Predictably the PCE Mini has flopped in terms of preorders:
Rumor: PC Engine Mini Pre-Orders Are Faring Very Poorly
An unnamed Konami executive has spoken to Business Journal about the sales of PC Engine Mini in Japan.
According to this unnamed Konami executive, pre-orders for the PC Engine Mini are currently faring very badly on Amazon Japan. Amazon Japan is the only retailer that’s carrying stock for this, as part of an exclusive deal between Konami and Amazon Japan. The reason behind this is to prevent price cuts by brick-and-mortar retailers.
The lack of price cuts and Amazon’s exclusivity for the PC Engine Mini could have also contributed to the lukewarm sales.
The Konami executive added that due to the poor sales, they will “definitely” distribute to brick-and-mortar retailers in Japan in the near future.
Expect retail and price cuts in Japan at least. Interesting thing is they must've already done a manufacturing run so we may yet see it around £50 which is where it should be, especially as it'll have that same crappy CRT filter as the MD Mini.