Looking for Wii in all the wrong places

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Ok, this is just fucking ridiculous.

It's still impossible to get a hold of one of these consoles. I have 8 potential sources within walking distance of my house, and from talking to the people that work at these stores, each store would likely need 100 systems just to satisfy local demand. It's absurd.

It's been a fucking year! Don't give me that shit about "getting them out as fast as they can". I guess everyone forgets how Nintendo would intentionally send like 4 copies of Zelda and Double Dragon to stores back in 1988. Everyone knows they did it on purpose. I am extremely doubtful that this Wii shortage is an accident.

There needs to be a critical mass of these things available so that every middle-aged person who happens to stumble across them doesn't buy them up immediately.

*disclaimer: I have only been trying to get a Wii for less than 24 hours ;)*

*footnote: I don't care enough to spend $100 extra to buy via Ebay. There are like 4 games total I would even be interested in playing.*

*PPS: I hate how Nintendo (and a few other companies) actually put French on their game cases/manuals in Canada. fucking wimps. Do it like Sony does and slap a paper sleeve and extra manual. Or do it like Microsoft and just not care and provide no French whatsoever.*
 
Nintendo does trilingual cases in North America. And following the laws of the land doesn't make you a wimp.

Other than that, good luck. It took my oldest brother a few months to get his. I got it first try.
 
I too think it's "brilliant marketing" done by Nintendo.

What concerns me though is how many people jump off the Wii bandwagon after only a few months. It's as if the novelty of the console wears off rather quickly.
 
Glad I camped when it was first released.

My sister, nephew, and two friends all picked up their consoles relatively easily. Maybe they were cases of "right place at the right time." Guess they all got theirs well before the holiday season as well.
 
I actually found one recently,but of course my luck strikes again. There was something wrong with it. It kept giving disct error's, and I haven't seen one since, and I'm not playing a ebay price for one ever...
 
[quote name='jman619']I actually found one recently,but of course my luck strikes again. There was something wrong with it. It kept giving disct error's, and I haven't seen one since, and I'm not playing a ebay price for one ever...[/quote]

If it is very recently, it would be under warranty. But it sounds like you aren't going that route. (Why?)

Nintendo CS is the best, and in the end, I don't think it costs a dime to replace a console under warranty.
 
[quote name='Rig']If it is very recently, it would be under warranty. But it sounds like you aren't going that route. (Why?)

Nintendo CS is the best, and in the end, I don't think it costs a dime to replace a console under warranty.[/quote]
I regert not sending it into Nintendo. I really should have kept it, and sent it. I figured they would get more in eventually, and I could just get another one instead of sending a new system off. I've heard there good,but I don't really trust sending something like that off.
 
[quote name='Zen Davis']Anyone who really wants one can get one. If you don't have it, you didn't want it bad enough.[/quote]

Funny you said that. I could have got one last sunday at 7 in the morning,but I did't want to go that early lol. If they get them in I want one that bad now :D
 
Like I've said before, the Wii shortage is a joke because Wiis are way easier to manufacture than other consoles: they use primitive technology for their processors compared to the 360s and the PS3s, so Nintendo could use more available low-quality Fabs if they wanted to.
 
[quote name='uricmu']Like I've said before, the Wii shortage is a joke because Wiis are way easier to manufacture than other consoles: they use primitive technology for their processors compared to the 360s and the PS3s, so Nintendo could use more available low-quality Fabs if they wanted to.[/QUOTE]
This is wrong; just because the Wii doesn't use advanced graphics doesn't mean it doesn't use advanced technology elsewhere -- like in reduced power consumption. Claiming that making more Wiis is a trivial exercise only shows how little you know about technology and supply chain management.

Trivia: Nintendo is now shipping more Wiis per month than XBox 360 and PS3s combined. If you can't get a Wii, it's because of all the folks ahead of you in line...

--R.J.
 
[quote name='lilboo']Why is this so hard to believe?
Can't it just be a really hot item?[/QUOTE]

Because I've watched releases of consoles since the 16 bit days. No matter how hot a console is, you have always been able to find it on the shelf about 6-7 months after release. Now, it might sell out during December, but it would quickly restock.

