to the competition. Better to have sold a console from the wrong region than to have not sold one at all, am I right?

    Anyway, enough of this pseudo-intelligence crap, back to the 'ol........... FUCK SONY!!!
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 19:12

  • effinwooly #59 5 years ago

    GOD Sony are pissing me off !!!!!!!!!!!

  • yagisencho #60 5 years ago

    On principle, I dislike Sony's policy and tactics. I'll import whatever customs-approved item I damn well please. On the other hand, I have no intention of buying a PS3 until the price drops to $250 or less.

  • peterfll #61 5 years ago

    Thanks for the link to the movie rent boy. I think it probably hit home with a few people here (you know who they are). Who then went into denial, saying the whole thing was set up by Nintendo before flooding the 360 news article about the dashboard update with "teh 359 cant do real 1080p lik the ps3!!!".

  • Psi #62 5 years ago

    so why can't joe jap public just go out buy whatever they can and ebay em to us lot? they'd make a killing we'd get consoles quicker and cheaper.

    or would sony execs just buy em, not pay and leave bad feedback?

    statistics prove that every time a sony news article is posted somewhere a puppy dies.

  • MDL199 #63 5 years ago

    Let's all jump on the anti Sony bandwagon shall we and ignore the fact that both Microsoft and particularly Nintendo have tried to stop importing too. In fact Nintendo have done more to stop importing than any other company and of course unlike Sony they have actually been charged and found guilty of price fixing.

    The people who hate Sony must all be too young to remember how terrible the gaming world was when Nintendo ruled the roost!

    In the early 90's Nintendo games cost £49.99 (that would probably not be far off £70 or so in todays money and 25% more than Sega was charging for mega drive games), they strictly enforced rules against renting and reselling of their games and charged huge fee's to software developers just for releasing games on Nintendo consoles.

    Remember when they exclusively dominated the handheld market and charged £34.99 for cheap to make, crappy GBA games? Funny when the PSP comes along they suddenly make their handheld games cheaper, strange eh?

    Say what you like about Sony but since they entered the video games market they have turned a minority activity into a mainstream pastime and gaming has never been cheaper than it is now.

  • MDL199 #64 5 years ago

    lavalant
    30-Oct-06 22:56:46 nintendo dont mind people importing the DS fanboy, they sued liksang for selling mod chips along with microsoft and sony.

    and they still exclusively dominate the handheld market, ooh you were meaing the psp hahaha, ermm yeh sure.

    i just dont like how sony put spyware/viruses on my computer through music cd;s to track any pirated music, they sued liksang for selling sony products to europeans simply becuase sony purposley charge europeans grossly more money.

    =====================================================

    So you're having a go at Sony because of the way they treat Europeans?! Let me inform you no company hates Europe more than Nintendo and they have always ripped us off especially in the uk.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/06 @ 00:46

  • Daikon #65 5 years ago

    @Psi

    so why can't joe jap public just go out buy whatever they can and ebay em to us lot? they'd make a killing we'd get consoles quicker and cheaper.

    Because joe jap public can't speak a single proper word of English. Very sad but true.

  • HunterSeeker #66 5 years ago

    [link url=htt p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination
    ]http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discr...[/link]

    wasn't surprised why sony wants to get rid of lik-sang and other sites that allows imports of their goods.

  • captainrentboy #67 5 years ago

    Jedimastermalik-''captainrentboy - after your rant about sony in the Splinter Cell comment thread, you really have no right to call anyone clueless. ''
    Hahaha aren't you regarded as one of the biggest and daftest twats on here,usually either being furiously mocked or just plain ignored by most thread users?You being the blatent silly Sony fanboy that you are really should be keeping your negative opinion of others to yourself.
    Although I do like how I seem to have made a lasting impression on you with just one statement in a previous thread that's now nearly 2 weeks old :)

  • jha666 #68 5 years ago

    I've had enough of $ony. I'm not going to get a PS3.
    In fact I'm not getting anything with a $ony logo on it.
    Ever again.

  • Psi #69 5 years ago

    Daikon can they not pick up enough to go by on, from watching thundercats downloads constantly?

  • bigbadbeasty #70 5 years ago

    "So you're having a go at Sony because of the way they treat Europeans?! Let me inform you no company hates Europe more than Nintendo and they have always ripped us off especially in the uk."

    While I agree that Nintendo have always been tricky when it comes to importing, I still have had no problems doing it. Nintendo have previously also (like many Japanese companies) treated Europe with very little respect, however with the release of the Wii they are releasing the system in line with the rest of the world, it is even launched in the EU before Asia.