What's up with Nintendo hardware shortages?

[+Sauron]

300,000,000. 1 for each person in america. Just kidding. But seriously at least a quarter to half of that just to be safe.

 

You do realize that would end up being hundreds of millions of dollars worth of unsold inventory, right?

[Punisher5.0]

150 million units ......

 

The PS4 has been out for 3.5 years and is no where near that number.

[0078265317]

Alright maybe not 150 million. But me and all my friends would buy in a heart beat if available. And they already sold close to 200,000. But that was only because it was hard to find and there never seem to be any in stores. And ebay is too expensive. If they made even 1 million they would sell out in a heart beat. If they just made enough everyone would buy it. There would be no leftovers.

[Tanooki]

I understand. I understand I and so many others can't find a classic edition in store without going the ebay (scam / gouge) route. So instead of trying to keep up with demand it would make sense if they just had enough ready for launch. Instead of only making a few and trying to keep up with demand. I mean they did not know how popular it was going to be. But I mean common its Nintendo it was def going to be no doubt.

 

That's a stupid comment. The last system they released as a home console and their last home console considering how crappily it sold was WiiU. When it came out you could go out for days, weeks or longer and just pick one up off the shelf. Nintendo shipped a lot of product and couldn't move it. It got so bad with them still pressing more units into boxes and shipping them into inventory to hopefully sell to retailers they had to shut down production of the hardware more than once in its life to get rid of taxable stored unsold product. Do you know why? They boxed up just over 3M units and couldn't sell them and shipped that many in the first 2 months, then had to dial it back due to it floundering.

 

Knowing that, do you really think they were intentionally trying to screw people on the NES CE or even the Switch? They came off bleeding money out of every end of themselves, the WiiU was ebola to Nintendo. They didn't want to have another bleeding of funds, so they shot low, really low on a cheap piece of hardware and under guessed by 100s of 1000s of units with the NES CE. With the Switch they've shoveled out globally a very large supply and they kept on pressing them up to and beyond the release on the 3rd and more will be in stores anytime from what I'm reading, and not some lame trickle as well it appears.

 

If you can't stand to wait a few days or maybe a week or two to get a unit, feed a scalper, that's your personal issue, but this isn't Nintendo at fault. It costs a heap in funds, manpower, and factory lines to get a product out in that huge amount, coordinated no less, worldwide to try and meet as much demand as possible. They're fine, just chill. To say they should have had over a 100M units ready in jest or otherwise makes it impossible to take you as serious, potentially sane.

 

Nintendo claimed late last October by the end of their fiscal year (3/31/17) they'll have shipped 2 million units or more. You think this is a laughably small number? I don't. Their own head(vp) of sales humorously with a last name of Bowser (and uses that as an online avatar too which figures) said they did just that already for launch, it stayed not only in production but due to response and early figures have boosted production to keep a consistent supply of systems coming to market to meet the need. Sounds gutsy, not cowardly or slow like they're being accused of here.

[0078265317]

Yes but it should of sold more. But wiiu was not very good. And regular wii was good enough so nobody wanted to spend another 300 on wii u. But Classic edition was a long time coming. People mis the classics and it was a guaranteed hit everyone was going to want one for old time sake. And even new kids are buying it.

[Keatah]

Huh?

 

Big data! All those market analytics, and surveys, and tools that these oddball data processing firms advertise - ads for tools that the common consumer has no idea what they're watching, except they come from some big company doing "big" and "important" things.

 

The H&R Block Watson commercial for example. Or those big powerful wallstreet banks telling you how they know exactly what you need.

 

You should know what business intelligence firms are.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Keatah

[+Sauron]

 

Big data! All those market analytics, and surveys, and tools that these oddball data processing firms advertise - ads for tools that the common consumer has no idea what they're watching, except they come from some big company doing "big" and "important" things.

 

The H&R Block Watson commercial for example. Or those big powerful wallstreet banks telling you how they know exactly what you need.

 

You should know what business intelligence firms are.

 

Yes of course. You should have said that in the beginning.

