Well said

So... you're saying they NEED to restrict supply to create demand? Is the fact that it's a new HD console from Nintendo, the touch screen, and New Super Mario Bros U not enough to make consumers want it?

I think under-supplying the Wii U will hurt Nintendo, especially if Sony and Microsoft are indeed releasing new consoles next winter.

But I don't think Nintendo will create an artificial shortage to boost hype and demand. They don't want to leave any money on the table. Plus, things like the Miiverse provide much more utility with more Wii U users. Nintendo will want a huge network of Wii U owners talking to each other and sharing games with each other.

The "Under-supply" conspiracy comes from 1 system Nintendo launched that saw significant supply restrictions, and even with this limited supply it was still the fastest selling game console for the 2 years it was sold out.

The funny thing is that the analysts who claim Nintendo should have been manufacturing far more systems to prevent this limited supply are the same analysts who expected the lifetime sales of the Wii to be below its first year sales.

1. Hype pre-Wii launch was actually lower than hype pre-Wii U launch. Wii hype only went ballistic right at launch.

2. Pre-order per store allotments are higher than any other Nintendo console in history.

Colin can shove it. I'm tired of analysts that can't remember facts and spout assumptions that fly in the face of reality.

Very well put, the guys who are saying nintendo limited supply would have produced far fewer units if they had been in charge.  Coming off a console that sold just north of 20 million, no one was expecting the wii to sell like it did for the first two years, especially not the analysts who now claim nintendo manages supply to create demand. If that is their strategy, it sure didn't work with the 3DS as someone else already pointed out.

A few things.

-How could he say "Nintendo tends to" do something when it only happened with one console? If it only happened once, it doesn't qualify as a tendency.

-Did this even happen with the Wii?  I still don't believe that is the case.

-This happens with most consoles these days. Even the PS3 and 360 had demand that was hard to fill at various stages of their lives. I personally couldn't find a PS2 in stores until April of 2001.

-If this is a valid strategy, why does nobody else get accused of doing this?

-Every console that releases gets outsold by the current successful consoles for about a year. The Nes oustold the SNES, the SNES outsold N64, the PS1 outsold the PS2, the PS2 outsold the PS3. That's how it goes. It's a 100% given that the 360 and PS3 will outsell the Wii U. That's how it works.

-Why didn't Nintendo do this with the 3DS?

-Creating an imaginary demand against the 360 and PS3 makes no sense. The Wii U is competing against the next versions of the Xbox and Playstation. They would want to sell as many consoles as possible.

-This is Pachter we're talking about. Why are we even wasting our time?

lulz, that's quite the leap in logic.

sometimes i think MS or Sony should be paying this guys to do what they do, this "analist" is a troll.

Like anyone would want to show pix that they work in a factory for a Japanese company in China these days.

Mike from Morgantown