Wii U sales are still awful

[nextJin]

http://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/c...tindale/nintendo-wii-u-sales-are-still-awful/

New figures announced during Nintendo’s quarterly earnings report, suggest that worldwide, it only sold 160,000 of the machines between April and June this year.

The news has been breaking all morning with some fairly hilarious news titles from various places. 160k worldwide for 3 months is pretty terrible.

 

[insertcarehere]

To be precise, this is sold to retailers, i.e shipped and not sell-through, but it's still incredibly bad, for comparison, the PS3 shipped 700,000 units in its worst quarter.

 

[mmntech]

It's definitely bad. By my calculations, even the Vita is outselling it. This holiday season is going to be rough too with the Xbone and PS4 coming out. I can see a price cut in the Wii U's near future.

Nintendo is going to have to do something soon to turn their fortunes around. Lack of games certainly isn't helping, and relations with third parties remains frosty.

 

[purbeast0]

i like the "key titles" list they give.

an hd gamecube game, a ported 3ds game, wii fit u, and wii party u ... yeah ,those sure sound like "must have key titles" right there.

this console is gonna suffer big time in the near future.

 

[drbrock]

I feel like Nintendo knows what they are doing. Things might suck now but they must have something up their sleeves.

I think the biggest issue was the name. It does not sound like a new system more of an add on. Even Super Wii would have been better lol

 

[beginner99]

It's pretty obvious people buying the Wii or the Wii U don't care about graphics and hence if you already have a Wii why the hell should you buy a Wii U? Also it is not a year before competition it is more like 7 years too late...

 

[purbeast0]

I feel like Nintendo knows what they are doing. Things might suck now but they must have something up their sleeves.

what gives you this confidence after how crappy the games for the wii were, and how crappy the wii u has been thus far?

 

[cmdrdredd]

what gives you this confidence after how crappy the games for the wii were, and how crappy the wii u has been thus far?

I was one of the Nintendo defenders up until e3. When we got a 3ds game port with multiplayer, no new Zelda announcement, no new 3d Mario announcement, another 2d donkey Kong game, and other crap we already knew about, I decided the wiiu as it is currently is dead to me. Its like Nintendo did everything to prop up the 3ds and absolutely nothing for the wiiu. They think showing an 8th Mario kart and a 4th smash bros is gonna do any good? Up against forza 5, gran turismo 6, ultra street fighter 4, and killer instinct?

 

[Nintendesert]

Well no kidding, the system has no games that compel me to want it. Nintendo needs a kick to the nuts and put out the games people demand. Mario Kart doesn't sell consoles.

 

[drbrock]

To Purbeast

I personally don't think the Wii games were that crappy. Wii Sports IMHO was one of the best games of the past generation. Graphically it does not compare to Bioshock Infinite or Last of Us but it reached more consumers by a long shot. I personally LOVED Bio Infinite but I would still take Wii Sports over that game for playing with all my friends and having way more fun.

Look at it this way. The wii was so successful that Sony and Microsoft tried to copy it. They failed miserably but they did try to copy it.

3rd party support was horrible for the system but I don't think Nintendo actively sought to bring those developers in.

Nintendo still has the best franchises period and they don't need 3rd party support. Maybe Uncharted and Halo can be considered top tier exclusives. However they don't have anywhere near the star power of Metroid, Mario, Link, or Donkey Kong. Nintendo knows that most people won't fork over the cash for a PS4 and Xbone but they will eventually go a hardcore machine and a Wii U. They will let sony and Microsoft fight it out at the top.

I personally am skipping the PS4 and Xbox One and going the PC route this generation. I owned both PS3 and 360 and have sold them both for a superior experience on the PC for the hardcore games. My eventual purchase of the Wii U at the 100-150 price point on craigslist will be a supplement for the games I must play like LOZ/Mario/Pikimin/Smash Bros. Nintendo 1st party games are second to none.

 

[Mushkins]

I feel like Nintendo knows what they are doing. Things might suck now but they must have something up their sleeves.

I think the biggest issue was the name. It does not sound like a new system more of an add on. Even Super Wii would have been better lol

That's the problem. If they "knew what they were doing" they wouldn't be making the same mistake they've made over and over again since the N64.

A gaming console needs games. I'd drop the money on a Wii U in a heartbeat if there was a single game on the system I wanted to play. There's just... not. Look at any gaming news website and it's plastered with new releases in all genres, but they're all for PS3/360/handhelds. Where are all the Wii U games? Toss me some cool original RPGs or adventure games or platformers that *arent #%@!ing Mario*. Theres only so many innovations you can make on a Mario platformer, or Mario Kart, or Zelda, or Metroid. Nintendo needs to start shaking the hands of third party developers and get some serious exclusives. You could do some amazing things with that tablet controller, they just dont seem to want to let people do them, as always.

