Auction inaction: Wii resales no longer fetching above retail price
by Randy Nelson 
{ Dec 23rd 2008 at 6:45PM }
This time last year, Wii systems for offer on resale sites such as eBay were fetching nearly $500; the site now lists hundreds, many of which are going unsold (especially those with starting bids above retail). It seems that Nintendo's promise of increased production earlier in the year has been fulfilled, as retailers including Walmart.com and Amazon have had the console in stock during December – and for much longer than what had become a matter of seconds for most of this and last year.
[Via NWF]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mr Awesomer @ Dec 23rd 2008 6:47PM
I've been seeing Wiis everywhere... even just a few days before Xmas. Demand has finally dropped to meet supply.
bm @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:53PM
lol 5/10
One look at the sales figures would tell any person with half a brain it's the other way around.
Ridgecity @ Dec 24th 2008 1:30PM
Probably those 2 million last month means that everyone got one. Wait, didn't it ran out again?
Cody @ Dec 24th 2008 2:32PM
Mr Awesomer everybody, the tech clerk at Microsoft commenting on his lunch break.
Mr Awesomer @ Dec 24th 2008 2:39PM
Right... cause I reeeeeeally care about console sales numbers.
Lars @ Dec 24th 2008 3:56PM
I was at 7/11 a couple days ago, they're still selling them for over $300.
bm @ Dec 26th 2008 8:49AM
Then why make retarded statements about it in the first place?
jorojoserojas @ Dec 23rd 2008 6:57PM
Still looking for one in the Houston, TX area.
Can anyone point me to one? I want to give one to my cousin for Christmas.
DBoyFlex @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:29PM
I can't point you to a specific place, but I have seen them in the area. Granted I am not in the market for one. I have seen them at a few Targets and I think Best Buy. If you call a Best Buy store, they can check theirs and surrounding store inventories as well, to kind of give you the heads up. or you can just get it on amazon with free shipping and no tax, both of which would make it worth getting from them. Sure, not Christmas delivery, but buy them a game and tell them it is on the way. lame, but a solution.
Chin-Poh @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:17PM
I've finally seen Wiis in my area of northwest Houston, I'm right on 290 and Highway 6 and there are Wiis in the stocks in the area but no 360s and PLENTY
of PS3s.
Wiinterfang @ Dec 23rd 2008 6:59PM
It's Sold Out T_T.
KeenCommander @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:06PM
I actually saw three of them in a store yesterday...without a surrounding mob. Almost died of shock.
Still, this is standard for the other consoles - and has been more or less since launch. The Wii was inevitably going to cool down now that everyone already has one, so it's really not at all unexpected.
ice~ @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:08PM
Or maybe everyone in the world bought a Wii already so no1 is buying them!
Wiinterfang @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:20PM
I don't have one and I have the name wii on my username.
Wiinterfang @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:11PM
Yeah but let's face it the other offerings are still weak in some ways, this Generation of gaming started pretty weak but it's redeeming them somehow.
Foetoid @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:14PM
And if they don't care about gaming in HD, which doesn't improve on games, just makes them prettier, then 480p looks fine and Wii games look better than last-gen anyway. I'll be the first in line for the Wii-HD when Nintendo gets around to doing one, but i'll still play all the VC games on the Wii without even thinking about how poor it looks, just because good graphics don't make games with bad graphics into bad games. Every single game on 360 could have been done last gen in non-HD and played just as well. HD gaming looks good i know, i have a high-end PC, but it doesn't make for better gaming. More intuitive interface tho DOES make for better gaming. I had to FORCE myself to finish the Halo trilogy thanks to the barbaric controls, but gaming in Metroid Prime 3 and COD5 on Wii was a breeze and fun!
el serpiente @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:19PM
HD > SD.
jackal @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM
Foetoid,
I'm glad you like the Wii, but I'm getting more than a little annoyed with people like you claiming the only thing the other two systems have going for them is better visuals. You're looking at only one benefit instead of taking the other into consideration: both have substantially more processing power than what the Wii has available.
Both systems are capable of supporting substantially better AI than the Wii can (or ever will be able to). Try showing me a single Wii game that has AI on par or better than what the console port of FEAR does; you can't.
Extra processing power also allows for much better physics (which can be essential to gameplay if implemented properly) and it allows the system to display far more NPCs on screen at any given point. There's a reason why the Wii's Dead Rising port has a substantially smaller on-screen zombie count than the Xbox 360 version does; the system barely has enough grunt to handle more than 15 zombies, let alone the hundreds the Xbox 360 can display at any given point.
