Why can’t this be on Steam or Android? D:

That was so wrong on so many levels. I got full-blown chills from that Charmander shriek...

Whatever happened to the cool guys from Squirtle Squad?

(side note: all that extra cargo for remodel makes it a royal bitch to downstock from the back during the day/at closing)

Yeah, I know the way it’s supposed to work at mine is that we set aside pre-orders and mark them as such in back before release day, but that hasn’t been too consistent lately, what with us prepping for (and as of now, being in the midst of) a massive remodel to bring Pac Sales in.

...Actually, yeah. It’s a much thicker PVC sheath on the outside vs. a bargain-priced cable; on top of that, maintaining the “High Speed” rating gets rapidly tougher as the cable gets longer. IIRC, the formal HDMI standards for the “High Speed” rating only work for cables under 10-12m (and that Rocketfish one is…

FWIW, not even preorders by employees for that 3DS were spared from the eventual culling... And honestly, I blame Nintendo vastly underestimating demand for that.

Uhhh.... you still CAN do in-store pre-orders just fine. There’s just not a clear-cut button for it anymore. Source: I also work at Best Buy.

Beyond that, though, I agree; the pre-order system could use some SERIOUS overhauling. IMO, Step 1 should be marking pre-ordered inventory as such, so it doesn’t get accidentally…

Just gonna say this: The dental-floss-thin $3 cables can’t necessarily do the same job as a cable that’s $30. It all may be built on the same HDMI standard(s), but if I’m trying to run HDMI in my walls, there’s no way in hell I’m using a $3 cable unless I feel comfortable violating about half a dozen building codes.

Yeah, except I tried the Steam Controller (granted, a much more updated version compared to the render in your post) at PAX East.... it's pretty freakin' awkward. Still.

Everything else I've been able to figure out so far is that Nintendo didn't/wouldn't ship Best Buy enough units to cover the insane amount of pre-orders...

Seriously, Nintendo. Next time around, take preorders for a specific amount of time, well in advance of release... and THEN manufacture/distribute.

And for what it's worth.... Even Best Buy employees like myself weren't able to escape the wrath of the cancelled orders.

UPDATE 3 (6:39pm): Best Buy has it up now. GO GO GO. We'll keep updating this post as things change.

Just preordered mine through Best Buy, so at least they still have it (for now).
And as a kicker, the estimated delivery date just so happens to be my birthday!

Amiibos, tiny plastic statues of popular Nintendo characters that can interact with a handful of Nintendo games, are all the rage right now. They're nice-looking, collectible, and most importantly of all, customizable. Whether through rigorous training in Super Smash Bros or your own callous-raising craftsmanship, you…