For Nintendo fans and Wii U owners, we feel that the last few months have been a terrific period — there's been excitement and buzz around 2015 games and, more importantly, a selection of high quality and hugely enjoyable games that are in stores now. There's been a perceivable shift in tone around the console, too, as mainstream media and general consumers are looking more favourably — it seems — on the system after it enjoyed a choppy first 18 months on the market. It's come down to games, unsurprisingly, and Mario Kart 8 provided an important tipping point in improving sales and public perception.
When you tally up major Fall releases such as Hyrule Warriors and Bayonetta 2 with the festive line-up it's easy to pick up a sense of momentum — long awaited, too — with the Wii U. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has already been a major success in the US, in particular, with over 700,000 units sold in its first few weeks in that country alone — it even set a launch sales record for the US, surpassing MK8's equivalent results. Its impact elsewhere has been pleasing though less dramatic — its chart positions have actually been a disappointment in the UK, though solid in Japan — and Nintendo is likely relieved that while the 3DS version has sold many more copies courtesy of the portable's userbase, there's been genuine appetite among Wii U owners for the brawler.
A vital part of the Holiday sales machine has also been amiibo, of course, the NFC 'toys-to-life' range from Nintendo that aims to tap into the sizeable market created by Activision (Skylanders) and Disney (Disney Infinity). These are just the beginnings for the range, with Nintendo teasing all-new waves for future games and various applications and support. We've seen rather basic read-only uses in Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors, while an update will come to implement amiibo into Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Nintendo, in typical style, is being mysterious in terms of how we can use amiibo in 2015.
Overall, we feel that Nintendo's lined up its Holiday products well, with amiibo and Captain Toad — in the US, for the latter — offering alternative treats for those not keen on the latest Smash entry. A problem, though, has been in delivering enough stock to enable fans to easily pick up the products they want. Copies of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U have not been a problem, with the eShop being another option, but there have been issues with amiibo. In recent weeks we've seen some figures become increasingly rare, prompting rumours of some being discontinued, and prices have increased not just through sneaky opportunists but also in established retailers. In stores and online there have been some figures that have simply been too hard to find.
In our tagline we highlight communication as a problem, and Nintendo has being rather unhelpful in this scenario. Its PR departments in multiple regions are relatively blameless as they're simply the messengers, but the messages have been aimless and pointless, informing consumers of absolutely zip. Generic statements have said more stock is being delivered, but not when or of which figures, they've dismissed discontinuation rumours but then said that some models will naturally sell out and be replaced by others in subsequent waves. That's all standard fare, but we needed better considering that stock problems and rumours of some figures not coming back were starting within days of the product hitting stores. We're not expecting old, irrelevant goods to be restocked, but we certainly expect better after a matter of mere days.
We asked for your experiences with this earlier in the week, which show that over half of your relevant responses — disregarding our lighthearted 'doesn't affect me' answers — have either paid over the odds or been unable to pick up all the amiibo you want.
Have you been able to pick up your amiibo from wave one? (673 votes)
- Yes, I got all amiibo I wanted at the normal price
- I got them all, but had to pay a bit more for some
- I got some, but haven't got all I wanted for the right price
- I've struggled to get the amiibo I wanted
- I'm not bothered about amiibo, but want to answer the poll anyway
Have you been able to pick up your amiibo from wave two? (549 votes)
- Yes, I got all amiibo I wanted at the normal price
- I got them all, but had to pay a bit more for some
- I got some, but haven't got all I wanted for the right price
- I've struggled to get the amiibo I wanted
- I'm not bothered about amiibo, but want to answer the poll anyway
The early days of wave 2 are clearly a problem, too, and we saw pre-orders on some of the second range selling out days ahead of release. Let's also consider that this is a relatively small cross-section of keen Nintendo gamers — as we surely all are in that category as we frequent these pages — that are hitting problems, so when you magnify that by scale there's a clear sense that all has not been well. There's certainly plenty of stock for less popular and more prominent figures — with amiibo sales in the US reportedly matching up to sales of Smash Bros. — but for collectors and fans after a particular favourite the hunt can be particularly frustrating.
