For the second consecutive Christmas the most wanted and difficult to find gift is the Nintendo Wii, even though Nintendo Co. has ramped up production several times. A year after its launch, Nintendo’s Wii game console sells out almost immediately when it reaches stores. Sony and Microsoft have cut the prices of their consoles this fall, but continuing demand for the Wii has meant Nintendo hasn’t had to. Some of the demand for Wiis results from trouble in the toy industry, as well as the gadget’s cross-generational appeal. A look at eBay shows that New Wii systems are selling about 100 U.S. dollars above the 250 dollar store price.
Nintendo’s Wii, only a year old, has already managed to outsell the older Microsoft Xbox 360. The stock market now values Nintendo at 75 billion dollars, compared to 48 billion dollars for Sony, which has six times the revenue. Nintendo has increased the pace of production, but acknowledges that it won’t be able to satisfy holiday-season demand.
