Nintendo says that Wii production is at an all-time high, but that massive consumer demand means it still might not be able to satisfy all punters hoping to get their hands on one this holiday.
"Nintendo has continually raised the production levels of the Wii hardware," said Reggie Fils-Aime, the company's US president.
"We're now producing 2.4 million units a month worldwide. Last year, we made 1.6 million a month. So we've made a 33% increase," he told the LA Times.
"One of our competitors projects they will sell ten million consoles worldwide this year. For us, that's three months of production," he added, in what could be viewed as a cheeky dig at rival Sony.
And what advice did he offer for shoppers hoping to score a Wii this Christmas?
"We're producing an unprecedented level of hardware to try to meet demand... Look at retailer circulars. Go to their websites. We're flowing products into stores on a very regular basis. Once you see it on the shelf, you ought to buy it.
"While we're bringing 50% higher level of supply into the market this holiday, we don't know if the demand will be even higher than that."
Nintendo's undoubtedly selling Wiis like nobody's business, but it has also been accused in the past of trying to manufacture demand by hyping up the possibility of shortages. So, how difficult is it to pick up a Wii at the moment?
We've had a look around the net and found numerous Wii bundles available immediately from specialist retailers like Game and Gamestation, as well as from online specialists Amazon.co.uk and Play.com.
We couldn't find the option to purchase the console online at a number of supermarkets, but it would take you a little longer to get hold of one from Tesco, which says Wii consoles are normally dispatched within 21 days.
So, if you want a Wii right now it's not much of an issue, but perhaps it will be harder to source one closer to Christmas. Or perhaps Reggie is just trying to build up the hype. What do you think?
Roughly translated: Lets make the stupid people panic buy the wii yet again.
My thoughts exactly. Unless they were really that stupid, they'd realise what was going to happen and gert a few more factories to produce...they'll have the money.
I honestly don't buy this bulls**t anymore, if anything it may be the 360 that sells out, it's cheaper than a wii with a more varied games line up with MS agressively targeting the casual market.
I think everyone who wanted a wii has got one now so demand won't even touch like it was last year.
The sad fact is the mass consumer will whip these off the shelves as soon as their put on.
They wont see the benefit in buying a 360 over the Wii, they'll just see funny boxing; bowling; fishing & other 'fun' party games and think how much 'fun' they will have playing these.
As Gamers we should probably be happy that something is putting our past time in the publics eyes, if only it wasnt the Wii.
I bought a Wii in the summer thinking "How awesome would it be to own a Wii and play Brawl and some of my old favourites on the VC?" Turns out it wasn't. *sigh*
I haven't even turned my Wii on in over a month. And I got it 3 months ago. People say the PS3 is the most expensive paperweight. I disagree...
"I think everyone who wanted a wii has got one now so demand won't even touch like it was last year."
Yet it continues to sell out. Have I missed something or is that statement so wrong it's not even funny.
And whether fanbois like it or not, the wii is giving the gaming market the kick up the bottom it's needed for ages. Sure theres a lot of crap being released for it amongst some really very good games, but there was a hell of a lot of crap released on the ps2 aswell. And that didn't do too badly did it, despite being the slowest machine tech wise.
The wii selling in bucketloads doesn't effect you, the so called "hardcore" gamer who's too cool to have a wii. It's not going to stop developers from creating games for your system and it's not going to cause the end of "hardcore" games.
Those of us that are lucky enough to have more than one of the current gen consoles will carry on buying games for both their wii and their ps3/360 and will be happy in the knowledge that they are getting the best of both worlds while fanbois whine about the death of the hardcore gamer. Megaman 9 is the only true hardcore game now anyway.
"I think everyone who wanted a wii has got one now so demand won't even touch like it was last year."
Yet it continues to sell out. Have I missed something or is that statement so wrong it's not even funny.
