Something is happening in the gaming world that I never expected – the Nintendo Wii is harder to find on store shelves than the Sony PlayStation 3. The news of PS3 was widespread, and Sony admitted that its machine would likely be harder to find than a Tickle Me Elmo doll at the height of its popularity.

Nintendo, on the other hand, boasted about its millions of consoles that it planned to deliver. Gamers who weren’t able to preorder a Wii figured that they would just have to wait until the second shipment before casually walking into a store to pick one up. Gamers who preordered a PS3 mostly cashed in on eBay, earning up to thousands of dollars from the huge demand and fear of the imminent shortage.

While PS3s are not even close to readily available, it seems that finding a PS3 for sale is an easier task than locating a Wii – something that is completely contrary to what most gamers were figuring before either console’s launch.

Nintendo said prior to launch that it plans to ship four million consoles before the end of the year, which it may or may not make good on. Nintendo had to retract its commitment of providing a million Wiis to North America, its largest market, during 2006. In any case, Nintendo has sold more Wiis than Sony has sold PS3, and yet there are more gamers with unsatisfied appetites for Wii.

I was lucky enough to score a Wii on launch day without any time spent in line thanks to a preorder, but I had to stand outside my local Best Buy on November 24 in the freezing cold for hours to get my PS3. On my PS3 acquisition day, there were nine PS3s (all 60GB models) available and 59 Wiis. Those who weren’t in line four hours before store opening weren’t getting a PS3. In contrast, those who arrived an hour before store opening managed to get a Wii. On that day, the theory saying that getting a Wii would be fairly easy compared to getting a PS3 held true.

The next big shipment and release of consoles hit my local Best Buy on December 8, and just out of morbid curiosity, I again visited the store four hours before store opening to survey the scene. (I would be lying if the thought of getting another couple hot consoles hadn’t crossed my mind though.) To my complete shock, the entire store perimeter was completely surrounded by people camping out in hopes to get one of the new consoles.

To Best Buy’s credit, they had thoughtfully posted on its doors the number of consoles that it expects to receive. For December 8, it was 23 PS3s (7 60GB and 16 20GB) and 24 Wiis. Yes, it was surprising to see that PS3 numbers were as high as they were, and Wii numbers less than half of the day that I camped out. Even with clear numbers posted, there were more people waiting for the store’s opening than there were consoles. I couldn’t comprehend why, so I asked them. (Click here to see a video posted by one of the persons in the line.)

I haunted the line for a good 30 minutes, striking up conversations with people at both ends of the line. The first three in line had been there since the store closed the previous night at 9 p.m. and intended to get a PS3. From that point on, the line was all for Wii. If you wanted a Wii that morning, you had better be in the front half of the line. If you wanted a PS3, you still had a pretty good chance even if you were in the latter half.

So what happened? We were all expecting the insane PlayStation 3 demand to drive our country into anarchy for the rest of the entire year (which it did on day one). Nintendo completely stole Sony’s thunder, and then some – that’s what happened.

After comparing the population of gamers who lined up on launch day, the second wave on November 24, and the recent release on December 8, it’s clear how the shift happened. In all the time leading up to launch and a short period following, only hardcore gamers (and eBay profiteers) were tuned into the buzz.

These hardcore gamers had great expectations for PS3, which wasn’t misplaced as it is a wondrous example of technology, and thus were privy to the reason to camp out for a console. Nintendo loyalists had their own reasons to camp out, and anyone dedicated enough to brave the outdoors for a single night had a very good chance of taking home a Wii.

Many who want a PS3 still are unable to find one, but their numbers are completely eclipsed by the demand for Wii. What happened was that shortly after launch, word got out about Wii. People with machines couldn’t stop talking to their friends and coworkers about it. Family members, non-gamers, tried it and then told their friends and coworkers. The media kept on talking about it. People who never intended to buy a Wii in the first place now entertained the thought of buying Nintendo’s new machine.

During my time in line at Best Buy on December 8, the population of those wanting to buy a Wii was dramatically different from any campout I’ve seen before. Instead of “gamer-looking types” (you know what I mean), there were many more adults, most of them moms and dads looking to put one under the tree. I spoke with a mother of three, who admitted that her kids were still very young and didn’t know much about the latest gaming consoles, and she said that she was buying the machine because she had heard from friends and the media that it the Wii is something that anyone can enjoy. There were more than 23 people in front of her, so she was taking a gamble on grabbing a machine that day. Her kids weren’t demanding it – she said that she just wanted to buy it because it was something her entire family can do together.

People with Wii played their machines, but a considerable portion of PS3 owners still had their machines sitting in the box hoping to strike it rich through a resale. Then, the tables turned. Supplies of PS3s skyrocketed, and demand dropped, perhaps shifting over to Wii. Now, it seems that it’s more difficult to find a Wii in stores than it is to get a PS3.

Online auction prices of PS3’s are at an all-time low, while prices for a Wii are at an all-time high. I doubt that many people were buying a Wii at launch just to put on eBay, but had someone decided to stockpile Wiis instead of PS3, he or she would be seeing a much greater return on investment at this very moment.

This editorial should not be taken as some sort of sign of Sony defeat – far from it. Rather, this piece comments on Nintendo’s unexpected victory. While launches are important, they are not critical to a console’s success. Nintendo’s head start over Sony in terms of sales at this current moment is insignificant compared to the user base that both consoles will eventually end up having in a few years. (We’ll leave the Xbox 360 out of this for now as it is under a different set of conditions). What Nintendo has going for it right now is buzz. The entire world is enraptured by Wii and its innovative way of playing. I’m not saying it’s a gimmick, because Nintendo has proven that it knows how to deal with new ways to play (see: DS), but Wii controllers are getting a lot of attention.

The gaming market is continuously growing, and if there was enough room in the previous generation for all three consoles, then there should be no reason to expect any different for this current generation.