Nintendo to ship four million Wii consoles this year

Even with the impressive lot of consoles, Nintendo is expecting sell-outs and plans to maximize all its resources to rapidly replenish retailers' shelves as often as possible.

"Wii is for both experienced and uninitiated gamers, and it will be available for the masses," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Because of demand, we're urging shoppers not to get complacent. The level of demand we're seeing goes beyond the ordinary. Retailers are telling us a significant fraction of customers pre-ordering Wii are nontraditional gamers -- people looking for a better way to play. And that's exactly what Wii is designed to provide."