Let the mayhem begin....

[Zeus]

EB and Gamestop taking Wii and PS3 pre-orders (Canada only for PS3, already sold out in US) starting Friday the 13th for US and Monday the 16th for Canada

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3154386

They're actually giving out wristbands at the EBs up here according to my bud.

I mean, really, I can freakin' wait to get one. I have a possible source at Walmart and maybe one at a local store up here, but that's all the effort I'm putting forth. I'm not going to THAT much effort. I have plenty of stuff to keep me occupied.

[Zeus]

My bud is a freakin' manager at an EB and he can't hook me up. They're actually handing out tickets for those camping out in line, it's crazy. They're limited to 5 PS3s and 10 Wiis per store, so they're going to be VERY gone 12 seconds after they open. These figures are for all of Canada. So far, he's been telling me that most people are calling about the PS3, so MAYBE the Wii will be a little easier to get? I don't know. All I know is I won't be getting one from EB, I'm tapping the other sources.

BTW, this weekend at EB in Canada, you can trade in 3 games (with restrictions) and get up to $70 trade in towards any new game that just came out or is coming out. I just transformed $95 into $230, it's great. I love it when they do deals like that.

[Don]

They'll probably have boxes of Wii/PS3 sitting in a place like Target or Walmart after it's launched while people are beating each other up for 1 copy of PS3/Wii in EBGames.

[Julius Seeker]

From reports, everything was sold out everywhere within a minute or two. Futureshop is easily the #1 gaming store around here (by far), with EB games in second, and Zellers in third, and Walmart in fourth. Perhaps Walmart will be the easiest place to get one.

[Zeus]

They'll probably have boxes of Wii/PS3 sitting in a place like Target or Walmart after it's launched while people are beating each other up for 1 copy of PS3/Wii in EBGames.

You would think...if there wasn't a severe shortage of PS3s (only 400k at launch) and very high demand for both it and the Wii. From what I've seen in the past, people will go ANYWHERE to try and get one of these systems. They'll be hitting Walmart, always a very popular gaming destination, Zellers/Target, Sears, The Bay (Canadian), every single small gaming store (like mine for the PS2 launch), Futureshop, Best Buy, and any place else that may have a prayer of having one.

People are fucking mad. There have been EB employees in Toronto getting threats from customers along the lines of "you fucking employees better not be getting my PS3". Really, people need fucking help. It's a fucking piece of electronics, man. You can't get one? Wait a little bit and you'll get one. It's really gotten insane IMO. I mean, I'll ask around a bit and see if I can get one, but if I can't, oh well, I'll wait. But paying 3x the sticker price, camping out for a couple of days, or threatening employees is where you just take a step back and let the psychos kill each other over them. If I have to wait until January or February, oh well. Not worth all that effort and/or money or taking a day off of work.

[Oracle]

As of 9:30am, the EB in the mall I work by is not doing any more pre-orders. IMO, they handed out like 20. I'll be getting my Wii from Wal-Mart most likely. That tends to be the best bet for new systems near launch.

[Lox]

I got a preorder from the EBGames near my work. I am thinking it won't be necesary, but the security of a preorder slip eases my fears.

[Julius Seeker]

I managed to get mine pre-ordered, I feel sorry for the customers who missed out. Though they say that there'll likely be plenty more. This holiday season is going to be a rough one.

[SineSwiper]

Why do they do this? Seriously, why? And don't give me that inflating demand crap! People already want to buy these systems, so why don't they just fucking sell it to them? I would love to hear that on opening day, there are 5 of one system, 10 of another system, and 500 of a third system.

Guess which system is going to get all of the money? Yeah, the system that is available. People will wait in line for 4 hours, realize that the other two are sold out, and by damn, they aren't going to walk out empty-handed. They are going to buy the 3rd system. And they aren't going to feel that their console company is fucking with them with this supply and demand shit. That sort of mindfucking hurts the reputations of the companies.

[Lox]

Nintendo has listed their launch numbers as being pretty high, so I'm thinking the lack of preorders available means that there will be a ton available for walk-in customers. We'll see.

[Kupek]

For Sony, it probably is they just can't make enough of them.

[Julius Seeker]

Yeah, that's likely how it is going to be. There could be as many as 7 million available by the end of December, and 11 million by the end of the fiscal year.

EDIT: and yeah, Sony is having production issues, both because the PS3 has a slower production than Wii does, and because their way behind schedule.

[Lox]

Looks like it's going to be a Wii60 Christmas this year.

If I had the cash to blow on a 2nd system, I'd definitely get myself a 360 by Christmas and pick up some of the games coming out now.

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

The PS3 isn't coming out over here 'til March, heh. Hopefully by that point they'll have ramped up production a bit and it will have some decent games (or maybe not, because I really can't afford it). Aside from White Knight Story, VF5 is the only thing on the system that I'm really primed for.

[Eric]

Fuck Wii, I missed out preording WoW: Burning Crusade Collector's Edition

[Zeus]

Why do they do this? Seriously, why? And don't give me that inflating demand crap! People already want to buy these systems, so why don't they just fucking sell it to them? I would love to hear that on opening day, there are 5 of one system, 10 of another system, and 500 of a third system.

Guess which system is going to get all of the money? Yeah, the system that is available. People will wait in line for 4 hours, realize that the other two are sold out, and by damn, they aren't going to walk out empty-handed. They are going to buy the 3rd system. And they aren't going to feel that their console company is fucking with them with this supply and demand shit. That sort of mindfucking hurts the reputations of the companies.

EB and Gamestop got FUCKED on the 360 launch. They WAY oversold pre-orders, so much so that many weren't filled until January or February. They're just being cautious. They're even telling those 5 or 10 that they're not guaranteed just to cover their asses. The Wii we know is going to have more supply, so you'll likely be able to get one there if you work at it before year end.

But at the end of the day, there'll be a flow of them to all the other stores. EB and Gamestop are not the only places to get them. Just wait a couple of weeks and find out from some of the workers roughly when they're expecting them and go it that day. You shold be able to get a Wii unless it turns into a Tickle Me Elmo

[Julius Seeker]

I just sold my 200 dollars down on a Wii Pre-order for $300 this morning =)

[Flip]

A friend of mine pre-ordered the 360 for its launch but still had to wait a few months after the launch to actually get his. What is the use of pre-orders when that crap happens? I'd be pissed if they couldnt fill my pre-order on day 1.

Also, whenever i am looking for a hard to find new game and the BB or game stores are all out i've always have luck at CompUSA. They seem to be one of the larger overlooked stores with regards to games and systems.

[Julius Seeker]

Pre-orders for 360 were automatic, Wii and PS3 are severely limited. So I am assuming it is a safe bet that if one is pre-ordered, it is assumed safely in the hands of the customer from day one.

[Zeus]

A friend of mine pre-ordered the 360 for its launch but still had to wait a few months after the launch to actually get his. What is the use of pre-orders when that crap happens? I'd be pissed if they couldnt fill my pre-order on day 1.

Also, whenever i am looking for a hard to find new game and the BB or game stores are all out i've always have luck at CompUSA. They seem to be one of the larger overlooked stores with regards to games and systems.

That's why Gamespot/EB is severly limiting the number of pre-orders on the Wii and PS3, so they don't run into that situation again.

Welcome back, BTW

[Chris]

this explains it perfectly. I love me sove vgcats

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=212

[SineSwiper]

this explains it perfectly. I love me sove vgcats

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=212

Oh, fucking hell! That's it EXACTLY!!