On one hand it's wonderful that amiibo has taken off — members of our team speak of more friends and family asking about amiibo than the Wii U itself — but it's also frustrating that these toys aren't flooding stores and grabbing attention. We're in a weird situation that in many retailers the established brands — like Skylanders and Disney Infinity — have a lot of shelf space and stock that's clearly not selling that well, but we have small amiibo areas that are often bare and lacking variety. Supply and demand has gone too far into the latter territory, and we dread to think of the sales that are being missed for both retailers and Nintendo.
A more niche concern, but one that's been equally frustrating, has been with the GameCube Controller Adapter. As you can see in the poll below, once again a good number of useful responses point to problems getting hold of a unit, with pre-orders even getting cancelled en-masse in the UK, for example.
Have you been able to buy a Wii U GameCube Controller Adapter? (683 votes)
- Yep, I got one with no problems
- It was delayed and / or cost more than the recommended price, but I got one
- My pre-order was cancelled and I haven't found an alternative yet
- I wanted one but have given up on it
- I don't want one due to its limited compatibility on Wii U
- Wasn't bothered about one, but wanted to vote anyway
Have you picked up the limited edition controller and the Adapter? (634 votes)
- I got both, so I'm one happy gamer
- I paid over the odds / they were delayed, but yes
- I've got an adapter but no controller
- I've got a controller but no adapter
- I've given up on both due to issues of stock and / or inflated prices
- Meh, not bothered about either
An issue with the adapter is its limited use, of course, with its only function being to support GameCube controllers in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Unveiled at E3 and promoted in that week's Invitational, it was clearly pitched as an accessory for dedicated Smash players with a particular fondness for Melee and the GC controller. Perhaps it was always destined to be an extremely limited edition, yet we had Nintendo tell us that rumours of its discontinuation were false, and we've had readers tell us that some retailers are stating stock may come in early 2015. Again, supply has been far outstripped by demand, and the only winners are unscrupulous sellers on auction sites. The limited edition controller is less rare — though some stores have increased their price regardless — and can work on any GameCube and Wii, but with the Wii U they're pointless without the adapter.
This situation certainly isn't good for Nintendo. It's already been pushing its luck with retailers until this year with the Wii U, with undeniably poor sales stretching the sector's patience, though that will have eased with improved momentum in 2014. Yet now we've had problems with stock, simply in renewing supplies and keeping shelves populated. If stores were slow to commit to large volume of Nintendo products — understandably — in recent times, we suspect they'll happily take advantage of demand and sell lots of amiibo (the adapter is, as we've said, more niche). Yet items appear and disappear just as quickly with heightened demand, and all concerned could be spending and making more money if enough of the products were available.
There's talk of potential manufacturing and distribution problems, which perhaps can't be helped, but we're unlikely to ever have on-the-record confirmation from Nintendo. There's also a nagging suspicion for us — and that's all it is — that Nintendo's been caught out or went into the Holiday season with an overly cautious attitude. We should remember that there's been streamlining and clever business in the past year to move into profits again despite an absence of actual improved sales and revenues; part of that will have been clearing stock and limiting manufacture of systems and products that might not sell. That's sensible, but if Nintendo penny-pinched on amiibo manufacturing as a result of underestimating demand, that would be a mistake that will have cost plenty of Holiday sales.
The truth is that only Nintendo knows why there's been insufficient stock of amiibo — most importantly — and also the GameCube adapter. While it's given us plenty to talk about in past weeks as we figure out what amiibo are available and simply shake our heads at the small volume of adapters, it represents a missed chance. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will sell a lot of copies and, we hope, Wii U consoles, but the lost amiibo revenues in the biggest shopping season of the year could be a source of regret.