Wii has been out over a year (2 Christmas's now), and I've yet to see 1 on the shelf. Not one. Now, in fairness, I don't go out of my way to look, as I wasn't in the market to buy one (and then I got one for Christmas, otherwise, I'd be out in 6 months trying to find one). I don't know how "hot" it is, but I can't think of any items that you can't find on the shelves. I also refuse to believe that Nintendo couldn't ramp up production, if they wanted to.

I'm not saying its a bad move. The PS3 doesn't feel "new" anymore, after being out for a year, but the Wii does, with its shortages.
 
[quote name='lordxixor101']Because I've watched releases of consoles since the 16 bit days. No matter how hot a console is, you have always been able to find it on the shelf about 6-7 months after release. Now, it might sell out during December, but it would quickly restock.

Wii has been out over a year (2 Christmas's now), and I've yet to see 1 on the shelf. Not one. Now, in fairness, I don't go out of my way to look, as I wasn't in the market to buy one (and then I got one for Christmas, otherwise, I'd be out in 6 months trying to find one). I don't know how "hot" it is, but I can't think of any items that you can't find on the shelves. I also refuse to believe that Nintendo couldn't ramp up production, if they wanted to.

I'm not saying its a bad move. The PS3 doesn't feel "new" anymore, after being out for a year, but the Wii does, with its shortages.[/quote]

Keep in mind though who's buying this. The Wii's not just for kids and folks who played video games since they were kids. A whole new demographic is being introduced into the marketplace which has helped push demand up. Is it really fair to assume that a shortage is intentional based entirely on what you see (or don't see) right in front of you with your own two eyes without looking at numbers or having knowledge of what goes in to the production process?
 
[quote name='rjung']This is wrong; just because the Wii doesn't use advanced graphics doesn't mean it doesn't use advanced technology elsewhere -- like in reduced power consumption. Claiming that making more Wiis is a trivial exercise only shows how little you know about technology and supply chain management.

Trivia: Nintendo is now shipping more Wiis per month than XBox 360 and PS3s combined. If you can't get a Wii, it's because of all the folks ahead of you in line...

--R.J.[/QUOTE]

Nice post!

The other thing to realize is if you want one go looking now... when the best selling game from the Gamecube (Super Smash Bros) is released here soon for the Wii you will not find a system again for a few months.... now is your absolute best chance at getting one period. Otherwise plan on August or some serious hunting. Watch and see.

I am starting to wonder if it will be sold out for a third straight year.
 
They'll start showing up in store in February/March. Until the holidays began last year, I was seeing them at least once a week at places like Wal-Mart, Target and Gamestop. At this point the Christmas madness is still dying down and as far as I know, Gamestop's stock is being consumed by their "pay the full price, get it by January 25th" deal.

That being said, I make no such predictions for next Christmas. They might be scarce once again.
 
Stores aren't helping either.

Regardless of the January 25th thing, TWO GameStops I've been in have been telling people that they don't expect ANYONE to have them until March.

So, retail workers aren't helping. I mean, you tell Soccer Mom A that they won't be around until March, she tells Soccer Mom B, and then it gets filtered down to Soccer Mom C-Z. Once they know that, they're more inclined to buy them as soon as they show up, since it's a 'miracle' that they've found them before March.

I give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt here. Most of the demand and the shortage is being created by people, not a company strangling supply.
 
Wiis were showing up on shelves last summer. Search CAG and you'll see a lot of "Where can I get a Wii?" threads from last winter and spring, almost none over the summer, and then a bunch again starting just before Thanksgiving last year.

It took me about a week to track one down--and that was Thanksgiving week. I stood in line on Black Friday at a GameStop with about 15 other people and got it. Yeah, I got up at 5:30 AM for that...

I think the Wii is a LOT more popular than the other consoles. My inlaws are playing Wii when they go to dinner at their friends house! I've never heard my mother-in-law talk about a 360 or even indicate she knows what a PlayStation is. But she's always talking about the Wii.

