The Wii U Pre-Order Thread - $349.99/$299.99 - 11/18/12

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CheapyD

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iconamazon.gif
Amazon
Consoles* Amazon did not take preorders, see note.
Games

iconbestbuy.gif
Best Buy
Consoles Both models sold out online & in store
Games

icongs_r1.gif
Gamestop
Consoles Both models sold out online & in store
Games

icontoysrus_r1.gif
Toys R Us
Consoles Both models sold out online & in store
Games

icontarget.gif
Target
Consoles Both models sold out online & in store
Games

iconwalmart_r3.gif
Walmart
Consoles
Wii U Bundle Sold out online, in store pre-orders were not taken
Wii U Deluxe Sold out online & in store
Wii U Basic Sold out online, in store pre-orders were not taken
Games

Sears
Consoles/Games Deluxe model sold out online, in store pre-orders were not taken

kmart.gif
Kmart
Consoles/Games Deluxe model sold out online, in-store pre-orders were not taken

newegg.gif
Newegg
Deluxe Bundle Bundled with New Super Mario Bros U, Black Ops 2, and Zombi U-Out of Stock
Games

iconplayasia.gif
Play-Asia
Consoles/Games Reservation List Only for NTSC Basic & Deluxe models

Fry's Electronics
Consoles Both models sold out online
Games

Staples
Consoles Both models sold out online
Games

J&R
Consoles Both models are no longer available for pre-order at the physical location.
Games

Nebraska Furniture Mart
Consoles Both models sold out online
Accessories
Games

:hot:Nintendo World Store
Consoles: Both models are no longer available for pre-order at the physical location in NYC.

Notes:

  • Newegg, as of now (Friday before launch) is selling the deluxe console as a bundle only. It is listed for immediate shipping, not as a pre-order.

  • *Amazon email sent out to those who signed up for Wii U pre-order notification:
Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Thank for you signing up to be notified when the Wii U is available.
Unfortunately the Wii U console is not available at Amazon.com at this time but please check back in the future, as availability may change. We do have the latest Wii U games and accessories available now so check them out. Thank you for shopping with Amazon Video Games.
Click to expand...
System Information

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[quote name='kingotnw']Lots of people flipping these, even on these forums it seems... I gave it some thought. I can't really afford a WiiU in the first place, but my wife and I really want one so we are going to go dig up the money. I was strongly considering flipping one, but then I realized that the WiiU is very much something that kids are going to get. More so than say the PS4 or next Xbox will be. Stillwater MN isn't a huge town. I live very close to Minneapolis, and lived there for a very long time prior to moving here. We like it here. I just feel like I would be taking advantage of something that right now shouldn't be taken advantage of. People don't really have a lot of cash right now and tons of parents are down to one income or less. List price alone on the thing is fairly high... Doubling it is going to make it cost prohibitive for kids to get one. I just feel like... We only need the one.... I could use the extra cash and all but maybe I'll throw some good karma into the world and hope some parent finds it for their little kid instead of some jerk trying to exploit broke parents around the holidays.[/QUOTE]

Good Guy Greg ;)

Wish there were more of you.
 
[quote name='rayfrombk']I agree with this. The general consensus seems to be that even the Walmart employees have no idea what's going on. I mean it's on the front page of their circular. There's no way it's just CAGers asking about it.[/QUOTE]

I'd agree too, the fact I was standing at Layaway, with the Wii U memo IN VISIBLE SIGHT (although I only noticed it after I got bounced between 2-3 employees), and was being given bad information about having to pre-order online first, or layaways only going for in-stock items, or etc, etc, and it took me having to really push them to find someone who knew what was happening... seems to sort of play up the "Walmart is losing sales from clueless employees" angles.

The fact I had this thread and KNEW how the preorders worked made sure I pushed until I was actually able to do it with no further issues. :) I have a feeling many Walmarts will sell out these pretty fast once the employees come up to speed.

Just for kicks, I asked at the Toys R Us and Best Buy in the same complex, they said they had been sold out of preorders for a long time now. Toys R Us did actually refer me to Walmart, though..!
 
