31st August HMV are expecting Wii Fit stock on Monday 1st September and they are available to pre-order on their web site. A word of caution though - I would imagine that if HMV can't supply all the pre-orders (seems highly unlikely that they will!) then they will simply put those remaining on back order, ie many people will still end up waiting. Click here if you want to try your luck.
29th August, 2nd update The upcoming horse racing game G1 Jockey Wii 2008 (which features Balance board support) wins my award for silliest and funniest use of the Balance board to date. Click here to see it (it's from the Japanese version of the game on a French web site), but be careful you don't split your sides from laughing too much ............
29th August I see that Amazon France are now stating that Wii Fit ships from them in 1 to 2 weeks - previously it was 1 to 3 weeks. It certainly seems to me like the best way to guarantee getting yourself a Wii Fit in a relatively short period of time. Feel free to Click here for full ordering instructions.
28th August, 2nd update I've now finished the table showing games that support the Wii Balance Board - naturally this table will be constantly revised as more games are added and when any new data is available for those titles already listed. Click here to take a look.
28th August I'm currently working on a table to show which games have been released/are in development and will support the Balance Board; I'll be including release dates, screenshots, videos, etc. If all goes well I hope to make it available today.
27th August There is a new promotional video for the forthcoming game Skate It Wii (which supports the Wii Fit Balance Board) - the new video shows more of the game in action with some brief moments that give an idea how the Balance Board and controls are integrated with it. Click here to see the YouTube video.
26th August, 2nd update I've amended the product links at the bottom of the page in order to make the site load quicker (and I've now added general links to some of the best selling Wii and Nintendo products), plus I've added an Amazon search box so you can now search for an Amazon item directly from this site. I hope that this is of use to some people.
26th August Yet another 'game' is in development which will use the Wii Fit Balance Board - All Star Cheer Squad. According to the early marketing blurb, it's the “first original property created specifically for girls”. Click here to see a promotional video on YouTube which also features men doing the moves, so presumably it's not just for girls after all ............ ?
25th August, 3rd update I see that since this morning Amazon France have put the price of Wii Fit down to 87.99 Euros, so now it's only a tiny bit higher than before it went out of stock a while back.
25th August, 2nd update I've now added some comprehensive instructions on how to order a Wii Fit from the reputable company buecher.de in Germany. This seems like a good alternative to Amazon as they often deliver a bit faster (most people in the UK who have ordered through them have received their Wii Fit within a week). I can't make any promises whether this will always be the case, but that's how it stands as I type this. From doing a Google search I see that quite a few people have ordered from this company without any problems - I wouldn't be providing this information if I thought there was anything to worry about. Adding this company also gives another ordering alternative for you in case, for example, Amazon France run out of stock again, or even Amazon Germany. I should think that it's possible that Amazon France and Germany may also stop shipping Wii Fit to the UK as they did with the Wii console late last year. We'll have to wait and see.
25th August - Amazon France finally have new stock of Wii Fit ! However, they have put the price up ever so slightly - they were 88.20 Euros (about £69) but are now 93.83 Euros (about £74) so an increase of £5, therefore it's cheaper to order one from Amazon Germany where they are 89.95 Euros (although they can take longer to ship them out). I don't know why Amazon France have done this but it still seems like one of the best ways to guarantee getting hold of a Wii Fit package. Later edit: The price has now gone down to 87.99 Euros!
24th August - The Guardian newspaper is running a competition to win a Wii and Wii Fit - click here if you fancy your chances. Good luck! Also, the other day I mentioned the game Shaun White Snowboarding which supports the Balance Board, click here to see a bit more game footage in the form of a YouTube video. It's shaping up well, I'm really looking forward to this one. There's also a new video for Skate It for the Wii which also has Balance Board support. Click here to take a look (ignore the release dates in the box on the right - they are obviously wrong!).
23rd August A few days ago Wii Fit relinquished its number 1 position to Mario Kart for the Wii in the UK video game chart. With Christmas coming up it's inevitable that Wii Fit will be in extremely short supply, Wii console sales are also likely to go through the roof again, and so are those for Mario Kart Wii. Time to raid that old piggy bank ...............
21st August Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party is the latest forthcoming game to be announced with Balance Board support. Some typically mad (but fun) videos can be seen on their home site (click earlier link). The game is due for release in time for Christmas.
20th August, 3rd update A couple more games have been announced which will support the Balance Board: Kororinpa 2 (working title, due in Europe early 2009) and Babysitting Party (I kid you not) from Ubisoft. More screenshots and a trailer for Kororinpa 2 can be found by clicking here
20th August, 2nd update Feel like winning a Wii Fit? Web site thehut.com currently have a competition to win one. No doubt it's a cynical marketing ploy to add people to their mailing list, so do remember to untick the box at the bottom of the form so you can avoid the dreaded sales spam! Click here to try your luck!
