Gamestop Sold Out of Wii U Pre-Orders Nation Wide?

[wingzrow]

So I just made my reserve this morning and put my $50 down, and was told that the premium version can't be pre ordered anymore.

Now I'm hearing from a few other sites that the REGULAR version may be out as well soon.

Can anyone who works at a gamestop confirm?

[Bojay1997]

So I just made my reserve this morning and put my $50 down, and was told that the premium version can't be pre ordered anymore.

Now I'm hearing from a few other sites that the REGULAR version may be out as well soon.

Can anyone who works at a gamestop confirm?

Lots of people are saying the same thing on Cheapassgamer, so I think it's accurate. If you already have your preorder, why do you care?

[wingzrow]

It just seems surprising after only a single day. I don't remember the wii being this bad.

[Bojay1997]

It just seems surprising after only a single day. I don't remember the wii being this bad.

I think many of these are being scooped up by flippers/speculators. Lots of people on CAG are saying they have multiples reserved. I know I have a preorder at GS and Best Buy not because I plan on flipping but because I am skeptical that both stores will get enough to cover preorders and I want to hedge my bets. The Wii was bad. Gamestop sold out of preorders very early on and then couldn't fulfill most that they took. They literally were telling people who preordered very early on to keep calling to find out when the next shipment of 2-3 units was coming in. I still remember having to monitor forums on a daily basis for weeks just to know when to go to Target to get one of the 20 Wii units they were getting a few weeks before Christmas.

[Rickstilwell1]

Looks like all the naysayers who thought this thing would flop were dead wrong. Of course people are gonna buy it. It's Nintendo. It's also very different in terms of what the games can do. Being different probably makes it that much more attractive. Then there's also the fact that it doesn't have any competition from its generation yet. People who are bored of the same old system only have one platform to jump to and this is it.

While it's very cool, I'm also glad I'm the type who waits just a while for this launch hype to die down before making a purchase. Racing to get a pre-order fulfilled just seems like too much of a hassle.

[Mangar]

The naysayers could still be right.

The Wii was amazing in terms of it's impact on the general public. I would visit peoples houses, and many were folks who hadn't owned a video game system since they were kids. Be it the original NES, or SNES/Genesis generation - Yet, they had a Wii. Hell, my mom is in her 60's and she has a Wii. I think she plays like 2-3 games on it.. but she does still own one. It's to my knowledge, the first video game system she has ever purchased for herself EVER. This includes the Atari 2600, because that was still primarily purchased for me :)

The upcoming Wii U, nobody aside from hardcore gamers seem to care about it. Even within that group, the reaction seems indifferent. Myself personally, I have a sort of "Wait and see" attitude. There is nothing really striking for me to bother with it on launch, and were I to obtain one - I'd look to flip it to a fanboy. It's not that I think the system is going to be a flop, it's just that it offers very little from what I currently have available. (Wii, Ps3, Tons of Emulators) There is simply no compelling reason to buy one, and I think in terms of the general public - They largely agree.

[kupomogli]

Nintendo could be manufacturing their own shortages. Creating hype by making it look like you can't find the system will more than likely attract more buyers into thinking it's going to be a good console. Nintendo often uses this strategy.

[goatdan]

The upcoming Wii U, nobody aside from hardcore gamers seem to care about it. Even within that group, the reaction seems indifferent... [snip] I think in terms of the general public - They largely agree.

To be totally fair, Nintendo hasn't really started pushing it like crazy yet, so there is a good chance a lot of the general public doesn't know about it yet to see if they care or not.

Having said that, I think it's a pretty mixed message right now on exactly what it is - it looks like an upgrade to the Wii to me in a lot of it's advertising - and there definitely needs to be something to make it worth the purchase to people. The Wii had Wii Sports, the game that sold a billion Wiis basically single-handedly as it proved how neat those new controls could be.

From what I have seen and heard so far, Nintendoland doesn't seem to be quite the same thing. If it isn't, the attach rate will be much more difficult for the mainstream public. For hardcore gamers, let's face it - the Wii burned a LOT of people by having VERY few "hardcore" games for it. I can't remember the last time I played my Wii, but I know when I did I was actually using it as a GameCube. The last Wii game I played? At least a year ago. I know that my situation isn't unique, and I actually like the Wii more than most seem to publicly, but I'm definitely skeptical of buying a Wii U and then not using it enough to justify the purchase.

[Enmity]

You can still pre-order the base model on their website, but it says the deluxe is sold out.

[The Adventurer]

Nintendo could be manufacturing their own shortages. Creating hype by making it look like you can't find the system will more than likely attract more buyers into thinking it's going to be a good console. Nintendo often uses this strategy.

