Wii shortage is not a PR stunt but still may drive some to Xbox or PS3
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Conspiracy theorists out there think that Nintendo is simply holding back their supply of Wiis for shipment to create an artificial demand for it and therefore a kind of “artificial” popularity. Yes, the Wii is the best selling console and is sold out both online and off but is that because Nintendo is playing games or because it can’t meet demand?
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Digital Spy that the claims the supply is being held back to create demand and/or increase sales of the console is not true.
The company can supply 1.8 million consoles per month but demand is still outstripping that supply. When Amazon received 1400 Wiis, the units sold out within 10 minutes.
Fils-Aime went on to say that his company is still trying catch up with demand and has sold somewhere in the area of 650,000 consoles in the first two weeks of November.
Nintendo is trying to reach casual gamers and older gamers with the Wii and some of those people aren’t going to sit outside a store and wait for the supplies to come in nor are they going to visit several stores. While these people may not be driven to the Xbox 360 or PS3, you can bet the younger crowd may be.
If parents can’t find a Wii in stock from a reputable store before Christmas and don’t want to pay ridiculously jacked up prices on eBay then it might come down to a choice between the Xbox 360 or PS3. Even kids looking to buy themselves may be driven to the more expensive (but far far more capable) competitors from Sony or Microsoft.
Nintendo has had a year to sort these supply problems out and if it hasn’t fixed them by now then they never will be which means something is wrong in the company. I for one find that hard to believe, while it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility, perhaps just perhaps, the company isn’t being completely honest about not creating the artificial demand.
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December 1st, 2007
It’s not “conspiracy theorists” who think so. It’s PS3 and Sony fanboys like your David Parrack who like other people to think Nintendo’s success is just BS and smokescreen and delusion. Of course, Parrack does not even try to try to hide that he believes (in his delusional mind) that Nintendo is stealing Sony’s “rightful” success.
Your site used to be practically a mouthpiece for Sony and PS3, but now you have recently toned down your rhetoric. Did Sony checks stop coming in or what?
December 1st, 2007
@ktchong
You’re exactly right. All the 360 and PS3 fans, myself included, want to believe there is some other reason for the popularity of the Wii, so we blame it on some “conspiracy theory” that Nintendo has though up.
Face it, the Wii is popular. But I don’t think it is fair to compare it as a gaming console to the PS3 and XBOX 360. Both are marketed at completely different demographics and create an entirely different gaming experience.
December 1st, 2007
“If parents can’t find a Wii in stock from a reputable store before Christmas and don’t want to pay ridiculously jacked up prices on eBay then it might come down to a choice between the Xbox 360 or PS3. Even kids looking to buy themselves may be driven to the more expensive (but far far more capable) competitors from Sony or Microsoft.”
Or, and this is just me thinking here people, they might wait and buy the product that their child actually wants. In fact, I would say that this will be the norm since….well, it is just the obvious choice for someone who is not an idiot. By the way, were both “fars” really necessary? We all know about the Wii’s comparative lack of power but must you shove it in everyone’s face while saying “na na na na na na”?
“Nintendo has had a year to sort these supply problems out and if it hasn’t fixed them by now then they never will be which means something is wrong in the company. I for one find that hard to believe, while it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility, perhaps just perhaps, the company isn’t being completely honest about not creating the artificial demand.”
Really? So if, after a year, a problem is not solved then it will never be solved? You know this for a fact? Huh. Guess the PS2 never picked up on its supply/demand problem. Oh, and that whole slavery thing must have stopped a loooooong time ago.
Also (I just love tearing apart your horribly bias, non-newsworthy commentary that would be best left to smarter, more objective writers), why MUST it be a problem within the company? They say they are producing 1.8 million a month. This seems like a reasonable number. Could they produce more? Eventually, yes. Production requires a factory, a warehouse, trucks and workers to function. You can’t just say “we need more Wiis” and have them magically appear out of thin air. I think it is just that you can’t accept the fact that the Wii is still in high demand, so you are making crap up. The sad thing is that this site is so horrible/bias/nonobjective/etc. that they actually feel OK publishing your garbage of an article. Thankfully, at this point, it has about as much trust from the readership as Gamespot and Sony Defense Force combined, thus your vitriol will go unbelieved. Just as it should.
December 1st, 2007
“They say they are producing 1.8 million a month. This seems like a reasonable number. Could they produce more? Eventually, yes. Production requires a factory, a warehouse, trucks and workers to function. You can’t just say “we need more Wiis” and have them magically appear out of thin air. I think it is just that you can’t accept the fact that the Wii is still in high demand…”
Absolutely right, Konman72. Microsoft and Sony are producing probably that much, if not less, and you can still find an XBox 360 or a PS3. NOT ENOUGH DEMAND. Nintendo probably wasn’t prepared for this much success.
Jonathan, wasn’t it you who wrote this article? When you wrote this great article, it perfectly contradicted what you are saying now.
http://gamer.blorge.com/2007/06/30/wii-is-a-success-nintendo-still-cant-meet-demand/
December 1st, 2007
No one really knows why the wii is doing so well, maybe it is a stunt by nintendo, maybe everyone is just wii happy.
December 4th, 2007
Hi. Just for your UK readers, struggling to buy a Wii for Christmas - we’re pleased to announce that we currently have plenty of Wii stock at Carphone Warehouse, and are giving them away for free with contract mobile phones.
Please see http://shop.carphonewarehouse.com/?CODE=FREEWII&PORTAL=CONSUMER&URL=pay-monthly/all/?SEARCH=wii&TAG=1 to buy online.
To guarantee delivery before Christmas, you will need to order on or before the 6th of December.
Thanks, The Carphone Warehouse Online Team