Wii Shortage will Continue, GameStop Warns

Most people assume that those who want a Wii in the U.S. have one already. Most people would be wrong, as video game retail giant GameStop confirmed last week that it expects Wii shortages to continue this holiday for the third straight year.

It's the kind of problem you want to have as a retailer, but consumers looking for their first (or second) Wii console should be prepared to watch Sunday advertisements like hawks, or, dare we say it, prepare to camp out like it was November 2006 all over again.

"I've never seen this type of demand before. I know they're making more, but we're still short like everybody else. I think we'll have a continued shortage this Christmas," said GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo.

"I don't see a near-term end in sight for Wii shortages, not unless they really ramp up supply. I think they've ramped it up 20 percent or so, but Nintendo is fairly cautious by nature. They ramped it up 20 and it's still evaporating," he said.

So, basically, even though Nintendo has ramped up supply 20%, which was in response to last year's Wii shortages, the demand is still not satiated. Again, it's a good problem to have all around--unless you're still looking for a Wii, of course.