Ryan Dillman

I was first in line for a Nintendo Wii in November, 2006. Well, that’s not exactly true. I pre-ordered mine from Amazon.com and received it the DAY BEFORE it was released to the general public, so I never actually had to stand in line. Based on the articles I’d read on Nintendo’s new product and the few preview videos that were circulating on the web, I knew I had to have one.

It turns out I wasn’t alone. Nintendo’s profits are up in a year that saw slow holiday sales for most products. Chances are, if you don’t have a Wii, it’s not because you don’t want one. It’s because you can’t find one. I knew the Wii would be popular, but who knew it would be impossible to find for two straight Christmas seasons in a row?

It really is a great product though, so if you can find one and you can afford one, you should really give it a try. I had a family gathering at my house right after the Wii came out and it was amazing that my mom, my grandma, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and, well, everyone in my family, wanted to play the thing. I’ve had dozens of family gatherings at my home over the years and I’ve had Playstations and Xboxes on at every one of them, but only the kids ever showed any interest in using them. When my eighty-year-old grandmother asked to play Wii bowling with me after seeing me play against other family members, everyone was surprised.

Grandmothers don’t play video games. Well, they didn’t until the Nintendo Wii came along, that is.

Jan. 24 – Nintendo announced a dramatic jump in profit on Thursday, driven by strong holiday sales of its Wii and DS game machines.

Dan Sloan reports.