[quote name='rayfrombk']I agree with this. The general consensus seems to be that even the Walmart employees have no idea what's going on. I mean it's on the front page of their circular. There's no way it's just CAGers asking about it.[/QUOTE]

100% right. I was told many things 'we don't have them', 'it's online only', etc. If I hadn't quite literally forced the kid to get his manager by showing him the memo, I wouldn't have gotten one.
 
[quote name='kingotnw']Lots of people flipping these, even on these forums it seems... I gave it some thought. I can't really afford a WiiU in the first place, but my wife and I really want one so we are going to go dig up the money. I was strongly considering flipping one, but then I realized that the WiiU is very much something that kids are going to get. More so than say the PS4 or next Xbox will be. Stillwater MN isn't a huge town. I live very close to Minneapolis, and lived there for a very long time prior to moving here. We like it here. I just feel like I would be taking advantage of something that right now shouldn't be taken advantage of. People don't really have a lot of cash right now and tons of parents are down to one income or less. List price alone on the thing is fairly high... Doubling it is going to make it cost prohibitive for kids to get one. I just feel like... We only need the one.... I could use the extra cash and all but maybe I'll throw some good karma into the world and hope some parent finds it for their little kid instead of some jerk trying to exploit broke parents around the holidays.[/QUOTE]

Cags heart is growing 3 sizes this christmas, lol.

Seriously though, parents will be buying the white one mostly so they can just grab Mario and skip Nintendoland. Do you remember how popular the "core" 360 bundle was? Parents buy the cheapest version they can usually for consoles. I literally saw a mother arguing with her kid while I was in Walmart that the DSi was $70 cheaper than a 3DS, finishing with "they are probably the same!".

Nobody is going to be left out in the cold because their parents were unable to find the black deluxe unit. That would take an unusually knowledgeable parent to even know the real difference aside from the pack in, and no parent is going to decide on a new gift because they couldn't save a few bucks on the game+ more space.
 
[quote name='Justin42']I'd agree too, the fact I was standing at Layaway, with the Wii U memo IN VISIBLE SIGHT (although I only noticed it after I got bounced between 2-3 employees), and was being given bad information about having to pre-order online first, or layaways only going for in-stock items, or etc, etc, and it took me having to really push them to find someone who knew what was happening... seems to sort of play up the "Walmart is losing sales from clueless employees" angles.

The fact I had this thread and KNEW how the preorders worked made sure I pushed until I was actually able to do it with no further issues. :) I have a feeling many Walmarts will sell out these pretty fast once the employees come up to speed.

Just for kicks, I asked at the Toys R Us and Best Buy in the same complex, they said they had been sold out of preorders for a long time now. Toys R Us did actually refer me to Walmart, though..![/QUOTE]

Maybe that's why the layaway for the Wii U is valid for the entire week. Maybe home office doesn't have confidence in their employees that they'll get it right. :whistle2:#
 
[quote name='ItsaMeMario']it seemed WAY too easy to preorder it this morning... i did it at noon today with no waiting at a very busy wal-mart

i feel like if these things were really that limited (or if wal-mart really does have a process in place that prevents themselves from selling too many preorders), then we would've seen some angry posts in this thread by now about how they missed out on a Wii U preorder

seems like there are plenty of these Wii U Deluxe preorders to be had out there[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Like I said earlier, I was the first person at our local store to ask about the Wii U and it was well after noon (right around 2 PM, in fact). I wouldn't be surprised if I could go back right now and order another one. There definitely is some demand for the console, but I don't think it will be anything like the first Wii.
 
[quote name='ZombieToast']Agreed. Like I said earlier, I was the first person at our local store to ask about the Wii U and it was well after noon (right around 2 PM, in fact). I wouldn't be surprised if I could go back right now and order another one. There definitely is some demand for the console, but I don't think it will be anything like the first Wii.[/QUOTE]

The thing is too, the WiiU is launching in a very different world-- everyone's bowled using motion controls now, the Wii is in pretty much every home that REALLY wants one, the economy's been in the toilet for 4 years, etc, etc.

