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GameStop repeats itself: Wii shortages likely
Yes, we posted about this before, but as the giant boulder that is the holiday season ominously thunders towards us, we may as well say it again: GameStop will probably have some major Wii shortages in the near future.Chief financial officer David Carlson admitted in a conference call that the hardware "may be well out of stock by the holiday season," echoing another executive's recent claim that the 'Stop's inventory would be empty by the first week of December. He added that both Wii Fit and Guitar Hero: World Tour were "in very, very short supply" and "out of stock in many cases" respectively.Obviously, plenty of other places sell Wiis, but if a major name like GameStop is running out of the things, you can bet they won't be alone. Unless you want to end up like Johnny and Orlando up there, get your skates on.%Gallery-24459%
Gamestop: Good luck getting a Wii this Christmas
With Nintendo's supply of Wiis having remaining spectacularly insufficient for over two years now, we've considerably streamlined our process of blogging about the supremely successful system's shortages. Oh yes, it's all done by the computer now. We just plug in the names, the quote and some other snippets of relevant information.[NAME: Carlson, David], who is the [Position: CFO] of [Company: Gamestop] has predicted another Christmas marked by shelf scouring and anguished cries, noting that Nintendo's sought-after sellout and [ADDITION: its Balance Board peripheral] would likely be out of stock by then. [QUOTE:"Wii Fit is in very, very short supply. It sells through as quickly as it hits the stores,"] he said. [And although the Wii hardware is in very good supply right now we believe it may as well be out of stock by the holiday season."]Don't worry, all good things come to those who wait. And if you wait long enough, there might be something other than [EASY TARGET: Wii Music] to entertain you on your new toy.
Gamestop VP says Wii supply will be 'much, much better' this holiday
We're getting some conflicting viewpoints on the Wii supply this holiday season from Gamestop's upper management. While CEO Dan DeMatteo is of the mind that there is no end in sight for Wii shortages, one of the company's vice presidents is telling us a different story. It's VP of Merchandising Bob McKenzie, to be exact, and he thinks that things this holiday will be ""much, much better than it has been the last two years."McKenzie elaborated further, saying that he can't guarantee they "will be in stock every day throughout the holiday season," but feels confident that the "current flow we've seen coming from Nintendo on Wii hardware" will help them meet their business model. Some of our readers point out that they see Wii consoles sitting on shelves collecting dust all of the time, but what about areas with dense population such as major cities? Will they be seeing some relief finally? We guess we'll just have to wait and see how things go in the next couple of months.[Via Joystiq]
Gamestop CEO: Wii shortages have no 'end in sight'
GameDaily recently sat down with GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo to discuss, well, things that a CEO of a huge company would discuss. What is of note to us Wii enthusiasts, however, is his grim outlook for the future. He doesn't see store shelves stocked full of Wii consoles anytime soon, unfortunately. "I don't see a near-term end in sight for Wii shortages, not unless they really ramp up supply," DeMatteo said. "I think they've ramped it up 20 percent or so, but Nintendo is fairly cautious by nature. They ramped it up 20 and it's still evaporating."This is only one man's opinion, but based on how much money he probably makes each year, we're sure his estimate is better than ours. So, for you holiday shoppers that have someone on your list asking for Wii, better get to hunting one down now. In little over a month, we're sure they're going to be a lot harder to track down.
GameStop CEO: No 'end in sight' for Wii shortages
Speaking with GameDaily, newly-appointed GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo (who was previously COO for 12 years) gave a rather disheartening prediction about the never-ending shortage of Nintendo Wii's. Said DeMatteo, "I don't see a near-term end in sight for Wii shortages, not unless they really ramp up supply. I think they've ramped it up 20 percent or so, but Nintendo is fairly cautious by nature. They ramped it up 20 and it's still evaporating." Much of the interview is refurbished from late August when he (then as COO) spoke with Gamastura about digital distrubition. Speaking of the used games business, DeMatteo offered a rather interesting argument by noting that gamers have been "conditioned that their video games have residual value, just like a car," later adding, "I think the argument that it competes with the new games is false. Imagine what new car sales would be like if you couldn't trade in your old car."
Report claims iPod, MacBook, and MacBook Pro shortages coming... along with new gear
According to a report from AppleInsider, the Cupertino giant is issuing "advisement bulletins" to some of its channel partners suggesting they get their hands on iPods and MacBooks / MacBook Pros while the gettin's good. It seems that Apple is telling resellers to place orders for a four-week block's worth of top-selling iPods, saying that within the next seven days supplies will become extremely limited, while recommending a three-week supply of MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The article claims that this practice is familiar to third-party sellers, and indicates Apple is ramping up for its holiday season (and new iPods and MacBooks / Pros, presumably). Of course, right now this is just whispers in high school hallways, but we can promise you this: Apple will be selling something this holiday season. You have our word.
