So I missed pre-ordrers for the Wii...

[Super Mario Fan]

..but I still want to get one at launch. What are the odds of me going to my local walmart the day before waiting till midnight, and acctually getting one? This is pretty much my only hope here, so some advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :D

[business]

What are the odds of me going to my local walmart the day before waiting till midnight, and acctually getting one?

Very good. Aren't there supposed to be plenty of Wii's to go around?

[c0ldb33r]

Very good. Aren't there supposed to be plenty of Wii's to go around?
That's what I'm relying on as well :)

[Beefy Hits]

Me too. There's always K-Mart.

[gepeto]

There will be plenty. I was listening to a nintendo rep on tv and she basically to the interviewer when questioned on launch amount to add a some more zeros to the ps3 amount.

I saw the wii for the first time today I believe there will be no problems mass producing them. The thing is so small.
Way to go nintendo.

( Personal thoughts I believe the wii is the gamecube technology with a faster processor and more memory. Don't get me wrong there was nothing wrong with the gamecube I still believe the gamecube is more powerfull than the ps2)

[Slate]

There will be plenty of Wiis to go around. Nintendo doesn't do the shortage.

Oh and Buy it at Kmart. You'll be able to get a 2 year warranty for $25 there! And it doesn't start until the manufacturer's warranty is up!

[Cambot]

I saw the wii for the first time today I believe there will be no problems mass producing them. The thing is so small.
Way to go nintendo.

Where?

[gepeto]

I saw the wii for the first time today I believe there will be no problems mass producing them. The thing is so small.
Way to go nintendo.

Where?

It was at my local gamestop. The nitendo reps are going around setting them up. They use the similar samsung lcd display.

[Super Mario Fan]

Well my K-mart is dumb. They don't even know if they're getting it.

I called my Walmart, they recommended getting there in the early afternoon. They weren't sure about the number of consoles they were getting. I can't get down there until like 10:00-10:30 at the earliest. Hopefully I get one.

[Rev. Link]

I know there are supposed to be a whole buttload of Wiis available by Christmas, but isn't there only supposed to be 400,000 at launch? That number spreads pretty thin when you spread it across the country. My local Game Crazy is only getting 8.

I can't believe anyone would not pre-order hardware these days. If you want it on launch day, pre-order!

[ManciGames]

I know there are supposed to be a whole buttload of Wiis available by Christmas, but isn't there only supposed to be 400,000 at launch? That number spreads pretty thin when you spread it across the country. My local Game Crazy is only getting 8.

I can't believe anyone would not pre-order hardware these days. If you want it on launch day, pre-order!

I keep hearing 2 million at launch and another 6 million by Christmas. That could be worldwide though...

Doesn't seem to crazy to think they could have millions in the US though. They've been manufacturing the thing since July or August, I think.

[gepeto]

I know there are supposed to be a whole buttload of Wiis available by Christmas, but isn't there only supposed to be 400,000 at launch? That number spreads pretty thin when you spread it across the country. My local Game Crazy is only getting 8.

I can't believe anyone would not pre-order hardware these days. If you want it on launch day, pre-order!

I think that statement doesn't apply to this current generations systems launch. It is easy to scream you should have preordered . In reality, where could you have preordered anyone of them? Nobody was giving and solid info on preordering either system and I was looking. The toys r us preorder was a joke. eb's and gamestop was under the cover of darkness. So who was taking valid preorders?

[smokehouse]

I will do what I’ve always done, go K-Mart (got a launch N64 and PS2 that way…). On the 19th I’ll camp out early and have a good chance at getting one.

As for pre-ordering…screw that. A Pre-order does not guarantee you ANYTHING other than getting a console eventually…rarely on launch day.

I will NEVER pre-order again after past experiences.

[Anthony1]

There is supposed to be 1 million Wii systems available in the USA on November 19th. So, if you really, really want a Wii, you should be able to get one, without even needing to camp out for it. Toys R Us is the official launch partner of the Nintendo Wii, so if you have a TRU in your area, I would just be there about 30 mins before it opens that Sunday, and you should be fine. Supposedly TRU's are getting 100 to 150 Wii's for each store. Now, I know that TRU just did a preorder for the Wii, and they did the preorder in very limited numbers, but supposedly that was just to have a small amount of them preordered, but there will be more for walk up customers on launch day.

Best Buy should have alot of them too, but if you get in a situation where alot of people think they are going to be scarce, then you might actually have people lining up for them in certain places, but I think if one is smart about it, it should be easy to find one. It might take some driving around that morning, but you should be able to find at least one retailer with some unsold Wii's. I full expect it to completely sell out by the end of day Sunday, but in the Morning, it should be easy to find with some driving around.


