I thought the Wii's hype was fading after my visit to Wal-Mart....I was wrong!

Check this out, I went to Wal-Mart last night and saw the entire bottom shelves stacked and full of Wii's. There were about 35~45 of them, no joke. When I saw that I really thought to myself that "maybe the Wii's popularity is finally dwindling a little." Well, I was dead wrong after my visit to Wal-Mart again today, because ALL the Wii's, ALL 35~45 of them were gone, completely sold out!

I asked the employee who was working at the game section how fast did the Wii's sell? He said that when he got there in the afternoon they were all gone. That's pretty fast.

This amazes me how the Wii keeps selling like crazy. The 360s and the PS3's continue to stay on those shelves but whenever a Wii is re-stocked, they're gone.

I wonder how long this will continue, but for now, it looks like the Wii won't slowdown anytime soon, AND the holidays are coming up! Nintendo is dancing in a ocean of money right about now.

I've only seena coupleWii consoles in stores since launch. It's like effing bigfoot!

I'm super glad I pre-ordered mine last fall.

Hmmm yep the wii is a popular toy. I was at EB the other day and I saw 2 non-gamers walk in and buy a wii, I knew they were non-gamers because they were at least in their 50's and came in with a catalogue and asked the assistant to tell them about the 'nintendo video game system'. They asked if the wii had any golf games, the assistant mentioned wii sports golf and tiger woods golf and they bought those 2 games.

The old fella said he is a big fan of golf and so that was his justification for getting the wii. The demographic is non-existant with the wii, anyone buys the things.

Yeah in London HMVs put signs in the windows when they have them: Wii's Now in Stock!

My idiot friend bought one, I told him that he'd have to wait for the better games and that the system might not be for him (he hasn't owned a system since N64 and he only owned one game on it - mario kart) but he said that he just wanted something to play when people came over and sports games.

I wonder how long this will continue, but for now, it looks like the Wii won't slowdown anytime soon, AND the holidays are coming up! Nintendo is dancing in a ocean of money right about now.

ASK_Story

I wonder how long this will continue, but for now, it looks like the Wii won't slowdown anytime soon, AND the holidays are coming up! Nintendo is dancing in a ocean of money right about now.

ASK_Story

Yup, seems like their blue ocean strategy has left them in a green ocean :lol: Geddit? Geddit? ...Oh nevermind...

Wii's are starting to be widely available over here, although perhaps I just visited the local games retailersright after the next shipment was delivered.

Yeah in London HMVs put signs in the windows when they have them: Wii's Now in Stock!

My idiot friend bought one, I told him that he'd have to wait for the better games and that the system might not be for him (he hasn't owned a system since N64 and he only owned one game on it - mario kart) but he said that he just wanted something to play when people came over and sports games.

gaminggeek

I haven't been to a store that sells Vdeo Game stuff in a month or so, but when I've been there hasn't been a lot of anything on shelves, console-wise. *shrug* I don't know, I don't think Norway is the top shipping priority for any of the manufacturers...

Check this out, I went to Wal-Mart last night and saw the entire bottom shelves stacked and full of Wii's. There were about 35~45 of them, no joke. When I saw that I really thought to myself that "maybe the Wii's popularity is finally dwindling a little." Well, I was dead wrong after my visit to Wal-Mart again today, because ALL the Wii's, ALL 35~45 of them were gone, completely sold out!

I asked the employee who was working at the game section how fast did the Wii's sell? He said that when he got there in the afternoon they were all gone. That's pretty fast.

This amazes me how the Wii keeps selling like crazy. The 360s and the PS3's continue to stay on those shelves but whenever a Wii is re-stocked, they're gone.

I wonder how long this will continue, but for now, it looks like the Wii won't slowdown anytime soon, AND the holidays are coming up! Nintendo is dancing in a ocean of money right about now.

ASK_Story

maybe because it's cheap......

You went to Walmart last night and again this morning? Dear lord, you are going there way too often. Make sure you wash your hands good! :)

Anyway, yeah it's amazing and pretty much unprecidented how long and how strong the demand for the Wii has been. People can call the Wii a fad all they want, but not many fads have endured like this. I don't see the sales of the Wii slowing down till spring of 2008.

Check this out, I went to Wal-Mart last night and saw the entire bottom shelves stacked and full of Wii's. There were about 35~45 of them, no joke. When I saw that I really thought to myself that "maybe the Wii's popularity is finally dwindling a little." Well, I was dead wrong after my visit to Wal-Mart again today, because ALL the Wii's, ALL 35~45 of them were gone, completely sold out!