And now my wife wants me to find one for her job. She works at a nursing home and one of the therapists there wants to buy one for the residents to use. And I know that nursing home does not have any other other game consoles there.

So I'm off looking again...

And while we're all bitching, when is Guitar Hero for the Wii going to be back in stock?!?
 
Another "How can I get a Wii thread". Well ive said it before but I'll say it again: the best way to get a Wii is to save 3 or 4 local retailer's phone numbers in your phone, and call em every single day to ask two questions (1) Have you got any? and (2) When are you going to get some? This is what I did and I got lucky the day after launch (Nov. 2nd of 06 I beleive). Have had it for just over a hear now.

From prior discussions it seems there are two schools of thought:

(1) N is purposefully creating a shortage to prolong demand, keep it "hot" and keep production cost relatively low. Basic supply and demand economics, and

(2) The shortage of Wii's is a result of N's poor production capability being unable to match demand, and they simply don't want to invest in more production facilities, regardless of the fact that they know the Wii's will all sell.

I'm not sure what school of thought I belong to, perhaps both 1 and 2 but if I personally had to choose I would say it is more of (1) than (2). I think it is an international business strategy to prolong demand and keep it fresh.
 
This is also a horrible time of the year to be looking for one. We just left a holiday season where games, as a whole, seemed to be the hot item. Honestly, it was a little tough to find a Premium 360 leading up to Christmas, let alone a Wii.

Right now we're in the post-holiday recovery period, where everything is coming back into stock. Premium 360s are easy to get, Rock Band is available, Guitar Hero (except the Wii one, which I assume will ship out agian once they've fixed the discs) is around again... it's all coming back. Nintendo, however, isn't stupid. This is a classically dead period for sales, so what do they do?

Push the release date of a HUGE game back, creating more demand into the dead period. Honestly, I guarantee that only about 50% of Smash Bros being pushed back was to work on it. The other half was to ensure that the Wii would keep selling through at least early March. Look at Nintendo from about September to December, and realize the same thing they did... they didn't need any help to sell the system this holiday. Plus, they already had Mario Galaxy, so why release two HUGE games within weeks of each other unless you needed the console to fly off shelves?

I'm rambling, and have no ending to this.
 
Best bet is to watch the ad threads here, and find when Circuit City, Best Buy or Target is holding them for a Sunday and then show up early that day (1 or 2 hours before opening) and get one.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Best bet is to watch the ad threads here, and find when Circuit City, Best Buy or Target is holding them for a Sunday and then show up early that day (1 or 2 hours before opening) and get one.[/QUOTE]


This is probably the best & easiest ways to plan on getting a Wii.
 
My friend just barely got one last weekend by showing up on Saturday night at a 24-hour Wal-Mart at roughly 9:00. (They went on sale at 12:01, of course.) This 'close call' may or may not have had something to do with about half of the other people waiting knowing each other and knowing the employees there on a first-name basis.

Which leads me to...

Look, I believe there's something to, let's just say, a 'strategic distribution plan'. But we're crazy for thinking that, right? So let's focus instead on a factor that even the zealots won't dispute (?): the hoarders. As long as the perception is there that buying one of these can make you 'pot money' for the next month, lowlifes will continue to buy and buy them. Most of the repeat offenders at this point are simply employees or friends of employees who know the "when" and "how many". Sure, some dipshits (read: parents) have to be empowering them by paying the 50-100% markups, but this is not making it any easier for those looking for their own "entertainment purposes".

And no, zealots, the shortage is NEVER going to make some give up and get a PS3 or 360 instead. Nintendo isn't scared there. The serious multiplatform gamers are going to get at least two of the three anyway, and the 'Wii too' trendy crowd wants the Wii exactly because it's not the kind of console they associate with this kid:

factory1.jpg


Or this guy (never mind his 'accessories'):

NintendoNerdLord.jpg


It all adds up to the same old bullshit in 2008, as well as this not being the last thread of its kind. Just watch.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']From prior discussions it seems there are two schools of thought:

(1) N is purposefully creating a shortage to prolong demand, keep it "hot" and keep production cost relatively low. Basic supply and demand economics, and

(2) The shortage of Wii's is a result of N's poor production capability being unable to match demand, and they simply don't want to invest in more production facilities, regardless of the fact that they know the Wii's will all sell.