I'm sure there's demand for this-- it's the first new home console launch in a long time. But honestly the launch lineup isn't THAT fantastic (at least IMHO), the console costs $50-$100 more than the Wii did at launch, the new functionality is a bit harder to really get excited about (Motion control in 2006 was just MINDBLOWING! Playing a game on a tablet.. not so much ;) )

I'm sure it will be initially tough to get. Maybe even though Christmas. And I am sure Nintendo will do everything in their power to remind everyone of the craziness of the Wii launch and try to control the resupplies so that they're "moderately difficult but not impossible" to get one if you didn't pre-order. Enough to build hype, not enough to lose sales. This Christmas is CRITICAL for Nintendo to get a lead in "next next gen" before Sony and Microsoft start working to steal their thunder.

I hate to admit it but I sort of pre-ordered on the hype. There's not a whole lot I want to play RIGHT NOW (well, at launch) but this is my hobby and I enjoy it, and I'm sure it'll be a fun system.

(I will say-- I think people forget what a surprise the Wii was. I remember a LOT of people expecting it to bomb. Remember it launched 2 days after the PS3 and people thought the PS3 would steal all of Nintendo's thunder... but then it became apparent that weekend that while the PS3 was selling well, a lot more people wanted the Wii.. the hype about the Wii being impossible to buy sort of came up 'overnight' as the launch happened and suddenly everyone was out of stock. I think before that everyone had sort of low key expectations about the Wii and expected the PS3 to be massive)
 
[quote name='Deader2818']Wii U has one of the better launch line ups we have seen.[/QUOTE]

I don't think people are debating that. However, how many of those are Wii-U exclusives? And how many cannot be found cheaper on other consoles?
 
[quote name='rayfrombk']My visit to the Secaucus Walmart was an emotional rollercoaster. I arrived at the store at midnight thinking there were already people lined up. I was the first person there asking about the Wii U layaway. Shortly after a couple arrived asking about the same thing. The girl employee that greeted us was very nice and informed us that we would be able to pick it up at 9am. She also said we would need to pick up a card with the UPC on it from Electronics and take it to layaway. The couple left, but I stayed. This is where the frustration began..

I walked over to Electronics and asked about it, but they were absolutely clueless and gave me this confused look. I showed them the leaked memo on their demo iPad and asked them to enter both the Item # and UPC # into the register, but it wouldn't come up (it turns out they had it in their system as 004549688086 when I went to pay later). At first I thought they didn't update their systems yet so I asked several times throughout the night. No luck. The guy told me to wait until 7am when his manager comes into the store. Uh-oh. :???:

Meanwhile from midnight to about 7am I was awake the whole night. Walked around the entire store, ate at McDonald's, watched The Avengers for the 2nd time, talked to all the employees, watched them clean up the mess the customers left behind earlier in the day, watched Netflix on their iPad with my account - free WIFI throughout the store.. cool, watched them clean and wax the floor, watched them set up for a commercial shoot.. All in all it was an eventful overnight/early morning. :whee:

Getting back on topic, the Electronics manager came in early at 6am. I asked him and got the same response: "The item is not in our system. We don't have any pre-orders for this. Come back on November 18". DOUBLE UH-OH.

At 7am I lined up in front of layaway in case other CAGers and trolls from the internetz decide to show up. Finally at 7:45 the 2nd person showed up and shortly after the same guy from the couple that showed up with me at midnight arrived and 1 more shortly after. The lady then asked us what we were lining up for. We told her for the Wii U. I asked her to check the UPC and again she couldn't find it in the system. She told us that we "needed the actual item to be in stock in order to put it on layaway". I told her about today's front page ad which specifically stated Wii U Layawway - Pick up November 18. She didn't believe it and brushed us off eventually. :argue: UH-TRIPLE-fuckING-OH.

At 8:50am the store manager came in and assured us that we would be getting our Wii U pre-orders beginning at 9am. All of us were RELIEVED to hear this. :D

At 9:05am I walk up to the layaway counter and give the cashier my ID and Credit Card. He entered my details and swiped the card.. BEEP. Charge denied. OK fine, no problem. I have 2 other cards on me. 2nd card: BEEP. wtf? 3rd card: BEEP. fuck YOU WALMART AKLJRWEKLJRKLWEJRKLWJEKLRJJ@#IOJ@K#J$IO@#UJ@#$UI$#U. :twoguns:

Called Citi and found out that they suspected fraud because I was in NJ when I live in NY.. really?? Because I crossed the river they think it's fraud? They must be really anal about that. The lady on the phone cleared my account and I was finally able to charge the amount.