And whether fanbois like it or not, the wii is giving the gaming market the kick up the bottom it's needed for ages. Sure theres a lot of crap being released for it amongst some really very good games, but there was a hell of a lot of crap released on the ps2 aswell. And that didn't do too badly did it, despite being the slowest machine tech wise.
The wii selling in bucketloads doesn't effect you, the so called "hardcore" gamer who's too cool to have a wii. It's not going to stop developers from creating games for your system and it's not going to cause the end of "hardcore" games.
Those of us that are lucky enough to have more than one of the current gen consoles will carry on buying games for both their wii and their ps3/360 and will be happy in the knowledge that they are getting the best of both worlds while fanbois whine about the death of the hardcore gamer. Megaman 9 is the only true hardcore game now anyway.
True. And i'd say the best way to play it is on the wii. define irony.....
"One of our competitors projects they will sell ten million consoles worldwide this year. For us, that's three months of production"
That's great Reggie, I'm happy for you. But the ten million people who buy the other console will actually have some decent games to play this christmas.
With all the high profile releases this week I simply haven't had time to give my Wii its monthly dusting. Sort it out Nintendo, give us some f**king games.
I don't give a s**t about hardware sales, I want games to play. Out of the 6 current gen platforms, the one with the biggest userbase has the worst game library. What the hell kind of ass backwards bastardry is that?
As we keep getting told, it's not about the console it's about the games.....it's funny how it changes when people defend the wii against 'fanboys'
Yes, the console has some great games but it's still afflicted with the same problem as the gamecube before it. So they're better at marketting now, the problems are still there and people have a right to their cynicism.
When a console is known more for it's control mechanic than the games that's a worry.
The sad fact is the mass consumer will whip these off the shelves as soon as their put on.
They wont see the benefit in buying a 360 over the Wii, they'll just see funny boxing; bowling; fishing & other 'fun' party games and think how much 'fun' they will have playing these.
As Gamers we should probably be happy that something is putting our past time in the publics eyes, if only it wasnt the Wii.
If you were a true gamer you would see the good in all the current consoles. I personally do not have a PS3 but I can see the good points it has. All the current gen machines have their plus and minus points, the wii is certainly not alone in that. I personally think the Wii is a great console and has some truly brilliant games. Yes I want more but then I always do and I want more for the 360 and PS3 too.
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Anyone who thinks it is easy to just simply set up another factory to supply demand clearly knows nothing about the complex art of supply chain. Many of the components will be out of nintendos control (the chips, resistors, batteries, memory etc) and as such Nintendo have to find supply of these items or convince the supplier to give them priority. With IBM manufacturing the Wii and 360 chips and with the trouble with memory chip supply for just about anything it is not easy to just up production by large numbers.
The sad fact is the mass consumer will whip these off the shelves as soon as their put on.
They wont see the benefit in buying a 360 over the Wii, they'll just see funny boxing; bowling; fishing & other 'fun' party games and think how much 'fun' they will have playing these.
As Gamers we should probably be happy that something is putting our past time in the publics eyes, if only it wasnt the Wii.
If you were a true gamer you would see the good in all the current consoles. I personally do not have a PS3 but I can see the good points it has. All the current gen machines have their plus and minus points, the wii is certainly not alone in that. I personally think the Wii is a great console and has some truly brilliant games. Yes I want more but then I always do and I want more for the 360 and PS3 too.
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Anyone who thinks it is easy to just simply set up another factory to supply demand clearly knows nothing about the complex art of supply chain. Many of the components will be out of nintendos control (the chips, resistors, batteries, memory etc) and as such Nintendo have to find supply of these items or convince the supplier to give them priority. With IBM manufacturing the Wii and 360 chips and with the trouble with memory chip supply for just about anything it is not easy to just up production by large numbers.
Your right it might not be easy to set-up a new factory to produce the wii but they would have had nearly a year to try and obtain the resoucres to do it, as the forecasted projections for xmas 08 based on last year should have shown that. It's just bad business sense, they might get away with it one year, maybe two but the third year running is taking the p**s! All this type of press coverage does is make people panic buy and the real people who benefit are the companies selling bundles with s**te games no-one wants and people selling the wii for a high price on ebay!
