Gamestop expects at least six more months of Wii shortages
by Kyle Orland 
{ Mar 19th 2008 at 12:15PM }
The Nintendo Wii will be nearing its second birthday before there's any chance you'll see it routinely clogging up retail shelves. At least that's the determination of mega-retailer Gamestop, which predicted in a recent investors conference call that the Wii "won't meet demand for the next two quarters."
While the Xbox 360 and DS have seen increased production to make up for temporary holiday shortages, Gamestop COO Dan DeMatteo said the seemingly endless lack of Wii supply looks likely to continue for at least another six months. DeMatteo also predicted shortages for the surging PSP, as well as price drops for the PS2 ($30), and PS3 and Xbox 360 ($50 each) sometime this year. For the Wii, though, it seems like a price increase is the only way they're going to be able to stay on the shelves. Not that Nintendo would ever do that. Would they? (Note: No, they wouldn't)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shagittarius @ Mar 19th 2008 12:19PM
Also expected, another 3 year shortage of quality software.
SoulBlade @ Mar 19th 2008 12:24PM
Clearly your definition of "quality software" differs from the masses' as they continue to eat up the Wii. Would you just like people to recognize that you are better than the masses?
Hate on it all you want, but there are some pretty good games for it that appeal to a lot of gamers. The core market isn't the only market anymore.
Shagittarius @ Mar 19th 2008 12:34PM
What once was, still is , and shall be again, once the tourists have gone for the season.
Dudeman08 @ Mar 19th 2008 1:38PM
It's been a long season...
ChooChooCharlie (Brawl: 1504-5357-9285) @ Mar 19th 2008 2:20PM
I must say, Shag, even though you're a troll, you do come up with some pretty good ones.
You have turned anti-Nintendo trolling into an art.
Joeshie @ Mar 19th 2008 4:41PM
@SoulBlade
Take a look at top Metacritic scores for the Wii in 2007 and then compare them to the 360 and PS3 for 2007. Hell, even PC outpreforms the Wii in 2007 for high quality software.
Wii has tons of shovelware and tons of crappy games, with a majority of these games targeting the casual gamer. This really isn't any sort of opinion. It's a well known topic that many, including several big gaming websites, have covered.
The only way you could possibly defend against this is with the arguement that there is no good and bad games as video games are a purely subjective experience, which is kind of the tone I got from your post. Then again, if you accept this premise, then games like Half-Life and Ocarina of Time are just as good/bad as Mario Party 8 and My Pretty Pony games.
vidGuy @ Mar 19th 2008 5:20PM
@Joeshie,
The fallacy in your argument is that "Large Supply of Crappy Games" isn't the same as a "Shortage of Quality Software."
SoulBlade @ Mar 19th 2008 6:29PM
Who defines what makes a game good? If it were reviewers, then there's a lot of gamers who like shitty games. If it's people buying games, then Mario Party 8 is one of the best games evar.
Statements like there is a lack of quality software on the Wii are pretty much only meant to annoy people who like games on the Wii. Any gamer can find something enjoyable on the Wii - in fact, they can probably find multiple things on it. Instead, what happens is most people decide to bash on the system for its shortcomings or for doing something out of the norm - which is usually what happens when something is so successful.
Are all of the games on the Wii great? Fuck no. Are all of the games on any console great? Repeat.
Joeshie @ Mar 19th 2008 10:52PM
@vidGuy
I suppose you are correct in that having tons of shitty games does not mean you don't have quality games.
However, I still maintain my point of looking up Wii's top games at Metacritic. I mean, there are 23 average 75+ rated games on Metacritic compared to PS3's 69 75+ rated games. Not to mention, when you consider only third-party games, the Wii's quality software list shrinks considerably.
@SoulBlade
Who defines what makes a game good? Well, that certainly is a difficult thing to do. However, a reasonable answer would be that someone who has had a decent amount of experience with the artistic medium would probably be in a better position to gauge the quality of something within their realm of expertise. I think you would probably agree that someone such as Roger Ebert, who is a professional critic of movies and has seen more than most, would be someone who can figure out what constitutes a good movie rather than an average joe on the streets.
Likewise, who would be in a better position to gauge the quality of a video game: A hardcore gamer, who dedicates a significant amount of time to playing video games, or a causal gamer, who has little experience with video games. My bet is that a hardcore gamer is more likely to spot a quality title than a casual gamer is. I've played FPS games pretty much since the genre's inception and I will admit that I think I'm in a better position to gauge the quality of an FPS than someone who has just started playing them within the past couple of years.
For the record, I don't hate the Wii. However, it troubles me that the Wii's quality library really only consists of first party titles. Quality third-party titles are slim pickins on the Wii. For me personally, I've never been a big fan of Nintendo's franchises, so they aren't something I usually pursue.
Reuben @ Mar 19th 2008 12:20PM
This has been going on for so long that not only do I not want a Wii anymore, but I now call foul on anything Nintendo says about this that equates it to not being their fault. This actually angers me.
