The 600,000+ Wii consoles sold in America, in just eight days of availability, should be a pretty clear indication to Nintendo's definite success across the ocean. It's that same succcess that we expect to see next week as well, when the most playful next-gen console will be released on the old continent. The first, "huge" shipment of Wiis has already landed in Europe, as Nintendo informs us, but of course it won't be nearly enough to satisfy the fans' insatiable lust.

Although they have yet to communicate the estimated number of Wii consoles that will be available for the European launch on December 8, Nintendo did however warn us that anyone interested in buying one should be on the lookout, as demand is already soaring high, and pre-orders are also starting to pile up.

"We're launching a great product and we knew that demand would be high. Nintendo's expansion of the gaming market is paying dividends and Wii really is the 'must have' item for Christmas. Obviously, we're doing everything we can to make sure that everyone who wants one, gets one." (Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director, Nintendo of Europe)

Still, the console itself may not be the most sought-after thing. If we take a look at what happened in America, for the 600,000 consoles sold, there were only about 450,000 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess games available. And since there isn't any other launch title as anticipated as Zelda, I'm affraid that some of us might end up with our Wii blowing in the wind...

But anyway, even if we don't manage to satisfy our lust from day one, Nintendo still plans to deliver 4 million Wii consoles worldwide by the end of 2006. So have pacience, and some candles!

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)