Pachter: American Wii Fit shortages due to weak dollar
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Jun 1st 2008 at 2:00PM }
In Pachter's own words, "We're seeing companies ignore their largest market simply because they can make a greater profit elsewhere." You don't need to be a revered industry analyst to notice that -- the title, which sells for $90 in the U.S., is speedily selling for the equivalent of $140 in Europe. Pachter also remarks that Americans can afford to wait for future shipments of the title, as Nintendo knows "that Americans will be just as fat a few months from now." Words hurt, Pachter. Words hurt.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sam @ Jun 1st 2008 2:08PM
Feeling a little weak there Dollar?
You need Wii Fit to tone those muscles and get you in shape!
Vegnagun bwf @ Jun 1st 2008 2:15PM
Fry sees what you did there.
Sam @ Jun 1st 2008 6:35PM
But he's looking over there at the link to Joystiq mobile!
riggs @ Jun 1st 2008 10:14PM
and politics now
Cheezeman3000 @ Jun 1st 2008 2:08PM
Haha effin' 'a' man, he's pretty much got it right. Our McDonalds lovin'... will it never end? *grabs a cheeseburger* Hmm?
Haggard @ Jun 1st 2008 2:09PM
"largest market" - does he know how many people live in Europe compared to the US?
(it's 700,000 in europe and 304,000 in the US by the way)
Sean DL @ Jun 1st 2008 2:22PM
Largest market meaning those who buy buy buy....I assume.
Huey2k2 @ Jun 1st 2008 2:26PM
Europe is a continent, the US is a country.
mcatrage @ Jun 1st 2008 2:26PM
I think you are missing a few zeroes.
LaughingTarget @ Jun 1st 2008 2:29PM
Average disposable income is generally the bigger consideration. Europe may have over twice the population but is only buying at the same level as the US. It takes an additional 400 million Europeans to even get Nintendo to consider this action.
OMGOMG @ Jun 1st 2008 2:36PM
Just watch out when us Texans wise up and become our own country again. Times were better back then.
Brian @ Jun 1st 2008 3:32PM
They're referring to the number of consoles, retard.
blahblahbloo @ Jun 1st 2008 3:37PM
There may be 700 million in all of Europe, but only the residents of certain European countries buy new game consoles in large numbers. IIRC, the UK and Germany are the two largest markets there.
Haggard @ Jun 1st 2008 4:54PM
@mcatrage
Oh, so I am. Must be the retardedness that Brian so helpfully aided me in discovering.
...Jan... @ Jun 1st 2008 2:23PM
...At least we still have the highest GDP.
But, yeah, I guess it does make sense to send more shipments to a place where they can get away with charging more for despite their higher living costs.
c1ee @ Jun 1st 2008 11:03PM
Maybe you were being sarcastic?
http://tinyurl.com/4oqffg
R.Kneyber @ Jun 1st 2008 2:29PM
Now y'all at least have some time to drop weight till 150 kgs. Or you big boys will break the balance board!
Ridgecity @ Jun 1st 2008 2:45PM
Nintendo does this for a reason, the europeans girls are way hotter and better keep those girls looking their best.
John @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:50AM
Yeah, I used to think that too until I saw them in person.
Now Eastern European girls, they are hot.
Maverick Saturn @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:19AM
Swedish especially :)
Tyler Jones @ Jun 1st 2008 2:55PM
This makes no sense...if its "sold out" then obviously there are more people to buy it so obviously the dollar isnt nearly as weak as these people think so obviously they should ship more units....
This is the most retarded logic ive heard all week...
Martez @ Jun 1st 2008 3:04PM
It's not sold out because our dollar is stronger than people think- it's because Nintendo shipped less to this market since our weak dollar means less of a profit per sale than elsewhere.
Scott @ Jun 1st 2008 3:04PM
Tyler Jones, the logic is smart. It is sold out here because america received 4 times less copies then what was given to Europe for sale because when the math is done, Wii fit is being sold for $140 there while it only retails for $90 here
ill trooper @ Jun 1st 2008 5:55PM
If that's the "most retarded logic you've heard all week" then you don't listen very well - there are less available here than in other parts of the world, hence the shortages.
