For many shoppers the only hope to get a Nintendo Wii is to wait until January. Nintendo officials said they are surprised by the continued demand for the console.

"We expected the Wii to perform extremely well within the historic launch parameters of the video game industry," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "What we didn't expect was to write an entirely new chapter in that history and have that happen so fast."

In an effort to satisfy demand, Fils-Aime announced Friday that Nintendo is guaranteeing people a Wii by the end of January. Customers who visit a GameStop store on Dec. 21 and pay $249 will get a voucher for a Wii when it arrives sometime in January.

The magic of the device lies in its controllers, which are hand-held joystick-like devices that allow players to simulate swinging a tennis racket, racing a car, shooting pool, boxing an opponent or lots of other activities. The movement of the controller is synchronised by Wii with the actions of characters or avatars on the screen. In a game of tennis, for instance, if you simulate a backhand swing in tennis, your player on- screen performs that same swing in real-time.

Players can pit themselves against the Wii console or have fun getting two or more people together, each equipped with a Wii controller, to play together.

In fact, Nintendo Wii is a device for all. "I think the Wii has revolutionized gaming for families," eBay toy and gadget director Catherine Schwartz told The Free Lance-Star. "The fact that this console is so popular means it's bringing families together.

Nintendo has sold close to one million units in US last month and it’s very likely that despite shortages the company will surpass this mark in December.

Meanwhile various site are reporting about Wiis sold on eBay and other auction sites for prices varying from $399 to $480.

Also the various retailers are reporting that no matter Wiis they get, the little gaming consoles are sold in a matter of hours.

“You have to be relentless or just lucky to get your hands on a Wii. I’ve been in consumer electronics for seven years and this is, by far, the biggest item yet. We probably average 500 to 600 calls per day from people, asking about the Wii. It’s nonstop. Last Sunday, 75 Wiis arrives, and they were gone in 10 minutes,” one general manager at Best Buy stated.

So, maybe the only chance to get your hand on a Wii this Christams is checking tracking sites like www.wiitracker.com or www.nowinstock.net/wii. Maybe, you’ll get lucky.