The people paying big $$$ on Ebay to get these Wii pre-orders are just throwing their money down the drain. Apparently, they are getting the Wii and PS3 launches totally mixed up. The Wii will be in plentiful supply all holiday season. Sure, there will be a week here, or a week there, where you won't be able to find one, and it will be sold out everywhere, but if you are patient, there will be tons more hitting the stores shortly after that. Nintendo already has about 3 million Wii's manufactured, sitting in a wherehouse in New Jersey somewhere right now, just waiting. Nintendo isn't going to totally flood the market right away, cause they do want the system to be sold out, and unavailable for short periods of time, to give the impression of scarcity, and to cause people to be very proactive about buying one if they see one on the shelves, but at the same time, Nintendo will be restocking the Wii at retailers like crazy, making sure Wii's are always in the retail channel. I know that's kind of a contradiction, but they are basically going to be guarding the flow of Wii's very carefully. They want to sell tons of them, but they also want the impression of it being hard to get, and that hot Christmas item. What will happen is, a few weeks before Xmas the charade will be over, and the market will be absolutely flooded with Wii's and anybody and everybody that wants one, will be able to buy it. But before then, they will play a little cat and mouse game with their deliveries.

[Niku-Sama]

nintendo is pretty smart when it comes to launch days, i think thats they their numbers are better than people expect.

they have the supply for the demand, if its high or low.
that doesent mean that they wont sell out though.

and the only reason i am going to pre order a game is so i can get cool pre order stuff.

[gepeto]

nintendo is pretty smart when it comes to launch days, i think thats they their numbers are better than people expect.

they have the supply for the demand, if its high or low.
that doesent mean that they wont sell out though.

and the only reason i am going to pre order a game is so i can get cool pre order stuff.

Nintendo would like nothing better than to hear the press proclaim that they are outselling the competiton 2 to 1

[smokehouse]

Nintendo would like nothing better than to hear the press proclaim that they are outselling the competiton 2 to 1

I would like nothing better than to here Nintendo is outselling their competition 2 to 1.

[Super Mario Fan]

How many people do you think would camp out at wal-mart for a midnight release? I just really want a Wii. I feel like Cartman.

[shaggy]

There is supposed to be 1 million Wii systems available in the USA on November 19th. So, if you really, really want a Wii, you should be able to get one, without even needing to camp out for it. Toys R Us is the official launch partner of the Nintendo Wii, so if you have a TRU in your area, I would just be there about 30 mins before it opens that Sunday, and you should be fine. Supposedly TRU's are getting 100 to 150 Wii's for each store. Now, I know that TRU just did a preorder for the Wii, and they did the preorder in very limited numbers, but supposedly that was just to have a small amount of them preordered, but there will be more for walk up customers on launch day.

Best Buy should have alot of them too, but if you get in a situation where alot of people think they are going to be scarce, then you might actually have people lining up for them in certain places, but I think if one is smart about it, it should be easy to find one. It might take some driving around that morning, but you should be able to find at least one retailer with some unsold Wii's. I full expect it to completely sell out by the end of day Sunday, but in the Morning, it should be easy to find with some driving around.


The people paying big $$$ on Ebay to get these Wii pre-orders are just throwing their money down the drain. Apparently, they are getting the Wii and PS3 launches totally mixed up. The Wii will be in plentiful supply all holiday season. Sure, there will be a week here, or a week there, where you won't be able to find one, and it will be sold out everywhere, but if you are patient, there will be tons more hitting the stores shortly after that. Nintendo already has about 3 million Wii's manufactured, sitting in a wherehouse in New Jersey somewhere right now, just waiting. Nintendo isn't going to totally flood the market right away, cause they do want the system to be sold out, and unavailable for short periods of time, to give the impression of scarcity, and to cause people to be very proactive about buying one if they see one on the shelves, but at the same time, Nintendo will be restocking the Wii at retailers like crazy, making sure Wii's are always in the retail channel. I know that's kind of a contradiction, but they are basically going to be guarding the flow of Wii's very carefully. They want to sell tons of them, but they also want the impression of it being hard to get, and that hot Christmas item. What will happen is, a few weeks before Xmas the charade will be over, and the market will be absolutely flooded with Wii's and anybody and everybody that wants one, will be able to buy it. But before then, they will play a little cat and mouse game with their deliveries.

