Just in Time for Christmas: the Nintendo Waa!

Want to put a Nintendo Wii under the Christmas tree this year? Then follow a delivery truck. Otherwise you’re going to have to make do with a slip of paper, which is slightly better than nothing, but not much.

Unable to keep store shelves stocked with the highly sought video game console, Nintendo today said it will issue a raincheck to customers who aren’t able to purchase one in time for the holidays. Rainchecks, which can be purchased from GameStop, are available for the full $249 price of the system. “The system has remained a sellout virtually everywhere in America nonstop from the day it launched,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo’s U.S. business. “There was no way for us to stockpile systems over the summer to meet the holiday rush. … [T]his shortfall benefits no one. Enough systems would make everyone, including me, happier.”

It certainly would. Analysts believe Nintendo has lost an estimated $1 billion in potential sales this holiday season because of the Wii shortage. “It’s staggering,” MDB Capital Group analyst James Lin told the New York Times. “They could easily sell double what they’re selling.”