Where have all the nunchuks gone? [update 1]
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Nov 19th 2006 at 3:00PM }
Nintendo forgot a little something in their Wii launch -- to pack a plethora of extra nunchuks to go with their Wii-motes. If your experience has been anything like this reporter's, than you too are minus any nunchuks to go with your Wii-motes (except for the one that came with the system). Eight stores and two states later, still haven't found one -- Amazon.com doesn't have them either. Now to start making phone calls all over the place, anybody else having this problem?Basic business would have dictated that people would get a nunchuk to go with their Wii-mote, so why wasn't it a 1 to 1 ratio? All the Wii-motes in the world and not a nunchuk to attach. Having friends over and not being able to play Rayman or Wii Sports Boxing has been a very disappointing experience.
It seems that some readers are having the complete opposite experience, heavy on the Wii-chuk, low on the Wii-mote. Reader Kevin pretty much sums it up, "Why dont they just package them together???" We'll look into that.
(Update 1: Updated due to feedback)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BB @ Nov 19th 2006 3:05PM
I'm having the same experience with the Wii Component Cable. We were all told we would be able to get the cable launch day, and yet no stores around me have them and they won't know when the cable will be coming in.
Dylan @ Nov 19th 2006 3:06PM
They might've put nunchuks lower on the priority scale thinking they wouldn't be quite as needed since the majority of single player games use it, and the majority of multiplayer games do not.
Seraya @ Nov 19th 2006 10:25PM
No problem with nunchuks here in rural Middlefield, Ohio. Was able to easily get a second remote and nunchuk with my Wii.
anghus @ Nov 19th 2006 3:08PM
At the Toys R Us where i got mine, there were at least 40 Nunchucks and No Wii Remotes.
icemorebutts @ Nov 19th 2006 3:08PM
When we went to buy ours we got 3 extra Wiimotes and 3 extra nunchuchs. The last of each.
Mike @ Nov 19th 2006 6:26PM
I wish I was having that problem. I have 2 extra nunchucks and no extra remotes. I went to 5 stores today and I cannot find remotes anywhere! Darn.
kevin @ Nov 19th 2006 3:11PM
a better question is why dont they just package them together???
Sloppy Seconds @ Nov 19th 2006 3:11PM
You gotta love when your life is full of irony. My Toys R Us ran out of the Nunchucks. Guess who got the last one? The person in front of me! Grrrr!
Arras @ Nov 19th 2006 3:11PM
That's the way it was at Circuit City this morning...lots and lots of wii-motes, but only a few nunchuks. Fortunately, I was third in line and saw the dilemma right away. Scarfed up mine right away.
ROFL @ Nov 19th 2006 3:12PM
I actually was 107th in line out of 120, and when i got to the counter, finally, they had one nunchuck left, and plenty of remotes. So I got an extra controller, 2 is enough for me now. But yeah, sorry for the 13 people behind me.
Disco D @ Nov 19th 2006 3:12PM
Yeah, no extra nunchuks for me. I even got the very last Wiimote. Oh well, not that important... for now!
Alfarif @ Nov 19th 2006 3:17PM
My experience with the Wii has been sour.
Apparently Nintendo forgot to update ALL their consoles and released some that NEED a START UP DISC but with no START UP DISC in the damn box!
So now I'm frantically calling every place under the sun to see if they just so happen to have a start up disc I can either 1) Buy or 2) Bring my Wii into the store and use to update with.
Congratulations Nintendo. A loyal fan just got screwed over by you.
tta123 @ Nov 19th 2006 3:22PM
At Gamestop, they had no Wiimotes or nunchuks. That is where I received my Wii. This morning went to Target they had 4 Wiimotes (I bought two) and no nunchuks. I just ordered my nunchuks and classic controller from nintendo.com. You would think they would have 2 or 3 extra to each Wii sold.
OTAM @ Nov 19th 2006 3:26PM
I actually have an extra nunchuck but NO WII REMOTE!
I'm the black sheep I guess.