Martez @ Jun 1st 2008 3:02PM
Are we still saying the recession is "pending"? Cripes. It's here, folks.
Mr Khan @ Jun 1st 2008 4:19PM
Hell, according to some it's been and gone, that we've already hit the low point
BigD145 @ Jun 1st 2008 4:43PM
No, it's been and is here to stay. The only way we'd get more Wii stuff is if Europe shared an open land-based border with us, like Canada does. Businesses where I live take Canadian. It's the smart thing to do.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jun 1st 2008 10:06PM
Well there is actually no recession ... Its all media hype and sensationalist claims ... We are in economic trouble there is no doubt ... Mortgage meltdown, gas prices and jobs going over seas ... However, a recession is two straight quarters of negative economic growth ... We have yet to have even one quarter of economic growth so we are not in a recession
Anytime its an election year things seem worse than ever before ... You know when pundits say our national deficit is around 7 trillion and counting ... Fun fact of the day tells you thats actually the interest on our debt which is actually around 60 trillion (with a T) ... Government spending is somewhere around 8x as large as it was 6 years ago ... We are literally a country who lives in debt and we continue to go further in the tank with every passing day
Short term fixes really are a policy of fiscal conservatism, no wasteful spending, re-organize and manage our foreign policies and try to give tax incentives to companies who keep their facilities in the United States ... I also think we need to go to a national sales tax so everyone pays on the things they purchase and not based on proportional incomes ... Either that or a flat tax but I like a national sales tax so all of the illegal immigrants are actually putting money into the system ...
This election scares the hell out of me ... I voted for Ron Paul in our primary ... He is the only one who knew a flip about bringing our country out of debt
Our dollar is WEAKER than the canadian dollar ... Remember when you were a kid and the back of those magazines said the canadian price? It was always more than double ... Enough with the pre-emptive war and Nation building ... Secure OUR borders not the borders of Iraq!!!
Cut our dependency on foreign Oil by investing in alternative energy sources ... We need a Revolution but the majority of the sheep in this country and brain washed and to fat to give a fuck
John @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:00AM
Right on the money John.
I'm "throwing away" my vote and voting for ron paul in the election.
Even if I have to do it as a write in.
I'm through with the lesser of 2 evils BS.
Martez @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:13PM
Okay, so a recession technically means two quarters of downturn, but do you see the country turning itself around in that time? I can't say I do. I guess what I meant to say is that while we aren't technically in one yet, it's a pretty safe bet and to keep calling it 'pending' makes it sound like you're saying "Oh well, it's not a recession YET so we're A-Okay."
John @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:53AM
Can you read?
We have not experienced one quarter of negative growth, so how do you see it as a pending recession?
Martez @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:51PM
No I can't read. Please email me an mp3 of your comment.
Jacksons @ Jun 1st 2008 3:09PM
Isn't this the same reason it's still a bitch and a half to locate a Wii in the US? Sell it in the US for $250 or to the UK for around $356 equivalent. That's not really a hard choice as long as demand remains high.
Dio @ Jun 1st 2008 3:58PM
The other day I saw five Wiis in a Wal-Mart and two used ones in pawn shop =/ But no Wii Fit.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 2nd 2008 6:34AM
I have never seen a Wii in stock anywhere in my hometown, including in Wal-Mart. A BestBuy in a different town had one, and an elderly woman was in the process of buying it.
I think I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to figure out the obsession with this machine.
Vcize @ Jun 1st 2008 3:18PM
Yay guys, make sure you keep cheering when your console of choice does well outside of your market so you can continue to get screwed on content and delays!
Bigfoot @ Jun 1st 2008 3:35PM
This is just an early sign of the more to come. Pretty soon America will be getting titles much later instead of the other way around!
j/k
liquidninja @ Jun 1st 2008 4:02PM
I know you were kidding but I think that is very likely to happen.
the Brayn @ Jun 2nd 2008 8:29AM
FYI, Nintendo has already started to release games in Europe prior to North America. At least we won't have to worry about that with Microsoft... hopefully.
spoo @ Jun 1st 2008 3:46PM
The first thing that came into my head was; Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice...
Jawmuncher @ Jun 1st 2008 3:47PM
Seems you can always blame shortages on a weak american dollar. May be true, but i'm seeing this excuse a little more often then I'd like.
