Smooth Debut for Wii in the US

Nintendo didn't have to worry about guns or fights, but it still couldn't shake supply bugaboos.

By comparison with the rowdy US PlayStation 3 launch last Friday, the worldwide debut of the Wii on Sunday in North America was easy going. Nintendo execs, armed with enthusiasm, flew out to both coasts to welcome gamers to Nintendo's next generation.

In New York, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime kicked things off, handing out the first Wii to die-hard fan Isaiah Johnson at the Toys R Us store in Manhattan, GameSpot reports. Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, at the Universal Studios EB Games in Los Angeles, company vice-president George Harrison was doing likewise, giving the first Wii to another loyalist, Jonathan Mann.

There were smiles all around, and with good reason. Nintendo's hardware launch may not have received the press the PS3's did early in the week, but it went more smoothly. The executives have better planning to thank for that.

There have been a few bumps, though. One of which is a shortage of accessories.

Nintendo has inexplicably made it hard for Wii owners to buy component cables. With the Wii eschewing high-definition video, gamers are scrounging to get the most out of the console, and only the component cable is capable of that. Currently, the component cable is only available from Nintendo's online store and at select retailers.

Another apparent hard-find is the Nunchuck - the thumbstick containing portion of the Wii controller. Reports from users at Kotaku suggest that the attachment is not being sold as readily as the Wii Remote controller.

Nintendo hasn't yet revealed how many consoles it sold on Sunday, but Fils-Aime told Reuters he expects the company to sell a million Wiis in the US by early December and 2 million by early January.

Still, demand was high, and many retailers report selling out their stock. And wanna-be Wii owners need not fret. Nintendo says it will have 4 million Wiis available worldwide this year.

Europeans will also soon be joining the party. The Wii is next headed to Japan, where it launches on 2 December, before coming to Europe on 8 December.

Many High Street chains in the UK have already opened (and in some cases closed) their pre-order campaigns. Online retailer Amazon.co.uk will open their pre-orders at 9.00am on Tuesday, 21 November.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo