What's up with Nintendo hardware shortages?

[Rick Dangerous]

After overhearing the staff at ebgames yesterday, I suspect my chances of finding a NES Classic locally is exceptionally slim - looks like I have at least one scalper in town that goes in and buys up everything. Ah well, I'll live.

 

I wonder if they even hit the shelves or if employees just buy them themselves to scalp online...

[Tanooki]

Travis you clearly don't get the market and how revenue works best for them, many people don't, so when you see a post like that, they all blur together into just amorphous rambling blob

 

Yes the NES probably could sell more, but would it really if the scalper hype didn't exist? Maybe they have plans to atgames the sucker during the holidays since they said 'this year' in that kiss off notice.

 

I think they know damn well what they're doing and it works, but you can also in the case of the Switch only push so much product out at a time and if demand out strips it, you're stuck until it works itself out. The converse was the WiiU where they had to shut down the production lines at least twice during its life because they produced so many and the demand wasn't there. I really can't blame them for being conservative considering that console cost them years of negative income on their books. That was something that had not happened to them other than a rare random quarter(not year) going back to like the 60s or 70s.

[Rick Dangerous]

Yes the NES probably could sell more, but would it really if the scalper hype didn't exist?

 

I'll let you think about that statement a little more..

 

One local gamestop told me they get 7-10 calls a day of people looking for NES classics and have for months.

Edited April 18, 2017 by travistouchdown

[Flojomojo]

Can you imagine this issue in another industry? Go to buy a car---sorry we are out of Fords, not one on the lot. Come loiter on thursday when our shipment gets in and maybe you can get one.

 

That's exactly how it is for some new model releases. The low-end Tesla took preorders ages ago and still hasn't delivered. You'll wait a long time for custom orders on mainstream stuff too.

 

But yeah, this should be a mass market Ford world car kind of situation. There should be plenty. Clearly Nintendo doesn't care, or is planning something clever.

 

I would have forgotten about it if not for all the threads here.

[godslabrat]

According to the NES Guide App, there are almost 60 NES games developed and published by Nintendo. Subtracting multicarts, licensed properties, and games that wouldn't work on an HDTV, Nintendo could fill a Classic 2.0 with almost 50 games that would require no licensing at all. Food for thought.

[Tanooki]

 

I'll let you think about that statement a little more..

 

One local gamestop told me they get 7-10 calls a day of people looking for NES classics and have for months.

Think about it all I want, changes nothing. Re-read what I wrote. I said if the scalpers weren't making it so hard for people, would they really be trying so hard. Clearly they wouldn't because the large majority of these going online for $200 plus would be in the hands of $60 MSRP buyers instead and they won't be whining on the phone every day driving retailer minimum wage jockeys nuts over it.

 

 

Flojo is right, this is more of a Tesla situation when it should be a Ford Fiesta for all world markets, cheap and easily found.

 

And yes godslabrat you're mostly right. If you remove light gun, the 2 ROB games, multicarts, power pad, and other oddities that won't work out you could round out a large collection of games into a system with no third party support. That would lower their cost a little bit more not having to share on each or pay some fee per licensed title.

[Osgeld]

That's exactly how it is for some new model releases. The low-end Tesla took preorders ages ago and still hasn't delivered. You'll wait a long time for custom orders on mainstream stuff too.

 

I dont think that is a fair analogy, Tesla is "special" in the fact they announced pre orders before suppliers were even awarded contracts to design the darn parts... I know I am working on a couple small parts for it

 

nintendoh on the other hand had this stuff boxed up and ready, but didnt get the word from their teletype that the entire internet was exploding with demand

 

both are ignorant in execution, one has a game plan the other got caught with their pants down... again

Edited April 19, 2017 by Osgeld

[Rick Dangerous]

Nintendo is the Tesla of video games? Thanks for the laughs. Sony and Microsoft may be the Toyota and Ford of video games, but you can bet Nintendo wants to at least be the Honda (mass market Challenger) not the Tesla (niche high end.)

 

You can make excuses for Nintendo all day as a fan boy, or chalk it up to "strategy," but the fact is they can't get their act together when it comes to supplying their products to willing consumers with cash in hand.

Edited April 19, 2017 by travistouchdown

[Tanooki]

If that dumb comment is directed at me, no I didn't say that. I was agreeing with Flojo who said it as a comparison, that's it. I never said Nintendo was the high end equipment, that's your words. Not one excuse has been made here at all, but you seem pretty angry and militant about stirring the pot and making up stuff, so who here really is the fanboy? Nintendo clearly screwed up getting these things out to people, then pulled the rug out which was the worst thing to do. My only argument was that the demand and the price wouldn't be so high had it been supplied as all those scalpers wouldn't have bought those units to abuse peoples wallets over if the intended buyers got it at MSRP in the first place.

[RetroChiGuy1212]

Pre-Orders selling out within minutes everywhere a couple of months before release should have been enough indication for Nintendo to manufacture more Minis. However, it's their choice. I don't get it, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Mord]

If that dumb comment is directed at me, no I didn't say that. I was agreeing with Flojo who said it as a comparison, that's it. I never said Nintendo was the high end equipment, that's your words. Not one excuse has been made here at all, but you seem pretty angry and militant about stirring the pot and making up stuff, so who here really is the fanboy? Nintendo clearly screwed up getting these things out to people, then pulled the rug out which was the worst thing to do. My only argument was that the demand and the price wouldn't be so high had it been supplied as all those scalpers wouldn't have bought those units to abuse peoples wallets over if the intended buyers got it at MSRP in the first place.

