Wii Shortages Could Last For Months 307
Next Generation is reporting that, apparently, the Wii shortages could continue for some time yet. This is news from Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's VP of marketing and corporate affairs, speaking to the Game Theory Podcast. Says Kaplan, "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. We are at absolute maximum production and doing everything we can. The number of units that we have been able to produce has far exceeded our hardware production in the past and the production levels of a lot of our competitors but demand continues to be really high."
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:3, Insightful)
Call me crazy, but seems like Nintendo is manufacturing hype at this point.
Local Gamestore (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I got mine today (Score:5, Insightful)
It's quite simple actually... the Wii is not made for "normal" games. If you want to play "normal" games, get a PS2 or a PC.
why is the demand so high? (Score:2, Insightful)
other then WiiSports, Zelda, and some VC games that any PC less then a decade old can emulate, there are no good games and other then PaperMario, which looks ok, none on the horizon either.
seriously, as of december, my wii has not been touched...the 2 360's in my house, on the other hand, are both played for hours daily and fights break out frequently over the Oblivion disc and now the GH2 guitar.
honestly, i don't understand how i can't walk into best buy and not get a wii but the shelves are packed with 360's. Is the hate for M$ really that ingrained that people won't buy it even though it is by far the best system out right now?
Re:I got mine today (Score:5, Insightful)
Not terribly many games use more than 4 quick access buttons, and 6 menu buttons. A few, yes, but not really that many.
Most games do use just one joystick, unless its a FPS game, which traditionally use two, and you can see why the Wii won't need two joysticks.
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:5, Insightful)
I see Zelda, Paper Mario, Wii Sports, Wario Ware, Elebits - and even "crappy" wii games like Rampage are fun on the Wii. And I see nothing really worth owning on the 360 (I guess Gears of War is alright, I'll pick it up when its cheaper though..)
To me, the 360 and PS3 don't offer anything that I haven't played before - they're the exact same games I've played since the PSX era, with the exact same controller. The games are just shinier. But, the Wii offers something new.
I've played Far Cry for both, both are supposedly "crappy" titles, relative to what's out there. But the wii-mote actually works, and I found the Wii version engaging because of it.
What does that prove? Nothing. Just that different people have different tastes.
But the numbers seem to show there's more of me than you.
Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hate for MS? Are you joking? The average consumer vaguely knows MS is a cool technology company and might know they make Windows. The reason the Wii is in such demand is a series of well planned moves from Nintendo. They aimed at the casual gamer market instead of the traditional game console market. They continued their support for the younger children market. Maybe you are not understanding the demand because you are not the average buyer. The average buyer has an old console and is looking for one from this generation. They do not have two xbox 360's. The average buyer cares about price and the Wii is killing MS on price. The average consumer has seen the TV ads and the occasional article or news program commentary and what they took away from it is that the Wii is new and different with different controls and new types of games, while the Sony and MS systems are the same thing with slightly better graphics and a big price tag.
Nintendo took a big gamble in abandoning the traditional controller and focusing on a new type of gameplay. They took a big gamble in aiming at a nontraditional market. Those gambles paid off. Most of the big game developers expected them to fail and ignored the Wii as being too different from the others, figuring it likely either Sony or MS would win and they could make a quick port if they backed the wrong player. Those developers are all trying to reverse course and announcing Wii titles in the works.
I think you're right for the most part that the Wii only has a few good titles right now. That doesn't much matter to the average buyer though, because the average buyer only buys two games a year. I also think the strategic buyer on a budget, looking to the future will probably conclude that the Wii's popularity will result in it getting many of the best games a year from now. The only people it does matter to are people like you, who are going to buy several consoles and pick up a Wii anyway. You did buy one, right?
In summary, if you're looking to think hatred for MS is the cause, I only wish people were that conscious of MS's actions and that ethical and meticulous in their purchasing decisions. The Wii is winning on its merits, which are merits that don't apply to unusual buyers and hardcore gamers like yourself. Note, I am not a fanboy for any game console. I have a PS2 and an old dreamcast somewhere. I probably will not buy any current console for a year or more, or not at all. Right now, If someone gave me $600 on the condition I bought one, I'd get a Wii and a couple games and pocket the rest of the cash.