Whether or not you want to admit it, having more powerful hardware can and does have a deep impact on gameplay. You won't feel panicked in Dead Rising Chop Till You Drop because you'll never be surrounded by more than 10 zombies; this is stark contrast to the Xbox 360 version when you come to the realizing just how screwed you are when your last remaining weapon breaks as the dozens that are swarming you quickly becomes hundreds.
I'm really intrigued as to why you, someone who claims to have a high end PC, doesn't realize the importance of having a good CPU. Go try playing Supreme Commander on a Socket 939 system with a GTX 280 and try having a positive gaming expereince; you'd be lucky to have a slideshow at 1024x768 despite having an incredibly potent videocard. Your CPU will come screeching to a complete halt trying to manage thousands of independent units and interactions (realistic artillery phyics, burning trees, deformable terrain in real time, etc.) at once.
If you like the Wii, great; it's obvious fulfilling the gaming needs you bought your system for. However, don't try to dismiss the other two systems as having little more than a new coat of paint going for them when you're touting a last gen system with a unique control scheme.
Foetoid @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:56PM
Poor comparison jackle since Capcom confirmed there would be over 100 zombies on screen (they just havent released a screenshot). I do agree that high-end hardware can lead to some better gameplay moments. As someone who loves Crysis, the game was so much fun to me mainly because it was so beautiful.
Your points for Supreme Commander was a little poor. An Athlon 3700+ 939 system with a GTX280 would run that game with no worries. Nvidia recently proved that gaming these days barely needs a good cpu, with GPUs taking over almost all the gaming processing. If i took out my 6000+ AM2 and put in a 4200+ AM2 and kept my HD4850 512Mb card, the only thing that would be affected is load times, barely. This is also why games 'should' look better on 360, since it has a far superior graphics chip, but less on the CPU.
Seriously tho, as much as your points are valid, your examples are few and far between. I've played dozens of 360 games and every one of them could have been done on the Xbox 1 in SD. HD is all good, but it doesn't make for better gaming overall. The one point i will give you is on screen NPCs, but even then, if you'd seen the Monster Hunter 3 video from this site not too long ago, the game was as good looking as early 360 games with just as many on-screen NPCs.
My point was really a dig at the HD fanboys. I've played so many amazing Wii games that most HD gamers won't look twice at cause the HDs are clouding their judgment. Killjebus is always poking fun at the Wii for it's graphics, but Wii every game i've played on my fathers 47" 1080p LCD looks far better than last-gen AND i'm not stuck with barbaric FPS controls that were surpassed before they were created (N64 Controller). Yes yes 95% of Wii games are crap not worth looking at. That still makes 2 dozen worth owning now and 2 more dozen within 12 months. The Wii is an excellent console, demand will pick up when Nintendo drops the price, and the Wii is honestly the perfect side-dish to either HD console. I'd love to own a 360, but my gaming budget is limited and there are still too many good Wii games i don't own....
/end rant.
Killjebus @ Dec 24th 2008 2:38AM
Nicely done Jackal.
I have said the same arguement many times.
"but Wii every game i've played on my fathers 47" 1080p LCD looks far better than last-gen"
I did not know it was April fools day Fotoid.
GoW2 and SotC and MGS3 say hi from PS2 land.
By the way, your playing wii games on your 1080p HDTV on a wii that is only capable of 480p R kayracks me up.
Vidikron @ Dec 24th 2008 7:51AM
"As someone who loves Crysis, the game was so much fun to me mainly because it was so beautiful."
Wow... you completely contradict one of your main arguments with this one statement. Graphics do make a difference. That's not to say I don't appreciate some of the classics, but I appreciate them for what they are: old games. But that doesn't mean I want all future games to look old as well. Also, who hasn't had the experience of playing an old game and it not being as good as you remember? I know for me personally that happens more often than not. And part of that is graphics. You simply get used to higher standard and they DO add to games no matter how many times you try to claim otherwise.
jackal @ Dec 24th 2008 10:10AM
Foetoid,
Until Capcom provides visual proof to back up the veracity of that 100 zombie claim (which is still a few times lower than what the Xbox 360 can handle), I stand by my statement. I'm also familiar with what NVIDIA said, and I'm telling you some games are so CPU bound that having an incredibly beefy videocard is rendered useless when your system doesn't have a decent CPU.
