Nintendo Co Ltd said on Friday it will offer a rain check program to help frustrated holiday shoppers who can't get their hands on the popular Wii game console.

Nintendo of America President Fils-Aime said that shoppers who pay the full price of about $249 for an out-of-stock Wii during December 20 and 21 at retailer GameStop, will receive a certificate promising a Wii sometime in January.

We expect this to be a great way for consumers who desperately want a Wii to have something to put under the tree, Fils-Aime said Friday in a statement.

GameStop regularly takes deposits on hot software titles before they launch, which means it has the infrastructure to deal with rain check program, Fils-Aime said.

The Japanese game console has been a hit since its launch in November last year with already 6 million units sold in the U.S alone. Nintendo sold 981,000 last month, according to NPD Group, ahead of Microsoft's Xbox 360 which sold 770,000 and Sony's Playstation 3, which delivered 466,000 units.

Several national U.S. retailers, including Best Buy Co Inc, Sears Holdings Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc, will have Wiis available this weekend and in the coming week.

Nintendo