BigD145 @ Jun 1st 2008 4:46PM
America imports more than it exports and the dollar falls in value on the world market practically every day. You do the math.
viscosity @ Jun 1st 2008 3:59PM
There is no recession. And there is no pending recession. For there to be a recession there would have to be 2 quarters in which growth declined. There hasn't even been one quarter of declined growth. Geez turn off CNN once in awhile. The economy is fine unless your in Michigan. As for reduced supply due to weakening dollar and Americans being fat and what not. SCREW YOU. We still own the world, too bad we have 3 socialist on the ballot this year.
Mr Khan @ Jun 1st 2008 4:21PM
Socialists? Please. Liberalism doesn't exist in America. Our Democratic candidates are moderates at best
Makes me sad, personally, but its the truth
J @ Jun 1st 2008 5:50PM
@viscosity, be arrogant all you want.
Hundreds of thousands are still losing their jobs, losing their homes, can't afford health insurance, our dollar is weakening, we ARE fat and... nintendo doesn't watch cnn.
Believe it or not, Nintendo has its own sources. But they're probably as misinformed as CNN right? I mean, why else would they think they can make more money somewhere else? They're being lied to! If only they listen to you viscosity.
And it's nice of you to just brush off Michigan. Survival of the fittest, I guess.
Carl Abrams @ Jun 1st 2008 7:51PM
While the two main candidates (and Hillary as well) are all liberal in the American sense, I know my online gaming European friends consider ALL of them to be quite conservative - compared to what they have to deal with on a daily basis.
For those of us who happen to be conservatives first, Republicans second, then yes, they're all quite liberal.
And if you can't afford health insurance, then it's probably because you're used to abusing the system OR you have lots of claims. (And if you don't think that people abuse the system, you're sadly mistaken - those people that get the sniffles and instead of just taking a Tylenol and getting over it and instead run to the ER are the ones that run up the costs for everyone.)
Of course, when you're also dealing with such a concentrated population that already has VATs and socialist governments, you'd expect a corporation to send product where they can make the most profit.
LaughingTarget @ Jun 1st 2008 8:19PM
Note to Europeans: Liberal in America is Socialist in Europe. What you call liberal, we call libertarian. FDR long ago hijacked the perfectly good word liberal (used to mean what Libertarian does now, because that is what our founders were) and turned it into a bad word, he didn't want to outright call his New Deal socialist (because it is) as the word would have meant his losing the presidency. A long history of stupid Americans changing their minds with a simple name change. Slap a happy word on anything and we'll eat it up.
There are too many socialist nations on the planet, there needs to be at least one limited government nation for those of us that aren't lazy fuckers.
J @ Jun 1st 2008 8:45PM
@ laughingtarget, abrams, don't you guys think you're generalizing a bit too much?
John @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:08AM
@J
No more than you are about people not being able to find jobs and afford healthcare, with the exception of you being wrong of course. Last time I check unemployment is lower than when Bill was president and if people can't afford Healthcare, that's their problem.
I'm tired of this Healthcare scare BS..
If your job doesn't provide some sort of health plan, then you need to get a different job.
If all else fails there's the military.
Shit even Mcdonald's has a health plan and Tuition assistance, work there while you go to college or a vocational school and then get a decent job, in the meantime, stop fucking whining.
J @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:54AM
@ john. who's whining? you're the one being mean spirited. believe it or not, there are a lot of "liberals" who are quite well off without any aid from the government. So is it wrong that they or we still want our government more involved for the sake of others?
Government should be what you want it to be ( i know that sounds naive). If you ONLY see it as an organization looking over your shoulders, then i can see why you want less of it. But if you remember that government was created for the people, when these "whiners" want assistance, what's wrong with asking for it? They pay taxes, so they have every right to request it.
If trillions were not being wasted on the Iraq war right now, our government... no, our COUNTRY can afford these extra "luxuries," as you would consider it.
The reason i suggested that he was generalizing is because the majority of the people who are asking for more government involvement are requesting it for people other than themselves.
Shame on them for being compassionate.
If you're well off, john, then GET OUTTA DA FUCKING WAY.