No one ever made money by intentionally NOT MEETING DEMAND. That is just business stupidity. Nintendo doesn't make any money on after market sales, they would be doing everything in their power to LIMIT that, not exasperate it. They want those sales.

People are so hell bent on finding excuses why the Wii U is irrelevant in the face of the facts, its adorable.



The upcoming Wii U, nobody aside from hardcore gamers seem to care about it. .

Wait, is the Wii U a 'hardcore' console, or a 'casual' console for babies? MAKE UP YOUR MIND CONDESCENDING PUBLIC!

[kupomogli]

Wait, is the Wii U a 'hardcore' console, or a 'casual' console for babies? MAKE UP YOUR MIND CONDESCENDING PUBLIC!

He obviously means the Nintendo fanboys.

[fluid_matrix]

Considering the WiiU is expected to be released during prime holiday shopping season, I could see how people would reserve several for flipping purposes. I could see the WiiU easily being the "must have toy" of the holiday season.

[Trebuken]

No one ever made money by intentionally NOT MEETING DEMAND. That is just business stupidity. Nintendo doesn't make any money on after market sales, they would be doing everything in their power to LIMIT that, not exasperate it. They want those sales.

People are so hell bent on finding excuses why the Wii U is irrelevant in the face of the facts, its adorable.




Wait, is the Wii U a 'hardcore' console, or a 'casual' console for babies? MAKE UP YOUR MIND CONDESCENDING PUBLIC!

My understanding is that Nintendo doesn't limit so much as control their costs by manufacturing so many units at a time. Their are some issues regarding the exchange rate and dollars vs. yen here that I do not understand. The theory that they are artificially creating demand has been floated often.

Clearly the launch lie-up indicates that it is a hardcore and a casual console. They need to sell as many consoles as they can before the PS3 and Xbox (next) hit the shelves to capture market share. I fear Nintendo may haqve some issues as soon as those systems are announced.

Oh yeah...I got my premium pre-ordered yesterday a when the store opened. The couple in front of me was trying to preorder two...

[Rob2600]

No one ever made money by intentionally NOT MEETING DEMAND. That is just business stupidity.

You'll soon realize kupomogli follows his own special version of logic.

[The 1 2 P]

Looks like all the naysayers who thought this thing would flop were dead wrong.

Slow down there. First, I don't think any system by Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony has flopped since atleast last gen. Some people try to say the PSP was a failure but that sold tens of millions of units so I wouldn't call it an outright failure, it just didn't outsell the DS. The Gamecube was in last place last gen and outsold by Microsoft's upstart new console. Nintendo still made money off of each system so again I wouldn't call it a failure but I would say it was disappointing gaming wise. And then you have the PS3, which I believe is still last place after all this time. Does that make it a failure? No it does not. It may have sold less than the other two systems(it's not that far behind the 360 actually) but Sony is finally making money off of it.

Now that we got that out of the way, there was absolutely no chance in hell the Wii U was ever going to flop during it's launch release. And I will use my super Ms. Clea and Deon Warick powers and tell you that neither the PS4 or Next Box will flop next year either. Why do you think they launch these systems during the holidays? To take advantage of all the holiday shoppers who, for one brief time during the year, completely forget about the recession and any of their other personal financial issues.

So the Wii U won't flop. However, once the holidays are over and systems are finally available at all times on store shelfs you will see the system slow down. However, Nintendo is most likely already planning for this with early release games next year during February thru June. We honestly won't know exactly how well the Wii U is destined to do until it gets past it's second holiday season during direct competition with atleast one other next gen competitor.

[WCP]

No one ever made money by intentionally NOT MEETING DEMAND. That is just business stupidity.


It's funny you'd say that, because Nintendo has done this several times in the past. Nintendo knows better than anybody about all the free publicity and buzz that's caused by being the hot, new Xmas toy. Shortages create hype. Hype fuels future sales. If your system is too easy to get ahold of, then it loses a bit of it's luster. I know it seems stupid, but it's human psychology. People want what they can't have. Remember when the Kinect was hard to get when it first came out ? How many idiots ended up buying a Kinect because they got caught up in the hype due to the shortage. Then, just before Xmas, tons of Kinects arrived in stores to satiate any amount of demand. Nintendo did the EXACT same with the launch of the N64. People were selling N64's in the classfieds section of the newspapers for $350 and $400 that Holiday Season. Of course, about 10 days before Xmas, Nintendo flooded the market with tons of N64 systems, making sure that every little Johnny in America could have them under their Xmas tree if their parents had $200.

The same exact thing will happen this year.

