Search Results
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Posted
Jun 02 2008, 10:09 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
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
Jul 30 2009, 03:53 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Nintendo (NTDOY) had its worst quarter in a long time. Sales of its aging Wii video console fell by over half to 2.23 million units for the last period. Profits also dropped by more than half to $447 million.
Nintendo only has a few options to turn its fortunes around.
The company could cut the price of the Wii, but it is already the least expensive product in a market that includes the Sony (SNE) PS3 and Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360. (Microsoft publishes MSN Money.) The Japanese company is also reluctant to harm its margins.
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Posted
Aug 01 2008, 10:23 AM
by
Kim Peterson
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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
Dec 03 2007, 05:13 AM
by
Kim Peterson
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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
Jun 12 2009, 07:07 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Video game and game console systems sales plunged in the US in May. According to industry research group NPD, software sales were down 17% to $449 million and sales of players dropped 30% to $303 million compared with the same month last year.
While the Nintendo Wii is still the market leader, it is losing share and losing it rapidly. Sales of the Wii dropped 15% from April to 290,000 units. Sales of the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 were flat at 175,000. Sony (SNE) PS3 sales moved up a bit to 131,000.
The drop in console spending is not a good indicator for consumer spending. Game platforms cost between $200 and $500 and are often used for hundreds of hours a month, making them cheap entertainment. The fact that consumers are shunning the purchase of moderately priced electronics is a sign that people still have serious concerns about the prospects for the economy and employment.
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Posted
Dec 14 2007, 11:01 AM
by
Kim Peterson
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 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
Oct 20 2009, 03:53 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Price cuts work. In September, Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 3 outsold the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii for the first time in recent memory.
Industry research firm NPD said that the video game industry, which includes both consoles and games, had sales of $1.28 billion in September, up 1% from a year ago.
Sony shipped 491,800 PS3 units in September, moving ahead of Nintendo’s Wii which shipped 462,800 units, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 which dropped to third place with 352,600 units shipped.
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Posted
Jan 29 2009, 10:01 AM
by
Kim Peterson
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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
Oct 08 2009, 03:46 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
 Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon (AMZN), is being praised as the man who has invented the next big and important electronic device.
That category includes the Sony (SNE) PlayStation 2, the Apple (AAPL) iPod, and the Nintendo Wii. The iPod has sold 200 million units worldwide. That, in the nomenclature of the electronics industry, makes it a once-in-a-generation success, a truly mass market product.
Bezos lowered the price on the Kindle to $249 from $299, and Amazon will release a version this month that can work over wireless networks in 100 countries. There is some compelling research that says people will not pay more than $200, or even $100, for an e-reader. That has not prevented Sony and Barnes & Noble (BKS) from entering the e-reader industry. Rumors are that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWS) will come out with a product of its own.
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Posted
Dec 19 2008, 12:01 PM
by
Andrew Horowitz
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What will be in your stocking? Investors are checking their bank accounts and brokerage statements to find a Grinch-y market. According to the American Research Group, consumers are planning to spend an average of $523 for gifts this holiday season.
Perhaps it is a good year to consider giving your children or family members something that has the opportunity to
While you may believe that buying a stock gift may be difficult, too expensive, not practical or just a bad idea considering market conditions, there are some benefits to consider.
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