Wii now widely available to UK retailers

Koch Media, Nintendo's UK distribution partner, told Nindie.com ("A Community for the Independent Retailers of Nintendo!") that Wii consoles are freely available to retailers for the first time since the system's launch. Previously, Wiis were shipped to stores on an "allocation" basis -- the number of systems shipped depended on factors like store size and sale of other Nintendo products.

However, allocation still plays into Wii orders in a way. Koch's Craig McNicol told MCV, "We also urge customers to remember that Wii console purchases count towards the allocation of DSi, Wii Fit and forthcoming new releases."

If you haven't bought a Wii yet and you're planning to, it might be a good time. Though Nintendo has increased the cost of the system to retailers, it's currently still possible for stores to get them at the original cost. "We haven't put our prices up yet as we're still able to access stock sourced at the original value," Chips' Don McCabe said. "However, this supply is drying up, so we'll have to see what happens with the extra cost."

The biggest takeaway for us? There's a community for independent retailers of Nintendo.