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NEW YORK (AP) -- Nintendo Co.'s entry into the game console wars, the Wii, went on sale Sunday and quickly sold out in many stores despite stocks that far surpassed those of the rival PlayStation 3, which went on sale two days earlier.
"There were enough people in line to snap up almost all the units of the Nintendo Wii that we had in stock, so it was an instant sellout," said Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb. There were a few overnight campers, but most had lined up in the early morning.
Spot checks at New York stores turned up only one, the Toys R Us in Times Square, with Wiis in stock. The store hosted a midnight launch event that drew a crowd of more than 1,000 people for the sale of the very first Wii (pronounced "We").
The first buyer, Isaiah Triforce Johnson, had been waiting outside the store for more than a week. He wore a Nintendo Power Glove, a wearable controller that came out in 1989, while shaking hands with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. Johnson said he had legally changed his name to include a reference to Nintendo's "Zelda" series of games.
The launch apparently went smoothly, a contrast to the PlayStation 3 release, which forced police to disperse rowdy crowds at some stores around the country. (Watch the PS3 stampede -- 1:05)
Sony had about 400,000 PlayStation 3s in North American stores on Friday. Nintendo has said it would have "five to ten" times as many Wiis available at launch, and will have shipped 4 million units by the end of the year.
The Wii costs $250, including one game, half of what the cheaper PlayStation 3 model costs. The most common PlayStation 3 model costs $600, with no included game.
On the eBay auction site, Wiis were selling Sunday for twice the store price, indicating that supplies are still tight. The PlayStation 3, meanwhile, was selling for around $1,500, already down about $1,000 from Friday.
"The people we saw today were much more likely to take these games home and play them and love them rather than flip them on eBay," Babb said. Circuit City expects more Wiis in stock soon, but Babb could not say exactly when.
Launching right after the much-vaunted and technically sophisticated PlayStation 3 is a brave move for Nintendo, which lost the top spot in the market to Sony Corp. in the mid-90s. More recently, Microsoft Corp. has waded into the market as well.
The Wii takes a different tack than the competition, forgoing the high-definition graphics that Sony has spent billions to develop for the PlayStation 3. ( Watch how Wii compares to PS3 -- 6:34 )
Instead, Nintendo aims to draw gamers and non-gamers alike with intuitive game play. The Wii comes with a motion-sensitive controller that the gamer waves around in the air, using it as a tennis racket, golf club, steering wheel, gun or sword depending on the game.
Fils-Aime said the company made "some very tough choices" in designing the Wii.
"Tough choices about not including a DVD player at the start, tough choices about not including high-definition capability at the start. That's because we wanted a mass-market price, and we believe the market will validate those decisions come launch day on this Sunday," he said.
Mistaken for Peter Pan
The relative abundance of units, and a smaller fan base, should make Sunday a calmer shopping day than Friday. On Saturday evening, people were lining up at stores more to show their devotion to Nintendo and celebrate the occasion than because they were afraid of not getting a Wii.
At the Nintendo World store in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center, 86 people were lined up for the morning opening. Anthony Eaton, dressed in green as the character Link from the "Zelda" series, looked chagrined when passing girls called him "Peter Pan."
Eaton, 18, didn't really need to be in line, since his friend had pre-ordered a Wii for him that would be available for pickup the next morning.
"It's all in the spirit of gaming. Wiis only get launched once, and we gotta do this right," said Eaton, who had traveled from Washington to go to the only U.S. store bearing the Nintendo name.
A few blocks away, there was no one in line at a Best Buy store that would start selling the console Sunday morning.
'The Wind Whispers Wii'
In the Los Angeles area, more than 500 people waited in line at the Game Stop at Universal City Walk. The store handed out numbered wristbands to avoid the crushes that were common at the PlayStation 3 openings.
The first to buy the system at midnight was Jonathan Mann, 24, who was dressed in red overalls and a cap like the Mario character from "Super Mario Bros."
"I'm a little delirious. I've been up for about 40 hours straight. But I've got it in my hands now and it feels good," said Mann, adding that he has written more than 40 songs about the console for his gaming Web site, gamejew.com. His song titles include "Wii Means You and Me" and "The Wind Whispers Wii."
In a somewhat unusual move for a Japanese company, the Wii was scheduled to go on sale in Japan two weeks after the U.S. launch, the opposite of Sony's launch order. Nintendo said it made the decision to get in on U.S. holiday shopping, which starts earlier than shopping in Japan.
Nintendo's stated goal is to hook people with the lure of the wireless controllers, low price and a small, cute main unit that will fit easily in most entertainment centers.
Explaining to a mass audience the appeal of the controllers and what makes the console different is a challenge for the company, but one that will get easier, according to analyst John Broady at gaming Web site GameSpot.com
"I think as the Wii gets out in the marketplace, and people start seeing it, I think it will make a huge difference," he said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Nowo wydana konsola Nintendo Wii
Wczoraj Nintendo wydało swoją nową konsolę gier wideo w Ameryce Północnej. System znany jako Wii ma kosztować $249,99. Konsola zostanie następnie wydana w Japonii 2 grudnia oraz w Europie 8 grudnia.