Nintendo is taking steps to insure that there will be a plentiful supply of Wiis for its maiden voyage on November 19. But the exact details of how many Wiis will be available for North America is still somewhat vague, due to conflicting reports from Nintendo.
Originally, Reggie Fils-Aime announced that there would be about 4 million units available towards the end of the year, with a majority of this figure going to North America. However, Ron Bertam, VP of Nintendo of Canada seemed to contradict Fils-Aime,s estimates by saying, "We’re looking at a million [Wiis] for North America at launch. If we get what we’re supposed to get, this will be our most plentiful launch in the 15 years I’ve been at Nintendo. All signs are actually extremely positive."
Nintendo stepped in to try to unravel the mix-up of the launch figures by releasing a positive, but nebulous statement. Mario and Company said, "A number of outlets have reported a misstatement about the number of Wii consoles that will be available in the Americas during the launch rollout. In fact, the truth is even better. After the Americas lead the worldwide launch on Nov. 19, Nintendo expects to sell 4 million Wii consoles globally by the end of 2006, with the largest allotment available in the Americas. Although we expect a huge demand for the consoles, we are working to ensure a plentiful supply and a consistent flow."
The carefully worded release about things being “even better” has no numbers affixed to the announcement. But if the phrase means anything at all, it could be a hint that a lot more Wiis are headed our way than the million first imagined by reporters.
