[manasecret]

I keep hearing about Wii shortages, but always from people who already own the console or from people who don't want it. I have yet to hear that from someone who is actually looking for one. I'm not saying it's not true, just suggesting the "shortage" may be overblown, and that it's probably pretty easy to buy one if you look around a bit.

And apparently they HAVE ramped up production, to 1.8 million units a month.

Nintendo Raises Wii Output, Will Boost Revenue With China Sales
By Hiroshi Suzuki

Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co. said it raised production of the Wii player by 80 percent during the fiscal second quarter to bolster revenue in Europe, and will further expand sales by selling the console in China next year.

Nintendo, the world's largest maker of handheld game players, plans to keep monthly production at 1.8 million Wii consoles, after boosting the output during the three months ended June 30, President Satoru Iwata said at a briefing in Tokyo today. The console will also be sold in Korea from next year, Iwata said.

The Wii lured buyers with a controller that replicates users' movements on screen, helping the player outsell Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 console by about three to one, according to researcher Enterbrain Inc. The company today said it plans to introduce more features such as an online television guide on the Wii to attract more customers.

``We are trying to create an environment that every household has a Wii,'' Iwata said. ``We are not done yet.''

Iwata ruled out any immediate cut to the Wii's $250 price tag, following reductions by Sony.

The production increase, from 1 million units in the three months ended March 31, allowed Nintendo to ship more Wiis in the U.K. and European regions, Iwata said.

Sales of the Wii, which began selling in Europe in December 2006, rose about 50 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30 to 1.54 million, Nintendo said in a statement today.

Nintendo yesterday raised its sales target for the Wii by 6.1 percent to 17.5 million units in the year ending March 31, and the goal for game titles by 35 percent to 97 million copies.

Shares of Nintendo rose 2 percent to 67,700 yen at the close on the Osaka Securities Exchange, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 1.4 percent.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=a3FKYMLPMdoE