I already mentioned that the three key console makers are predicting shortages for the Silly Season. Sometimes, it’s a barefaced lie to generate sales before Christmas but in Nintendo’s case, it seems to be real.
The maker of the incredibly popular Wii console says UK shortages are already being experienced and things are only expected to get worse. High St. stores are already complaining and the company, in a statement, said:
“Nintendo are now in a position in which seasonality demand trends are being broken. Due to this phenomenon it is possible that the demand for Wii hardware may outstrip supply.”
Both Woolworths and Game have said they are already unable to fill certain orders. So what do you do? The best thing is to buy the Wii from another European country. Even Nintendo recommends this as a solution. Responding to a reader’s comments on the BBC, this is what Nintendo’s Rob Saunders said in a Q&A:
Reader: I advise people to use European web sites, pricerunner.de for example. If you are confused just give the shop a call and you will be amazed how many people can speak English when it comes to selling something. A simple two-pin adapter is all that is needed. Warranties are also available EU wide.
Guy, Helsinki, Finland
Rob Saunders: You are quite correct and within your rights to purchase any item within the European Economic Area for shipment to any other country in the EEA. Your warranty is still valid anywhere in the EEA if the product was bought from any EEA member country. Recent newspaper articles have talked about buying products from the US and other non-EEA countries. There are several pitfalls to be aware of:
* You are no longer covered under warranty.
* Products from the US and Japan are not designed to run on the UK 240-volts mains supply and you risk damaging your product and hurting yourself.
* Home console games are region coded, like DVDs. This means you will not be able to play any UK-purchased software on a US machine.
So, no one has any excuse to be short of Wii this Christmas.-Martin Lynch