Ben-DutkaIn this day and age, online demand for products is a big statistic for the manufacturers, so such an analysis is important.
Most likely due to the extreme shortages of the PS3 resulting in a "MIA" status for the console, the PS3's online demand spiked and then settled, as the chart below indicates. Even the Xbox 360 has risen past the PS3 at this point, but unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Wii has topped them both. Given that they're more easily accessible than the PS3, and fresher to the market by a full year over the 360, Wii demand is hardly a shock.
According to Compete.com, Xbox 360 online demand passed the PS3 on November 25, the same day Amazon.com began offering the $100 360. And it was also about the time consumers began to realize how futile a PS3 search would be. Obviously, interest in all three consoles had been growing like mad ever since October, but at this point, only the PS3 has experienced any decline. But again, if they can't be found, people won't likely be searching as hard.
It's what happens when a product's rarity goes too far. Human nature dictates that when something is hard to get, we want it even more. But when it gets to the point where the product doesn't really even exist, our desire to find it takes a dive.