I'm not sure what school of thought I belong to, perhaps both 1 and 2 but if I personally had to choose I would say it is more of (1) than (2). I think it is an international business strategy to prolong demand and keep it fresh.[/QUOTE]
*SIGH* Once more, with feeling:

HOW THE FRACK CAN NINTENDO INTENTIONALLY CREATE A "FALSE SHORTAGE" OF WIIS WHEN THEY ARE SELLING MORE CONSOLES EVERY MONTH THAN THEIR COMPETITORS COMBINED?

Holy Mother of Christ on a flaming canoe, are people in such a rush to post that they don't even bother to engage their brains first? This is not a state secret or anything; we know how many systems Nintendo (and Microsoft, and Sony) are selling every month, thanks to NPD. This goes from simple ignorance to willful ignorance...

--R.J.
 
Oh God, rjung, you have no idea what you just did!!
*leaves before another e-penis showdown begins*


[size=-2]..::but secretly watches from afar::[/size]
 
[quote name='lilboo']This is probably the best & easiest ways to plan on getting a Wii.[/QUOTE]

Yep. The calling the stores every day plan mentioned by another poster is probably the most effective way to get one.

But not the easiest as that takes more effort than just watching the ads and getting up early 1 Sunday morning and getting it over with.
 
[quote name='lilboo']Oh God, rjung, you have no idea what you just did!!
*leaves before another e-penis showdown begins*


[SIZE=-2]..::but secretly watches from afar::[/SIZE][/quote]

LMAO liboo, its like a train wreck right? Can't look away. Here I go.

Lemme break it down for you rjung. Nintendo is a huge corporation, one of the biggest in Japan. They have these people working for them called market researchers. It is their job to, umm, research the market. So N knows, or at the very least, should know, that if they increase capacity, and build new factories and invest in the infrastructure to increase manufacturing capacity; at X point in time when X number of Wii's are sold, it will turn into profit, yet they don't do it.

Now your point is: "Nintendo is selling more Wii's than the other two consoles combined, so this proves they're at max capacity." Nobody has said that they are not using their current capabilities to the fullest. WHat people question is "Why the 'frack' aren't they increasing their capacity!????

You seem to be thinking that people are saying there is some giant conspiracy and they're arent manufaturing to the fullest capacity they have. Nobody is saying that. What some are wondering, is how, after almost a full year and a half, has Nintendo failed to increase their supply to meet demand? There are two answers to this question which I laid out earlier and the answer is probably a combination of both (1) to give greater longevity to demand and (2) they don't want to invest in the infrastructure. It boils down to a business choice.

What if the shortage goes on for another year to make it 2.5 years, or 3.5 years. At some point it becomes abundantly evident that N has made a conscious affirmitive decision to NOT increase production capacity to meet demand. Then the only question left is WHY? Get it now?

It is not as crazy a thought as it may seem as I have observed the business practice personally via my father's Infiniti (owned by Nissan, another Japanese company) dealership. I'm not saying this is what is going on with the Wii, I'm simply trying to educate you as to why it is not a stupid or ignorant question.
 
But you also have to consider that building new factories etc. to increase production will cost money. And once they catch up with demand, they won't need them any more, thus they could end up hurting their bottom line by expanding production this late in the game.

Plus, the shortage is free publicity. I don't think that's there number 1 goal, but I'm sure that weighs into the decision to not expand production capacity, with costs of doing so being the main deterrent.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']But you also have to consider that building new factories etc. to increase production will cost money. And once they catch up with demand, they won't need them any more, thus they could end up hurting their bottom line by expanding production this late in the game.
[/quote]

Exactly. New facility construction will hurt current profits, and will likely serve as a drain on future profits. And there's no guarantee that they'll recoup those losses. Nintendo's cranking these out at a steady pace, it's just that everybody and their brother is buying them. I wouldn't say the production performance has been "poor" as PittPizza did; it's just not meeting demand. That happens sometimes, and right now it's been happening for longer than people expected.
 
