So, it's the new official
Wii day -- did you score one? We know a lot of readers have still been banging their heads against the wall in the search for a console, but with all the systems available today, we're hoping a few of you finally found your grail. Did you camp out? Was there a crowd? Or has your region seen a cooldown in the general rabid-for-Wii attitude? If you're like some in the U.S., maybe you got snowed or iced out of getting your hands on a console. Whatever, happened, we want to hear about it, so
tell us!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Brian @ Jan 21st 2007 10:53AM
I showed up at Target at about 7:55 this morning (opens at 8). There were quite a few people around, but most of them were with people buying, not actually buying. They had 18 total consoles, I got number 13. When I left there were still 4 there unclaimed.
xboxer @ Jan 21st 2007 11:24AM
Finally scored one.
It was 24 degrees and snowing, but a line started forming at Target about 7am. I was about #8 at 7:15. Vouchers weren't handed out until 7:50. There were about 20 people and about the same number of Wii's when they let people in at 8am.
Unfortunately, they only had about 5 controllers and 3 nunchucks and the people manning the boxes didn't know the difference. One guy was directing people to the accessories isle where there was nothing. Another girl was simply handing out the blister pack with either a nunchuck or controller and stating that it was all they had - not realizing there was a difference between the two blister packs that she was handing out. I was lucky to get a controller. A few poor souls only got a nunchuck.
The really amazing thing is that on the way home at 8:10, there was a sizable line at Best Buy across the street. Best Buy didn't open until 11am!!! I noticed a few cars ahead of me leaving the Target parking lot were apparently heading over to join the line across the street.
Circuit City, just a short distance down the road, had no line even though they open at 10am - an hour earlier than Best Buy.
Some unfortunate planning by some. Hope there are enough for those willing to brave the weather.
Kit Kat @ Jan 21st 2007 11:33AM
I got one when they first came out, but I did get my hands on another one for a friend. Last one too. This is the second time I was lucky enough to find one without really trying. First Wii, got it when I went to get milk, the second just to visit a friend who works at a game store and the rush for the Wii's finished leaving just one left.
der_kommissar @ Jan 21st 2007 11:56AM
Got one at Target. Got in line at 7:00 am and was #8. They had well over 20, and even people who came right before opening at 8 were able to score one. They said they did not have any extra controllers though.
allmodcons @ Jan 21st 2007 11:58AM
Scored one last night by chance. I was in a local Gamestop where I purchase most of my gear and just asked the manager off handedly if they had any Wii's, not even realizing that there was a big Wii event the next day. The manager knows me quite well and was nice enough to sell me one on the spot!
Znak @ Jan 21st 2007 12:07PM
I skipped.
I've wanted one since before Thanksgiving, but I've had bad luck and few opportunities. I was planning on coming out for the Target release (nice folk, there) but it was going to be 19 degrees with a steady 7-9 mph wind overnight, so I decided waiting outside from 6:30-8am was, frankly, nuts. Actual temps this morning were closer to 15 degrees, so I'm glad I stayed in.
Around 7 am I looked at my alarm clock and groaned with sorrow and regret anyway. I couldda had a wii. :(
Here's hoping that this dries up demand a little bit, and I can get one the civilized way.
Quetzalcoatl @ Jan 21st 2007 12:14PM
No luck,
Waited at my local gamestop (i had a gift card for christmas) manager came in and told me they had none. I dashed to BestBuy, and they told me they had fifty, but they sold out in five minutes.
needless to say, they were plenty of PS3s EVERYWHERE!
Kenny @ Jan 21st 2007 12:29PM
I went to look, but decided not to wait in line. I drove by the Target/Best Buy shopping center around 8:10 and there were about 50 people in line at Best Buy (so I assumed Target had sold out). I drove to another Best Buy and again there was a line of about 50 people. Considering they don't open until 10am, I wasn't going to stand in line for nearly 2 hours just to find out if I could buy one. I can wait until they're more readily available (I'm not really a gamer).
cchow32 @ Jan 21st 2007 12:44PM
I scored one!
