wii shortage
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Nintendo finally sees Wii demand slowing, calls iPhone a DS / DSi competitor
While it seemed that all was going well for the Big N, it looks like those jovial times are finally coming to a (temporary) end. In an earnings report filed today, the company posted a 66 percent fall in quarterly operating profit on "slowing demand for its Wii console and a stronger yen." It's not so much the profit slide that's surprising, but the sudden admission that Wii demand has finally (finally!) slowed from a raging boil to simply piping hot definitely caught us off guard. Still, Nintendo maintained that it would sell 26 million Wii consoles before the year was out alongside 30 million DS handhelds, the latter of which has seen momentum slow due to "increased competition in the handheld business from Apple's iPhone." Now, we've known for some time that the suits in Cupertino have always viewed the iPhone as a game console, but to hear it called out as such from an entity not named Apple is another matter entirely. Maybe it should reconsider that whole "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" thing? Nah.[Image courtesy of QuiteCurious]
Best Buy rumored to be hoarding Wiis for holiday push
It's hard to say if this rumor is true, but it's not behavior that Best Buy has avoided in the past. In fact, we vividly remember this exact same scenario happening in late 2006 -- the difference? That was the Wii's launch year. This is two years later. Two. Years. Later. Oh, and it's totally a futile effort, considering that Wally World sold through "tens of thousands" in about four milliseconds. Seriously people, there's a new Elmo to wage holiday war on, you have no business scrapping for a Wii 25 months after it hit US shores.*[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]*Image above is assumed to be Photoshopped, as we cannot find a single human to confirm ever seeing that many Wii consoles for sale in one location.
Starting now: Walmart.com selling 'tens of thousands' of Wiis
Thankfully we're not in the habit of making perceivably safe bets, otherwise we would've lost everything we had wagering that, two years after launch, retailers wouldn't still have a shortage of Nintendo Wiis. If you're still hunting for the console, starting now Walmart is selling "tens of thousands" of bundles priced from $250 (Wii only) to $460 (with Wii Fit). This time, we're willing to bet they'll be sold out by tonight.[Via Reuters]
Nintendo cranking on Wii production for the holidays, still making no promises
Hard to believe, nay, mind-boggling, that two full years after Nintendo launched the Wii in America we're still looking at shortages. In the midst of "economic turmoil," no less. Back in April, Reggie Fils-Aime proclaimed that he was "passionately upset" about the difficulty consumers were having in finding Wii consoles, and now that yet another holiday season is upon us, it's clear that he's made some changes. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, he admitted that Wii production was up from 1.6 million units per month (during this time last year) to 2.4 million units per month (now), though he wouldn't go so far as to say you'd have an easy time finding one. In fact, he stated that "once you see [a Wii console] on the shelf, you ought to buy it." Also of note, those still scouting a Wii Fit may be in luck, as the Big N could decide to ship more units to America rather than Europe now that the greenback is gaining strength versus the euro. Good luck hunting -- we'd recommend you start looking, um, yesterday.Update: Looks like Ninty's already turning up the burners -- that's a heretofore-unbelievable shot of Wii stock at reader Roberto's local Best Buy in West Paterson, New Jersey.[Via GameDaily]Read - Reggie Fils-Aime interviewRead - Analyst's take Wii Fit shipments
Reggie: Wii production up; holiday supply might not meet demand ... again
So sayeth the immortal Pete Burns, "You spin me right round baby, right now, like a record baby, round, round, round, round." In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has hinted that, yet again, the supply for the Nintendo Wii might not meet the demand this holiday. The Regginator (a nickname noted in the article) said that production is up 33% over last year, from 1.6 million consoles per month to 2.4 million. We've talked about Wii shortages once or twice before. "One of our competitors' projects," he said (we're thinking he meant Sony), "they will sell 10 million consoles worldwide this year. For us, that's three months of production." By his numbers, it would actually be closer to four months, but when you're dealing with multiples of infinity all day long, math tends to get a little fuzzy. We still find it hard to believe that there's still potential shortages after 708 days, but the sales numbers seem to suggest scholars will need to create a new number system for sales calculations.
Nintendo "passionately upset" about Wii shortages, won't give out free Mario cakes
Besides being infuriated with leaving over a billion dollars on the table this past holiday season, Nintendo of America is also "passionately upset about the lack of product relative to demand." Those words came straight from Mr. Reggie Fils-Aime himself, who noted that North America was the only Wii-serviced territory where supply and demand were still out of sync. Reportedly, some 40-percent of the 1.8 million Wii consoles manufactured each month are making their way over, but even after 17 months on the market, the average Wii sits around on retail shelves for "just an hour before [it is] purchased." Unfortunately, we're no closer to being able to clone the consoles in order to meet the insatiable appetite.