A year ago, I might have accepted an argument that Nintendo was holding consoles to stimulate a false demand, but over a year into the Wii's life I believe that argument no longer has any basis; especially considering the amount of consoles being sold.

For example, in November '07 alone, the Wii sold 981,000 consoles. That's roughly 1 console sold every 2.6 seconds. That's a staggering amount of consoles sold. Nintendo has nothing to gain by limiting production to stimulate demand, they have all the demand they need, and by increasing the difficulty of finding a "wild" Wii would only hurt them at this point.

[quote name='dmaul1114']But you also have to consider that building new factories etc. to increase production will cost money. And once they catch up with demand, they won't need them any more, thus they could end up hurting their bottom line by expanding production this late in the game.[/quote]

I think this is another factor people don't really consider. Nintendo can't just point fingers and have another factory up and running in no time, not to mention that it costs money to build/setup another factory. It's not free.

Keep in mind that Nintendo is in the business to make money, and producing consoles/games is their only business, unlike Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo has to make a profit off their consoles. I know the joke has been made many times that "It prints money!", but in Nintendo's situation it's not such a bad thing since this is the only thing they do.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']But you also have to consider that building new factories etc. to increase production will cost money. And once they catch up with demand, they won't need them any more, thus they could end up hurting their bottom line by expanding production this late in the game.

Plus, the shortage is free publicity. I don't think that's there number 1 goal, but I'm sure that weighs into the decision to not expand production capacity, with costs of doing so being the main deterrent.[/quote]

Spot on and this is what I was getting at when I said "the answer is probably a combination of both."

To those (if any) who think it is purely a matter of demand longevity, I always say: The profit from a $250 Wii sold today is the same as a $250 Wii sold in three years, (and better when you consider the utility of being able to reinvest the profits) so why would it behoove N to hold them off?

On a somewhat seperate note, and this will probably test the memory of some older CAGs, can any of you remember a console shortage that has lasted this long in the history of gaming?
 
On a somewhat seperate note, and this will probably test the memory of some older CAGs, can any of you remember a console shortage that has lasted this long in the history of gaming?

No, not even close. The PS2 was a really tough ticket well into March of '01, and may have had somewhat 'spotty' availability through the holiday season of '01, but nothing like this. I've made it pretty clear as to how I view the factors of the "Why" here, but make no mistake, this is unprecedented, and at the rate things are going, I really don't see this year being that much different.

Hell, Wii Fit alone could make it worse. And--speculatively speaking--a price drop this coming Autumn?? Oy vey!!
 
[quote name='lilboo']*leaves before another e-penis showdown begins*

[size=-2]..::but secretly watches from afar::[/size][/QUOTE]

Just make sure you don't get poked, some of these guys carry big uN's
 
Hoarders. That is the answer.

My mom-in-law got me the Wii for Xmas, provided I track it down and buy it--she wrote the check. I got 1 on Black Friday. Everytime I have seen her since she has lamented how I should have bought 3 or 4 of them and put the extras on Ebay. I did not even consider it, but I understand those that want to make a buck on it.

But in addition to checking the ads, in another thread musics_muse mentioned Wiialerts.com.

After bitching about Guitar Hero III availability earlier in this thread I went to Wiialerts and registered. A couple hours later I got a text that Guitar Hero was in stock at Amazon. I have some CC gift cards, so I checked there, and bang, it was in stock. As soon as I bought it it was out of stock again!

So, Wiialerts.com ftw!
 
Since dmaul1114 and kevlar51 and BlueLobstah have already addressed many of pittpizza's knowledge gaps, I'll just toss out a few more tidbits:

1. Most companies today don't manufacture their own factories, due to the expenses involved. Instead, they will contract out to someone like Hon Hai to do the job. And if Hon Hai can't do the job -- because they're already at full capacity making stuff for other clients -- then your company is (temporarily) screwed.

