For some Wii fans, the exercise in Wii Fit has been in running around trying to find one.
That was the case for Dhruv Thukral, a 25-year-old from Santa Monica who raced from store to store the day Nintendo Co.'s fitness game came out May 19.
"It's sold out everywhere," said the USC computer science graduate student.
"Wii Fit" is the latest title for Nintendo's Wii game console. Shortages have become a chronic condition for Nintendo, beginning with the Wii, which is still in short supply a year-and-a-half after the $250 console was introduced. The new game, which retails for $90, offers more than 40 activities that challenge users in areas such as yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance. It comes with a motion sensor device that resembles a large bathroom scale, which users stand on.
At Gamestop, a chain that specializes in games, the first shipment sold out days before it arrived as shoppers plunked down cash to pre-order the game. On Friday, Circuit City's website had the game in stock at 8:50 a.m., but was sold out 10 minutes later, according to NowInStock.net, a website that tracks online stores for hard-to-find items.
On Ebay, Wii Fit has been auctioned for as much as $150, a 66% markup.
Nintendo wasn't available for comment.
Analysts say part of the problem stems from Nintendo's conservative approach in making hardware. Stung by the failure of its last console, the GameCube, the Japanese company resists building up too much factory resources for its products.
It's also shrewdly maximizing its profit by sending four times as many units to Europe, reaping the benefits of the strong Euro, said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities.
"The shortage demonstrates one consequence of the weak dollar. We're seeing companies ignore their largest market simply because they can make a greater profit elsewhere," said Pachter. "They know that Americans will be just as fat a few months from now" when Nintendo will have more units available.
alex.pham@latimes.com
