I thought hardcore gamers had dropped their Wii conspiracy theories in the face of overwhelming evidence, but no, they live on. Hardcore Gamers still believe Nintendo created a fake shortage.
Fact: Wii is the fastest selling console in history.
Could it be that after the low sales of Gamecube, Nintendo was not prepared for demand higher than game industry had ever seen?
Could it be that Iwata was telling the truth when he said it was his belief that it would take a long time for Wii to catch on?
Could it be that Nintendo, a company that fights to the last penny to make each console profitable, and is headed by a stubborn, frugal CEO, takes a long time to negotiate deals with manufacturing companies?
Not according to the conspiracy theorists. Nope, Nintendo knew all along that it was going to have a smash hit console that far outpaced PS2's record, and used a "fake shortage" to increase sales. How devious and clever, and amazing how well it works! Businesses around the world are copying this strategy.
The toaster I want to buy? The one that's out of stock, thank you very much. I'll be in line at 6AM in the snow.
Hardcore Gamers believe that people are mindless sheep, and only they, with all of their intelligence gleaned from shooting fire grenades and exploding alien guts, are smart enough to see through marketing techniques. They're a self congratulatory bunch. Then again, they have to be in a world that ignores their Achievements™ and Trophies™.
Why Nintendo stopped using this sales-boosting strategy that's centered on not selling anything is a question I've yet to hear a conspiracy theorist answer. They believe it on faith. To the Hardcore Gamer, Out of stock = sales. Nothing else can explain Wii's success. Not fun. Not innovation. Not the expanded market. Simply hype.
PS3's problem? It wasn't price. It's not the sub-standard 360/PC ports. It's not the confusing architecture and low-end GPU. The problem is that PS3 is available to buy. Sony, I beg of you on behalf of all your employees, listen to the business strategy touted by your very own hardcore gamers, and stop selling your hardware! It will sell millions!
