Anilrgowda

Nintendo's new console flies off shelves as last-minute hopefuls scramble for raffle tickets for in-store drawings.

TOKYO--While North America had its Nintendo Wii launch almost two weeks ago, Japan finally came in for its share of Wii madness this weekend. Some 400,000 units of the console were available on the console's December 2 launch day, with 600,000 more units slated to ship in Japan by the end of the year. However, given the large amount of interest in the console--which Nintendo has flogged with a TV-ad blitz for the past two months--demand is expected to be much higher than supply.

Trying to preorder a Wii online was no simple feat for Japanese gamers. Amazon Japan made multiple preorders offers for the console, but they all sold out in a matter of minutes. Other online stores including Tsutaya, Toys "R" Us Online, and 7Dream (a division of 7-Eleven Japan) staged similarly short-lived preorders. Yodobashi Online was one of the rare major shops that took preorders without any prior announcement, but even there, units sold out within an hour.

Preordering a Wii offline also turned out to be difficult. Major electronic chain outlets including Bic Camera, Sofmap, and Laox secured enough Wii units to accept preorders last month, most of which sold out in a day. Still, savvy consumers could preorder a Wii as late as a week before its launch--if they knew where to look. Kojima electronics ran ads through newspapers and took preorders at locations nationwide last Saturday, sending many happy customers home with a reservation