Wii Conspiracy Roundup

The Nintendo Wii was released on November 19, 2006, nearly four months ago. Got one yet? Of course you don't. And don't go looking for one, either. Unless you've got an insider at a gaming store or the tenacity to call one every day to inquire about their next shipment, you're not going to get one soon.

Yet the Wii is a gaming phenomenon and, unlike the Playstation 3, includes no technology of note that hasn't been around for many years.

So why aren't we soaking in Wiis? Nintendo said it would have 17 million of them released by the end of March! Have a look at some of the conspiracy theories on the Internet, strictly for your amusement:

First there's the obvious, that Nintendo is artificially keeping supply low in order to keep demand high throughout 2007. That would make sense if Nintendo was charging higher prices now. But it isn't, and so it's losing out on millions every week by failing to fulfill demand and possibly losing sales to other consoles.

Also popular: Big box retailers are hoarding them for big sale days. The idea is that if they advertise Wiis on the weekend, they'll get big traffic on those days and sell lots of paper towels and Pokemon junk (specifically mentioned are Target and Toys R Us). I can't speak to this, but it sounds plausible at least.

On the more absurd side: A variety of lawsuits have stopped Nintendo from producing more consoles. Ok, except it is still producing consoles, just not enough for everyone.

A game store employee offered this to one Yahoo! Tech shopper: "Nintendo is at the end of its fiscal year so they aren't sending them out." Well, he said "physical year," but we know what he meant. And unfortunately, that argument is inane. When companies get near the end of a fiscal year, they invariably try to sell more, not less, as it makes the numbers look better.

And of course, A-list NBA players have all the consoles. Even B-list players can't get them. 

And here's an interesting twist: Independent Wii developers can't even get hardware, as Wii publishers have taken all the consoles.

What's the truth? Well, it should be obvious, if you've ever bought a game console in the past: Gaming companies are notorious for mismanaging their launches by not having enough product on hand for release, and being unable to fulfill demand for months at a time. The Xbox 360 was tough to get for close to a year, if you'll recall, and like the Wii it doesn't feature any outrageously next-gen technology.

What can you do to get one? Be patient. Shop on eBay or Craigslist if you're desperate. And make friends with someone at a store that sells Wii hardware so you can get in line early the day they come in. Or just do what I do: Enjoy your PS2 and 360 for the time being.