Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments
Search

News for nerds, stuff that matters

Slashdot Log In

Log In

Create Account  |  Retrieve Password

Prelaunch Wii Kiosks Only at GameStop, Pre-Order News

Posted by Zonk on Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:16 AM
from the need-my-preorder-jeremy dept.
Businesses Nintendo Entertainment Games
saintory writes to mention a Dallas Morning News article about Gamestop's annual new product conference. Employees and new vendors were given a chance to take a look at the upcoming next-gen consoles, and a few details about the Wii retail strategy were revealed. For example, Gamestop will be the only place to demo the Wii prior to the November 19th launch. More frustratingly, "GameStop has not yet decided when, or even if, it will offer pre-orders for the new systems ... Last year, at the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, GameStop accepted more pre-orders before Christmas than it was able to satisfy. Microsoft's manufacturing problems turned into GameStop's angry customer problems. 'We did learn a lesson last year,' said Steve Morgan, president of GameStop. 'I think the lesson is caution and optimism at the same time.'" Update: 10/03 18:20 GMT by Z : Okay, there is *some* pre-order news. I was told last week to contact the Gamestop folks today (Tuesday) for details. At least at my local Madison store, they're going to be accepting preorders as of Monday the 16th (two weeks from yesterday). One would assume they're not some sort of 'rebel' store, so this is probably along the lines of what we can expect nation-wide.
+ -
story

Related Stories

[+] The State Of Wii Preorders 160 comments
1up has a hilarious article up looking at the state of Wii Preorders across the U.S.. Despite the fact that preorders began (and likely ended) this morning at EBs and Gamestops across the country, the employees of the megalithic game store were less than fully prepared. From the article: "WEST VIRGINIA: GameStop #1330: 'We don't know. I mean, we're gonna be doing reserves. We're just waiting for them to tell us we can.' WISCONSIN: EB Games #4626: 'It looks more like we'll just sell that one. Because there will be 2 to 4 million units available on launch day, and EB/GameStop will be getting 70% of them that first come first serve would be doable. Even a smaller store like ours could be getting upwards of 50 units day one.' WYOMING: EB Games #4294: 'Any day now, man. Any day now.'" Despite my wife's best efforts, I missed out on a preorder by three people in line. Stupid cross-country trips.
[+] PS3 Japanese Estimates Down, No 360 Price Drop 84 comments
There are unhappy gamers on a couple sides of the console wars today. IGN is reporting that Japan's allotment of 100,000 PS3 units will actually be more like 80,000. From that article: "The lack of digits in that number is even more staggering when you consider that the PS2 sold out of nearly a million units when it launched back in March of 2000. Having lived through a few weeks of attempting to obtain a PS3 pre-order, we're not too surprised by the lowered shipping numbers. Allocations disappeared quickly at online retailers that were brave enough to start pre-order programs. The online arm of media retailer Tsutaya ran out of units in 6 minutes according to Nikkei (it felt more like 1 minute to us)." Meanwhile, the Seattle PI reports that Microsoft has once again denied the possibility of a 360 price drop any time soon.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

Prelaunch Wii Kiosks Only at GameStop, Pre-Order News 25 Comments More /

 Full
 Abbreviated
 Hidden
More
Loading... please wait.
  • Game [game.co.uk] is already offering Wii pre-orders, although the individual stores are only doing so once they've had their allocation confirmed. Personally, I've had my Wii pre-ordered for over a week now - as the EU release date is almost a month after the US, you'd think Gamestop would have some idea as to their allocation by now. Unless, of course, NOA is much less efficient than NOE.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Ewan (5533)
      More likely game (who I've preordered with too) are just blagging it and hoping to get away with it, going to Nintendo with a "We need more stock, we're your biggest pre-order location"
      • Perhaps, but my local game refused to take pre-orders initally until they got their allocation of 50 confirmed.
    • I've had my Wii pre-ordered for over a week now

      Same here, apparantly I'm 9th on their list; but this is a very quiet (99% of the time it's deserted) Game on the top floor of a Debenhams. I'm guessing it'll be very busy come the 8th of December, (hopefully still quieter than the other two Game stores in town).
      • Would that be the one in Guildford by any chance?
        • No, Southampton actually. And I just realised that I've accedentally lied in my previous post, there are three other Game stores in town, not two.
  • Last year, at the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, GameStop accepted more pre-orders before Christmas than it was able to satisfy.

    And who's fault was that?

    You'd think that after the horrible PS2 launch (faulty hardware, long lines, too many pre-orders not enough units...) retailers would be a bit more cautious about pre-orders. Instead we STILL see them shoving pre-order offers in our faces. They have no one to blame but themselves.

