However, those that remember the Wii’s launch will figure that this “sell out” will last well into the New Year, if not beyond then. Additionally, those that fought tooth and nail for motion controlled-wonders will remember the amount of price gouging that took place on secondary markets for the Wii, and should not be surprised to hear the same is taking place for the Wii U.
According to Ars Technica, and a thorough perusing of eBay, Wii U pre-order holders are selling the promise of their console at nearly a 60% mark-up in the case of the Deluxe Set – whereas the Basic versions are averaging about a 15% mark-up. Gamers that are still waiting to see what Nintendo has to offer in terms of compelling Wii U content will laugh at the idea of paying $600+ for the console, but for some desperate parents or Nintendo fans this may be the only answer.
Some gamers might be wondering why Nintendo doesn’t respond to the pre-order sell-outs and simply boost up inventory, but to answer that you’d have to be Nintendo. For every console launch, not just of a Nintendo device, there have been rumors of manufactured shortages, but Nintendo has vehemently denied those claims.
Since it was fairly easy to come across a 3DS on store shelves during launch, we’d venture to guess that Nintendo didn’t want to go overboard with console inventory out of the gate. We’ll see whether gamers continue to clamor for the console after the holiday season is over, though.
Would you be willing to pay double or triple for a chance to have a launch-day Wii U? Should Nintendo increase their inventory now that they know the console is selling out, or is it smarter for them to keep demand high?
Nintendo Wii U launches on November 18, 2012.
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Source: Ars Technica
