Nov. 15, 2013 6:39 p.m. ET
Two customers celebrate after purchasing the Sony PlayStation 4 during a midnight event in San Francisco. Bloomberg News
Sony Corp. 6758.TO +3.36% Sony Corp. Japan: Tokyo ¥1846 +60 +3.36% Nov. 15, 2013 3:00 pm Volume : 21.28M P/E Ratio 27.68 Market Cap ¥1855.00 Billion Dividend Yield 1.35% Rev. per Employee ¥49,003,500 11/15/13 Sony's PlayStation 4 Debuts Wi... 11/14/13 PlayStation 4 Debuts At Critic... 11/14/13 PS4: A Gamer's Guide to the Ne... More quote details and news » 6758.TO in 
Your Value Your Change Short position had no problem attracting crowds Friday for its new videogame console, a high-stakes launch accompanied by signs of solid demand for the long-awaited hardware.
Videogame fans lined up outside outlets of retailers such as GameStop Corp. GME -1.57% GameStop Corp. Cl A U.S.: NYSE $56.53 -0.90 -1.57% Nov. 15, 2013 4:02 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 2.87M AFTER HOURS $57.20 +0.67 +1.19% Nov. 15, 2013 7:38 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 7,927 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $6.71 Billion Dividend Yield 1.95% Rev. per Employee $504,900 08/22/13 GameStop Earnings: Lower Profi... More quote details and news » GME in Your Value Your Change Short position , many of whom appeared to have just enough PlayStation 4 consoles for the initial wave. In other cases, some people who waited in line came away empty-handed, triggering angry postings on sites such as Twitter. TWTR -1.59% Twitter Inc. U.S.: NYSE $43.98 -0.71 -1.59% Nov. 15, 2013 4:03 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 7.99M AFTER HOURS $43.85 -0.13 -0.30% Nov. 15, 2013 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 19,631 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $24.42 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $267,231 11/15/13 Zulily Shares Jump 71% After I... 11/15/13 Twitter Options Expected to Ha... 11/14/13 Australia's Freelancer Soars o... More quote details and news » TWTR in Your Value Your Change Short position
Best Buy Co. BBY +0.83% Best Buy Co. Inc. U.S.: NYSE $43.69 +0.36 +0.83% Nov. 15, 2013 4:02 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 4.90M AFTER HOURS $43.75 +0.06 +0.14% Nov. 15, 2013 6:16 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 22,219 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $14.80 Billion Dividend Yield 1.56% Rev. per Employee $279,661 11/13/13 Best Buy, Worst Short 11/11/13 Best Buy, S&P 500′s Best Perfo... 11/03/13 Fear of 'Showrooming' Fades More quote details and news » BBY in Your Value Your Change Short position and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN +0.48% Amazon.com Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq $369.17 +1.77 +0.48% Nov. 15, 2013 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 4.45M AFTER HOURS $369.50 +0.33 +0.09% Nov. 15, 2013 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 43,766 P/E Ratio 1318.46 Market Cap $168.17 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $793,371 11/15/13 Postal Service Records Seventh... 11/15/13 Zulily Shares Jump 71% After I... 11/14/13 Suncorp and Dow Jones Will Clo... More quote details and news » AMZN in Your Value Your Change Short position indicated on their websites that initial supplies had sold out.
While firm evidence of success is weeks away, the early signs of demand were favorable as Sony introduced its restyled console a week ahead of a rival machine debuting from Microsoft Corp. MSFT -0.47% Microsoft Corp. U.S.: Nasdaq $37.84 -0.18 -0.47% Nov. 15, 2013 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 49.56M AFTER HOURS $37.85 +0.01 +0.02% Nov. 15, 2013 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 1.04M P/E Ratio 14.02 Market Cap $317.40 Billion Dividend Yield 2.96% Rev. per Employee $810,010 11/15/13 Two Days With Microsoft CEO St... 11/15/13 Exclusive Interview: Steve Bal... 11/15/13 Ballmer: 'Maybe I'm an Emblem ... More quote details and news » MSFT in Your Value Your Change Short position
"It feels like the culmination of a fantastic but very long journey," said Andrew House, head of Sony's PlayStation division, during launch festivities in New York. "We feel that we've got a great product and set of game experiences for people."
Whether short supplies will continue remains to be seen. Jack Tretton, head of Sony Computer Entertainment America, on Monday said the company had met its manufacturing goals weeks before launch, noting the device was much easier to make than its predecessor.
The abundant supply of parts and ease of manufacturing makes it harder to judge the device's success based on how readily available it is, analysts say.
Sony has attempted to offer some insight, projecting it will sell 5 million units by March after preselling one million units before launch day. Mr. Tretton said the company will likely release some sales data during the holiday shopping season.
A PlayStation representative declined to comment about supplies following the launch.
Early demand for Sony's device improves the odds that console makers could exit their protracted sales slump. Game company executives have said they expected Sony's console and Microsoft's Xbox One would help to spur demand among gamers who had been holding off purchases in anticipation of the new machines. But some analysts have raised concerns sales may not grow much for the foreseeable future.
Both Sony and Microsoft have indicated preorders for their new devices are at historic levels, but how the holiday season will shake out beyond the initial sales period is still unclear.
Tony Bartel, GameStop's president, said the retailer had been able to secure extra supplies before the launch to help ensure availability to as many customers as possible. On Friday morning, a saleswoman at the retailer's downtown San Francisco location said it only had enough supplies for customers who had preordered the device.
Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., cautioned that sales the first weekend don't provide sufficient data to identify a hit.
He noted that Nintendo Co. 7974.TO +5.15% Nintendo Co. Ltd. Japan: Tokyo ¥13070 +640 +5.15% Nov. 15, 2013 3:00 pm Volume : 1.55M P/E Ratio 46.82 Market Cap ¥1760.95 Billion Dividend Yield 3.67% Rev. per Employee ¥124,215,000 10/30/13 Nintendo's Losses Mount as Wii... 10/30/13 Nintendo's Platinum Lineup 10/29/13 Nintendo Earnings: What to Wat... More quote details and news » 7974.TO in Your Value Your Change Short position 's Wii U videogame console sold briskly immediately following its launch last year. Soon after, however, demand fell off and units became readily available on store shelves. Eventually, Nintendo admitted the device's sales were disappointing.
Mr. Sebastian will be watching for similar signs for Sony and Microsoft's devices. "If you can find them available readily in multiple retailers in late November or early December, then you can conclude there's a problem," he said.
A Microsoft spokesman tweeted a congratulations to Sony and its executives on their launch, a seeming olive branch after the companies have been trading indirect barbs for months. Sony execs thanked him, and wished Microsoft well for its Xbox launch next week.
A survey by Raptr, a social networking website for gamers, said 32% of new videogame console buyers plan to purchase the devices at launch, and 63% plan to buy within the next six months. Only 17% plan to buy both a PS4 and Xbox One, Raptr said.
—Drew FitzGerald contributed to this article
Write to Ian Sherr at ian.sherr@wsj.com
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