LIFESTYLE
2009.03.24
Want a Wii? Then go to the store and buy one.
Three years after release, Nintendo is finally pumping out enough units of its flagship game console to meet consumer demand, says GameStop Senior VP of Marketing Bob McKenzie in an interview with Gamasutra.
"You know, three years later, we finally have enough inventory on the shelf, and we've got a couple of weeks in supply of this," he said. "That's good because we can finally determine and gauge [demand] before we get into the fourth holiday season."
The news bodes well for gamers itching to score a Wii after countless hours spent searching auction sites for deals on the hard-to-find system. Despite the ailing economy, sales data from NPD Group indicate that Nintendo is doing just fine: 753,000 Wii systems were sold in February, up almost 75% on last February's figure and nearly doubling the total of its closest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360. As a whole, the video games sector is proving resistant to the country' fiscal woes, with overall sales up 10% in February.
Mackenzie also weighed in on rumored pricing changes for the Wii, calling the recent wholesale price hike in the U.K. a "pretty isolated opportunity" while dismissing thoughts of a price drop in the U.S.
"I don't think they need to make the price move down either, on the Wii," he said. "I think finally we've gotten to the point where we're going to be able to get a real good run rate on this thing."
Source: Yahoo! Games
Three years after release, Nintendo is finally pumping out enough units of its flagship game console to meet consumer demand, says GameStop Senior VP of Marketing Bob McKenzie in an interview with Gamasutra.
"You know, three years later, we finally have enough inventory on the shelf, and we've got a couple of weeks in supply of this," he said. "That's good because we can finally determine and gauge [demand] before we get into the fourth holiday season."
The news bodes well for gamers itching to score a Wii after countless hours spent searching auction sites for deals on the hard-to-find system. Despite the ailing economy, sales data from NPD Group indicate that Nintendo is doing just fine: 753,000 Wii systems were sold in February, up almost 75% on last February's figure and nearly doubling the total of its closest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360. As a whole, the video games sector is proving resistant to the country' fiscal woes, with overall sales up 10% in February.
Mackenzie also weighed in on rumored pricing changes for the Wii, calling the recent wholesale price hike in the U.K. a "pretty isolated opportunity" while dismissing thoughts of a price drop in the U.S.
"I don't think they need to make the price move down either, on the Wii," he said. "I think finally we've gotten to the point where we're going to be able to get a real good run rate on this thing."
Source: Yahoo! Games
