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Prelaunch Wii Kiosks Only at GameStop, Pre-Order News
saintory writes to mention a Dallas Morning News article about Gamestop's annual new product conference. Employees and new vendors were given a chance to take a look at the upcoming next-gen consoles, and a few details about the Wii retail strategy were revealed. For example, Gamestop will be the only place to demo the Wii prior to the November 19th launch. More frustratingly, "GameStop has not yet decided when, or even if, it will offer pre-orders for the new systems ... Last year, at the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, GameStop accepted more pre-orders before Christmas than it was able to satisfy. Microsoft's manufacturing problems turned into GameStop's angry customer problems. 'We did learn a lesson last year,' said Steve Morgan, president of GameStop. 'I think the lesson is caution and optimism at the same time.'" Update: 10/03 18:20 GMT by Z : Okay, there is *some* pre-order news. I was told last week to contact the Gamestop folks today (Tuesday) for details. At least at my local Madison store, they're going to be accepting preorders as of Monday the 16th (two weeks from yesterday). One would assume they're not some sort of 'rebel' store, so this is probably along the lines of what we can expect nation-wide.
Game is already offering Wii pre-orders, although the individual stores are only doing so once they've had their allocation confirmed. Personally, I've had my Wii pre-ordered for over a week now - as the EU release date is almost a month after the US, you'd think Gamestop would have some idea as to their allocation by now. Unless, of course, NOA is much less efficient than NOE.
Yeah, but that has issues in and of itself. Waiting sucks, it favors those who don't have jobs, and you can't simply beat line-cutters to death on the street without having to explain yourself to the police.
I'd suggest a lottery system given away a week before the release, but that has it's own problems. Do it on the internet and you have IP spoofing to get multiple tickets. Do it in person and you'd either have to card/register first (just as long/invasive) or risk people hopping store to store to get tickets.
Maybe like the old days? Mail away for a ticket, 1 per address?
Then again, we are a Capitalist Republic. You can always guarantee you get a system, as long as you have some dough.
you aren't making sense.
so someone who happens to have no time commitments on the day of launch is more deserving than someone who planned ahead and preordered (often with deposit and/or a pick-up-by time) as soons as they were able to?
online preorders are also limited, by account or even delivery address.
And who's fault was that?
You'd think that after the horrible PS2 launch (faulty hardware, long lines, too many pre-orders not enough units...) retailers would be a bit more cautious about pre-orders. Instead we STILL see them shoving pre-order offers in our faces. They have no one to blame but themselves.
... you can't simply beat line-cutters to death on the street without having to explain yourself to the police.
Wouldn't waiting in line for a next-gen video game console make that obvious? I guess video game-related violence is not that wide spread as the media claims to be.
I'd like to grab one on release, but I don't have the time to camp out on release night to get one - I'd much rather be able to preorder earlier, even if it means I won't get one immediately on release but within a few weeks after, so I don't have to repeatedly call and check to see if there are any available.
I don't get it.. Just tell everyone their number (and reserve a few at the begining with higher prices for "money is no object" types if whatever sales agreement they've made allows this). When your number or more have been delivered to the shop, go down and pick up your unit. They could even notify people with phone calls or email so no one foolishly goes down on launch day for a system that hasn't arrived yet.
If systems are selling out, there's a market failure there: they're not charging enough. They need to allow the price to rise to market-clearing levels. If the stores had pricing like the airlines for instance: first 100 at x price, next 50 at x+something price, etc. this would be less of a problem.
Incidentally, the fandango dimwit/scalper (and all scalpers really) exists because of exactly the same market failure. He's bridging the gap between what people would be willing to pay and what the theater is charging. i.e. an elastic, but high demand curve, and a flat supply curve. Scalpers are not a problem where theaters accurately asses price. Note that nobody was scalping tickets for weekdays of week 4 showings of Star Wars: Precious few people wanted to fill seats at the regular prices.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
My local game store is just writing people's names down on a list with their phone numbers. As they get stock in they're going to call you and if you already have one they'll move to the next person on the list. Hopefully I'll get one launch day from there but it's nice as it makes me free to get one elsewhere if I see it.
Eventually people will learn that their local retailer gets shipments on Tuesdays or something like that and you'll have a line outside the door every Tuesday morning to see if they got any in. That's a great marketing ploy since most retailers are pretty dead in the early hours.
Dissenter
"There is no knowledge that is not power."
That's why the mobile wood chipper was invented.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Walmart was apparently offered the Wii demo units, but declined due to safety concerns with children, and lack of floorspace. Of course, that's just rumour.
Yes, that's what I'm saying.
Someone who is willing to wait in line for the chance to buy one is more deserving than someone who expects things handed to him on a silver platter.
I've been faithfully swinging by my local EBGames every couple days on the way home from work to see if they're taking pre-orders yet, and of course they're not yet but I was told that they should know sometime this week exactly when they will be. I was also told that instead of pre-ordering a Wii, I should just pre-order a Wii game... How does that help me get a Wii? Heck if I know.
