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Buy a Wii now, get it later

A new Nintendo rain-check program will let you pay now for a Nintendo Wii and take delivery no later than the end of January. Better than nothing?

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
Nintendo

Can't find a Wii to put under the tree? Nintendo's got your back--sort of. According to gaming blog Kotaku, reporting on a conversation with Nintendo prez Reggie Fils-Aime, GameStop stores will be offering Wii rain-checks on December 20 and 21. Translation: Pony up your $249.99 now, get a Wii--guaranteed--by the end of January.

Yeah, that's a pretty sucky deal, but I suppose the promise of a Wii is slightly better than the absence of one. Why didn't Nintendo do this in November and promise delivery by December 24? Bad company. Bad!

The more intriguing news is that major retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy will be "releasing large supplies of Wiis this weekend." Before you trample your fellow man in what promises to be a mad rush, try to remember that the Wii is just a thing. Family, that's what the holidays are about. That said... outta my way, granny! Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!