Re:Local Gamestore (Score:5, Insightful)
I think that's the point: PS3s are prettier than the XBox or PS2, but they aren't any more fun. So far, it seems like they're offering the same sorts of games with better graphics. For a lot of people, the Wii is more fun than these other systems because of its novel control scheme. Yeah, yeah, it's a bit gimmicky, but it makes certain sorts of games easier and more fun. It makes people get up, move around, and make silly movements.
And so the question in some people's minds has been, "what's going to have a greater demand: pretty graphics or fun gameplay?" It's not that the Wii can't have pretty graphics or that the PS3 can't have fun gameplay, but which one sells more depends on which feature people are more interested in.
WiiSports *is* the console (Score:5, Insightful)
Real people are not buying the Wii to play a game every month. They're spending $300 to play WiiSports. That's it! If the console never does anything else, they still got to play WiiSports for a couple of months. The entertainment cost is comparable to going to the movies once a week.
Keep in mind that first, real people don't sit down and game for hours every day. Bringing the Wii out on Saturday afternoon is a treat. It's like Monopoly or Scrabble. This keeps it fun longer.
Real people also don't have a whole set of consoles. When they're playing the Wii, they're getting the full enjoyment of "I'm playing a videogame!" on top of "I'm playing WiiSports." You no longer have fun just because you're playing a videogame. For you it has to be either a GREAT videogame or a NEW videogame.
So all these real people are going out and buying the Wii, and guess what? There are about four times as many of them as there are people like you. The whole videogame hardware production pipeline was geared towards the forty million people who buy videogames regularly, divided among three console brands and the PC. When the wider population taps in the pipeline hits capacity fast. I guess you don't remember Pac-man. Same thing happened.
Each Wii owned by a real person will probably only run four to eight games in the next five years. Shocking, isn't it? Nintendo isn't scared of this because that's where they already were... I know I only played about eight games on my Cube, and only six on my N64. They were all great, and I haven't had time for more than that. A game or two a year is my console limit as an adult, even though I work in the field.
So think Scrabble, not Halo, and you'll get it.
Re:Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory? (Score:4, Insightful)
Neither games nor consoles are "sitting on the shelves." Being able to sell every piece of hardware you manufacture isn't "dropping the ball"; it's called success.
I don't get it either. (Score:2, Insightful)
I know the DS has been in short supply at times, but not to the extent that the Wii has experienced. People are genuinely frustrated with Nintendo's seeming inability to produce enough Wiis to fill demand and I think it might hurt them in the long run.
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:4, Insightful)
From what I've seen, a surprisingly large portion of the demand is coming from people who normally wouldn't buy a game system, or at least wouldn't put much time into trying to find one that's selling out so quickly. I've watched people who "hate video games" get hooked on Wii Sports because they're so easy to pick up and learn. I've taught people to play and they're surprised by the controls; they have a very hard time believing, for example, that the tennis game doesn't require that you press any buttons.
"So what button do I press to swing?"
"No buttons, just swing."
"Really? No! Oh, wait... really. I see. Cool."
Big smiles all around. It's almost fun just to watch other people get worked up. People try really hard to make good Miis, people jumping around to play tennis, etc. It's even fun for parties-- when's the last time you heard of a bunch of non-geeks getting together and throwing a party to play video games?
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not a Nintendo fanboy (Wii is my first system from them in like a decade), but they seem relatively honest to me, even to the point of hurting themselves competition-wise. I can remember the president of Nintendo actually kind of whining at one point about people's lack of interest in the gamecube in favor of the more "realistic" games of the xbox/ps2. That was an honest statement embarrassingly devoid of spin. At the end of the day, I would think they would simply want to sell as many systems as they can. Don't believe the Gamestop FUD. Besides, if I hadn't just happened upon a Wii a few weeks ago on a random visit to Blockbuster of all places, I might never have gotten one. My interest was, as I think many people's has been, waning rather than building, what with the difficulty of procuring one of the damn things. I just don't think the shortage is really helping sales, especially if it is going to last for months more into the future. I don't think it's intentional.