The register printed out a 4 foot long receipt but no labels. I assume they'll print them out later when pre-orders are sold out.

Grand Total: $753.92 - $748.91 Deposit - $5 Layaway Open Fee = $0.01 New Balance
$5 will be returned to me in cash, not Walmart Gift Card, since I made the purchase in NJ.

tl;dr

The Walmart I went to did a shitty job getting Electronics and layaway on the same page.[/QUOTE]


CAG Newbie
Join Date: Oct 2012

It has been repeatedly stated in this thread that most Layaways open at 9am.
The manager processed your layaway at 9am.
Walking around the store for 9 hours harassing employees
in other departments is just embarrassing and sad.
You should have spent a few minutes reading the memo.


Walk back to Layaway and press the keypad that says "Press for assistance."
A manager from customer service will walk back to assist the customer.
Stop calling and asking employees in other departments what's going on.
 
[quote name='Deader2818']Wii U has one of the better launch line ups we have seen.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. I skipped NSMB2 so I don't really have franchise fatigue on that, although I hated NSMB ds so I wasn't really excited for 2.

If Pikmin 3 is actually coming before christmas, and Rayman comes 1st quarter, I feel like it could be one of the best launches ever. I think people forget how bleak most launches have been. Dreamcasts launch was fucking baller though, and PS2 had enough to make it worth it. A Mario game on a console launch is just too good to pass up for me.
 
[quote name='Deader2818']I highly doubt any retailers know how many units they are getting at this point in time.[/QUOTE]


I highly doubt that Nintendo knows how many units they are shipping at this point in time. :lol:
 
[quote name='dragonjud']I don't think people are debating that. However, how many of those are Wii-U exclusives? And how many cannot be found cheaper on other consoles?[/QUOTE]

That was kind of my point, many of the big launch titles aren't WiiU exclusives, at least not the entire game.

I'm not saying it's a bad launch list, just that I don't really look at that list and see many "OMG MUST HAVE WIIU FOR .... " besides maybe NSMB and ZombiU.

That said, Pikmin 3 was enough to make sure I get my WiiU preordered to be safe. ;)
 
[quote name='Nochance']
If Pikmin 3 is actually coming before christmas, and Rayman comes 1st quarter, I feel like it could be one of the best launches ever.[/QUOTE]


Pikmin 3 has been pushed back to Spring 2013.
 
Being that Amazon and Nintendo still are hating on each other I figure that's a huge stock of console supply for other places such as Walmart
 
[quote name='gordojones88']Pikmin 3 has been pushed back to Spring 2013.[/QUOTE]

Well damn, that is disappointing. Still, I can't imagine just not playing a new console mario game the day it comes out.

I can see where people are coming from with so many launch games being ports, but i'm personally not buying a single port. I have the arkham and ME games already and NG3 is probably unfixable.

I'm mostly buying for future games tbh, though i'm very excited for Pikmin, Rayman and Mario. Retro has been hard at work on something for over a year, and we all know there will be another Galaxy. Sound reasoning in my mind, haha.
 
[quote name='gordojones88']CAG Newbie
Join Date: Oct 2012

It has been repeatedly stated in this thread that most Layaways open at 9am.
The manager processed your layaway at 9am.
Walking around the store for 9 hours harassing employees
in other departments is just embarrassing and sad.
You should have spent a few minutes reading the memo.


Walk back to Layaway and press the keypad that says "Press for assistance."
A manager from customer service will walk back to assist the customer.
Stop calling and asking employees in other departments what's going on.[/QUOTE]

I know about the memo and I've read it from beginning to end many times, believe me. I didn't exactly harass them. The guy in Electronics asked me first if I needed help. The store was empty so it's not like they had anything else to do. His shift wasn't ending until 10am so he was more than willing to check every few hours.

