Wii production expansion delayed
by Ross Miller 
{ Aug 17th 2007 at 1:15PM }
Though the goal was originally to have production ramped up starting this past June, the Taiwan component makers now expect the shortage woes to last through the end of the year. With Smash Bros. and Mario Galaxy almost guaranteed to move units this holiday season, it'll be such a tease (not to mention detrimental to Nintendo's bottom line) if the Wii is still, after over a year, impossible to find in stores.
[Image credit: Natalie Dee; via NWF]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Microdot @ Aug 17th 2007 1:21PM
theres a shortage of plastic and 8 year old graphics processors?
who knew.
razer @ Aug 17th 2007 1:31PM
hahahaha! Now that is classic! Props to you my friend!
What a load of poo! A year later and they are still having production delays something is not jiving here.
I'm not concerned, Wii will never be in my household.
AlexP @ Aug 17th 2007 1:40PM
Shit, you sound educated.
Graphics by AMD/ATI and processor by IBM, and neither are made in Taiwan.
According to the source (which lacks credibility), they're running out of PCBs (AKA motherboards), which could be true.
I just fail to see how Foxconn's factory expansion plans are affected by PCBs shortages.
Microdot @ Aug 17th 2007 2:10PM
hey alex... it's called sarcasm. look into it. its great. lot's of fun to be had making uptight slackjawed morons like yourself get all uppity.
AlexP @ Aug 17th 2007 3:08PM
It's always sarcasm when you're getting owned.
hvnlysoldr @ Aug 17th 2007 3:30PM
Companies wanted to build the biggest ship in the world. A real miniature city on the water. When ordering steel they had to go to nearly every steel producing country and in shipments because they needed so much material that whole countries' months' outputs were dwarfed by their needs. They needed all sorts of other things too like carpeting and wiring and had to sort out orders for components over years as they were building. And remember that Nintendo isn't the only company using those components either. No matter how tempting you can't choke the supply and deny others.
Microdot @ Aug 18th 2007 9:12AM
alex:
http://tinyurl.com/2zwmhr
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 1:21PM
"I expect to be able to just walk into the store and pick one up on launch day."
Chainblast @ Aug 17th 2007 4:10PM
Yeah, they don't have enough hype components to properly supply the market yet.
dsub @ Aug 17th 2007 5:35PM
lol @ chainblast
I agree. Until they can achieve an acceptable level of stage 5 hype, the Wii will have supply issues.
Ross @ Aug 17th 2007 1:21PM
Must be running low on duct tape.
Darkiewonder @ Aug 17th 2007 2:49PM
Sam's Club, Costco and those big warehouse store should have a lot and selling by the bulks. I don't see how there can be a shortage xD
Come on Nintendo! Electric Tape works as well! ;D
BPM @ Aug 17th 2007 4:39PM
Electric tape doesn't hold as well. It easily comes off.
Duct tape is needed. Accept no substitutes.
Ben @ Aug 21st 2007 2:00AM
The handyman's secret weapon.
Vidikron @ Aug 17th 2007 1:22PM
Wow... they've started the holiday hype early.
DaiMac79 @ Aug 17th 2007 2:34PM
Heh, nice icon you got there man, I'm getting a tattoo of the seal next month. BSG on HD DVD Dec. 4!
PiratePete @ Aug 17th 2007 2:48PM
BSG lovers unite!
mattydread @ Aug 17th 2007 1:25PM
Cuss words.
RoboChamp @ Aug 17th 2007 1:28PM
This smells so artificial you can almost hear them trying to cram the Benjimans into their pocket.
KHCloud @ Aug 17th 2007 1:30PM
Nintendo wins with a shortage because they have tons of good press and they are trying to get into the mainstream where many people are impulse buyers and since Nintendo has good press and they know it has a shortage they'll buy it just to get it before everyone else...
Crono @ Aug 17th 2007 1:57PM
So since Wii is an impulse buy, they intentionally don't want any on the store shelves for people to buy on impulse.
Were you born that stupid, or did you work at it.
RedWing @ Aug 18th 2007 12:12PM
Well i dont know about US but there aint no shortage in the UK......
