Wii U inventory being 'rebalanced' by Nintendo

It appears that the 8GB version of the Wii U console will stop being sold by GameStop on June 18, one week after Nintendo's presentation at E3.

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There are currently two versions of Wii U available to buy: a cheaper 8GB model and the "Deluxe" 32GB model. The former may become harder to find in stores, however.

Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America's senior director of Corporate Communications, told Polygon that the company is "working with its retail partners to simply rebalance the stock of the White 8GB and the Black 32GB Wii U models in the market. Consumers looking for either model will continue to find them available."

Months after Wii U's launch, the company admitted that it had not properly "balanced" the correct ratio of 8GB and 32GB models. At the time, it appeared that the more expensive console was selling better than the basic model.

Following lackluster demand for the 8GB model, GameStop may stop selling the basic version of the Wii U console. A GameStop employee, who asked not to be identified, confirmed to Shacknews that some stores are already shipping excess quantities of the console back to its warehouses. She said she was unaware if new SKUs were coming in to replace them or why the recall was happening. She did say her store was still selling them.

Kotaku received an internal GameStop memo to stop selling the 8GB model on June 18. The notice said:

Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall - Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stories will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall.

A call to GameStop's corporate office for clarification was not immediately returned.

The $300 8GB Wii U is a relatively poor value compared to the 32GB Deluxe version for only $50 more, especially when you factor in how much storage is left after firmware and account data.

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