It’s been my plan all year to get a Nintendo Wii for Christmas.

They have been out for a year now – it’s not like there is going to be any problem getting one. Right?
WRONG!
I’ve been on the lookout for one in the shops for several weeks now. There aren’t any. No – none. Really – NONE!
They have been a run away success this year – Nintendo’s profits have trebled and there have been rumours of a short supply this Christmas. I suppose they just can’t ramp up production quickly enough. I think lot’s of people are planning to get one for Christmas – but don’t realise they are in such short supply.
So Paula put us on the waiting list at Woolies. The guy said we should get one, being on their list, but that they definitely wouldn’t be on the shelves before Christmas. This weekend I went around the shopping centre in Redditch. Not a chance. I tried to put myself on the waiting list at Gamespot – but the lady told me they had over 170 people on the list and she didn’t want to add any more to it.
Yikes! And I’ve been telling the boys to make sure they ask Santa for a Wii for months now!
So I found this discussion on Amazon about people buying a Wii from Amazon Germany. It’s the same european model of the Wii we get in the UK – just with a continental plug on it. Ummm… Is this going to save my bacon?
I chatted with Steve from work. He bought a German X-Box 360 when there was a shortage 2 years ago. He didn’t have any problems. In fact, when his 360 got the three lights of death, Microsoft UK replaced it under it’s standard European guarantee. The Wii is also covered by a European wide guarantee.

So, armed with this last piece of information, Paula’s resistance finally collapsed and tonight, armed with an online translation website I have ordered a Wii from amazon.de This was really easy to do – I used my standard amazon uk login, and up popped my address and credit card details – surrounded by German of course.

Will this be a resounding success as we all play Mario Strikers Charged Football over the internet on Christmas day while others are unable to get hold of the Christmas must have console? Or will I be trying to speak German for the next few months to sort it all out? Imagine how much of Paula’s humble pie I’ll be eating if this goes wrong.

Hopefully – it’s in the post. I’ll let you know when it arrives.