Hala Madrid!!! SSBB Code:3866-7729-0830 @ Mar 19th 2008 12:48PM
Here in Spain there is like 5 or 10 Wii's in every electronics store where I live but not alot of 360's or PS3's. I guess the Wii isn't so hot over here but they give you 30% off any game when you buy one
343 Guilty Fart @ Mar 19th 2008 12:51PM
I agree. I've waited so long I'm not really interested anymore. Think I might just pick up Twilight Princess for the GC instead of waiting another year to find a Wii.
Cyro @ Mar 19th 2008 1:23PM
Where I live there are Wii's everwhere in stock. Every store at least has 10 or 15 Wii's. PS3 are kind of hard to get and the 360 are also hard to get.
I dont know, but I dont see anyone here running mad for a Wii. Maybe they don't like the Wii that much.
The funny thing is, when I go to a Video game store what I see are little kids wanting a PS3 or a 360, but they dont even look at the Wii. Which is strange in my opinion. I guess kids also want more mature games now.
I might be wrong about all this, but this is from what I have seen.
deaftly (Brawl - 1075-0467-4222) @ Mar 19th 2008 2:22PM
So hows the weather on the moon Cyro?
Cyro @ Mar 19th 2008 3:00PM
I am not in the US, deaftly. I live in the DR, you know, right next to Puerto Rico. So I dont live in the moon and people here are not crazy about the Wii.
Max Headroom @ Mar 19th 2008 5:28PM
Cyro, it could be that those PS3 and 360 games aren't really that mature.
Snipermike @ Mar 19th 2008 12:21PM
How hard is it to gut a gamecube of its parts?
deaftly (Brawl - 1075-0467-4222) @ Mar 19th 2008 12:50PM
Duct tape shortage.
BPM is Ready to Brawl! 5026 4120 1186 @ Mar 19th 2008 2:55PM
How hard is it to think of an original troll message?
Snipermike @ Mar 19th 2008 3:43PM
Harder then naming 3 great 3rd party games for the system let me tell ya
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 19th 2008 5:38PM
OH SNAP!
Catprog @ Mar 19th 2008 7:40PM
Gamecube shortage.
They have sold more wii LTD then the gamecube LTD
bigd7387 @ Mar 19th 2008 12:24PM
I was a teenager back when Nintendo was really going at it with the NES. Nintendo is manufacturing the shortage, one thing they do is operate to make money on everything. They could have easily opened up a new factory or two to handle the situation but instead they leave it go as is. I was always a Sega Master System guy and I'll die that way and skip the joy of shaking my Wii for a game, thanks.
Mr Khan @ Mar 19th 2008 12:33PM
Nobody here seems to realize the kind of work it takes to actually set up a new production line at another factory. You're talking a six month process right there, easily
WiNG @ Mar 19th 2008 1:31PM
Khan,
It's true it's a 6 month process.
But Nintendo has had much more than 6 months to fix this problem.
-WiNG
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 19th 2008 1:41PM
The Wii has been out 15 months. They've already opened up new lines twice. They clearly wanted to see if demand would die down after the second Christmas season before making the decision to open another one. Hence, why GS expects shortages for another 6 months.
Gun Barrier @ Mar 19th 2008 2:56PM
true, but i think nintendo doesnt want to take the risk of opening up a new plant and then have more wiis than demand wants, by the time its opened. I think nintendo is still unsure about how the wii would do.(thanks to a loss by gamecube.)
Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 20th 2008 4:01AM
Risk of opening a new plant? You guys make it sound like they are building these factories from scratch instead of simply retooling some injection molding machines. Not all parts are made in the same factory, either.
Manufacturing is complex, but it doesn't take a year to increase volume. It takes a year of contract negotiations to haggle pennies off the cost of each unit at a specific volume, along with "what-if" stipulations, should they need to change volume.
If Nintendo was completely unprepared for the need for a volume increase in the future, then they simply did not have a proper plan. My guess is they signed contracts for the lowest price, not volume flexibility. Given their profit margin and hardware design, it's pretty clear that green wins out, here. I'm sure Nintendo seriously believes that people will wait for the Wii. Don't laugh -- I've seen worse decisions made by managers.
Besides, Nintendo has no trouble pumping out millions of WiiFit games every month. Everyone knows manufacturing shortages only apply to consoles, and not accessories!
Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 20th 2008 4:03AM
Greed wins, spelling doesn't.
tiremfej @ Mar 19th 2008 12:23PM
It's a joke really. Is it that hard to reproduce a Gamecube these days? I can understand having a difficult time reproducing nutrinos, but a Gamecube 1.5?!?!
I call: "Nintendo is holding back on purpose, they know there isn't quality software, so let's keep the demand up, by holding back hardware production."
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 19th 2008 12:51PM
Is not hard.... but they make 1.8 million every month...
That's a lot.