I bought a Wii in the summer thinking "How awesome would it be to own a Wii and play Brawl and some of my old favourites on the VC?" Turns out it wasn't. *sigh*
I haven't even turned my Wii on in over a month. And I got it 3 months ago. People say the PS3 is the most expensive paperweight. I disagree...
You've had the console for three months and you can't find enough games to satiate your gaming need?
That's not the consoles problem. Either you're a picky son of a bitch or you need to play less games.
We are all serious gamers here and there are hardly any decent games for it, so fu*k the Wii.
The Gamecube was third for a reason, it wasn’t that good. I loved the SNES so don’t start any Nintendo hating bullturd on me.
The irony in your post astounds me.
Let me guess... 14 year old kid that grew up most likely on the ps1/2, bagging on a Nintendo console for reasons you couldn't really explain, other than maybe all your friends in school call it "a kiddy console"?
I bought and loved both the N64 and Gamecube. The N64 was for me the peak of Nintendo's gaming franchises. Everything else has been about trying to emulate their successes, bar Metroid.
I did not buy a Wii, not because of fanboyism but because of the fact they've not fixed the problems that was there, but shifted their focus and ignoring it completely.
Mass Market is fine, and doesn't necessarily have to mean bad games. Mario Galaxy was awesome, I just feel that the casual market is set to burst unless we see something truly innovative from Nintendo themselves that isn't Wii music etc...
I mean come on, mario kart and brawl both totally disregarded the control setup anyway.
I like the wiimote but it's the games I want, where the f**k are they?
To translate; "Sorry Nintendo fans but we don't have a killer app for this fall to rival the 360 and PS3. Instead we'll knock up a Wii Fit bundle and watch them fly off the shelves while s******ing to ourselves and swimming in our new found cash."
Don't get me wrong, I own a Wii and it has some great games but so far they've all be from Nintendo, much like the problem GC suffered from. Sadly Nintendo only had 2 killer apps this year and wasted them both in the spring, meaning my Wii will gather dust this fall as I enjoy the stupid amount of quality games being released on 360 and PS3.
Its funny reading all your sad ass snooker cues' comments on here. "Nooo! The Wii can't sell!" Got no games"... Blah blah f***ing blah.
Really, get over yourselves. You idiots crank off at the thought of a new CoD or FIFA each year but moan about Nintendo and them having "no" games and releasing the same stuff. I'll only be buying Gears of War 2 as the rest of this so called "great" Xmas line is the usual shoot em and/or boring s**t. Maybe only Dead Space and Fallout 3 are the only other games I'll consider but the rest is tat. And next year brings what? Street Fighter IV and Resi 5 are certs at neing ace. Nothing worth noting after that.
I mean, are you all f**king blind and stupid?! Can't you see you're just playing the same game styles?? There's sod all originality to what you're playing. They may be fun but so are Nintendo's games. Its not their fault third parties are s**te but at least some are trying, like Capcom and Sega with their forthcoming line ups.
I don't really post on here anymore cos its full of idiots. Half you f***ers can't even spell or have basic grammer skills, yet you moan about s**t. Go get some fresh air or something instead of beating yourself up over the 'opposition' 'winning'
We are all serious gamers here and there are hardly any decent games for it, so fu*k the Wii.
The Gamecube was third for a reason, it wasn’t that good. I loved the SNES so don’t start any Nintendo hating bullturd on me.
The irony in your post astounds me.
Let me guess... 14 year old kid that grew up most likely on the ps1/2, bagging on a Nintendo console for reasons you couldn't really explain, other than maybe all your friends in school call it "a kiddy console"?
How far off am I?
Bang on the money.
