Analyst says shortages will continue into 2007
by David Hinkle 
{ Dec 26th 2006 at 3:00PM }
As if we all didn't see this coming, analyst PJ McNealy is predicting shortages for both the Wii and PS3 into early 2007. While we believe that January would be the last tough month for those looking to get their hands on a Wii, we don't think the shortages will honestly last much longer than that. But to say that March is right about when consumers could walk into their local retail outlet and pluck one from the shelves sounds a tad too ridiculous to us.
What about you guys? What do you think?
[Via Joystiq; via TxdoHawk]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nushio @ Dec 26th 2006 9:14PM
I (finally) gots me a Wii last Friday Dec 22nd.
'Tis awesome.
To all prospective buyers: Camping out and all that is worthless. All you need is tons of luck. My aunt was there at the right time, when the Wallyworld people started voicing over the P.A. that they've got Wiis available. In mid-day, too.
'Nuff said. Imma go and play with my Wii! :P
Marc @ Dec 27th 2006 11:05AM
God I hope not. It's bad enough I can't get a Wii before the holidays, but after all the madness is over?!?!
That's just ridiculos.
TxdoHawk @ Dec 27th 2006 12:45PM
I work at an EB, and from what I've seen, it's tough to say exactly when we'll see either of the consoles available on shelves on a regular basis.
We've gotten to the point at EB where PS3's have sat around for entire days without being snapped up. Meanwhile the Wii's go, and go fast. Phone calls last week? Nearly all looking for the Wii. I could count the calls I got about the PS3 last week on one hand.
Look at Ebay. 60 gig PS3's are now fetching about $700, pretty close to retail. Wii's, on the other hand, are still fetching $450-500 or more.
Regardless of all of this, I think you'll find that supply is going to catch up with demand fairly quickly. The idea that you won't be able to find a Wii by the end of February is pretty laughable.
Game_Hunter @ Dec 27th 2006 12:17AM
I think the real question for the Wii is the demand. If they have expanded beyond the borders of the traditional gaming audience I don't think it's unreasonable that demand could oustrip supply for months yet. If they also keep the supple of intersting quality games coming as Reggie has promised then I think that'll drive demand as well. It'll be fun to watch it play out.
On the PS3 I think it's mostly a matter of Sony overcoming their production difficulties and stopping the flow of exclusives away from the system during this rough patch. That said, I don't see the demand being very high at the current prices. Here in Taiwan I can go to the local game shops and buy one right now and we only got 500 for the entire country. You can also use eBay as a dipstick for demand and right now the demand is low to non-existant.
Basically, for the current prices, Nintendo still has plenty of customers and Sony is running out.
Jordan H @ Dec 26th 2006 10:47PM
I'm really getting sick of this. Nintendo is randomly shipping out these shipments of the Wii. The last time I knew for sure there was going to a shipment was on Dec. 17th. I waited in line and was two away from the last ticket to be given out. Now it seems as if I have to wait in line daily in the wee hours of the morning and hope for a SHIPMENT at the very least if not an actual ticket to get one.
This is really pissing me off and maybe if Nintendo would actually tell when their going to ship them out we would have a fuckin' chance.
When you have a Wiimote and two Wii games, but no Wii... Looking at them just kills you inside.
ic0n7 @ Dec 27th 2006 8:32AM
well i have been looking on ebay and since xmass that a hole day :D the numbers of wii's has droped and so has the price its gone from over £400 (uk) to well any thing from £200 - £350 (uk) but prices and amounts of games had gone up
so as some shops got a 2nd and 3rd shipment of wii's in before xmass when they advertised this to happen in jan i think come the new year we will see the shops fill with wii's sell last one or 2 pre-orders and start trying to sell them day to day as they do with the 360
vidGuy @ Dec 26th 2006 11:51PM
My parents bought my brother a Wii for Christmas, the second for my family since I'll be taking the one I bought on launch day back to college with me in January. My mom stood in line for 3 hours at Gamestop to get the fourth of the five Wiis they were getting in. There was a line of over 20 people, so they turned away more than a dozen hopefuls the week before Christmas.
The same day, the store got in 4 PS3s, all 60GB-ers. 3 of those 4 are still on the shelf. They paid a guy to stand at a busy intersection and hold up a sign that said "PS3s In Stock at GAMESTOP" or something like that all day and only one person came to buy one.
There's at least a dozen PS3s available in my town of 20,000. The Wii sells out within minutes every time a new stock is available. Go figure...
BTW, that brings my Wii holdings up to:
2 Wii Consoles
5 Remotes
4 Nunchuks
4 Remote Gloves
LoZ:TP
Madden 07 Wii
2 Wii Sports discs
Mark @ Dec 27th 2006 5:53AM
I walked into my local EBGames today JUST as the UPS truck was delivering a new shipment of Wiis...and I was STILL unable to get one. I don't think March is out of the question. Personally, after today, I am completely giving up. I am so mad at this point I wouldn't take a Wii if it was given to me. I know that sounds ludicrous, but from losing out to line cutters on release day to endless failed attempts since then, I have decided that nothing is worth that much aggravation and heartache. I will not fight with the crowds and I certainly will not buy one from the greedy folks selling them on Ebay like they were crack cocaine. It's only a game, and if I have to keep my $250 in the bank, then that's fine too. At this point, the only reason I would buy a Wii is so I can jab a finger into the sky and say "See Universe! YOU LOSE!!! I got one despite your best efforts to keep one out of my hands!!!"