Markez @ Mar 19th 2008 12:24PM
Doing a great job trolling on the last few articles, Shag, way to go. "Another" 3 year shortage on quality software for the Wii? Way to think that one through, moron.
This just makes me think even more so how idiotic software pre-ordering is when the title is bound to show up in abundance anyway. Although I find it unlikely console pre-ordering through stores would work out well being that people would line up to flip them on craigslist. Which is, incidentally where I got mine. I've only seen Wiis on shelves once since launch.
Shagittarius @ Mar 19th 2008 12:52PM
Internet Rule for debating #1:
If you can't make a good counterpoint, attack the grammar of the original poster.
Markez @ Mar 19th 2008 1:06PM
Had nothing to do with your grammar, moron. Gosh I guess I just didn't know the Wii had been out for 3 years. There's also plenty of good games out for the system.
And oh yes, Joystiq is certainly the bastion of 'internet debating' and a great forum for reasoned discourse, must be why I keep using the word 'moron'.
Styki @ Mar 19th 2008 9:18PM
@ Markez
Go back to his original post. He neither said nor implied that the wii had been out for three years. Moron.
elpmis @ Mar 19th 2008 12:25PM
The Wii is awesome, it sells a lot.
I rest my "cast".
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 19th 2008 12:32PM
Beautiful.
Zertoss @ Mar 19th 2008 1:35PM
I thought that was just a figure of speech!
Cast closed.
zelderman @ Mar 19th 2008 2:07PM
You guys make me laugh, in a good way! I did read the original post where that was mentioned.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 20th 2008 2:45AM
I love it when Joystiq brews its own memes.
First Fernando being the ultimate Nintendo fanboy, now this. XD
SoulBlade @ Mar 19th 2008 12:26PM
Nintendo's still dominating the NPD even with these shortages - so maybe it's legit. What I think would be funny is a price drop once the shortages actually go away.
It makes no sense to think Nintendo's holding back - they're #1 in hardware sales consistently barring any major release like Halo 3. How can they be holding back when they're dominating the competition already?
vectorelement @ Mar 19th 2008 12:27PM
How am I supposed to Smash my Bros. in a Brawl if I can't find a Wii?! >.
Jason @ Mar 19th 2008 12:29PM
I'm surprised people still believe that this shortage isn't artificial. Nintendo has had almost 2 years to ramp up the production, but they've chosen not to. Why? Because the planners and forecasters over at Nintendo set a top line sales goal back in 2006. Once Nintendo saw that they were blowing their top line out of the water, they had to decide to re-forecast and up production, or just continually watch their numbers exceed expectations month over month - all the while, creating artificial demand.
tiremfej @ Mar 19th 2008 12:35PM
Amen. I don't or can't understand why people don't see this either. It's BS people, BS!!!
Intentless @ Mar 19th 2008 12:37PM
Nintendo could create another plant or two ramp up production. Then when demand finally drops they'd have to go through the costs associated with shutting the plant down. The costs of starting up a plant and then closing it down later on would out way all the benefits of meeting demand. So yeah it is artificial they could always ramp up production just as any other company could for any other product but sadly its called business and money runs business, business doesn't run money...
vidGuy @ Mar 19th 2008 12:39PM
"Lack of supply creates artificial demand" makes me laugh. Learn some economics.
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 19th 2008 12:50PM
I hate uninformed people...
Nintendo are going to increment the production in April... just like the last year.
http://www.gamer.tm/news.php?id=2010&filtr=wii
Jason @ Mar 19th 2008 1:05PM
It's not a lack of supply that creates "artificial demand," per se. Nintendo refuses to ramp up production, thus there is a stronger consumer desire to have a wii - and that's where we coin the term "artificial demand."
If Nintendo did open up another production facility, they would be taking on a huge risk. Because, if they suddenly introduced so many consoles to the market, they run the risk of killing off demand rapidly. Because, if everyone can now have a wii, why would everyone race to the stores to get one.
I'm fairly confident that the business analysts at Nintendo know EXACTLY what they're doing.
vidGuy @ Mar 19th 2008 1:03PM
"Nintendo refuses to ramp up production, thus there is a stronger consumer desire to have a wii"
This is questionable from an Economics standpoint. Presence (or lack) of supply is not a determinant of demand. The supply of parachutes with the words "Go USA" may be small; that doesn't mean there is a larger demand because of it. Even if demand outstripped supply, demand does not increase further simply because there is a shortage. While we see this effect, it's more of a result of many different factors and is not strictly an economic effect.
Suggesting that a refusal to increase production capacity creates artificial demand is an economic fallacy. The magnitude of such an effect is questionable.
gamernewz.net @ Mar 19th 2008 1:16PM
There is no such thing as artificial demand.
What a bunch of clums!
"Uh...huh...yeah..nintendo is just saying they're selling out!...huh...people don't actually want a Wii...its not even real demand...huhhuh."
C'mon now. If you believe in some dumb ish like that all I have to say is FAH-Q.
Oh well, there's always gonna be haters.