Wii Warm Up: Are you still looking?
We're coming up on the second anniversary of our favorite console this November, and with the supply of Wii consoles still not catching up with the demand, we were wondering how many of you out there are still hunting for a system still? Are you hunting one down for yourself or for somebody else? Already have one, had your folks try it, now they want you to find them one?
Reggie: Wii stock balance soon, Nintendo manufacturing more consoles each month
Nintendo is apparently not blind to the pain Wii console shortages cause, now made that much more worse by the shortages of Wii Fit, the hot new exergaming bundle. Reggie wants us to know that they're working on fixing the situation, although they pretty much have no idea as to when things will be better. With their monthly output upped from 1.8 million units a month to 2.4, Nintendo is indeed trying."Currently, demand is higher than supply, but we believe we'll soon get back to a more balanced situation," says Nintendo's resident name-taker, ass-kicker Reggie Fils-Aime. Unfortunately, that's all he had to say on the situation, leaving us all in the dark as to when the supply will start meeting the demand. Until then, we're forced to keep checking in with retailers and trying to find one online.[Via Go Nintendo]
Can't find the End of the World
Searching, searching ... dang it all! Where's the Japanese cyberpunk Shibuya-themed trendy pop culture action-RPG when you need it? Gamers have been trying to find The World Ends With You on store shelves, but a meager shipment + critical acclaim = no game for you.Square Enix has admitted this oversight, and released a statement to Joystiq explaining the lack of units. They felt the unique style of TWEWY was released in just the right place at just the right time. They were right -- but that still doesn't result in John Q DS getting the game! Square has confirmed that the next round of units will be arriving mid-June, so you'll have to twiddle your thumbs for a little longer. Relax - it's not the end of the world.%Gallery-11943%
Wii Fit distributors getting weekly exercise
Wii Fit must be easier to produce than Wii consoles. Nintendo hasn't been able to rectify the console shortage that has stretched since the Wii launch, but they have gotten their act together in terms of Wii Fit production.Nintendo U.K. told GamesIndustry.biz that "stock is coming in all the time on a weekly basis." We're surprised that Nintendo is even pretending to be able to keep up with demand, with Wii Fit as enormously popular as it is there. The true test of their production capacity will be the U.S. launch oh May 19th.
Iwata: No DS price cut this year
Well, we would think so, since the current price point of $129.99 seems to be far too small a hurdle to leap for those thinking of purchasing the handheld system. Nintendo is rolling in the dough, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?"Our earnings projection for the year is not based on hardware price cuts, and I don't think we are going to need them," said Iwata. And we can't blame them, as demand for the Wii and DS looks like it could only be curbed by the announcement of a new handheld and console. Until that happens, it looks like consumers will need to get used to the price tag on each system, as well as not seeing them on shelves while shopping.[Via Joystiq]
Toys R Us to have Wii this Sunday
Well now, it looks like almost all retailers will have the Wii in stock this weekend, as following up on Circuit City's "deal" is Toys R Us with an ad of their own. You see, Toys R Us is advertising (see image above) that they'll also have the console in stock, alongside Mario Kart Wii, which releases this Sunday. There is a catch with the Toys R Us deal, however.You'll have to put some legwork in, as securing yourself a console means you have to go down to your local Toys R Us and plunk down a $200 deposit. Once done, show up on Sunday with your receipt and you'll be one happy camper. But, hey, as annoying as it is to make two trips, it's far less annoying than having to buy a ridiculously overpriced bundle from Circuit City.[Via Joystiq]
Pachter: Wii Fit to raise Wii demand, keep shortages going
Aside from his prediction that he thinks Wii Fit will sell 3-4 million this year, Michael Pachter has grabbed another estimation out from within his bag of tricks: Wii Fit will keep Wii shortages going as it will increase demand for the console. Pachter cited Nintendo's plan to market the crap out of Wii Fit, stating "the increased buzz will drive increased demand for the already difficult to find Wii hardware." Well, we know the UK is crazy over Wii Fit, but Nintendo shouldn't have as hard a time filling demand over there as they have had here in the states. On Pachter's part, this is a pretty safe play to make. The preorders at Amazon are going through the roof and with Wii Fit being on Good Morning, America recently, we're sure the public is very receptive to the product. We're still not sure about that price tag, though.%Gallery-4745%
Pachter: Shortages coming to an end later this year
Michael Pachter is at it again. This time, of all people, he spoke with a writer for the Dallas Morning News. Now, we're not experts in this institution that reports real world news, but we do know that video game news tends to usually fall below their radar. But they care about the Wii because, well, everyone and their grandmother bought one.Regardless, Pachter did, and he is saying that those of us in the U.S. need to blame it on the rain the Brits. You see, his estimation is that due to the weak U.S. dollar and high demand for the console in the UK, Nintendo has been shipping more consoles over there because they profit more from sales in that country. This has supposedly been the reason that store shelves in the U.S. still don't have the console stocked. His belief is that the console will be more readily available in the U.S. later on this year, when the dollar is expected to bounce back some. Based on the fact that the console released over a year ago, though, we're not going to hold our breath.[Thanks, Matt!]
