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Posted
Dec 14 2007, 11:01 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Give Nintendo credit for at least trying to address the Wii shortage frustrating many parents this month. The company said today that you'll be able to buy a raincheck that will guarantee a Wii gets into your hands....by the end of January.
Here are the rules: You can only buy the raincheck at a GameStop store on Dec. 20 or 21. And you have to pay full-price ($250) for the system at the time you buy the raincheck. Here's the funny thing: Nintendo is guaranteeing the Wiis but then saying the rainchecks are only available as supplies last. And we've seen how long anything related to the Wii lasts in stores.
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Posted
Sep 04 2008, 04:36 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Microsoft has decided that it would rather be the video game market share leader than make a buck at the business. (Microsoft is the publisher of MSN Money.)
Redmond cut the price of its Xbox 360 to $199. That drops it from its previous sticker of $279. The action may take some business away from the Sony PS3, but it is more clearly aimed at market leader Nintendo which has remained in the front spot for months with its $250 Wii.
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Posted
Dec 03 2007, 05:13 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
I was shopping at a Best Buy in San Jose yesterday and here's what I found: 
Stacks of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. When I asked where the Wiis were, a saleswoman gave a small snort and shook her head. The store was out.
It's a common scenario across the country, and in other parts of the world. A year after its release, the console that many expected would be in third place has become a hit of such proportions that people still line up overnight to buy one. I've had a Wii since its launch, and spent a good chunk of the weekend playing "Super Mario Galaxy." This console definitely holds up over time.
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Posted
Mar 04 2008, 03:56 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
"Grand Theft Auto IV" comes out April 29, and I can't wait. It's the next installment in the controversial, violent, mayhem-filled series, and it will become the year's top-selling video game. Those who haven't played GTA are often mortified by the carjacking, cop-killing and other nefarious shenanigans it offers. But these games sell because above all else, they're unbelievably fun. (The new title will surely be rated "mature," so don't let the little ones get their hands on it.)
The upcoming game is a huge reason why Electronic Arts is making a major, and slightly hostile, play for GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive. EA offered $2 billion for Take-Two last month -- $26 a share, up from an earlier offer of $25 a share -- and was flatly rejected. Take-Two called the offer "the wrong price at the wrong time." Its shares, in the $16 range before EA's offer was made public, closed at $26.20 Monday.
Take-Two is smart to reject such a low offer. But how much is the company worth? A Wedbush Morgan analyst thinks EA should walk away if Take Two continues to thumb its nose. But Cowan's Doug Creutz thinks EA is justified in going as high as $32 a share. A Take-Two investor wants $33 a share.
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Posted
Sep 09 2008, 11:17 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
When it comes to portable gaming devices, Nintendo is king. The company has sold 80 million DS systems, and its legacy with the GameBoy line dates back nearly 20 years. Nintendo owns this category, hands down.
Yet that isn't stopping Apple, which boldly stated today that it has "the best portable device for playing games." Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch can play tons of games, including sports, racing and other action titles. And the graphics look pretty good, certainly equal to, if not better than, what you get on Nintendo's players. Apple unveiled new iPods and an iPhone update today.
Can Apple really expect to go after the Nintendo empire? As much as Apple wants to believe otherwise, the iPhone is not a gaming device. It's a phone first, and secondly a platform for applications, including games. And no one is buying the iPod Touch primarily as a game player.
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Posted
Aug 28 2008, 02:31 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Video games are always something I buy used, if I can. Oh sure, there's nothing like unwrapping a pristine copy of "Grand Theft Auto IV," but in general, video games don't deteriorate as they move to the second-hand market. The gaming industry doesn't make money off of a second-hand sale. And that's a "critical situation" for publishing giant Electronic Arts, an executive with the company told GamesIndustry.biz. How to fix the problem?
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Posted
Jan 29 2009, 10:01 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Alas, gone are the heady days of 2007, when Nintendo (NTDOF) raised its profit forecast twice, delighting investors who never imagined that the Wii system would be such a hit. "With a lineup of killer games on the way, the business will be smooth sailing," a Tokyo asset manager said at the time. Err, right. Fast forward a year or so, and Nintendo finds itself in the unfortunate position of cutting its forecast -- by a stunning 33%. That would be the first yearly profit dip in quite some time. And it's going to sell 1 million fewer Wiis than it thought. The news shocked
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Posted
Jun 02 2008, 10:09 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Here's an old story: Nintendo has a hot new product out, and it's impossible to find in stores! Today the hot new product is the "Wii Fit," a $90 game that came out May 19 and is still in short supply. The console that plays it, the Wii, was a tough find last December, turning many parents into frantic retail stalkers before the holidays. Nintendo doesn't like to have too much inventory, having learned a big lesson when no one wanted its last console, the GameCube, according to the Los Angeles Times. And lately, it's begun sending more units to Europe to take advantage of the strong euro, analysts say. Europe got as many as 2 million copies of "Wii Fit," while North America recieved 500,000, according to analysts. Yes, that's shrewd business, but when does a red-hot product turn into missed opportunity and lost revenue for the company?
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Posted
Aug 01 2008, 10:23 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
A year ago, I would have laughed in disbelief if someone had said that a video game about yoga would be a monster hit. And yet here I am, trying the warrior pose on the "Wii Fit" -- which I finally found after weeks of searching. The $90 "Wii Fit" comes with a small balance board that weighs you and tells you, in a nice but blunt way, if you could stand to lose a few pounds. It offers yoga, cardio and strength training exercises and lets you set weight loss goals. The game is out of stock everywhere -- another example of how Nintendo's out-of-the-box thinking is returning big profits for the Japanese company.
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Posted
Oct 24 2008, 11:31 AM
by
Anthony Mirhaydari
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Given weakness in consumer strength and sentiment, investors fear this holiday season could go down as one of the worst on record as spending plummets. Not only will children go without, Mattel and Hasbro, the two largest toymakers, could see profitability hammered further.
After last year's lead paint scare and associated sales drop, the two companies are already fighting rising production costs. Both reported lukewarm third-quarter results this week, which along with broad market selling pressure, have dragged shares down.
With that said, investor sentiment looks too low as toymaker stocks have historically been recession-resistant. UBS analyst Robert Carroll notes that during the recession of the early 80's and 90's, toy sales still demonstrated year-over-year sales growth. The industry also grew when consumer confidence fell sharply between 2000 and 2003.
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