We're coming up on the second anniversary of our favorite console this November, and with the supply of Wii consoles still not catching up with the demand, we were wondering how many of you out there are still hunting for a system still? Are you hunting one down for yourself or for somebody else? Already have one, had your folks try it, now they want you to find them one?Posts with tag shortages
Wii Warm Up: Are you still looking?
We're coming up on the second anniversary of our favorite console this November, and with the supply of Wii consoles still not catching up with the demand, we were wondering how many of you out there are still hunting for a system still? Are you hunting one down for yourself or for somebody else? Already have one, had your folks try it, now they want you to find them one?Reggie: Wii stock balance soon, Nintendo manufacturing more consoles each month
Nintendo is apparently not blind to the pain Wii console shortages cause, now made that much more worse by the shortages of Wii Fit, the hot new exergaming bundle. Reggie wants us to know that they're working on fixing the situation, although they pretty much have no idea as to when things will be better. With their monthly output upped from 1.8 million units a month to 2.4, Nintendo is indeed trying."Currently, demand is higher than supply, but we believe we'll soon get back to a more balanced situation," says Nintendo's resident name-taker, ass-kicker Reggie Fils-Aime. Unfortunately, that's all he had to say on the situation, leaving us all in the dark as to when the supply will start meeting the demand. Until then, we're forced to keep checking in with retailers and trying to find one online.
[Via Go Nintendo]
Wii Fit distributors getting weekly exercise
Nintendo U.K. told GamesIndustry.biz that "stock is coming in all the time on a weekly basis." We're surprised that Nintendo is even pretending to be able to keep up with demand, with Wii Fit as enormously popular as it is there. The true test of their production capacity will be the U.S. launch oh May 19th.
Toys R Us to have Wii this Sunday
You'll have to put some legwork in, as securing yourself a console means you have to go down to your local Toys R Us and plunk down a $200 deposit. Once done, show up on Sunday with your receipt and you'll be one happy camper. But, hey, as annoying as it is to make two trips, it's far less annoying than having to buy a ridiculously overpriced bundle from Circuit City.
[Via Joystiq]
Pachter: Wii Fit to raise Wii demand, keep shortages going
On Pachter's part, this is a pretty safe play to make. The preorders at Amazon are going through the roof and with Wii Fit being on Good Morning, America recently, we're sure the public is very receptive to the product. We're still not sure about that price tag, though.
Pachter: Shortages coming to an end later this year
Michael Pachter is at it again. This time, of all people, he spoke with a writer for the Dallas Morning News. Now, we're not experts in this institution that reports real world news, but we do know that video game news tends to usually fall below their radar. But they care about the Wii because, well, everyone and their grandmother bought one.Regardless, Pachter did, and he is saying that those of us in the U.S. need to blame it on
His belief is that the console will be more readily available in the U.S. later on this year, when the dollar is expected to bounce back some. Based on the fact that the console released over a year ago, though, we're not going to hold our breath.
[Thanks, Matt!]
Gamestop: Wii shortages aren't going away
Seeing as how the console released in November of 2006, you can probably understand why we're frustrated in having to report on the inability to freely and easily locate our desire out in the world beyond tubes. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the console, so why can't Nintendo churn out enough? Why has it taken them this long to satisfy demand and why has demand been at record highs throughout the console's short lifespan? Gamestop might know, as they recently stated in a report that they expect console shortages to last for another 6 months. We're betting that the retailer's forecast is fairly conservative, as it's easy to imagine another 6 months of early mornings trying to hunt one down. The console has been hard to find since its launch, so another 6 months doesn't seem like much of a stretch to us, at all.
This is just the expectations of Gamestop, though, so should Nintendo emerge from the dark mist like some knight in shining armor, we would most definitely take our own foot and place it within our own mouth. But seeing as how Nintendo hasn't figured out how to satisfy demand issues yet, we're going to have to assume it'll take a while to get healthy Wii stock on shelves.
Wired wants to help you shop for a Wii
Or, the article reminds us, you can pay for it in the more traditional manner: by paying for it. We hate the idea, but you could always suck it up and pay the premium to buy a Wii from some jerk on eBay.
At the very least, Chris Kohler's guide gives you hints about which stores to avoid (the specialty game retailers we generally avoid anyway). It's worth perusing if you're a Wii hunter.
British retailers going bundle crazy
Over at the always entertaining UK: Resistance, resident jaded cynic Cmdr_Zorg has a few strong words to say about certain UK retailers, specifically those who refuse to play fair when it comes to the increasingly rare Wii.
The source of Zorg's chagrin? That said merchants are now using the insane popularity of the Wii and crippling shortages to flog desperate consumers bundles which are, to put it charitably, a load of old bumwash. Electronics chain Dixons is one of the culprits in this growing trend, with its cheapest Wii bundle clocking in at £350 ($725). All have sold out, presumably to people who would normally have lol'd heartily at the idea of buying Smarty Pants.