2. Also remember that hardware does not magically appear out of thin air, but has to be ordered from your suppliers -- and if they're unable to provide you with more accelerometers/CPUs/whatevers, your company is (temporarily) screwed.

3. Bringing a new assembly line to increase production is a nontrivial task. Between getting your assembly sequence worked out, gathering equipment, and training the staff, you're looking at anywhere from 6 to 12 months before you go from "let's increase manufacturing" to the boxes rolling into the trucks.

4. Finally,
WHat people question is "Why the 'frack' aren't they increasing their capacity!????
Click to expand...
But they have, twice. One year ago, Nintendo was manufacturing 1.1 million Wiis per month. They increased it to 1.4 million around April 2007, and then increased it again to 1.85 million around July. Dunno if they've increased it yet again, but the idea that Nintendo has been spending the entire year just sitting on their thumbs doing nothing is simply ignorant...

...though not half as ignorant as the folks who say "N is purposefully creating a shortage to prolong demand"... ;)

--R.J.
 
Your tidbits are only slightly less irrelevant than your insults rjung.

1. Actually young buck, instead of choosing only one company to build your much needed new factory, usually MANY contractors and subs will submit bids, so to think N isn't building new factories because they can't find anyone in the entire world to come build em is alot like you, pretty stupid.

2. The same logic above applies to this point as well, in an international global economy, where there is a will (demand) for these parts, there is always a way (supply), free enterprise and the profits to be made makes it happen.

3. Maybe so, but like I said and has been affirmed in this thread, Nobody remembers a shortage of any other console for this long. N has market researches who can give em a fairly good estimate of what demand will be like in the future. I'm not saying I beleive N is purposefully creating a shortage (I don't), I'm only pointing out that it is not ignorant or stupid to think that at some point N made a conscious decision not match supply to demand.

While alot of your points do demonstrate the difficulty and costs associated with increasing production, they do not convince me that it is impossible as you suggest. Not when it has been this long after release, not when they've known about demand for this long and it seems like the shortage is not going to end any time in the foreseeable future. As alot of others pointed out, the shortage does give N a lot of free media, attention, and good PR, all which is invaluable to a company. To aboslutely ignore these factors and dismiss them off as held in ignorance is...well...ignorant.

All of the statistics in the world about how many factories N built or how many Wii's its pumping out can not change the fact that there is a stark disparity between supply and demand going on here, and has been and will continue to go on for a while. I'm no economics guru but absent intentional manipulation, aren't there pretty strong forces in place to make those two match? I'm asking?

At the end of the day it is, as I have said in this thread from the get go, probably a combination of (1) unforeseen sales success and popularity, (2) costs associated with increasing production, and (3) PR benefits of havign a shortage.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']...

At the end of the day it is, as I have said in this thread from the get go, probably a combination of (1) unforeseen sales success and popularity, (2) costs associated with increasing production, and (3) PR benefits of havign a shortage.[/QUOTE]

I feel it's probably a combination of 1 and 2, more so 1 than 2. Nintendo has already ramped up production several times, but it hasn't been enough. Part of the issue lies in the fact that this kind of demand has been unprecedented, and I don't think anyone expected, Nintendo included, for the Wii to be as popular as it has been. I'm sure they enjoyed the initial benefit of having a shortage the first few months of sales, but to solely attribute the shortage to hype demand is still silly at this point in the game.

And a price drop? That's laughable. Why would Nintendo reduce something in price when it's already selling out? Please. If it keeps up this pace and still outsells the 360/PS3, don't expect to see a drop anytime soon.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']
3. Maybe so, but like I said and has been affirmed in this thread, Nobody remembers a shortage of any other console for this long.[/QUOTE]

At the same time, hasn' the Wii sold a lot more units at this point of it's life span than any previous console?

I'd have to agree with the above poster. Unforeseen, and in fact unprecedent, sales and demand are the main reason for the shortage. With a secondary one being costs assocatied with expanding production much more than they already have.