[Bojay1997]

It's funny you'd say that, because Nintendo has done this several times in the past. Nintendo knows better than anybody about all the free publicity and buzz that's caused by being the hot, new Xmas toy. Shortages create hype. Hype fuels future sales. If your system is too easy to get ahold of, then it loses a bit of it's luster. I know it seems stupid, but it's human psychology. People want what they can't have. Remember when the Kinect was hard to get when it first came out ? How many idiots ended up buying a Kinect because they got caught up in the hype due to the shortage. Then, just before Xmas, tons of Kinects arrived in stores to satiate any amount of demand. Nintendo did the EXACT same with the launch of the N64. People were selling N64's in the classfieds section of the newspapers for $350 and $400 that Holiday Season. Of course, about 10 days before Xmas, Nintendo flooded the market with tons of N64 systems, making sure that every little Johnny in America could have them under their Xmas tree if their parents had $200.

The same exact thing will happen this year.

I have no idea about the N64, but people said that about the Wii as well and floods of them never showed up. In fact, it took a good two years until the Wii was readily available at retail. I think Nintendo is just a really conservative company rather than a clever marketing machine manufacturing artificial hype and demand. They don't want to get stuck with excess inventory like they did with the 3DS forcing a quick price drop.

[Tupin]

So, apparently the only place that has deluxe preorders available is Wal-Mart, which require paying in full, I think.

I put down money on a basic yesterday, and apparently Gamestop's now sold out of them, too. I'm trying to find a place where I can get a Deluxe, Best Buy and Toys R Us have both stopped orders for a while.

[Tupin]

Nevermind, that's just a page they didn't take down.

Hopefully I'll be able to get in a deluxe preorder when they open up again.

[InsaneDavid]

Has Nintendo dropped any information as to how much inventory they're actually going to be able to manufacture before Christmas? Remember this is a console that hard information has been scarce about until fairly recently and the global launch across the three major regions will be happening within less than a month of one another. I don't think there's going to be enough hardware in the inventory channel.

I don't really care either way, my thoughts about this being one of the most poorly planned hardware launch executions not withstanding. Not to mention a premium bundle pack-in game that should have been free or part of the interface to begin with and carrying over the one thing that should have died off last generation - multi-tier hardware pricing.

[The 1 2 P]

I don't mind multi-tier hardware pricing as long as the money to value proposition is there. Anyway, it isn't likely to go anytime soon. Actually, I'm almost certain that one of Microsoft's console sku's for it's next gen system will be a subscription model similiar to what they are currently running with some 360's, where you pay a cheap upfront price($99) and then pay a monthly XBL fee for the next two years.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Nintendo loves their shortages. When something is in short supply, it increases the demand for it, and creates a buzz.

Now all they need are a few stories in the news saying how hard it is to get a WiiU for Christmas. Nongamers will buy it just to say they scored one.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

Nintendo could be manufacturing their own shortages. Creating hype by making it look like you can't find the system will more than likely attract more buyers into thinking it's going to be a good console. Nintendo often uses this strategy.

pretty much exactly what i was thinking, im still convinced thats what they did with the original wii


in any case, i couldnt care less, im completely indifferent about the wii u, if they fail great, if they succeed great, only thing that would ever convince me to buy one is if a rumor about them funding shenmue 3 to be a wii u exclusive turns out to be true


if that day ever came...jesus titty fucking christ.

[Rickstilwell1]

What I was talking about are the people who go around talking bad about systems before they even have a chance. It's the same crowd that said the 3DS and/or the Vita were junk. Now a lot of people who didn't like them at first have one or the other if not both. So in comparison to those two, this news makes it sound like the Wii U is starting off better than they did.

[WanganRunner]

Preorders don't mean anything in terms of the system being an initial success or not, just because of stupid flippers.

Almost no one bought an original Wii to flip, but it took longer for preorders to sell out. Once the system actually launched though, it was hard to find for like 2 years.

The PS3 had CRAZY preorders sales, overnight lines for preorders, people selling places in line for hundreds of dollars, etc. All because it was percieved that the system would be flippable for a lot more than MSRP, and then when release date came people had hoarded so many systems that demand fell out and it wasn't worth more than maybe $50 over MSRP after a week or so. Anyone hoarding systems bought at a premium was SOL.

We will see how Wii U plays out. Since X720 and PS4 don't even have dates yet, I do think it'll be a strong launch, because people don't know how long they'll be waiting for the next thing. I did not preorder, maybe at my peril, but I think that after xmas I'll be able to find a system at retail somewhere.

[BetaWolf47]

pretty much exactly what i was thinking, im still convinced thats what they did with the original wii
I don't know about that. I've been to a Best Buy where they've brought out an entire palette of Wii consoles, back in 2007 or 2008. This was when you still had to pay $400 on ebay to guarantee one. Before I left, several people already had them in their shopping carts. Even if shortages do create buzz, there's no way they could've overtaken PS3 and Xbox 360 in sales that quickly with an artificial shortage. Sony and Microsoft must've messed up big time to be outsold by a console that Nintendo was intentionally holding back, I bet.

