Wii: 18 months and still hard to find

Earlier this week, I went to Target and found a few Wiis still left in stock; I suspect that they are gone by now, but I see it as a sign that they are becoming more available. Of all the retailers, Target is the one that seems to have it more frequently than anyone else; if you're searching for a Wii, that's where I'd go to find one.

For the last 18 months, the United States has been purchasing Wiis at an extraordinary rate, already bypassing in sales the XBox 360, which had a year headstart on the Wii. 10.9 Million Wiis have been sold in the United States, and just as last year, the outlook for this coming holiday season seems grim, as Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo says:

"We are really intending to increase the shipments to the U.S., especially compared to last year. However, I can't give you a 100% commitment [that you'll be able to find a Wii this holiday season]. What I can commit myself to is that Nintendo is going to do its best to supply as many Wii hardware units as possible in order to meet demand there." "

Last year, the president of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimes made a public statement in October 2007 in which he said:

"We're working very hard to make sure that consumers are satisfied this holiday, but I can't guarantee that we're going to meet demand. As a matter of fact, I can tell you on the record we won't."

I have a suspicion that this year will be very similar to last year; and while there isn't a Super Mario Galaxy-like blockbuster game due out this Holiday season, there's still a lot of kids out there that still want a Wii...meaning if you want to get someone a WIi this Christmas, now is the time to start looking.