I only came in at midnight because I read several other posts on here that some Walmarts were doing midnight pre-orders even though layaway was technically closed. I wasn't going to take a chance that my Walmart wasn't going to do the same, then show up at 9am only to find out that they sold out. I know 9 hours is crazy extreme. I was going to head home and take a nap, but it takes me about 2 hours each way. There is also the small chance that my nap ends up sleeping until 9 the next morning so I decided to stay.
 
So after calling my closest store and finding out they already had 16 preorders, I called a store a little further ways out (about a half hour away from my house). Got transferred to layaway where I asked whether they were still accepting preorders for the Wii U. I was told that they were not and could not since it comes out on November 18th. I told the rep that it was advertised in this week's ad and that a memo was sent out stating preorders started in layaway today. I was still getting the same reply, so I decided to drive over there.

I walked to the layaway counter and asked to preorder the Wii U. Got the same response I got over the phone. The rep then went to go get her manager. After about a 5 minute wait, she returned with the binder and the memo inside it. I was the first person to preorder. I'll cancel my Wal-Mart.com preorder and keep my TRU.com preorder just in case something happens with the in-store Wal-Mart order.
 
I skipped the Wii U all together so getting this ASAP will be great. Haven't played a Mario game in a long time so this will all be new to me.
 
[quote name='Justin42']That was kind of my point, many of the big launch titles aren't WiiU exclusives, at least not the entire game.

I'm not saying it's a bad launch list, just that I don't really look at that list and see many "OMG MUST HAVE WIIU FOR .... " besides maybe NSMB and ZombiU.

That said, Pikmin 3 was enough to make sure I get my WiiU preordered to be safe. ;)[/QUOTE]

It's all a matter of preference. I might not play more than 2 launch games but since the preorder was easy I did it cause I didn't want to go through the same bullshit like I did with the wii.

I do wish Pikmin 3 wasn't pushed out though.
 
I've waited on games like Tekken Tag 2, Batman GOTY, Darksiders II etc, since I know the Wii U will get stuff with exclusive content and GOTY stuff.

Well its true the line up isn't great for those who get every game as it comes out, its still good that it has the option of getting it on a new system that others might not have gotten during the year.
 
[quote name='confoosious']It's all a matter of preference. I might not play more than 2 launch games but since the preorder was easy I did it cause I didn't want to go through the same bullshit like I did with the wii.

I do wish Pikmin 3 wasn't pushed out though.[/QUOTE]
Exact reason I want a Wii-U now. I may not play a goddamn Wii-U game besides Darksiders 2 for like maybe 3-4 months but it's just piece of mind knowing I will have one (assuming GS.com doesn't screw me over).
 
[quote name='Masx']Being that Amazon and Nintendo still are hating on each other I figure that's a huge stock of console supply for other places such as Walmart[/QUOTE]

LOL I still can't believe they haven't sorted things out by now
 
[quote name='ItsaMeMario']LOL I still can't believe they haven't sorted things out by now[/QUOTE]

I don't think they ever will..
 
[quote name='Justin42']The thing is too, the WiiU is launching in a very different world-- everyone's bowled using motion controls now, the Wii is in pretty much every home that REALLY wants one, the economy's been in the toilet for 4 years, etc, etc.

I'm sure there's demand for this-- it's the first new home console launch in a long time. But honestly the launch lineup isn't THAT fantastic (at least IMHO), the console costs $50-$100 more than the Wii did at launch, the new functionality is a bit harder to really get excited about (Motion control in 2006 was just MINDBLOWING! Playing a game on a tablet.. not so much ;) )

I'm sure it will be initially tough to get. Maybe even though Christmas. And I am sure Nintendo will do everything in their power to remind everyone of the craziness of the Wii launch and try to control the resupplies so that they're "moderately difficult but not impossible" to get one if you didn't pre-order. Enough to build hype, not enough to lose sales. This Christmas is CRITICAL for Nintendo to get a lead in "next next gen" before Sony and Microsoft start working to steal their thunder.

I hate to admit it but I sort of pre-ordered on the hype. There's not a whole lot I want to play RIGHT NOW (well, at launch) but this is my hobby and I enjoy it, and I'm sure it'll be a fun system.

