It's time to start getting excited about the new video game consoles coming out this fall.

MONA REEDER/DMN

John Watson (left) and Jim Tyo, both of Brampton, Ontario, tried out Nintendo’s Wii system Saturday at GameStop’s sales convention. The event gave the company’s 4,000-plus store managers a sneak peek at what’s going to be on store shelves in the upcoming holiday season.

Saturday, Grapevine-based GameStop Corp., the country's largest video game retailer, held its annual sales conference in Dallas for about 4,000 employees and various vendors.

Representatives from GameStop, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft were all on hand to discuss what gamers can expect to see in stores this holiday season, and The Dallas Morning News was invited for an exclusive hands-on tour.

While the new software looked great, gamers planning on getting a PlayStation 3 or Wii system this year to play those games on are likely to face a tight supply of systems.

"Sure, it's going to be a tough situation," said Jeff Hutchinson, regional sales manager for Sony Computer Entertainment America.

"The great thing is there is a lot of demand. But launch is one day. And really the key to this business is what flows after the launch."

The PS3 hits store shelves on Nov. 17, and Sony has promised between 1 million and 1.2 million PS3s in the U.S. by the end of the year.

The Nintendo Wii follows two days later and is expected to be in greater supply than the PS3.

But sellouts of both consoles this year are virtually guaranteed.

MONA REEDER/DMN

Josh Walker of Akron, Ohio, tried out some of Nintendo’s new games during the GameStop sales conference on Saturday. The games will be released later this year.

As a result, GameStop has not yet decided when, or even if, it will offer pre-orders for the new systems.

A pre-order basically lets buyers reserve a place in line, guaranteeing a console in exchange for a little up-front cash.

Last year, at the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, GameStop accepted more pre-orders before Christmas than it was able to satisfy.

Microsoft's manufacturing problems turned into GameStop's angry customer problems.

"We did learn a lesson last year," said Steve Morgan, president of GameStop. "I think the lesson is caution and optimism at the same time."

The good news for gamers is that the lineup of titles at the sales conference looked top-notch.

While Nintendo still has to convince gamers – particularly casual gamers – that it's new motion-activated remote control-style controller is more intuitive than a standard joypad, the visual quality of the games looked much improved from just a few months ago.

"Normally in this business, you're targeting the 9 to 14, 9- to 17-year-old gamer," John Moore, director of channel marketing for Nintendo, said at the conference. "And this time we're really going after gaming for the masses."

And the company does have a plan for seducing skeptical buyers.

GameStop said at the show that it will be the only retailer at launch to have playable Wii demonstration units in its stores, so gamers can test the "Wiimote" for themselves.

"Getting that controller into someone's hands is very important," Mr. Morgan said.

While Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo battle it out for the sales crown – "To quote our president, anything less than No. 1 would not be good enough," Mr. Moore said – gamers want to know about the games.

Sony and Nintendo have the most to prove.

Judging by the limited selection of titles on display this weekend, they're up to the challenge.

Sony's gory humans-vs.-aliens title, Resistance: Fall of Man, for example, generated oohs and aahs from the crowd.

The fact that the game was being displayed on a massive HD Sony television surely helped.

And one of Nintendo's top launch titles, Red Steel, was much improved visually from its first unveiling earlier this spring.

Microsoft, having already established the Xbox 360 in the marketplace, seemed content to cede a little of the limelight to its rivals, choosing not to put on the floor Gears of War, which is expected to be the 360's flagship game this Christmas.

But the company did display its new lineup of portable digital music players, called Zune.

The iPod competitor will be sold in GameStop stores and other electronics stores when it comes out later this year.

It's GameStop's first foray into the consumer electronics market.

But Mr. Morgan said the partnership with Microsoft makes sense, since the Zune is targeted at the same people who play video games.

"It should be our customer," he said. "That customer has grown up with us."

Mr. Morgan said GameStop could eventually sell other consumer electronics products if those products are likely to appeal to gamers. But games remain the company's focus.

And while Mr. Morgan is clearly upbeat about the industry and his company, he knows this fall will likely be a trying time for many buyers eager to get a PS3 or Wii from Santa.

"Right now, no promises can be made."

E-mail vgodinez@dallasnews.com