Foo - Wii shortage?

So the wife and I have decided that Santa is going to bring a Wii to Casa de jsharr. Only problem with this plan is that all the major retailers seem to be out of Wii's and I am not the sort to spend endless time trying to track one down. What are my options for securing a Wii?

I am thinking of invading Nintendo and threatening to disrobe unless they give me one.

Seems to be plenty on Ebay.
http://video-games.shop.ebay.com/items/Systems__wii_W0QQ_nkwZwiiQQ_catrefZ1QQ_flnZ1QQ_sacatZ139971QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em282?_trksid=p3286 .c0.m282

Wii's are a hit or miss when I'm at my local Gamestop. I bought one from a friend about 2 years ago, but he waited in line for 12 hours when they first came out. If you can get it, the games are amazing for Wii. Mariokart and Tomb Raider are my favorites.

This question reminds me of one of my own.....not to hijack the thread, but just a quick reply from somebody who knows anything about the Wii.

I was thinking about the Wii fit. Is that a separate item, or do I need a Wii console to use the Wii fit? I'm really only interested in the Wii fit, but not sure if the console is needed to run it or its a standalone system.

Yes, you do need the console for Wii Fit. Good luck finding it - it's just as rare as the console in some places.

Best chance IMO is to find out what day of the week the retailer restocks inventory and go there in the morning.

just go to the Wii store they always have them in the morning...

It's really a hit or miss thing. You have to show up and ask. Take the time to ask, don't necessarily go with what you see on the shelf. Go often and go at odd days/times.

Wow - easily again the most popular Christmas toy wanted!

It's a fun one. We picked one up for my son's birthday. Most spoiled kid ever.
Anyhow, metroid prime 3 is a fun game.

The rumour I came across is that Nintendo directing the bulk of their manufacturing towards Europe where sales in Euros translates to more Yens than USD or CAD.

There are some reasonable bundles here every day with things you really want, like the second controller: http://wiitracker.com/ The EBgames one is a good one because you get two controllers and a rechargeable station with batteries, but you don't have to sign up for 8 games you'll never play.

To score just the console, then you need something like Webmon (http://www.markwell.btinternet.co.uk/webmon/) and just set it up to run all the pages with the item you want every minute and setup purchase accounts on those pages for one-click buys and then be prepared to click through to checkout when the "in stock" alarm goes off.

You'll be done this weekend if you start now.

Yeah, we looked for one, but they were never in stock. One day we were at Blockbuster & they had them in stock & voila!

The big stores should know when they are getting shipments in, just ask around & then stalk them that day.

I'm a fan of Lego Indy & Batman. If it's made for a kid - it means I can figure it out!!

There are plenty in our area. I've been seeing both the console and the fit on shelves of local stores. My wife has both. I tried it myself last week. It said my "wii fitness age" was 57. I'll stick to my trainer and calisthenics when I'm not on the road...

If you go in and there's nothing on the shelf, be sure to ask the nerdiest-looking attendant if there's any in the back.

Be sure to give him a knowing look that says, "I'm not really buying it for the kids...and that's OK." ;)

Should I wear my Darth Vader T shirt? I am not buying it for the kids. I am buying it because my wife told me to!

Have your wife write a note and pin it to your Vader shirt.

He may give you his own console out of pity.

Best Idea EVAR.

Should I use my real name or my forum handle? Or maybe a nick name. I was thinking of Spicy E.:innocent:

Considering what day it is...you should go as LL Ghoul J. :p

Yeah, you really need to start getting a good 'relationship' with the guys who work at EB Games/Gamestop. Perhaps your wifey can help with that? That way, they'll be more inclined to do favors for you, like hanging onto a Wii from their latest shipment of them. Nintendo is purposely keeping their supply low for the Wii, since it keeps demand HIGH and means they don't have any sitting on the shelves collecting dust. Thus the 'Hot Item' status.

UPDATE: I drove past Game Stop this week or last, and they had a sign in the window that said "Wii in stock" Stopped in and bought 2 of them, and a WiiMote bundle with 9 more games in it.

How much was the Wiimost/game bundle?

The extra WiiMote and the 9 games was $50. Just a WiiMote was $40 new or $35 used. Numchuck was $20 new or $15 used.

The bundle is called WiiPlay and comes with a WiiRemote, a WiiRemote Jacket and 9 games which are not listed but billiards, table tennis, hockey, duck hunting and some random images are on the box.

Did not seem to get great reviews, something I learned in hind sight, but it is for a 7 year old and a 4 year old, so they may just love it.

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/puzzle/wiiplay/index.html

The Wii basic system only comes with one WiiRemote, something I am sure would cause tension in casa de jsharr.

I've played WiiPlay a few times. It's fun, I bet you and your kids will like it.

No deep, meaningful gameplay, of course. It's basically Short Attention Span Theatre, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Wii play helps teach you how to use the remote, wife kicks my ass on cow racing every time.

I am not going to touch that one.