Wii Once Again Experiencing Retail Shortages

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Wii Once Again Experiencing Retail Shortages



Tonight, we're gonna party like it's nineteen-ninety-2008: Retailers are once again selling Wiis faster than they can get them in.

For a good long while after Nintendo's plucky little Wii hit shelves, you simply couldn't find one. It was like Tamagotchis met Tickle Me Elmo met crack cocaine, only people of all ages and beyond were trying to get their hands on that little white box (as well as accessories like record-breaking December [http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Fit-Nintendo/dp/B000VJRU44/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1280156313&sr=1-2] ensued ... and now, the Wii is once again becoming difficult to find, it would seem.

"We're still getting [Wii] in, but it's just slow. We've tried getting more from other stores in our district, but we're just selling out too fast," a Best Buy employee told Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/retailers-still-receiving-wiis-demand-outpacing-slowed-supply/], a statement echoed by many other retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar. However, a GameStop manager reportedly said that this was simply a seasonal thing, and was, in fact, expected in the post-holiday time period.

If the shortages continue, we might as well hazard a guess that the Wii has caught its second wind - or perhaps it's just that production reduction [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96481-Nintendo-Reduces-Production-of-Wii] we learned about back in December. It could go either way, really.

(Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/retailers-still-receiving-wiis-demand-outpacing-slowed-supply/])

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Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
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Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
 

dududf

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Aug 31, 2009
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I just sold my Wii for 15$ a week ago.

Dammit Escapist, inform me when my piece of white crap becomes a valuable Commodity!
 

Aura Guardian

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Apr 23, 2008
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Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
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Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
 

Aura Guardian

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Apr 23, 2008
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Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
Today. About 3 hours ago.
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
17,032
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Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
Today. About 3 hours ago.
Still, I doubt its the driving force behind increased Wii sales. At least among the casual fanbase. Oh, and I still can't track down a Classic Controller for TvC.
 

Aura Guardian

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Apr 23, 2008
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Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
Today. About 3 hours ago.
Still, I doubt its the driving force behind increased Wii sales. At least among the casual fanbase. Oh, and I still can't track down a Classic Controller for TvC.
Online Shops?
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
17,032
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Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
Today. About 3 hours ago.
Still, I doubt its the driving force behind increased Wii sales. At least among the casual fanbase. Oh, and I still can't track down a Classic Controller for TvC.
Online Shops?
That's the plan. On Amazon now.
 

AboveUp

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May 21, 2008
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It's sad that the console sales are so impressive while the actual game sales tend to drag a long way behind the industry.

Well, with the exception of a few Nintendo-made titles, obviously. Even then, they're not as popular as they used to be.
 

GoldenShadow

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May 13, 2008
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This machine is very popular with old people. I do service work for Time Warner Cable, and 80% of every household I visit has one of these things. And a lot of those are old people over 60yrs old. I see many Xboxes and the occasional PS3, but the Wii is everywhere.
 

Mr. Fister

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Jun 21, 2008
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Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Aura Guardian said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Well, I wish I could say it was because of "Tatsunoko Vs Capcom"...But it's not.

It's probably the price drop and the post-holiday season combined.
Three customers at Toys'r'Us bought Wii's and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.
In how long a period of time?
Today. About 3 hours ago.
Still, I doubt its the driving force behind increased Wii sales. At least among the casual fanbase. Oh, and I still can't track down a Classic Controller for TvC.
Online Shops?
That's the plan. On Amazon now.
You could also wait for the Classic Controller Pro to come out in April. It's supposedly more ergonomic than the regular CC.

AboveUp said:
It's sad that the console sales are so impressive while the actual game sales tend to drag a long way behind the industry.

Well, with the exception of a few Nintendo-made titles, obviously. Even then, they're not as popular as they used to be.
A lot of Wii Nintendo games have outsold their predecessors by a healthy amount. Brawl and Galaxy are both ahead of Melee and Sunshine by about 2 million units, and Twilight Princess on Wii is ahead of Wind Waker by about 1.5 million. And then that's not to mention their new properties like Wii Play and Wii Sports Resort, both of which have sold far greater in less than a year than most games ever will.

All of this info comes from VGChartz.com.
 

Rednog

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Nov 3, 2008
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I'm really curious as to why certain places are selling out, I live in Chicago and I saw Wii consoles in Best Buy about 2 days ago, the same with target and walmart (I was trying to hunt down a copy of a certain game so I was browsing various stores game sections.) Are these places just poorly stocked or something that when a demand comes they just sell out after a few?
 

Gladion

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Jan 19, 2009
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Well, even if you consider the production reduction, a console selling so much that retailers are short on consoles over three years after its release is an achievement.
 

Nincompoop

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May 24, 2009
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John Funk said:
Tonight, we're gonna party like it's nineteen-ninety-2008:
Laughed perdy hard xP!

OT: I really hope them Nintendo people will make a beast of a console next time. They most certainly should have sufficient resources.