I couldn’t believe this story today. Jim Goldman of CNBC is reporting that an options market for the Nintendo Wii has sprung up from nowhere. Jim says:
A source at Best Buy tells me those tickets — think of them as “warrants” — can command prices from $300 to $1,000, according to what he’s witnessed himself. The ticket, the warrant, is usually only good for the first few hours the store is open, so it becomes an option with an expiration date.
Often times, people will take the Wii they’ve purchased and put it on Ebay in hopes of making more than they paid for the tickets. According to the article, there’s even insider trading. Employees have to wait in line like everyone else. If they don’t it seems they can be fired.
What a wonderful world we live in! I’m happy my wife said that she’s waiting until my birthday to get me the Wii Fit version. (Yes it’s the worst kept surprise ever.)
I’ve noticed that — it’s rare you find a Wii on the internet for less than $400. And they advertise the Wii Sports game (which comes w/ it) as several “included” games to drive the price up, since there are a few different sports on it (such a ripoff).
I actually managed to get one of the four stocked in a Gamestop a couple months ago for retail price. So far, Gamestop is the only place I’ve found the Wii here where I live. BTW, it’s been a fantastic investment. Well worth the money – it’s the cheapest of the Big 3 consoles by something on the order of $200. By far the biggest expense is the accessories that, in some cases, are required. The main remotes are really expensive at $40 a pop, and then you’ve gotta buy the extra nunchuk for some multiplayer games($20). One neat thing is that you can buy games from any previous Nintendo or Sega game system but you still need to buy an additional “Classic Controller” (also around $20) for most of these. Same with the Game Cube. So, accessories are pricey, but if you don’t need them, it’s not so bad.
My 3 year old son loves the games, and unlike the PS2 I have, he can actually figure them out, which makes it real fun for the whole family.
Well, it’s good to see the free market has a solution for the crazies as well :) Currently, I’m holding on to my PS2. I wonder whether I should sell it though. It doesn’t pay any dividends ;P
I second what Think Ryuko stated. I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old. They both can pay most of the games on the Wii (that we play).
I’m more of a PC gamer so I’ve been a little disappointed with the games, but I haven’t rented any of the more serious titles yet. I did try ‘The Bigs’ and it was fairly good (After the first night I couldn’t play because my shoulder hurt from pitching). We will probably pick up Wii Fit when it arrives too . . . probably we will need two boards to play games with the spouse and I together; Then games, and I’m sure it will have some other accessories that we’ll ‘just have to have’.
The only reason I have one is I won the 50/50 draw earlier in the year and the winnings were about the same amount as a nice bundle with the Wii and a game and some controllers. So at 5 bucks for my 50/50 tickets I consider it a great purchase that lets the family do something inside together. There aren’t too many games that a 3 and 6 year old as well as a couple of older folks can play together and have fun. A few years we’ll have more board game nights, but the 3 year old can’t quite play monopoly.
Great talk about the Wii – can’t wait for the Wii Fit to arrive – great fun with the kids!!! My 3 year old is a dabb hand at Monopoly – she beats me everytime!