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Wii Warm Up: Supply and demand
Here's a topic we haven't revisited in a while, but we know that some people continue to have issues. How's the Wii supply in your area? Do you know people who are still looking for consoles? We do, but we know other areas aren't experiencing many problems. How about the supply of remotes and other accessories ... and even games? Have you been able to find everything you've needed?
The Wii will flow this holiday says Reggie
In a painful to watch video by anyone with an iota of video production training, the Mercury News interviewed Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime about the Wii supply for this holiday season. Fils-Aime says, "Wii hardware that will be in North American stores will be unprecedented – substantially more than the launch, substantially more than has been seen to date." Yes Nintendo, keep diverting those precious Wiis our way.Then Fils-Aime rains on the parade saying that despite the extra supply, consumers should "regularly check" to see if the system is available. He says demand continues to outweigh supply, so those in need of Wii should be waiting at the store when the product arrives. As for the competition, Reggie dismisses Xbox and PS3 saying they haven't impacted their business. If you have no video training whatsoever feel free to watch the Mercury News clip and soak in the Reggieness.[Via GameDaily BIZ]
Amazon still has Burning Crusade CE in stock
In case you really wanted it, the Burning Crusade Collector's Edition apparently isn't all that collected-- it's still in stock at Amazon for $74.99, a few bucks off the original price. The original Collector's Edition is a little harder to find-- it's been out of stock for a while, and copies are going for around $200. eBay is the same story-- you can buy the BC:CE for as little as $50, while the original CE is going for much, much more.My guess is that it's the old laws of supply and demand-- by the time Burning Crusade dropped, everyone knew it would be a hit, so Blizzard made a bunch, while the original CE probably had a lot fewer copies made. But the noncombat pets might be a draw as well-- the original CE had Diablo, Zerg, and Panda pets, while the Burning Crusade only had a pretty unimpressive Netherwhelp pet.And the other interesting question is what will happen when the next expansion drops. Being that WotLK is much more integral to the Warcraft that everyone knows and loves (while BC was much more involved with the ancient history of Warcraft), will people who've skipped Burning Crusade so far be more inclined to pick it up when Wrath releases? Maybe the BC:CE will get rarer as we get closer to Northrend.[ via WoW Ladies ]
Samsung resumes chip production, minifies losses
Merely hours after Samsung was staring at "at least" $54 million in losses from an unexpected power outage at its Giheung complex, the firm is now reporting that the half dozen production lines are "fully operational." Moreover, the outfit is now projecting losses to peak at around $43 million, which actually doesn't sound too horrific compared to prior estimates. It was noted, however, that the disruption could extend a shortage of NAND flash memory through "at least the first half of August," and reports are already claiming that prices of select NAND chips have risen "6.3-percent to a record $19.02."
iPhones sold out at a few Apple stores, many AT&T stores
If you want an iPhone, you haven't gotten one yet, and you operate in slow motion, now would probably be a good time to start worrying about availability. We've been hearing wide-scale reports since yesterday from AT&T stores across the country that locations have been unable to keep the device in stock, with some selling out in a matter of minutes after launch all video game console-style. For folks within driving distance of an Apple store, that hasn't been a problem so far because Apple's own retail locations seem to have been supplied with many, many units -- and that, friends, is what's starting to change. According to Apple's iPhone locator, there are still plenty of locations with stock -- but unlike last night, it's not difficult at this point to find stores that have sold out as well. Think there's any chance Apple's gonna let the pipe run dry?
Matsushita, Hitachi collaborate to take on shaky plasma market
While LG is shutting down plasma manufacturing plants and other manufacturers are scrambling to figure out precisely what happened to the once lucrative PDP market, Hitachi is doing more than just looking overseas. The firm has now inked a deal with Panasonic maker Matsushita to "start supplying Hitachi with 103-inch panels in the current business year to March 2008, while Hitachi will begin providing Matsushita with 85-inch panels next business year." Aside from the natural flow of give 'n take, the motives here center around joining forces to battle competition rather than facing the brutal marketplace alone, and this news comes not too long after whispers of LG and Samsung forming a similar alliance. Of course, only time will tell what sorts of revenue (if any) this will actually generate, but with LCD HDTV prices like they are, we can't blame these guys for giving it a go.