Word of the street. @ Aug 17th 2007 1:30PM
I hope they ship enough Wiis for everyone in time for the holidays.I'm sick of retail stores here,they have Wiis but they are selling them at 400$ each and the bundle with Super mario strikers at 450$(It included a soccer ball and some other crap).
The only place where here with Wiis at a decent price sold all the wiis they had.
AlexP @ Aug 17th 2007 1:35PM
Digitimes' article is credible and has a true source.
Wait, it isn't.
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 1:36PM
why doesnt Nintendo just use all those unsold LameCubes lying around?
AlexP @ Aug 17th 2007 1:41PM
Because it isn't a reboxed "Lamecube", it's capable of doing much better.
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 1:41PM
Shock and awe!
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 1:47PM
"Because it isn't a reboxed "Lamecube", it's capable of doing much better."
lol like what, waggle controls? there aint no Taiwanese shortage of those.
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 1:55PM
Show me a GameCube that can download old games, connects to the Internet, uses Wi-Fi, features built-in bluetooth wireless, accepts SD card media, DOES operate at twice normal specifications or more, etc. etc.
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 2:21PM
@megaStryke
lol welcome to 2000. Nintendo is merely playing catch up with their online service: they should have offered online on LameCube to begin with, just like all 3 of its competing consoles did (PS2 DC XBOX1). Nintendo should have offered "free" backwards compatibility on LameCube/Wii for N64/SNES/NES games via an adjustible cartridge slot on the console, like how PS2/PS3 are backwards compatible. but no, they continue to milk Wii owners by only giving the option of overcharging on Virtual Console games that one can *legally* play on PC emulators if they own the original game. if Sega could make a Genesis cartridge slot on the Saturn, so could Nintendo.
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 2:49PM
I don't know why I pay attention to you, but it is far too easy to prove you wrong, only to have you make up some sorry shit, giving me more opportunity to let everyone know how wrong you are.
lol welcome to 2000. Nintendo is merely playing catch up with their online service: they should have offered online on LameCube to begin with, just like all 3 of its competing consoles did (PS2 DC XBOX1).
"Nintendo should have offered "free" backwards compatibility on LameCube/Wii for N64/SNES/NES games via an adjustible cartridge slot on the console, like how PS2/PS3 are backwards compatible."
Of the current generation of hardware, only Nintendo's is descended from cartridge-based machines. The Dreamcast didn't have this backward compatibility for Master System and Genesis games. Hell, it couldn't even play Saturn games. Xbox 360 is struggling with its backwards compatibility, and there are some slight hiccups with the PS3s. The Wii is the ONLY current console that is 100% backward compatible with the previous generation. As for why it can't play NES, SNES, and N64 cartridges, uhhh, what? Three COMPLETELY SEPARATE formats would mean the need for THREE SEPARATE slots on the Wii. If you went the software emulation route, you'd have the kinds of problems Microsoft has. If you went the hardware emulation route, you'd have to build the Wii to support FOUR SEPARATE ARCHITECTURES: the NES, SNES, N64, and GC/Wii. That would certainly jack up the price of the machine, not to mention make it look like an ungodly mess.
"if Sega could make a Genesis cartridge slot on the Saturn, so could Nintendo."
Oh yeah? One special model (Japan-only, if memory serves me) of the Saturn could play Genesis games. I bet that saved its sorry ass.
"but no, they continue to milk Wii owners by only giving the option of overcharging on Virtual Console games that one can *legally* play on PC emulators if they own the original game."
That is 100% not true and you know it. Copyright protections only allow you to make digital backups of software you personally own. In other words, the ROM must have been obtained from your own physical copy. Distributing them to anyone is illegal. Downloading other people's copies is illegal. And don't give me this nonsense that you will only play ROMs for the games you actually own. Bullshit. People will play stuff that they DIDN'T own as well.
Crono @ Aug 17th 2007 2:51PM
God, Curmeo. You're so damn dumb.
hvnlysoldr @ Aug 17th 2007 3:28PM
Pirates wore eye patches for night vision. HOLY ! You're already wearing an eye patch with night vision!