To end on a positive, the past 4-6 weeks will have reminded Nintendo and the retail sector that there's still demand for its games and systems, even if November's Wii U hardware sales in the US weren't quite the increase of 2013 we'd have hoped for. The amiibo range, with its ability to excite Wii U owners and those that simply like their appearance, has proven itself to have legs — well, mostly. Assuming Nintendo can get its act together in manufacturing and distribution for 2015, and that retailers have been suitably impressed by sales of the limited stock available, it could be a vital part of the big N's armoury in the next 12 months.
Comments 80
I have not a single amiibo, yet, but i really want, but they are so expensive :/ i hope i can buy some amiibos for christmas
Nintendo did well, but missed out on a LOT of potential revenue this holiday season with its overly cautious attitude. I don't know whether it was the marketing team's fault or what, but the lack of accross-the-board discounted Wii U bundles, especially in light of the XBox One discount, was puzzling. In addition, I agree that Nintendo probably missed out on a lot of potential sales by releasing too limited a stock of Amiibo and gamecube adapters.
I understand Nintendo wants to be careful, but the holidays are THE time in the video game industry, and the period where you want to take risks and be a little reckless.
...I can't do the poll for whatever reason. lol
B/c of all the amiibo news of late I almost bought Zelda while in Target yesterday. I thought about giving it to my wife as a gift but she doesn't have any use for a $13 NFC toy she won't use. I bought her a Cynder Skylander a few years back to put on her desk at work, she likes dragons, but they were new and $7.99 back then. And she does play that game w/ me.
Gave my kids Fox and Link last night for Hanukkah, they went over well, but I'm not sure how many they'll get on their own. I think my youngest wants Bowser.
"Nintendo, in typical style, is being mysterious in terms of how we can use amiibo in 2015."
One's man's "mysterious" is another man's annoyance or SMH.
And just what gives w/ CT:TT in Jan in the UK/EU? Surely they could have had that out in time for Christmas. I bought 2 as gifts.
So much not to like about Nitnedo this holiday - adpater shortage, amiibo shortage, new 3DS in Japan and elsewhere but not the west, no SSBU Wii U bundle, no Wii U price drop - but at least for those of us who have a Wii U we at least have 1 more good year ahaed of us for games.
The vagueness of their marketing team is intentional. Nintendo lit a fire under the consumers ass to not wait and to get their Amiibo's ASAP & it's working. Before all this talk of discontinuation I could walk into a store and grab pretty much any Amiibo I wanted & now it's bare bones at most stores or they have 20 Marios & nothing else. Preorders are also sold out in almost every single upcoming figure in the US. Nintendo knows exactly what it is doing.
They played it safe and they should have done. (The actual content for Amiibo is worthless.)
My sister gave up trying to get my son a Wii U Gamecube adapter for my son, and a lot of the Amibo's were hard to find. But we got all the ones we wanted with Villager being that hardest to find. But they know they will sell now and that means more stock and more money.
I think Nintendo really underestimated the actual demand for any of these products, which seems absolutely bizarre to me. They obviously knew a huge demand for a Game Cube controller existed enough to actually produce the thing... but not enough to supply it to retailers in adequate amounts. Had I not pre-ordered that months ago, I never would have gotten it.
Skylander and Disney Infinity toys have been selling quite well for years now, which is, I assume, what prompted Nintendo to create the Amiibo. I read somewhere that they've already made over a billion in sales because of these things. Imagine how much more they could have had they produced enough for the holidays.
What I think is, after they quietly discontinue a few of these, they'll reproduce them as a second edition sort of thing.
After the first wave it should've been crystal clear that the masses bought Amiibo like hotcakes, but, as usual, they dropped the ball and understocked the second set. It's the holiday season Nintendo, it's perfectly fine to go all out with product production, especially when you know it's a big hit like this.
