A chronic shortage of Nintendo’s Wii console could mean disappointment for those putting it on their Christmas list. It’s clear – both anecdotally and in sales figures – that retailers are once again having problems coping with demand for Nintendo’s latest console – especially in light of some hugely acclaimed releases including Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy.
One way in which to keep an eye on stock levels is to use www.wii-consoles.co.uk if you’re in the UK. Apparently, there’s going to be a huge push by Nintendo to ship more consoles – this will see more than 3.5 million consoles being delivered globally. Allocations haven’t been yet announced for various territories across the world.
There are some who claim that Nintendo are deliberately controlling stock for a variety of reasons – one of which is creating demand. The problem with this idea of course is that the Wii is already hugely in demand and not supplying stock can soon become counter-productive, especially as both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are cheaper than they were.
Nintendo have had this to say about the shortage:
“Nintendo is now in a position in which seasonality demand trends are being broken, therefore the demand for Wii hardware is constant throughout the whole year globally. Due to this phenomenon it is possible that the demand for Wii hardware may outstrip supply”
One of the issues around the Wii being in short supply and high demand is the way in which retailers are hiking up the price. If you’re lucky enough to find a retailer stocking one, you’re more than likely to find it bundled with various games that you don’t want. This ensures a high margin for retailers on stock that they are having problems getting.
Quite a few people have used their initiative and found quite a few stock on ebay.com. Then there are those who are going to various European countries to buy the console of choice. My personal advice would be to make sure that you order as soon as possible if it’s what you want from Santa Claus this year.