Wii Shortages this coming holiday season?

[jeremy.king]

I was just wondering if I should start stockpiling Wiis for the upcoming holiday shopping season (only two months away!)? Do you guys expect more of the same shortages (manufactured or real)?

[scott85213]

It probably won't be as ridiculous as last Christmas, but I imagine there will still be quite a bit of demand.

Most stores around me still sell out of their Wii's pretty quickly.

[Dagless]

Probably too early to tell.
But from a year that had Mario Kart, Brawl and Wii Fit one could assume it's going to be a hectic xmas.

Especially if Wii Sports Resort is out this year.

[Antares]

Especially if Wii Sports Resort is out this year.

Do you think they'll release it before Yule? It comes bundled with MotionPlus, which, I thought was supposed to be released in early '09....

[sikkinixx]

I was just wondering if I should start stockpiling Wiis for the upcoming holiday shopping season (only two months away!)? Do you guys expect more of the same shortages (manufactured or real)?

do you own a store? (good answer) or just want to exploit the stupidity of mankind by reselling on ebay? (bad answer)

[jeremy.king]

do you own a store? (good answer) or just want to exploit the stupidity of mankind by reselling on ebay? (bad answer)

I only exploit using Craigslist...

[sikkinixx]

I only exploit using Craigslist...

that makes it oh so much better. God bless open markets....

[Woz Beard]

Hmm.....to sell or not to sell my seldom used Wii, that is the question!

[Antares]

Hmm.....to sell or not to sell my seldom used Wii, that is the question!

Not to sell. That is the answer.

[sikkinixx]

Not to sell. That is the answer.

because of.....? Wii Sports 2?

[e²Studios]

because of.....? Wii Sports 2?

Exactly, there isn't anything too memorable coming to the Wii. At least nothing that they have previewed as being on the horizon. My Wii is great at one thing nowadays, collecting dust.

[JackAxe]

∆∆
Like the rest of your place. You should probably buy a dust-buster. :p

You guys must be living at home, out of work, and on your parent's dime, in order to play all of the Wii games that are available. :o

<]=)

[Dagless]

I'm glad I'm not one of these modern spoilt day gamers who can only play new games on their system :D It's probably taboo but I've been playing old games on my 360 and Wii, games I still love to play (Brawl, Kart, GTA IV) and games I need to finish.

Anyone care to explain this new gaming mentality? Or do you just all have so much free time you can beat all these AAA titles? I've got all the big AAA 360 and Wii titles and probably more free time than most and there are still games I haven't opened :p

[JackAxe]

One thing I've seen first hand, is that newer isn't always better. :)

GTA IV is coming to PC. I'm still on the fence with this game, but I'll try a demo.

One Wii game that I'm actually looking forward to is Ghostbusters.

<]=)

[takao]

I'm glad I'm not one of these modern spoilt day gamers who can only play new games on their system :D It's probably taboo but I've been playing old games on my 360 and Wii, games I still love to play (Brawl, Kart, GTA IV) and games I need to finish.

Anyone care to explain this new gaming mentality? Or do you just all have so much free time you can beat all these AAA titles? I've got all the big AAA 360 and Wii titles and probably more free time than most and there are still games I haven't opened :p

i never got that either .. i have no problem either buying a 2 year old game i haven't played back in the day and wasting my time on that ... (2 weeks ago i bought Dawn of War for 5 bucks and it's keeping me occupied since then )

i didn't bought rome:total war and hearts of iron at release either..

and then next games are in the mail again... metal slug anthology and excite truck for 10 bucks each and for another 10 bucks both civ4 add ons

[sikkinixx]

I'm glad I'm not one of these modern spoilt day gamers who can only play new games on their system :D It's probably taboo but I've been playing old games on my 360 and Wii, games I still love to play (Brawl, Kart, GTA IV) and games I need to finish.

Anyone care to explain this new gaming mentality? Or do you just all have so much free time you can beat all these AAA titles? I've got all the big AAA 360 and Wii titles and probably more free time than most and there are still games I haven't opened :p

If the guy never plays the system, why keep it? My point was, there isn't much amazing on the horizon so if he isn't playing his older games, get something that he WILL use. And your "old games" are all from less than 6 months ago.... I think most of us are playing a backlog dating back a hell of a lot longer than that.