Almack64 @ Aug 17th 2007 3:33PM
I mean Curmeo do you really believe all the BS that's seaping out of you mouth. Or is it just the effects of having a full plate of crap fed to you. Did someone at Nintendo personally abuse you or something.
If so I'm sorry but there are people who can help you, if not WTF.
josh @ Aug 17th 2007 3:37PM
"one can *legally* play on PC emulators if they own the original game."
this is a misconception. it is illegal to download/copy/recieve/give ROMs of copyrighted games. the only way it MIGHT be legal is if you make a ROM from from the actual physical game you own... that is, if you want to play excitebike on your PC using an emulator legally, you need to make the ROM from your own copy of excitebike. and if you give your copy of your ROM to someone else - even if they also have an excitebike cart, that's illegal.
so basically, less than 1% of people who play emulated games are following the letter of the law. i still play with ROMs also, i'm just correcting your misconception.
josh @ Aug 17th 2007 3:42PM
to phrase it another way - if you have a CD, but want to put that CD on your computer and download a copy of it from bitorrent/get it from a friend/whatever, you are breaking the law. the fact that you own the physical CD doesn't matter. the method you got the copy is still illegal, and even having that copy is a violation of copyright. sad but true.
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 3:50PM
@megaStryke,
PS3 can fully play PS1 CDs. and "some slight hiccups" with PS2 DVDs is much better than "nothing" with Wii. besides, PS2 software emulation will become near perfect in the future.
do u think PS3 has a PS1 chip inside it? no its all done through software emulation: PS3's drive reads the PS1 CD data and processes it through software emulation. Wii would need to do the same thing, which it's already capable of doing since it already supports software emulation for NES/SNES/N64. only thing left to do is create a data transfer link from the cartdrige slot to the CPU/GPU, which is no trouble at all. and from Nintendo's healthy profit off each Wii, im sure they could afford to spend an extra few bucks on the "slot to CPU/GPU" link.
go with an N64 slot as the "primary" one, and provide 2 cartridge slot convertors so u can plug NES/SNES games into the main N64 slot (example: Sega Master System cartridge convertor for Genesis slot). hide the main N64 slot under a flap, so all the casual and non-gamer crowd are happy with their cute looking Wii.
point taken about copyright protection. unlike you, i have big enough testicles to admit when im wrong. funny how you ignored the first four lines of my last reply though, since you knew i was right. my other point still remains though: Nintendo doesnt offer "free" BC, which they could easily. Sony offers both "free" BC *and* downloadable ps1 games.
josh @ Aug 17th 2007 4:11PM
"unlike you, i have big enough testicles to admit when im wrong. funny how you ignored the first four lines of my last reply though, since you knew i was right."
Huh? What about my post lets you know anything about my testicles?
I don't have a Wii or a PS3 (or a 360, for that matter - still rocking my PS2/Xbox 1/GC with my "classic" standard-def TV), so I have no idea what you can or can't download from the respective online services, if that is what you say you were "right" about - I have no idea.
Don't assume people are replying to you to get involved in some pissing match about what console is better - I just have a pet peeve about people claiming that ROMs are legal "if you have the cartridge", which doesn't even make sense. Whatever else you were talking about... I have no idea.
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 4:20PM
@josh,
i wasnt addressing you. i was addressing megaStryke, hence the "@megaStryke".
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 4:27PM
Ahhh! And now we see your argument coming apart at the seams! You already admitted to being wrong on one count! How long will it take for you to come clean?
"PS3 can fully play PS1 CDs. and "some slight hiccups" with PS2 DVDs is much better than "nothing" with Wii. besides, PS2 software emulation will become near perfect in the future."
We're not talking about movies here, we are talking about games. The PS3 MAY have NEAR perfect backward compatibility with PS1/2 games in the future, but Nintendo has 100% backward compatibility with GC games NOW.
"go with an N64 slot as the "primary" one, and provide 2 cartridge slot convertors so u can plug NES/SNES games into the main N64 slot (example: Sega Master System cartridge convertor for Genesis slot). hide the main N64 slot under a flap, so all the casual and non-gamer crowd are happy with their cute looking Wii."
