Today EB Games and GameStop retailers nationwide opened up Wii preorders to many Nintendo fans anxious to get their $50 payment down to secure a console when it launches on November 19.
The exact number of Wii preorders varied per store with highly trafficked locations having as many as 30 consoles to reserve, with other stores offering merely 10 to 15.
GamePro editors spread out to several San Francisco Bay Area EB Games locations to get their deposits down, with varying success. Of the four San Francisco locations, each store had an average of 25 units up for preorder, but unfortunately, there were about 50 people in line at each location. Dozens of gamers were turned down, but many remained in line to preorder one or more Wii games.
At the Mission District location in San Francisco, a line of about 45 people scurried into the store when it opened at 10:00am. The sole cashier informed the crowd that only 25 slots were available, and handed out a few lists of preorder games.
The first person in line arrived at 5:30am, and people continued to trickle in even after opening. Most of the buzz revolved around Zelda, as it was by far the most popular game on the preorder list.
“I took the day off work for this,” said a twenty-something-year-old man who stood about 35 people deep. Not entirely discouraged, most people continued to wait it out even though they were after the 25-person cutoff, and many were still determined to preorder games.
Dozens of gamers were turned down…
Last week, the PlayStation 3 went up for preorder at EB Games’ and GameStops Nationwide, to similar crowds. But unlike the Wii, there were only 5 to 10 preorder slots available per store. The two versions of the PS3, 20 and 60 GB, are slated to retail at $499 and $599, respectively.
When people waiting in line for the Wii were asked about the PS3, many showed their overwhelming discontent. “600 dollars for a gaming system,” blurted an obvious Nintendo gamer. “And there’s not even a PS3 game worth buying.”
The Wii releases in North America on November 19 for $249.
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