  • My local game store is just writing people's names down on a list with their phone numbers. As they get stock in they're going to call you and if you already have one they'll move to the next person on the list. Hopefully I'll get one launch day from there but it's nice as it makes me free to get one elsewhere if I see it.
  • Eventually people will learn that their local retailer gets shipments on Tuesdays or something like that and you'll have a line outside the door every Tuesday morning to see if they got any in. That's a great marketing ploy since most retailers are pretty dead in the early hours.
    • The products will ship on Tuesday; however, most retailers won't get the package until Wednesday. The Wii is a Sunday launch though, so the stores will have stock ready to be placed before hand since you don't get normal Fedex shipments on Sunday.
  • Walmart was apparently offered the Wii demo units, but declined due to safety concerns with children, and lack of floorspace. [joystiq.com] Of course, that's just rumour.
  • I've been faithfully swinging by my local EBGames every couple days on the way home from work to see if they're taking pre-orders yet, and of course they're not yet but I was told that they should know sometime this week exactly when they will be. I was also told that instead of pre-ordering a Wii, I should just pre-order a Wii game... How does that help me get a Wii? Heck if I know.

    Time to go to Toys-r-us
  • here in the states, FYE is taking pre-orders with a $50 deposit on the system, and $5 per game. i'm 3rd in line for my Wii. i have no idea why, but the PS3 already has 13 pr-orders. O_o

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Gulthek (12570)
      i have no idea why, but the PS3 already has 13 pr-orders.

      So they can make a healthy profit by selling the system on eBay. $2000 for a PS3 on eBay this holiday season.
  • The first shipments of the Wii will be going to the "hardcore" gamers and the pseudo-enteprenuers looking to rip people off on ebay. None of them are going to care about an in store kiosk. Has anyone ever been in a store like Best Buy or Target and found a Kiosk actually open to test out, every time I see them they are crowded by small children who's parents found the video game department to be a babysitter for them. Toys R Us, Best Buy and others are going to be free to setup their own consoles, most d
  • If you want something so badly that you need to pre-order it, you should want it bad enough that you are willing to actually go to the store when it is first available. If you can't be bothered to, and other people get it before you, then you can't want it bad enough. I don't understand the big fuss about pre-ordering something. It makes sense for many reasons that places don't allow pre-orders.
    • In a lot of cases, places only have enough stock to serve the people who preordered; so in many cases, if you don't preorder, you don't get.

    • Re:Pre-orders are bad (Score:4, Interesting)

      by voice_of_all_reason (926702) on Tuesday October 03 2006, @10:25AM (#16291349)
      Yeah, but that has issues in and of itself. Waiting sucks, it favors those who don't have jobs, and you can't simply beat line-cutters to death on the street without having to explain yourself to the police.

      I'd suggest a lottery system given away a week before the release, but that has it's own problems. Do it on the internet and you have IP spoofing to get multiple tickets. Do it in person and you'd either have to card/register first (just as long/invasive) or risk people hopping store to store to get tickets.

      Maybe like the old days? Mail away for a ticket, 1 per address?

      Then again, we are a Capitalist Republic. You can always guarantee you get a system, as long as you have some dough.
      • ... you can't simply beat line-cutters to death on the street without having to explain yourself to the police.

        Wouldn't waiting in line for a next-gen video game console make that obvious? I guess video game-related violence is not that wide spread as the media claims to be.
      • Yeah, but that has issues in and of itself. Waiting sucks, it favors those who don't have jobs, and you can't simply beat line-cutters to death on the street without having to explain yourself to the police.

        That's why the mobile wood chipper was invented.

    • you aren't making sense.

      so someone who happens to have no time commitments on the day of launch is more deserving than someone who planned ahead and preordered (often with deposit and/or a pick-up-by time) as soons as they were able to?

      online preorders are also limited, by account or even delivery address.
      • While this makes sense on some level, obtaining the product from a brick and mortar store is hardly your only option. If it's difficult to get because it involves going to a store, perhaps the obvious solution is to order the product from Amazon.com, and let those who are actually willing to go to the store be rewarded for doing so?
    • I don't get it.. Just tell everyone their number (and reserve a few at the begining with higher prices for "money is no object" types if whatever sales agreement they've made allows this). When your number or more have been delivered to the shop, go down and pick up your unit. They could even notify people with phone calls or email so no one foolishly goes down on launch day for a system that hasn't arrived yet.

      If systems are selling out, there's a market failure there: they're not charging enough. They

All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the Poster. The Rest © 1997-2009 Geeknet, Inc.