UK, March 6, 2007 - UK consumers are still struggling to pick up Nintendo Wiis, IGN has discovered - despite the fact it was launched in Europe three months ago. High street retailers, including GAME and HMV, have both reported short supplies of the machine, with any limited stock they do get selling out in a matter of hours. "Wiis are like gold dust", said one store manager, who admitted that many customers queue outside every morning in the hope that new stock arrives. In fact, of the 20 retailers we contacted all across country, only one - Toys R Us in Bristol - had Wii consoles left in stock. All other shops had completely sold out and most had no idea when more consoles would be available, with a handful of retailers still trying to fulfill launch pre-orders three months on. However, by far the most worrying aspect of our investigation was the fact that some retailers had been seriously deprived of stock, with one store manager telling us they'd only received two deliveries since launch and that their last delivery contained a meagre five units. Even those shops fortunate enough to get regular shipments have complained they only get a maximum of a dozen units at a time and that any new stock has "sold out within minutes". Commenting on the shortage, a spokesperson for Nintendo UK said, "The sheer level of demand for Wii over the launch period was something that no one could have anticipated. While we were certainly very well prepared for a good launch the level of demand we saw, and continue to see in the New Year, remains very high". However, Nintendo believes the shortage is only a short-term problem and claims it's addressing stock issues: "We are continuing to make multiple and regular shipments across the UK to ensure that we keep up with demand". Meanwhile, Fiona Haldane from GAME remained positive about the demand for Wii: "We are still seeing a huge customer demand for the Nintendo Wii and as soon as stores receive stock they are flying off the shelves within minutes. The console appeals to so many customers and has expanded the gaming market to a new consumer. As soon as we receive stock in we want to sell it and are working closely with Nintendo to ensure we satisfy the customer demand." Source

The thing is i live in the uk , i have a wii which i got pre ordered in the first batch from Amazon which vanished in record time . Where are all the wii users i dont know a single one apart from me i was looking for huge numbers of friendly miis ive none except my immediate family and ive loads of freinds and family and workmates . There is something major fishy going on i think nintendo are pulling a fast one and i bet the total amount supllied now is less than the ps3 allocation for the 23rd . I am going to give my wii to my nephew the games apart from zelda which i loved are total rubbish and im going to preorder the ps3 , ive had every console going my fave being my old snes . I am very disappointed in nintendo they only cater for children or gamers who only play for short periods , i spend a large amount of my life playing games inbetween working and social life . I wont be buying another nintendo product again unless they address the non casual gamers like myself . Rant over .

Wow! That confirms last UK charts! I'm really looking after how many Wii Nintendo is going to produce from April 1st. By the way, excellent signature

Sure, go ahead and preorder your ps3. At least think about this: I can go in a store in the US and just go buy one off the shelf since they really dont sell to well.... Gee... I wonder why too

Yeah well i never bought a console in my life that didnt do very well , skipped the xbox and xbox 360 .Also avoided the n64 and the saturn . Funny that i tend to do quite well and so what if ps3 machines are on the shelf i guess since its now selling more than xbox 360 did over there initial period it must be well doomed then .

wow I am tired of you Nintendo fanboys on this site...it was really is annoying to see all you guys just bash Sony for everything. I am glad ppl like Kwaad are here to balance some things out because these forums are grossly biased. Can't wait until I get my PS3! I will have the most amazing time ever with it.

Yep will be awesome , i was always a fan of nintendo . But this ps3 thing just reminds me of the old days waiting for a console very excited cant wait . I will keep my wii till the 23rd then bye-bye and will count down the days till MGS4 , GT , FFXIII and many other great games .I wish people would stop bashing other companies it is totally and utterly childish and does nobody in the VG industry any favours . All three consoles have a place this generation ive no doubt bout that so let it be and lets all just enjoy gaming .

Nintendo Fanboy? Im glad you can tell, since I own a 360 as well (bought a few days ago and I LOVE it). Its so fun to bash sony tho, since they started making shady business moves (suing Lik-Sang, etc) and making a crappy system (the ps3). Before you start bashing me with "blah blah blah fanboy blah blah you never owned/played a ps3 blah blah im an idiot" I have owned one in november and played it quite a bit. I found nothing worth keeping it for after a couple months. Oh, did you hear? Sony is also suing santa :P http://www.alldaycoffee.net/story.php/108

Everyone to their own jmcoo :) I live in Australia, and love my Wii - as does my GF, her family, friends (etc). Some of my hardcore gaming mates aren't that into it - but they haven't connected it online (so no VC, etc). I also love my VC and retro games, so I would have got it just for that. Have you connected it online and grabbed VC games? It sounds to me like you should get a 360 - not a PS3. Has the best games library, heaps cheaper, and most in-depth gaming experiences available today. Ohh yeah - I have zero anticipation for the PS3 (as does pretty much everyone around me). One of my mates is getting one - but only 'cos he sits at home and plays games for his entire life (no social life), and wants a couple of games coming out. (he also traded in his PSP & PS2 to get a PS3 for half price). He isn't exactly hyped for it - not sure if he is getting any launch titles (maybe resistance). Forking out approx $1500 for a console, 2nd controller, hdmi cable, couple of games (etc) doesn't sound like fun to me.

/shrug Jmcoo7, maybe the Wii just isn't for you. You know, different strokes and all that. For the record, I'm a hardcore gamer and I love my Wii. Trauma Center, Elebits, Call of Duty 3, Excite Truck, Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, there is a, admittedly small, number or great games already, with more coming every month.