It may have been released to retail across North America back in November of 2006, but the demographic-busting Wii videogames console remains an in-demand piece of hardware that’s frustratingly hard to find.
Nintendo president promises that Wii shortages in the U.S. will be addressed. Image: Random J/Flickr.
Specifically, rabid consumers simply can’t get enough of the little powerhouse of innovation, while Kyoto-based manufacturer Nintendo simply can’t make enough units to appease constant demand. However, the Japanese gaming giant has this week pledged to end the prolonged shortages that continue to plague the United States.
Speaking with Forbes magazine, Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata said the company intends to increase its concentration of shipments to the United States in an effort to meet the needs of eager consumers across the region who are still struggling to secure a Wii.
However, while Iwata pledged to improve shipments beyond those seen over the past twelve months, he also warned that the Wii product injection isn’t something that is likely to happen overnight.
In terms of the Wii sitting on retail shelves in large amounts by Christmas of 2008 (more than two years after its U.S. launch), Iwata said: “I can’t give you a 100 percent commitment.” The Nintendo boss would only commit to saying that “Nintendo is doing its best to supply as many Wii hardware units as possible in order to meet demand there.”
Released to retail in the United States a full year after market rival Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, the Nintendo Wii last week moved past Microsoft’ platform in terms of installed user base for the region, which is indicative of the near-constant demand Nintendo is having to tackle.
That being said, the phrase ‘making a rod for your own back’ springs to mind based on existing fiscal year figures that show Nintendo was only allocating some 40 percent of its monthly Wii shipments to the United States during 2007, which no-doubt played a part in Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime voicing in April of this year that he was “passionately upset” with the shortfall of units in relation to mounting U.S. demand.
In related news, Iwata also used the Forbes interview to publicly apologise to a certain portions of Nintendo’s fan base for the company’s focus on mass-market and casual titles during last week’s E3 press briefing in Los Angeles.
Targeting those long-term core gamers who were perhaps expecting to see a new Super Mario or Legend of Zelda title emerge from the L.A. Convention Center, Iwata explained that “so-called ‘big titles’ need a long, long development period,” and that Nintendo did not believe that this year’s E3 represented the ideal time and place to unveil such games.
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)