Christ, that sounds like a mess. All we need to do now is add a slot for Genesis games, a slot for TurboGrafx-16, a slot for MSX games (for our Japanese brethren), and slots for future Neo-Geo games and anything else that might come our way. Naw, let's just stick with Nintendo games for now. Okay. Let's say SOMEHOW that we squeeze all this together nicely just to please you, and let's just SUPPOSE it won't jack up costs (it will though), so now what? How many people have tons of NES, SNES, and N64 games still lying around. The people that do are in an EXTREME minority. If you wanted your games, you'd have to hunt through garage sales, pawn shops, eBay, and game stores that HAVEN'T been swallowed up by GameStop. If you are lucky, you'll find the game you want, but then you have to hope that the thing is in good enough condition to actually work on your machine. But we gotta please this tiny, tiny fraction of gamers, no matter how unintuitive it may be.
Jesus, you don't complain about not being able to play 8-tracks on your CD player, do you? Same story!
"point taken about copyright protection. unlike you, i have big enough testicles to admit when im wrong. funny how you ignored the first four lines of my last reply though, since you knew i was right."
You mean about the online service? Your right, the GameCube didn't have online service. You know what did? The SNES. Satellaview, heard of it? Never left Japan, but it was so successful that it ran from 1995 through 2000, with new games released on the thing through 1999. Nintendo knew online. They chose to make due without it. But your right. They didn't have online as we no it. They are playing "catch up" now. Just like Sony is playing "catch up" with rumbling controllers, achievements, a Live-like system, etc., and Microsoft with motion controllers and hardware that doesn't break down. Hey! What do you know! ALL the consoles have some catch up to do, dumbass!
"my other point still remains though: Nintendo doesnt offer "free" BC, which they could easily. Sony offers both "free" BC *and* downloadable ps1 games."
I'm glad you are enjoying Sony's downloads and BC. It's certainly helping them make a profit this generation... er... I mean... sell lots of consoles... er, wait....
Hmmm, it would appear that BC is merely a perk and not a necessary component for success in the hardware market. I'm thinking here that there are other more important factors that seem lost on you.
Almack64 @ Aug 17th 2007 4:42PM
"you don't complain about not being able to play 8-tracks on your CD player, do you? Same story!"
QFT
I said it earlier in a joking manner but really what you are saying doesn't really make much sense and your arguments don't really hold much water. Megastryke has actually reasonably addressed all the madness you have been saying. So I'm going address the other issue.
It seems to me that you are big Sony fan. First of all there's nothing wrong with that. They like Nintendo and MS have done somethings well this gen and some things bad. However this is really not a pissing match. It seems like your support for your simply and your desire for it to succeed is clouding you from reasonable thought processes.
As I said before most of the things you have concerning the wii in this post just really does not make sense. Especially the crazyness about hybrid consoles that can play OLD cartridges. Do you not remember how anoying it was to get cartridges to work even on the orginal hardware.
In any case my advice to you is quit now so you don't continue to look like a total fool and play your PS3. No reason to illogically bash the wii just beacuse you personally don't like it. It just doesn't make you look very smart.
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 5:04PM
@megaStryke
you are a clown. its obvious from your last reply that you're argueing just for the sake of argueing. you dont make any sense, and you're trying to outargue me which is not working for you at all. you should do your self a favor and quit: you sound dumber with every reply.
when did i ever mention movies? 100% GC backwards compatibility isnt anything to boast about, seeing as how Wii is essentially a LameCube. besides, 100% GC BC < 99% PS1 and PS2 BC.
many people still own their NES/SNES/N64 games, just like how many people still own their PS1 and PS2 games and play them on their PS3. Nintendo could have easily incorporated a slot solution like the one i proposed in my last reply in both the Wii and the LameCube. it would hardly cost them anything, seeing as how they make a healthy profit off each Wii/LameCube. the reason they didnt offer free BC is to maximize profits, the same reason LameCube didnt have an online service. they know stupid fanboys like you will buy and support their overpriced systems that dont offer online services and value on par with the competition (free PSN service, PS3/360 value).
you seem so concerned to point out what is and what isnt a good business move for Nintendo that you fail to see how their profit maximizing decisions negatively affect the gamers.