Free publicity may be the icing on the cake for them, but I have a hard time imagining it's much of a factor in their decisions regarding whether or not to further expand production capabilities. Mainly because while it keeps them in the news, it can drive off consumers who get tired of looking for one.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']1. Actually young buck, instead of choosing only one company to build your much needed new factory, usually MANY contractors and subs will submit bids, so to think N isn't building new factories because they can't find anyone in the entire world to come build em is alot like you, pretty stupid.[/quote]
That only works if you assume manufacturers are interchangeable units, with the same capacity, quality standards, testing, etc. This isn't some retail version of Command and Conquer we're talking about, where all the Factory units work the same way.

[quote name='pittpizza']2. The same logic above applies to this point as well, in an international global economy, where there is a will (demand) for these parts, there is always a way (supply), free enterprise and the profits to be made makes it happen.[/quote]
Your point applies even less here, especially given the specialized components for the Wii; if IBM can't provide more CPUs for Nintendo, Nintendo can't turn around and go to Fujitsu and get more to make up the difference. Ditto for the accelerometers in the Wii remote, which are made exclusively by Analog Devices.

And the claim that you can overcome these obstacles with a little handwave and chanting "free enterprise finds a way" is laughably naive...

[quote name='pittpizza']3. Maybe so, but like I said and has been affirmed in this thread, Nobody remembers a shortage of any other console for this long.[/quote]
Yes, it's unprecedented. No, it doesn't mean Nintendo is incompetent. "Unprecedented" means exactly that.

[quote name='pittpizza']I'm not saying I beleive N is purposefully creating a shortage (I don't)[/quote]
Let's see that on the instant replay, shall we?

(1) N is purposefully creating a shortage to prolong demand, keep it "hot" and keep production cost relatively low. Basic supply and demand economics, and

(2) The shortage of Wii's is a result of N's poor production capability being unable to match demand, and they simply don't want to invest in more production facilities, regardless of the fact that they know the Wii's will all sell.

I'm not sure what school of thought I belong to, perhaps both 1 and 2 but if I personally had to choose I would say it is more of (1) than (2).
Click to expand...
Feel free to argue with yourself. I'm sure it'll be amusing. :)

[quote name='pittpizza']All of the statistics in the world about how many factories N built or how many Wii's its pumping out can not change the fact that there is a stark disparity between supply and demand going on here, and has been and will continue to go on for a while.[/quote]
Yup. As I said before, the reason you can't get a Wii is because of all the people in line ahead of you.

A big part of the reason why the Wii shortage is unprecedented is because the folks in that line are no longer just the early-adopting "hardcore" video-game players, but lapsed gamers, early-adopting casual gamers, interested soccer moms, never-gamed-before grandparents... and all those folks outnumber the "hardcore" gaming crowd by 20:1.

[quote name='pittpizza']I'm no economics guru[/quote]
At least you're honest about it. ;)

--R.J.
 
[quote name='rjung'] Lots of stuff.[/quote]

Well if you read my first post in its entirety you would find that I (like others) beleive it is a combination of both. Seems the consensus in here though is that it's more (2) meaning costs of increasing prod. capacity than (1) meaning purposefully prolonging demand for the PR benefit. (1) seems to be, as Dmaul put it "icing on the cake" in alot of people's opinions.

Well icing is still a component to the cake and in lots of people's views the best part. Upon receiving lots of new information, (some provided by you:applause: , like the fact that only one company can make the accelerometers and the fact that they already increased their prod. capacity twice) I think I change my mind but still maintain it is more ignorant to think that (1) doesn't exist at all and isn't even taken into account, than it is to think the SOLE (or majority) reason for the disparity between supply and demand is (1).
 
[quote name='pittpizza']Your tidbits are only slightly less irrelevant than your insults rjung.

All of the statistics in the world about how many factories N built or how many Wii's its pumping out can not change the fact that there is a stark disparity between supply and demand going on here, and has been and will continue to go on for a while. I'm no economics guru but absent intentional manipulation, aren't there pretty strong forces in place to make those two match? I'm asking?
[/quote]

I believe you're thinking more in line with general market equilibrium, whereas I'd see Nintendo as producing more of a monopolistic product. The assumption of supply increasing to meet demand is based on more producers entering the market that are able to produce perfect substitutes; Nintendo is firmly in control of supply, and since other people can't just decide to produce the Wii the only way supply will match demand is increased production, based on methods previously discussed.
 
