Wii Conspiracy Roundup

Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:13AM EDT

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The Nintendo Wii was released on November 19, 2006, nearly four months ago. Got one yet? Of course you don't. And don't go looking for one, either. Unless you've got an insider at a gaming store or the tenacity to call one every day to inquire about their next shipment, you're not going to get one soon.

Yet the Wii is a gaming phenomenon and, unlike the Playstation 3, includes no technology of note that hasn't been around for many years.

So why aren't we soaking in Wiis? Have a look at some of the conspiracy theories on the Internet, strictly for your amusement:

First there's the obvious, that Nintendo is artificially keeping supply low in order to keep demand high throughout 2007. That would make sense if Nintendo was charging higher prices now. But it isn't, and so it's losing out on millions every week by failing to fulfill demand and possibly losing sales to other consoles.

Also popular: Big box retailers are hoarding them for big sale days. The idea is that if they advertise Wiis on the weekend, they'll get big traffic on those days and sell lots of paper towels and Pokemon junk (specifically mentioned are Target and Toys R Us). I can't speak to this, but it sounds plausible at least.

On the more absurd side: A variety of lawsuits have stopped Nintendo from producing more consoles. Ok, except it is still producing consoles, just not enough for everyone.

A game store employee offered this to one Yahoo! Tech shopper: "Nintendo is at the end of its fiscal year so they aren't sending them out." Well, he said "physical year," but we know what he meant. And unfortunately, that argument is inane. When companies get near the end of a fiscal year, they invariably try to sell more, not less, as it makes the numbers look better.

And of course, A-list NBA players have all the consoles. Even B-list players can't get them. 

And here's an interesting twist: Independent Wii developers can't even get hardware, as Wii publishers have taken all the consoles.

What's the truth? Well, it should be obvious, if you've ever bought a game console in the past: Gaming companies are notorious for mismanaging their launches by not having enough product on hand for release, and being unable to fulfill demand for months at a time. The Xbox 360 was tough to get for close to a year, if you'll recall, and like the Wii it doesn't feature any outrageously next-gen technology.

What can you do to get one? Be patient. Shop on eBay or Craigslist if you're desperate. And make friends with someone at a store that sells Wii hardware so you can get in line early the day they come in. Or just do what I do: Enjoy your PS2 and 360 for the time being.

Sorry for the earlier "17 million by March" error: That referred to software titles, not hardware. Actually, Nintendo has said it plans to have 6 million hardware units sold by the end of March.

Comments on Wii Conspiracy Roundup

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  • 366 Posted by grambrats6 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    LIVE IN IL. WENT TO SPRINGFIELDS TOYS R US HAD ALL KINDS IN THERE CASE. GOT MINE THERE. LOVE IT

  • 368 Posted by hajung613 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    i wouldn't advise you not to go looking for a wii. many of my friends and i have joined the wii hunt and have been able to find on within two weeks. all you have to do is call every electronics store in your area every couple days and be very, very stubborn and find out if they have any wiis. then go to the actual store and find out the next shipment date. (they won't tell you shipment dates over the phone.)

  • 369 Posted by tehpastaboy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    I got ahold of one by paying $100 over retail...then I sold it a week later because I got bored.

  • 370 Posted by cindy119119 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    The article where it says,"Got one yet? Of course you haven't," is incorrect. All my friends and me got one, and I got mine on my birthday. Why would they say that anyway since the only sentence that seems to be a good fact is we get soaked up with Wiis???

  • 371 Posted by a_bosom_for_a_pillow on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    We've had one for a few months now. It just took getting up early one morning and checking a few stores.

  • 372 Posted by midiwerks on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    I actually got one for my kids for Christmas with a second Wiimote and nunchuck. Fortunately, I have a very close friend that works for Nintendo. One quick phone call to Seattle. I like the full downward compatibility with all of our Gamecube library and even the old Wavebird controllers. I'm the last person to bash someone else's choice of platform. They all have their market niche. I just believe the Nintendo may have expanded their niche more rapidly than anyone expected. I have pictures of my parents and mother in-law playing Wii Sports. These are people who would NEVER pick up the controller for an Xbox 360 or PS3. The nature of the Nintendo systems has always been more kid/family oriented than the competition. Since I have pre-teen children, the Wii titles and controller scheme are actually huge selling points. I would never let my 7 year old near 97% of the Xbox/PS3 titles. As far as all the people badmouthing gaming in general, here's a clue. My wife and I call it the On/Off switch. We don't let the kids vegetate in front of the console any more that we would let them watch TV all day. They know they get about an hour a day, after homework. After that, it's time to read, or go throw the football around the yard, or something else. We call it 'no electronics' time. They grumble for a bit, but then they get past it.