I have Supreme Commander and its expansion. They are the only two applications I have outside of stability tests like Prime95 or OCCT that'll drive total CPU utilization up to full load and my processor isn't a hobbled Socket 939 dual core; I have an Intel E8400 overclocked to an OCCT stable 3.8 GHz. If I dropped in a quad, the game's CPU demands would automatically scale to take advantage of all four cores (with CPU utilization being as high as 45%=50% per core) and my performance would noticeably increase when I overclocked.
Is the game terribly coded like GTA IV? No. You have thousands of units on screen at any given point doing their own thing independently. Artillery and missile launches might be happening in the hundreds at any given point, and they are both physics driven. Trees interact with units in real time; tanks mow them down, they can catch fire, etc. When you shoot aircraft out of the sky, they try to stabilize until they spiral out of control and crash (again, physics driven). If you have massive units like the Monkeylord Spider Mech or Colossus, they can deform the terrain and can kill units just by stepping on them (again, the physics of weight); the same thing happens with the CZAR flying fortress when it crashes. Unless you're trying to play the game with 8x AA, 16 AF at 1920x1200, the game is not definitely not GPU bound.
Or, let's take a look at FEAR. The game's extremely shader intensive, bit it also has what's considered the best AI in the shooter genre. The game came out in 2005 but it wasn't until a full year later you actually saw a console port. Even if you graphically neutered it to the point of looking like a PS2 game, there isn't a single last gen console capable of handling it because it needs at least a dual core to run well. The framerate is a consistent 30 FPS, but even I notice the temporary slow downs when multiple soldiers show up on screen.
I'm not trying to completely dismiss the Wii, but don't think for a moment there aren't games on the market that are simply too much for the system's single core processor to handle and don't downplay the importance of having decent, multicore processors.
MuToiD_MaN @ Dec 24th 2008 1:55PM
People posting on forums state their opinions as facts. News at 11.
ice~ @ Dec 25th 2008 1:34AM
I've never owned an HD tv, never seen a game played on an HD tv, hell I've never even seen an HD TV besides pictures on the internet and commercials. Yet i still have more fun playing my PS3 and 360 than Wii. I just don't see what's all that great about HD and how it makes the Wii bad. I mean can Gears or MGS4 really look THAT much better on an HD TV? Graphics don't matter to me, it's the experience of the game, and the experience I have while playing with my friends on that game, no pretty graphics or lighting effects will change that experience
mindshed @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:11PM
Now Nintendo can finally come out with Wii2, now with onboard graphics accelerator!
giantenemycrab @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:15PM
I'm still waiting for colored Wiis. I would love a red or green Wii.... Or a black Wii so I can go around town telling people that my black Wii is huge.
Foetoid @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:58PM
You can also tell them it glows blue when you plug it into a wall socket.
Mr Khan @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:18PM
Noo! The house of cards has fallen! The great awakening has happened! The ugly truth about the Wii is out! Loud noises!
Killjebus @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:25PM
Bang bang Mr. KKKKKHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!
Killjebus @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:19PM
ok spelling police...bust me!!!
Mr Khan @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:19PM
lol, my sarcastic post and your serious post get through at the same time.
Sad that someone believes it, though.
PersonOfSorts @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:22PM
A cursory glance of ebay shows they're selling for almost +50-100 over retail. Some even more. (note, most auctions include 2 controllers and 5 games, meaning a wiimote, nunchuck, and wiisports (5 games in one). *rolleyes*
Perhaps joystiq should look at the auctions with 1-3 minutes left, not 1-3 days.
Poisoned Al @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:25PM
YAY! Now you won't be ripped off for buying something you'll use once every six months or so! That's TRUE value for money!
What, you think that I'm bitter at paying over the odds for the last bastard unit in the store last Christmas? Nah, becuase I know that fucker manager at Woolworths, that wouldn't let me put good games into the package and made me buy a load of crap ones, is now out of a job! HAHAHA! Merry Christmas arse-hole!
PersonOfSorts @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:26PM
We'll let you off with a warning.
But not next time!
Zardus @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:31PM
While that news is great to hear, why the heck is the cheapest Wii on Amazon still $350? And why are Wiis on ebay still going for around that much as well (just watched one get sniped for 357)?