However, I'm still convinced that most people who want one will be able to secure one at launch. I stood in line and got an original Wii on launch date at Target without a preorder. People were still walking into the store over an hour after opening, and walking out with one. It was the hype created after launch that made them so hard to get.

[Nature Boy]

pretty much exactly what i was thinking, im still convinced thats what they did with the original wii

I was listening to the recent (Sep 16th 2012) "Got Game" podcast from the local sports station, and I'm positive they said that it was confirmed that Nintendo purposely shorted supply of the Wii.

(If you're interested in hearing it, you'll want to jump to the third segment. They spend the first two talking about NHL 13. It is a sports radio station in Canada after all, even if it is a video game themed radio show/podcast :) ).

I would suspect the hardest thing Nintendo will have to face is getting Wii owners who haven't touched their Wii in months/years to want a Wii U. For the hardcore Nintendo crowd, it's a non-issue. For everybody else, it will be interesting to see what Nintendo does and how they ultimately fare.

[RCM]

I would suspect the hardest thing Nintendo will have to face is getting Wii owners who haven't touched their Wii in months/years to want a Wii U. For the hardcore Nintendo crowd, it's a non-issue. For everybody else, it will be interesting to see what Nintendo does and how they ultimately fare.

I've been saying this for a while: Nintendo seems to be a victim of their own short term success. I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U is difficult to find in some areas this Holiday season, but there's little chance it will replicate the mania or success of its predecessor in terms of installed base.

[Bojay1997]

I was listening to the recent (Sep 16th 2012) "Got Game" podcast from the local sports station, and I'm positive they said that it was confirmed that Nintendo purposely shorted supply of the Wii.

(If you're interested in hearing it, you'll want to jump to the third segment. They spend the first two talking about NHL 13. It is a sports radio station in Canada after all, even if it is a video game themed radio show/podcast :) ).

I would suspect the hardest thing Nintendo will have to face is getting Wii owners who haven't touched their Wii in months/years to want a Wii U. For the hardcore Nintendo crowd, it's a non-issue. For everybody else, it will be interesting to see what Nintendo does and how they ultimately fare.

It was on the radio, so it must be true. Give me a break. I agree with you, however, that it won't draw the same response that the Wii did. Of course, all it has to do is a fraction of that volume and it will be a great success.

[Nature Boy]

I agree with you, however, that it won't draw the same response that the Wii did. Of course, all it has to do is a fraction of that volume and it will be a great success.

I never said it would or wouldn't draw the same response, I just commented on what I thought Nintendo's biggest challenge might be.



It was on the radio, so it must be true. Give me a break.

If you think I'm going to spend my time investigating whatever I read or hear to make sure it's true, you can give *me* a break. I've got better things to do. Just thought I'd mention what I'd heard and where I'd heard it (and obviously I believe the source or I wouldn't mention it).

[Bojay1997]

I never said it would or wouldn't draw the same response, I just commented on what I thought Nintendo's biggest challenge might be.




If you think I'm going to spend my time investigating whatever I read or hear to make sure it's true, you can give *me* a break. I've got better things to do. Just thought I'd mention what I'd heard and where I'd heard it (and obviously I believe the source or I wouldn't mention it).

Right, it's easier to just believe and regurgitate back whatever you hear without any sort of independent or critical thought about the source or validity of a claim. I have yet to see any proof whatsoever that Nintendo intentionally shorted supply of the Wii. If you have any, I'd love to see it. A radio show is not proof of anything. Certainly, the fact that they were still hard to find two years later is strong evidence that they didn't in fact constrict supply as it would have made no sense to keep the supply limited after all the demand was built up.

[Nature Boy]

Right, it's easier to just believe and regurgitate back whatever you hear without any sort of independent or critical thought about the source or validity of a claim.

Look, you may believe I put 'no independent or critical thought' into the validity of the source, but frankly I couldn't care less what *you* believe about what I was thinking (it's an asinine assertion if ever I heard one - you have no more idea what or how I think than I do about you). If you want to call me out on it fine, I'm not going to bother explaining myself more than I already have.

I have no reason to disbelieve what I heard. You do. Let's end the discussion.

[Bojay1997]

Look, you may believe I put 'no independent or critical thought' into the validity of the source, but frankly I couldn't care less what *you* believe about what I was thinking (it's an asinine assertion if ever I heard one - you have no more idea what or how I think than I do about you). If you want to call me out on it fine, I'm not going to bother explaining myself more than I already have.

I have no reason to disbelieve what I heard. You do. Let's end the discussion.

Obviously that's not true or you wouldn't have bothered to respond at all or post on a discussion board in the first place. This isn't a place for people to spout random words or purported facts and expect that everyone is simply going to accept them as truth. If you have no interest in discussing anything and are afraid to explain your positions on various issues, please feel free not to post in the thread at all as that's the entire purpose of it and discussion forums in general.