I just looked down the Wikipedia "List of Wii U games." I came up with Epic Mickey 2, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Pikmin 3, and Super Smash Bros Wii U. Literally all of them fall under my "guilty pleasures if I don't have anything else to play" category, they don't have me rushing out to buy the console. The rest of the games were shovelware, multiplatform games like CoD shoehorned onto the platform, kid-oriented cartoon show games (phineas and firb, spongebob, etc), and the handful of beaten to death Mario/Zelda/Metroid/etc franchises.

 

[drbrock]

That's the problem. If they "knew what they were doing" they wouldn't be making the same mistake they've made over and over again since the N64.

A gaming console needs games. I'd drop the money on a Wii U in a heartbeat if there was a single game on the system I wanted to play. There's just... not. Look at any gaming news website and it's plastered with new releases in all genres, but they're all for PS3/360/handhelds. Where are all the Wii U games? Toss me some cool original RPGs or adventure games or platformers that *arent #%@!ing Mario*. Theres only so many innovations you can make on a Mario platformer, or Mario Kart, or Zelda, or Metroid. Nintendo needs to start shaking the hands of third party developers and get some serious exclusives. You could do some amazing things with that tablet controller, they just dont seem to want to let people do them, as always.

I think that Nintendo has dropped the hardcore gamer from its target audience. Too much competition to target them. They never take losses on their consoles from the actual sales hoping for software attachment rates. So they won't do what Sony and Microsoft are doing.

I agree they can do amazing things for the tablet controller but they would need to put out some serious hardware to go after the 3rd party developers.

 

[purbeast0]

To Purbeast

I personally don't think the Wii games were that crappy. Wii Sports IMHO was one of the best games of the past generation. Graphically it does not compare to Bioshock Infinite or Last of Us but it reached more consumers by a long shot. I personally LOVED Bio Infinite but I would still take Wii Sports over that game for playing with all my friends and having way more fun.

Look at it this way. The wii was so successful that Sony and Microsoft tried to copy it. They failed miserably but they did try to copy it.

3rd party support was horrible for the system but I don't think Nintendo actively sought to bring those developers in.

Nintendo still has the best franchises period and they don't need 3rd party support. Maybe Uncharted and Halo can be considered top tier exclusives. However they don't have anywhere near the star power of Metroid, Mario, Link, or Donkey Kong. Nintendo knows that most people won't fork over the cash for a PS4 and Xbone but they will eventually go a hardcore machine and a Wii U. They will let sony and Microsoft fight it out at the top.

I personally am skipping the PS4 and Xbox One and going the PC route this generation. I owned both PS3 and 360 and have sold them both for a superior experience on the PC for the hardcore games. My eventual purchase of the Wii U at the 100-150 price point on craigslist will be a supplement for the games I must play like LOZ/Mario/Pikimin/Smash Bros. Nintendo 1st party games are second to none.

that is great that you like nintendo first party franchises and all, but nothing in your post really touched on why you have confidence in nintendo at this point. other than donkey kong country, they haven't announced a new zelda, metroid, or mario game on the wii u, that isn't a port or remake.

i'd also prefer to play wii sports with friends than bioshock infinite. they are totally different games and fulfill totally different needs. and wii sports "reached" so many people because it was a pack in with the console.

if they announced a mario 64 sequel for wii u, or a sequel to ocarina of time (or that style zelda), or maybe even a metroid prime game, i'd probably get a wii u.

 

[smackababy]

I think that Nintendo has dropped the hardcore gamer from its target audience. Too much competition to target them. They never take losses on their consoles from the actual sales hoping for software attachment rates. So they won't do what Sony and Microsoft are doing.

I agree they can do amazing things for the tablet controller but they would need to put out some serious hardware to go after the 3rd party developers.

And their problem is just that. They are not going after gamers. The masses that bought the Wii do not want to pay for a new console to play Wii-U Sports rather than Wii Sports, because they are the same game to them.

Nintendo was built on having great games. The SNES is proof of that. However, since then, they have done very little to advance that line of thinking. With the Wii, they thought they struck gold, but it was fool's gold. Almost everyone bought a Wii, and then it collected dust for 90% of them because outside of the very few times they actually wanted to flail around in Wii Sports, it just sat there.

The Wii-U does nothing to appeal to the people who weren't traditional gamers and bought a Wii. That is why the sales are awful.

 

[drbrock]

I have faith in them because they have the best 1st party titles period. The 3ds is killing it. So what if the Wii U is struggling right now. Those entirely new games are coming. If it takes until next Christmas to do that, I think that would be a mistake. It really needs to have at least a new title out by June of next year. I expect it to be similar to ps3. ps3 sales were god awful but as the price point got to where it needed to be the system started making sales.

