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Nintendo to pull advertising in the wake of Wii shortages
How serious is Nintendo about the Wii shortages? Serious enough to pull some of its advertising for the console, admitting that demand far exceeds supply, and further admitting that advertising a virtually unavailable product just doesn't fit with the holiday spirit.The UK-based Times Online reports that Nintendo plans on moving some of its already-scheduled Wii advertising to early 2008, citing unprecedented demand for the console as the main factor in its retail vanishing act. It's the same story we've heard before -- that Nintendo is working at full capacity, pumping Wii's out as fast as possible in order to sate the insatiable consumer demand.Pulling advertising, however, is an entirely new move. A Nintendo spokesman told Times Online that the ads were being pushed back to 2008 in an attempt to "act responsibly." Charles Dickens would be proud.
Wired wants to help you shop for a Wii
Wired has posted a guide to getting a Wii before Christmas, and -- spoiler -- no matter how you do it, it's going to involve misery. Sorry, people trying to buy Wiis! There are holiday Wii giftgivers among the Wii Fanboy staff (naturally), so believe us when we say we sympathize. Whether getting to a store early Sunday morning to buy out someone's place in line, or reconnoitering the store to determine their shipment schedules, the message is clear: the Wii may be the cheapest console available, but you'll pay for it in time.Or, the article reminds us, you can pay for it in the more traditional manner: by paying for it. We hate the idea, but you could always suck it up and pay the premium to buy a Wii from some jerk on eBay. At the very least, Chris Kohler's guide gives you hints about which stores to avoid (the specialty game retailers we generally avoid anyway). It's worth perusing if you're a Wii hunter.
British retailers going bundle crazy
Over at the always entertaining UK: Resistance, resident jaded cynic Cmdr_Zorg has a few strong words to say about certain UK retailers, specifically those who refuse to play fair when it comes to the increasingly rare Wii.The source of Zorg's chagrin? That said merchants are now using the insane popularity of the Wii and crippling shortages to flog desperate consumers bundles which are, to put it charitably, a load of old bumwash. Electronics chain Dixons is one of the culprits in this growing trend, with its cheapest Wii bundle clocking in at £350 ($725). All have sold out, presumably to people who would normally have lol'd heartily at the idea of buying Smarty Pants.Admittedly, some of the bundles being offered by Dixons contain titles that every one of us should own, but that's not the point: let us make those decisions!
Activision CEO says $199 price point is 'critical'
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has some ideas on how things get done in the industry. To him, price is critical to the success of a console, he explained to Reuters. And, while we agree that a lower cost is going to help a console on the shelf, ultimately we believe the console's games and features are what help it stand out the most.Bobby K (as he's lovingly known here around the offices) said "The Wii at its price point is now setting a standard and an expectation, and people say, well, the Wii is less complex technically. I don't think that really matters as much to the consumer." He went on further to discuss Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 systems, stating "In the next 24 months they all will need to be at that $199 price point, and you can imagine Nintendo will be down to the $129 price point over the next few years." Now, obviously Nintendo has no reason to cut the price on their system since, well, not even the folks working the assembly lines can seem to find one (we imagine they disappear in a cloud of smoke upon completion at the factory). But, that doesn't mean that we won't entertain opinions on when you think the console will lower itself in price. So, what do you think?[Via NeoGAF]
Nintendo denies PR-ing Wii shortages
When two identically worded stories regarding Wii shortages popped up on the internets yesterday, suspicious types dared to suggest that Nintendo's PR department may have had a hand in cynically milking the Wii drought.The articles in question, located here and here, appeared on the sites of two UK newspapers, national tabloid The Sun and London daily The Evening Standard. Different titles aside, both are indeed exactly the same. So, what's going on? Ninty explained all in an email to the chaps at Maxconsole, which y'all can find after the break. We like to think that the grammatical error early on is simply down to Nintendo being so damn mad that it punched out its response while in a blind, frothy fit of rage.
Want a Zapper? Go to a store!
One year ago, pretty much everyone failed to predict the success of the Wii. It looks like that may be happening on a smaller scale this week, as online retailers appear to already be out of Zapper/Link's Crossbow Training packs. The ones that aren't out of stock have yet to receive their stock, showing a release date of tomorrow.As of right now, EB/GameStop, Amazon, CompUSA, Sears, and Wal-Mart are "backordered" or "out of stock." Buy.com, Target, and Circuit City list it as coming out tomorrow. Toys R Us, Outpost.com/Fry's, Best Buy, Micro Center and KMart refuse to acknowledge the peripheral's existence.Basically, it looks like if you want one of these things, you're going to have to go outside. Try (the physical locations of) Wal-Mart, CompUSA or Sears where, if the in-store prices match the online prices, you'll be charged the MSRP rather than the premium $25 price some retailers are sticking on there. Of course, shark guns remain cheap and plentiful.
Brits can't find Wii for love nor money
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Brits_can_t_find_Wii_for_love_nor_money'; Nintendo might well be cracking the whip on the Wii production line, but pretty much everybody still seems to be feeling the pinch of shortages. UK shoppers, for example, are becoming increasingly desperate for the console, with online retailers now getting in the region of 100,000 requests a day from panicky, possibly hyperventilating Brits. Meanwhile, Amazon's UK arm recently sold 1,000 machines in under 10 minutes, while the console on its own is typically going for around £300 ($615) on eBay. In other words, Wii fever is hitting some quite ridiculous heights on this side of the pond, and if Reggie is to be believed, things ain't going to get any better in the immediate future. [Via Go Nintendo]
Nintendo planning to milk its Wii shortage through the holidays
You know, we could understand a few months of Wii shortages, and perhaps we'd let Nintendo slip by the seven month mark with a mild slap on the wrist, but this recent announcement of shortages through the 2007 holidays is just plain annoying. "There is no guarantee that we are not going to have 'out-of-stocks' this holiday season," says George Harrison, senior V.P of marketing for Nintendo of America. "If you see one, buy it. Don't assume that you can come back later and find one." It's not like Nintendo doesn't have the time, cash or know-how to ramp up production. Sure, we don't know all the ins and outs of supply chain management, but it sounds more like Nintendo is enjoying its "can't keep 'em on the shelves" status a bit too much to seriously make an attempt at meeting demand.
