I Can't Buy a DS to Save My Life

[Russ Pitts]

I Can't Buy a DS to Save My Life

This weekend, I felt normal. I felt like Clark Kent after the red Kryptonite chamber, denuded of my powers and helpless before the onslaught of post-Christmas supply shortages. I felt weak and mortal. And I don't like this. I do not, as Trent Reznor says, want this.

This weekend I decided I wanted a Nintendo DS.

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[njsykora]

I read, I smile, I pat my DS Phat and play Final Fantasy 3.

I honestly grin involuntarily whenever I'm buying a game and hear someone told there are no Wiis or DSes in stock. I think I creeped one of the local store girls out when I bought a new PS2 a few days ago.

 

[SeniorDingDong]

LOL, I had the same problem today : I have been in the only gaming related stuff selling shop in town -> no DS for me left to buy

But I have no alternative : Amazon shipping time : 4-6 weeks

My luck, they return on wednesday and I will visit the shop again.

 

[slyder35]

Same story here in Australia. Everyone is sold out, probably due to loads of them being purchased as Christmas pressies.

If you consider the Wii shortage as well, Nintendo really could and should up their production by a significant degree - the shortages have been old news for a while now.

 

[Goofonian]

If you remember, it was the exact same story with the PS2 a few years ago. And it was because the mainstream got a hold of it then too. Parents buying a new babysitter for their kids, and mid life crisis dads buying GT4 because they couldn't actually afford a new aston.

The store I used to work in would be lucky to get 10 customers a day through Jan/Feb, but when word got out that PS2's were in stock we would have lines at the door before opening time. Then tumble weeds again by lunch time.

 

[TheeUmbrellaBoy]

Same story here in the U.K.. In fact the only country I know of that's keeping up stock of DS Lites and Wiis is Germany, which was where I had to go to get my brother's DS before Christmas. It's been so bad that not only have German websites like amazon.de had to put a stop to selling things to the rest of Europe, but also it made national news here when they did!

Anyone know why Germany has so many? Are Wii and DS just unpopular there or do they just get first dibs because NOE HQ is there?

 

[cavicchia]

i didnt have any trouble getting my Wii or DS Lite here in Washington, DC

 

[JoshM1217]

Since Christmas or so, in a 20 mile radius around a point about 30 miles due west of New York City, there have been plenty of new Coral (pink) DS Lites available at GameStops and their affiliates, but no other colors, or if there were, they sold out very quickly.

 

[SatansBestBuddy]

The last paragraph reminded me of this one time I was sitting on the bus on the way home, playing some Hotel Dusk, when I looked up to see if it was my stop and I noticed an old man, who could have been my grandfathers senior, playing Hotel Dusk on his DS.

I thought that was too cool, that someone who would normally consider video games to be glorified toys was actually playing and enjoying one of the true gems of the DS libary, but then I realized it was my stop, so I didn't really have a chance to talk to him or anything.

 

[SeniorDingDong]

Same story here in the U.K.. In fact the only country I know of that's keeping up stock of DS Lites and Wiis is Germany, which was where I had to go to get my brother's DS before Christmas. It's been so bad that not only have German websites like amazon.de had to put a stop to selling things to the rest of Europe, but also it made national news here when they did!

Anyone know why Germany has so many? Are Wii and DS just unpopular there or do they just get first dibs because NOE HQ is there?

I am from germany, and now it is sold here (in my region) too, also I could not see any Wii remaining in the shop.

Amazon shipping time for Wii : 4 weeks
Amazon shipping time for DS : 4-6 weeks
eBay price for both : enormous

Dont know how the situation is in bigger cities like Hamburg, Munich, Berlin.

Germanys gaming market is the third biggest in the whole world, so I think we get more (still not enough) consoles than other EU countries.

 

[WanderingTaoist]

I have two DSes, both Phat (the starting one, with demo of Metroid Prime Hunters) and black Lite. However, down here in Slovakia there is no shortage of both DSes and Wiis, mainly due to the fact that people down here are not really used to buying original games and piracy is a bit complicated on both systems. Also, DS and GBA game prices are inflated down here (50 EUR/75 USD for a new title) due to small market and low competition and stay at that level for a long time.

I myself usually resort to eBay, much cheaper even after adding P&P from other European countries.
Anyway, both systems were sold out during Christmas, and are still in much shorter supply than both PS3 and Xbox360. After all, GBA was very popular down here through the allure of Pokemon.

 

[Frybird]

I am too from Germany, and when i go to a big electronics Store (Media Markt) at the next city i usually see some Wiis (although they are ocassionally sold out) and a whole bunch of DS-es.

...Although that is always a mystery to me. The DS is VERY popular from what i see, and the Wii...well, i think the 360 is sold here more often, but i can't imagine the sales are bad.

In regard of what SeniorDingDong said, i think Germany gets massive Shipments of Nintendo consoles, but distributes it in an odd way.

I live close to the Rhine (or Rhein...i don't know if it is spelt differently in English) in a more countryside-ish region with the next really big cities being about 100 kilometers away, at the least.
I guess the problem is that there just aren't enough customers around here, and just to much consoles in stock, while elsewhere there are shortages. Another sign of this would be the gigantic stacks of PS3 and Xbox360 Consoles (especially Elite ones, in Germany we don't have that much use for a 120 GB HDD...yet)


...Sort of stupid, if that is true, but nevertheless believable

 

[Squiglish]

I still got my good ol' original DS but I went through a similar thing with a friend a few days ago, I got an email from him yestreday though apprently he lucked out at a duty free store at Sydney Airport.

 

[Zera]

Yep those suckers sell fast and sadly I have to agree that we hardcore gamers are no longer supermen. As much as I enjoy people finally enjoying the greatness that is videogames, cant help but feel a little left out now.

 

[Arbre]

Yep those suckers sell fast and sadly I have to agree that we hardcore gamers are no longer supermen. As much as I enjoy people finally enjoying the greatness that is videogames, cant help but feel a little left out now.

Someone's feeling like all that elitist's power is slipping away?

*Cuddles Zera*

Don't worry. Prove your nerditude with the GP2X [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP2X] !

That said, grannies don't play Shadow of Colossus. It's like a democracy. More power to the people. Safe that it's always the same guys who really control the stuff that matters. )=]

 

[Russ Pitts]

Not that hard to find one online at a reputable retailer. Don't go the eBay route, try http://www.instalker.com/p/45/Nintendo-DS-Lite [http://www.instalker.com/p/45/Nintendo-DS-Lite].

And thanks to this link, I should be receiving my DS in a few days. Thank you, good sir.

My lovely and talented companion watched the ticker all morning, missed a chance at nabbbing one from Amazon by about a nanosecond and finally scored one at Newegg. Vishnu bless the internet. And lovely and talented companions.