[Rick Dangerous]

The local Walmart yesterday...not a piece of Nintendo hardware to be found.

 

In my case, Vermont is a tiny rural market and it makes sense that they would be channeling hardware to major urban areas where all the volume is. Also, when one console launches, I think it increases the sales of other hardware temporarily. For example little Jimmy couldn't get a Switch, so lets get him a 2DS instead since the prices are so reasonable right now.

 

 

I'm sure there will be more stock soon, it's just wild seeing all the empty shelves right now...

Edited March 7, 2017 by travistouchdown

[Tanooki]

And yet you have a few copies of Zelda with all the add-on goodies minus the sword. Stop complaining. I like many were furious we couldn't get that bundle. I still want that case for my Switch to go into to keep it safe if it's out of the dock and yet I know some scalper filth will want big bugs for it online which won't happen.

[0078265317]

Everything is sold out here to in chicago which us a big fity. Maybe some 2ds or xl but all the switches are gone. But more will be back soon everyone promissed.

[+Gemintronic]

Nintendo can't say they don't have the manufacturing or monetary power to satisfy demand. It's calculated and customer unfriendly.

 

That's part of the reason I always go used with the big N.

[zzip]

What's up with Nintendo hardware shortages lately? You'd think as a major multi national corporation they could figure our how to make enough of their product so that it is widely available.

 

Below is the scene at my local best buy today, Not a Switch, Wii U, NES Classic, 3DS, or 2DS to be found......lol

 

I get that it's launch time and the Switches are flying off shelves, but i've generally noticed low or now stock just about everywhere these days.

 

With all their liquid capital you'd think they could make it happen. Makes me wonder if it's a marketing/sales tactic, manufactured scarcity as it were..

 

Whats your take?

 

The fact that shortages create buzz, generates free media coverage, and the fact that people tend to want what they think everyone else is buying...

 

I'd be shocked if marketing at companies aren't creating artificial shortages

[zzip]

For any other company, supply shortage is a disaster.

 

For Nintendo, it's tradition...

 

I think Sony does it too. It's been hard to get a PS VR since launch. They sold just under a million of them total so far. Their goal was to sell a million by April, and looks like they are right on track to meet that. I find it hard to believe that Sony wouldn't/couldn't have manufactured something like 1.25 million just in case demand exceeds their expectations. They'd all sell eventually so it's not like they'd be stuck with them. It just looks to me that they are deliberately trying to manage the demand for the device.

[Keatah]

 

I think Sony does it too. It's been hard to get a PS VR since launch. They sold just under a million of them total so far. Their goal was to sell a million by April, and looks like they are right on track to meet that. I find it hard to believe that Sony wouldn't/couldn't have manufactured something like 1.25 million just in case demand exceeds their expectations. They'd all sell eventually so it's not like they'd be stuck with them. It just looks to me that they are deliberately trying to manage the demand for the device.

 

They'd be stuck paying keeping the excess material in stock. More profits if you get JIT manufacturing right.

[zzip]

 

They'd be stuck paying keeping the excess material in stock. More profits if you get JIT manufacturing right.

 

Yes but having widespread shortages since before the holidays that are still not resolved is hardly JIT done right Obviously warehouses full of unsold inventory is bad, but store shelves with a little unsold inventory is optimal. They don't seem to have even planned for that.

[0078265317]

 

The fact that shortages create buzz, generates free media coverage, and the fact that people tend to want what they think everyone else is buying...

 

I'd be shocked if marketing at companies aren't creating artificial shortages

 

Exactly

[0078265317]

 

Yes but having widespread shortages since before the holidays that are still not resolved is hardly JIT done right Obviously warehouses full of unsold inventory is bad, but store shelves with a little unsold inventory is optimal. They don't seem to have even planned for that.

 

I agree

[Keatah]

Their loss because people are losing interest and focusing attention elsewhere.

[Jinks]

10 games anyways. about 8 of them are crap 1 is meh and one is good. Wonder what they will try to market in 2020 as there next system and leave the switch dead. As a consumer I won't get fooled again.

