RedOctane's Guitar Hero II has proven to be quite the attraction for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 consoles, and like the Wii, consumer demand is reportedly outstripping retail channel supply. Additional guitar controllers remain equally hard to find. AG Edwards analyst Bill Kreher believes Activision is already at work to address the short supplies, which are supposedly not related to known technical issues surrounding the guitar controllers themselves:

"Sales associates at the stores were eager to point out that the games would disappear rather quickly (within hours) once they hit the shelves," said Kreher. "Second controllers for the game continue to be unavailable, with none for sale at any of the stores surveyed. At this point it appears that unmet demand is not a function of technical issues surrounding the whammy bar, rather the inability to produce enough guitar controllers. We believe Activision is currently seeking ways to increase production and fulfill consumer demand.

"Activision is experiencing tremendous demand for its Guitar Hero II. ATVI no doubt expected the game to be well received by consumers, but the lack of availability suggests greater demand and sales than the company expected. With international awareness of Guitar Hero catching up with awareness stateside, we expect international sales for Guitar Hero II to be robust in the second half of this calendar year."

Wolfwood via biz.gamedaily.com »