Ska Oreo @ Aug 17th 2007 5:28PM
@Curmeo.
First off. Making a slot in the Wii for cartridges would be a bad idea since it would make the Wii look pretty damn ugly,(I doubt anyone wants to see a cartridge sticking out of their Wii). Also it wouldn't be possible to add a slot to the Wii since all of the cartridges for the nes snes n64 and genesis are of different sizes.
Also I don't understand how the virtual console negatively affects gamers. The virtual console is a great way for gamers to buy games that they may have missed because they weren't born during that time or they for some reason missed it. Microsoft and Sony are doing it, so I don't know why you have a problem with it.
shivr @ Aug 17th 2007 5:43PM
whats a LAMEcube?
Curmeo @ Aug 17th 2007 5:51PM
@SkaOreo,
did you even bother reading my entire post? if you did, you would know i mentioned how Nintendo could hide the "primary" N64 slot under a flap. they could supply NES/SNES slot convertors that would pop into the N64 slot.
do you think Wii looks pretty with Purple LameCube controllers and memory cards popping out of its flaps? it looks like a freakin' Octopus that suffers from a fatal disease. point is, the flaps cover the ugliness and they could have done the same with a primary N64 slot.
i dont have a problem with the Virtual Console itself. i have a problem with Nintendo not offering "free" backwards compatibility in addition to the Virtual Console. i have a problem with Nintendo not offering an online servive on par with the free PSN. i have a problem with Nintendo selling outdated hardware at a healthy profit. same story with LameCube last gen. these profit maximising decisions are bad for gamers because they get lesser value.
N64 was Nintendo's last great home system. after that, Iwata slowly but surely f*cked Nintendo up.
lawlersauce @ Aug 17th 2007 6:36PM
@Ska Oreo
Notice that the Wii has two USB ports, it's possible to make a USB addition. I think Curmeo has very valid points, but you guys won't accept them as you are obvious Wii Fans and he is an obvious Sony Fan.
Let's make it clear that selling old games on new systems online IS milking for profits, however, it is the premium you pay for the nostalgia. It is a bonus to see that Sony, unlike competitors, provides NEAR 100% BC
Ska Oreo @ Aug 17th 2007 6:55PM
@Curmeo
Even if it is possible for the Wii to have some type slot, what would be the point of supporting something as obsolete as a gaming cartridge? While I understand that there are some people who still have these games, there are plenty of people who have none, either because they are missing many games from their collection, or they missed the gaming boat during that time. Especially for the casual consumer who are buying Wii's buy the truckload, the virtual console is a good place for anyone to buy games that they may have missed or they just want to play again.
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 7:28PM
This is almost funny. It's almost like you trying to pass yourself as the intelligent debater. Why are your heart counts so low, I wonder?
"you are a clown. its obvious from your last reply that you're argueing just for the sake of argueing. you dont make any sense, and you're trying to outargue me which is not working for you at all. you should do your self a favor and quit: you sound dumber with every reply."
The only person not making sense is you. My posts are logical and coherent, otherwise I wouldn't have so many people agreeing with me. The only thing that doesn't make sense is how you seem to have this notion that the "Nintendo fanboys," which you seem to have lumped me into, are blind to their console's shortcomings, whereas the PS3 is the salvation of the gaming industry with no faults whatsoever. That reeks of hypocrisy.
"when did i ever mention movies? 100% GC backwards compatibility isnt anything to boast about, seeing as how Wii is essentially a LameCube. besides, 100% GC BC < 99% PS1 and PS2 BC."
Where did you mention movies? That would be right here: "PS3 can fully play PS1 CDs. and "some slight hiccups" with PS2 DVDs is much better than "nothing" with Wii." Whether is was your intention or simply poor wording, I gathered that if you say a PS2 can play DVDs with some hiccups and the Wii can't then you are referring to DVD movies. That would actually make sense. If you were referring to games, however, I am curious as to why 100% backwards compatibility would be a negative. I won't deny that there are more games across the PS1 and PS2 than across the Wii, but a larger library also means more trash and licensed garbage, not merely quality titles.