Target ad says Wiis in stores today or Tuesday? [update 1]
To get the most enjoyment out of Wii Fanboy, well, you need a Wii. Really, the site's a lot better when you can care about the screenshots and game announcements. Now, we realize the Wii can be hard to find, so we understand why some of you haven't been enjoying the site in its fullest.A Wii Fanboy friend just reported that his Target in Edmond, Oklahoma was advertising Wii consoles for sale Tuesday. We don't know how many, or if this applies to all Target stores. But, just in case, wait until Tuesday morning to go buy toothpaste, and check for Wiis while you're there. If you're the type of roguish loner who doesn't need an excuse to go somewhere, just go there Tuesday.Anyone else see Wii announcements in their Targets? The weekly ad has a listing for the Wii, but no indication of whether or not it'll be in stores.[Update: The ad might actually have been referring to today, in which case they're all gone! Might as well go check, we suppose. A couple of readers found them in stores today. Thanks to the readers who pointed this out.][Thanks, Zack!]
Sell your messed-up DS Phat in Japan
Demand for the DS and DS Lite show no signs of abating. Japanese retailers are sitting on such a goldmine that they can get away with putting stuff like this on the shelves: a scratched, stylus-free, filth-ridden DS, yours for only $100! Box? Instruction manual? Get out of here! Gift wrapping extra. Store takes no responsibility if your kids get beaten up in the playground, or your partner leaves you for someone who knows crap when they see it. We'll take three. Do they come in candy pink?
Nintendo decides to make some more Wiis
Not sure if you guys have heard about this, since it doesn't really get much press, but apparently it's been hard to purchase Wii systems in stores. We know-- we're surprised too, but it seems that Nintendo's supply hasn't been sufficient to meet demand.In a statement given to GamesIndustry.biz, a Nintendo representative said that they are (finally) going to increase global production, with a goal of producing 14 million systems in this fiscal year. Hopefully they don't all end up in Japan! If this bears out, and Nintendo finally does get around to speeding up production, this may mean the end of availability as we know them.
Wii Warm Up: Continued shortages and our periodic check-in
Every now and then, we just have to ask -- if you've been looking for a Wii, have you found one yet? Have you given in to bundles just to get it over with? Give us a status update! And in general, we'd love to hear about demand where you are. Are random people (read: not gamers) still crowing about the Wii where you live? Have the shortages seemed to have an affect -- good or bad -- on the desires of the masses? Some people think the demand will wear down eventually, but the commercials and word of mouth seem to be fueling a continued momentum.
Nintendo Europe promises Wii production boost, how nice
Shortly before pointing out that the sky is blue and that oxygen is a somewhat necessary element for the continuation of human life, Nintendo Europe's Laurent Fischer has confessed to Gamesindustry.biz that the console maker is "still struggling to deliver the right numbers of hardware to cope with demand." The senior marketing director cites the "recruiting power of the Wii" which is "more powerful than anyone had guessed." Apparently, looking for a Wii means going up against some sort of surprise Nintendo militia. When will these silly shortages end? Fischer offers no clue, but explains that it'll take more than a couple of days (more than ninety, at least). "We're planning to increase the production capacity but it's not something that can be done in a couple of days. We have to be patient." One can only hope patience production amongst consumers remains steady while Nintendo replenishes their critical duct tape supply.
Huge PlayStation 3 shortages predicted, Sony stock sinks
There's been a lot of speculation that Sony won't hit its PlayStation 3 launch targets for 2006 (which includes 2 million units at launch, and another 2 million units by the end of the year), but it sounds like they were dealt a pretty severe blow by Japanese brokerage Mitsubishi UJF Securities. The Japanese investment firm predicted major component shortages that would hamper sales by as much as a million units (trust us, that's a lot of units), and lowered its rating, causing Sony's stock to drop 3%. It's a harsh day in the office for Hirai, Kutaragi, and Stringer, but there's no doubt about it, and Sony's once again going to have to seriously prove itself come this holiday season.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
PS3 complexity could hinder yields
That's a fancy way of saying analysts don't think Sony can make enough oh so complicated machines to keep their well-heeled fans happy this Holiday season. Having suffered through manufacturing-related shortages ourselves, the Xbox 360 community looks forward to feeling their fanboy pain--while we kick back and play Gears of War.[Thanks SuicideNinja]
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
DS Lite shortage subsiding
After all the incessant waiting, unrewarded anticipation and violent Japanese rioting, it seems that Nintendo's recent boost in DS Lite shipments is finally filtering through to the rest of the world. Two of the more popular online import sites, Play-Asia and Lik-Sang, are reporting that their Lite stock levels are now entering more comfortable levels, free of enormous waiting periods and fluctuating prices.That is, if you're getting an Enamel Navy or an Ice Blue unit. The Crystal White Lite, which Lik-Sang has amusingly dubbed the Crystal Cocaine model, is still proving quite tricky to track down. If you're not keen on sticking with your original choice, might we recommend the deluxe Destitute Cardboard DS Lite? [Thanks CJN!]
