Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas?
In absentia
anyway. Nintendo seems to finally be struck with the inventory bug that afflicted both the 360 and the PS3 before it. Word on the street is that demand is so strong for the little console that could, that Nintendo is struggling to provide enough systems to keep consumers handy. Even producing almost two million units per month, the company is unable to meet retail demand.
It’s a bit of a double-edged sword really…what company wouldn’t love to have their product selling like hotcakes, and a little undersupply supports value perception and consumer lust, but so close to the holiday season, when gaming companies haul in more retail $$ then the rest of the year, it’s a kick in the teeth. Estimates are already on the board as to how much revenue Nintendo could lose with the current shortage situation, and it ain’t pretty. Current numbers put the crunch at $1 billion dollars…ouch.
Nintendo has been trying to compensate for potential lost sales by diverting their buyership to other product lines by pulling Wii ads from the airways in places like the UK and replacing them with ads featuring the DS. In addition to shunting purchasing power elsewhere, they’re also looking to institute a “Wii Raincheck” program to attenuate holiday shortages. Nintendo of America prez Reggie Fils-Aime has said that “many tens of thousands” of the raincheck certificates are already in the hands of GameStop outlets (the only retailer with the capability to manage the complex inventory tracking required). Gamers receiving a piece of paper in their stocking rather than a Wii can expect to pick their system up before the end of January.
Sony, as you might imagine, is just tickled pink by all the shortages, as their PS3 has seen sales nearly triple in the retail vacuum left by the Wii’s absence.
Image from IGN.com
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POSTED IN: News, PS3, Things That Suck, Wii
1 opinion for Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas?
ladyfiesta
Jan 17, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Well well well.. i think Wii exists. The only problem is the greedy businessmen who grabbed all the Wiis, keep them in their backyard and charge people double to get Wii. But, whatever..
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