Local target had about 30-40 consoles...got there at 7:55. Had no ticket but luckily I was still able to get mine. This is the second time Target has paid off...seems like ppl really blow it off as an "electornics" store. Everything I wanted from circuit city on Black Friday I got at Target, with no waiting whatsoever.
Mike @ Jan 21st 2007 12:54PM
Score!
Went to Circuit City around 8 and was surprised to find no line. A few people arrived during the hour and they handed out tickets at 9am. They had 13 consoles and about 10 people were in line for the tickets.
Josh @ Jan 21st 2007 1:04PM
I got to Best Buy at 10:07 (Best Buy opens at 10), and they were sold out of the twenty they received today. There was no line, but there were people standing in the purchase line who had bought some. Of course, I live in a fairly small town so there was no crazy lines at 6 a.m. But, such a sad, sad day none the less.
Zeromark @ Jan 21st 2007 1:42PM
I skipped.
I've wanted one since November, as many have, but due to a bit of bad luck, I haven't managed to score one.
However, I'm not one to stand out in heavy snow and freezing weather just for one, so I didn't go out this morning.
At this rate, I'm just going to wait until March or later when these things can be on the shelf for more than two mirco-seconds without being sold. Besides, Miamoto promised at the launch that other colors for the Wii and controllers would debut sometime this spring. Here's hoping for a red or a blue one!
spambot @ Jan 21st 2007 1:42PM
I got in line at Best Buy at 8am, and was only the 5th person in line. Around 8:30, two separate cars of teenagers drove by holding up their Wii's and screaming out the car windows. Then some lady came by to let people in the line know that Target just up the street still had 6 left. I drove over there while my wife waiting in line. I got one at Target and we were home and set up by 9:30 with our new Wii. It's now 10:40 and we would still be in line in the cold at Best Buy if that random lady hadn't come by.
Thanks random lady!
JM @ Jan 21st 2007 1:50PM
I got one at circuit city. I drove by Best Buy last night around 11:15 and there were people waiting in line. I drove by circuit city after that and there was nobody. I figured, well I can either camp out now and be guaranteed of getting one in 11 hours, or sleep in my nice warm bed, and take my chances. I took my chances, and I'm glad I did. I mosied into the circuit city parking lot around 8:30 to find about 10 people in line. Looked promising, so I became #11. They were supposed to pass out vouchers at 9 anyway, so I figured the wait wouldn't be too bad. Well 9 came and went. At 9:30, the Best Buy down the road passed out 25 vouchers, and at around 9:35, the remaining 25 people started trickling in to our line. 25 minutes later, a rep came out and basically told everyone behind guy #16 to go home, they had 16 consoles. People started counting off and I was relieved to realize I was actually #9, I moved up 2 places because one guy went home at the last minute and I had stupidly counted a kid and her mom as 2 people when obviously it was for the kid.
At any rate, 15 minutes later, I was home, with my wii in my hand and giggling like a schoolboy in a titmouse convention.
Total wait time: 90 minutes
Estimated temperature: 30 degrees F
Estimated body temperature during unboxing: 96 degrees F
Was it worth it? Definitely.
My only regret was I was unable to score a 2nd controller, but I can wait for that.
A guy in front of me ended up selling his place in line to another guy for $50.
Caleb @ Jan 21st 2007 1:52PM
i was in line at circuit city at 6:40, i was the only one there...at 9 they said the shipment hadnt come in yet, but it could be there any minute, at 9:50 there were 10 people and they came out and said, i dont know why you guys are waiting, they dont ship on sunday. then we complained and they were like, we just found out the shipment comes in at noon, so here are some vouchers and redeem them by 4. it took a lot of pressure from us to even get the vouchers...and no one has a wii controller ergh!
... @ Jan 21st 2007 2:16PM
Well, I'm in Denver... and yesterday there was like our 4th straight snowstorm, so I didn't get to go. It makes me mad. And it's always cold, so the snow won't melt, and we have like 18" of snow just lying there.
vidGuy @ Jan 21st 2007 2:28PM
I've had my Wii since launch, but my roommate scored one this morning. He went to Best Buy (city of about 50,000) and there were 25 people in line before the store opened. The first five had been there since 6 this morning. About 15 of the people in line were over 30, my roommate figured, and he said he heard several talking about Wii Sports. It sounded to him like they were getting the Wii for themselves, not their kids!