[kupomogli]

Artificial shortages help sales. That's a fact. Constant news broadcasts how the Wii is the hottest selling item on the market because it can't be found, anyone who browses the electronics section seeing where the Wii's are being completely empty, etc. It gives an opinion that "if it's always out of stock then it must be good."

Also, Nintendo wouldn't ever say they're creating shortages, because that'd make them look like more of a douchebag company than they already are. No company would admit they're using tactics like that to gouge consumers for sales. Out of what is probably thousands of news articles declaring artificial Wii shortages, here's one that I'm even sure that you would believe Bojay. Or no, as I'm sure you'll believe what you want to believe, but that's probably as close to proof that you're going to get unless you want to look it up yourself. If you can't trust the largest video game retailer in the United States, who can you trust(/sarcasm?)

http://www.1up.com/news/wii-shortage-deliberate-gamestop-executive

But honestly. If the Wii didn't have artificial shortages, then the Kinect release must have been a miracle. Huge coincidence that Microsoft sold eight million Kinect's in a mere two months. Microsoft even said there was a Kinect shortage, but you could always find them on store shelves, so they didn't hold back production, they just said it would be hard to find.

[Bojay1997]

Artificial shortages help sales. That's a fact. Constant news broadcasts how the Wii is the hottest selling item on the market because it can't be found, anyone who browses the electronics section seeing where the Wii's are being completely empty, etc. It gives an opinion that "if it's always out of stock then it must be good."

Also, Nintendo wouldn't ever say they're creating shortages, because that'd make them look like more of a douchebag company than they already are. No company would admit they're using tactics like that to gouge consumers for sales. Out of what is probably thousands of news articles declaring artificial Wii shortages, here's one that I'm even sure that you would believe Bojay. Or no, as I'm sure you'll believe what you want to believe, but that's probably as close to proof that you're going to get unless you want to look it up yourself. If you can't trust the largest video game retailer in the United States, who can you trust(/sarcasm?)

http://www.1up.com/news/wii-shortage-deliberate-gamestop-executive

But honestly. If the Wii didn't have artificial shortages, then the Kinect release must have been a miracle. Huge coincidence that Microsoft sold eight million Kinect's in a mere two months. Microsoft even said there was a Kinect shortage, but you could always find them on store shelves, so they didn't hold back production, they just said it would be hard to find.

Perhaps you should attend some business classes. Artificial shortages can have an impact on short term demand, but they are not a strategy that can be stretched over two years or more. It's also not a "fact", it's a theory which can be supported with evidence, but to start, there has to be evidence that a shortage was in fact artificially imposed. Just because the CEO of Gamestop at the time believed Nintendo was constricting supply before launch (note the article was from 2007 and from the months just after the Wii was released) doesn't make it a fact or true. If the supply had magically opened up 3-6 months after launch as the CEO predicted (note he thought supply would open up in April, some six months after launch), perhaps I would have been convinced that there was something to the argument. As it stands, it took two full years for Wiis to be readily available at retail. So, in retrospect, the CEO was wrong and you have again failed to provide any evidence. A two year shortage sure doesn't help Nintendo as some people inevitably lose interest or buy from scalpers/resellers, the additional revenue then going to third parties meaning less money for spending on buying games and accessories from Nintendo.

In any event, none of this changes the fact that the Wii is the best selling console of this generation, was profitable almost the entire time and somehow managed to beat two technologically superior consoles which arguably had more balanced software libraries. I personally don't get it and I don't necessarily know why the WiiU is experiencing massive preorder interest (although I did preorder one), but based on all the evidence I have seen including a line of people preordering at Best Buy the day after the announcement last week, I am convinced that there is real demand out there. I'm guessing you won't be preordering one which is fine because it's not going to be possible to find one at launch anyway unless you plan on lining up or get really lucky and snag one when they come back in stock from the handful of retailers stocking them.

I understand that not everyone has the financial ability to purchase every new console and game that comes out, so I understand that instead of just accepting that fact and maybe looking for ways to improve their financial situation in life, some people channel that jealousy and envy against the people who happen to own the other consoles. It's frankly sad and not productive as there is nothing you will ever post here that will change the fact that Nintendo and probably Sony and Microsoft as well are going to have very successful next generation consoles and lots of people are going to end up buying two or more of them and enjoying all of them.

[Tupin]

Huh. All of this is interesting. I managed to get a Deluxe preorder at Toys R Us, despite that I heard they were out. Guess not the one local to me.

Now, to get a refund on my Gamestop preorder...

[Bojay1997]

Huh. All of this is interesting. I managed to get a Deluxe preorder at Toys R Us, despite that I heard they were out. Guess not the one local to me.