20th August If you don't feel like doing a bit of Snowboarding with your Wii Balance Board, how about a bit of Skateboarding? Skate It will feature Balance Board support when it's released in the next few months. I was always pretty average on a skateboard, so perhaps I'll be able to hone my skills a little with the Wii version. Here's to the increasing number of sports games that are getting Balance Board support!
19th August, 3rd update In an attempt to let more people know about this site I've added a Technorati Profile to their site. Let's see what happens!
19th August, 2nd update If you feel like doing a bit more with your Balance Board than the usual exercises then how about investing in Shaun White Snowboarding when it's released in the next few months. Previews of the game have been very good and the videos, screenshots and info on the web site sell the product well. It's worth a look, and if you do like what you see you can be automatically notified when it's available by clicking here
19th August It looks like Amazon France are now out of stock of Wii Fit (there are of course sellers flogging them at inflated prices through their Marketplace) so the next best option if you wish to purchase one from Europe is to go through Amazon Germany. Don't be put off by the quoted 5 to 7 weeks before they ship, they apparently sometimes send them out a few weeks before that. Full ordering instructions can be found in the Wii Fit area below.
18th August According to this article Nintendo are working hard on supplying Wii Fit to the UK for the run-up to Christmas. I see no reason to disbelieve this latest bit of marketing-speak, other than the fact that I strongly recall something similar being said last year when there were severe Wii shortages, AND the year before when there were also severe Wii shortages .......... still, you never know, they may be right this time ........ (see that pig flying past the window?).
17th August Here's a tip for increasing your chances of getting Wii Fit from Argos - phone their Home Delivery number: 08456402020 ands give them item number: 568/5970 - some people have managed to get hold of one this way even when the Argos web site shows that there is no local stock. This isn't of course guaranteed to work, but it's surely worth a try.
15th August A few people from the UK have asked me whether they can buy Wii Fit and the Balance Board from a country other than their own and use it with their UK Wii. Those in Europe are lucky because, for example, Wii Fit from France or Germany works fine with a UK Wii. However, outside of Europe the answer is no. The main issue is the Wii Fit software provided on the disc - this will only work with a Wii from the country that it was produced for, so for example a Japanese Wii Fit won't work with a Wii from America, Europe or Australia. There have been a few reports of people in those countries 'persuading' Wii Fit to work with a Wii from another country by using the Wii Freeloader disc, and also with 'chipped' (internally modified) Wiis, but with Nintendo fairly regularly issuing Internet updates to combat such region workarounds it's probably not worth the hassle. There are also reports of the Balance Board having problems syncing with Wiis from the 'wrong' country. To summarise - if, for example, you are in the UK and want to buy, say, a Japanese Wii Fit, you will also need to invest in a Japanese Wii, but doing so then opens up another can of worms regarding using a Japanese Wii in the UK ....... !
14th August I'm carrying out some site maintenance today, so apologies in advance if there are no news updates (I will of course update the High Street stock sightings as and when people let me know of any).
13th August, 2nd update I've now added an RSS Feed to the site which will contain the latest updates which you currently also see in the 'stock sightings' area (this will still be updated). This way, if you have the right software on your computer, you'll receive an automatic notification if the 'stock sightings' area is updated which will also save you having to refresh the page if you're looking for stock sightings. There are various free RSS readers about, a few are listed here for various operating systems. I've been using SharpReader for Windows and it works fine - I would recommend setting the RefreshRate to 15 minutes if you want to be sure of receiving an update as quickly as possible. At the moment notifications of stock sightings are few and far between as I naturally need to rely on people to let me know if they have seen Wii Fit stock in a high street store (thanks in advance for all notifications!). A number of people read this site, but not nearly enough to cover every possible corner of the UK, so please feel free to spread the word and let others know that this place exists - that way everyone helps each other out and everyone benefits.
13th August Those of you wondering if the Wii Fit Balance Board can be used with any other Wii software will be pleased to know that there are a few titles in development which will support the board. A list of them can be found in this Wikipedia article. The one that interests me the most is We Ski (yes, it is spelled correctly!) and is due out in Europe before the end of 2008. Looks like a lot of fun.
