Comments for Wii Shortage To Last Through The Holidays?

Wii Shortage To Last Through The Holidays?

2007-05-30T22:16:25Z

We know that May isn't the month you want to start hearing about the holiday shopping season, but analysts are predicting that the Wii shortage will last through this year's shopping season and possibly longer. From PC World:

"Demand still appears to exceed supply, and we believe that shortages could persist through the remainder of the year, including the key holiday period," said Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets, in a report by Next-Gen.biz.

Based on sales data from both Nintendo and GameStop, Sebastian also comments that the console developer is fulfilling its target of 1.5 million Wii units per month, but those numbers may not be good enough to satisfy the nation's hunger for Nintendo's next-gen system.

Can you hear that? That's the sound of Sony softly crying.

The moral of the story is, don't count on an amply supply of Nintendo Wiis this holiday season. If you see one now, might as well grab it and hide it in the garage until December. —MEGHANN MARCO

Wii Shortages may Continue to Holiday 2007 [PC World]
(Photo: George DeMet)

Comment from billhelm on 2007-06-01

2007-06-01T05:32:56Z

I was able to find one two weeks ago when randomly in Target. There was only one left and I grabbed it. I wanted to buy one for a while but said I wouldn't till I could just find one, and it happened.

That said, I've not seen them anywhere else.

Comment from ZugTheMegasaurus on 2007-05-31

2007-06-01T00:19:53Z

You might see them on the shelves at Wal-Mart, but you can't just buy them. You have to bundle it with games and spend nearly $500. A lot of people can drop $250 on a game system all at once, but not $500.

Comment from theapplegod on 2007-05-31

2007-05-31T21:19:35Z

Wii's are still near to impossible to find in Tulsa. I finally got mine yesterday after Circuit City claimed to have them in stock in their ad Sunday.

They ended up getting one which is the one I have.

Comment from satoru on 2007-05-31

2007-05-31T19:30:50Z

I can also attest to the Wii's mystical powers over non-gamers. My dad loves playing golf on the Wii. My dad is a Luddite in the flesh. He won't turn on a computer with out freaking out. Also one time he saw me playing "Crusader No Remorse" which is a futuristic sci-fi 3rd person shooter back in the day. When he did, he freaked out and said "Stop playing that Spiderman game and study!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry because he called a guy in red power armor "Spiderman"

My girlfriend's father has to be practically dragged away from playing bowling on the thing. He and I can play bowling forever on that before someone yells at us to get some work done at the house :P

Comment from datruesurfer on 2007-05-31

2007-05-31T09:34:34Z

Keep checking your local game stores (EBGames, GameStop, etc). I went to the three local malls which have these stores, got all their phone numbers and called untill they knew when they were getting a shipment in. When one popped up, I ran over to the store as fast as I could to snatch one up.

Comment from Smashville_OrderingOJandTakingNames on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T03:36:12Z

Women dig the Wii...I found one last weekend...

Comment from TechnoDestructo on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T02:00:57Z

Atari - 1975 to 1984, 9 years
Nintendo - 1985 to 1995, 10 years
Sony - 1995 to 2006, 11 years

Nintendo will have the dominant video game console for until 2018.

Comment from Holden Caulfield on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T01:35:39Z

@gamble:I had my Wii stolen as well and I still cry about it sometimes. The Wii, along with the DS, turned me into a total Nintendo fan boy once more. It feels as though I have lost a great girlfriend or something like that.

I now think I understand the attachment that Mac users have to their Macs or their ipods.

Comment from gamble on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T01:23:54Z

I remember when I used to have a Wii...until it was stolen four days after I got it. I moved on to a PS3, which I keep under lock and key at all times. But I'll never forget my first love.

Comment from Antediluvian on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T01:20:22Z

I got one last week at Sam's club (although I would have preferred Costco), after striking out at a Best Buy. The Sam's in Seabrook NH had two units -- the boxed on I got and the unit whose box was on display (the unit was safely off the floor). They had a system where you take a paper tag to the cashier to pay for and claim the item. They had way more tags than units, so beware.

But I got one no problem.

Comment from sandwich_pants on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T01:09:27Z

The Target store at 15 mile and Coolidge in the Detroit area has had tons of Wiis last two times I was there, more than fit in the display case.
When I purchased mine, the sales person picked up a box from a sizable pile behind the electronics section cash register, rather than going to the display case to obtain one...

Comment from saram on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T01:08:41Z

A few of you totally nailed it on the head - the appeal to the non-gamer is what is fascinating to me. I've been a game hater ever since . . . well, forever. I wasn't allowed to play them as a kid, so I decided that they were a waste of time. I've never learned the basics - I've never learned how to use the controllers, what the commands meant, what the point of the damn thing is.

And yet . . . after watching someone create a mii and play tennis for five minutes, I was interested enough to give it a try. And a week later I convinced my roommate to buy one. I've purchased my first video game (wario world), ever, at the age of 26.

Do I care if this is a hard-core gamer system? No. Do I care if it is fun and gets me off the couch for five minutes? Yes.

Am I outside of Nintendo's core market? Yes. Did Nintendo get some of my hard earned money? Yes.

