Nintendo has just added the Wii Component Video Cable to their ShopNintendo online store, for a price of $29.95. For an extra 13 bucks, you can have them shipped via expedited shipping, which will get them to your doorstep by the end of the weekend.

Retail stores will have the Wii Component Video Cable for sale as well. However, Nintendo has confirmed that they will not be able to get them in stock at retail stores until the second week of December, though GameStop.com says they will have them by December 5^th. Regardless of the exact date in December they show up in retail, this means that if you want to play Wii games in their full 480p (progressive scan) glory on launch day, then you need to head over to ShopNintendo (link here) and place your order now.

Of course, if you want to use the Wii Component Video Cable, you will need to have a high-definition (HDTV) or enhanced-definition (EDTV) tv set. If not, you're stuck with traditional 480i (interlaced) resolution.

Of course, it should be noted that if you are buying a Wii, you aren't buying it for graphics anyways, considering that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both support up top 1080p resolution, which contains six times the amount of pixels as 480p resolution does. However, if you've got an HDTV anyways and would like to take advantage of it, the Wii Component Video Cable is there.

Update: It appears as though demand was quite high!

"Due to high demand, our initial allotment of the Wii Component Video Cables has been depleted. We expect to begin shipping again the week of November 28, 2006." - Nintendo Online Store

There are two possibilities as to why ShopNintendo sold out so quickly. Either:

1. Gamers are really interested in high definition Wii gaming, despite being only 480p resolution.
2. The eBay price gougers strike again!