News / Business
Nintendo Wii Outsells PlayStation 3
The highly anticipated launch of the Nintendo Wii arrived on Sunday and just about everybody left happy. It was a huge success for Nintendo Co. as they were able to match the supply with the demand, contrary to gaming rival Sony whose PlayStation 3 launch left many gamers empty handed and even left some in the hospital.
Nintendo Co. had approximately two million units available for their initial launch, far surpassing the 400,000 units made available by Sony. Nintendo has reported that they have another two million ready to ship to stores in short supply. The result was instant success for the Wii. At a modest price of $250.00 many stores sold out of their inventory and avoided the confusion and chaos that surrounded the PlayStation 3 launch.
It seemed that the preparation taken by Nintendo Co. paid off.
While the PlayStation 3 launched a few days earlier than the Nintendo Wii, a shortage of gaming consoles and violence hurt sales. In many areas across the country police had to break up crowds waiting to purchase the unit. In Connecticut a small crowd was robbed by two armed gunmen while they were camped outside a Wal Mart. One man was shot after he refused to give the men his money.
The Nintendo Wii was able to avoid the trouble that surrounded its rival by supplying merchandisers with enough units to handle the demand.
