Topic: Gamestop/EBGames Wii Pre-Order Details

[Jonnyboy117]

U.S. pre-orders start TOMORROW (10/13) for $50 deposit, Canadian pre-orders begin on Monday (10/16) for $200 CDN cash/credit or $50 CDN trade-in.

Gamestop/EB Games has just announced that they will begin accepting Wii pre-orders at their U.S. retail stores starting Friday, October 13th.  These pre-orders will be registered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and a $50 deposit is required (this deposit amount can come from cash, credit, or trade).    

You can also trade in 3 Xbox/PS2/GameCube/DS/PSP games and get $10 extra credit towards reservation of a Wii, or get 20% more trade-in value for games traded in towards a purchase of a Wii console or the Wii version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.    

EB Games Canada will begin taking Wii pre-orders on Monday, October 16th.  For a reservation you either have to pay $200 CDN in cash/credit, or trade in $50 CDN worth of games.    

For both countries there is a limit of 1 reservation per household.    

Note that this round of pre-orders are for Gamestop/EBGames' retail stores ONLY - online pre-ordering will take place "at a later date".  They strictly state that a reservation does not guarantee receipt of a system, saving themselves from customer heat like they had last year when they wound up taking more Xbox 360 pre-orders than they could fill.

[Ian Sane]

Kind of strange that Canadians have four times the deposit requirement.

"They strictly state that a reservation does not guarantee receipt of a system, saving themselves from customer heat like they had last year when they wound up taking more Xbox 360 pre-orders than they could fill."

It's like that Seinfeld episode where they reserved his rental car but couldn't give it to him because they ran out of cars.  "But the reservation holds the car here."  

[vudu]

Jerry: I don't understand, I made a reservation, do you have my reservation?

Agent: Yes, we do, unfortunately we ran out of cars.

Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation.

Agent: I know why we have reservations.

Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them.

[Smash_Brother]

I'll be lining up tomorrow at 9AM to get mine.

Still, better a relatively warm october than the dead of NH winter November...

[couchmonkey]

What the...?  $200 or trade your soul....er $50 worth of games (which probably means three or four).  Rip-off.  Gotta give them credit, though, they know how to keep their stock of used games high.

I suspect they will honour the reservations, they are probably just covering their butts in case Nintendo shorts them between now and November 19th.

[Rhoq]

Unfortuantely, I'll be at work. The nearest GameStop to the office is where I had pre-ordered my DS 2 years ago, but with a GS less than a mile from my home, I don't want to have to go out of my way to pick-up my pre-ordered Wii on November 19th.

[Jonnyboy117]

I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it...

With one million units on launch day, WHAT IS THE POINT OF PRE-ORDERING?  It makes plenty of sense for GameStop/EB (they get some money early and lock down a sale, possibly also offload some bundled junk), but it makes no sense for the consumer.  No one who wants a Wii should have any trouble finding one on launch day.  I will be at my local Wal-Mart on midnight of the launch day and will get my system as soon or sooner than anyone who forks over fifty bucks to GameStop now, and I won't have to buy any extra crap with it if I don't want to.

[vudu]

I called one of my local GameStops and they said there will be no forced bundles, so you don't have to worry about buying crap you don't want.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Jonnyboy117 I will be at my local Wal-Mart on midnight of the launch day and will get my system as soon or sooner than anyone who forks over fifty bucks to GameStop now

No offense, Johnny, but you just answered your own question.

I'd prefer not to be standing outside of a Wal-Mart at midnight, listening to the unmistakable sound of my nether regions freezing over.

Of course, if you live in Alabama, you won't have the temperature issue, but for those of us who live in the frozen wastes, I'll pick it up at 10 the next morning.

[Karl Castaneda #2]

Miami Tropical Weather, FTW.

Like Jonny, I don't see much point in pre-ordering. I won't be there at midnight, though - don't get me wrong. I'll be swinging by my neighborhood GameStop after school, and get to playing Twilight Princess soon afterward. 1 Million Wiis in the U.S. + Miami's Usual Apathy for Video Games = Easy Times on Launch Day.

[Smash_Brother]

Preorders make the ordeal faster: I walk in, they hand me the pile of stuff I've already paid off, I walk out (I did this with the GC).

