Wii Pre-Orders Come and Go in Minutes
Nintendo joins Sony in the pre-order game, giving us an insight into Wii demand in the US.
The PlayStation 3 wasn't the only console to arrive in the US in pre-order form last week. On Friday, EB Games and GameStop stores across that country began taking pre-orders for the Wii, and demand was just as rabid.
Despite the fact that the Wii will arrive in much greater numbers than the PlayStation 3, pre-orders for Nintendo's new console were stopped after just minutes, according to a report at GameDaily. There has not yet been confirmation of how many consoles were put up for pre-order.
That shouldn't be too much of an issue for the Wii, though. Nintendo said that it would have 4 million Wiis ready by the end of the year, which is at least double what Sony is likely to manage in its downscaled PlayStation 3 rollout.
Profiteers looking to make money off the back of demand for the console were dealt a just blow by eBay, which has begun cancelling auctions for PlayStation 3s and Wiis. This is likely down to the hard lessons learned at the launch of the Xbox 360 last year, where low supplies ended up badly for retailers and auction sellers alike.
In the UK, some online retailers have started taking pre-orders, though none is guaranteeing delivery by launch day.
The Wii is scheduled for worldwide launch started in November, with the European debut coming on 8 December.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo
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