Analysts say shortages could last all year
Will you inconsiderate jerks stop buying Wiis already? You're totally making it hard to find them in stores. Think of the children!Okay, we would never really say that. We love you all. We were just trying a new strategy to help alleviate the continuing Wii shortages. We may need some kind of tactic, because analysts at Lazard Capital Markets are predicting that the demand will continue to exceed supply through the holiday season.How do they think the situation will be resolved? Increased production? No, they think people will eventually lose interest in the Wii because of its weaker processing power. Don't hurt yourselves slamming on the "comment" button![Via Game|Life]
Xbox 360 Guitar Hero II supply issues in Canada and UK
RedOctane's Guitar Hero II has been such a success on the Xbox 360 there seems to be a little supply issue. Not so much in the US -- although it is tough to get in some cases -- but we know of supply issues in Canada and the UK. One of our own writers living in jolly ol' England told us, "I've tried about a dozen retail stores, [it's] harder to find than a Wii." Yeah, supply is that bad.Joystiq received comment about the supply issues form Red Octane, telling us, "We can confirm we definitely are selling Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 in Canada. The issue of being sold out isn't just in Canada, as many other retailers in the US are experiencing the same situation as well, as there's just been an insane amount of demand for the game and can't stay on the shelves. The best tip we can provide is to either stay patient as more supply will be available to everyone shortly, or purchase from the RedOctane online store since it is still available there."We've been told that conspiracy theories in Canada about the supply issues revolve around a recall due to broken whammy bars and that RedOctane is trying to control Canadian supplies by milking them quietly by doubling shipping costs from $17 to $35 (we're guessing that's in Canadian dollars). Anyway, for those looking to rock out in the Great White North or Europe it may be time to bite the bullet and pony up the cash for shipping from RedOctane's store. Although supplies are tight at retail, their store seems capable of supplying the guitar faithful.[Thanks, Chris N.]
Nintendo increasing Wii production to flood planet
It's worth noting that the alleged plentiful supply of Wii we expected Nintendo to supply post launch simply couldn't keep up with demand. So much so that major retailers called foul on Nintendo and reporting shipments of Wii to stores is still appreciated by readers. GI.biz reports that a Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed to them plans to increase Wii production are now in effect.GI.biz was told, "For the first three months of this year we have been producing one million hardware units per month. We are increasing the manufacturing capacity and forecast to ship 14 million in this fiscal year to our distributors and retail customers globally."Nintendo says they expect a steady flow of Wii through 2007. They also say they've sold 5.84 million units and coyly add that they can't predict when the shortages will subside because there's just so much demand. That's fantastic that Nintendo is ready to flood the world with Wii, now if we could just get some first-rate Wii developed software to go with it.
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 searching for more Wii manufacturers
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_searching_for_more_Wii_manufacturers'; Nintendo has struggled to meet the Wii's demand in every region, so much so that retailers have accused the company of planning "strategic shortages." Four months after the console's initial release, it's still unlikely that you'll be able to find a Wii on store shelves.Up until now, Foxconn Precision Components has been the sole manufacturer behind the Wii's assembly. Nintendo hopes to increase its production by taking on an additional manufacturing partner, researching offers from Asustek Computer, Compal Electronics, Inventec, and Wistron.It's great that Nintendo is looking to increase the amount of systems it ships out, but how long will it be before we see the benefits of this partnership? It was already evident that the Wii's supply was constrained months ago -- why didn't Nintendo bring in a new manufacturer then?[Via Next Generation]
A cure for the lack of Gurumin
Are you having trouble finding Mastiff's latest? Destructoid is reporting that the Guruminly challenged finally have a new way of finding the game. Simply e-mail the game's publisher, Mastiff Games, at: findgurumin@mastiff-games.com. Like a financially invested Sherlock Holmes, they'll track down a copy of the game for you to buy. It comes as no surprise that Gurumin is difficult to find: with such a cute style, the game can only target a specific niche. If you're interested in picking up the game, don't forget to read our review first. If you're still willing to pick up this "by-the-numbers" RPG, check amazon.com: they seem to have plenty of units in stock.
Nintendo's Harrison denies Wii hoarding accusation
George Harrison, Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing, apparently didn't appreciate the accusation from Gamestop COO Dan DeMatteo that Nintendo was strategically waiting until the start of the new fiscal year to ship out more Wiis. He countered with something that seems a lot less corporate cloak-and-dagger, and a lot more common sense: Nintendo is, in fact, selling a whole lot of Wiis in three regions, and that is why there's a perceived shortage.Harrison went on to speculate that DeMatteo's comments were an attempt to get some of the Wii supply diverted to Gamestop. You'd think he would have learned a lesson about such speculating from the very thing he's responding to, but perhaps we're expecting too much.[Via Game|Life]
PS3 sales no longer hotcake-like?
