The Official Nintendo Wii U Availability Thread (And Game Deals)

Quote from frankthetank250 : Bestbuy.com and target.com no longer have the 32GB for preorder

I discovered that when I checked Bestbuy earlier this morning. Luckily I had absentmindedly added one to my cart yesterday or the day before. Even though it wasn't available, I was able to check out with it.

Quote from jsksjs : Looks like Kmart and Gamestop.com no longer have the 32GB for preorder

Actually I just pre-ordered 2 about 10 minutes ago on Kmart.com and it worked fine. expected date for delivery is Nov 18-20

i was able to pre-order 2 32 gb's today at best buy. the cashier actually did the kiosk thing for me.

Preordered mine at Best Buy today. Just getting one for myself, but I have no doubt this will be a hot item. Each system should net you resellers $100-200 profit each. Usually I get annoyed by people buying up all the slick deals and leaving none for their fellow slick dealers, but a video game console launch is different there is (perceived) risk involved and in this case the resalers will no doubt be rewarded. Nothing wrong with being smart. Besides, the majority of gamers are just trying to pay for their console with the profits lol. These will be sold out come November and December, count on it.

Quote from slickminnesota : Preordered mine at Best Buy today. Just getting one for myself, but I have no doubt this will be a hot item. Each system should net you resellers $100-200 profit each. Usually I get annoyed by people buying up all the slick deals and leaving none for their fellow slick dealers, but a video game console launch is different there is (perceived) risk involved and in this case the resalers will no doubt be rewarded. Nothing wrong with being smart. Besides, the majority of gamers are just trying to pay for their console with the profits lol. These will be sold out come November and December, count on it.

I disagree that there is any risk involved. If you purchased with a credit card it just goes on your card as a pre-authorization. There's no charge and you're not out any money. Worst case scenario is there is an ample supply and you return it to the store. You may be out shipping, but in my opinion it's a small price to pay.

I personally always buy two of every "hot" deal I find. I usually would sell the spare to a friend/family at cost. These hot deals are becoming a lot harder to find and if you see it available there's no reason not to purchase it right then and there. You can always return it if you're short on funds.

I make any purchases on craigslist/ebay, so impulse buying there isn't really recommended and carries more risk.

Quote from slickminnesota : Preordered mine at Best Buy today. Just getting one for myself, but I have no doubt this will be a hot item. Each system should net you resellers $100-200 profit each. Usually I get annoyed by people buying up all the slick deals and leaving none for their fellow slick dealers, but a video game console launch is different there is (perceived) risk involved and in this case the resalers will no doubt be rewarded. Nothing wrong with being smart. Besides, the majority of gamers are just trying to pay for their console with the profits lol. These will be sold out come November and December, count on it.

I'm not sure I see these yielding profit. PS3 and XBox 360 were "next-gen" and a huge jump. People were loving the hype and excited about the new technology. I love the Wii U, and will absolutely own one, but I'd be fooling myself if I thought PS3 to Wii U was anything like the jump from PS2 to PS3. The new tablet controller and graphics upgrades are awesome add-ons from the original Wii, but this is very unlikely to yield the profits those systems did upon launch. It will likely be a hot item, but personally, I would be shocked to see these selling at anything more than a $50-$100 profit (before fees if eBay) at most. If I'm wrong, that would be great, but I can't imagine why the astronimical after-market demand would be there. If I had to guess based on market tendencies and smart business practices, there will be a shortage upon launch and people will snatch any remaining systems up during the shopping season late-November, and more will magically appear just before, maybe slightly after the holidays.

Sold out online at BestBuy finally...

starting to see news articles on google about wii u selling out everywhere...just put a second order in @ toysrus.com

1 best buy order for store pickup
1 toysrus order for shipping

Kmart sold out, despite site allowing you to go through entire checkout process. Errors out at the end.

Quote from benicio : starting to see news articles on google about wii u selling out everywhere...just put a second order in @ toysrus.com 1 best buy order for store pickup 1 toysrus order for shipping Kmart sold out, despite site allowing you to go through entire checkout process. Errors out at the end.

Kmart/Sears, BestBuy, and Target are out of the 32GB. This will be the hot toy this Christmas.

why are resellers gobbing up 32GB ones first? wii u has expandable storage and i'd assume that the cheaper ones would sell better

or maybe it is just that there are fewer 32GB units?

I don't think this will sell anywhere near as well as the Wii (which would sell out instantly as soon as new stock came in and was a much more unavailable item for much longer than the PS3), but I do expect it to sell out this holiday, which means resellers will make some good change even if it's not the hundreds per unit that one could make on the original Wii.

Personally, I don't mind selling things on Craigslist, which is reasonably safe if you meet inside a McD's or something, and that means no eBay or Amazon fees. Of course, for others, it isn't worth the slight risk.

Quote from mirai : why are resellers gobbing up 32GB ones first? wii u has expandable storage and i'd assume that the cheaper ones would sell better or maybe it is just that there are fewer 32GB units?

Well, in addition to all the resellers, there are actual gamers and Nintendo fans pre-ordering these things. For the hardcore fans, having the deluxe model, which not only comes with several extras, but is also a different color (very smart decision by Nintendo there I think) and that has a special program where you get a certain % of your digital game purchases back, is a no-brainer, so that is where the immediate demand is going to be.

Quote from KcuDcM : Well, in addition to all the resellers, there are actual gamers and Nintendo fans pre-ordering these things. For the hardcore fans, having the deluxe model, which not only comes with several extras, but is also a different color (very smart decision by Nintendo there I think) and that has a special program where you get a certain % of your digital game purchases back, is a no-brainer, so that is where the immediate demand is going to be.

thanks. i was not aware that there's a Digital Deluxe Program which will only be available to the black WII Us. that will definitely be a plus. i actually bought a black one myself, as i think this is a reasonable price for this new console. i don't plan to sell it but if there's some Nintendo fan willing to buy it for $500+ then why not i'll just sell it, hold out for a few months, and then re-buy it.

Quote from mirai : thanks. i was not aware that there's a Digital Deluxe Program which will only be available to the black WII Us. that will definitely be a plus. i actually bought a black one myself, as i think this is a reasonable price for this new console. i don't plan to sell it but if there's some Nintendo fan willing to buy it for $500+ then why not i'll just sell it, hold out for a few months, and then re-buy it.

Precisely. I had no plans of preordering today, but when an item - especially a console - sells out, there's really no risk in going for it. Best case, you sell for a profit. Worst case, you have a very nice new system that may be on and off shelves before 2013.

That said, I struggle with which is more sensible. The Deluxe offers a game of $60 value - for now. The stands and digital deluxe are fairly useless in my opinion. the digital deluxe, as far as I can tell, is essentially a buy 10, get 1 free program. You receive 10% back in points for each purchase and you can use them for future purchases. The stand is probably a $5-$10 value, with the gamepad stand $10-$20. In reality, the only clear benefit to be had over the basic are the two free stands, and that's only if you care to have them. Nintendo Land is only worth it if you think you'll play it a lot or if for some reason it sells above retail on eBay at launch. Otherwise you can save that money and get the Basic plus your choice of any game for nearly the same price. You only miss out on the stands, a rather arbitrary digital program unless you buy a massive amount of games, and 24GB of memory, which is expandable anyways. Tough call in my opinion.