In an interview with Gamasutra, GameStop's senior VP of merchandising and hoseheads Bob McKenzie says that the company's supply of Nintendo Wii consoles has finally caught up with demand.

"You know, three years later, we finally have enough inventory on the shelf, and we've got a couple of weeks in supply of this. That's good because we can finally determine and gauge it before we get into the fourth holiday season."

Hallelujah! Hopefully thins also signals an end of me having to keep track of Wii sales on eBay in favor of something less tedious, like tracking Nintendo DSi sales on eBay.

GameStop's McKenzie: Wii Supply 'Finally' Sufficient [Gamasutra]

"We're producing an unprecedented level of hardware to try to meet demand,” said Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime, “We're flowing products into stores on a very regular basis. Once you see it on the shelf, you ought to buy it.”

Now, cynics might suggest that there is the tiniest possibility this might be a non-too-subtle marketing ruse aimed at encouraging you get down to the shops and buy up an armful of Wiis so that a) you will get one and b) there will then be a newsworthy shortage. Good job we aren't cynics.

"While we're bringing 50% higher level of supply into the market this holiday, we don't know if the demand will be even higher than that."

Hey! Why not buy two! Or even more!

Nintendo: 'We might not satisfy Wii demand this Christmas' [CVG]

Asked in its investor call if the company was seeing an end to the post-holiday shortages that affected the Xbox 360, DS, and Wii in January, company COO Dan DeMatteo said that specifically with the Wii, the company anticipated that the console's supply "won't meet demand for the next 2 quarters," at least.

The company also assumes a $30 price drop for the PS2, but said they don't see one coming for the Wii or PSP.

The call wrapped up with talk of how the-economic-down-turn-which-must-not-be-named won't effect the game industry and could in fact lead to sales growth as more people travel less and stay home more.

GameStop: Wii Shortages To Continue, Price Drops Expected For PS3, 360 [Gamasutra]

Psychologically, it's better if the customer is begging for the product.

We are strongly reject and resent the accusation that we are "PR-ing" stock shortages and no press releases are being distributed. We are doing all we can to ensure that the unprecedented demand for Wii can be met as far as possible in the run up to Christmas. This is being done through regular and multiple deliveries of Wii stock to the UK, globally we are working at maximum capacity, producing 1.8 million units of Wii hardware a month to try and meet this demand as far as possible."

Nintendo: We strongly reject accusations of 'PR-ing' [maxconsole]

"Wii sales remain strong, with an apparent increase in supply during the quarter. This increase is inconsistent with reports that Nintendo has had difficulty in increasing its manufacturing capacity," he states, "suggesting to us that the company has diverted supply from other areas (perhaps Japan) to the U.S."

Pachter: Nintendo Diverting Wii Shipments to U.S. from Japan? [GameDaily.biz]

Talking to Eurogamer TV, Nintendo UK's jolly ogre president David Yarnton took time out from pouring stout over his bangers 'n' mash to make sure that everyone who wanted a Wii knew that an apocalypse of bloodshed awaited you on opening day.

Stating that "20 million [consoles] wouldn't be enough", Yarnton concluded that shortages were a foregone conclusion. The implication? If you haven't already managed to pre-order, you will have to crack open a few skulls and feast on the goo inside to get a Wii on launch day. This, as all African Witch Doctors know, allows you to absorb their power.

Of course, it'll only be a couple... your stomach will explode and leak a brainy sludge all down your burst abdomen if you try to follow that strategy for the PS3 launch day. Florian Eckhardt

Yarnton promises 'biggest ever launch' for Wii [Eurogamer]

Former Take Two CEO and current RedOctane honcho Kelly Sumner sat down with Games Industry to talk about the upcoming Guitar Hero European release. The rhythm action title has been a smash hit in the U.S. and has picked up numerous awards. Also, Crecente *hearts* it. Buying a copy in the U.S. has been tricky of late, and it seems as though things will be worse for our European brethren. Sumner says that due to manufacturing constraints, "for the first two months minimum, it's going to be in very, very short supply."

Xbox 360s, DS Lites and Guitar Hero. While "good" for the companies, shortages suck. They lead to long lines, mark-ups on eBay and general icky-ness. At a certain point, they cause me to lose interest in the product. Feelings of frustration outweigh the desire to finally get the product. In short, shortages are a major turn-off. Am I alone?

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Here's the relevant quotes from Next-Gen, who seized them from the OC.

"In these new consumer electronics devices based on new chips, there's always the question of what yield will you get out of the manufacturing process of the new chip. We're getting a little less, but not much less than the yields we expected, and we know that the yields we expected will probably outrun supply."

"We decided to go ahead and launch rather than wait until post-Christmas and get a few million units out into the hands of users. We're doing our best."

"We are making more. All stores are getting new units each week. Can we make as many as people want? The answer is no, but not because we don't want to."

Now if they could get retailers to honor their pre-sales instead of trying to do more high-price bundles, things might be OK.

Microsoft Undone by Low Chip Yield [Next-Gen]