I have $580 in store credit at GS, and that's with RedSteel, Zelda and Excite Truck all paid off already. I'll be paying off the Wii and 3 controllers tomorrow so I can literally spend under 2 minutes in the store.

Like I said, it just makes far more sense for me.  

[Caliban]

I don't think I will be pre-ordering, at least not at EB anyway because the closest one to me is freaking inside of a mall and I hate walking around in malls.
However if the FS closest to me (it's in an open area) will be having preorders I might actually put some cash down for the Wii, but even if they don't I think I have a really high chance of getting a Wii and everything else right from the get-go/day one.

[Jonnyboy117]

Most Wal-Mart stores are open 24 hours, so you can wait in line without getting cold in your nether-regions.

Under two minutes in the store?  I doubt that will be the case if you get there at midnight.  You won't be the only one there to pick things up, so you'll have to stand in line and wait for the retail process to churn through...which is exactly what I'll be doing at Wal-Mart, too.

Better hope your EB or GameStop is open at midnight or you could be waiting nearly twelve hours to pick up the system, pre-order or not.

[Caliban]

Has a FS or Walmart, here in Canada, ever done a midnight launch?
It would pretty cool if they would do a midnight launch for the Wii, I would be first in line for such an occasion.  

[NWR_Lindy]

Here in Atlanta, the only problem with waiting in line on a Saturday night in November is that I may get arrested for public drunkenness.  Temperature is the least of my worries.

I'll still swing by Gamestop tomorrow morning, since I have $100 credit there.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Jonnyboy117Under two minutes in the store?  I doubt that will be the case if you get there at midnight.  You won't be the only one there to pick things up, so you'll have to stand in line and wait for the retail process to churn through...which is exactly what I'll be doing at Wal-Mart, too.

I mean the next day, not at midnight.

I don't think GS will be having a midnight sale, but if they are, it'll still go faster with the preorder.

Besides, like I said, I have a pile of store credit already.

[Bloodworth]

I think I might go tomorrow and put some cash down as back-up (you can always transfer your dollars to something else) and then try to find a place opening at midnight.  There is only one Wal-Mart near me, but I don't think it's open 24 hours and I'm not sure I'd want to be in that part of town at midnight anyways.

[Svevan]

I wouldn't want to be anywhere in LA at midnight.

[Smash_Brother]

I'd like to get my Wii at midnight, but I can't afford to buy it at Wal-Mart for $250 when I have store credit I could spend instead.

[Djunknown]

Quote
With one million units on launch day, WHAT IS THE POINT OF PRE-ORDERING?

Smash Brother pretty much answered this question. I'll be doing something similiar, trade my 'Cube w/GB Player, 2 controllers, 2 memory cards, S-Video and Component cables (Will GS accept them?) and 9 games. For a broke bum like me, that should be bring the Wii down to at least half price.

Though it begs the question: Which is the better deal (Somewhat rhetorical because of GS lowballing trade values by default...) extra $10 for every three games or the extra 20% per game?  

[Adramalech]

Quote
Originally posted by: Silks
Here in Atlanta, the only problem with waiting in line on a Saturday night in November is that I may get arrested for public drunkenness.  Temperature is the least of my worries.

I'll still swing by Gamestop tomorrow morning, since I have $100 credit there.

Just thought of this after your post.  The Wii launch is two days after my 21 birthday.  This should be the best birthday ever, regardless of me buying my own present.  

[Jonnyboy117]

I can understand why you'd want to buy a Wii at GameStop if you have a lot of store credit, but you still probably don't need to pre-order a system to get it on launch day at one of those stores.

One.  Million.  Units.

[ShyGuy]

Has anyone confirmed they will be selling the Wii at midnight? If I can do that , I may forgoe the pre-orderr.

[NWR_Lindy]

I'll drop by my local Gamestop on the way to work.  If I get a pre-order, that's fine, if not, I'll Wal-Mart or Target when the time comes.

Evan, there are plenty of places in L.A. where I'd love to be at midnight.  Just not Wal-Mart.   ;-)

[Svevan]

Quote
Evan, there are plenty of places in L.A. where I'd love to be at midnight.

Sure, your clandestine love affairs with Jonny are well documented.