I swung by around noon to grab a classic controller, but they were out of points cards.
Since launch the following people I know have bought a Wii:
- me, on launch day
- one of my roommates, with me on launch day
- another roommate, today
- my parents, for my brother for Christmas
- my roommate's parents (in their mid-40s), for themselves
- a roommate's girlfriend - strictly for Wii Sports, Trauma Center, and a few DS-ports like Cooking Mama and Nintendogs (she doesn't have a DS but always wanted one)
That's six Wiis. There's only one GameCube between us. Shows what the Wii is already doing to the market, I think.
Alisha Karabinus @ Jan 21st 2007 2:32PM
Congratulations to everyone who got one today at last! Two of my friends didn't feel like braving the cold this morning and are out hunting now just to see if there are leftovers. If not, they figure that this should help even out some of the demand... so maybe they and those of you who didn't get lucky today can get one soon.
Nini @ Jan 21st 2007 2:48PM
It was pure luck that my family managed to snag a Wii today. The morning started with all of us waking up at 7AM, no particular reason. I managed to convince my mom we should head out for some Wii hunting. At first she didn't want to (she worked yesterday and was tired), but I convinced her. By 8:30AM we were on the road.
We first went to Target (that opened at 8AM), needless to say, they had no Wiis. My mom decided to go off to pay off her Target credit card, at that moment my brother and I went off walking to Circuit City. We waited about 2 minutes before they handed out vouchers. We were #11 of 11 Wii consoles they had.
We bought an extra Wiimote and Nunchuk, with Twilight Princess and Rayman. Our Circuit had a TON of Wiimotes, which surprised me.
John @ Jan 21st 2007 2:54PM
I went to my local (Bellevue, WA) Circuit City around 9am so we could get a voucher. There were about 20 people ahead of us in line. Some had even camped out overnight to get one. Around 9:30 a rep came out and told us there would be no Wiis sold today and that they don't have them. Needless to say that got a lot of us pissed off and there were many, many cries of false advertising. My girlfriend and I hopped over to best buy and were the 30th in line at 9:35 for 51 wiis. No controllers. We went back over to circuit city to see how it all ended but we found out nothing. The game stop next door opened at 11 and there wasn't anyone in line until 10:30 so I was the first in line to get a controller. They had a huge box of acessories and bout 25 wii's. All in all it was an exciting 2.5 hours.
Raymond @ Jan 21st 2007 3:53PM
GOT ONE!
got in line at circuit city at 7 this morning, they later put a sign on the door that they still hadn't received their shipment, but they would be getting 70 of them if we wanted a raincheck. so we ran over to best buy, 26th in line, and heard the store was gonna have 48 of'em. they handed out vouchers around 9:15 to the first 48 people, by the time the store had opened at 10 AM there were probably a good 100 people there, all for the Wii. (btw they had plenty of PS3's in stock). the oldest guy in line looked like he was about 80 years old and was buying it for himself.
my girlfriend and i were sweating outside in our shorts and t-shirts waiting for it, (probably around 80 degree weather), i feel for all of you that aren't in hawaii right now ;-)
~aloha
Caleb Dewberry @ Jan 21st 2007 3:55PM
hey john, im over in tacoma, the shipment just came in, and since i got a voucher this morning when the rep told us they didnt have them yet, i get one in about half an hour woot!
Mark @ Jan 21st 2007 3:57PM
I slept late, had a nice breakfast and called Best Buy at 11. They said "Thank you for calling Best Buy, we have no Wii's." They told me that they had 48 of them and they went instantly. I knew it was best not to even bother. The demand for this will not be satisfied for at least another two months, and I am not going to fight with crowds and crazy people to get one. The local Gamestop has a line outside its doors EVERY SINGLE DAY of people waiting to see if UPS is dropping off a shipment of Wiis.
I'll wait. I have, statistically, another 35-40 years to live. I'm sure I will be able to get one sometime in that time period.
bill palin @ Jan 21st 2007 4:40PM
In Boston they turned people away, I just happen to have a video early in the morning and then right as they turned people away.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5705617761027291955&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4620580323476813330&hl=en
Jedimonkey27 @ Jan 21st 2007 5:02PM
Woooooooooo!
