http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aUlmjLlsp37s
I know, I know this Bloomberg article has been referenced before, but please, Mr Mod, don't lock this thread yet. I've found some other interesting nugget in it that put some perspective on what Nintendo is going to sell this quarter:
Nintendo plans to maintain its holiday production rate of 1.8 million a month through the first quarter of 2008 to see if consumers will continue buying, Harrison said. The rate compares to about 1 million a month during last year's holidays, he said.
So this is pretty definite data from Nintendo. They're going to ship no more than 5.4 million Wiis this quarter, but they will try to ship just as much next quarter, depending on how much the market can take. That puts a lid on some wild speculations regarding Christmas sales. Max figures are:
End of 2007 - 18.6 million units
End of March 2008 - 24 million units
They probably won't sell 5.4 million Wiis to consumers in Jan to Mar, but the supply chain still needs at least 1 million units to be healthy (maybe more, depends on sell-out status in Europe over Christmas). Add some Smash Bros and Wii Fit, and you just might see Nintendo actually selling 5 million consoles in the slow months after Christmas, which would be unprecedented. Nintendo are trying their luck to be less dependent on the year-end seasonality.
Hardcore gaming is a bubble economy blown up by Microsoft's $7 $6 billion losses.