Now, to get a refund on my Gamestop preorder...

You might want to hold on to both for now. I know a local TRU accidentally printed more preorder slips for the Deluxe a few days ago despite the fact that they likely won't be able to fulfill them at launch. They pulled the remaining slips after they realized the error, but I think it's safe to say most retailers don't really know how many they are getting yet and it's better to hedge your bets if you have to have one at launch.

[kupomogli]

I understand that not everyone has the financial ability to purchase every new console and game that comes out,

I do.


It's frankly sad and not productive as there is nothing you will ever post here that will change the fact that Nintendo and probably Sony and Microsoft as well are going to have very successful next generation consoles and lots of people are going to end up buying two or more of them and enjoying all of them.

Where did this come from? As for being anti Nintendo and owning a 3DS and going to own a Wii U, I'd like the systems to be successful because I want good games. My ranting about Nintendo being a piece of shit company with douchebag tactics has nothing to do with me hoping that the systems fail.

Like I said though. If Microsoft can sell eight million Kinect systems, in two months there's no reason for Nintendo to have no stock for weeks at a time other than create a constant demand. You may be right about there not being an artificial shortage, and I may be right. Unless Nintendo comes out and says it, then nobody really knows do they?

Or what about the newest Ipad. Sold three million units two days after its release. I'm surprised the damn thing isn't backordered until 2013 O_O.

[RCM]

As it stands, it took two full years for Wiis to be readily available at retail. So, in retrospect, the CEO was wrong and you have again failed to provide any evidence. A two year shortage sure doesn't help Nintendo as some people inevitably lose interest or buy from scalpers/resellers, the additional revenue then going to third parties meaning less money for spending on buying games and accessories from Nintendo.

So you're saying Wii was reasonably scarce until Holiday season 2008? I couldn't say for sure, but Wii started to become available far more frequently at the 9-10 month mark in the NY metro area. I got my Wii 10-11 months in and literally picked from a giant "pile" of systems. I'd certainly expect more Wiis available in NYC as opposed to Alabama or something, but I didn't realize it took two years for Nintendo to iron their supply issues out. I have a couple friends who worked with Nintendo during that era. I'd be curious to see their take on this, not that I'm completely doubting your statement. I'm just a little surprised.

[Bojay1997]

So you're saying Wii was reasonably scarce until Holiday season 2008? I couldn't say for sure, but Wii started to become available far more frequently at the 9-10 month mark in the NY metro area. I got my Wii 10-11 months in and literally picked from a giant "pile" of systems. I'd certainly expect more Wiis available in NYC as opposed to Alabama or something, but I didn't realize it took two years for Nintendo to iron their supply issues out. I have a couple friends who worked with Nintendo during that era. I'd be curious to see their take on this, not that I'm completely doubting your statement. I'm just a little surprised.

Well, it's based on my personal experience in Southern California specifically in Los Angeles and San Diego as during that time, I basically went to Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us or Fry's on a daily basis around lunch (Something I still do on a daily basis to get out of the office and the basis for my conclusion that demand for the WiiU is real) I always looked to see if the Wii was available as I still had friends 18 months after launch looking for one. Sure, stores got stock in on a fairly regular basis, but it always sold out. You couldn't confidently walk into a store and be guaranteed to find units in stock until at least Fall 2008.

[Bojay1997]

I do.



Where did this come from? As for being anti Nintendo and owning a 3DS and going to own a Wii U, I'd like the systems to be successful because I want good games. My ranting about Nintendo being a piece of shit company with douchebag tactics has nothing to do with me hoping that the systems fail.

Like I said though. If Microsoft can sell eight million Kinect systems, in two months there's no reason for Nintendo to have no stock for weeks at a time other than create a constant demand. You may be right about there not being an artificial shortage, and I may be right. Unless Nintendo comes out and says it, then nobody really knows do they?

Or what about the newest Ipad. Sold three million units two days after its release. I'm surprised the damn thing isn't backordered until 2013 O_O.

There are many valid reasons not to produce tons of stock. Did you completely miss all the excess 3DS units Nintendo had on hand during the poor launch last year? Do you think that all the chip and memory and screen component suppliers just wait until Nintendo sells everything they order to get paid? Of course not, Nintendo takes all of the risk by placing large orders for components months in advance of launch. Nintendo unfortunately is not Apple and they don't have a guaranteed crowd showing up for every product they release anymore. They also don't have the financial size or stability that Microsoft, Sony or Apple have. One bad product launch can do serious damage to Nintendo since they don't have other product lines beyond video games and some licensed character products. Certainly, having just come off a moderately successful product in the Gamecube, they likely weren't prepared for the huge demand for the Wii. Similarly, they had to be cautious about over producing because the public can be very fickle and something that is hot for the holidays can just as easily cool off come the new year. Could Nintendo have done a better job meeting demand? Absolutely. Do I believe they intentionally restricted supply as a marketing tool for almost two years? Not a chance.

