GoNintendo has official confirmation that Nintendo Wii pre-orders will start Friday, October 13. The site has a scan of the the confirmation e-mail sent from GameStop’s corporate headquarters; while Wii console allocations aren’t given, GameStop responds to some issues reported by customers during the PS3 pre-order event (as quick as that was). First, GameStop stores are not to have reservation lists or other methods of holding pre-orders before the program starts. All pre-orders are to be allocated in a first-come, first-serve basis for customers in store. According to the e-mail, customers “must be physically present at the store at opening time… to make their reservation deposit.”

GameStop also stresses that stores are not to force bundles on customers, or otherwise give preference to gamers that had previously pre-ordered Wii games or accessories. This contradicts what some customers were told earlier by GameStop employees, and may cause some conflicts. GameStop also stressed that stores were not to have special opening times for the pre-order start; no midnight or early openings would be allowed.

While the Xbox 360 pre-order system was basically a nightmare, and the PS3 pre-orders didn’t last long enough for issues become a problem, Nintendo’s larger allocation of consoles will help alleviate some of the pre-order issues. At the very least, it looks like GameSpot is trying to eliminate some of the problems they have had in the past.