I asked the employee who was working at the game section how fast did the Wii's sell? He said that when he got there in the afternoon they were all gone. That's pretty fast.

This amazes me how the Wii keeps selling like crazy. The 360s and the PS3's continue to stay on those shelves but whenever a Wii is re-stocked, they're gone.

I wonder how long this will continue, but for now, it looks like the Wii won't slowdown anytime soon, AND the holidays are coming up! Nintendo is dancing in a ocean of money right about now.

ASK_Story

i do not like how people are acting like this is a good thing. at first you can chalk it up to working out production kinks. but it is clearly obvious that this is being intentionally done to drive up the demand. crap like this really angers me because it sets the precedent for the business model to be like this even more in the future.

its bad enough that we have to fight the ebayers for a system, but this ontop of that makes getting a console exceedingly difficult when it should not be. big thumbs down. dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.

dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.OneWingedAngeI

Then I will fool myself and call you a conspiracy theorist.

The Wii is cheap enough that it can, quite honestly, still sell at this rate. Like was previously posted, a 50 year old couple bought a Wii. Nintendo is hitting that mass market that no other console has, and that's why its selling like no other console has.

[QUOTE="OneWingedAngeI"] dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.Grieverr

Then I will fool myself and call you a conspiracy theorist.

The Wii is cheap enough that it can, quite honestly, still sell at this rate. Like was previously posted, a 50 year old couple bought a Wii. Nintendo is hitting that mass market that no other console has, and that's why its selling like no other console has.

no one is saying it cant sell. i am saying it can sell alot more in fact, but they want to spread it out over a longer period to keep the frenzy going. what i am saying is, they can meet the demand they have right now and more. the wii is super cheap and easy to manufacture. they can get out alot more but choose not to.

i do not like how people are acting like this is a good thing. at first you can chalk it up to working out production kinks. but it is clearly obvious that this is being intentionally done to drive up the demand. crap like this really angers me because it sets the precedent for the business model to be like this even more in the future.

its bad enough that we have to fight the ebayers for a system, but this ontop of that makes getting a console exceedingly difficult when it should not be. big thumbs down. dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.

OneWingedAngeI

I completely disagree with this belief. If you bother to read any of the business articles relating to Nintendo, you'd find out that not only are they manufacturing Wii's at maxium compacity, but they and their chip suppliers aretrying to expand their production lines in an attempt to manufacture more consoles. It is an untrue myth that Nintendo is holding back suppy. So far, they've sold throughover 10 Millon consoles in 9 months! How many consoles could they be hiding?

Do you know how long it takes to build a new manufacturing plant? At least six months to a year. I worked for a similar computer manufacturing company who expanded their production floor, so I know how long it can take to implement new production lines. Nintendo wasn't expecting this kind of demand; nobody expected this kind of demand. And yes, it is a good thing.

[QUOTE="Grieverr"]

[QUOTE="OneWingedAngeI"] dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.OneWingedAngeI

Then I will fool myself and call you a conspiracy theorist.

The Wii is cheap enough that it can, quite honestly, still sell at this rate. Like was previously posted, a 50 year old couple bought a Wii. Nintendo is hitting that mass market that no other console has, and that's why its selling like no other console has.

no one is saying it cant sell. i am saying it can sell alot more in fact, but they want to spread it out over a longer period to keep the frenzy going. what i am saying is, they can meet the demand they have right now and more. the wii is super cheap and easy to manufacture. they can get out alot more but choose not to.

[QUOTE="Grieverr"]

[QUOTE="OneWingedAngeI"] dont anyone dare reply to this and say they just cant keep up with the demand. this is completely orchestratred to be like this and if you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself.OneWingedAngeI

Then I will fool myself and call you a conspiracy theorist.

The Wii is cheap enough that it can, quite honestly, still sell at this rate. Like was previously posted, a 50 year old couple bought a Wii. Nintendo is hitting that mass market that no other console has, and that's why its selling like no other console has.

no one is saying it cant sell. i am saying it can sell alot more in fact, but they want to spread it out over a longer period to keep the frenzy going. what i am saying is, they can meet the demand they have right now and more. the wii is super cheap and easy to manufacture. they can get out alot more but choose not to.

What the HELL are you basing this all on....? Really, I'd love to know.

Could you imagine how worse it's going to be when it actually gets a flow of GOOD games.