[JackAxe]

It's always the younger guys that prematurely jump the gun and sell their consoles and it's because of inexperience.

The ONLY game on the horizon that's really worth playing on any system is Dragon Age: Origins.

You guys are just going to have to exfoliate your dead skin longer, as this game is being built properly from the get go and not being pushed through the PlaySkool filter called a console.

<]=)

[Dagless]

Think the only game I'm looking forward to (on any console) is Monster Hunter Freedom 3. Should give me time to beat Prime 3 and MH2.

[JackAxe]

MH3 should be good.

Have you played Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law speaking of Capcom? :)


I'm looking forward to COD5, since it's back to WW2. I played COD4 demo on my PC, because that punctuation guy liked it, and it's great, but I'm not to keen on its modern subject.

I'm also looking forward to Fatal Frame.

<]=)

[sikkinixx]

^ Really? WWII seems so played out. They couldn't even make it ONLY in Japan, they had to add European theatre as well (our 5th CoD trip there). The weapons in CoD4 were such a nice change from bolt-action rifles.

Still, I hope Treyarch can do something as good as Infinity Ward can...

[Rodimus Prime]

Am I the only one who thinks it rather pathetic of Nintendo to still have Wii shortages this far after the release. It seems to be a never ending shortage of them. Nintendo clearly has a supply problem and does not want to admit it or solve it.

More they could just be producing very few units to make it seem like it hotter than it really is.

[Dagless]

Huh, there are no Wii shortages. They occur during the holiday period because, well, they sell extremely well just like any other sought after item. Not seen the sales figures?
It's not as if they're producing few and selling few. They're producing a lot and selling a lot.

[sikkinixx]

Huh, there are no Wii shortages. They occur during the holiday period because, well, they sell extremely well just like any other sought after item. Not seen the sales figures?
It's not as if they're producing few and selling few. They're producing a lot and selling a lot.

people still moan about not being able to find any. I see them around but not like the 360 or PS3. The point Prime was making, I think anyway, is that Nintendo is selling a lot, but they could sell MORE, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it. Some exec from Nintendo said the demand surprises him, yeah for the last 2 years? Contract some more cheap Chinese labor and get the damn things on the shelves in greater numbers.

[JackAxe]

^ Really? WWII seems so played out. They couldn't even make it ONLY in Japan, they had to add European theatre as well (our 5th CoD trip there). The weapons in CoD4 were such a nice change from bolt-action rifles.

Still, I hope Treyarch can do something as good as Infinity Ward can...

Yep, it has been played out, no disagreement on that point.

Call me weird, but I'm not into playing a war game that's somewhat relevant to current affairs.

As for modern weapons, the Javelin was great.

Treyarch is using the COD4 engine and this isn't their first time, so they would really have to just give up to do a bad job.

Your hope is useless. :D

<]=)

[JackAxe]

people still moan about not being able to find any. I see them around but not like the 360 or PS3. The point Prime was making, I think anyway, is that Nintendo is selling a lot, but they could sell MORE, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it. Some exec from Nintendo said the demand surprises him, yeah for the last 2 years? Contract some more cheap Chinese labor and get the damn things on the shelves in greater numbers.


Nintendo wants to reach all gamers, so they're tailoring to a much larger market that everyone else has ignored, and in those 2 years, the Wii has become the fast selling console to date.

I recall that Nintendo was opening new plants to try and keep up with the demand?

<]=)

[Rodimus Prime]

people still moan about not being able to find any. I see them around but not like the 360 or PS3. The point Prime was making, I think anyway, is that Nintendo is selling a lot, but they could sell MORE, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it. Some exec from Nintendo said the demand surprises him, yeah for the last 2 years? Contract some more cheap Chinese labor and get the damn things on the shelves in greater numbers.


That is my point. It was fine though maybe few months after the orginal release but now 2 years later it is near impossible to find a consul and even harder to not find one bundled with a lot of extra crap. They are still selling well above retail value on Ebay.