RolinCode3 @ Nov 19th 2006 3:27PM
EB Games website has Nunchuks in stock for those of you looking for them online. I agree with the majority that there should at least be the option to buy a packaged Wiimote/Nunchuck combo.
vidGuy @ Nov 19th 2006 3:29PM
My store of choice, Toys R Us, had at least 30 nunchuks. I grabbed up one, and I'm glad I did.
vidGuy @ Nov 19th 2006 3:30PM
Alfarif, what are you talking about?
My system didn't come with a "Start Up Disc", and neither did anyone else's that I've heard of. And all the systems work great.
Namssorg @ Nov 19th 2006 3:31PM
estarland.com has Nunchuks ;) Just ordered one.
Yeah I went to 3 stores and they had all "just" sold out of the Nunchuks- and ALL the other accessories. Only a lonely Target had just opened a box of Wiimotes and Classic controllers, so I grabbed one of each.
ncxcstud @ Nov 19th 2006 3:32PM
#5
Probably because a controller (even a combo pack) that would cost close to $60.00 dollars wouldn't look to good next to the 10-20 dollar cheaper PS3 or 360 controller...
EihBeir @ Nov 20th 2006 1:01PM
They didn't have any extra controllers or nunchakus at the GameStop I pre-ordered from...but, I expected that, so I pre-ordered those along with my Wii and Zelda...which they were also sold out of.
Andrew @ Nov 19th 2006 3:36PM
To answer the component cable question, I believe it has been explained that you can order them online only, and that they would not be in stores.
Paul @ Nov 19th 2006 3:41PM
Wii Nunchucks - Walmart - Stillwater, OK
They had 20 Wiis, only 7 extra remotes, and 0 nunchucks. I was # 16, had absolutely no chance for an extra remote. Had to wait outside in the garden center for 31 hours. But it was a lot of fun. Everyone that was on the list to get one exchanged names and email addresses. It was freakin cold but we all had fun and clapped for each other once the Wiis were handed out
otakucode @ Nov 19th 2006 3:52PM
I headed to Toys R Us an hour before they opened and was #12 in a line of 16 or 17 or so. I ended up getting the last Wii ticket, ahead of a guy I work with who showed up a bit after me. One guy was there just to get the classic controller since none of the ebGames, GameStops, Circuit City, or Target has any. I got the Wii, Zelda, Trauma Center, an extra wiimote and nunchuk, and a classic controller. There were probably only 10 classic controllers on the rack, and an equal amount of wiimotes and nunchuks. I don't know if they had more in the back or what.
I really didn't figure there'd be much demand in this area (I live in central West Virginia) but apparently I was quite wrong. A few people had camped out in Walmart since Friday, and one guy had a tent at the local Circuit City.
Redbluefire @ Nov 19th 2006 9:09PM
Wow, I showed up one hour before target opened and got ticket number 48 (out of 60) for a wii.
PLUS they had 70+ controllers, nunchuks, each game, etc
Is Fort Lauderdale special?
Matt @ Nov 19th 2006 7:09PM
my local Gamestops got a 1:1 shipment of wiimotes/nunchuks, except in one instance where they were a single nunchuk short, and they handled it well by rock-paper-scissoring to see which employee had to give up their nunchuk :P
Matt Smylie @ Nov 19th 2006 3:58PM
I preordered an extra Wiimote and Nunchuk, and my Gamestop got them in just fine.
Although they didn't get the Classic Controller, even though I reserved that, too. But that's OK, because there's no VC games I want right now.
Kris @ Nov 19th 2006 3:59PM
I work in a game retail store and we were notified that there was a nunchuck "shortage" a few days before launch and that Nintendo was working to remedy this problem in the immediate future. We ended up getting 9 consoles, 5 wiimotes, and 3 nunchucks. We are also expecting a replenishment of consoles by the end of the week, but there was no definite confirmation of this, other than the fact that there will without a doubt be another shipment of wii's arriving before Christmas.
john @ Nov 21st 2006 9:01PM
Same here. I managed to grab one of the last Wiis at Circuit City, but they were out of all of the controllers (remote, nunchuck, and classic). Some girl was arguing with the staff because they wouldn't sell her accessories until all the Wii buyers had their pick. So after purchasing I ran next door to Target where they had 5 remotes left and no nunchuck or classic.