Admittedly, some of the bundles being offered by Dixons contain titles that every one of us should own, but that's not the point: let us make those decisions!
Activision CEO says $199 price point is 'critical'
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has some ideas on how things get done in the industry. To him, price is critical to the success of a console, he explained to Reuters. And, while we agree that a lower cost is going to help a console on the shelf, ultimately we believe the console's games and features are what help it stand out the most.Bobby K (as he's lovingly known here around the offices) said "The Wii at its price point is now setting a standard and an expectation, and people say, well, the Wii is less complex technically. I don't think that really matters as much to the consumer." He went on further to discuss Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 systems, stating "In the next 24 months they all will need to be at that $199 price point, and you can imagine Nintendo will be down to the $129 price point over the next few years."
Now, obviously Nintendo has no reason to cut the price on their system since, well, not even the folks working the assembly lines can seem to find one (we imagine they disappear in a cloud of smoke upon completion at the factory). But, that doesn't mean that we won't entertain opinions on when you think the console will lower itself in price.
So, what do you think?
[Via NeoGAF]
Nintendo denies PR-ing Wii shortages
When two identically worded stories regarding Wii shortages popped up on the internets yesterday, suspicious types dared to suggest that Nintendo's PR department may have had a hand in cynically milking the Wii drought.
The articles in question, located here and here, appeared on the sites of two UK newspapers, national tabloid The Sun and London daily The Evening Standard. Different titles aside, both are indeed exactly the same. So, what's going on? Ninty explained all in an email to the chaps at Maxconsole, which y'all can find after the break. We like to think that the grammatical error early on is simply down to Nintendo being so damn mad that it punched out its response while in a blind, frothy fit of rage.
Want a Zapper? Go to a store!
One year ago, pretty much everyone failed to predict the success of the Wii. It looks like that may be happening on a smaller scale this week, as online retailers appear to already be out of Zapper/Link's Crossbow Training packs. The ones that aren't out of stock have yet to receive their stock, showing a release date of tomorrow.As of right now, EB/GameStop, Amazon, CompUSA, Sears, and Wal-Mart are "backordered" or "out of stock." Buy.com, Target, and Circuit City list it as coming out tomorrow. Toys R Us, Outpost.com/Fry's, Best Buy, Micro Center and KMart refuse to acknowledge the peripheral's existence.
Basically, it looks like if you want one of these things, you're going to have to go outside. Try (the physical locations of) Wal-Mart, CompUSA or Sears where, if the in-store prices match the online prices, you'll be charged the MSRP rather than the premium $25 price some retailers are sticking on there. Of course, shark guns remain cheap and plentiful.
Brits can't find Wii for love nor money
Nintendo might well be cracking the whip on the Wii production line, but pretty much everybody still seems to be feeling the pinch of shortages. UK shoppers, for example, are becoming increasingly desperate for the console, with online retailers now getting in the region of 100,000 requests a day from panicky, possibly hyperventilating Brits.Meanwhile, Amazon's UK arm recently sold 1,000 machines in under 10 minutes, while the console on its own is typically going for around £300 ($615) on eBay. In other words, Wii fever is hitting some quite ridiculous heights on this side of the pond, and if Reggie is to be believed, things ain't going to get any better in the immediate future.
[Via Go Nintendo]
Target ad says Wiis in stores today or Tuesday? [update 1]
To get the most enjoyment out of Wii Fanboy, well, you need a Wii. Really, the site's a lot better when you can care about the screenshots and game announcements. Now, we realize the Wii can be hard to find, so we understand why some of you haven't been enjoying the site in its fullest.A Wii Fanboy friend just reported that his Target in Edmond, Oklahoma was advertising Wii consoles for sale Tuesday. We don't know how many, or if this applies to all Target stores. But, just in case, wait until Tuesday morning to go buy toothpaste, and check for Wiis while you're there. If you're the type of roguish loner who doesn't need an excuse to go somewhere, just go there Tuesday.
Anyone else see Wii announcements in their Targets? The weekly ad has a listing for the Wii, but no indication of whether or not it'll be in stores.
[Update: The ad might actually have been referring to today, in which case they're all gone! Might as well go check, we suppose. A couple of readers found them in stores today. Thanks to the readers who pointed this out.]
[Thanks, Zack!]
Nintendo decides to make some more Wiis
Not sure if you guys have heard about this, since it doesn't really get much press, but apparently it's been hard to purchase Wii systems in stores. We know-- we're surprised too, but it seems that Nintendo's supply hasn't been sufficient to meet demand.In a statement given to GamesIndustry.biz, a Nintendo representative said that they are (finally) going to increase global production, with a goal of producing 14 million systems in this fiscal year. Hopefully they don't all end up in Japan! If this bears out, and Nintendo finally does get around to speeding up production, this may mean the end of availability as we know them.
