Wal-Mart Wii pre-orders sell out
Cash-flush gamers who got up early this morning and perused the Wal-Mart Web site got lucky. For several hours today, the megaretailer's online store offered a so-called "Nintendo Wii Customer Choice's Bundle" which offered the next-gen console packed in with series of accoutrements for $533.56.
Normally, the basic Wii package costs $249.99. It includes the Wii console, "Wiimote controller," a Nunchuk attachment, Wiimote wrist strap, power cord, standard A/V cable, sensor bar, two AA batteries, and stands for the console and sensor bar.
The Nintendo Wii Customer Choice's Bundle comes with the aforementioned package plus 2,000 Will points--the non-cash equivalent of $20. It also comes with the choice of four games from the list below:
Ant Bully
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Barnyard
Call of Duty 3
Cars
Chicken Little: Ace in Action
Elebits
Excite Truck
Far Cry Vengeance
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Need for Speed Carbon
Open Season
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
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Though Wii games have not been officially priced, most retailers list both first and third-party titles for the console as being $49.99 each. By that calculus, four games (4 x $49.99 = $199.96), a console package ($249.99), and 2,000 Wii points ($20) should come to $469.95 before sales tax. Throw in the extra Wiimote ($39.82 at Wal-Mart) and Nunchuck ($19.82 at Wal-Mart), and that means Wal-Mart is charging a not-so-mighty premium of $3.97 on each Nintendo Wii Customer Choice's Bundle. The mark-up didn't stop consumers from scooping up the offer, though--by early afternoon, the bundle was sold out.