Ignoring the fact that we have lots of evidence (NPDs, financial reports, etc.) that Nintendo is shipping Wiis at an industry-unprecedented rate, the whole idea of "create an artificial shortage to whip up consumer frenzy" is never a viable long-term strategy. It might work if you're trying to sell a product of dubious quality to people ("Call within the next 15 minutes to get a bottle of Snake Oil Miracle Syrup before we run out!"), but once people cease wanting your product, it's an ineffective tactic. Nintendo doesn't use "artificial shortages" because they don't need to -- the long lines in front of the Nintendo World store every morning is testament to that.

I'm sure Satoru Iwata wishes he could just wave his Wii remote and magically create another 5 million Wiis for sale... ;)

--R.J.
 
Besides I am still a little unclear as to what benefit "keeping the demand hot" really gives. The only thing I really see is that people go out and hoard Wiis, and turn them on eBay for a profit. Granted, N still gets money for the Wiis sold to these hoarders, but they aren't getting any more money from the sale of a Wii off ebay for $400 to a gamer than they get from a legit gamer picking up one for $250 in the store.

Also I believe that there is still plenty of legit demand for the Wii, i.e. if ebay went out of business tomorrow or there was some magical anti-hoarding sentry that would deny hoarders the ability to but the Wii, Wiis would still sell really well off the shelves because the customers who buy them actually want the product, not just hoarders who are looking for profit.

Do you think there is a lot of "turnaround" as a result of low supply? What I mean is say family A goes to the store to buy a Wii but finds that it is out of stock. Well they really want a game console in general more than the Wii specifically, so they pick up this other white box called the Xbox 360... or do you think people want the Wii for a Wii and will not purchase a different product to compensate for lack of supply?
Ruahrc
 
[quote name='Ruahrc']Do you think there is a lot of "turnaround" as a result of low supply? What I mean is say family A goes to the store to buy a Wii but finds that it is out of stock. Well they really want a game console in general more than the Wii specifically, so they pick up this other white box called the Xbox 360... or do you think people want the Wii for a Wii and will not purchase a different product to compensate for lack of supply?[/QUOTE]
I suspect not. A lot of the new folks Nintendo is attracting with the Wii would never even consider a conventional video game console, and don't see the PS3/XBox 360 as a substitute. If you offered them a $250 Wii or a $150 XBox 360, they'd still pick the Wii because of its motion-sensing/pointing controls. Of course, there are a lot of conventional gamers who'd jump at a $150 XBox 360, but that's not the group I'm talking about here.

I highly recommend reading the book Blue Ocean Strategy for folks who want to understand Nintendo's "disruptive" business model with the DS and the Wii. Like Cirque du Soleli, Southwest Airlines, and the Apple iPod, Nintendo has made its competition irrelevant by creating a product for an audience their competitors never considered -- and as a result of that, that new audience won't even give Microsoft or Sony a moment's thought.

--R.J.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']At the same time, hasn' the Wii sold a lot more units at this point of it's life span than any previous console?
[/quote]
Yes, by a wide margin

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Blue Ocean Strategy FTW
 
[quote name='rjung']*SIGH* Once more, with feeling:

HOW THE FRACK CAN NINTENDO INTENTIONALLY CREATE A "FALSE SHORTAGE" OF WIIS WHEN THEY ARE SELLING MORE CONSOLES EVERY MONTH THAN THEIR COMPETITORS COMBINED?

Holy Mother of Christ on a flaming canoe, are people in such a rush to post that they don't even bother to engage their brains first? This is not a state secret or anything; we know how many systems Nintendo (and Microsoft, and Sony) are selling every month, thanks to NPD. This goes from simple ignorance to willful ignorance...

--R.J.[/QUOTE]

Calm down dude, there's no reason to get angry.
 
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