Nintendo’s new Wii games console got off to a flying start in the United States this weekend as Amazon.com sold out of the machines in less than 60 seconds.

The world’s larget online retailer said on its American website: "We sold out of our initial supply of the Wii on Sunday morning, November 19, in less than one minute. We expect to receive periodic shipments of the Wii from Nintendo throughout the holidays."

The site added that one second-hand Wii, which retails for $250 new, was available from a would-be reseller - at a cost of $999.95.

Strong demand was also in evidence at traditional retailers, with some fanatics camping out for several days to be sure of getting their hands on one of the machines. For more coverage of the Wii's US launch, click here.

An Amazon spokesman would not reveal how many units the retailer had initially secured but said the group had not been surprised to sell out so quickly. He said: "In every instance I can think of, new games consoles have been underproduced."

Similar keen demand is expected to be seen for the Wii (pronouced "we") in the UK when it is released in the UK on December 8. It will cost £179.99. The console will go on sale in Japan on December 2.

The launch of the Wii in the US comes just days after Sony’s rival PlayStation 3 hit America’s malls. After production problems hit the PS3, Sony expects to be ship only 400,000 units initially in North America and 2 million in North America and Japan by the end of the year. The console will be launched in Europe in March.

The tight supply of PS3s, which retails at up to $600, reportedly led to US police being forced to disperse crowds at some outlets, with several buyers expected to try to resell the machines for a profit on sites such as eBay.

In contrast, Nintendo plans to have 4 million of its cheaper machines in stores worldwide by December 31.

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