The several reliable sources that gave us the information that the Wii would indeed be available for pre-order at all GameStop/EBGames’ stores on Friday are indeed correct.
GameStop.com has officially confirmed the pre-order sale for Nintendo’s next-gen console for this Friday, October 13th. That’s right… Friday the 13th.
The website states:
“GameStop and EB Games stores will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii console on Friday, October 13, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to reach our limit very quickly, most likely in minutes. We will not accept additional pre-orders at that time. To avoid an unnecessary trip we strongly recommend you call your local store to determine availability. A $50 reservation deposit is required, which can be funded with cash, credit or trade. As we cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch. Reservations/Purchases are limited to 1 per household.
Our limited online pre-order program will be announced at a later date, after software and accessory availability details are confirmed. Online product pricing and availability will vary and will be fulfilled independent of store reservations.”
As expected, the system pre-purchase will require a $50 deposit by way of cash, credit, or trade-in. Reservations will begin on store opening this Friday, with reservations limited to 1 per household. The first come, first served basis is also in effect, with the unfortunate clause that Gamestop needed to include stating that “a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch.”
For Canada, pre-orders for the Wii wil begin on Monday, October 16th for a required deposit of $50 CDN in trade or a $200 CDN cash/credit reservation.
As for online pre-orders via its retail website, the gaming retail giant concluded:
“Our limited online pre-order program will be announced at a later date, after software and accessory availability details are confirmed. Online product pricing and availability will vary and will be fulfilled independent of store reservations.”
The Nintendo Wii releases on November 19th, but is likely to have extremely large demand leading up to its release, considering the recent praise over its Nintendo’s next-gen system.
More as it breaks.
