Wii Fit Launch Is Running Behind
At the 2008 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo had announced that the game -- which was available in Japan last year and has sold more than 1 million units -- would be to retailers on May 19. Stores as varied as Walmart and GameStop were expected to have the units ready and waiting for customers who had preordered it. However, Nintendo's national advertising campaign promoted the date of the debut as May 21. Then, over the weekend, for example, some GameStop outlets were telling customers the game would be available the 21. In the end, only the Nintendo World Store in New York City had any of the product on Monday, and it had reportedly sold out by 3 p.m.
The Wii Fit package comes with a game disc as well as with a sleekly-designed balance board/scale unit. It encourages people to exercise by making activity fun and accessible. But that accessibility is coming into question: Amazon has stopped taking preorders. However, interested consumers can buy one "new or used" starting at $169, almost double the price of a new $90 Wii Fit.