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."
Not a big deal... (Score:3, Funny)
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Call me crazy, but seems like Nintendo is manufacturing hype at this point.
Re:Not a big deal... (Score:5, Insightful)
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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:Not a big deal... (Score:4, Interesting)
Say what?
Yeah, that sums it up.
Nintendo was committed to a CDRom attachment for the Super NES. The product (known as the "Play Station") almost made it to market. Right up until the CEO of Nintendo read the contract and realized that they had basically sold the farm to Sony. He nixed the deal at the 11th hour. Nintendo then started working with Phillips to create a joint CDRom design.
Nintendo eventually realized that Phillips didn't know their heads from their rears and pulled out. But not before Phillips decided that they had the best thing since sliced bread. Phillips managed to get a license to produce a few Mario and Zelda titles out of the deal, and thus the worst Mario and Zelda games ever imagined were made for the (you guessed it!) Phillips CD-i. Nintendo ended up skipping the CDRom format altogether, and stuck with cartridges until the DVD was available. (GameCube discs are Mini-DVDs recorded at Constant Angular Velocity.)
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So I don't find it odd that you have marketing directors for depart
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Or else you can have a marketroid that knows how to multiply (gasp!) and knows that at (more or less) constant market capacity, the more expensive you sell, the more benefits you have and he has discovered that early sells manage to be made at higher prices so they have decided to artificially extend the "early adopters" time frame by means of an arti
Taking the p***? (Score:2)
I got mine today (Score:2, Redundant)
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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.
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.
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Re:I got mine today (Score:5, Informative)
The Wii-mote can be turned sideways, and in that respect can function a lot like a "normal" Nintendo controller. Super Paper Mario is one game I own that does this. Plus it also occasionally makes use of the pointing and motion abilities, too, in a very intuitive and easy to play by manner.
There's also the Wii Classic Controller, which is (as its name implies) a classically-shaped controller. While intended for the Virtual Console, I wouldn't be surprised if new games start requiring it, too. Plus, as you say, you can just use the Gamecube controllers.
While I'll admit that needing to buy a Wii-mote, and then also buy additional controller parts (classic controller and nun-chuk controller) is irritating, and rather expensive, in the end it's probably a smooth idea, as it increases the number of game styles the system can support. And it's not like consumers aren't already used to buying unique controllers, such as the Guitar Hero controller or DDR mats and the like.
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Local Gamestore (Score:4, Insightful)
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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.
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If my PS2 were dying, I'd probably buy a new PS2 instead of a PS3.
Re:Local Gamestore (Score:5, Informative)
To follow this a bit further, lets talk about gaming. We have an Xbox and a Wii. I play Halo and other FPS games with my stepsons and they just flat out pwn me. A good game for me is one in which I can get 5 kills on them before they get 25 on me. (FWIW I'm even worse with PC controls.) When we played multiplayer MoH on the Wii, however, I was within only a couple of kills of them. 10-9, 15-13, that kind of thing. The controls really are that much easier to use, and that much more intuitive.
I have every intention of buying a 360 one of these months, but won't until after next Christmas since I think there'll (a) likely be a bundle with Halo 3 and (b) a price cut too boot. The chances of me buying a PS3 are pretty miniscule unless corporations pay enough money for the cycles that it will pay itself off in a reasonably short amount of time. Not that that's likely, mind you, just that that's about the only thing that I can see that would get me to spend the money.
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
Re:Local Gamestore (Score:5, Interesting)
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It is, although pretty adds to the fun. Was it huxley who coined the term (to paraphrase him not exactly) "emotioneering"? The truth is that what games really are: Emotional and intellectual stimulation engines.
But there is no longevity in something that is pretty that has no depth. Almost all games today fall under "lacking depth" with a few exceptions because of the unfortunate skyrocketing of developing costs and development time associated with those c
"Pretty" is the wrong word (Score:2)
Do They Really Exist? (Score:5, Funny)
I'VE NEVER SEEN THE WII
Does anyone actually own one and play it in their home? These things have supposedly been out since Christmas, I live in a major metropolitan area, I know lots of people, and I don't know anyone that has one or heard anyone talking about playing one. Did they only make a few dozen that were snapped up by Best Buy employees?
I don't believe the demand is there anymore - I only here people buying XBOX 360 because that't the only thing to buy.
Re:Do They Really Exist? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Do They Really Exist? (Score:5, Funny)
"I know"
That makes one.
"a guy"
Two.
"who knows a guy"
Three.
"who says that his sisters"
Four.
"boyfriends"
Five.
roomate"
And six!
I know who's the roomate of the boyfriend of the sister of the guy who knows a guy you know: It's Kevin Bacon!
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Re:Do They Really Exist? (Score:5, Funny)
Then you need to lose some weight, dude. You should just be able to look down and there it is.
Re:Do They Really Exist? (Score:5, Funny)
That is all.
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But...but...it's a shortage. Of the Wii. Must...make...joke...
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And one year? For me it's been thirty and I still have yet to grow up and stop laughing at "wee" jokes. Personally the name of the Wii -- which comes complete with a vibrating phalic object you hold in your hand and wave and thrust -- is a major selling point.
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Managed to get an online order in with Circuit City when they had stock at the beginning of last month. I got the bundled games and controller, but the Wii went awol during transit. Somewhere, there's a USPS working having a great time with my console. Meanwhile, I'm back on the damned waiting list.