Gamestop: Wii shortages aren't going away
Seeing as how the console released in November of 2006, you can probably understand why we're frustrated in having to report on the inability to freely and easily locate our desire out in the world beyond tubes. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the console, so why can't Nintendo churn out enough? Why has it taken them this long to satisfy demand and why has demand been at record highs throughout the console's short lifespan? Gamestop might know, as they recently stated in a report that they expect console shortages to last for another 6 months. We're betting that the retailer's forecast is fairly conservative, as it's easy to imagine another 6 months of early mornings trying to hunt one down. The console has been hard to find since its launch, so another 6 months doesn't seem like much of a stretch to us, at all.This is just the expectations of Gamestop, though, so should Nintendo emerge from the dark mist like some knight in shining armor, we would most definitely take our own foot and place it within our own mouth. But seeing as how Nintendo hasn't figured out how to satisfy demand issues yet, we're going to have to assume it'll take a while to get healthy Wii stock on shelves.
Microsoft expects Feb. 360 sales to trail PS3
Delivering the giant corporation version of you may want to sit down for this, Xbox group product manager, Aaron Greenberg, has predicted less-than-stellar sales results for the American Xbox 360 during February. Beating the NPD Group to the forthcoming bad news punch, Greenberg told Reuters that continued supply problems would likely place the system behind Sony's monolith for the second month in a row."We definitely expect we will trail in February as a result of our supply constraints," said Greenberg. Things are expected to improve in April, however, with "a very healthy inventory situation" setting the table for Grand Theft Auto IV's trumpeted arrival.
Microsoft acknowledges Xbox 360 shortages in US
If you've been having trouble tracking down an Xbox 360 (and we've heard from a handful of you on our tips line), Reuters physically grabbed a hold of marketing veep Jeff Bell and wrung some answers out of him. Bell told Reuters that Microsoft "misjudged" post-holiday demand which lead to ongoing outages at retailers nationwide. This has, understandably, upset some retailers.But retailers aren't the only ones missing those boxes, Bell also worries the shortages "will have an impact on [their] sales." We'll find out precisely how many units they managed to sell in January later today, when the monthly NPD report fills us with enough stats to make our little green and red arrow generator perk up. To jog your failing memory: Microsoft sold 770K consoles in November, a 110% increase from the previous month, and then a whopping 1.26m in December, a generous 64% increase. Easy now, arrows. It won't be long. Be patient ...
GameStop clarifies Wii Reservation program details
Gamasutra has received some clarification on GameStop's Wii Reservation program, which Reggie Fils-Aime first announced during a conference call. Unlike our previous report stated, Wii reservations will only be taken this Friday, December 21st, and can only be placed in person at any GameStop or EB Games location in the US. The reservation will cost the full price of the Wii console ($249.99 USD plus tax), and the reservation slips come in DVD cases with an image of the Wii and Mario on the front, with Mario cheerily stating "Happy Holidays! Your Wii is on the way!" Gee. Thanks, Mario.Reservation slips are limited at each location, though exact numbers have not been given. Only one reservation is available per household, and each customer will receive a phone call in January once their Wii is available for pick-up. All reserved consoles must be picked up by January 25th, 2008. Who's betting on long lines for these tiny slips of paper?
Stores worried about their DS supply
There's always a lot of discussion about what the hot gift to get each holiday season will be, a dubious honor held by toys like Tickle Me Elmo, the PlayStation 2 and Furbies. It seems though that the question this year, last year and at least a few years into the future will be easily answerable with "whatever Nintendo's making." This holiday dominance was highlighted by Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Amie who recently told Reuters, "the DS continues to perform exceptionally well, with some retailers voicing concerns about DS inventory going into the holiday."Reggie doesn't appear to blowing smoke, either. A quick check of a few online retailers showed all or almost all of the portable's SKUs out of stock. This doesn't come as a complete surprise though, as the Reg hinted that things might get tight closer to the Yule. So just consider this an FYI: If you were planning on gifting a DS this holiday season you may want to get on it.
Rumour: Brits head to France for Wii
Are England's gamers Chunneling their way to Wii ownership? They are according to British tabloid The Daily Mirror, which reports that the English are desperate enough for their Wii's to travel to another country for them.According to the Mirror, the French city of Calais has seen British shoppers lining up outside of its electronics stores to snag the oft-coveted console. The Channel Tunnel train arrives in France near the coastal city, where many shops have instituted a "one oui Wii per customer" policy. Despite the shortages seen in the States and in England, the Nintendo Wii can still be readily found in France. Good news for the English. And how nice for the French, too!