When will this start? August 28th with Metroid and Guilty Gear, then it will Batallion Wars II, then Zack and Wiki, then Trauma Center and Nitro Bike, then Fire Emblem and NiGHTS 2, then Super Mario Galaxy and WiiFit, then Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

maybe ive been out of the loop too long. but just going from joe consumer standpoint it makes zero sense that nintendo still has not met the demand. money moves mountains, but maybe nintendo just feels it isnt in their best interest to spend the extra dough. i get that it makes sense from a business stantpoint, but for the average nintendo fan all they know is they want a system and they cannot have it.

you can and will never convince me that nintendo doesn't have the resources to meet the demand 9 months in though. maybe it just isnt the smartest move financially, but again i am speaking from the consumers' point of view. gamestop seems to have the same consensus, although i dont put alot of faith in them. moreso the people i talk to casually about gaming and how they feel. whether or not forumites believe it to be true or not, it is the public perception. its all i hear from anyone talking about the wii.

so maybe it isnt that they are intentionally keeping the market dry, but im sure they arent going greatly out of their way to meet the demand now. i cant say that i blame them because the extra production would likely be wasted once demand is met. i just know people want wii's and arent getting them almost a year later.

maybe ive been out of the loop too long. but just going from joe consumer standpoint it makes zero sense that nintendo still has not met the demand. money moves mountains, but maybe nintendo just feels it isnt in their best interest to spend the extra dough. i get that it makes sense from a business stantpoint, but for the average nintendo fan all they know is they want a system and they cannot have it.

you can and will never convince me that nintendo doesn't have the resources to meet the demand 9 months in though. maybe it just isnt the smartest move financially, but again i am speaking from the consumers' point of view. gamestop seems to have the same consensus, although i dont put alot of faith in them. moreso the people i talk to casually about gaming and how they feel. whether or not forumites believe it to be true or not, it is the public perception. its all i hear from anyone talking about the wii.

so maybe it isnt that they are intentionally keeping the market dry, but im sure they arent going greatly out of their way to meet the demand now. i cant say that i blame them because the extra production would likely be wasted once demand is met. i just know people want wii's and arent getting them almost a year later.

OneWingedAngeI

[QUOTE="OneWingedAngeI"]

maybe ive been out of the loop too long. but just going from joe consumer standpoint it makes zero sense that nintendo still has not met the demand. money moves mountains, but maybe nintendo just feels it isnt in their best interest to spend the extra dough. i get that it makes sense from a business stantpoint, but for the average nintendo fan all they know is they want a system and they cannot have it.

you can and will never convince me that nintendo doesn't have the resources to meet the demand 9 months in though. maybe it just isnt the smartest move financially, but again i am speaking from the consumers' point of view. gamestop seems to have the same consensus, although i dont put alot of faith in them. moreso the people i talk to casually about gaming and how they feel. whether or not forumites believe it to be true or not, it is the public perception. its all i hear from anyone talking about the wii.

so maybe it isnt that they are intentionally keeping the market dry, but im sure they arent going greatly out of their way to meet the demand now. i cant say that i blame them because the extra production would likely be wasted once demand is met. i just know people want wii's and arent getting them almost a year later.

Teufelhuhn

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Check out todays Kotaku article:

Chip Shortages Prolong Wii Drought

"Game store employees around the world broke down weeping as Taiwanese chip manufacturers poke their heads out of the ground and see their shadow, ushering in umpteen more weeks of Wii shortages. Nintendo's plans to up Wii production, originally slated for June of this year have been delayed thanks to supply issues with components like IC chips and PCBs. Component makers say the the continuing shortages indicate an unlikelihood of the Wii drought easing up anytime this year. With the console selling over 10 million units worldwide, one can only imagine how large that number would be right now if they had consoles to sell. All I know is game store workers can look forward to several more months of endless, "Is the Wii in?" phone calls, followed by death at the hands of angry parents as the holiday season comes to a head. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

10:40 AM ON FRI AUG 17 2007
BY MIKE FAHEY

Follow the link for more info on this.

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

MLJ28

[QUOTE="MLJ28"]

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Teufelhuhn

What makes you think they're not matching their competitors in production? The Wii is outselling its competitors by no less than 2 to 1 each week, and usually closer to3 to 1 or 4 to 1 so they're going through a lot more inventory. I'm sure if Sony was selling the same numbers the Wii is right now they'd be having production issues as well.

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"][QUOTE="MLJ28"]

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Robio_basic

What makes you think they're not matching their competitors in production? The Wii is outselling its competitors by no less than 2 to 1 each week, and usually closer to3 to 1 or 4 to 1 so they're going through a lot more inventory. I'm sure if Sony was selling the same numbers the Wii is right now they'd be having production issues as well.

Also Nintendo has much less factories then SONY or Microsoft.