Cry Havoc @ Nov 19th 2006 4:22PM
The local wal-mart had 20 Wiis, 14 remotes, and 7 Chucks.
I was 14th in line, and got both an extra remote and another chuck.
On an interesting note, the store only had 17 copies of Twilight Princess.
the_godfather @ Nov 19th 2006 4:25PM
target had no nunchucks left by the time i got my wii, the real bargain was over at circuit city. they passed out vouchers for people with wii systems and they all left to come back later so there was no line come opening. arrived 5 min before the store opened, walked in, quickly snagged a wiimote, chuck, and zelda as cc had a 5$ off zelda coupon and the wiimote and nunchuck were both 5$ off ($50 total for the combo there). top it off with a 100$ gift card i had and everything was peachy.
playclever @ Nov 19th 2006 4:36PM
I pre-ordered a second Wiimote and Nunchuck earlier today (for the UK launch) - so with a bit of luck my Wii will get delivered promptly, I'll pop down to my local Game, and - presto! WiiSportsZeldaRetro goodness! :)
Actually, I was surprised they were selling Wiimotes and Nunchucks separately - as were the staff.
dokool @ Nov 19th 2006 4:37PM
I picked up my pre-ordered Wii at GameStop and was shocked to discover that they didn't get any of their peripheral shipments - no classic controllers, no wiimotes, no nunchucks. Went next door to Target (where there was quite the long line - they'd handed out tickets the previous night), walked over to their periph display stand, found several remotes and a couple classic controllers, no nunchucks. Got one of each, got in line. Started chatting with the kid who got in line behind me, who was lucky enough to get a wiimote and a nunchuck (the last one, in fact). He asked me to hold them for him while he ran downstairs to get cash, I did so, he came back, we waited in line some more. His friend joined me in line, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted that there was one more nunchuck in the display stand. One of them was nice enough to run over and grab it for me (I walk w/ a cane), so I ended up getting my second controller set.
One thing I will say, though - bundling the two together would make for a $60 controller, and that's just not cool. At least you'll hopefully be able to get cheaper third-party nunchucks soon. Personally, I plan to hold off on getting two more controller sets until I'm in Japan and the exchange rate favors me.
Alan @ Nov 19th 2006 4:39PM
I was at Walmart for the midnight release (1st in line!) and they also had a shortage of Nunchuk attachments. They had 20 Wiimotes but only 9 nunchuks.
Geoffrey @ Nov 19th 2006 4:55PM
I went to the Wal-mart at Deerfoot Meadows in Calgary, and they had 55 Wiis, maybe 20 Wiimotes, around 10 nunchucks, and around 15 classic controllers.
Not that it was a problem for me, since I was first in line :)
The biggest beef I had with it (and really, I have very, very few beefs - the store had the procedure set and it ran incredibly smoothly) was that their selection of games was BAD. They had maybe seven different games, and no more than maybe 20 of each of those 7.
But again, being first, I didn't really care. I got my Zelda, Madden, Monkey Ball, and Excitetruck. I do have to find Trauma Center elsewhere though.
Captain @ Nov 19th 2006 5:01PM
I got a free nunchuk with a wiimote purchase at the Meijers in Muskegon MI. i did notice that they didn't really have too many to go around, I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get my hands on them. It was a good night, its a sweet little system, but where are all the VC games, i don't even get any Super Mario? Damn.
Kuan @ Nov 19th 2006 5:05PM
My Target did not have a problem. They had more than enough games and peripherals to go around. They said they had enough nunchucks and Wiimotes for everyone to buy 3 pairs for a total of four per person.
Skullivan @ Nov 19th 2006 5:04PM
Sense would dictate that people might buy extra remotes but not necessarily nunchuks to go with them as they aren't required.
At the Target where I got my remotes/nunchuks there were more nunchuks left than remotes.
It is definitely idiotic that they sell them separately though. Seeing as the 360 and PS3 controllers are both $50, Nintendo should sell the remote/nunchuk together for $50.
