Nintendo Boss Calls Wii a Tough Get

Do not look to Reggie Fils-Aime for hope. Even he says that Wiis are going to be hard to find come launch day.

In an episode of popular cartoon show South Park that recently aired in the US, Cartman is on a mission to land a Wii. It's something millions of people around the world can identify with now that Nintendo's console is only weeks away. Finding one, though, is not going to be simple.

"It's going to be a tough get," Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview with Cnet this week.

"The only thing I can tell the consumer is that it's going to be tough because the demand is so high, not because we've stumbled in the production," said Fils-Aime. "We've said all along that we're going to have 4 million units available for consumers worldwide by December 31st, and we will deliver that number."

The swagger in Fils-Aime's step of late comes from confidence that Nintendo is on to something. Around the world, longtime fans of the company and neophytes lured by the DS are eager to see what the fuss is all about. And it's because of this demand that Nintendo isn't bothered by what Sony and Microsoft are going.

"They're trying to do centre of the living room, entertainment hub," Fils-Aime said. "Let them do it. We want to bring gaming entertainment to every single consumer. No matter how much you play, whether you are great at gaming or just coming into the industry."

"We revel in going in a different direction," he said. "We're doing something very different."

The Wii is set to make its worldwide debut in the US next week before launching in Europe and Japan in December. There have been rumours lately that, true to the fashion Nintendo has divulged the system's capabilities over the last year, there was one more surprise to come. Fils-Aime's response:

"No wonderful secret announcement. At least not one that I'm aware of."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo