Monday, Dec. 10, 2007

Shoppers stalk the elusive Wii

Shelves empty, eBay costly, but the quest continues for must-have holiday gift

Javier Rascon of Manteca was on a mission early Saturday morning.

He already had been to Toys R Us, but there were no Wiis to be found.

The day before, Wal-Mart had 18 of Nintendo's elusive game boxes, but they were gone in 30 minutes, and Rascon got to the store a few minutes too late.

And he came up empty after calls to Best Buy and Circuit City.

So Rascon was standing outside in the cold, along with two other dads who want to put the game console under their Christmas trees this year.

When Target on Sisk Road opened its doors, the men headed straight to the electronics counter with hopeful looks.

"No Wii today," a clerk said, anticipating their question.

Although it was introduced a year ago, the Wii seems to be the must-have item for 2007, like the Tickle Me Elmo doll or Cabbage Patch Kids of years past.

Nintendo of America reported selling 350,000 Wiis during Thanksgiving week, its highest sales since the 2006 launch, and the company recently stepped up production, from 1.2 million units per month to 1.8 million units.

But the manufacturer has not been able to keep up with demand.

A host of national retailers list the Wii as "sold out" or "backorder," according to search engines wiitracker.com and nowinstock.net. And the game boxes are selling for more than double their retail price on eBay's online auction site and amazon.com.

There's enough demand for the Wii that Best Buy has an automated message on its phone line, saying the store has none, and Circuit City has a sign on its door, saying they are temporarily out of stock.

The National Retail Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, predicts sluggish holiday shopping, saying a weak housing market and a credit crunch may prompt some penny pinching from would-be Santas.

But Wall Street analysts think toy recalls will produce a silver lining for the electronic gaming industry, according to published reports.

A lead paint scare that pulled Thomas the Tank Engine off shelves this summer, followed by toy beads with a chemical coating that can turn into the date-rape drug if ingested, put electronic games back on top.

And the Wii is leading the pack.

"It's crushing all the other game systems," said Doug Higginbotham, store director of Circuit City in Modesto.

At $250, Nintendo's gaming console costs a little less than Microsoft's Xbox 360, which starts at $279, or Sony's Play- Station 3, which sells for $399.

Most of the popular games, such as "Halo 3," "Guitar Hero" and "Call of Duty," can be played on any of the consoles.

Higginbotham thinks parents prefer the Wii because it's interactive.

Players use a wireless, motion-sensitive wand that lets them simulate sporting events, rather than buttons or joysticks that keep a child planted on the couch.

Hot shots can work up a sweat in a boxing match, and less agile people can try golf or even fishing.

Although sales are brisk, not everybody is crazy for the Wii.

Jonathan Schorr, 10, said Wiis are geared toward younger kids, while Xbox and PlayStation have better graphics and support games that require more skill and strategy.

He has friends who are trying to sell their Wiis.

"They think it's boring," said Jonathan, who was busy playing "Guitar Hero" on the Circuit City showroom floor.

Doug Pherly of Modesto, 31, has no use for any of the expensive game consoles or their virtual reality. He was at Target, looking for Hot Wheels.

"If you want to go bowling, go bowling," Pherly said. "If you want to play tennis, play tennis."

Interest in computer and video games is big business. A survey by The Associated Press last month found that 81 percent of children ages 4 to 17 play video games at least sometimes, compared with 38 percent of adults.

Rascon said his 9-year-old daughter will have a fine holiday if she has to make do with a CD from Disney's "High School Musical" and a new backpack.

But she has her heart set on a Wii, just like the one she plays at her neighbor's house.

So, with a little more than two weeks before Christmas, dad will keep looking.

"Nobody has them right now," Rascon said.

Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached atsherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.