My sister picked me one up from Best Buy. She didn't show up until 9:30 and was like 12th in line. WOoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!
Major Tom @ Jan 21st 2007 5:08PM
SCORE!
Best Buy at Beaverton/Cedar Hill Crossing: 12/20.
Sweet stuuf.
Jose Andrade @ Jan 21st 2007 5:28PM
Went to Best Buy in Manchester, CT at 9am (opens at 11). They were getting numbers and sending people away because of the weather. I got number 24 out of 48 consoles.
By the time they opened, all 48 consoles had already been assigned, and the very few that didn't get one got upset, yelled a little and then left.
I GOT A WII! :)
Tim @ Jan 21st 2007 5:36PM
my bestbuy says their shipment is still in "transit", so it could be a while before they get them out today, if they get them out today. If not, well, i'll be in line tomorrow waiting for my chance to get sum h-core Wii action going in my room. (though i will use the strap)
Spaz @ Jan 21st 2007 6:07PM
Grance ( #26)... So.... you cut in line ahead of people who had camped out, got a Wii unfairly before them, then bought a second one to scalp on eBay?
Are we supposed to congratulate you?
Sam @ Jan 21st 2007 6:08PM
showed up at the circuit city in columbus, georgia around 8:30 (opens at 10). I was number five in line. They handed out vouchers at 9:25 or so. They store had 30 wiis and all were gone when the store opened. I love the system so far and am about to go play trauma center!
Wii Boy @ Jan 21st 2007 6:49PM
i got lucky
after waiting 4 times for 4 hours straight today i want home with a Wii (its about god dametime)
I cant beleive they didnt have wario ware so i got Zelda and
metal slug (which i already beat)
I played wii sports for hours and im still playing (11:30-6:47)
Kaants @ Jan 21st 2007 6:51PM
I got to my local Best Buy at 8am. Me and my little brother were 12th in line. They didn't hand out vouchers until 10:40, and by then the line had grown to about 70 people. The guy handing them out said they had 50 units in stock, so yep definatly got mine and picked up Wario Ware Smooth Moves with it.
Jasen @ Jan 21st 2007 7:03PM
None for me. I stopped by Target at 8am (on my way to church - let's not reopen that discussion). There were about 10 people in line. The doors opened, we shuffled in, and the sales people were all "uhhh... we're sorry, we don't have any". I bolted to get to church on time. Who knows, maybe a salesperson with a clue was able to find the Wiis.
I stopped at a few places after church, but it was much too late. I went by CC to check out the accessories (skins for $5 :)) but they were wiped out. I'll probably take the ad to Wal-Mart and get them to price match.
Oh well, back to stalking my local Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart.
Did anyone get one from KMart? I see they had Wiis in their flyer, too.
Justin Burchard @ Jan 21st 2007 7:12PM
I went to a Circuit City in Annapolis with a buddy. I had never camped out at a store before and didn't know what to think. After reading many horror stories about people just missing out on Wii's, I was paranoid, so I arrived at 5:30 AM. It took two hours for the second person in line to arrive. That being said, a kindly father arrived shortly after began an "unofficial" signup sheet that allowed everyone to stay in their cars until 9:00.
Everything went quite well, aside from the teenagers drunk on power. We were ordered repeatedly to walk into the store in single file. I got the Wii, an extra controller and a good story to go along with it.
Also, the Circuit City had posted a sign the previous night stating that they would have 20 Wii's in stock, which I thought was a nice touch.