How a machine that had the highest rated games, many of the best third party games and the best multiplayer experience last gen can be considered bad is ridiculous. I bet that if the word 'Gamecube' was replaced with 'Dreamcast' he would scarcely be able to contain his tears.
I do think that Reggie's gloating is a bit unnecessary though.
i have never really liked reggie that much. i only own the wii (why own an xbox 360 when all my friends have them?), but i don't think that they will be drastically hard to get this christmas. it'll only be for the casual gamers who wanna play the mediocre wii music.
Friends romans and countryman , lets just sit back and enjoy gaming. I as many know have been a ninty fan sis mario bros originals, all the way to the currant wii, i have been pleased with the success that it deserves because it is trying to be something different,as somebody up page said, the games industry needed a kick up the backside, going through just shooting games footie games would of killed the industry,i respect x360 far more then PS3, some yes i think nintendo will outstrip x360 this christmas but its good as long as we keep sony in the place they deserve,When nintendo were going through tough times it wasn't x360, fans banging on about how crap nintendo console where years of its a kiddy console when all ages can play. nintendo deserves to be no1 this time around i feel microsoft may just do it but i think nintendo will be even better if when the next console comes out along with the new handheld.
We are all serious gamers here and there are hardly any decent games for it, so fu*k the Wii.
The Gamecube was third for a reason, it wasn’t that good. I loved the SNES so don’t start any Nintendo hating bullturd on me.
The irony in your post astounds me.
Let me guess... 14 year old kid that grew up most likely on the ps1/2, bagging on a Nintendo console for reasons you couldn't really explain, other than maybe all your friends in school call it "a kiddy console"?
How far off am I?
How childish.
For the second time I loved the SNES and equally the N64, you havent even noticed my Saturn avatar.
By the way, I’m 29 and started my gaming on the Amstrad CPC 464 followed by the following machines which I still have:
CD32 Jaguar Lynx Bandai WonderSwan Crystal Commodore 64 Xbox Xbox 360 Elite Neo Geo MVS Neo Geo Pocket N64 DS Gameboy Gameboy Advance Gameboy Micro (Famicom Version) Gamecube Nes SNES Wii 3DO FZ-1 32X Dreamcast Gamegear Mastersystem Mega CD Megadrive Saturn Sinclare ZX Spectrum +2 Sony PS1 Sony PS2 Sony PS3 Sony PSP
How a machine that had the highest rated games, many of the best third party games and the best multiplayer experience last gen can be considered bad is ridiculous.
I didnt exacly say it was a bad machine did I? Its just not the great machine that Nintendo fanboys think it is.
I bet that if the word 'Gamecube' was replaced with 'Dreamcast' he would scarcely be able to contain his tears.
Names mean nothing to me, games do.
Jesus you can’t critisise anything without being acused of being a fanboy here.
They did last year as well. To be honest I think every console will sell out. Maybe even the ps3 this year. Ps3 and 360 are both reasonably cheaper than last year. So there will be some competition. From working in a game shop at christmas time I'd say it will be roughly the same outcome this year.
We are all serious gamers here and there are hardly any decent games for it, so fu*k the Wii.
The Gamecube was third for a reason, it wasn’t that good. I loved the SNES so don’t start any Nintendo hating bullturd on me.
By that logic, the fact that the Wii is first in terms of sales means it's really good.
Whatever console has mainstream appeal usually places first, and that's about the only reason. The PS2 was last gen's Wii; massively appealing to the masses, bogged down with average and poor games but gems amongst the crap.
Although the Wii is more prone to the shovelware crap with it's 'gimmicky' control scheme.
I didnt exacly say it was a bad machine did I? Its just not the great machine that Nintendo fanboys think it is.