Very well put. The numbers online in the magazines are they same. They are saying Nintendo will put out 4,000,000 Wii's by the end of the year worldwide with the majority being in the US. The PS3 on the other hand is 400,000 or 500,000.

[shaggy]

There is supposed to be 1 million Wii systems available in the USA on November 19th. So, if you really, really want a Wii, you should be able to get one, without even needing to camp out for it. Toys R Us is the official launch partner of the Nintendo Wii, so if you have a TRU in your area, I would just be there about 30 mins before it opens that Sunday, and you should be fine. Supposedly TRU's are getting 100 to 150 Wii's for each store. Now, I know that TRU just did a preorder for the Wii, and they did the preorder in very limited numbers, but supposedly that was just to have a small amount of them preordered, but there will be more for walk up customers on launch day.

Best Buy should have alot of them too, but if you get in a situation where alot of people think they are going to be scarce, then you might actually have people lining up for them in certain places, but I think if one is smart about it, it should be easy to find one. It might take some driving around that morning, but you should be able to find at least one retailer with some unsold Wii's. I full expect it to completely sell out by the end of day Sunday, but in the Morning, it should be easy to find with some driving around.


The people paying big $$$ on Ebay to get these Wii pre-orders are just throwing their money down the drain. Apparently, they are getting the Wii and PS3 launches totally mixed up. The Wii will be in plentiful supply all holiday season. Sure, there will be a week here, or a week there, where you won't be able to find one, and it will be sold out everywhere, but if you are patient, there will be tons more hitting the stores shortly after that. Nintendo already has about 3 million Wii's manufactured, sitting in a wherehouse in New Jersey somewhere right now, just waiting. Nintendo isn't going to totally flood the market right away, cause they do want the system to be sold out, and unavailable for short periods of time, to give the impression of scarcity, and to cause people to be very proactive about buying one if they see one on the shelves, but at the same time, Nintendo will be restocking the Wii at retailers like crazy, making sure Wii's are always in the retail channel. I know that's kind of a contradiction, but they are basically going to be guarding the flow of Wii's very carefully. They want to sell tons of them, but they also want the impression of it being hard to get, and that hot Christmas item. What will happen is, a few weeks before Xmas the charade will be over, and the market will be absolutely flooded with Wii's and anybody and everybody that wants one, will be able to buy it. But before then, they will play a little cat and mouse game with their deliveries.

Very well put. The numbers online in the magazines are they same. They are saying Nintendo will put out 4,000,000 Wii's by the end of the year worldwide with the majority being in the US. The PS3 on the other hand is 400,000 or 500,000.

[jajaja]

Imagine if the Wii got a small hardware problem. Sux to fix millions of consoles then hehe.

[Hep038]

There will be plenty of Wiis to go around. Nintendo doesn't do the shortage.

I remember there being a N64 shortage before Xmas when it launched.

[Super Mario Fan]

I heard some Toys 'r Us are getting upwards of one hundred systems. (I read it on the Nintendo Wii messageboard on nintendo.com) They are the offical release partner, though. But, hopefully that means that other places will be getting more than expected.

[Anthony1]

There will be plenty of Wiis to go around. Nintendo doesn't do the shortage.

I remember there being a N64 shortage before Xmas when it launched.


Yeah, Nintendo did the shortage with the N64 that's for sure. And it was a totally strategic move on their part. I remember it like yesterday. Reason I remember so well, is that I had a extra N64, and I thought I was going to sell it for big bucks, and my plan was to sell it like two or three days before Xmas for the maximum mark up, and then what do you know, one week prior to Xmas, they absolutely flood the market with N64 systems. I don't think they are going to quite pull the same trick with the Wii this year, but again, they don't want to oversaturate the market with supply. They will play a little cat and mouse game this holiday. There will be a week here or there, when you can't find a Wii anywhere, and then there will be other weeks, when it's really easy to find. And of course, a few days prior to Xmas, anybody on the planet that wants one, will be able to get one.

[Super Mario Fan]

Just read that there's a twenty console minimum per store on Nintendo's website. Maybe there's hope for me yet. :dance:

[NYLatenite]

If you're near Manhattan, head over to the Nintendo World Store on launch day - according to Joystiq, the manager of the store advised they forsee having enough Wii's in stock to cover all the walk-ins on day one.

[NYLatenite]

Damn, forgot to put the link in that last post - here it is

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/28/nintendo-world-store-manager-enough-wii-for-walk-ins-as-well/

[NYLatenite]

If you're near Manhattan, head over to the Nintendo World Store on launch day - according to Joystiq, the manager of the store advised they forsee having enough Wii's in stock to cover all the walk-ins on day one.