Erik @ Jan 21st 2007 7:14PM
i got one since the day it came out i was there since like 6 in the morning and it opened at 10 and there was about 20 people in line and were 25 wiis But today i passed by my local stores and it was crowded it must of been about 80 pepole in line! unfortunetly ive been looking to buy more controllers but no luck... man its hard to get attachments.
tripleanica @ Jan 21st 2007 7:47PM
i got one two weeks, but it was no walk in the park. for a couple of days straight i had to call 20 different places and none had any wiis, no DSlites either, PS3s they did have. i called during the morning noon and evening just to see if they got a shipment. one day i woke up too late to call in the morning... and when i called later in the day several places told me they sold out in the morning!!!! finally, a day or two later, a guy at wal-mart was nice enough to tell me that they were getting a shipment later in the day. so i kept calling. but one of the times that i called i was told that the shipment was most likely not going to make it. i called one more time and the units had just arrived!!! i rushed over there at once. i was the first to get one, as a matter of fact when i got there they hadn't even brought them out yet, they still had to check the items in. so i walked out with a classic controller, and the unit alone. i had bought zelda and an extra wiimote before hand. and anybody looking for a nunchuck or component cables i recommend nintendo's online store, i ordered both and received them within 3-4 days.
ryan @ Jan 21st 2007 8:19PM
It was 24˚ and the snow had just begun falling as I entered Best Buy's parking lot at 8:00am. I pulled a camp chair and a sleeping bag out of the back of my MINI and headed towards the line. There seemed to be an uncomfortable number of people already there, but as many of them were simply there to keep a purchaser company, I was actually buyer number 11 - a relatively safe position. I was still nervous, though, as my history shows a string of bad luck (except for finding a Saltwater Snapjaw loot card in the first pack of the WoW TGC I opened). At 8:30, the snow was intensifying with easily an inch of accumulation. The manager appeared and announced there were 30 and tickets would be handed out at 10:00. Time passed, the snow deepened and the line slowly grew longer. We didn't hit 30 until close to 10:00. The manager appeared just after 10:00 and placed a scrap of paper into my hand. I ran to my car, fired it up and attempted to thaw out for the next 45 minutes. The doors were opened at 10:55 for ticket holders only. Standing in the checkout line with my prized box, I called my wife and said "I have my Wii in hand", and then instantly had to suppress a snicker.
Grey Acumen @ Jan 21st 2007 8:57PM
I scored one! Woot! and a tale of ridicule worth sharing:
I woke up far earlier than I needed to, I was 1st to arrive at the store, but 4th in line becauseI waited in my car. I had chosen the circuit city primarily because they said they offered vouchers, they opened earlier and also I got that coupon from online(Which turned out to be worthless, despite being obtained directly from their website)
As it turned out, I locked my keys in my car in my haste to get in line. Fortunately, my wallet was still in my pocket, so I had no difficulty obtaining a Wii (thanks to joystick and Wiifanboy for letting me know ahead of time)
I ended up calling my folks to come unlock my door and I proceeded to head home from there.
Some initial reactions:
1.) How the heck do you get back to the Wii main menu when you've put in a gamecube game WITHOUT having to restart the Wii.
2.) How do you access the gamecube memory cards to transfer information and mess around with things?
3.) I had one slight error while reading my Wii Sports disk, but when I restarted my Wii, the problem didn't pop up again.
4.) WHRE THE HECK IS THAT LEFT-HAND OPTION FOR ZELDA:TP?!?!?! They showed the option in the booklet, WHERE IS IT IN THE GAME?
5.) Wii sports is both very accurate and simultaneously unresponsive. It's probably mostly getting the hang of things, but I do have a bit of trouble getting things to respond the way I want when I want. Otherwise, the motions are incredibly responsive
6.) It's been an hour and I'm already beginning to toolbox. I think it's more cause my TV is down so low.
7.) I seriously wish Wii supported 720, even though i don't have a tv that would take advantage, simply because I'd liek to see the browser able to take advantage of it.
8.) Weather channel is nice.
9.) www.albartus.com/motas/ is playable on the Wii. The big clunky hand makes it hard to aim though. Any way to turn that thing off when you're browsing the web?
10.) whoever says that the wiimote doesn't aim properly needs smacked. It's not absolutely precise, but good grief, it's darn close enough if you've set the sensor bar up properly.
James @ Jan 21st 2007 9:01PM
Baton Rouge here. Got mine today at Best Buy. I got there at around 4am (like an idiot). I was the only one there til about 7:30. The line was around 40 strong when the doors opened at 11am. They had 45 on hand.
