Fils-Aime: we won't be able to meet Christmas demand

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted the company will not be able to meet consumer demand for the Wii this Christmas.

Speaking frankly to the Mercury News, Fils-Aime said that for a second year running the home console is likely to be sparse on store shelves, with current supplies lasting no longer than a day before selling out.

"We're working very hard to make sure that consumers are satisfied this holiday, but I can't guarantee that we're going to meet demand. As a matter of fact, I can tell you on the record that we won't," he said.

"What I can tell you is that typically, our inventory is lasting a day... I don't think we will know when supply crosses with demand until after the holiday season," he said.

According to Fils-Aime, the problem isn't in manufacturing the consoles, but the sheer aggressive demand for the machine.

"The issue is not a lack of production. The issue is we went in with a curve that was aggressive, but the demand has been substantially more than that. And the ability to ramp up production and to sustain it is not a switch that you flick on," he added.

Only last month Fils-Aime promised an "unprecedented" amount of Wii consoles for the Christmas season following further sales success throughout the year.