 

I'm mostly past the point of blaming scalpers for making a buck off people. People need to learn to control themselves enough to NOT purchase from scalpers. If people could do that as a whole, the whole scalper problem will go away overnight. But then again, the same could be said about microtransactions and abusive DLC scams. (Keep in mind I'm doing my part by not buying from scalpers. )

 

Nintendo needs to realize at this point it's probably it's own cause of any profit shortfalls it takes. People can't buy what isn't available. Obviously there are plenty of would be buyers out there.

[Tanooki]

Yeah it's a circular problem. Nintendo under supplies to be safe despite evidence at hand, people with control get the units to use and a lot to resell, those people with no self control to work for one pays a scalper, then everyone whines about supply, and then Nintendo ships out a few more that meets a tenth of the demand if that. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

It took me from the day they came out until last week to even find one at all anywhere at retail, that's the proper patient way to handle it.

[Keatah]

Alternately find a different way to to play the games.

 

OTH, it would seem that in this day and age, a two-pronged approach is necessary to beat the scalpers.

1- The mfg needs to make sure product is actually available on release day, and in the days thereafter.

2- People need to understand and be patient while the manufacturer actually ships product.

 

If those two criteria aren't met scalpers will insert themselves between you and your desired product. Scalpers have no qualms about becoming *the* source for your wanted product. And people have no problems paying 2x-5x the cost, or more. Look at the flunkies on ebay buying like crazy!

 

I would hope that in the long run, the manufacturers realize slow initial shipments creates ill will and dampens enthusiasm for their next products. Or maybe it doesn't..? The collective short term memory of the consuming public is pretty lousy. Companies know that and rely on that.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Keatah

[glazball]

http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/25/15359738/nes-classic-edition-sales-strategy

 

Found this caustic article about Nintendo and the NES Classic marketing strategy. I have to say that I am boggled, not by Nintendo's actions, but by the entitlement that the article's author and some people here have shown towards this product. Some people also seem to have forgotten that Nintendo could (and likely will) re-release the NES Classic again next year or in 5 or 10.

 

Step 1: Nintendo makes an item (that they didn't have to make in any quantity)

Step 2: It sells out

Step 3: People complain that THEY WANT TO BUY BUT CAN'T HOW DARE YOU NINTENDO DON'T YOU LIKE MONEY I HATE YOU!!1!

 

Look at the last sentence in that Polygon article:

 

Either way, it would be in Nintendo’s best interests to manufacture as many SNES Classics as possible. In this case, the company would be better off flooding the channel with the retro consoles than dealing once again with the consequences of selling a hard-to-find item to people whose patience is running out.

 

Did you read that Nintendo? People are losing patience! The author only had 27 years to find one of 17 million copies of SMB3 to play, but dammit this is going too far!

[Flojomojo]

 

Did you read that Nintendo? People are losing patience! The author only had 27 years to find one of 17 million copies of SMB3 to play, but dammit this is going too far!

 

[glazball]

Darn I was too slow to edit my post above, but look at this quote too. This is rich:

 

 

Nintendo’s actions with the NES Classic begin to suggest something close to retail cruelty, which has the potential to turn off customers in a big way.

 

"Retail cruelty". I just don't even know what to say....

[Keatah]

Nintendo can do whatever it damned well pleases. People can compliment or complain as they damn well please. Just give me the drama and I'm a happy camper.

[Mord]

There were at least 10 Switches at Walmart yesterday. I was kinda surprised - if I had gotten paid this week I probably would have picked one up. We'll see if any are left by then.

[Rick Dangerous]

There were at least 10 Switches at Walmart yesterday. I was kinda surprised - if I had gotten paid this week I probably would have picked one up. We'll see if any are left by then.

 

There were 4 at my local wal mart yesterday, and a pile of pro controllers. Looks like supply is finally catching up with demand. Not bad considering it's been two months....you couldn't get a Wii for up to two years after it launched.

[bojay1997]

 

There were 4 at my local wal mart yesterday, and a pile of pro controllers. Looks like supply is finally catching up with demand. Not bad considering it's been two months....you couldn't get a Wii for up to two years after it launched.

 

Yep, supply is definitely catching up. The Switch was in stock on Amazon.com for Prime members for most of the day today.

[Mord]

Was kicking myself in the ass yesterday. I gave up on expecting to see a NES Classic Mini in a store earlier this month so didn't bother keeping some money stashed away. And on the way to work yesterday I saw 2 of them at Wal-mart.

 

Called my sister to let her know about them since they were looking for them as well. In the hour it took them to get down there, one of them was already sold so they managed to snag the last one.

[Mord]

I was considering a Switch as a followup option since the Minis were predictably sold before I get paid... only to find every Switch was bought up as well. I suspect Mario Kart had something to do with that. Oh well, might as well just prebuy a switch game. (Likely Zelda.)

[HoshiChiri]

I was considering a Switch as a followup option since the Minis were predictably sold before I get paid... only to find every Switch was bought up as well. I suspect Mario Kart had something to do with that. Oh well, might as well just prebuy a switch game. (Likely Zelda.)

 

This is why I have a lil' chunk of cash set aside as the 'splurge' fund. It exists specifically to pay for things in just this situation. (That's assuming the similar generic 'game' fund got used up already.)

[Mord]

Yeah I keep intending to have one of those, but things get in the way. Although the main reason I didn't keep money on hand for a Mini was just me giving up hope of seeing one in the store. ^^

[Yakumo1975]

So, Nintendo won't make you a new NES Classics console but the Chinese will. But will it be any good?