Not even Nintendo anticipated how the market would react to the Wii, which is why they’re still hard to find a year after launch, even after Nintendo almost doubled production of the console from 1 million to 1.8 million units a month, writes Wired. “Last week was Nintendo’s best since the Wii’s launch, with 350,000 sold in the United States alone. In comparison, Microsoft sold about that many Xbox 360s last month.”

One problem was that Nintendo had to plan production rates for the holiday season earlier this year, and based on how consoles have traditionally sold they assumed that slack summer sales would help them stockpile inventory for Christmas. Instead, the Wii kept selling strongly throughout the summer, ruining any chance of building up inventory. (I know! Isn’t this sad for Nintendo!?)

According to Nintendo, they won’t increase production above 1.8 million units, but they won’t cut back either until demand subsides. A Nintendo executive offers the same tired old advice on how to score one if you’re still looking: check out stores on Sunday mornings, or find out exactly when shipments arrive at your store, etc.

“Why You Can’t Get Your Hands on a Wii” [Wired]
(Photo: Ian Muttoo)

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