This N cycle of bs is for newbies.

[AtariLeaf]

Their loss because people are losing interest and focusing attention elsewhere.

 

If you're talking about the mini, I already have. I don't even think if I saw one at retail now I'd buy one.

[Rick Dangerous]

Their loss because people are losing interest and focusing attention elsewhere.

 

This is really the case...the manufactured scarcity only goes so far before people get frustrated.

 

I was at another wal mart yesterday (no nintendo hardware for sale again) and the switch kiosk has a video playing but no switch, the kids were hanging out by the ps4 and xbone stands and playing those. Some other kid was buying xbone games with his mom (all withing the Nintendo target age range.) People are going to keep buying consoles and if yours isn't available they can't buy it.

 

Just my two cents. The boat from China that the next batch of Switches is coming on needs to put on the jets...

[godslabrat]

And regular wii was good enough so nobody wanted to spend another 300 on wii u.

 

I really don't know where you're getting this from. The original Wii was not "good enough", in fact it had several faults which hounded it from the very beginning off its lifespan. Notably, it wasn't HD and had very little onboard storage (which wasn't expandable). Lots of potential customers were saying all along that it was a promising system, but it was regrettable that it couldn't compete graphically with the likes of the PS3... the Wii-U could do that. And yes, it sold a ton of systems and was on the market for an exceptionally long time, but the attach rate (ratio of games sold for each system) was terrible. The Wii was aging very badly when the U was finally released, the best-selling games for the Wii were clearly behind it, and Nintendo saw that the public were wanting a replacement system to generate more interest.

 

The Wii-U was not the ideal system to do that, for a number of reasons, but that's hindsight. It's just counter-factual to think the Wii was a popular and viable system when the U came out. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[atarian63]

 

If you're talking about the mini, I already have. I don't even think if I saw one at retail now I'd buy one.

seems to be renewed interest due to it being hacked and sold with 840+ games. I bought one at an inflated price as I no longer have the time to mess with such things. $150 to $199 seems to be the going rate... hate to feed those guys but time is money so to speak.

[atarian63]

 

This is really the case...the manufactured scarcity only goes so far before people get frustrated.

 

I was at another wal mart yesterday (no nintendo hardware for sale again) and the switch kiosk has a video playing but no switch, the kids were hanging out by the ps4 and xbone stands and playing those. Some other kid was buying xbone games with his mom (all withing the Nintendo target age range.) People are going to keep buying consoles and if yours isn't available they can't buy it.

 

Just my two cents. The boat from China that the next batch of Switches is coming on needs to put on the jets...

also got mine from a scalper on epay.. cost me an additional $100 but I did not have to wait in line or hunt around. not saying I liked that but in a couple days I had it at home. non zelda version.

[zzip]

 

I really don't know where you're getting this from. The original Wii was not "good enough", in fact it had several faults which hounded it from the very beginning off its lifespan. Notably, it wasn't HD and had very little onboard storage (which wasn't expandable). Lots of potential customers were saying all along that it was a promising system, but it was regrettable that it couldn't compete graphically with the likes of the PS3... the Wii-U could do that. And yes, it sold a ton of systems and was on the market for an exceptionally long time, but the attach rate (ratio of games sold for each system) was terrible. The Wii was aging very badly when the U was finally released, the best-selling games for the Wii were clearly behind it, and Nintendo saw that the public were wanting a replacement system to generate more interest.

 

The Wii-U was not the ideal system to do that, for a number of reasons, but that's hindsight. It's just counter-factual to think the Wii was a popular and viable system when the U came out. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

The Wii was essentially a fad, extremely popular the first few years of its life, abandoned by its userbase later in its life. Its library consisted of large numbers of crap games AKA 'shovelware' with a relative handful of great titles.

 

I had a Wii, I thought long and hard about upgrading to a Wii U. But in the end it wasn't that the Wii was good enough. It was the Wii U that wasn't good enough- It promised more of the same, except worse because sales were slow. Decided to get a PS4 instead. Turned out to be the right decision for me.