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Oh, and by the way, it's awesome. You should get one
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I only had to kill a grandmother, and 2 college students and a little doggy too. The big N an't kid stuff.
* Goes back to playing Super Paper Mario
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So, if ANYONE was able to walk in and buy one at launch, their town was a fucking fluke. Fairbanks doesn't even hav
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Semiconductors can be run at faster clock speeds in low temperature operating environments. Obviously they took all the parts that weren't good enough to operate in a temperate zone and sent them to Alaska.
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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 g
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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 thoug
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.
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There have been over 10 Zeldas, five MarioRPG games and three WarioWare games before the Wii even launched, oh, and Mario, MetroidPrime and SmashBros aren't exactly new either.
### But the numbers seem to show there's more of me than you.
Last time I looked the XBox360 still had a 4mio lead to the Wii.
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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: Wii DOES offer something new... (Score:2)
There have been over 10 Zeldas, five MarioRPG games and three WarioWare games before the Wii even launched, oh, and Mario, MetroidPrime and SmashBros aren't exactly new either.
Why do you assume new IP when he says something new? Fine, there hasn't been an Elebits, WiiSports, RedSteel before... There are new IP's already but I don't think that's what he meant. Tiger Woods and Madden as Franchises have been on just about every system (including Cell phones) for yea
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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: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?
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we had lots of fun, btw
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But at the same time, I'm quite upset with Wii baseball for requiring me to press a button to throw a
curve ball or slider. I know the grip and release are probably a bit too subtle to get down accurately with a Wiimote but they could've at least made it possible to throw special pitches with an exaggerated version of the pitch.
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.
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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
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SSX Blur had a very good review in Edge [edge-online.co.uk] this month (granted only 7 points out of 10, but they never cared to explain why in the text; there, they only rave). Many people like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. There is also Cooking Mama and Trauma Center if you are into this kind of thing.
And j
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition (Score:3, Interesting)
Godfather on the Wii is awesome. It's easily the most violent game I've ever played.
That may sound somewhat strange, but it's true. While the level of graphic violence can't approach games like Manhunt, the very fact that you're basically doing this with your own hands makes it so tactile and real that you can't help but feel the violence. Knocking somebody to his knees, then picking him up and throwing him through a window just feels so... right... It's scary.
Don't play that game. I think it's dangerous
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.
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Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory? (Score:5, Interesting)
Nearly 90% of the "too old to play video games" age people I run into (mom, dad, uncles, etc.) say that they're interested in the Wii. My dad admitted that the reason he's interested in it is because the controller is a remote, and he knows how to use a remote. Or at least, he'd never admit that he didn't know how to use a remote.
But any other gaming platform? They wouldn't own up to the fact that they could figure out how to play games on them.
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 se
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.
And what has that got to do with what I said? (Score:3, Informative)
I don't understand why you come back with a reply to my post with a litany on why gaming doesn't always have to be about performance, which I happen to agree with, when that
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.
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And that ignores the rest of the component. The acceler
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I don't think they're dropping the ball; I think they're just not juggling quite as fast as we'd like.
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Computer companies run into these sorts of things all the time. Unlike huge auto makers, who can quickly change over one plant to do another kind of car, if o
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It is your good friends at Sony that have issues with software just sitting on a shelf.
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They've sold 4 million of them since the launch at the end of November '06. They plan to sell another 12 million between now and the end of the year. The factories are now churning our over a million a month. There's a limit to how fast you can get manufacturing capacity on-line. Particularly if you want to maintain quality. The WORST thing they could do at this point is increase production at the cost of churning out low-quality units
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I got me a Wii... (Score:2, Informative)
The idea to getting a Wii is to keep calling your local game stores everyday. Game stores are getting them in and selliing out the same day. You just have to find out what days they come in and get down there and buy it.
I work a 7 - 4 job and on my lunch break I would call all the local stores...within a week Gamestop got a couple Wiis in and I went on my lunch and picked it up.
You can get a Wii...it's all about how bad you want it. =p
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I sort of regret that I didn't buy both of them and sell the other on eBay. However, I figured much of the shortage is from people doing just that, so I let it go and left it for the next person.
I went to the same Wal-Mart a week later and they had one left then, to
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I love the Wii, and I don't think I'd really care for a PS3/360/etc. I'm more of a casual gamer, more so for lack of time than desire. It's just that the Wii looked like so much fun and it really is. It's lived up to its hype and it's been worth every penny.
My wife loves it, too -- Wii Sports/Wii Play at least so
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My Wii hunting rotation. (Score:2)
On day 7 of making a rotation driving to each one I got the Wii, at a WalMart. Notably it was a WalMart we refer to as "GhettoMart" because of the neighborhood it's in. It's also the leader in "shrinkage" for the area (i.e. more stuff gets stolen from it). I don't know if that was a factor in some way,
They're still selling twice as much as PS3 (Score:4, Insightful)
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Plus, while both can be fun, they take different avenues towards fun. Wii right now is all about how unique its' input is and 360 is fun like conventional video games are fun.
Not a valid replacement (Score:2)
(Danger, car comparisons ahead!)
If you decide to buy a Smart car because parking space is scarce, and you then figure out that all Smarts are sold out, you aren't going to buy a Hummer instead.
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I don't suppose you kept a copy of your listing? I'd love to see it.