12th August, 2nd update I've now added some comprehensive instructions on how to order a Wii Fit from Amazon Germany. I would though still recommend ordering from Amazon France as they state 1 to 3 weeks for delivery while Amazon Germany state 5 to 7 weeks (although they sometimes deliver a few weeks earlier than that, it varies). I've mainly put on the Amazon Germany ordering instructions as an alternative in case Amazon France runs out of Wii Fit stock or stops shipping them to the UK (as they did last year with Wii's when they were shipping loads to the UK). As far as UK stock goes, I've read that John Lewis have had a batch in but they simply haven't put them onto their system yet, so as usual keep your eyes peeled.
12th August I've added a 'digg it' button to the right, this links to the social networking site digg.com - if you have found this site interesting or useful, please show your support by clicking on the button. Don't worry, it doesn't cost anything, it's just for voting on sites and making comments. Many thanks!
11th August, 2nd update For those of you lucky enough to already own a Wii Fit or have set your sights on getting one, have you ever thought of skinning it? This doesn't involve the use of any sharp implements, it's simply a cover for the balance board that not only helps protect it but also gives the surface a bit more grip. A new skin can also make it look a lot nicer and really personalises it. Skins come in all kinds of designs, but AMR Racing has some very nice skins (due for release on 22nd August and 12th September), aimed at both the male and female audience. There is even a Union Jack skin for the patriotic amongst you. Click here to see the full list of what's available
11th August Rumour has it that John Lewis are expecting a delivery of Wii Fit today, so keep your eyes fixed on their site and the various stock checkers .........
10th August, 2nd update For those of you who don't want to take the gamble on sourcing a Wii Fit from the UK, there is an alternative: buy from elsewhere in Europe. When the Wii was in short supply last year a number of people ordered their Wii's from Amazon France and Amazon Germany and it's possible to do that with Wii Fit. It's not at all difficult if you follow these comprehensive and detailed instructions that I've just put together for ordering from Amazon France. Wii Fit is the same price in France as in the UK, plus shipping to the UK only costs a few pounds so making it a great way to get a Wii Fit fairly quickly and easily. In the Wii Fit box below this news area I've also provided a direct link to Wii Fit at Amazon France (also linked in the aforementioned instructions).
10th August This site has only been up and running for a few days and I've just changed to a new host. As a result of this I'm curious what you think of the site - is there anything that you would particularly like to see listed or linked to? Do you like the general layout and content? Is it easy to use? Please Click Here if you have any comments. Also, if you have your own web site then I'd really appreciate it if you would provide a link to this one, I will of course provide a link back to yours. This site is designed to help people, yes it has a few adverts, but they are only to help pay for the time I spend editing and researching information to put up here. The primary function of the site is to be useful and I'd like to 'spread the word' and let people know that it's here!
9th August, 2nd update One problem with the Wii Remote and the Wii Fit balance board is that they appear to eat AA batteries for a living. Rechargeable batteries or rechargeable battery packs are therefore a great solution, but normal NiMH rechargeables lose their charge pretty quickly when not in use. Now there is a far better alternative, Eneloop batteries
9th August I'm currently looking into transferring this site onto a new Web Host, so if you can't access the site any time over the next few days please give it a few hours and try again. Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience caused.
8th August, 2nd update I've now added a 'High Street stock sightings' area to the right - this way people can click on the link provided and so tell me when they see Wii Fit stock in a high street store. I'm afraid I won't be able to email back and say thanks, but please take it as read that your information could be helping others to find a Wii Fit! Naturally I cannot check up on the validity of this information, so please phone the store first before visiting - after all, it may be a hoax or the store may sell out before you get there.
8th August 2008 This comment from Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata is a couple of weeks old, but for those that missed it - it looks like Nintendo expect that the US will experience yet more stock shortages this Christmas. What does that have to do with the UK? Well, if you can't get a Wii in the US it doesn't bode well for the much smaller UK market, and the UK is already experiencing major shortages of Wii Fit. Shop early for Chritmas? Yes, a good idea - a year early seems to be about right ...........
7th August 2008 Regular visitors will notice that the site has had something of a re-vamp - it looks MUCH better now thanks to the excellent work put in by www.wellthoughtout.com - now I'll continue to update it with any new Wii Fit stock checker links and add any information related to stock levels of hard to find Wii products, I also intend to implement a few other ideas that I have in mind .............
5th August 2008 As there are a few Wii related stock checker web sites in the UK for those really hard to find Wii items I thought it would be useful to create a single site that people could reference instead of trawling through various search engines.
What you see here is a very preliminary site - I hope to continue to improve it and perhaps include news items related to the stock issues regarding the Wii & peripherals as well as listing other hard to find Wii items.
Click here or the top banner to return to Wiistockcheckers.com index page