(I will say-- I think people forget what a surprise the Wii was. I remember a LOT of people expecting it to bomb. Remember it launched 2 days after the PS3 and people thought the PS3 would steal all of Nintendo's thunder... but then it became apparent that weekend that while the PS3 was selling well, a lot more people wanted the Wii.. the hype about the Wii being impossible to buy sort of came up 'overnight' as the launch happened and suddenly everyone was out of stock. I think before that everyone had sort of low key expectations about the Wii and expected the PS3 to be massive)[/QUOTE]

I hear you. I think the hype caught up to me too. I was perfectly content with getting the Wii U some time next year. I don't really play my Wii much expect for the Nintendo first party titles. It's mainly my young son's console now. I primarily play 360 and PS3.
But the second all the preorders sold out fast at places like BBY, etc.. I immediately regreted not at least getting one preordered for some reason. I'm assuming the hype and just the thought of a new console. So when this thread brought up the Walmart layaway preorders, I knew I wasn't going to miss out this time. I at least wanted to get one on preorder. I'm going to get it and it will be in our playroom for my son and myself. But it wasn't until the first wave of preorders sold out fast that I really wanted to get one.
 
I think the Wii U is going to be a huge seller.... trounces the old-gen consoles in graphics, has a unique tablet controller, has a solid 3rd-party and 1st-party title lineup through March, and already sold out (most places within a few days for Deluxe, this extra Walmart preorder was lucky) and resale market $600-700 already steadily a month pre-launch and with no marketing done yet. Once things like the Burger King tie-in, tv ads, game site hype, etc. start up, it's going to be a machine. I'm still undecided exactly when to sell mine, but am considering a couple pre-launch at a peak and then seeing where they go around launch+black friday.

Can't wait... this promises to be a good thing(tm). To those saying "well people have a Wii...", the unique thing is the tablet, and it is no worse than any other next-gen system will be in horsepower: you get next-gen console quality way before the next Xbox & Playstation come out. Predictions are those two won't be much if any stronger, than the Wii U.
 
[quote name='vcplant']Did anybody encounted a layaway pre-sale sold out? I cruised into a Walmart at 4pm and ordered one.[/QUOTE]

Not here. I went around 8:30 pm and had no issues.
 
[quote name='vcplant']Did anybody encounter a layaway pre-sale sold out? I cruised into a Walmart at 4pm and ordered one.[/QUOTE]

Nope,

Was there this afternoon and was the third person to pre order.

Earliest were people from 10:00am.

I seriously have no clue as to why these are not selling out. Like some mentioned, it could be because of employees turning customers away.

But I just think not many people know about this, or maybe those that wanted one already pre ordered at the previous options of stores.
 
Thats my other issue with Wii-U, while it has good launch support there really isnt anything there that seems to be MUST HAVE. Sure, a new Mario will be fun and ZombiU has potential, but nothing else. Once Pikmin 3, the new Smash, new Galaxy, etc start dropping it'll be a lot more on my radar.
 
Snagged a Walmart layaway order today, was there at 6:00 am, expected a huge line, ended up just being me and a young lady getting a system for her kid for Xmas. Needless to say, I was surprised there was just the two of us waiting.
 
[quote name='GamerDude316']Thats my other issue with Wii-U, while it has good launch support there really isnt anything there that seems to be MUST HAVE. Sure, a new Mario will be fun and ZombiU has potential, but nothing else. Once Pikmin 3, the new Smash, new Galaxy, etc start dropping it'll be a lot more on my radar.[/QUOTE]

+1 for Smash Bros :applause:
 
[quote name='rayfrombk']I don't think they ever will..[/QUOTE]

Nintendo actually commented on it, saying "Amazon, as a direct sale retailer, currently does not carry our hardware."

Sounds kinda weird but i'm guessing it has to do with the profit margin for Amazon selling the systems. I'm not sure why its different from the other consoles but retailers generally make very little from a console sale, and depend on selling the buyer accessories and games to even it out. Which is why every asshole in BB will try to tell you that you need a Monster brand HDMI cable, lol.
 
I constantly read through this thread once a day, lol. I like reading the stories as well. I never went to a launch so this will be new and exciting for me. I wonder who will post the craziest story, lol.

