Earlier this afternoon, I literally jumped out of my seat when our own Manan tweeted that Target was selling the PS3 at $39.99. On closer inspection it looked too good to be true, however, the $39.99 PlayStation 3 might actually be real.
If you go to this page on Target, it puts the price of the “PlayStation 3 Computer Entertainment System with 60GB Hard Drive” at $39.99 as you can see from the screenshot above. I picked up the phone and called up Target to confirm whether this was true and the rep there did confirm to me that it is the actual PS3 system, however, she also told me that they were updating their system and the price was a glitch and that I should not order the unit.
Turns out that there is some problem at Target, because when you move to the checkout page, the product changes to “PlayStation 3 Move Advanced Shooter Grip (PlayStation 3)Console;”. However, checking the order status page lists the item as PS3 Console.
On the other hand, Amazon is also selling the PS3 console at $39.99 (they sell it through target itself), however, when you order it through Amazon, it shows that the purchase is for the actual PS3 console.
However, there are reports that this particular PS3 is not being manufactured now and the delivery itself may take a few weeks. It is also out of stock at Amazon and Target. That said, this deal was also posted on sites like Slick Deals, so there might have been tons of orders that might have been placed.
If you did place an order, don’t expect it to go through. Target might just cancel the order for everyone. So just keep your fingers crossed.
Update: We placed multiple orders through both Target and Amazon and none of them charged the credit cards. Until and unless your Credit Card is charged these sites have no liability to provide you with those units, glitch or otherwise. So don’t expect these PS3’s to be shipped, and like we said earlier, these units are not being manufactured anymore. Good Luck.
Update 2: I just hooked up with an Amazon representative and She said that it was a problem and they are looking into it. She also said that Amazon techs are confirming about this with Target and if Target confirms the $39.99 price, Amazon will honor it (don’t expect that to happen though, considering both Amazon’s and Target’s system were screwed up, see above for Target reps reply to me earlier). She did confirm to me that Amazon would be sending out an email within next 24 hours to all customers who ordered the PS3, so say goodbye for now to the $40 PS3.
Psssst.. If you are really adamant about it with Amazon, they might just ship it to you.
Update 3: Finally Target puts the item out of stock, but you can still expect cancellation emails.
Update 4: Amazon has officially cancelled the $40 PS3 order. Read more about the Amazon $40 PS3 Order Cancellation.