Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, thinks current Wii shortages are “abnormal,” but has promised to fix the situation. On the bright side, Nintendo's DS production levels are higher than they have ever been, either for the handheld or for any other console.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo about the Wii, Iwata said, "We must do our best to fix this abnormal lack of stock. We have not been able to properly foresee demand."
What strikes SPOnG is that, five months into the Wii's lifecycle, Nintendo shouldn't be making excuses about “foreseeing” “abnormal” demand. It's had plenty of time to see it first-hand.
"We will do our best to offer the machine for those who are waiting," Iwata said. He promised that production is being boosted to meet demand. What he wouldn't say, however, is what Nintendo's monthly production capacity for the Wii is and how much production is being raised. His unsubstantiated comments sound suspiciously like like those of a man eager to please but unable to deliver. Indeed, the word “abnormal” sounds like it has come from a disturbed individual.
What Iwata did state is that Nintendo is now producing 2.5 million DSs a month to meet demand, a record production level for the company.
If Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo of America's VP of marketing and corporate affairs, is to be believed,
there's not a huge amount Nintendo can do to resolve the situation at this point. “We are at absolute maximum production and doing everything we can,” she said in a recent interview.
According to IDC games analyst, Billy Pidgeon,
we may not see Nintendo successfully meeting demand for the Wii until 2009.Still, we don't suppose Nintendo's worrying too much. Following its posting of
yet more record financial results yesterday the company's share prices have risen 1.8%.