It was no big surprise that the late bird would not catch anything, but I tried anyway, and the morning of the first day of sales is not really all that late.

• 10 am, the local electronics store, sold out.
• 10:30 am, the two video game stores near the station, sold out.
• 10:50 to 11:30, a pilgrimage through various stores in Mecca (Akihabara), all sold out, except for the shady individuals that resell at a hefty premium.
• 11:50, the big Bic Camera in Yurakucho, sold out.
• 12:20, Don Quixote in Kameido, sold out.
• 12:45, the local Don Quixote, probably did not even have any in the first place.

In retrospect, it might have been a good idea to take a look at Akihabara yesterday night, especially since I was there at midnight anyway, changing trains coming back from work. On the other hand, that would have just meant camping out at the tail end of an already enormous queue. The clever solution would have been a pre-order, which is where the majority of the allotted units apparently went. Does not that defeat the purpose of a retail store? I would place an order on Amazon now, but they have stopped taking orders, as have most of the real shops, since they cannot guarantee when the next shipment arrives. I really hope Nintendo can pump out more units fast, so that this does not turn into a long-term shortage.

Nonetheless, I got myself the wiimote control, so that I can practice my serves and volleys in advance. I also wanted to carry it around as a talisman, but it is clunkier than I thought.