Shortages might bog down 'Wii Fit' launch
<i>Wii Fit</i> as hard to get as the Wii.
First Nintendo told us the Wii Fit would launch today on May 19, but the company neglected to mention that was only applicable to the Nintendo World Store launch in New York--the rest of the country still has to wait until May 21 to get their hands on the Wii Fit balance board and video game combo. But wait--if you neglected to preorder a unit, you might not be getting one this May 21, either. Gamestop's online store has a temporarily-out-of-stock warning, and Amazon halted online preorders as early as May 6, with 2.5 units sold every minute. So if you want a Wii Fit, you should plan on heading out to your local video game retailer bright and early this Wednesday, because it looks like units will be in short supply.
The price hike on eBay has already begun. From a preliminary search through the auctions, it looks like Wii Fit buyers from the New York Nintendo store have started hawking brand-new units for two to three times more than the retail price of $90. (As of this writing, the highest asking price of a brand-new Wii Fit on eBay is $360.) It looks like the Wii Fit is following the Wii's history of supply and demand. Who knew an exercise video game would be so popular?