Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Just a little over a week ago, many of you were telling us that you were still Wii-less, but the numbers were seemingly growing stronger, so we found solace in the hope that the rest of you would soon be sharing in our Wii experience. However, it seems that the shortages haven't gotten any better at all, and demand for the Wii remains utterly and completely without bounds. Amazon restocked this week and saw the entire lot disappear in moments. While searching on behalf of a family member, we were told that at one smaller local electronics store (where there are never typically more than 3-4 customers at a time), they were still seeing weekly crowds that numbered from 50-70 people. For this area, that's a lot of people.

How is it where you are? Do you hear random people talking about the Wii? Do store employees laugh if you ask about it? Are there still lines of people showing up at stores?

[Thanks to Dolla Dolla for the tip!]

Turns out, the Wii kicked the crap out of the competition in the US during the month of January, selling quite a lot of units. This is based on preliminary NPD sales data via Next-Gen.biz, which comes as a surprise to many considering the console's apparent stealth-selling techniques during the month as shortages lingered. What makes it even more odd is the fact that both of its competitors, the PS3 and Xbox 360, are easily found in stock at most brick-and-mortar retail outlets. The sales breakdown goes:

• Wii - 436,000 units
  
• 360 - 294,000 units
• PS3 - 244,000 units

Have you gotten your hands on a Wii yet?

[Via Joystiq]

With the launch of the console in Japan over the weekend and selling out quickly after, the Wii has broken 1 million units sold worldwide. With figures resulting in around 600,000 units sold since launch in the US, plus the 400,000 units sold at launch in Japan, it looks like Nintendo has met their goal. You can see one person's attempt to get a Wii from their local Toys 'R Us, in pictures, over here.

On September 15th, Amazon began taking preorders for the Wii ... and on September 15th, Amazon stopped taking preorders for the Wii. No, Nintendo didn't announce manufacturing troubles or delays. They didn't move the release date back. There was no crisis reported.

They simply sold out.

Analysts, both armchair and professional, have been all over the place when it comes to the Wii since the revolutionary new console was first announced. Predictions have ranged to impossibly enthusiastic to cautiously optimistic ... and down to those who swore the concept was too gimmicky and the Wii would fail. Even fans reacted to the recent announcements of price points and world launch dates in a somewhat lukewarm fashion, and even so, people are still rabid to ensure they'll get a copy of the system on launch day.

Wiiii! Here's to the "underdog." Looks like Nintendo is moving up in the world.