Re:Local Gamestore (Score:1, Insightful)
Or maybe price is a big factor.
I'm still waiting to buy a Wii too, but I wouldn't discount the cost issue for most people. Wii looks fun, and it's much cheaper than the other two choices. Double plus good.
Re:WiiSports *is* the console (Score:3, Insightful)
I would have included the following quote:
seriously, as of december, my wii has not been touched...the 2 360's in my house, on the other hand, are both played for hours daily
The demand for the Wii isn't coming from those with 2 360's who play for "hours daily", it's coming from the likes of me: father of two (ages 5 and 10) who's never owned a console and saw one that wouldn't require hours of investment to become good enough to begin to enjoy a game, and one that the kids could enjoy, too (not to mention the wife).
And boy do I feel lucky that I got one before Christmas!
They're still selling twice as much as PS3 (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, there are more games for the 360. Yeah, the 360 and the PS3 have better graphics. But you know what? To the average real-world person, those don't matter. Price, "cute" and "simple" matter.
I have no loyalty to any of the consoles. I don't own any of them, and have no plans to buy any of them anytime soon. Maybe in a couple years I'll pick one of each up when the Wii is $149, and the PS3 and 360 can be found for $299 or less -- I can afford to buy all of them them now, but console gaming simply isn't worth that much money to me given how much time I'd spend on it.
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:5, Insightful)
Also in the day, Nintendo didn't let 3rd party companies release too many games per year to avoid them from overshadowing 1st party title release volume so you find things like Konami releasing games until the Ultra label and other oddities.
Then you have stock-fixing at stores where they'd be denied the newest most-in-demand SNES games unless they also stocked a bunch of tepid Game Boy items that simply weren't selling.
Right now there are no saint video game company players. But, I think Nintendo took it on the chin enough with the sales of N64 and Gamecube that they know they gotta be on their best behavior.
Re:Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory? (Score:3, Insightful)
It is your good friends at Sony that have issues with software just sitting on a shelf. Or are they succeeding because because I could go buy one right now?
Re:I don't get it either. (Score:4, Insightful)
Even if the Wii used the same hardware as the GameCube, but used the same design philosophy as it does now, it would still sell about the same amount. Creative design is worth a lot more than clock cycles.
Re:WiiSports *is* the console (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:3, Insightful)
I haven't owned a console since the SNES... and even then, I only had about 6 games for it. Prior to getting a Wii in November, I went about 14 years without playing a Zelda and haven't played a Super Mario game since Super Mario World. I've still only played the original Metroid. I've never played a Smash Bros or Wario game. They're all new to me.
I stopped playing my SNES and started gaming exclusively on my computer. On occasion, I'd end up at someone's house who had a Playstation, N64 or whatever and I might play a little bit, but I had lost interest in console gaming in favor of the strengths offered by PC gaming. PC games offered more depth, complexity, strategy, etc. I played the NHL 9x series on the PC instead of a console as well because the console stuff just looked too cheezy and was lacking a lot of the stuff the PC version had.
A few years ago, I got addicted to EverQuest and wasted most of three years on it. I quit a year ago this week because I realized it had taken over my life, was causing me to constantly be stressed out, etc. I didn't want to stop gaming entirely but I wanted to game on my terms and when I had free time. I use Linux and since the demise of Loki, there haven't really been a lot of options to feed my gamer side. I certainly didn't want to build a new rig just for gaming here and there. Nintendo stepped in and offered me a $250 console with games that I can play on my terms. Not only that, they had a new controller scheme that lets my paralyzed father (can't use his left arm and hand) play a lot of games. Just this past Saturday, I went over to my mom's house and she called me just before I left to tell me to make sure I brought my Wii. My parents haven't played video games since Pacman but they both get excited over something as simple as bowling on Wii Sports. Everyone else who stops in at my mom's house who sees the Wii wants to play with it.