BTW, the Target right next door to Best Buy had none. Zero. Nada.
owen @ Jan 21st 2007 9:40PM
I'm in Aus and I actually got mine a week ago, but I did get mine from K-mart. After calling EB games, dick smith, jaycar, they were all out of stock so I wandered into kmart and they had two sitting on top of the back cupboard. I was lucky.
Bruiser enjoys it too, though it wears him out:
http://www.ausphotos.com/gallery/d/622-1/Bruiser+with+Wiimote.jpg
Ligiod @ Jan 21st 2007 9:45PM
Woot!
I got mine at a new Costco. Waited in line for only about 4 hours at most. I was the 6th person in line. No one knew about it, since it was the Grand Opening of the store. Eventually there got to be 70+ people who i guess don't know anything about a new console?
It got even more epic for me! Got it on my birthday, and missed my first period class (i wasn't too focused that day). Even got a 42" tv (1080i) for $1000 while i was there. Almost got a Tickle-me-elmo X for sale on Ebay =3.
Consoles sold out in like 1 minute max. Many PS3 jokes were exchanged xD.
Got it on 11/29 beat Zelda (50h), and have a long play time on Wii Sports and Excite Truck.
Wii was kind of bear when i got it, but with a couple VC games and the weather channel, things are looking up!
Jennifer @ Jan 21st 2007 10:05PM
I've been planning my Wii hunting strategy all week. I originally was going to go to a new Target by me, figuring not a lot of people know there's a new Target and it's sort of hidden in a warehouse district near downtown Houston.
But being the diligent (okay, obsessive) Wii-researcher, I started reading on a couple boards that if the Wii console wasn't advertised in the local Target weekly, they wouldn't have any. Great source of info was the amazon.com Wii comments and crazy.org's Target inventory scanner. Seems like Texas didn't get any Wii shipments...nor did much of the southern U.S.
Got up this morning to check iTrackr, crazy.org and last minute amazon comments and gave up the ghost on trying Target. Figured if they didn't have any and I found this out at 8am when they opened, I'd be too late getting to CC or BB to try those stores. So I went to CC at 6:30am and was second in line for 9 available consoles. Many people were turned away, maybe like 20-30.
Now my brand-new Wii is all hooked up and purring. Ah, sweet success!
steve_mcqueen @ Jan 21st 2007 10:06PM
I went to Best Buy @ 7 am this morning and there were 3 people in line. The Best Buy had 48 to sell. By 10 when they opened, there were 32 people in line. They passed out tix around 9am so there would be no issues with getting them. They said the tix were good and would assure you a Wii from 10 til 11 if you wanted to leave line and come back, all you had to do was present it to the check out line and they would bring you your Wii.
patchmonkey @ Jan 21st 2007 10:20PM
I got one today - but I may have to do the repair thing. I've been trying to get on the Wii Shop channel all day, but the system just sits there saying "Please Wait, Connecting" for a long long time.
I don't get any error codes, but I can't connect to the shop.
ross @ Jan 21st 2007 10:22PM
Atlanta, GA
7am outing this morning. Scored Wiimote + 2 nunchucks at Target + Wario + Zelda at Target when it opened at 8. No consoles there.
Went over to Circuit City and waited it out until 9am for a voucher to purchase a Wii guaranteed within 2 hours of store opening. First in line. They only handed out 5 vouchers at that point (they had 20).
9:05 Went over to another area of town and hit the Target to snag a Wavebird and Classic controller. Checked out the Best Buy over there. Must have been 40 people waiting for only a guaranteed 20 consoles. Suckers.
10am. Back to Circuit City to pick up my Wii. All vouchers/Wiis are taken within 5 minutes.
Tequila Mockingbird @ Jan 21st 2007 10:36PM
Oh man...I had it easy.
Stayed up until 3 AM last night, thinking, "Crap, I gotta wake up in 6 hours if I want to get that Wii."
Well, Kansas City got about 6 inches of snow dumped on us last night. We had ice under the snow. I woke up at 10 AM, quickly got ready; Circuit City opened 10 minutes ago.
Then I realize I have to shovel my driveway (A good 30 feet of pavement on a hill). That took about 20 minutes shoveling barely enough to get the van out of my house.