Time to go to Toys-r-us
Limited or Non-Existant pre-orders may be GOOD... at least for the retailers. Who doesn't like long lines snaking around their stores? If the Wii is a successful product - which I think it's fairly safe to assume it will be - then it's release will likely mimic the releases of previous "next-gen" systems (I say "next-gen" using the term completely relative to a console's particular time-frame; N64 was, to a degree, "next-gen" for its time). Especially recently, major console releases have seen incredible demand, so much so that consumers are often lined up outside of the doors at opening time, waiting to get their hands on the new console or game. All of that foot traffic in stores is only going to lead to increased sales of unrelated items within the store as people (a) mull about while they wait for their chance to get their system or (b) try to find something else to entertain themselves with when they realize they won't be getting a Wii. Not to mention that the retailers avoid any chance of broken promises to their customers, which is obviously an entire issue in and of itself.
-TheBaron2
While this makes sense on some level, obtaining the product from a brick and mortar store is hardly your only option. If it's difficult to get because it involves going to a store, perhaps the obvious solution is to order the product from Amazon.com, and let those who are actually willing to go to the store be rewarded for doing so?
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
What a ridiculous comparison.
How on earth is having the foresight pre-order something that could be popular anything to do with expecting things being handed to you on a silver platter? If anything you have to go out twice to a game store to pre-order a console and only once to buy it on the day!
"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
What a ridiculous comparison.
Cut him some slack; look at his user name. If bad with analogies, he's unlikly to be that good with comparasons now is he?
If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
here in the states, FYE is taking pre-orders with a $50 deposit on the system, and $5 per game. i'm 3rd in line for my Wii. i have no idea why, but the PS3 already has 13 pr-orders. O_o
Don't call me back. Give me a call back. Bye. So yeah. But bye our, well, but alright we are on a shirt this chill.
As long as they sell out, the stores don't care. They would be happiest if the could auction them off, but idiots would *really* think that was unfair, even though giving the systems to those willing to pay the most is probably at least as fair as any random sort of distribution.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
lol. Very good point. I would give you 5000 insightful points if I had any.
The first shipments of the Wii will be going to the "hardcore" gamers and the pseudo-enteprenuers looking to rip people off on ebay. None of them are going to care about an in store kiosk. Has anyone ever been in a store like Best Buy or Target and found a Kiosk actually open to test out, every time I see them they are crowded by small children who's parents found the video game department to be a babysitter for them. Toys R Us, Best Buy and others are going to be free to setup their own consoles, most do that already.
On a side note, at least in store kiosks can be concidered a "reward" to Gamestop suckers, I mean customers, for their willingness to be overcharged and ripped off on trade ins over the years.
If you want something so badly that you need to pre-order it, you should want it bad enough that you are willing to actually go to the store when it is first available. If you can't be bothered to, and other people get it before you, then you can't want it bad enough. I don't understand the big fuss about pre-ordering something. It makes sense for many reasons that places don't allow pre-orders.
Pre-orders are _not_ bad. I understand the desire to give the consoles to the "die hard" fans who camp out, but there are also those "have a job" fans who don't have that option. Fairness aside, pre-orders are a great way for store to measure the demand of a product before it is available. Without pre-orders it becomes much more difficult to figure out how many Wiis are needed. If you still want to be a die hard fan to retain your geek pride then be among the first to pre-order.
It's a fact that the Microsoft XBOX 360 and the Sony Playstation 3 will give you 1080, while Pretendo will just give you Piss as in piss on you as they always have.
Why would I care about 1080 - i or p? I don't plan to buy an HDTV until flat-panel HDTV costs less than $300 for a 30 inch set. My first degree was in Business Management (Sales and Marketing focus) - I know the price will drop to around $300 if I just wait a few years. Until then, my digital cable settop box will convert the shows for me.
By that point the PS3 will retail for $250 as well.
In the meantime, I'll be having fun with my Wii. It has fun games. I don't care about the HDTV aspect.
But, I'm amazed that only Gamestop will take preorders - I planned on preordering at EBX, like I did for most of my other consoles and handhelds.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
If the 360 launch taught us anything, those "die hard" fans camping out are likely to not be die hard fans, but rather people looking to make a quick buck on Ebay.
I pre-ordered a Wii on Amazon a couple weeks ago. They had a short window in which to order and I got lucky. Hope I get mine fast...Free shipping and no tax so I won't complain if it takes a couple days.
I'd be shocked if Gamestop didn't do pre-orders. And actually, some of their employees are under the impression that there WILL be preorders. For whatever thats worth.
My local Target has started putting up a Wii display, but oddly enough no PS3 display. (which actually comes out 2 days earlier) It doesn't look like they're going to demo it but there really wasnt a way to tell. (I have a picture of the kiosk at www.unofficiallwii.com)
I still haven't been able to preorder the Wii, no place is taking them around me. My local F.Y.E's don't sell videogames.
www.unofficiall.com
In Canada, Toys'R Us had the Wii for pre-order a few weeks (months?) ago. Their website no longer lists it as being available for pre-order, though.
That is all. WI > * Anyone cracks a Packers joke and it is on.
At the Gamestop at Ala Moana in Honolulu, they're only accepting trade ins as payment toward a pre-order. No cash.
I'm going to be camping out at Best Buy instead.
well, almost nothing beats having the guy that runs the local Gamestop as a brother in law that will personally gaurantee that you will have a Wii ready for pick up as soon as they come in. My EB Edge card has accumulated enough from trade ins (mostly from the PS2 games collecting dust) to almost pay for a Wii so he has that and $10 to ring in as a legit sale for me. whenever they can start taking pre-orders... or before open on release day if they don't take pre-orders.
--- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!