To me this all screams Nintendo just does not care and has not made any solution to solve the supply problem. I would like a Wii but supply problems made me say it is not worth the trouble to get one when I can get a 360 with little trouble. I am amoung a lot of gamers who just said forget the Wii to hard to get./

[Dagless]

That's simple really. The Wii is the best selling console of all time whereas the 360 and PS3 (for at least the first year of sales) didn't match their previous sales. Which is probably why you're going to see a lot of them systems on shelves :D

And where are you based? As I said before the only time I've seen queues for Wii's have been around holidays. Though all shops here sell bundles but they're only a few quid more usually. Nothing out of the ordinary at all (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-Wii-Console_W0QQ_fifptsZ1QQ_flnZ1QQ_pidZ55827892QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em23)... Unless you want Wii Fit.

[JackAxe]

The Wii has sold 30 million in two years.

This chart (http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php) pretty much shows why the Wii is still hard to find.

Not even the PS2 sold as many units as the Wii in the same period of time and people here are complaining about some mythical lack of effort on Nintendo's part, when it's any company's primary goal to make money.

Maybe Nintendo should just forgo "quality" like that other console maker to get more units out sooner.

<]=)

[sikkinixx]

That's simple really. The Wii is the best selling console of all time whereas the 360 and PS3 (for at least the first year of sales) didn't match their previous sales. Which is probably why you're going to see a lot of them systems on shelves :D

And where are you based? As I said before the only time I've seen queues for Wii's have been around holidays. Though all shops here sell bundles but they're only a few quid more usually. Nothing out of the ordinary at all (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-Wii-Console_W0QQ_fifptsZ1QQ_flnZ1QQ_pidZ55827892QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em23)... Unless you want Wii Fit.

uhhh... PS1/PS2/NES/[insert others here] say hello.

[JackAxe]

Is it SNES? :eek: :)

I wonder if Sony understands that the PS2 user base have mostly moved to Wiis and 360s, or own both, or all three systems, or if they're assuming that anyone that bought a PS2, would NEVER buy anything but a PS3. :)

<]=)

[Dagless]

uhhh... PS1/PS2/NES/[insert others here] say hello.

This says hi (http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=All&cons2=PS2&reg2=All&cons3=PS&reg3=All&weeks=156)(from launch).

[Rodimus Prime]

That's simple really. The Wii is the best selling console of all time whereas the 360 and PS3 (for at least the first year of sales) didn't match their previous sales. Which is probably why you're going to see a lot of them systems on shelves :D

And where are you based? As I said before the only time I've seen queues for Wii's have been around holidays. Though all shops here sell bundles but they're only a few quid more usually. Nothing out of the ordinary at all (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-Wii-Console_W0QQ_fifptsZ1QQ_flnZ1QQ_pidZ55827892QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em23)... Unless you want Wii Fit.



http://www.outtastock.com/wii/ Need I say more. It still out of stock everywhere. I am in the US.

There is just no excuse 2 years later still struggling to keep them in stock.

[Dagless]

http://www.outtastock.com/wii/ Need I say more. It still out of stock everywhere. I am in the US.

There is just no excuse 2 years later still struggling to keep them in stock.

I was following until it's sister site said this (http://www.outtastock.com/ps3/). That can't be right, can it?

[sikkinixx]

This says hi (http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=All&cons2=PS2&reg2=All&cons3=PS&reg3=All&weeks=156)(from launch).

you said best selling of all time, meaning #1 ever.

This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles) disagrees. The Wii MAY eventually do it, if Nintendo lets it live that long. But the PS2 still sells hundreds of thousands of units every month so it's not like the Wii is gaining a million units a month on it.

Perhaps you meant fastest selling.

[e²Studios]

I dont think you will see many shortages this year. I am already starting to see an abundance of Wii consoles at larger retailers around here, and in other places when I am travelling. I see signs saying "We have Wii's!!" on GameStop doors, as well as stacks of them at big box retailers.

The photos say it all. However I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to come out soon and say "the supply is extremely limited for the holidays even though we are producing as much as we can". Which basically pans out to they may create yet another artificial shortage for the holidays, they've done it more than once already why stop now.

[danny_w]

people still moan about not being able to find any. I see them around but not like the 360 or PS3. The point Prime was making, I think anyway, is that Nintendo is selling a lot, but they could sell MORE, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it. Some exec from Nintendo said the demand surprises him, yeah for the last 2 years? Contract some more cheap Chinese labor and get the damn things on the shelves in greater numbers.
I still have never seen one in a store anywhere in my area. My son happened to get one by calling every store in town, and ended up getting the last one they had at a GameStop.