No machine is as good as the fanboys think it is (well perhaps apart from the Amiga ). The 360 is nowhere near as good as the MS fanboys think it is, The Wii is not as good as the nintendo fanboys think it is, the PS3 is not as good as the Sony fanboys think it is and the iPhone is not even close to how good the mac fanboys think it is. That is fanboyism for you. This however should never cloud judgment on what are some great products. We are spoiled this generation in terms of machines but games on all 3 consoles are lacking. At least Nintendo have created a tool to encourage innovation, it is up to the developers to use the tool to it's maximum. When wii fit was announced and I saw it in action I had very severe doubts yet after playing it at a friends house I was amazed at just how much fun it was to play. I started playing games for the fun factor and this has not changed in 28 years, fun is the number 1 priority when I play a game and the Wii has it in bucketloads. It is cetainly a welcome change from the endless deluge of shooters which are churned out on a almost daily basis nowadays. At the end of the day all the current consoles offer something unique. The 360 has a fantastic online service, the PS3 has it's high capacity bluray drive and the Wii has it's innovative controls and virtual console. Everyone needs to stop moaning and look at the positives rather than the negatives.
If the overclocked gamecube(wii)was at a price i think it deserves to be(Ł99), i'd be very tempted to get one.
Full marks to Nintendo for pulling off an unbelievably overpriced console and making it a success, but i've become very pigheaded about how i'm not going to buy one at those inflated prices. It's strange, it's almost like i've taken a disliking to the machine due to it's price, when really i should be congratulating Nintendo on making it a success.
To be fair, the only games i'd like on it are mario galaxy and metroid. The rest seem to be quirky girly kiddy titles that have no appeal(to me anyway).
All this "we might not be able to supply wii demand this xmas" annoys me as well. I just can't believe how popular it's been, it really isn't a very good machine. I'm stunned how they've tricked the world into splashing out on an outdated machine. They're obviously doing something right though.
If the overclocked gamecube(wii)was at a price i think it deserves to be(Ł99), i'd be very tempted to get one.
Full marks to Nintendo for pulling off an unbelievably overpriced console and making it a success, but i've become very pigheaded about how i'm not going to buy one at those inflated prices. It's strange, it's almost like i've taken a disliking to the machine due to it's price, when really i should be congratulating Nintendo on making it a success.
To be fair, the only games i'd like on it are mario galaxy and metroid. The rest seem to be quirky girly kiddy titles that have no appeal(to me anyway).
All this "we might not be able to supply wii demand this xmas" annoys me as well. I just can't believe how popular it's been, it really isn't a very good machine. I'm stunned how they've tricked the world into splashing out on an outdated machine. They're obviously doing something right though.
What is outdated about it? Graphics do not make games good. Also will you be slinging the same overclocked mud at the PS4 when it comes out (as it is rumoured to either just be 2 cells strapped together or use a more powerful cell processor). I would also not be surprised if the next 360 just uses more powerful Power PC chips. In fact the PC has been doing exactly the same thing for it's whole life! It is also not overpriced as something is worth waht people will pay for it. As it is still outselling the other consoles and Nintendo can sell as many as they can produce then it is worth what they are asking for it. The PS3 would still be launch price if they could have shifted enough! I think I paid Ł350 or even Ł399 for my PS2 and the wii launched much cheaper than that.
The other lesson that Nintendo learned was that selling cheap sometimes devalues the console. The gamecube was so cheap that it was perceived to be the least powerful of the last gen consoles. In fact it was much more powerful than the PS2 (which was even less powerful than the dreamcast) and not much less powerful than the xbox. I saw an expiriment once which involved selling tap water. They went out onto the street to give away glasses of the stuff for free and no one wanted any yet when they went back with it bottled and priced at Ł2 they sold out despite clearly still telling everyone it was tap water!
They certainly wont satisfy demand for quality games.
Nintendo LOL.
& for the record, the GC was not very good at all. N64 & SNES ruled though.
DC isnt as brilliant as everyone makes out either. There just seems to be a thing for failed consoles where everyone has to defend them.
Thanks for putting it on the record as that obviously now makes it more true
DC was not perfect but it was more powerful and had better games than the PS2 yet it still failed. This was due to sonys clever and unrelenting marketing.