[The Adventurer]

There are many valid reasons not to produce tons of stock. Did you completely miss all the excess 3DS units Nintendo had on hand during the poor launch last year? Do you think that all the chip and memory and screen component suppliers just wait until Nintendo sells everything they order to get paid? Of course not, Nintendo takes all of the risk by placing large orders for components months in advance of launch. Nintendo unfortunately is not Apple and they don't have a guaranteed crowd showing up for every product they release anymore. They also don't have the financial size or stability that Microsoft, Sony or Apple have. One bad product launch can do serious damage to Nintendo since they don't have other product lines beyond video games and some licensed character products. Certainly, having just come off a moderately successful product in the Gamecube, they likely weren't prepared for the huge demand for the Wii. Similarly, they had to be cautious about over producing because the public can be very fickle and something that is hot for the holidays can just as easily cool off come the new year. Could Nintendo have done a better job meeting demand? Absolutely. Do I believe they intentionally restricted supply as a marketing tool for almost two years? Not a chance.

A thought out and reasonable argument. Frankly the very notion of producing an artificial shortage to manipulate the market strikes me as an unhealthy level of paranoia.

[Tupin]

You might want to hold on to both for now. I know a local TRU accidentally printed more preorder slips for the Deluxe a few days ago despite the fact that they likely won't be able to fulfill them at launch. They pulled the remaining slips after they realized the error, but I think it's safe to say most retailers don't really know how many they are getting yet and it's better to hedge your bets if you have to have one at launch.
Well, I just got it yesterday and the guy I got it from said it was the first preorder he rang up. Don't know if it means anything, but I trust TRU more than Best Buy who was my alternate choice.

[BetaWolf47]

I'm not that worried about this. I stood in line for the Wii at Target in 2006 and got mine no problem. People were walking in over an hour after the store had opened, and were walking out with one. Just pull an all-nighter for one night in your life if you're that worried. Let the ebay scalpers have their fun.

[j_factor]

I'm not that worried about this. I stood in line for the Wii at Target in 2006 and got mine no problem. People were walking in over an hour after the store had opened, and were walking out with one.

I think that's very atypical. I waited in line for a launch Wii, and had to go home empty-handed. I wasn't there overnight, but I did go early in the morning and wait a few hours. The store got 39 systems in, and I was in position 43 or so. At that time (when the store employee came out to announce how many systems they had), I was about 1/3rd from the front of the line, if not less.

From what I read on various forums later that day and through the following week or so, that was the norm. Most stores did not have nearly enough for the people waiting in line before store opening.

[RCM]

Well, it's based on my personal experience in Southern California specifically in Los Angeles and San Diego as during that time, I basically went to Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us or Fry's on a daily basis around lunch (Something I still do on a daily basis to get out of the office and the basis for my conclusion that demand for the WiiU is real) I always looked to see if the Wii was available as I still had friends 18 months after launch looking for one. Sure, stores got stock in on a fairly regular basis, but it always sold out. You couldn't confidently walk into a store and be guaranteed to find units in stock until at least Fall 2008.

That's rough. I'm surprised they didn't better support those areas, or at least the stores you and your friends went into. The situation wasn't nearly as bleak 12-18 months into Wii's lifespan by me.

[BetaWolf47]

I think that's very atypical. I waited in line for a launch Wii, and had to go home empty-handed. I wasn't there overnight, but I did go early in the morning and wait a few hours. The store got 39 systems in, and I was in position 43 or so. At that time (when the store employee came out to announce how many systems they had), I was about 1/3rd from the front of the line, if not less.

From what I read on various forums later that day and through the following week or so, that was the norm. Most stores did not have nearly enough for the people waiting in line before store opening.
Hmm, that might be the norm, then. I live in a suburban town, where geeks are a pretty vast minority. I got there in the morning and was about 12th in line. The amount of gamers may have changed since then, however.

[Enmity]

I think location has everything to do with perceived shortages to a consumer. While some of you might have been able to walk into a store and get a Wii six months after launch where you were, other places were not so lucky. Large retailers including GameStop evenly distribute their incoming inventory over all of their stores nationally. While one area might have already fulfilled that stupidly large demand for the system other areas might not have been able to due to population or other factors. I worked for GameStop during that launch and the two years following it in Orlando FL, and I can say that we were still filling preorders for the system almost 11 months after launch and once we did fill preorders we still had people lining every morning we had a UPS shipment. This practice was so regular that the people lining up knew my stores UPS schedule by heart and even knew the deliveryman by name. They would know if there were any in shipment before it even made it through the door because they knew what box they were looking for also.

