Wii Pre-Orders to begin tomorrow

[clen]

Are they taking pre-orders in england? for the wii or ps3?

 

[tolore]

well i officially got owned, i got there an hour before the stor opened and they were already sold out. Another store might to a preorder at a later date, and it'll probably be less advertised so i'll see how that goes, if not i'll just grab it at launch.

 

[Mogwai]

There are "Wii reservation stories", going all around the net, right now. As for me, I thought I would be slick, and drop by and pre-order one on my way to school this morning. I live in an urban neighborhood, where Sony, reigns supreme. So basically, I thought no one would show up early to reserve a Wii. Eventually, I arrive at my local Ebgames, just to see well over 30 people in line. So we(me and friends) parked in the parking lot somewhere, and I called up a few other stores on my cell; Surprisingly enough, some of them picked up. However, they were already at their limits.

I got kind upset, as the regrets began simmering, because I gave up on going up there two hours earlier like I had initially planned yesterday. To make myself feel better though, I actually told them to drive around and I rolled down the car window and called them all a bunch of " random insults " mainly stereotypical ones(bunch of geeks, waiting outside for a stupid gaming console, ect)for a moment, and went on to school. They didn't hesitate to retaliate with their own insults either, especially considering the car we were riding in--we quickly became a riding target of negativity. Nonetheless, it was amusingly fun. But, maybe I should have reserved both the Playstation 3, and Wii when I had the chance. I hope this wont come back to bite me in the ass.

I say this, because, I heard that some people actually waited outside at 1am. If they have that kind dedication for the Wii, then on the day before the Wii and Playstation 3 launch, they could possibly begin camping out an entire day before the store actually opens. I really dont have the time to deal with that, as far as the Playstation 3 goes anyway. It's good to know that I can get the Wii, sometime in December atleast.

To make matters worst, this school day is going slow, I cant wait to get home.

The same thing happens everytime a new console is released, hell i remember the movies that went all over the internet when the xbox 360 was being waited on people out in the FREEZING COLD, laying in sleeping bags waiting for the store to open, i mean jeez people you waited a year to 2 years for the console you can't wait a few months for the second shipment?

This is why i love my pc it can play just about anything from now until dx10 is required.

 

[~*Logan*~]

I have to share what just happened to me at the store when I went to go preorder Smackdown Vs. Raw 07.

So I'm in line with an obvious bunch of Wii folk; Moms, grandparents, etc. The line is out the door because none of these people have any clue how reservation works and the guy has to explain it to each one of them before they'll give him their info. He tries with each person to hurry it along by just asking whether they want to preorder games or just the system, and then immediately asking for their phone number--but none of them were having it. Each and every person in line before me needed a full rundown of their policies before they would even give him their phone numbers.

So I'm at the back and some dude comes rushing in all panicked and out of breath. "Do you have any Wii preorders left?!!?" he exclaims.

The guy behind the counter counts up the people in the line, then looks at his screen, and goes, "Sorry man, this guy's got the last one," pointing to me.

So the guy starts to leave all disappointed but I quickly stop him and explain, since I'm not there for the Wii, he gets the last one. He thanks me but is fascinated how I can not want it. I explained to him about where I thought the future of gaming was going, and how I thought the controller was gimmicky, etc. He starts talking to me about the brilliant applications the controller could have. I say to him that, yeah it's great if it could be like that, but that I doubt they'd take the thing in that direction. We go on like this for awhile before I finally get irritated with the guy's ignorance to the history of games ("You know Nintendo invented the Playstation, right? And Sony stole it from them! Like they steal everything!!"). So finally I say, "Look, all I know is, 20 years ago, dudes like you said this same crap about Robbie the Robot, and 10 years ago dudes like you said this same crap about the Super Scope 6, and you all end up the same way--****ed. So you can have your controller, man--but I've got games to play."

Now the dude finally leaves me alone.

I get to the front and the dude, thankful to see a regular customer who knows the deal, immediately asks me for my phone number so I can preorder the Wii. I tell him I'm not there for it and then we do my business with SVR07, takes all of 2 minutes.

I started to browse and took note of the sheer amount of people who had been there to get the Wii, and the various stragglers who came in too late. Totalling over a 50+ people, and the store had only been open for an hour and a half.