If I sound bitter, it's because I am. I have not been interested in any other game system, not since the Atari 2600, so that means it is unobtainable. I am the non-gamer that Nintendo has been targeting.
hepme @ Dec 27th 2006 1:47PM
FYI, EB games got a shipment in today at around 2pm here in Southern Cali. I still can't find one though :( I just called about 8 of them, and one of them told me they were in the process of selling their last one. Son of a...
Hope yall have better luck
dukemeiser @ Dec 26th 2006 6:44PM
A friend of mine walked into a Walmart on Friday and saw two Wiis and two PS3 on the shelf. I think you'll be able to get one easy after Christmas.
Damien Benoit @ Dec 26th 2006 7:36PM
Wow really? Insane because my dad got my a Wii Gift Card from Walmart.com and I keep calling all the local walmarts and asking and all they say is they wont get none till next year or they dont have any clue.
I wish walmart had a stock site that shows where they have something. Im going crazy here, I already got extra remotes and games and i practice swinging those things around... but no console yet!
Bishma @ Dec 27th 2006 10:18AM
I walked into Best Buy in Salem, Or this morning and thy had 30 Wii's (which were disappearing quickly) but I checked every big name electronics store in 2 decent sized cities and I wasn't able to find additional wiimotes. So now I have my shiny new Wii, but I have to play solo.
Still it's better than being the other way around... swinging a wiimote around at the television and wondering why Letterman doesn't do my bidding.
gamemoose @ Dec 27th 2006 2:26AM
Well, I live in a small town, and our Walmart says they won't have shipments in until March, but I hope that when the rest of the world has full access to the Wii, either prices on Ebay will go down or the Wii will be available on Amazon (or Walmart, etc.)
GMoney @ Dec 27th 2006 7:43PM
I agree with those that think demand will outstrip supply for at least another month or two. I was able to get one at the local Wal Mart by pure luck (had 2 left behind the counter). The Wii has been a pleasant suprise. I actually found myself sore after a marathon day of bowling, baseball, tennis and boxing. I still love my 360, but the Wii is in a league by itself. Good luck to all trying to find one.
Dogs @ Dec 27th 2006 5:37PM
It's all about luck. Day after Christmas I waltz into Circuit City looking to spend my $25 gift card and lo and behold they just got a shipment of Wiis in (only 4, one box I'm assuming) so I used the $300 I was given to buy a Wii with and bought one. Can't find any extra remotes or nunchucks, though.
Luck is the name of the game until things get worked out.
Mies van der Robot @ Dec 27th 2006 5:58PM
He may well be right about the Wii, but for the wrong reason. I expect that by mid-January, supply will be sufficient to satisfy the *current* level of demand, but that won't be good enough.
Nintendo has already completed their launch in all major regions, including Europe (which is still on Sony's agenda). They also don't face the challenge of correctly balancing manufacturing of two different models of the console. A Wii is a Wii is a Wii. So, with the Christmas demand spike behind us, they ought to be ready to catch up to the demand curve.
But...
The problem Nintendo faces is the ever-increasing nature of that "current" level of demand. The system markets itself when gamers like me take it to the family Christmas gathering and put Wiimotes in the hands of multiple confirmed non-gamers.
Families are already setting up those recently Christmas-gifted Wiis, and soon students will be taking their systems back to college. Every one of these is a tiny node of viral marketing.
People who touch one, want one. Consequently, it's anyone's guess when the supply and demand curves will finally line up. If the Wii becomes a runaway mass-market hit, it could be months.
Mabui @ Dec 27th 2006 9:56PM
My brother was basically told at the local EB not to hold his breath on getting a Wii. Basically that they would probably be hard to get until MARCH. Which I find sorta hard to believe, I mean, if Nintendo manages that and continues to ship increasingly more units to each of the countries I don't think any system will have a chance against it.
Basically they are selling this system on almost Wii sports alone. If they release the other 3 wii titles (Motorsports, Music and Play) I can imagine it being a very good year for Nintendo.
martin @ Dec 28th 2006 11:54AM
This morning, my local Target got a shipment of 18 Wiis. I rushed over with a friend and we each bought one. Without itrackr.com, i'd be depressed instead of writing this from Wii Opera.
pissed off @ Jan 2nd 2007 9:11PM
i am so pissed off i live in the uk and cant get a wii anywere!!! nintendo is relli pissing me off by not shipping enough wii's over here, but they have the nerve to launch near chrismas.grrrrrrrrrrrr... hopefully i can get one in mid january other wise i give up and im buying a ps3 fuck it!