  • 373 Posted by marshy21@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    jayson_60120, you said the exact same thing twice. the ps3 comes with less accesories than the wii. does the ps3 come with its own exclusive game? no other system comes with two controllers either. ps3 is all about HD, but it doesnt come with component cables either. I found some components at circuit city for $15. The 1 GB card, which you dont relaly need, also $15 at circuit city. Mnay people who have the wii also had a gamecube, so the last two points really aren't a problem for the hardcore nintendo fans, who would really be the only ones playing gamecube games on the wii anyway.

  • 374 Posted by georgelatimore on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    I was lucky enough to find 3 could have bought up to 20 if i wanted. The best place to find one is at blockbuster. They get thier shipments on tuesdays and fridays. Everyone looks in the same places, but not many there. I have been playing video since they first ccame out, PONG, paid over $100 back in the 70's.

  • 375 Posted by luvlylady212 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    i work at a best buy store - we're not hoarding them. when they come in, they go on the shelf. the only stipulation would be if they were going to be in the next week's ad - then we are required by company policy to save a certain number (usually 10-20) for the sunday morning of the new ad. otherwise, it's first-come, first-serve. people will walk up to us and ask if we have any wii's and when we say "no", they seem to think that if they offer us more money, that one will magically materialize. if that's how you want to play the game - shop ebay. offering to pay $1000 in my store when we don't have them is not going to make me crap one out for you. it's not there i'm not lying. good grief...

  • 376 Posted by cassieann2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    I got mine at Target, I just walked in and got it, and that was even before Christmas...

  • 377 Posted by mikejones2727 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    When you get your Wii, check out this site. http://wii.lunchpicker.net. It's optimized for browsing on your Wii. It helps you pick a game. I thought it was kind of fun.

  • 378 Posted by bklynnphilly on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    I work for a big electronic store and the way we do it is like this: 1) during launch, employees were not allowed to buy a Wii. if you did and the manager found out, you were gone, end of story (We lost 15 people like that during Christmas) 2) if next weeks ad says we have Wii's and a certain # guaranteed to be in stock, we hold that amount till sunday and sell the rest 3) dont call and ask us if we have it. Actually come into the store and come to the game dept. the only people who will know for sure if we have them or not work in the game dept. the people at checkout dont know. 4) If you do call and we do have Wii's, dont ask us to hold them because we wont. Seriously, do you really think your the first person to call and ask if we have them? 5) If advertised, dont stroll in 2 hours after opening and expect to get get one, then get upset we are sold out. Its your fault you decided to sleep in, not ours. 6) If you ask us if we have them, and we say yes, buy it then, dont walk around and think about it or come back later in the day. THEY WILL BE GONE!!!! 7) Bring the kids with you. I had 2 customers ask me for the Wii at the same time, one was a 20-something year old guy (Who works at the store) and the other a dad with his son, the dad and kid got the Wii because i knew it was the kid who wanted it. 8) Even though its time consuming, come in and ask us everyday if you can, because when we say we dont know when the next shipment is, WE REALLY DONT KNOW WHEN THE NEXT SHIPMENT IS!!!! 9) buy an extra controller if its in stock, dont come back later for it because u will be dissapointed. 10) the memory card is not really needed. if you have a digital camera with a SD memory card, it works just the same.

  • 379 Posted by jnjenfield on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    I also work at a department store that sells Wii's among other things. You know what console we sell more than any of the others combined? The Nintendo DS! There are even times when we are out of them for several days at a time. When we do have them, they sell in two to three days even though they send us big boxes of them. Why? Because they offer a unique gaming experience, they are cheap compared to the other current gen consoles, they have a wide variety of games that appeal to all ages and they are backwards compatible with the Gameboy Advance games which most of our customers have since everybody and their dog bought Gameboy Advances when they came out. We're also starting to sell a lot of Max Media players since our DS owners want to also use their system to listen to MP3's and don't want to cough up over $100 for an Ipod. Contrary to what some customers might think, a lot of us store associates really wish we had more Wii's in stock. I'd sell them like hotcakes if I had them. We always sell all the ones we get within a couple hours of opening. like bklynnphilly said, shipments are unpredictable both in timing and quantity. Sometimes we get them on Sundays, sometimes on Wednesdays. Sometimes we get three systems, sometimes we get 13. You just never know. We always have Wii accessories and games in stock. Sometimes we run out of a specific title, but we have plenty of other ones. I tell customers to rent the games at Blockbuster or Hollywood video first before they buy them since they cost so much and the only way to know if you will like the game is to play it. Some games like Marble Mania are more fun than they look on the box and others like Red Steel look great on the box but actually blow when you try to play them. As far as getting a console goes, just be patient. The lack of supply will end eventually. We used to be short on Xbox360's and PS3's when they first came out. Now, we have some of each in stock almost every day. Some days we have 10 or more PS3's. We don't sell very many PS3's since the sticker shock gets a lot of people even when I explain to them that they are getting a blu ray player and a online enable gaming machine for less than the cost of a stand alone blu ray player we sell in the TV dept.

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