I know the money men will be thinking of the potential sales, if the product isn't on the shelves, you're losing out, simple as that. I'm glad they've been a success, and the lack of stock has probably gained them more attention, but for sure they've missed out on a bit of a bonanza, retailers too as you rightly point out. I was in GAME in Lisburn today, they had a few Marth actually, £14.99, but you're right again, the display did look a bit bare. Anyhow, I ordered Smash for Wii U yesterday and I'm not in any big hurry to pick up Amiibo just yet so I'll wait till the situation improves, which I'm sure it will
Still looking for Marth.
I'd like to get a Wii fit trainer Amiibo, but they're only available on the 'net for 2 or 3 times the RRP, and with $20 or more shipping on top of that, it's a bit too expensive to me...
I'm hoping Nintendo can adjust to the actual demand and get all amiibo's properly available again, the only people happy now are scalpers on the 'net.
Just out of interest, how good is the gamepad as a controller for smash Bros?
@agqwestern
It's ok. Out of all the controller options that I've attempted so far (GCN controller, 3DS, gamepad), it's probably my least favorite. For some reason it's a bit weird for me to use the top shoulder buttons for dodge/shield. I wouldn't quite recommend it for serious/competitive play.
Smash has only really done well in the US. They still need more games to come and the only way is third party support. For me capcom is the third party the wiiu needs to provide more games. I haven't had a nintendo game in months purely because, hydrule warriors isnt my thing, bayonetta 1 I didn't enjoy so wasnt sure on getting 2. I dont enjoy fighting games so smash is out. Then future games for me dont look great for the first quarter. I didnt enjoy captain toad in mario 3d world so a full game of it is a no and splatoon looks ok but can in my opinion go either way as in an enjoyable game.
I think Nintendo is being smart about amiibo. Any dedicated Smash player, collector and/or fan of a certain character most likely have it by now but when it comes to the general public having the staples is more than enough. People are going crazy right now because they are unavailable but I bet anything that if they were avialable like the rest they would give two squats about it, reason why they didn't get them in the first place. I'm pretty sure they'll reprint every amiibo at some point IN LIMITED QUANTITIES so people who got an interest after the original release can get them.
My only concern is the store exclusives, that could become a real problem in the US thanks to retails like GameStop.
@markybbop i think you are better off selling your Wii U in all honesty unless you are just waiting for Xenoblade, then sell it.
Easy to be negative and use hind sight.
I definitely feel like they dropped the ball. What kind of message do they think they're sending out when people are in an uproar about certain figures allegedly being discontinued, and there's no clear response to it? The vague "some figures may not return" bit is such a non-answer.
You can never do enough, Nintendo.
i only care about getting shulk long as i can get him i will be fine
I think Nintendo is following the Skylander/Disney Infinity evil play book perfectly. Convince someone to purchase:
I think everyone needs to stop and think about that for a minute.
@shinokami
Haha! I agree. He doesn't seem to like Nintendo games at all.
I am still doing raid mode on Resident Evil Revelation after all of these months. EVERY DAY! It just keeps going and going. Man, I really like that game. I think I'm at 260 hours or something. And there are people online that have there game time MAXED OUT at 999 hours! It's insane! Whoever said the Wii U didn't have mature content or they couldn't find anything to do sure didn't look hard enough....
@shinokami Well ya see, that's the thing though. Even hardcore fans of certain characters can't get the*cough* Rosalina and Luma cough
@shinokami Well ya see, that's the thing though. Even hardcore fans of certain characters can't get them*cough* Rosalina and Luma cough
@shinokami Well ya see, that's the thing though. Even hardcore fans of certain characters can't get them*cough* Rosalina and Luma cough
@shinokami Well ya see, that's the thing though. Even hardcore fans of certain characters can't get them*cough* Rosalina and Luma cough
@shinokami Well ya see, that's the thing though. Even hardcore fans of certain characters can't get them*cough* Rosalina and Luma cough
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEEd an amiibo.
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEED an amiibo.
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEED an amiibo.
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEED an amiibo.
