Heald
16th November 2007, 01:45 PM
British Wii-Wannabes Set For Unhappy Xmas (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7094069.stm)
Although I'd imagine most people on this forum who want a Wii have already got one, the UK is still facing chronic shortages of Wiis and Wii hardware.
Having worked in an electronics store over the Summer, we got in, like, one Wii once a month. For a medium-sized store, that's pretty bad, and it always sold really quickly. At least one customer would come in a day asking if we had a Wii.
Now, with Nintendo warning of shortages in the UK this Christmas, Wii prices have skyrocketed.
A quick look on the major retailer's websites, such as amazon, play and Game, has revealed that prices have gone up from £179 last Christmas to over £300 this Christmas. And to think that Americans were complaining about the PS3 being $599! With the exchange rate at £1=US$2.05, people are gonna be spending upwards of $600 this Xmas just on a Wii!
This is actually the first time I have seen the price of a console rise above its original RRP.
Now, Sony are making their move (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7095976.stm) and are slashing the prices of the PS3, hoping to cash in on those who are unable to secure a Wii this Xmas.
At the moment, bog-standard XBox 360s are selling for around £200 and 40GB PS3s are selling at around £280. I'd never thought this would ever happen, but wow. This would make great material for my Economics dissertation.
Although I'd imagine most people on this forum who want a Wii have already got one, the UK is still facing chronic shortages of Wiis and Wii hardware.
Having worked in an electronics store over the Summer, we got in, like, one Wii once a month. For a medium-sized store, that's pretty bad, and it always sold really quickly. At least one customer would come in a day asking if we had a Wii.
Now, with Nintendo warning of shortages in the UK this Christmas, Wii prices have skyrocketed.
A quick look on the major retailer's websites, such as amazon, play and Game, has revealed that prices have gone up from £179 last Christmas to over £300 this Christmas. And to think that Americans were complaining about the PS3 being $599! With the exchange rate at £1=US$2.05, people are gonna be spending upwards of $600 this Xmas just on a Wii!
This is actually the first time I have seen the price of a console rise above its original RRP.
Now, Sony are making their move (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7095976.stm) and are slashing the prices of the PS3, hoping to cash in on those who are unable to secure a Wii this Xmas.
At the moment, bog-standard XBox 360s are selling for around £200 and 40GB PS3s are selling at around £280. I'd never thought this would ever happen, but wow. This would make great material for my Economics dissertation.