Alfarif @ Nov 19th 2006 5:11PM
@Vidguy (#15):
Mine asks for a start up disc as soon as I boot it. Sad part is that the box has the sticker that removed the "start up disc" from the list of items in the box. So I'm sitting here with a Wii that doesn't work.
This is also a wide spread problem according to Nintendo, because I called and am getting a replacement unit (Wednesday is the delivery date). As soon as I said "Start up Disc" the guy went "Yep. Our calls are between that issue and the dying Wiis and we're getting hundreds of them every 30 minutes." So... be happy you can play. Many of us will be waiting until Wednesday or Friday to play.
Joe @ Nov 19th 2006 5:17PM
Try the online Nintendo store at http://store.nintendo.com if you're having trouble getting Remotes or Nunchucks.
Spencer @ Nov 19th 2006 5:21PM
Its easy to understand why they wouldn't package them together. If you had to replace one or the other, you wouldn't want to have to buy both parts of the controller again, if one half was still functional.
I don't have an answer for why they would distribute such an odd ratio though, especially at launch.
eggfou @ Nov 19th 2006 5:21PM
They are all sold out of BOTH around here. No wiimotes or chuks. Not even any of the classic controllers. Not Toys R Us, not Best Buy, not FYE (curse them) and not even Gamestop. Nintendo HAS to be happy with the accessory sell through rate. How many PS3 purchasers bought ANY accessories, or even games?
Ken @ Nov 19th 2006 5:23PM
It might be a problem of managers not ordering enough chucks
Jean Of mArc @ Nov 19th 2006 5:30PM
You should come to Canada. I had no problem getting a Wii system, an extra Wiimote, a Nunchuck, Virtual Console points, and Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Of course, who wants to come to Canada? All we've got are igloos and polar bears...
Karl @ Nov 19th 2006 9:19PM
I was 24 at a target of 40 Wiis, when I got into the store there were absolutely no controllers of any kind remaining. Me and my friend had to take turns playing Wii sports. They had plenty of Zeldas though... and controller gloves, lots of controller gloves.
Kevin @ Nov 19th 2006 5:34PM
Alfarif, you're an idiot.
There are no start up discs. Do you have friends or do you go online to post at blogs in spite because you don't?
Holden Dapen0r @ Nov 19th 2006 5:37PM
The Walmart I stood in line at only have 5 nunchuks.
Alfarif @ Nov 19th 2006 5:53PM
@Kevin (#38):
Wow... nice one. So you post on blogs to yell at someone who waited at Target with his girlfriend because he was excited then came home, plugged in his system, only to be greeted with a Startup disc screen? Nice name calling.
Now, if you'd like to send me your console and I'll send you mine, we can do that. Then you call Nintendo to get a replacement like I did. ~_^
Justin Rossetti @ Nov 19th 2006 5:53PM
I went to 8 stores,
found 3 controllers and 1 nunchuck.
2 targets, 2 eb games, circuit city, compusa, bestbuys, and toysRus. all in atlanta 30338
Picture of what I found @
http://www.lazygirls.info/General_Chat/Wii_4BVgIJT?id=504
Got the unit pre-ordered on amazon.com
(as in the picture I got 5 of the cool Wii gift cards to hack) and took the SOLD OUT circuit city sign after getting upset they had ZERO controllers to sell (waited in line for an hour for no product!)
Alfarif @ Nov 19th 2006 5:53PM
Oh, by the way Kevin:
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/wii/what-happened-to-the-wii-startup-disc-215897.php
That reader was me. I also sent in a picture.
The box I have has a sticker over the original wording. If you have a box without a sticker, then you're in the clear, but if you don't and haven't hooked up the system, you may be in for a treat like I was.
Now, Kevin, who's the idiot? Oh wait, you. Moron. Keep flaming though. Your maturity does wonders for your online AND real world image.
Joe @ Nov 19th 2006 5:53PM
38, From a few reports I've read online, apparently quite a few people have gotten Wii units with earlier firmware versions that don't allow you to do anything until you insert the startup disc. However, no startup disc has been included, obviously. From what I understand, if you call Nintendo they'll send you the disc.