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEED an amiibo.
Truth be told, I haven't had the slightest interest in amiibo up to this point. The concept behind it seems excellent, but I don't think they really know how to implement it yet. I'm not about to shell out 15 dollars for a plastic toy that will net me a character skin in Mariokart and a marginally more challenging CPU fighter in Smash. It just seems to me like an unnecessary accessory, they need to give a real reason for why you NEED an amiibo.
@NinjaWaddleDee she is not even out though, plus I'm sure she will be available no problem
@Xiao_Pai Those are results of past polls.
Amiibo's have turned my Nintendo loving friends into a bunch of ravaging morons. I love Nintendo, but i just dont get this at all.
I will get a couple of amiibo's of characters I like but the amount of amiibo's just for Smash is pretty ridiculous. Plus, who knows how many more amiibo's will be released for other games not named Smash Bros.
Wackiest poll answer-options ever.
@MyBodyIsReggie I second that
@Darknyht What would the advantage to getting them all be, as it would be for Skylanders/Infinity?
@shinokami Apparently she was up for preorder on Target last night for a total of one hour, before they stopped accepting preorders. This is madness.
@RainbowGazelle ....I knew that. >.>
hides
@Vineleaf I really have no clue, but there are those who are on a crusade to do so. I consider it to be as silly as those that have dumped hundreds of dollars into Disney Infinity and Skylanders because they "gotta to buy them all".
I was able to get the Gamecube accessories and my wave 1 amiibo no problem as I had preordered the Limited Edition of Smash, but the two wave 2 amiibo I actually want and have preordered (Capt. Falcon and Luigi) have apparently been indefinitely pushed back and no one at the store I go to knows when they'll be in. My issue is that I've heard they're available elsewhere and I'm afraid I may not get mine.
@Darknyht Oof. Yeah, that'll hurt the pocketbook. I'd rather get another system for that $.
@RadoGoji I'm with ya buddy. I'm not getting ALL of them, but I have Captain Falcon preordered, and they have no idea when he's coming in.
@Vineleaf That's not even considering that some are fetching around $70 on ebay right now because of fears of that amiibo being discontinued. I am with you in that I can own a lot of Wii U games or another system plus games for that price.
Its not like anti Nintendo. I enjoyed Mario kart, pikmin 3, donkey Kong AMD more but unless you like every genre or are 100% Nintendo there are massive gaps and wait times for the next title.
I think that Nintendo didn't think amiibo would be such a big hit as it is, so they don't have enough supply for the demand. Hopefully Nintendo rights this soon, because I'm looking forward to getting a Wii U in a month or so and it would be nice to be able to get my favourite amiibo's for smash bros
My opinion of Nintendo is definitely starting to improve as of late with all the great games and innovations they have been doing. I think I went sour on Nintendo for awhile cause nothing was coming out and no third party support, but the games their coming out with are impressing me more then the "next gen" consoles have so far.
@markybbop very true, that is one thing that bugs me about Nintendo, but when Nintendo releases a game, that game is usually definitely worth your money and usually has tons of replay and fun factor and usually tries to get you to play with people in the same room. I have a Xbox One and I do enjoy some of the games on the system, but I always find myself forcing my way through a game people think is "just the greatest" and finding that the game wasn't worth the price. One thing I know that Nintendo does that I wish Sony and Microsoft would do is makes more couch co-op games, I'm sick of playing games with my friends not around.
@agqwestern
It's a controller that's has always ran out of battery power so you'd rather start the game with Pro Controller and then switch to Gamecube-controller.
Umm, yeah, everything could be "better". You can nitpick everything in the world. Nintendo did fine with Amiibo,,as you are obviously seeing in sales and limited quantities. Don't make something out of nothing. Would you rather have them, or not have them?
@Luffymcduck I'm not really the sort of person who plays for over 3 hours at a time and whenever I'm not playing the GamePad goes straight to the charging cradle. I'm really more interested on how it feels playing SSB with it rather than the general cons
Nintendo just needs a team whose only job is to retro fit their current Wii U games with amiibo content.