So the dude who was behind me is at the counter and is trying to shoot the **** with the clerk. He points to me and says, "This guy thinks the PS3 and the 360 are better! Can you beLIEVE it?!" the second syllable of "believe" sounds liek nails on a chalkboard, it's so high. Then he mentions how no one was there to get the PS3 and so many people were there to get the Wii.

I was kinda pissed but then another clerk walking by casually says, "Oh, the PS3s are all long gone. The last of those preorders went out the door this morning."

The nerdy guy says "You've only been open since 10!!"

The guy behind the counter chimes in. "Well, yeah--the PS3 crowd though, they all had their stuff ready to go, we were really shelling them out. They were gone a half hour after we opened the gate, all 50."

"40?!?!" the guy yelps. "You only had 25 preorders for Wii!"

"That's what they gave us," the guy behind the counter shrugs.

"Well!" the dorky dude exclaims. "What does it matter anyway?! I bet nobody can pay the full price on that thing anyhow--"

"Actually," the other employee says, "most people paid full. I didn't get any who paid less than 250, anyway."

"200 was my lowest," the guy behind the counter says. "it was a lot easier to move 'em, no grandmas in that line."

The other guy goes "Amen, frigging soccer moms," and walks off.

"So...you wanted a Wii, right?" the guy behind the counter says with a grin.

I guess he annoyed the clerk as much as he was annoying me, heh.

(Not meant to be anti-Wii or anything, I just thought it was a funny story)

I'm willing to bet half, if not all of your story is exagerrated. Too much of it seems farfetched in PS3's favor.

 

[DiebytheSword]

I'm willing to bet it's an actual story, but that's just it. It's just a story from one store. Pride can probably admit to it himself. How about leaving the froth off of peoples sleeves. This is about Wii Pre-Orders, which his story was about, no matter how it was slanted. Yours was about him. Can we dispassionately argue like adults, or are we going to strap on the megaphones and start yelling at eachother with placards?

In one version, this thread continues it's exsitance, in the other it doesn't. I'll let you guess which is which.

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

Just for the record, I am friends with both of the clerks mentioned in the story; so they were probably jonesing the guy trying to help me out cause he harassed me so much in line. That guy was probably a regular who bugs them all the time or something.

Either way I'm surprised you guys didn't pick up my numpad typo; I said 50 ps3s in one part and 40 in another (It was supposed to be 40, for the record).

The only reason I shared that story is because of how the guy was bugging me and the clerks came to my aid, cause they know me. I mean, since I'm not getting the Wii, this is probably the closest thing to a Wii preorder story I'm ever gonna have. Plus, the weird dude was really ignorant about a lot of things--things that, because of this board, we are all well informed about--and I bet my two clerk buds were just pissed he was so far off the mark. After all, from what I saw and what they said, they'd been dealing with people all morning who hadn't the slightest clue about videogames--that's why I was in line so long.

Plus it was funny the way that I took note no one was there for a PS3, and right at that time the dude brings it up and the clerks shut him down right quick.

You can believe I made it up or whatever else, that's cool man. I have a MILLION weird stories about that particular EB. Sometime we should just make a thread for "Weird and Messed Up Game Store Moments," actually. I bet we all have a ton.

 

[wheres_]

After all, from what I saw and what they said, they'd been dealing with people all morning who hadn't the slightest clue about videogames--that's why I was in line so long.

I find the people that work at these places know even less.

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

Well that's why I go to this particular place. I've talked to the dudes, and even though there is a Gamestop much closer to my house, I'd rather go to this place cause of the guys there.

They've even stopped me from buying games a few times cause they warned me they sucked.

 

[Promiscuous Girl]

The same thing happens everytime a new console is released, hell i remember the movies that went all over the internet when the xbox 360 was being waited on people out in the FREEZING COLD, laying in sleeping bags waiting for the store to open, i mean jeez people you waited a year to 2 years for the console you can't wait a few months for the second shipment?

This is why i love my pc it can play just about anything from now until dx10 is required.

I do remember alot of videos, blogs, articles, ect; In reference to camping out, a day before the "Xbox 360" was actually released. Of course, that applies to some of the previous consoles before it as well(PSP, Playstation 2, ect). However, I never seen anyone camp out for pre-orders before. The Playstation 3 pre-order announcement, arised well under 15 hours, and people were already out there as soon as possible, filling up in lines, to get the open reservation slots everywhere in the U.S, within in an hours before store openings. That was highly unexpected, in my limited experiential perspective, among the launch history of the gaming industry.

