Wii retains status as hard-to-find game player

For consumers who aren't in the market for a new cell phone this Christmas, their gadget of choice just might be a year-old Nintendo game system known as the Wii, suggests Chris Null, a tech adviser for Yahoo.com.

"This year's Wii is still the Wii,” Null said. "It is still hard to get a Wii. It is still allocated piecemeal to the stores; there are still shortages.

"It's still going to be the hardest console and most-wanted console this Christmas, this year.”

This could be a rare holiday season in which there may be no overnight events with thousands of consumers camped outside of retail stores, waiting for the latest and greatest gadget, Null said.

"From what I've seen there is nothing huge that is going to be a stand-in-line event,” he said.

As for games themselves, Guitar Hero 3 is expected to be this season's blockbuster, he said.

Another game to watch is Rock Band, Null said. That game brings all the instruments of a band into the game, instead of just a guitar like Guitar Hero 3.

"What's going to be the big thing to watch is the battle between those two games,” he said. "Rock Band, which gives you a whole band to control, with a lead singer and drums and bass guitar and lead guitar, and then Guitar Hero 3, the proven series.

"I think they will both be hugely successful.”