I think it's too hard to judge if someone is putting out "enough" systems. I mean think about, the original poster said that there were 35-40 systems that shipped in, and they were gone in one day. That seems like a WHOLE LOT to me. That's one store with that much of a shipment. Think about all of the other stores, that got the same amount of systems.

I think the Wii is so popular because the price is good and it caters to not only the young crowd, but people who never really played too many video games, and even some of your casual and hardcore gamers. I see that a lot, and I think it's tough to compete with. I think once MS & SONY really get the ball rolling, they'll be up there too. But I honestly think the Wii is here to stay.

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"][QUOTE="MLJ28"]

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Robio_basic

What makes you think they're not matching their competitors in production? The Wii is outselling its competitors by no less than 2 to 1 each week, and usually closer to3 to 1 or 4 to 1 so they're going through a lot more inventory. I'm sure if Sony was selling the same numbers the Wii is right now they'd be having production issues as well.

[QUOTE="Robio_basic"][QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"][QUOTE="MLJ28"]

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Teufelhuhn

What makes you think they're not matching their competitors in production? The Wii is outselling its competitors by no less than 2 to 1 each week, and usually closer to3 to 1 or 4 to 1 so they're going through a lot more inventory. I'm sure if Sony was selling the same numbers the Wii is right now they'd be having production issues as well.

PS2s have been in production for over 6 years though, and even the slim line is over 3 years old. I know that the Wii isn't the same piece of advanced hardware that the PS3 might be, but there's certainly more to it than a PS2. Besides, Sony was able to scale their facilities to produce 20 million units over that period of time. No way they could have been prepared to do it in 9 months. Although really anyone who claims Nintendo had 9 months to ramp up production doesn't quite get it. Nintendo would have been crazy to think that this demand would still have continued after the first 3 months.

[QUOTE="Robio_basic"][QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"][QUOTE="MLJ28"]

Just because it is cheaper and easier to build doesn't mean they can output an infinite amount of consoles immediately.

Teufelhuhn

What makes you think they're not matching their competitors in production? The Wii is outselling its competitors by no less than 2 to 1 each week, and usually closer to3 to 1 or 4 to 1 so they're going through a lot more inventory. I'm sure if Sony was selling the same numbers the Wii is right now they'd be having production issues as well.

That's because Sony had a steady and heavy demand for the PS2 that had continued from previous years - they knew their demand, Nintendo under-estimated demand for the Wii, it's an entirely different situation, I can't believe you are comparing the two.

maybe ive been out of the loop too long. but just going from joe consumer standpoint it makes zero sense that nintendo still has not met the demand. money moves mountains, but maybe nintendo just feels it isnt in their best interest to spend the extra dough. i get that it makes sense from a business stantpoint, but for the average nintendo fan all they know is they want a system and they cannot have it.

you can and will never convince me that nintendo doesn't have the resources to meet the demand 9 months in though. maybe it just isnt the smartest move financially, but again i am speaking from the consumers' point of view. gamestop seems to have the same consensus, although i dont put alot of faith in them. moreso the people i talk to casually about gaming and how they feel. whether or not forumites believe it to be true or not, it is the public perception. its all i hear from anyone talking about the wii.

so maybe it isnt that they are intentionally keeping the market dry, but im sure they arent going greatly out of their way to meet the demand now. i cant say that i blame them because the extra production would likely be wasted once demand is met. i just know people want wii's and arent getting them almost a year later.

OneWingedAngeI

Well, you're not the only one that have seen it this way. I too have been a bit skeptical as in how come Nintendo haven't been keeping up with supply and demand up to now. I mean, after like around 9 months, you would've thought that Nintendo would be able to keep up with supply and demand. But then again, maybe we're both underestimating the real demand for the Nintendo Wii. Look at the DS Lite last summer. They were selling like hotcakes and Nintendo was having trouble with keeping up with supply and demand for those little things, especially in Japan. I didn't think they'd be having shortage problems though after so long. As popular as the PS2 was when it first came out, I don't think it had THIS kind of shortage problem. Well, not that I can recall.

whether wii is still selling out, people still camping out every morning, etc., majority of people here still believes the wii is destined to fail in the near future, and right now is just experiencing a very short term fad:P

If nintendo can't meet demand during the summer dought, just imagine how crazy this chrismas shopping season will be.

If nintendo can't meet demand during the summer dought, just imagine how crazy this chrismas shopping season will be.

banjobear_basic

If THAT happens, expect a second "Tickle me Elmo" crisis that happened years ago when I was still in High School. Anyone remember that? it was just mad, I tell ya. People were crowding left and right to go grab one, people were fighting over the dolls, and even some stores and people charged hefty prices for them.