We have tons of them in stock at our store, and they are readily available from our main warehouse. Selling only roughly one a month though. Demand has slightly decreased round here, but I expect Wii-Sports 2 will make it pick up again, and an increse of stock of Wii-Fit would be most welcome too.
I own all three current gen consoles and the one that is used the least is the Wii. Thats not to say its a bad console, it just doesn't have the software to sustain long periods of play for me. Mario Galaxy consumed weeks of my life and I enjoyed every minute of it. Zelda was great but no great move forward for the franchise. SSBB is a great multiplayer game but I probably didn't give it enough time to truly enjoy it. Mario Kart was the same. Metroid was a great FPS that used the Wii controls really well but beyond these titles theres nothing that grabs me by the balls and says "PLAY ME!!"
The biggest issue I have is that when I'm playing one game I want to know theres something equally good or better on the horizon. Thus far, Nintendo haven't delivered and every time I finish a game on my Wii it gets switched off for a few months till something else catches my eye.
My PS3 gets almost as little use as my Wii but I do watch a lot of films on it plus I have WipEout and Siren which are quality games from PSN. The majority of titles that are available for PS3 and 360 always get bought for my 360. Dunno why, I have no loyalty to M$ in any way, I just prefer the way the system is set up and it may be just me, but the developers seem to produce a better product for the 360. I'm always reading reviews which claim the PS3 versions are sub-standard when compared to 360 in terms of performance.
Thats me said my piece, so feel free to pick holes in it.
yes the wii has a lot of s**t games on it but it also has some absolutely awesome ones.
All you morons that keep banging on about wiifit are obviously forgetting that the balance board is also going to be used for other proper games that i for one am looking forward. Skate it and the new raving rabbids are going to be a blast.
Finally a skateboarding game where you actually figuratively speaking stand on the bord.
You played zelda or mario, both class
and of course no more heroes was the mutts nutts more violent and funky than most other games out there.
there will be more good games coming but sadly we are going to have to wait for them.
When the wii is good its fantastic and you know it.
If you’re going to keep publishing stories on a computer games website about the Wii, you might as well start making a front page announcement everytime PopCap and their ilk release a new Flash-based mini-game. They’re all in the same area of ‘gaming’ now, and the worst thing is that’s something Nintendo seem to be proud of.
If you’re going to keep publishing stories on a computer games website about the Wii, you might as well start making a front page announcement everytime PopCap and their ilk release a new Flash-based mini-game. They’re all in the same area of ‘gaming’ now, and the worst thing is that’s something Nintendo seem to be proud of.
If you’re going to keep publishing stories on a computer games website about the Wii, you might as well start making a front page announcement everytime PopCap and their ilk release a new Flash-based mini-game. They’re all in the same area of ‘gaming’ now, and the worst thing is that’s something Nintendo seem to be proud of.
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). The 360 is nowhere near as good as the MS fanboys think it is, The Wii is not as good as the nintendo fanboys think it is, the PS3 is not as good as the Sony fanboys think it is and the iPhone is not even close to how good the mac fanboys think it is. That is fanboyism for you. This however should never cloud judgment on what are some great products. We are spoiled this generation in terms of machines but games on all 3 consoles are lacking. At least Nintendo have created a tool to encourage innovation, it is up to the developers to use the tool to it's maximum. When wii fit was announced and I saw it in action I had very severe doubts yet after playing it at a friends house I was amazed at just how much fun it was to play. I started playing games for the fun factor and this has not changed in 28 years, fun is the number 1 priority when I play a game and the Wii has it in bucketloads. It is cetainly a welcome change from the endless deluge of shooters which are churned out on a almost daily basis nowadays. At the end of the day all the current consoles offer something unique. The 360 has a fantastic online service, the PS3 has it's high capacity bluray drive and the Wii has it's innovative controls and virtual console. Everyone needs to stop moaning and look at the positives rather than the negatives.
