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Wii shortages due to weak dollar? photo

Yeah, the US economy sucks and the dollar is weak. As gamers (and poor people) we don't like to hear about that. It makes regularly purchasing $60 videogames with a clear conscience a bit more difficult. If you're anything like me, you try to pretend that you don't know about it. Ignorance is bliss, right?

Our buddy Michael Pachter brings it back up, though. The Wedbush Morgan analyst says that its really the weak dollar, and not production problems or component shortages, that is causing the Wii hardware shortage. Surprised?

Pachter says that Nintendo stands to gain more by selling the console in other countries, like Europe. In other words, the profit for Nintendo is worse when our dollars get changed into their yen. He goes on to say that supply levels in Europe are starting to normalize after being sent an excess. Perhaps Nintendo will send more our way when we can pony up a bit more cash. It sounds harsh, but can you blame them?

Pachter thinks that the Wii will become more plentiful in the US later in the year, according to The Dallas News.

America, high five on being second-class! 

[Thanks, JR] 


Continue: More wii stories





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31 comments | showing # 1 to 31

liquidninja's Avatar
liquidninja at 03/31/2008 16:59
Oh later in the year. when?
Gameboi's Avatar
Gameboi at 03/31/2008 17:00
I have the utmost respect for the Nintendo brand, and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. That's getting mighty hard to do, now. I can't think of any good excuse as to why they can't meet demand for the console by now -- popular or not.

We're not dealing with cutting edge technology with high failure rates, folks. They should have no trouble cranking these out like nobody's business.
xmetninjax's Avatar
xmetninjax at 03/31/2008 17:04
"Perpaps Nintendo will send more our way when we can pony up a bit more cash."

Yes, perpaps...
ThunderHeartXI's Avatar
ThunderHeartXI at 03/31/2008 17:07
God damn America getting lumped in with Canada. I want a friggin Wii.
CaptainApocalypse's Avatar
CaptainApocalypse at 03/31/2008 17:07
The dollar being weak is hardly news. We've been below almost everyone for years now. The one thing that keeps us from being totally raped by the rest of the world is that we keep them going. Granted, we don't do this exceptionally well and make a lot of stupid decisions, but without us the whole world would be quite screwed for a time. They have no choice but to coddle us because its symbiotic.

However, I still think companies deserve their money and if they are losing money in a market, they should raise the price. If they are unwilling to do so, then they need to suck it up and deal with it.
McSnow's Avatar
McSnow at 03/31/2008 17:08
This day shall be long remembered by all us European brothers as a day of victory over the mighty America!

Long live Europe! Hurrah!
Justice's Avatar
Justice at 03/31/2008 17:11
The GREAT British Pound trounces all!

Seriously though, this isn't an excuse. Nintendo need to fix up.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 03/31/2008 17:28
I CALL SHENANIGANS
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 03/31/2008 17:29
Not quite buying this. It just seems a bit silly for Nintendo to hold off on getting the consoles out while the demand is still hot (and to make money off game sales for new owners) just to skim a bit more off the top.
teach4food's Avatar
teach4food at 03/31/2008 17:38
So why doesn't the 360 sell like hotcakes in Europe?

This puzzle piece don't fit.

Agreed SHENANIGANS
Atlas's Avatar
Atlas at 03/31/2008 17:39
"NINENDO" likes these?

Do you guys mass produce these pictures in an assembly line and hope some of them will be relevant one day?
Horatio Caine's Avatar
Horatio Caine at 03/31/2008 17:42
Yen to that!
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 03/31/2008 17:44
The weekly sales charts don't seem to bear this out. At least, I haven't been seeing any noticeable shift in distribution ratios from the system's launch to present day.



It would make sense, but I just don't see any evidence for it. What is a "normal" level of demand for a product that's perpetually sold out, anyway?

Now if sales drop in Europe before they drop in the States, of course Nintendo would divert more consoles to the US. Why wouldn't they? A smaller profit is better than no profit.
Atlas's Avatar
Atlas at 03/31/2008 17:45
"NINENDO" likes these?

Do you guys mass produce these pictures in an assembly line and hope some of them will be relevant one day?
slapme7times's Avatar
slapme7times at 03/31/2008 17:45
truly, who, especially hardcore gamers, can blame nintendo for being reluctant to sell Americans a gamecube for 250 dollars?

>=(
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 03/31/2008 17:46
It really doesn't make sense why Nintendo doesn't want to sell more consoles, it only brings them more money. Who is proud enough to say:

"Oh them americans, we don't need their stinky dollar, we have enough with Yen & Euro"
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 03/31/2008 18:16
Even if the dollar is weak, the wii sells amazingly fast when it is in stock. Holding them back does no good.
NightDehumidifier's Avatar
NightDehumidifier at 03/31/2008 18:19
The Wii is hard to come by for many only because they're trying to make quota of all the moms and 8 year olds in North America. It's just that there are so many moms and 8 year olds sprouting up, Nintendo just can't make do.
lowercaseluke's Avatar
lowercaseluke at 03/31/2008 19:08
"other countries, like Europe."

WHAT.
UUDDLRLRBAStart's Avatar
UUDDLRLRBAStart at 03/31/2008 19:23
I think Pachter is trying to say that Nintendo is sending more units to the land of tea and scones (where they can sell them for ~$350), rather than shipping them to North America where they only go for $250. If you're trying to sell your wii on craig's list, are you going to sell it to the guy who offers you $250, or the guy who pays an extra $100? Its not that Nintendo is holding them back.
diversionmary's Avatar
diversionmary at 03/31/2008 20:37
250.00 USD = 24,977.83 JPY
179.99 GBP = 35,670.70 JPY
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 03/31/2008 20:40
...Ouch. Thanks a lot Nintendo.
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar
BlackSunEmpire at 03/31/2008 21:08
Are they selling out in Europe though??

It doesnt make sense to send a console to sit on a shelf for a couple of months when you can turn it into cash in North America. I think this is crap.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 03/31/2008 22:51
Lookit all that monopoly money!!

Ha, just kidding. Visiting Europe was hard because I knew for every Euro I spent, I lose even more in American.
tkyy's Avatar
tkyy at 03/31/2008 23:35
Let's just kill all the Europeans and get their Wii.
Aurain's Avatar
Aurain at 04/01/2008 00:08
You can't kill all the Europeans, We will destroy you with our raw power... Unless you go for France or Switzerland, but that's cheating.
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 04/01/2008 00:26
well at the current rate, we pay almost double for the Wii compared to the americans...

250 Euros = 394.65 U.S. dollars
Burnt Meatloaf's Avatar
Burnt Meatloaf at 04/01/2008 03:25
Isn't that why they usually region-lock hardware and charge different prices in each country?

I think the real situation is that Nintendo REALLY wishes they had charged $300 for the thing.
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 04/01/2008 05:49
->mistic: That's ignoring the fact most places sell them for €270 anyway, in ireland at least.

Can't speak for any other countries, but there are plenty of wiis in stock here. Most places have signs saying "we have wiis" or some shit, so they must still be selling pretty good, but there seems to be plenty of supply.
PetiePal's Avatar
PetiePal at 04/02/2008 09:44
Euro for your thoughts?
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 04/02/2008 11:07
I love it when MaxVest busts out the charts.
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