Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Pachter said he believes the Wii shortage was caused by the weak U.S. dollar. By selling excess product in European countries with a strong Euro, Nintendo makes more profit when the money is exchanged to their native Yen.
Nintendo has stressed their desire to have a global community with the Wii. However, Pachter said diverting product for profit is definitely what happened. The good news for Americans, he declared, is that demand in Europe is dwindling and Wii shortages in the United States will soon be a thing of the past.
Nintendo's response to Wii shortages has been cryptic and usually blamed on production, but diverting Wii systems to Europe might also explain the company's ambivalence to addressing the issue.
The Dallas Morning News' Victor Godinez, who spoke with Pachter, summed up his thoughts on the matter. "No one wants to hear that they're second-class customers, but that's exactly what we American gamers are right now," he said.
The Dallas Morning News' Victor Godinez, who spoke with Patcher, summed up his thoughts on the matter. "No one wants to hear that they're second-class customers, but that's exactly what we American gamers are right now," he said. <P>
Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Pachter said he believes the Wii shortage was caused by the weak U.S. dollar. By selling excess product in European countries with a strong Euro, Nintendo makes more profit when the money is exchanged to their native Yen.
Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Pachter said he believes the Wii shortage was caused by the weak U.S. dollar. By selling excess product in European countries with a strong Euro, Nintendo makes more profit when the money is exchanged to their native Yen.
I seem to recall reading that Nintendo keeps all its monies in U.S. Dollars, so the Euro/Yen exchange rate shouldn't be an issue. The Euro/Dollar exchange rate might be, I suppose.
I don't know where to look for confirmation on what I just wrote. Does anyone know for sure?
The lower prices in the states probably balance the books against the far higher ones in europe and oz.
I don't think the falling dollar did that much, the Euro has been worth more for a pretty long time now and Europe has paid more for games this whole time. NoE is still treating us like crap.
But if the Wii shortage ends then I won't be able to impress anyone by owning one. It is seriously a status symbol. It's the first time in my life where mentioning that I own a videogame system gets people more interested in talking to me. ;)
I'll believe the end of the Wii shortage when I see it. Analysts have been making false predictions about the Wii for over a year now.
