Whilst Wii U pre-order allocations have been selling out across North American retailers, analysts have casted doubt over whether Nintendo is simply limiting demand to provide such impression.
“Nintendo tends to manage the distribution channel to generate some sort of perception that its [system] is in demand,” explained Colin Sebastian of R.W. Baird. “I think seeing these sellouts on some of the websites is not a negative indication. It’s either neutral or slightly positive, but it’s not conclusive.”
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter estimates that around 300,000 – 400,000 Wii U consoles were available for pre-order, perhaps due to the fact that manufacturing has not yet begun. If so, this would mean that Wii U will be in legitimately short supply at Christmas.
“We know no one has leaked any pictures of the Wii U supply line,” Pachter stated. “Those always leak. Someone always sneaks a camera into the facility. The fact that we haven’t seen pictures means manufacturing hasn’t started as of this week. So, if they’re starting manufacturing in late September, the most they can commit to is 1.5 million units per month.”
[Thanks CNBC]
Analysts skeptical of Wii U sell-out success