So I'm on the road, I thought I might call Target. No wii's. So I called Circuit City, a half hour after opening, two wii's left. The guy said they've been getting a lot of calls and that I'd better hurry. Get at Circuit City around 10:45, two Wii's left, bought one with Zelda piece of cake, and I didn't even turn into a popcicle.
THen I looked around for Wiimotes; Target, Best Buy, EB Games, no one had them. So I called it a day and went home to play Zelda some.
Raycer @ Jan 21st 2007 10:53PM
I love my Wii, but no way I would have gone thru what some people have gone thru for it. My wife just asked a guy that worked at Kmart to let her know when they got them in and the week before Christmas, he held one for us till we came in the next day.
I love all my systems but no way I lose sleep to pick one up. Especially when it's stores that are creating the hysteria by holding back putting systems out on the sale floor so they can so "Super Sunday Sales". They are making the Wii slowly go into "fad" status and that to me is a bad thing.
New Wii Owner (formerly New 360 Owner) @ Jan 21st 2007 11:36PM
I got mine!!! I have been waiting since I saw the rumor on Kotaku earlier this week that retailers were hoarding for this Sunday again. I was at Best Buy last night at 11PM!!! The employees hadn't even left for the night yet!!! I stayed there until about 1AM, then took a trip down the road to the all night burger joint for some food and a restroom trip. I returned about 3AM and someone else was waiting. Another person parked, stayed a while, but left. I guess he didn't have the patience to wait until 11AM when they opened. The police even cruised through twice wanting to know why people were waiting 8 hours for the store to open. I told both officers the store was supposed to have Nintendo in stock today and that you have to camp out if you want one and they both thought we were all pretty strange. It was quiet most of the night, though. No criminals or hooligans or anything like that. Management started showing up from about 6AM onwards and the associates started coming in around 8 and continued to trickle in almost until opening time. At the point where there were about 6 customers waiting in their cars, (it was 19 degrees!!) Someone started walking towards the doors, so I jumped out and beat him to be first in line. :-D. Once the Sunday papers with the circular hit the newsstands, it started to get chaotic. People started coming in faster from around 7AM onwards. By about 9, I think most of our stores allocation of 48 had been spoken for. A lot of people drove through the parking lot but didn't bother to stop when they say all the people already waiting. Some people even showed up at quarter to 11 thinking they would be getting one. That was amusing. A couple showe dup around 8AM after leaving Target disappointed. They had already given out their numbers by 7AM because they opened at 8. A few people got pissed off at the guy at Best Buy who gave out the numbers an hour before the store opened complaining how it wasn't "fair". Hey, when I am there from 11PM the night before, how is it "fair" that you should get one and I don't or any of the rest of the people who had been waiting various amounts of time??? was what I was thinking. She said she phoned the day before was assured they would have some so she drove 40 miles to get there "early" at quarter to 11. Apart from the disappointed few, though, the ones who were able to get were very orderly and pleasant about the whole thing. No stampedes to get whatever they could lay their hands on or anything like that. I got the Wii, Zelda, a 512MB memory card and the two year extended warranty. The total for me was $406.56. Some of the people paid a lot more because they ended up getting extra remotes and nunchucks for the whole family or more than 1 game. All I am waiting on now is some of those Nintendo exclusives to hit. I want Mario Galaxy!!
Keith @ Jan 22nd 2007 12:24AM
To quote Colbert "Guess what...I gots me one!"
Anyways, I woke up around 5, left around six and got to the nearest Circuit City around 6:45 just as the snow started to fall. I was the third in line and they had posted on the store door that they had 8. By 7:30 the line was full, with some people coming over from Target reporting that they did not receive their shipment. Best Buy down the street had nearly 5 times as many but had massive amounts of people who were there from the night before. Only a few stragglers were unfortunate not to get one. I also picked up Wario Ware Smooth Moves. I do have to say that the learning curve for the games and console itself surprises me. Does anyone know how to keep the cursor from jettering so much?
Lost without a cause @ Jan 22nd 2007 12:26AM
You guys are so lucky unfortunately I am in Croatia (6 month business trip from England) and I did all my phoning round on launch but found there were only 20 consoles for the WHOLE COUNTRY!!! AND NO ACCESSORIES!!!
Life sucks in Europe.