[Dagless]

Wii's are in stock - it's bad for Nintendo
Wii's aren't in stock - it's bad for Nintendo plus they're evil

[Schtumple]

I doubt the Wii will be in short supply, Wii Fits are the only thing everyones now after here, me and my girlfriend checked 8 stores near her over 2 weeks and at not one point did any of them have a Wii Fit in, one guy said we'd missed the last one by 20 minutes...

[jeremy.king]

The photos say it all.

So because one store has a few dozen, they all do? In my area, Wiis are still tough to come by and I doubt they are just out there sitting in a warehouse for the holiday season.

[danny_w]

I dont think you will see many shortages this year. I am already starting to see an abundance of Wii consoles at larger retailers around here, and in other places when I am travelling. I see signs saying "We have Wii's!!" on GameStop doors, as well as stacks of them at big box retailers.

The photos say it all. However I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to come out soon and say "the supply is extremely limited for the holidays even though we are producing as much as we can". Which basically pans out to they may create yet another artificial shortage for the holidays, they've done it more than once already why stop now.
Well I'm glad they are available where you are. There are still none to be found around here.

[jaw04005]

I've seen two or three randomly since launch. Wal-Mart and Target tend to get regular shipments in my area. However, I've never seen cases full of Wii's such as the above pictures.

I think the stock indicator above is very telling — not even Amazon has it in stock.

[zap2]

The photos say it all. .

No, it doesn't!


However I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to come out soon and say "the supply is extremely limited for the holidays even though we are producing as much as we can". .
They sell very very very fast, Nintendo is making tons! How can you say they aren't trying, its over 2million a month!


yet another artificial shortage for the holidays, they've done it more than once already why stop now.
Nope, Nintendo is making lots of Wii, stop with this conspiracy crap

[sikkinixx]

They sell very very very fast, Nintendo is making tons! How can you say they aren't trying, its over 2million a month!


So? Contract some more damn factories and pump out EVEN more until the demand slows. What company has shortages on a product for YEARS? It's not like Nintendo isn't make obscene amounts of money. Hell, they could raise the price of the Wii (oh wait, motion+)

[JackAxe]

Motion+ comes with a game, so nya.

Nintendo should simply release a Wii Elite with 768 megs of internal storage and ask for more, then when someone that already owns a Wii buys a new one, they can count that as a new user. They could also strip out the WiFi adapter and charge $99.99 for it instead -- that would rock. Heck, they could just charge a monthly fee. :)

If it 's financially feasible for Nintendo to build/contract more manufacturing plants, they'll do so. Nintendo likes to make money and not operate at a loss, unlike those other guys. :o

AnnNnnnnd, what other console has sold as many units as fast as the Wii, the answer would be none. :p It's not like last generation, where Nintendo's console was the only one using a PowerPC proc and ATI GPU.

<]=)

[Dagless]

It's quite simple weely - You buy a Wii without the CPU, GPU or the outward contracted bits and Nintendo will ship them to homes when they too come in stock.

You get the thrill of building your own console!

[2nyRiggz]

So because one store has a few dozen, they all do? In my area, Wiis are still tough to come by and I doubt they are just out there sitting in a warehouse for the holiday season.

Not around these parts(NYC)....I've seen them in most stores I've been to. I've actually seen less PS3's than Wiis. On the other hand the Wii Fit is tough to come by because I've been looking for it.....theres actually a store around here selling it as a bundle with the system for $295 but I don't want the board that bad even though its an excellent deal.


Bless

[zap2]

So? Contract some more damn factories and pump out EVEN more until the demand slows. What company has shortages on a product for YEARS? It's not like Nintendo isn't make obscene amounts of money. Hell, they could raise the price of the Wii (oh wait, motion+)

They talked doing just that..... there worry was they start building a factory to make more Wiis, and they thought it likely by then demand will be slowing, and there would be no reason to do it.


I'm not saying Nintendo played this 100% perfectly, but I really think this issues is over talked about. Also I doubt it some "grand" plan by Nintendo to force a "shortage"...perhaps a mistake they are trying to ignore in hopes of fixing itself, but not some evil plan.