Also I have no opinion either way about Nintendo creating a shortage or not, but I did notice a couple times that we received systems that were manufactured before launch over a year after launch mixed with with systems that had been manufactured after launch.

[Damaniel]

I'd still like to pre-order one, but these days I refuse to get my games/consoles from anywhere other than Amazon (especially not Gamestop!) Since Amazon isn't selling Nintendo hardware on their website and hasn't for some time, I guess I'll have to go without the Wii U for the time being.

People who are pre-ordering to flip the system are probably making a big mistake. The Wii was very friendly for non-gamers, and had a seriously good killer app as a pack-in. The Wii U, while still being targeted toward the more casual end of the market, will have a steeper learning curve for non-gamers due to the controller, and Nintendo Land doesn't look to be the must-have game that Wii Sports was. That, combined with the bad impression that third-party software left on some Wii adopters, might end up stifling Wii U demand compared to the Wii. While flipping at a profit might be possible, nobody's going to get rich reselling Wii Us like they did from reselling the Wii.

[Bojay1997]

I'd still like to pre-order one, but these days I refuse to get my games/consoles from anywhere other than Amazon (especially not Gamestop!) Since Amazon isn't selling Nintendo hardware on their website and hasn't for some time, I guess I'll have to go without the Wii U for the time being.

People who are pre-ordering to flip the system are probably making a big mistake. The Wii was very friendly for non-gamers, and had a seriously good killer app as a pack-in. The Wii U, while still being targeted toward the more casual end of the market, will have a steeper learning curve for non-gamers due to the controller, and Nintendo Land doesn't look to be the must-have game that Wii Sports was. That, combined with the bad impression that third-party software left on some Wii adopters, might end up stifling Wii U demand compared to the Wii. While flipping at a profit might be possible, nobody's going to get rich reselling Wii Us like they did from reselling the Wii.

Out of curiousity, what's the advantage of using Amazon in a state with no sales tax? It seems like for most purchases, it would be just a lot easier to buy consoles and handhelds in store and not worry about delays or damage in transit or dealing with returns if there's a problem. It just seems like Portland probably has tons of other stores like Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, etc...that would be a ready and easy source for buying stuff.

[InsaneDavid]

Huh. All of this is interesting. I managed to get a Deluxe preorder at Toys R Us, despite that I heard they were out. Guess not the one local to me.

Now, to get a refund on my Gamestop preorder...

In an effort to push the "hot toy presale" system all TRU stores were allowed to allocate an additional five presales, and FIVE PER STORE ONLY, for the Deluxe bundle.

[Tupin]

In an effort to push the "hot toy presale" system all TRU stores were allowed to allocate an additional five presales, and FIVE PER STORE ONLY, for the Deluxe bundle.
Well, it looks like I got one of those.

[Johnny Nintendo]

Man, I was really wanting to get a Wii U on launch day, but everywhere
I called said there are no more pre orders left. I called Walmart and they said
they don't do pre orders, so I guess its first come, first served. Anyone know
of any other stores that don't allow pre orders, where you just have to wait in
line. This may be my only option.

[BetaWolf47]

I'd think most general merchandise stores would be like that. Target was, for Wii. That's where I'm going to stand in line for my Wii U.

[NayusDante]

Here's how I'm seeing it:

Nintendo believes in profiting from hardware.
It's obvious that the Wii U won't have the same mass-market appeal that the Wii did.

Therefore, their goal should be to meet consumer demand as it comes, not flood the market. They're guaranteed to profit that way, and get a quick ROI. If you manufacture too many, it takes longer to get a return on that investment. It's going to take time for the Wii U to catch on with the casual crowd, and I think they realize that. The people that buy a console on day one are, well... people like us.

Someone else brought up the sold-out PS3 launch, which is important to consider as the original bill of materials for the PS3 was in the $700 range. They built more than they could sell at a loss for each unit made, and had to discount existing inventory to make way for revised models. What did Nintendo just do with the 3DS? They had to price it below cost just to get units moving after the initial launch.

Success in the console market lies in longevity, not day-one sales. Over a long period, the PS2 sold pretty consistently. Check the sales numbers (http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/PlayStation_2#PlayStation_2_sales) and you'll see that nearly 1/3 of cumulative PS2 hardware shipments were after the release of the PS3.

[Johnny Nintendo]

They're being released on the 18th right? What time do you plan on getting there to wait?
I also saw on Wal-Mart's website that they have a special bundle. You get to pick which
model Wii U want, 1 game from a selection of 9, and either a Wii Motion plus controller or
the Wii U Pro Controller. I picked the deluxe set, with new Mario Bros U and the Wii U Pro
Controller and it all added up to $460 I think, but when I tried to check out it said the deluxe
model was unavailable.