The way I'm reading it is that at some point Wii supply met demand, and soon afterward Wiis sold out again and we're back to the same old deal. Last year, though, there was no Wii Fit and Mario Kart for scalpers to profit off :-(
LordVesper007 @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:33PM
I would say something but it would be lost in the angry mass of anti nintendo folks on this website.
Anyways BB is sold out of them. And I don't think demand has decreased. We still get asked, "Do you have any Wiis in stock?" constantly day to day. We get a lot of them in and then they're sold out by afternoon.
jackal @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:08PM
When Nintendo and its third parties acknowledge that core gamers are equally as important as casual gamers are, we'll give them some slack. Until then, it'll take every ounce of strength I have to not jam a copy of Shigeru Miyamato's Wii Music or a Balance Board up Shiro Iwata's ass for the direction Nintendo's taken. I didn't buy 25+ Gamecube gamea and go through two systems only for Nintendo to give me the cold shoulder; had it not been for people like me, Nintendo's console division would've died last generation and there'd be no Wii to praise or piss on.
Stravvy @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:36PM
Citing Wiis selling for retail on eBay as evidence of the "beginning of the end" is shaky reasoning. Nintendo's selling more (and making more) of the damned things than ever. The eBay surplus just demonstrates that predatory poachers get what they deserve in the end-- a garage full of stuff they can't sell.
BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:56PM
Hate all you want, the system has sold really damn amazing. I don't think any system in the past has had this kind of selling streak.
All this means is demand is starting to stabilize with supply, and you'll probably see the Wii selling more reasonable monthly numbers, like PS3 and 360 are.
And, really, I don't think Gamasutra has done enough research on the subject (which is odd, because they're usually pretty good about that). As of typing this, a Wii auction just ended for $411.10 (free shipping; comes with WiiPlay and an extra Nunchuk). Bundles of the Wii with WiiFit and Mario Kat Wii are going for over $500 (yes, people are actually bidding on these).
You could account that for last-minute Christmas shopping, which wouldn't be too far from the truth.
However, the point is, people are still pay stupid amounts of money for the system, when they could've just waited another week or two and get one for retail price.
Foetoid @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:16PM
Demand will return when Nintendo drops the price in the next 4 months.
Ethan @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:17PM
Scalpers are losing money? Always glad to hear.
Minimalist360 @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:10PM
Why? Scalpers are just a signal that things aren't priced correctly.
^chi^ @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:41PM
Pre-ordered and purchased when they first came out (and you couldn't find one anywhere). Used it for a while, but it didn't hold my attention (just wasn't my cup of tea), so I decided to e-bay it this holiday season.
My auction closed on Friday at $360 (Console, 5 games, 4 Wiimotes + Nunchucks). Could have done a lot worse considering it was used.
MuToiD_MaN @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:47PM
I got one off eBaye for $260 with free shipping from out of state, so I'mma gonna count that as retail. Still saw poor saps paying $350 for some though.
Deck @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:55PM
Finally the Wii buying slowing down? Amazing!
Roto13 @ Dec 24th 2008 11:38AM
Considering more Wiis were sold last month than in November of 2007, no.
playwhutyalike @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:49PM
To all the Wii haters in here. The article says nothing about the demand for Wii decreasing. It is about the price dropping for those available on eBay. So what if your store has Wiis in stock. Stick around and if 360s and PS3s are outselling the Wii.
Read the damn article if you are going to get your lame-ass, tired, fanboy on.
Wiinterfang @ Dec 24th 2008 10:11AM
Read an article? NEVEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!!
skyrous @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:51PM
To all you Wii haters out there proclaiming this the Wii's downfall there is of course one fatal flaw in your cunning plan. Nintendo is right back to where they were in 1991 the king in both consoles and portables. The shortage was NOT a marketing gimmick, there are now 40+ million Wii's out there it's now the fastest selling console in history.
EA and Ubisoft cannot afford to ignore a console with an install base of 40 million. 3rd parties will find a way into that market and with the recession and layoffs and cutbacks all over the industry the Wii's cheaper development costs make more sense than ever.
Next Christmas all the 3rd parties are going to have quality Wii software on the market, they can't afford not to.
Paviel @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:02PM
Not trying to come across as a Wii hater, but I wasn't aware that the Wii had surpassed where the PS2 had been at the end of ITS second year.
Nor do I believe that the Wii has the same staying power that the PS2 had. (has?)