Closer, as said, to 1 to 1.5 million units. As illustrated, sales in January and February were just under 1.3 million units. Leaving .5 million units unaccounted for in each month, with a likely additional .5 million unaccounted for in March. There are also plans to launch in South Korea this year, likely simultaneously with China. Regardless, China is a huge country and has provided a fair amount of success for Nintendo through their distributor there, iQue.

@ sky render

So what's your big excuse? They're stockpiling for the launch in China?

They haven't even put out a date for that, except the next Fiscal year which is between now, and NEXT MARCH. So why praytell would they be stockpiling for a launch that is at least a few months away, and at most a year away. When they haven't even refined how much they'll be producing for the coming fiscal year? If they go to 2.8, then why would stockpiling now be relevant, since they'll be producing so much more? It makes no sense. In a few months, when we actually know the date of the launch in China it will make sense, but not right now.

Also, you don't work for Nintendo, but you live in a fantasy world that Nintendo is producing millions of units per month, and "stockpiling" them so that they can sell them later. Economic states that you can only sell what you put out there. So why would they not sell as much as they can, to put more of a distance between their competition, in order to "stockpile" for a launch that they don't know when is going to happen. You should probably abandon your argument, as the lack of sense that you are making is killing your credibility.

DMeisterJ, are you claiming Nintendo didn't stockpile for the 2007 holidays?

The earliest target release date, April 1st, is not "a few months away". It is less than 2 weeks away. And though I'm sure you're obscenely skeptical of this, retailers do stockpile even when there are shortages, because of a very simple fact that you really don't want to admit: people are more determined to find certain products at certain times of the year than others. I should not have to repeat that diverting the majority to all of an entire month's supply of stock for the launch in a new region would be a very, very stupid thing to do.

I am going by official statements that Nintendo has made, which do (in spite of your whimsical ideas) line up with reality. If you want to take a high school Freshman-level view of economics, then yes, selling everything you have is a good idea... until you suddenly run into issues of being stuck in an entirely immobile position where you can never launch your product in new regions since you have to have a continual level of output for everywhere you're already released in.

And finally, you of all people have no right to be claiming that I am making no sense, when your idea boils down to "2 + 2 = 5 for certain values of 2".

@ Desroko

No. They did stockpile for 2007 holidays.

But the thought of them stockpiling for Holiday 08 in March makes absolutely no sense, when they haven't even revised how much they're producing per month this fiscal year.

@ Sky Render

I'm not arguing with you anymore.

Just as well that you don't. Your "argument" has never held any semblance of reality, and I'm truly sorry that you're determined to believe that everything can be reduced to a complexity on par with tic-tac-toe.

You're arguing against a straw-man. No one here is claiming that they're stockpiling for the 2o08 holidays, but they do have several big releases in the next few months, as well as possibly launching in new territories.

And if you admit that they did stockpile, why did you go off on a rant against the idea earlier? (A rant which betrayed a lack of understading of basic economics, by the way.)

DMJ

Skyrender

Ban bet 1 week.

Skyrender says Wii launches in April(China) DMJ says it doesn't

 You know what? You're right. Nintendo doesn't stockpile. They only make about 1.2 million a month, then hit their magical "produce more" button to make four million units in December. Then they quickly turn off the turbo boosters on their assembly lines to maintain the supply shortage that they need to sell Wiis at all.

 http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/03/123_20735.html

And I'm sure when they launch the Wii in Korea in May, they'll just hook up another bottle of nitrous and burn another 4 million Wiis out of the factory.

I don't make bets. I simply see one possible explanation for quantity sold not equalling quantity produced. There are a myriad of alternative reasons for why, and almost any one of them could be correct.