As for people lacking patience, I do think camping out and all that mess is too extreme, unless it's for fashion wear, but it can't be helped. I suppose people want what's in demand. Just because they've waited one to two years, doesn't necessarily mean they should be able to wait a few more months afterwards, if it's actually available. If it's possible for them to purchase it now, then why wait a few months ? The bug issues might be lowered, but then again, you'd have to be ignorant, not to buy an in-store warranty, to cover it anyway. A second shipment wont guarantee walk-in stock availability--for the Wii maybe, but the second shipment will take place less then a month, and won't require a few, unnecessary, extra months of waiting. The Xbox 360, didn't even get a fixed stock here, until late June. The shipments were all over the place at random times.

I rather not go through that, if I have been anticipating something and I knew for a fact, that I could possibly get it as soon as possible on a set date, just by showing up an hour or two before an store opens. Sure, there will be alot of people hunting just as you are(not in the literal sense), and alot of drama, and ect. But crowds are apart of life. Some people can deal with them, some people can't. But it sure wouldn't make waiting a few extra months, more or less smarter. Unless, there was a reason to believe, that a price drop would take place, in my opinion.

 

[Mogwai]

Just got a call from my father as i told them i don't want anything for christmas this year but they ask/bug me anyways, so i said fine then a Wii and zelda twighlight princess.

He said ok so when he went to preorder it, there was a 12 hour waiting time before more wii's hit the store, the guy said it would be very possible for him to get a wii, but ps3 would be non existent as they are all sold out even in the new shipment.

Yup sony will fail alright considering iv yet to encounter a preorder that isn't taken up lol.

 

[[S]]

Just got a call from my father as i told them i don't want anything for christmas this year but they ask/bug me anyways, so i said fine then a Wii and zelda twighlight princess.

He said ok so when he went to preorder it, there was a 12 hour waiting time before more wii's hit the store, the guy said it would be very possible for him to get a wii, but ps3 would be non existent as they are all sold out even in the new shipment.

Yup sony will fail alright considering iv yet to encounter a preorder that isn't taken up lol.

For the record even if Sony sold all their ps3s at launch they would lose money.

After alot of debate i've realized it's the exact same all these consoles aren't changing anything. The more mature will always go for ps3 or xbox while the Wii is aimed at a younger target audience just like the whole gamecube vs ps2 vs xbox.

 

[Adaptus]

I just have to play the Devil's advocate here, Mogwai:

How will SONY fail, if all of their units are sold out before they've even hit the shelves?

 

[clen]

I just have to play the Devil's advocate here, Mogwai:

How will SONY fail, if all of their units are sold out before they've even hit the shelves?

I believe that he was being sarcastic...

 

[Babyboy]

I believe that he was being sarcastic...

sarcastic? ..no one said anything about sony failing so what would be the point ?

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

He was just being sarcastic. Either way it's not exactly on point, so let's stick back to the topic of the Wii preorders, please.

 

[Jesus]

I just have to play the Devil's advocate here, Mogwai:

How will SONY fail, if all of their units are sold out before they've even hit the shelves?

because they are making a net loss per unit.

nintendo are making a profit per unit.

 

[Adaptus]

Yes. But if they didn't actually sell them, they'd make an even greater loss.

So I guess you could say they would fail less?

Anyway, enough of this.

So over there, in the States - do you guys get to preorder games along with the system, or just the system?

 

[Promiscuous Girl]

Yes. But if they didn't actually sell them, they'd make an even greater loss.

So I guess you could say they would fail less?

Anyway, enough of this.

So over there, in the States - do you guys get to preorder games along with the system, or just the system?

We get to do both. Infact, many people have pre-ordered their games, many months before the actual system itself.

 

[Morpherex]

While all of you wait in line for your Wii, or have for the preorder; I will walk in, the next day, and casually pick one up. Nintendo usually never has a shortages on their systems; especially if it's just going to be a gamecube with updated firmware, a new case, and a new controler; lol.

 

[clen]

Well the ds was pretty hard to find at launch. Now Canada's turn tommorow for pre-orders...