Although I’m hesitant to call the Wii drought over, it seems as though the spring time rapids are beginning to flow.  After months upon months where would-be Nintendo fans had been denied a chance to own the motion-sensitive machine, retailers are beginning to receive the device in greater quantities.  While it takes some investigative work to find one, the Wii may be moving from the “endangered” to merely the “threatened” species list.

First reports of the let-up have made their way to online consumer forums, most notably the Canadian RedFlagDeals.com.  According to one poster, Best Buy received some 120 Wii consoles earlier this week, selling out in just 19 minutes.  Future Shop, a Canadian outlet cut from the same cloth as Best Buy, sold 220 units in 40 minutes.

The poster on this particular board doesn’t mention the store location, although judging from the numbers both the Best Buy and Future Shop are likely metropolitan outlets.  When I contacted a friendly source that works at a Best Buy in Windsor, ON, just over the border from Detroit, he indicated that his store had received 70 Wiis for a few Fridays consistently, with last week’s shipment even lasting until the following Saturday morning.

Rounding out the retail report, a local Wal-Mart described much lower numbers, 12, with their shipments arriving earlier in the week (yesterday, in fact).  As expected, these were gone by this morning.  A call to EB Games was less informal, with the clerk refusing to detail how many Wii units the store had been receiving, or when the next might come.  However, the rep did reveal the last shipment date, which was, like Wal-Mart, earlier in the week.

For those still hunting the elusive white Wii, it seems as if Best Buy stores consistently receive the largest shipments, arriving on Fridays.  Smaller stores (and departments) boast the opposite, with their Nintendo consoles coming in on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Sounds like everyone should avoid those hustle-bustle weekend trips.

Is the shortage over?  Certainly not.  But, the rising numbers makes the once impossible task a challenge, even a retail test of strength.

Good luck, Mario-heads.