It looks like Nintendo Wiis will once again be a difficult item to wrangle from retailers as a holiday gift. Despite a resurgence in sales of its competitor, Sony’s PlayStation 3, Wii sales are still strong, and one Nintendo exec predicts shortages for a second year in a row.
According to the Associated Press, Nintendo moved 350,000 Wiis the week of Thanksgiving, 50,000 more than the week prior. If this buying keeps up, Nintendo will be selling 1.4 million units per month, and producing 1.8 million per month at its factories, which have already maxed out production. If sales pick up toward the holidays, consumption could exceed the supply and shelves would once again be bare of Nintendo Wiis. And in some places, they already are.
Nintendo North America president Reggie Phils-Aime told the Associated Press that Nintendo had already pushed its manufacturing facilities as far as they could go, and that any shortages weren’t intentional, as is sometimes rumored. “A shortage benefits no one,” he said. “We’re disappointed. This was all about how we didn’t accurately estimate demand. We need to be more bullish about the potential for the Wii.”