Here's a prediction. "Channel 7 news reporting. Anchor: People have been lined since 5 this afternoon anxiously for the new Nintendo console, The Wii-U. Sir, why are you excited for this console release? 12:01 midnight strikes. The doors are opened, and people are trampled. Sounds familiar? Lol
 
[quote name='Nochance']Nintendo actually commented on it, saying "Amazon, as a direct sale retailer, currently does not carry our hardware."

Sounds kinda weird but i'm guessing it has to do with the profit margin for Amazon selling the systems. I'm not sure why its different from the other consoles but retailers generally make very little from a console sale, and depend on selling the buyer accessories and games to even it out. Which is why every asshole in BB will try to tell you that you need a Monster brand HDMI cable, lol.[/QUOTE]

lol and I'll tell them I can get them for free from a FiOS truck any day in my neighborhood.
 
[quote name='CheapAssHustla']I constantly read through this thread once a day, lol. I like reading the stories as well. I never went to a launch so this will be new and exciting for me. I wonder who will post the craziest story, lol.

Here's a prediction. "Channel 7 news reporting. Anchor: People have been lined since 5 this afternoon anxiously for the new Nintendo console, The Wii-U. Sir, why are you excited for this console release? 12:01 midnight strikes. The doors are opened, and people are trampled. Sounds familiar? Lol[/QUOTE]

"I'm actually just gonna go back to the Wii.. The Wii U looks too valuable to play." :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvbFZruiLfM&t=2m
 
[quote name='Nochance']Nintendo actually commented on it, saying "Amazon, as a direct sale retailer, currently does not carry our hardware."

Sounds kinda weird but i'm guessing it has to do with the profit margin for Amazon selling the systems. I'm not sure why its different from the other consoles but retailers generally make very little from a console sale, and depend on selling the buyer accessories and games to even it out. Which is why every asshole in BB will try to tell you that you need a Monster brand HDMI cable, lol.[/QUOTE]

I remember my dad buying a 480p TV at Best Buy for over $800-$900 at Best Buy around 2004-2005. Then, the employee suggested to get those $100 plus Monster Cables, which he did. My dad has no clue about technology to this day so he purchased a damn small 480p TV with useless cables. I was in the 7th/8th grade so I couldn't really save the day, plus I was a kid, so what do I know right? Even then, my "tech genes" knew something was fishy before the purchase.
 
I remember the PS2 launch in Circuit City los Angeles. That one was pretty crazy for me. I got to be friends with about 12 or 13 other people in line and I started my wait from 8:30pm. We all went through the night talking about video games and the industry while also playing cards to kill time. around 4am, it rained. Everyone went into their cars without regard to the line disappearing. No one wanted to be drenched. when it finally stopped raining, we all got back in line, the same order. The store opened at 10 for all of us to get our consoles. The next time I would camp out would be for a gamecube, which wasn't as much a big deal. but I got to see the meteor shower during the night I waited for it. The wii was a bit easier to get because of preorders in gamestop. I imagine the ps3 is the biggest and most hyped up launch while also being the hardest to get. People literally camped for two days to acquire one. I did not get a ps3 at launch, but waited about 2 years as I was pretty happy with a Wii and Xbox 360 console combo. Now I have all three consoles.
 
Went at 10am and no one at layaway seems to have a clue about the pre-order. They said they don't have the Wii-U in-stock and i was like, um... yeah I'm not here to buy it. So I showed them the walmart paper, then one associate got smart and went to the back to look it up and come back with a page of instruction. Got mine pre-ordered with no problem :)
 
The mystery of no buyers today...

1) It was the front page of the Walmart ad on Sunday! Do people still read papers?

2) It's sold out everywhere! But there's no advertising and it's not even black Friday yet, so the demand is 80% scalpers who probably already have a dozen preorders.

3) It might be your last chance to get a Wii-U! Yeah, but you actually have to walk into a Walmart and figure out where the hell the Layaway department is and deal with clueless employees. Average wait time 40 minutes if you're the first one there and have to tell them when the memo is located.
 
Today was only half the battle. Can you all imagine what it's gonna be like on launch day?

"Wii U layaway? Sorry but you needed to pre-order online. We never put any Wii U on layaway because we didn't have it in stock prior to today. Oh you have a receipt? It must've been a mistake."
 
I went to Walmart today in San Jose (Almaden Expressway) and they had had 10 orders today, most people received 2. It was like a bunch of clowns running around. It took 4 different people to finally know how to type it into the computer correctly. But, 20 minutes later I have two pre-orders of the deluxe that should 'arrive on the first day.'

I also went to the Walmart on Story and they had also had about ten preorders so far.

I guess now it's just waiting for a text to see if they actually are going to arrive when they say they are. I'm surprised they were both available and didn't sell out quickly.

Part of it might be the Walmart staff not knowing how to order it properly.

Anyways, good luck out there. Try as soon as you can!
 
Launch stories!

The wii is actually the first console I waited in line for, and was my first day one since Dreamcast. I bought PS2 and many other systems the first month, but I never felt like I needed to wait in line to ensure one ( it helped that the Metreon in SF had a huge Playstation store until 2009 :( RIP)

The Toys R Us in San Mateo was advertising 100 Wii's to be sold at midnight. They had more in stock but would only allow the first 100 to get one at midnight. I knew my spot was secure, I had counted several times and talked to people to see how many in line were actually buying one and not just keeping a friend company. In fact there were people that showed up at probably 5 pm and got a spot, because people kept looking at the line and walking away.

It was very orderly and we had tons of games of Mario Kart DS going around, people playing Zelda music through their phones and general merriment, but the weirdo's from TRU kept coming outside and explaining how important it was that we kept calm and made sure we didn't hurt anyone when midnight rolled around. Despite our confused looks, they actually did this 4 or 5 times, sometimes with security guards until somebody blurted out "We have actually been coexisting out here for 6 hours now. I really don't think a fight is about to break out." They stopped coming out after that but I realize now that it was probably due to the few cases of violence during the PS3 launch earlier that week.

It all went to shit at midnight of course. Nobody opened the doors, nobody said anything except "not yet" until like 12:15. Finally they decided to let us in, not joking at all, one by one, with an employee escorting each person to the gaming department to pick which games and accessories they wanted. It sounds terrible but at the time it reminded me of that game show from the late 80s where the winner got to run through the maze and slap velcro covered game carts all over his velcro body suit. We could see each person grabbing armloads of stuff, and I remember people constantly asking if they had 100 copies of Zelda, to make sure each person could get one.

I finally ran in, got my console, Zelda, and 1 extra Wiimote+nunchuck. They charged me for another nunchuck rather than the $40 Wiimote so I was really stoked. Outside they actually had 3 security guards, and one or two would walk each person to their car, with the rest of the line yelling "Hold it up! Take it out!" "Let me see Zelda's cover!" It was honestly sooooo loud outside once people started bringing consoles out.

Every once in a while somebody would wander up and be like "So this is the line, right?" and somebody would have to explain that the 100 consoles were spoken for. "But the ad says they are selling them at midnight, and its not even midnight yet."
I mean, sorry guy, but we figured people would be here at midnight. That's exactly why we showed up at 2 pm :p

I fell asleep that night playing the god awful intro to Twilight Princess, and woke up hours later still holding the controller but my arms were crossed. My first thought was "shit, I can hold this controller in a sleeping position. This does not bode well for gaming at night!"
 
[quote name='vcplant']The mystery of no buyers today...

1) It was the front page of the Walmart ad on Sunday! Do people still read papers?

2) It's sold out everywhere! But there's no advertising and it's not even black Friday yet, so the demand is 80% scalpers who probably already have a dozen preorders.

3) It might be your last chance to get a Wii-U! Yeah, but you actually have to walk into a Walmart and figure out where the hell the Layaway department is and deal with clueless employees. Average wait time 40 minutes if you're the first one there and have to tell them when the memo is located.[/QUOTE]


1) Yeah, they showed up later.

2) Math it out and you're talking maybe a tenth of a percent at most, of flippers, speaking for the consoles. They're launching with 3 million, just FYI ;). The argument that flippers can be talking for 4/5 of the consoles is just silly. If anything, demand is going to ramp up further once ads start this week and ESPECIALLY towards launch/Black Friday. It'll be a zoo.

3) So? It's worth it for the profit potential, if not I'll live with having spent a half an hour browsing on my Galaxy S3.
 
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