Why do people assume Nintendo screwed up in doing things the way they did them? They took figures that would of sold well and created a frenzied demand. You know why limited edition is a joke these days? Because there is nothing limited about them. I have a villager, a little mac and a diddy kong sitting with Zelda unopened. These 12.99 things now have value and are hunted for. Mario, Link, Fox and Samus sit on my desk opened and are not hard to find anywhere in stores. I know some of you wanted a whole set(I did too) or wanted your favorite non mainstream character but now instead of casually collecting... you are hunting. Not everyone will get one... now when you get one you'll think... hmm should I open it or leave it unopened.
Amazon UK seem to have most back in stock at regular price, although village is 12.99. But atleast they have some
@Mchl496 I don't have a problem with Nintendo moreso than the eBay opportunist. They're the ones driving up the demand. Though concrete info from Nintendo would be nice. Then again Ninty said from the get-go that some will be discontinued. When all is said and done, I've calmed down a bit as I haven't had too much trouble finding the amiibo I wanted, sans the Wii Fit Trainer, which is my fault for not picking up one when they were in numbers. Also, I eventually figured what was the use of deciding to open or not open my amiibo. I have a special curio to display my amiibo with my faves on my desk. Even if I didn't open them years down the line, I'd never sell them anyways. That said, I did pre-order two of Shulk. I may see if I can get some of my amiibo investment back. Haha
@agqwestern like someone said above, the game pad is kind of awkward for this game, especially as it pertains to the shoulder/trigger buttons. My hands are big, so for a game like this, I personally have problems hitting the wrong face button at times.
@RadoGoji so that's what happened with Luigi, Pit, and Capt Falcon! I've been in the look out for them with no luck. Though I have seen them on eBay, so I thought I missed out there for a second.
This article shows extremely limited knowledge of manufacturing and its processes. First and foremost lets understamd that indisputably Nintendo is not in charge of how many Amiibo characters Walmart, GameStop, et al carry. The big N does NOT go to retailers and say "yo, we want 10 of these in this store and 20 in that." The retailers choose what they want to shelf. So if your local store doesnt carry it, guess whose fault it was? Thats right, their own. If the would like to order more they certainly can! But guess how much time it takes for dozen small plastic figurines to make it from China to your local shop in Cardston/Chesunt/Columbia/Wherever? A long time.
Buuut, you know what? The big N might not have made a very large initial shipment.. why would they dare do this!?!?!?! How about the luke warm reception they've received since announcement? Anyone who expected Nintendo to COMPLETELY understand exactly how many they'd need is an absolute fool, especially given the intermets reaction at e3... cool but meh? I think thats how I remember hearing it
I managed to get every Amiibo so far at regular price and have the next wave pre-ordered
I've spoken with employees at several local chains and they expressed that Nintendo has not supplied them with any current amiibo information. They don't know what they're getting, when they're getting it, etc., which makes helping customers very difficult for them.
@jakysnakydx
I have no idea how knowledgeable you are, but that is not entirely accurate. Whilst retailers may request a certain number of an item, they have no control over how many they receive. That's up to the distributor, who has closer ties with the company than the retailers.
So, in the end, it is nintendo, not the retailers, who are responsible for quantities available.
Sounding adamant doesn't make something reality.
Well, first of all, ambiio are basically useless.
But: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwtZf1jQJH0
Think about that one.
I actually was able to find a Marth amiibo! I got it on opening day, and wished afterward that I had bought all of the ones in the store lol!
I also was able to find a defected Yoshi amiibo, it was sideways in side the package.
I pre ordered Pit, captain Falcon, and Zelda, but Only Zelda was shipped unfortunately. I really wanted a Captain falcon too... ah well.
The ONLY thing that I REALLY wanted and missed, was the Lucario amiibo. But the Toys R Us online store was sold out before I was able to get one.
