Wii shortages frustrating gamers

December 9th, 2006, 12:51 Posted By: wraggster

Shortages of Nintendo Wii consoles around Europe have left some gamers who pre-ordered the new machine frustrated.
Nintendo, which has already launched the machine in the US and Japan, said it expected to sell out of Wiis on the first day of sales.

More than four million Wiis will be shipped globally this year, and 50,000 were sold in the UK in 12 hours.

BBC News has been e-mailed by gamers disappointed that pre-orders for the machine have not been fulfilled.

More than 1,200 Wiis have gone on sale on online auction site eBay in the UK within hours of the launch. The highest price for a console so far has been £500.

Simon Ball from Wales e-mailed the BBC News website to say he had failed to receive his ordered Wii.

He said: "I pre-ordered the Nintendo Wii from Play.com on 15 September along with some software.

"I have been informed today that it is unlikely my order will be fulfilled before Christmas. Incredibly they have dispatched the game we ordered to accompany the console."

'Not shipped enough'

Claire Inglesby from Liverpool wrote: "I pre-ordered the console in November from Woolworths website for my son's Christmas present.

"I received an e-mail today informing me that as Nintendo had not shipped enough I might not receive my order.

Many shops opened at midnight for the launch

"So the fact that I had the foresight to pre-order and not disappoint my son means very little as they obviously expect me to camp outside Woolworths for days on end."

David Yarnton, general manager, Nintendo UK, said: "We are doing everything we can do to meet demand throughout Christmas and the New Year period."

A spokesman for Woolworths said there were problems getting stock from Nintendo.

The UK chain has said it expects to fulfil all pre-orders for the machine by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

He said: "Demand has far outstripped supply and we are delighted to have been able to secure a significant amount of consoles for our customers before Christmas."

Woolworths were not able to confirm if they would receive any more stock once pre-orders had been met.

Currys, PC World and Dixons have said they will deal with outstanding pre-orders in "strict chronological order".

Nintendo has warned people to be careful with the Wiimote

In a statement from the retail group, it said: "When we reached the point in the pre-ordering process when demand exceeded anticipated supply, we made it clear to any customers choosing to join the list after that date there were no guarantees that we would be able to fulfil their orders prior to Christmas."

Rob Lowe, UK product manager for Wii, said: "There is a good chance it will sell out on Friday.

"Judging by the feedback we have had from the retailers I would say you would be lucky to get one on Saturday," he said.

Response to the Nintendo Wii's release has been very positive among consumers and journalists.

The console costs £179 and includes a motion-sensitive controller shaped like a remote control.

The so-called Wiimote can be jabbed, swung, waved and turned to imitate a range of real-life motions that are represented on screen.

Nintendo hopes that simplifying the control system will make games consoles less intimidating to non-gamers and more accessible and immersive for hardened players.

via BBC

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