Gamestop expects at least six more months of Wii shortages
The Nintendo Wii will be nearing its second birthday before there's any chance you'll see it routinely clogging up retail shelves. At least that's the determination of mega-retailer Gamestop, which predicted in a recent investors conference call that the Wii "won't meet demand for the next two quarters."While the Xbox 360 and DS have seen increased production to make up for temporary holiday shortages, Gamestop COO Dan DeMatteo said the seemingly endless lack of Wii supply looks likely to continue for at least another six months. DeMatteo also predicted shortages for the surging PSP, as well as price drops for the PS2 ($30), and PS3 and Xbox 360 ($50 each) sometime this year. For the Wii, though, it seems like a price increase is the only way they're going to be able to stay on the shelves. Not that Nintendo would ever do that. Would they? (Note: No, they wouldn't)
Wii unavailability costing Nintendo a billion in sales
Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Or in this case, the consumers are doomed to repeat it. The New York Times reports that when it comes to getting a Wii in 2007, its looking remarkably similar to 2006. Analysts say Nintendo is leaving $1 billion in sales "on the table" by not having enough consoles to satiate demand this holiday.Nintendo of America's George "One foot out the door" Harrison tells the NYT that the company hasn't made any mistakes, though it does worry about consumers purchasing another system. Lazard Capital Market's Colin Sebastian is quoted in the piece as saying 86,000 Wiis have hit eBay since Dec. 4, with the average end price for the system being $320, a 28% increase over retail. If you're still looking for a Wii this holiday, just keep calling stores every day -- obtaining one at this point is not for the weak.
Final reminder to get Wii before Black Friday (and holiday season)
The Associated Press has a a fantastically long-winded article that boils down to a very simple premise: If you are buying a Wii for the holidays, get one right now! The article has lovely quotes and fantastic figures, but all it's really trying to do is give a "red alert" to a mainstream audience that Wii will be scarce this holiday -- the BBC already did a similar story last week.One man on the street interviewed by the AP was John Lawrence of Texas who said, "People have not gotten into the Christmas shopping mode. Once people get into that mindset, this is going to be an impossibility as it was last year." That's what we say too, but maybe people will listen if John Lawrence of Texas says it. So, if you're a parent reading this, or a nice sibling picking up a Wii for your kid brother/sister, try go picking one up today. You've got today to shop in relative peace while everyone is at the supermarket picking up supplies. All bets are off on Friday.
BBC reminds that Wii supply is still an issue
The BBC is letting the mainstream know that getting a Wii this holiday is going to be tough. They report retailers in London are having a hard time keeping up with demand and that they've been informed 3.5 million "extra" consoles are being shipped globally; however, they don't know how many of those will make it to the UK. Quick answer: Not many.Essentially what this all boils down to is we're having holiday season '06 all over again with the Wii. Although the BBC is letting the general public know about this now, it's not like Nintendo hasn't been giving fair warning since April. They even reiterated the message of supply issues in September. No matter where you are on our little rock floating in space, if you want a Wii (or know somebody that does), just keep calling your local retailer to find out about their next shipment, because the difficulty in getting a Wii is going to ramp up exponentially starting next week.
Nintendo reportedly puts Wii expansion plans on hold
Nintendo wasn't exactly all that specific when it recently warned of possible Wii shortages through the 2007 holiday season, but it seems that some component makers now have a bit more to say about the matter, and they're claiming that tight supply of IC chips, PCBs and other parts has forced Nintendo to delay its plans to expand production. According to DigiTimes, that would make any easing of Wii shortages in the second half of 2007 'unlikely," although we're guessing that they'll still be a fair bit easier to come by than they were last holiday season.
Perrin Kaplan expects Wii shortages to 'last for some time'
Well, so much for "supply flowing" this April. "There is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of working on what we are producing and the numbers continue to rise but the product is so very popular that we may see a supply / demand situation last for some time," says Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's VP of marketing and corporate affairs. Further comments originating from a recent Game Theory Podcast basically amount to Nintendo doing the best they can against the ravenous and seemingly unstoppable Wii-wanting hordes. Perrin provides assurances that Nintendo is aware of the problem (though she doesn't directly label it as such) and politely asks fans to "to be patient and to know that we are working on this as fast as we can." While the buzz and news generated by continued scarcity (see: this article) continues to be a valuable marketing asset, truly resolving production problems almost 6 months into a console's lifetime will be greatly beneficial to both Nintendo and clamoring fans. In other words -- come on![Via Wii Fanboy, Next-Generation]