@emiingham That's awesome! I wish I had the money to buy all of them, but I've already spent too much on these things.
@jakysnakydx : Fully agreed. This article is making something out of nothing. Sometimes Nintendo fans complain so much, they become their own worst enemy.
@NinjaWaddleDee yeah I heard about that one and I missed out on it unfortunately, but February is still far and I'm sure they will open more
pre-orders soon, and if not I'm sure that if you walk in the day they supply you'll find her no problems as long as you go early in the day seeing and how everyone is freaking out they'll probably buy them by the bunch. The only retail I would worry about is GameStop with Shulk since there is already reports that they'll hold the figures back to sell as used.
I'm not going to actively pursue Amiibo...
I might become more interested in one, later, but not right now.
The established Skylanders, and Disney figures certainly would overshadow Amiibo... Something that is hardly advertised...
"Situation Not Resolved:
The amiibo will need to be replaced.
The retailer from which you purchased the amiibo may be able to replace it. This will depend on the retailer's return policies. Nintendo cannot repair, replace, or sell amiibo directly."
Got my kid a Fox amiibo, first time trying to use it keeps giving him an error message. We finally got it to work, but I'm not happy about Nintendo not being able to repair or replace faulty amiibo.
http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13337/~/amiibo-data-is-corrupted
I think it's amazing that people have been convinced to buy up Amiibos like crazy people as if Nintendo had only planned to sell the damn things for a month and then never again. There will be plenty after the holidays, and anyone who paid over retail for the things will be kicking themselves. And Nintendo's shoulder shrugging and "hrm, er, well, some of them, er will maybe, yah know, we won't make all of 'em forever and, you know, something or what" responses when asked if they're discontinuing some of them are just fantastic.
This article is a lot of noise. There are still plenty of Amiibo on the shelves wherever I go and you can still order them online in several places. Such a long read about nothing.
One thing i wanna see from Amiibo is them unlocking some awesome content.
Ive got 2 Amiibo's christmas Samus, Fox - i bought them in liverpool - grainger Games £11 each.
There were loads of them in grainger Games in display cabinet and behind till.
At moment i like What they do in smash, mk8.
but i hope Games such as Treasure Tracker, Yoshi woolly world use Amiibo unlocked extra content or secret characters.
Unlocking random items is hardly exciting.
Just saw article about Amiibo support in Zelda Wii U & star Fox - However they mention that they do sumthing but no words on what as of yet.
Nintendo need seriously give Amiibo reason to exist at moment its nothing to exciting. But hope that Amiibo come into there own in 2015
@BurningSonic Are you in the UK? Grainger Games have loads of Marth figures in their shops.
@agqwestern
Haha, yes, I was mostly joking about it. Well truth to be told, me and my friends find the Gamecube controller much better for playing Smash Bros. I've only played few minutes with Gamepad so all I can say about that one is that it's good contoller, GC-controller just happens to be the better one.
@Crillan
I believe the article is referencing other places, more so than the U.S. Apparently stores elsewhere have been taking advantage of the customers with the "discontinued" rumors.
@andyg1971 I live in the USA.
I am not buying any amiibo, my son however has bought me Link for my birthday so we will see if this persuades me to buy some myself.
We need a NESS amiibo ASAP
In some ways it can be better to be under supplied rather than over supplied. I think Nintendo were worried about overestimating demand for amiibo, manufacturing too many and being stuck with stock that couldn't be sold. Because once people see them in bargain bins being priced to move not only does the brand value decrease but people will hold off buying them new in the hope of unsold stock prices being slashed a little later. Now that people know that Nintendo isn't going to over produce these NFC figures there is more incentive to snap them up immediately when they are restocked.
Amiibos need to be playable characters in multiple first party games. That's what I thought was implied when they were first announced, and the idea is stellar! But Nintendo probably knows that we all will buy these things anyway even if they don't do anything at all
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