This Xmas, Nintendo's Wii's is in short supply - this you know. The hysteria has hit such a pitch that In2Games is now trying to sell its motion-sensitive PS2 peripherals off the back of the hardware shortage.
SPOnG was more than a little offended to be greeted with a press release headed, "Wii-less This Christmas? You Can Still Go Wireless Thanks To The RealPlay Range On PS2", this morning.
The announcement goes on, "Following the disheartening news of massive Nintendo Wii shortages, In2Games, the pioneering British creator of motion-based videogames and controllers, is set to put smiles back on retailer’s faces this Christmas with its new, wireless ground-breaking RealPlay range on PlayStation2".
Opportunistic? Oh yes. Snide? More than a little. A bit mean spirited? Arguably. Fair point? Well, kind of. Toys R Us, for example, is getting away with selling Wiis for not less than £249.99 for a bundle. A quick glance at it's website tells us that it's not even in stock.
We put in a quick call to our local Woolworths who also told us, "You have to buy a bundle." Unfortunately, you can't right now because they aren't in stock and that particular branch has a waiting list of 30 people. Oh, we were also told "and we're not sure if they're going to come."
Similarly HMV is also only doing bundles, with £250 the least you're going to pay. Although this store did have Wiis in stock, we were advised that stock is selling fast. SPOnG's also spoken to HMV staff who are beginning to hate their lives thanks to constantly having to field queries about whether the Wiis in stock.
The picture's slightly better at Argos, with the catalogue shop selling the Wii with just Wii Sports at £179.97. Argos is, however...
...yup...
...out of stock nationwide. SPOnG was told, "we're re-stocking in the next couple of days" and advised to call back early doors for availability. They're selling out within hours, apparently.
SPOnG's put in a call to Nintendo regarding shortages and pricing policies - on the latter, we're sure to be told that pricing and bundles are the retailers responsibility. We are waiting for a response.
Back to RealPlay - which kicked this whole thing off...
The RealPlay line, if you're not familiar with it, is a collection of PS2 games such as Golf and Tennis that each come with a motion sensing controller. Our Adam's played RealPlay's driving, ball rolling and pool games recently and tells us that while the system has some potential, although the games are not yet really much to get excited about. That said, he's keen to see the tennis and golf games which are due early next year, which will enable a direct comparison with Wii Sports.
So, to follow its line of marketing... if - and only if - you can't get a Wii then you might want to settle for RealPlay Racing, RealPlay Golf, RealPlay Pool and RealPlay PuzzleSphere are available from November 30th.
SPOnG was more than a little offended to be greeted with a press release headed, "Wii-less This Christmas? You Can Still Go Wireless Thanks To The RealPlay Range On PS2", this morning.
The announcement goes on, "Following the disheartening news of massive Nintendo Wii shortages, In2Games, the pioneering British creator of motion-based videogames and controllers, is set to put smiles back on retailer’s faces this Christmas with its new, wireless ground-breaking RealPlay range on PlayStation2".
Opportunistic? Oh yes. Snide? More than a little. A bit mean spirited? Arguably. Fair point? Well, kind of. Toys R Us, for example, is getting away with selling Wiis for not less than £249.99 for a bundle. A quick glance at it's website tells us that it's not even in stock.
We put in a quick call to our local Woolworths who also told us, "You have to buy a bundle." Unfortunately, you can't right now because they aren't in stock and that particular branch has a waiting list of 30 people. Oh, we were also told "and we're not sure if they're going to come."
Similarly HMV is also only doing bundles, with £250 the least you're going to pay. Although this store did have Wiis in stock, we were advised that stock is selling fast. SPOnG's also spoken to HMV staff who are beginning to hate their lives thanks to constantly having to field queries about whether the Wiis in stock.
The picture's slightly better at Argos, with the catalogue shop selling the Wii with just Wii Sports at £179.97. Argos is, however...
...yup...
...out of stock nationwide. SPOnG was told, "we're re-stocking in the next couple of days" and advised to call back early doors for availability. They're selling out within hours, apparently.
SPOnG's put in a call to Nintendo regarding shortages and pricing policies - on the latter, we're sure to be told that pricing and bundles are the retailers responsibility. We are waiting for a response.
Back to RealPlay - which kicked this whole thing off...
The RealPlay line, if you're not familiar with it, is a collection of PS2 games such as Golf and Tennis that each come with a motion sensing controller. Our Adam's played RealPlay's driving, ball rolling and pool games recently and tells us that while the system has some potential, although the games are not yet really much to get excited about. That said, he's keen to see the tennis and golf games which are due early next year, which will enable a direct comparison with Wii Sports.
So, to follow its line of marketing... if - and only if - you can't get a Wii then you might want to settle for RealPlay Racing, RealPlay Golf, RealPlay Pool and RealPlay PuzzleSphere are available from November 30th.
Read More Like This
Comments
sora 20 Nov 2007 12:26
1/3
Well thats retail for ya.
To get the most profits retails will slap on the huge price tags because they know it will sell. The exact same thing was done with the PS2 and the PS2 slimline....and it will carry on like this for years to come.
on the flip side although the packages may be high in price your still making a saving on the number of games you get. I think its better buying a package with shed loads of games (even if they're crappy set deals) then folking out 400 odd quid for the console alone on ebay.
Sora
To get the most profits retails will slap on the huge price tags because they know it will sell. The exact same thing was done with the PS2 and the PS2 slimline....and it will carry on like this for years to come.
on the flip side although the packages may be high in price your still making a saving on the number of games you get. I think its better buying a package with shed loads of games (even if they're crappy set deals) then folking out 400 odd quid for the console alone on ebay.
Sora
tiredofwiiphiles 20 Nov 2007 13:52
2/3
Oh, but no word of the fact that tons of the Wii ideas came from EyeToy stuff? Yeah, Wii started EVERYTHING, there wasnt even video gaming before big N came around, whew thanks for them....ugh. Lets not forget the motion sensitive "wand" that was supposed to come out for PS2 shown before the system even came out.
madjo 20 Nov 2007 13:56
3/3
Hmm, weird that it's still out of stock in the UK. I can walk into any gamestore here in NL (except perhaps the larger cities (didn't try that)) and get a Wii.
My local MediaMarkt has large pallets filled with the white Wii boxes. No bundles either.
Too bad that you have different power sockets than we do, otherwise I'd suggest getting one here.
My local MediaMarkt has large pallets filled with the white Wii boxes. No bundles either.
Too bad that you have different power sockets than we do, otherwise I'd suggest getting one here.