In case you didn't see it on our sister site, Gizmodo, Best Buy will reportedly be stocking Wiis tomorrow, Sunday April 22. I have yet to see any actual scans of their weekly circular and a call to my local Best Buy was met with a resolute "I don't know", so I can't confirm this is an absolute. But, hope does spring eternal.

By now, you should all know the drill. Get there early, bring a lawn chair, your favorite handheld and be sure to dress for the occasion. Don't forget to prepare a victory dance that can be performed as you walk out of the store, waving your Wii in the face of the poor suckers who got there too late. Flynn De Marco

[via Gizmodo]

When the launch of the PS3 and Wii happened within two days of each other, we all heard terrible stories of the PS3 launch lines gone awry while the Wii launch lines were like some sort of hippie love-in. But, as we get closer to Christmas and the Johnny-come-latelys get closer to not having that system they want for the big day, even the Wii lines are starting to get ugly.

CNN staffer Krysten Peek tells the tale of a truly frightening Wii line experience in which she had the unfortunate circumstance of being the one to receive the store's last Wii from their current shipment. As she turned to leave with her prize, she realized that there was still a long line of disgruntled shoppers behind her. Her walk back to the front of the store became a mass of jeers and people grabbing at her bag while she clutched on for dear life. She barely escaped from a tug of war match with another customer by the intervention of a store security guard. The guard escorted her to the street where he hailed down a police car that drove the terrified woman to her home.

Ah, Christmas. Always so full of cheer and good will towards all. So much for the Nintendo Love In... Flynn De Marco

Lines, anger, police ... A Wii story [CNN Money Thanks, Eric]

Reader Ed K. has succeeded in making me seethe with jealousy over his haul of swag from the Times Square Toys R Us and Nintendo World Store's Wii launches. I'm particularly eyeing those Mario and Yoshi plushes and the Wii beanie (Please, no Wii-nie jokes or I will be forced to kill). My only solace comes from the fact that he didn't get the sweet Reggie T-shirt. The "Wii <3 You" seat cushion was not provided by Nintendo, but by an outside group of funsters trying to make things easier for the weary crowds. They also passed out cookies and coffee enclosed in the snazzy "Wii <3 You" coffee cup holder.

Every time I hear one of these stories it really warms my heart... and really makes me glad my pre-order line only had 12 people in it.

My friend Mike in New Haven, Conn. is a gamer. Not a hardcore gamer, but he's definitely done his share of gaming and console buying over the years. he loves his DS, but since the arrival of his 7 month old son, Paul, he doesn't have time for midnight launch madness or waiting around in the cold all night for the newest console. He was, however, very interested in getting a Wii. Since he had Paul last night, he decided to wait until this morning to see if he could actually acquire one. So, He made his way to the local target around 8am.

Upon arriving, he was greeted with the scene that is so familiar at this point, a huge line of people. There were about 60 people in line and as he walked up, he was informed that there were only 60 Wiis and that they had just given out all the claim tickets. It looked like it was going to be a day of running around with an infant trying to find his system. A daunting task, certainly. So, imagine his surprise when a gentleman approached him as he was leaving.

I had just gotten the car door open for Paul when this guy approached. I have to admit I was a bit dubious of his motives but the whole line was standing there watching. He said he had an extra ticket, and I was thinking he wanted to make money off of me and I said, "You're serious? Do you want something for this?" He just said no, that he saw me with the baby and he had an extra he was going to sell on eBay.

He had camped out with his sister since 11 pm to buy a Wii for his 8 y/o son for Christmas. He had never even heard of the Wii until two days ago. He said he was going to buy his son a PSP, but then the boy said he wanted a Wii instead. Then he walks to his car to get the extra ticket and comes back and hands me the ticket and I take my place next to him in line, feeling a little odd about cutting, but thrilled because I had my Wii!

It's so nice to hear stories of things like this happening with the Nintendo launch. It really gives one hope for the future. Flynn De Marco

Since I didn't have time before my EB launch to go by Target, I put the Wii under lock and key in the car and trekked over to the Target parking lot. Can you believe my restraint? Trust me, my first instinct was to jump in the car and jam down on the gas, squealing wheels out of the parking lot as I laughed maniacally all the way home.

The line at Target was a bit smaller and apparently had started much later than the Best Buy line. The fellow in the front of the line (I didn't get his name, but I did get his picture) said he had arrived around 10pm. The others waiting all seemed to have come there in the last 45 minutes or so before I got there. I was cautious about letting then know I had my Wii in the car. I didn't want to start a riot of PS3 proportions, although I could tell by the attitudes of the people there that this wouldn't have been a problem.

Again, everyone was happy, in a good mood AND most of them had heard of Kotaku and were more than willing to pose for pictures. As with Best Buy, only a few were actually purchasing Wii's, with the rest there to keep their friends company. An admirable quality in these crazy days of launch shootings and muggings.

By this time, I just couldn't contain myself any longer. I had to get home and finally experience the Wii for myself... and I did. And it was awesome. Flynn De Marco

While waiting for my midnight launch last night, I strolled over to the Best Buy to find a line of about 20-30 people. I approached cautiously. Much like wild animals, gamers can be a bit skittish, especially after launches like last weeks'.

I spoke with the first guy in line to try and get an idea of how long the line had been forming. The lucky first place in line was taken by a guy named Jay (pictured) who said he arrived around 5pm. I was surprised considering I had heard of other folks in other places lining up as early as 9a.m. Everyone was laughing and excited and playing their DS's. I went down the line inquiring about who was keeping and who was selling. The vote was unanimous, "We're keeping them!", they all insisted. Several were actually incredulous that someone would even consider selling them. I was thrilled that most of them had actually heard of Kotaku, breaking the Fahey tradition of meeting non-believers.

As I got towards the back of the line a found a group of guys involved in a game of Risk. I asked around and it turned out only 3 or four of them were actually purchasing. The rest were just there for moral support of their friends and, I suspect, to be able to be there when said friend opened the box in the morning.

Once again, another story of a calm and friendly Wii launch line. Flynn De Marco

Don't forget to check out our Playstation 3 contest this week. You have until Saturday to solve the first question and win an extra entry. If you solve this month's riddle next month you're still in, but no extra entry.

The question.

DA RULES.

Brian Crecente