The games you listed may very well be sequel after sequel... but the Wii is opening the market to people who don't video game to begin with and brining people like me back to the console market who've been absent for years and years. The Xbox and PS fanboys can keep their consoles and the bragging rights to how big their processor is. Neither system appeals to me. I've done my hardcore gaming (60-80 hours a week for 3 years as a guild and raid leader in EQ is more hardcore than most console gamers could ever want to be). I want something that is just fun, doesn't stress me out and that I can engage with my friends and family in real life with. That said, I still beat Twilight Princess in two long sessions of play but it was refreshing to play a Zelda in a whole new way (my last Zelda being A Link to the Past). Three months later, I'm still having fun with Madden 07 as well. The new controller scheme completely revived that game for me since last playing it on the PC in the last 90s.
Re:WiiSports *is* the console (Score:2, Insightful)
You seem to be stuck on a definition of gamers that only gamers themselves use; 1 system is an average person, all 3 is a gamer. The parent is using the definition as an average person would consider it; own on console = gamer, period.
Gamers are a relatively small specialized subset of the general population and previously the big 3 were content to fight over their share of that market. Nintendo has chosen to break ranks with other game manufacturers and instead of focusing on the biggest, flashiest, fastest system decided to make it the friendliest, thereby allowing them access a market many times the size of their competitors.
By sacrificing graphics for playability they risk losing the bleeding edge gamers which make up a significant portion of gamers on the whole but they are still nothing compared to the number of previously untapped non-gamers out there.
Of all the people I know that have or want a Wii, the majority have never owned any game system before. Most have never played anything more than a few minutes of Donkey Kong or Pac Man when someone handed them a controller to make a snack run but after getting their hands on it at a store demo or a friend/family members place they all want one. I have a friend whose 60+ year old parents stood in line to get a machine a few weeks after it came out because they wanted their own to lower their fitness age in Wii Sports and beat him. These are the people Nintendo was hoping to attract and so far it's worked.
Many of their games may be simplistic and very cartoon like, which you may equate with being for children, but they are also designed that way to make it much easier for a non-gamer to get into and play.
I happen to have a Wii and a 360 and admit I play the 360 much more often (though I'm mostly back to PC right now), but whenever I have non-gaming friends over, almost without hesitation, the Wiimotes come out. I doubt they even know what the large Microsoft branded DVD player next to the Wii even is. With my game playing friends it's about 50/50.
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:2, Insightful)
Production capacity is expensive to maintain. If you have it and don't use it, you don't get a discount on the costs of the facilities. If, in your first scenario, they sell the 100 units and the market is saturated Nintendo should then immediately sell their facilities to get rid of the costs of owning (but not using) them. In your second scenario, you need a production capacity to make the 90 unit supply. But you don't use it for the first few shipping cycles. The phantom benefits you describe get obliterated by the excessive costs.
Re: Wii exceeded even Nintendo's expectations... (Score:4, Insightful)
It might also have to do with them selling more units faster than any other system. The Wii is not a trivial thing to produce, nor is a PS3. You see PS3's on the shelf because the initial demand has been met. The Wii's has not and has sold 2 to 3 times more units. It's simply a matter of Nintendo mis-gauging demand. They felt it would take longer for the Wii to 'Catch on' as is evidenced by the lack of 'casual gamer' titles available (both Wii, and VC).
They ramped up launch production so they could launch with about 2 million units world wide, and meet 6 million by the end of their fiscal year. At that point they felt their demand would be met, and wouldn't need any more capacity since 50% of all their hardware sales are Quarter 4 (typically) and they would have enough capacity to meet the next wave of demand. Wii sales exceeded their expectations, plain and simple.
Re:why is the demand so high? (Score:3, Insightful)
I've always loved Nintendo because of the quality and depth their games have. Everytime I play a PSX game I find that the story is lacking and generally the game play is poorly thought out. Nintendo sells a license which requires a certain level of quality. Sony sells libraries which require only dollars, and it shows.
Are you sure? (Score:3, Insightful)
This doesn't mean the Wii controls are easier to use. It just means your stepsons are just as bad at using the Wii controls as you are.
Just wait a few months until they've spend 10x more time on the Wii than you have and I'm sure they'll be kicking your butt again. Will that mean the Wii controls have suddenly become less intuitive?