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General discussion

Where are the Wavebirds?!?

Jun 6, 2007 2:45AM PDT

I've been trying to track a light grey Wavebird, it matched the Wii's white color better, for a couple of months now. It seems that they are pretty much extinct.

So, I decided to buy the platinum one, forget about matching colors, and I can't even find one of those.

I've been to Best Buy, Target, Circuit City, Walmart and they're gone.

Has anybody else noticed this? Does anybody know why?

Discussion is locked

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Try online
Jun 6, 2007 3:03AM PDT

You can try all those places online as well as Barns and Noble's EBGames and GameStop franchises. Not to mention ordering one directly from Nintendo.

If those all fail, try ebay.

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Thanks
Jun 6, 2007 3:10AM PDT

I tried online on the stores mentioned and I also went, both physically and online, to Gamestop/EBgames.

I'll try ebay and Nintendo tonight from home. I can't access them from work.

I'm more curious if anybody has a clue on why they're hard to find. Gamestop and EBgames told me they're not taking any new shipments of them.

It seems odd to me since the wired versions are still for sale. Maybe Nintendo is coming with a Wii version of the GC controller ... with rumble.

Thanks for your help.

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My guess
Jun 6, 2007 7:57AM PDT

Retail stores want to devote more shelf space to the Wii and Wii accessories, so they're gradually letting their GameCube stock run down.

The GameCube was never really a big seller for Nintendo, so it probably isn't too economical for them to be pumping out a bunch of wavebird controllers that will just sit around collecting dust.

And they intentionally left the rumble off of it to increase battery life. Logitech has shown it's possible to make wireless controllers with rumble support, but powering the rumble generators (basically just some weights attached to spinning magnets) costs a lot of battery power. Anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 the life expectancy of non-rumble use.

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Grey Wavebird at EBGames
Jun 7, 2007 7:15AM PDT

I picked a new one at my local EB Games- set me back $30, but their only used ones were in poor shape and I was having problems finding any Gamecube controllers anyplace else. About the only other place I found them (and it was after I had already bought one) was at Toys R Us.

Since getting my Wii just a few weeks ago, I've been searching every store I go to for deals on cheap Gamecube games (as I never owned a Gamecube) and the pickings are slim. Used game dealers seem to have raised their prices a bit since the Wii came out and most places that only sell new games only sell the latest Gamecube releases and maybe a hand full of the $20 greatest hits ones. Deals can be found online if you know what you're looking for.

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...
Jun 7, 2007 8:16AM PDT

Thanks ... I forgot about Toys r Us.

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Response from Nintendo
Jun 18, 2007 2:24AM PDT

Message from Nintendo regarding Wavebird:

Hello,


Unfortunately, the Wireless WaveBird Controller is no longer being
manufactured. Having said that, you may be able to find what you seek
through the secondhand video game market.

For assistance with finding stores that carry used or secondhand video
game products, head to the "Where to Buy" section of our website
(www.nintendo.com) and click on the "Older Systems, Games, and Accessories"
link. Below, I've included a direct address to this page on our site:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/retail/index.jsp#oldproduct
Sincerely,

Nintendo of America Inc.
Kurt Wagner