WiiNintendo

Me at the South Philly GameStop

I got to the South Philly GameStop at 8am for their 10am opening. They only had 8 consoles total. There were 7 of us by 10am.

My little brother who lives in Fontana, CA was at his local GameStop at the same time (but three hours earlier) and snapped this photo:

GameStop in Fontana, CA at 6:30am (3 and a 1/2 hours before the store opens).

After getting home I went on eBay and found TONS of Wii’s being sold for 2 to 3x the retail. F’ that.
Wii on eBay

From WiiLoaded.com (site was down when posted)

Gamestops and EB Games across the US opened their doors today to find customers eagerly waiting to preorder a Nintendo Wii. With the massive launch numbers, many future Wii owners are counting on strolling into a store on launch and purchasing their Wii, without the hassle of lines and reservations. However, reports are coming in that the demand for Wii preordering was greater than expected.

Most Gamestops and EB Games opened with larger crowds than the PS3 preorder had earlier this week. In spite of the increased reservation spots compared to the PS3 lists, stores were completely selling out within minutes of opening.

Even strolling in an hour an a half after the PS3 preorders began on Tuesday, I was able to pick up reservation spot number 15. However, after lining up with groups of people that had been there for 6 hours or more, I was only able to grab spot number 16 for the Wii, just two minutes after the store opened. Reports of long lines and 2AM camp outs are pouring in from every part of the country, with many readers showing up an hour before opening, only to find they were too far behind the early arrivals to snag a spot.

If the preorder demand for the Wii is this high, just how hard will it be to pick one up on launch?

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