Comment from notallcompaniesarebad on 2007-05-30

2007-05-31T00:06:03Z

Wii's appeal: it's fun, simply, almost guilty fun. You throw off the shackles of having to play the latest and greatest. You can play 1986's super mario brothers. You can doodle on people's faces from your digital camera (and have other people doodle at the same time). You get access to one of the best developers out there (Nintendo; seriously, the latest Zelda games put hollywood to shame).
And as for the claims that the graphics aren't great: play Zelda and tell me you aren't completely immersed. Then play Call of Duty 3 and tell me you want anything more realistic (the opening battle scene is enough to scare you).
I applaud Nintendo for leaving Sony and MS to beat each other silly while they watch.

Comment from ohayorisa on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:44:36Z

@synergy: Most stores tend to sell out when people realize they're in stock. Thats why you still see lines for Sunday morning when a store features them in an ad. If Walmart drops a bunch of stock on the shelf Wednesday in the afternoon, it'll take a while for people to realize they're on the shelf. I like to check whenever I'm out shopping and I've seen Wiis out in Dallas en masse only one time.

Comment from ohayorisa on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:41:57Z

Nintendo has some pretty big titles(Metroid, Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros, Guitar Hero 3!) left to come out in the 2nd half of 2007, so the Wii shortages could definitely continue.

Comment from TheDude06 on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:41:36Z

Its easy to forget (and a little hard to believe) but nintendo has been around since 1889. When people say nintendo is in it for the long haul, they arent kidding.

I hear its common in japan to have a "100 year business plan" but never really found if thats true.

Comment from synergy on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:39:54Z

Sounds like all the excess is over at Wal-Mart. Am I wrong to think that they're not being bought there because the average Wal-Mart customer is too poor or too cheap to afford one??

Comment from BStu on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:31:43Z

My girlfriend picked up a Wii in a bundle from CircuitCity.com which was really quite fair. It only forced you to buy an extra remote and nunchuk, which is pretty standard to have, and a game of her choice. Not like she wasn't going to buy a game for the system, either. They even sent a coupon with it that saved $15 on a future $100 purchase which got them a sale on two more games (which actually included yet another coupon that went unused). I know some bundles are very strict and require silly accessories or preselected games, but there is good Wii availability out there if you look around a bit.

Comment from Boo on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:29:58Z

For Canadians who are wii hunting:

http://www.consolewatch.com/textonly.php

I used this site to email me when they went on sale online and managed to snag two (one for me, one for sis) within a couple of weeks. Saved me the stress of constantly calling stores to check on delivery dates.

Comment from Papercutninja on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:13:32Z

^ I agree with that, but the head of Nintendo did admit that they underestimated the popularity of the system.

Having said that, DON'T buy one from eBay. Don't feed the reseller beast. I waited on line at NintendoWorld in NYC for mine last week. Eventually your local store will have them. If anything, buy those bundles from Walmart.com or Circuitcity.com. You'd be surprised at how many accessories you end up buying anyway.

Comment from Karmakin on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:08:06Z

Nintendo is a very conservative (business-wise, not political) company. They'd rather sell their 1.5 million a month for the forseeable future, than open another factory spending 100 million or so, sell 3 million for a month or two then have to mothball the place.

Comment from Andamom on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T23:00:42Z

My husband and daughter have been interested in getting one -- but thus far I haven't given in to it. I was reading in Business 2.0 letters to the editors that it can be a lot of fun -- and is more interactive/innovative than the other gaming systems (right now we only have PS2) -- but it for serious gamers it lacks in graphicswise -- and compared to XBOX360, it isn't as great for online gaming.

All that said, if the supply isn't sufficient to meet the great demand, the folks at Nintendo better get their act together. People may want what they cannot have -- but eventually, most seem to settle.

Comment from Mojosan on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:48:53Z

My kids got a Wii as a gift and we played it a lot over the holiday weekend.

Another reason the damn thing is so great is that it allows immediate intergenerational play. In 5 minutes I was playing tennis with my 13 year old and then bowling with the 7 year old. And we all had a blast.

Comment from FLConsumer on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:45:39Z

The shortage has cost Nintendo at least one sale... I was interested in the Wii... after not being able to find one for the past few months, I've lost the desire to purchase one. I've found other things to occupy my time.

Comment from myth90045 on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:45:20Z

I was at target this weekend in the LA area and they had the last 2 shelves filled will Wiis. That was the most I have seen at one time.

alteredbeast: I think the attraction IS the control system. I havent seen a lot of good games so far. But if the Wii can be used by people who dont normally play video games, I would have to say it is a hit. The control system is like USB, plug and play, or in the instance, pick up and play. simple as that.

Comment from Buran on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:42:54Z

If it's really that bad, find a reputable seller, place a backorder, and wait. No stress, no hassle. You'll get it when it comes back in stock.

Comment from nweaver on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:40:01Z

I don't believe it. When I did do my local WallyWorld expedition, they had Wiis on the shelf.

Comment from foghat81 on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:38:08Z

Just what Nintendo wants....more frenzy around their system. The perception, rightly or wrongly, that there's an extremely high demand only makes them look better.

Comment from AlteredBeast on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:33:46Z

Did I miss some great Wii games coming out, or what? What is driving all these sales? Just the control method?

Comment from r81984 on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:33:38Z

I thought Nintendo was in the process of tooling another factory for Wii production.

Comment from enki on 2007-05-30

2007-05-30T22:33:23Z

I keep hearing about shortages but I see Wii's on the shelves all the time. If you're in the Orlando, FL area I saw three at the Wal-Mart(yeah, I know) on South OBT just the other day.