"many people still own their NES/SNES/N64 games, just like how many people still own their PS1 and PS2 games and play them on their PS3. Nintendo could have easily incorporated a slot solution like the one i proposed in my last reply in both the Wii and the LameCube. it would hardly cost them anything, seeing as how they make a healthy profit off each Wii/LameCube."
Can you please just stop for ONE second and listen to reason, please? The Wii is backwards compatible with the GC because the software on both is disc-based. The PS3 is backwards compatible with the PS1 and PS2 because the software on all three is disc-based. They can fit neatly into the one shared slot. Going further back into Nintendo's history would reveal varying shapes and sizes of proprietary cartridges, all which would have to be tailored to work with some weird workaround which you deem clever. It's not. It's cumbersome. Also, this idea that lots of people still have their old games is faulty. Wake up. YOU ARE IN THE MINORITY. Hardcore gamers do not comprise the bulk of the general gaming public. Very few people still hold on to the old software, and even fewer stores sell that stuff. Besides, if these gamer pack rats still have their old NES and Intellivision cartridges, odds are they still have the damn consoles to play them on.
Seriously, if CD players sell well without being able to play 8-tracks, the Wii is fine with being able to play 20-year-old cartridges.
"the reason they didnt offer free BC is to maximize profits, the same reason LameCube didnt have an online service. they know stupid fanboys like you will buy and support their overpriced systems that dont offer online services and value on par with the competition (free PSN service, PS3/360 value)."
Again with the whole "fanboy" shtick. It is obvious that you are the very definition of a fanboy. The only I may come off as a fanboy is because I'm spending my time correcting your faulty logic and OUTRAGEOUS claims. Again, ALL the consoles have shortcomings. I realize that. It is the TRUE fanboy, i.e. YOU, who is blind to their choice console's faults.
"you seem so concerned to point out what is and what isnt a good business move for Nintendo that you fail to see how their profit maximizing decisions negatively affect the gamers."
The only people negatively affected by the current trends are people like you. I am loving my games. I can't wait to pick up a 360 when the new 65nm chips arrive. If the PS3 ever drops to, say, $300 then I might consider picking one up. You seem hung up on the fact that *gasp* video games are a BUSINESS! Nintendo is doing GOOD business. Sony is currently doing BAD business. You think Sony is doing you a favor by chucking billions of dollars down the drain in the hopes of earning profit several years down the road. Maybe it'll work for them, but current trends seem to sway in favor of Nintendo.
In the end, they don't care about you. They care about your dollars. Sony's money-making scheme is simply a bit more strained than Nintendo's. They aren't working for the good of the gamers. They are working for the good of themselves.
I can already predict your next comments (if you haven't left this thread already). "megaStryke, stop talking! You sound like a fool! That is so TYPICAL of what a Nintendo fanboy would say! Get off Nintendo's dick!" Meanwhile, your number is on Sony's cell phone for late-night booty calls.
megaStryke @ Aug 17th 2007 8:12PM
Oh yeah! I can't believe I missed this one! This one is too easy! Yet another prime example of Curmeo hypocrisy!
You say that the N64 was Nintendo's last great console. You absolutely LOATH the Wii. However, many of the drawbacks present in the Wii that you despise so much were present in the N64.
1. You call the Wii "overpriced" simply since it actually turns a profit (who'd of thunk it?). Did not the N64 have WILDLY overpriced software cartridges? You could expect to pay twice, sometimes almost three times as much for an N64 game as for a PS1 game. Not only that, disc-based games could carry more data and thus allow for the storage of FMV not possible on the N64. Seems like N64 buyers got ripped off, huh?
2. The N64 had FEW "mature" games and was plagued with games of the "kiddy" persuasion.
3. Also, there was ZERO backwards compatibility on the N64, even though it presented a cartridge slot that could have been used for one of your suggested contraptions that allow NES/SNES play.
4. It couldn't play audio CDs like the PS1 could.
5. There were no online features, even though the SNES had the Satellaview and PC gamers were enjoying online gaming.
There are probably more, but there you go, Mr. Last-Great-Console-Was-The-N64.
bender @ Aug 17th 2007 9:55PM
megaStryke wins.