Normally I’d dismiss this tip to Infendo as a “just because it happens to you don’t mean it happens to everyone” event, but because it’s theJON I’m listening:
“I got a job at my local Gamestop recently and last week, the Nintendo Rep stopped by and talked to us a bit about the Wii and DS (and how our kiosks weren’t on). One of the things he told us was that we wouldn’t be seeing any Wiis and quite possibly any DS lites until the end of March or the beginning of April. That means that not only are they hard to find because they’re hot products, but also because it seems that the Big N isn’t even shipping them anymore. He wouldn’t tell us why, but I just wanted to let you know that if you’re looking for a Wii or DS lite, good luck because you literally won’t be able to find them because there aren’t any being shipped.”
You see, now I’m getting curious. Is Nintendo choking off the supply? Are there supply chain issues we don’t know about? Is this an isolated incident? Nintendo is walking a fine line with the Wii supply, I think.
I was in Wal-Mart south of Denver yesterday and saw Wiis on the shelves for the first time since launch. They had three.
I agree that NINTENDO is messing up with the Wii. I mean, I love it, and have one, and made my sister buy one actually (she lives in the South of France and it seems a little easier to get there than in the States). I also think that they are really getting annoying with the fact that they were all about the fact that the Wii was going to be a full on-line featured console and as far as we know, there are no on-line games yet and will not be for a while. What is going on? What is this NINJA tactiKKK?
i bought a black DS lite at Target 2 weeks ago. they had tons of them in. i don't trust anything Gamestop says.
Could it be that the Wii+DVD is already in full production?
I'm gonna guess that shipping costs are much higher for shipping only 3 at a time. So they'd rather wait for a large amount to be produced then send them all at once, knowing they will sell out almost instantly or at least keep some on shelves for people to buy, just like how Sony is doing with the PS3.
Gamestop never have anything. They didn't even have any PS2's the last time I was at one (with a friend who wanted a SlimLine). That said, my local WalMart in the middle of New York state gets regular shipments of Wii's and has plenty of DS Lites at the moment. The Lites seem to sell out pretty fast (within a week or so) but they always get more within a week after that. They have all three colors too. I wouldn't say Nintendo is up to anything "sneaky" based on a single report from a single Gamestop.
kokernutz, you don't have to believe Gamestop, but this was directly from the Nintendo Rep's mouth. This isn't coming from Gamestop, this is coming from Nintendo.I don't really know what this means exactly, but it could just mean that Nintendo is trying to ship more out to larger stores such as Target and Walmart or it could means something completely different, but I've seen shipment schedules for the next couple weeks and there are no DS lites or Wiis on the list.
Gamestop is full of it. I don't trust them at all. Plus, Nintendo might be shipping as many Wiis as possible into major stores since it seems that "casual" gamers are buying all of them, and casual gamers shop at Target and Wal-Mart, not Gamestop.
Guys guys guys: Nintendo said this, not GameStop. theJON is correct in his comment above.Your feelings about GameStop on this particular post are largely irrelevant (that's not said with any malice, but in the literal sense of the word irrelevant).
This information was passed along via Gamestop, therefor Gamestop said it. I don't see any press release from Nintendo about shipping dates.
I think that Nintendo must not see Gamestop as important as places like Walmart, Best Buy, or Target for selling the Wii and DS lite. My local Walmart is still receiving DS lite and Wii shipments, as well as the other stores.
@kokernutzNot to offend, but did you read the quote? It was from a "Nintendo Sales Representative" to the Gamestop employees, not a press release or anything so all the Gamestop hate is immaterial to the conversation. theJON, even said it before your post. The question is really what is Nintendo's point, I seem to think that more of the units are being sent to larger retailers, since Gamestop customers are mostly us, the gamers. I've asked larger retailers in my area of NC and they are still supposed to be getting constant shipments every week or so. I guess only Nintendo really knows what the deal is.
understand of course, that this was a Nintendo representative speaking to a GameStop employee, stating SPECIFICALLY that THEY (GameStop) won't be seeing any DS Lites or Wiis until the end of March/Early April.He didn't say that Nintendo has stopped shipping them, they'll be restocking other, higher volume stores first, which certainly isn't GameStop.This weekend, my local Target got 84 units and they sold out in an hour. Calls to other bigbox stores in my area indicated the same.Face it, Wiis are hard to get because they're selling out fast.
Listen to mykie… I think he got it.
Yeah, I agree with mykie. If you want the console, go to a large retailer because I don't think that Nintendo is trying to focus on video game stores. That means EB, Gamestop, Future Store, Game Crazy, etc.
This could also mean that that specific GameStop won't be getting any in soon, whereas a more populated area could, like NYC or LA. theJon, where is your Gamestop located?But isn't it amazing that Nintendo has actually made over 5 million Wii's already, which is nearly half the 360's and it only took Nintendo 5 months to do it? Nintendo has built a lot of these suckers, and there is an even bigger demand for them. So I won't blame Nintendo's manufacturing. I just think it would be impossible to satisfy demand right now, unless they build more factories. And I'm assuming that won't happen.
I was able to snag Wii #13 of 16 at a SuperTarget in McKinney, TX this last Sunday. All 16 were snagged by those of us waiting in line before the store opened at 8am. Several people in line had said they'd been trying to get one for months. I know it echoes much of what others have reported, but it certainly confirmed for me personally that the shortage is very real.
Once more, it's a supply line issue. It's not Nintendo trying to maliciously develop demand like some of you claim. Heck, the best way for Nintendo to manufacture more demand is by selling more since many people invite other people to play the Wii with them and that creates more demand. It benefits Nintendo to sell as many consoles as possible. So this is once again a bad line of reasoning.Also, think about this. Even if Nintendo has the factories to streamline the Wii since its configuration is similar to the GC, it still takes time for them to get the parts necessary to make the Wii. They buy the parts from other companies. Those companies buy resources and other parts from other companies. So it's quite a chain of supply that needs to be made efficient to pump out the Wiis. It's not just Nintendo. Geebus.
@ cronotrigger913 – My store is in Connecticut, but our region covers all the stores in CT and the western half of Massachusetts.
so um do you guys ever update. you have had this update all day??
At my shift at Target tonight I pulled out like 20 Wii's that someone must have forgotten about. We also had 8 last Sunday.Picking up? Probably not…
I'd have to go in and simply say that this is a Gamestop issue. What the self proclaimed greatest gaming store on the planet doesn't realize is that compared to the Wal-Mart's, Target's and Best Buy's of the world.. they are insignificant. Target had plenty upon plenty of DS Lite and Wii controlers in stock and have had a steady batch of them in stock weekly. The same has been true on the Wal-Mart and Best Buy end. After getting WiiPlay at the Wal-Mart the clerk mentioned that they had a ton of controlers in stock(not to mention the dozen or so WiiPlays I had to choose from). The only supply stranglehold here is on Gamestop in particular cause if you're hitting department stores you're probably getting or have gotten a Wii.