according to IGN.COM:
GameStop: Wii Shortage Should Lift in April
The retailer believes Nintendo has been intentionally withholding supply.
by Daemon Hatfield
March 27, 2007 - Speaking to investors during GameStop's Q4 2006 Earnings Conference Call, executives stated they believe Nintendo fans' long nightmare of Wii and DS scarcity is about to end.
In response to a question as to whether a low Wii supply would be a recurring problem with Nintendo, GameStop COO Dan DeMatteo said he believed Nintendo created the shortage on purpose. "I think they intentionally dried up supply because they made their numbers for the year," DeMatteo said. "Their new year starts April 1 and I think we're going to see supply flowing."
DeMatteo stated he believes the DS Lite drought should be ending in April as well, though he made no claims as to what was causing the supply problems for Nintendo's handheld. The DS was the best-selling system in 2006, and GameStop believes the two screens could pull it off again this year.
As of this writing, Nintendo could not be reached for comment.
if this is true, It will be nice to see them on store shelves soon...
yeah I think it's sleezy, but it's Nintendo's way of keeping the hype alive a little longer. I mean once they flood the market with Wii's then you won't be reading articles about how Circuit City will have them on this day on a Sunday.
All that being said, I got a Wii and had to loose sleep in order to get one. For those who don't have one already, they can't really complain, cause they weren't trying hard enough.
But what's the point?
Anyway... who cares... I have mine...
The point is that Nintendo keeps their name in the press and online for a little longer. It's not a big story when every retailers has Wii's in stock. When they keep the public wanting by sending a couple hundred out every-so-often, it keeps the buzz alive.
Even if they are withholding right now, who cares...there's 3 days left until the fiscal year is over...If this is true we'll know soon enough when they flood the market in a week or so...
hey pizza, why don't you go to the official site of the Wii numbers and such. that way you can just put that info on your sig and it will be updated when they change.
Right on, Green, I had made that a while back when the first annouced 6 million. For some reason VGcharts changed it back to 5.5 million 10 minutes after posting the 6, so had to rep the 6 even if it got flipped back
At the same time, not selling consoles when they could be selling them (especially if both competitors have a healthy supply) is not a good business plan. You have to consider that Nintendo has sold 6 million Wii consoles in 4 months. I saw someone do the numbers here, and it turned out to be something like 70,000 units per day being produced, shipped, and distributed to meet that kind of demand. Increasing production might mean building another factory, hiring new employees, and training them, which is a long, expensive process that might not be completed before demand settles enough for their current production ability to catch up, thus negating the need for the new factory.
You're just seeing what can happen when a product becomes ultra successful and breaks the limits of their industry's standard market audience. How many people thought they needed a digital music player before the iPod? Nintendo is doing the same for the video game console, which has been their plan since the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System, not video game system)
nice point, and whether or not they withhold units doesnt bother me at this point, i am anxious to see when supply outstrips demand,
I had March 15 in the pool *sighs*
Why would nintendo withhold when they could be kicking some sony butt? They know that people love it so why would they hold back on the shipments?
posted in the other thread...
George Harrison, Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing, apparently didn't appreciate the accusation from Gamestop COO Dan DeMatteo that Nintendo was strategically waiting until the start of the new fiscal year to ship out more Wiis. He countered with something that seems a lot less corporate cloak-and-dagger, and a lot more common sense: Nintendo is, in fact, selling a whole lot of Wiis in three regions, and that is why there's a perceived shortage.
Harrison went on to speculate that DeMatteo's comments were an attempt to get some of the Wii supply diverted to Gamestop. You'd think he would have learned a lesson about such speculating from the very thing he's responding to, but perhaps we're expecting too much.
source
Well Mr. luben... they are already kicking Sony butt. So they don't really have to worry about them yet. Their main focus should be making more ground on Microsoft while the hype lives.
Joker's post makes the most sense. Sure people want to buy something more if they can't get it but with the demand that is currently there they could fill half of it and still have a lot more demand. They are producing as fast as they can without having to do as Joker mentioned. I'm glad I got mine back in November and feel for those who didn't get one yet but don't give up. Eventually there will be Wiis on store shelves.
it still amazes me that they are still not on shelves and its almost April
fantastic job of marketing, promotion, heck-research and development for that matter-kudos
I still haven't got mine yet, I've been playing my friend's. I didn't get one at launch because I simply didn't have the money at the time, and when I had the money, they were all gone.
Who cares, I gots me one!
i have 400 dollars now and have yet to get one... maybe I should just buy an HDTV and save up for a wii later when they actually have some available >.<
400 bucks wont buy a very nice TV...i would go with a Wii, and finanace a big HDTV at Circuit City (no payment til 2010!!)
but i am in debt up to my eyeballs so dont listen to me...
3 Years to pay it off XD.
400 bucks wont buy a very nice TV...i would go with a Wii, and finanace a big HDTV at Circuit City (no payment til 2010!!)
but i am in debt up to my eyeballs so dont listen to me...
There was some 20" LCD HDTV's at Walmart for only $278 USD. Circuit city DID have 32" LCD HDTV's for only $499, but they aren't on sale anymore.
I'm gonna be getting a job next month, so im not gonna worry about it too much. ill have the money in no time