Is there a PlayStation 3 supply glut? That's the provocative question posed by the headline of a NotifyWire press release which asserts customers are already tired of paying a premium for PS3 bundles online.In the release, Ian Drake, head of the hot-product-tracking web site, cited a recent $1,000 PS3 bundle at eToys that remained available for over 12 hours. "This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas," Drake added for some historical perspective.A quick look at NotifyWire's recent tracking history, though, shows the PS3 is far from dead in the water. Despite a slight increase in the amount of time the system has been available at a few major online retailers over the past few weeks, premium bundles from the likes of eToys were selling out in less than an hour as recently as Dec. 18.This data is also a bit hard to interpret without supply numbers for each individual sale -- perhaps retailers have been getting larger shipments since Sony announced it had fixed its production problems. NotifyWire's system also seems to neglect major sites like Amazon.com, which recently showed intense interest in the PS3 through a lottery system.Still, the longer-than-expected online offerings are a little worrying for Sony when paired with the PS3's rapidly declining eBay price and reports of consistent high demand for the Wii. But let's not dwell on such unhappy things. Let us instead think of pancakes -- moist delicious pancakes dripping with syrup and hot butter. Oh yeah...[Via GameDaily]
Nintendo shorting UK pre-orders with supply problems
While Nintendo's Wii has been the undisputed champ of at-launch availability so far, and looks to be well on the way to its projected 4 million sales by the end of the year, supply problems are starting to crop up in Europe. Apparently Nintendo hasn't yet shipped the full quantities it has promised to some retailers, which naturally doesn't sit too well with pre-order customers. Hopes are high for getting the rest of those pre-ordered Wiis by Christmas, but that's little consolation to the fanboys hoping to get their European Wii on by December 8th. Non pre-order customers pretty much don't stand a chance, and we're just hoping this doesn't all end in tears, PS3 style.
Where have all the nunchuks gone? [update 1]
Nintendo forgot a little something in their Wii launch -- to pack a plethora of extra nunchuks to go with their Wii-motes. If your experience has been anything like this reporter's, than you too are minus any nunchuks to go with your Wii-motes (except for the one that came with the system). Eight stores and two states later, still haven't found one -- Amazon.com doesn't have them either. Now to start making phone calls all over the place, anybody else having this problem?Basic business would have dictated that people would get a nunchuk to go with their Wii-mote, so why wasn't it a 1 to 1 ratio? All the Wii-motes in the world and not a nunchuk to attach. Having friends over and not being able to play Rayman or Wii Sports Boxing has been a very disappointing experience.It seems that some readers are having the complete opposite experience, heavy on the Wii-chuk, low on the Wii-mote. Reader Kevin pretty much sums it up, "Why dont they just package them together???" We'll look into that. (Update 1: Updated due to feedback)
Blu-ray disc drive prices to be halved by 2008?
Sure, it's no surprise to see bleeding-edge tech plummet in price soon after the initial craze is over, but Sony NEC Optiarc is estimating that Blu-ray disc drive prices will "drop 50 percent from current levels amid aggressive development" by other manufacturers. Shuji Minami -- the product business group's general manager -- is suggesting that increased production by alternative manufacturers will open up the currently tight supply line. We've heard Sony blaming the overwhelming shortage of Blu-ray components for its Playstation 3 supply quandaries, and we've assumed the inclusion of such a drive somewhat justifies (or not) the staggeringly high pricetag, but we can't say we're sharoosed that prices will be dramatically lower in just over 12 months. Regardless, the firm is touting Window's forthcoming Vista operating system as encouragement for more producers to hop on the (nearly empty) bandwagon, so if you're cool with holding out on (questionably beneficial) 1080p flicks for another year or so, you'll (unsurprisingly) find yourself a lot richer for it. But for you European blokes who'll be suffering the same launch day madness that we're still surviving next year, we highly doubt Sony will cut you any slack, especially considering how much dough they're already losing.
Wii power supply revealed
It looks like Nintendo will be sticking with the power brick they provided with the GameCube, or something similarly sized. The grey color looks better than the black of the GameCube, I think, and regardless of it all, at least we need not worry that it will cause a hernia when trying to lift it. Thankfully, it looks like the cord is longer on the Wii's power supply, also.Honestly, I'm wondering why this didn't come up during E3. Also, why didn't I think of taking a picture of the Wii's power supply? With the recent Wiimote shots from the Spanish event and naughty peek under the flap, the Wii has been enjoying the attention of the paparazzi lately.
Kutaragi hints at external power supply
Ken Kutaragi talked with a Japanese website recently about most of the things you've probably been wondering. He spoke about keeping costs down, heating issues, the Cell and even hinted at including an external power supply for the PlayStation 3.For starters, he said that reducing the size of the Cell in the future will allow for lower costs (as we've heard already). But he also said that power consumption will be key: "If we can't reduce [power consumption] we will never be able to make the PS3 cheap and small." Well then, for the love of all that's economical, please manage that consumption!When talking about heating more extensively, he said that "the power supply could almost be sold separately." So if they decide to go with that, expect a power brick, except of even bigger proportions than what you're used to (like the 360's). With a console the size of the PlayStation 3, it's going to need all the juice it can get.
