Wii Shortage Until 2009?
So says IDC video games analyst Billy Pidgeon in a Home Media Magazine story posted yesterday. You may have heard how Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PS2 are walloping the competition (including Sony's way-behind PS3), but did you catch Freakonomics author Stephen J. Dubner's earlier blog entry asking "Why is the Wii, which was famously scarce before Christmas this year, still so hard to buy?"
According to guest-blogger Paul Kimmelman, national retail availability of the Wii runs about 2.5%, most stores are consistently dry, online retailers aren't carrying them, and they're being scalped for 150% to 180% of retail. Kimmelman essentially calls the whole affair a colossal manufacturing blunder since Nintendo hasn't been able to ramp up production in the four months since the Wii was released.
Probe a bit further and you find this bit of speculation courtesy Next Generation, wherein GameStop COO Dan DeMatteo suggests Nintendo's actually behind the Wii supply shortages. Why? Nintendo may already have made their end of March target numbers (6 million units shipped) so they've let things hang, reasons DeMatteo. The new fiscal year begins April 1st, after which DeMatteo believes supply will start flowing.
Enough to offset Pidgeon's less optimistic forecast? Sustainable beyond? We'll know shortly. One thing's certain: the price differential between the Wii at $250 and the 360 ($399) or PS3 ($599) is probably enough to counter speculation that Wii misses translate to competition purchases. Hardcore gamers on the fence with disposable income might teeter over into 360/PS3 purchasing territory, but then, that's not the market Nintendo's really targeting at this point anyway.
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Can anyone say 'Cabbage-patch-kids'?
Ok, showing my age.
Everyone should own a 360 AND a Wii. Gamers love the 360's quality and usefulness, and the rest of the family will play the Wii, since it's a 'cross-over drug'.
Why can people not get past this issue. The WII is a great game machine. Designed exactly what is for kids that are 5 years old or adults can play their games. They have also introduced a unique controller configuration which was never thought of before. The only thing I would critique of the console is the lack of ability to hook it up to a high-def tv and make use of your expensive tv. Sure the games look great, I had the gamecube on my xbr 26" in 1999.
The other two consoles are meant to be multi-funciton multimedia devices for your house for the next 6 years. I use my 360 for HD old television shows, such as Mirror Mirror from the origiinal Star Trek. A episode of csi called werewolf that I never had a chance to watch. Plus I am not really into most new complex games, I like the style and play of the originals like Pac Man, Joust, Asteroids. These games can be downloaded from the 360 online network for a few bucks.All the new games I play the demos, and that is enough for me