They have over 5 billion in liquid assets. That is crazy money.

I tend to agree that Wii Sports being attached to the Wii gave it a huge advantage. However it does not change the fact that it truly was a smash hit. I have not felt such a positive experience from groups of "average" people since the original Mario bros on SNES.

IGN has a great article on Nintendo that I just came across.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/31/exactly-how-bad-is-the-nintendo-situation

 

[ImpulsE69]

Yes, I believe Nintendo has fumbled the ball and is out of time now. Their biggest mistake was repeating the mistake they made with the 3DS. They managed to save the 3DS (sort of), however they've royally screwed themselves with the Wii-U. Releasing ports and re-releases of the same games on a system that is coming up on a year old with 2 major competitor releases looming around the corner?

Not only would it need a price drop but it would actually need some stellar games fast. That list is..pathetic overall, and even worse that only part of them are coming out this year. Sure, the hardcore fans will buy this system when they FINALLY come out with the first party titles they want, but that's about it, because at that point most people will already have bought a PS4/XB1 or both.

They have nothing up their sleeve. They've already proven this. They would almost be better off to completely write off the Wii-U and immediately start work on a new console, but of course, that's unrealistic.

 

[drbrock]

Yes, I believe Nintendo has fumbled the ball and is out of time now. Their biggest mistake was repeating the mistake they made with the 3DS. They managed to save the 3DS (sort of), however they've royally screwed themselves with the Wii-U. Releasing ports and re-releases of the same games on a system that is coming up on a year old with 2 major competitor releases looming around the corner?

Not only would it need a price drop but it would actually need some stellar games fast. That list is..pathetic overall, and even worse that only part of them are coming out this year. Sure, the hardcore fans will buy this system when they FINALLY come out with the first party titles they want, but that's about it, because at that point most people will already have bought a PS4/XB1 or both.

They have nothing up their sleeve. They've already proven this.

Do you think that Nintendo is just letting time go by before they release a overpowered console 4 or 5 years down the road. If the lifecycle repeats itself again (10yr Lifecycle) and current gaming PCs already are superior to the PS4 and Xbone away do you think Nintendo who has tons of money and time on their side will wait for those consoles to mature and start really lagging behind pcs. Then come out with a device twice as powerful as the PS4 for the "hardcore" gamers. Sony and Microsoft could not come up with a new system quick enough to compete. Nintendo would dominate that segment IF they were able to get 3rd party support.

It is all hypothetical just throwing that out there.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Hard to say really. I think it would be smart if they did, however, doing that also alienates the people who DID buy into your last console which can lead to it's own resentment from customers.

I am one of those who doesn't necessarily think the most powerful system is a guaranteed win, but you do need games, and well, they've dropped the ball there. Timing is critical. Sure maybe they don't "need" a success story with the Wii-U to stay in the game, but the longer this goes on the worse it will be when they do release a new console.

 

[purbeast0]

nintendo has never been a powerhouse when it comes to hardware, and considering they seem to have had the same gameplan since the n64, i don't see that happening any time soon. but yeah, all speculation at this point.

 

[nextJin]

To Purbeast

I personally don't think the Wii games were that crappy. Wii Sports IMHO was one of the best games of the past generation. Graphically it does not compare to Bioshock Infinite or Last of Us but it reached more consumers by a long shot. I personally LOVED Bio Infinite but I would still take Wii Sports over that game for playing with all my friends and having way more fun.

Look at it this way. The wii was so successful that Sony and Microsoft tried to copy it. They failed miserably but they did try to copy it.

3rd party support was horrible for the system but I don't think Nintendo actively sought to bring those developers in.

Nintendo still has the best franchises period and they don't need 3rd party support. Maybe Uncharted and Halo can be considered top tier exclusives. However they don't have anywhere near the star power of Metroid, Mario, Link, or Donkey Kong. Nintendo knows that most people won't fork over the cash for a PS4 and Xbone but they will eventually go a hardcore machine and a Wii U. They will let sony and Microsoft fight it out at the top.

I personally am skipping the PS4 and Xbox One and going the PC route this generation. I owned both PS3 and 360 and have sold them both for a superior experience on the PC for the hardcore games. My eventual purchase of the Wii U at the 100-150 price point on craigslist will be a supplement for the games I must play like LOZ/Mario/Pikimin/Smash Bros. Nintendo 1st party games are second to none.

Sony was way ahead of Nintendo in the motion games arena. They had several games out before the Wii was even announced for PS2.

Sony combined both aspects of Kinect and Wii motion+. They have been working on it since 99 they just don't feel it's ready even with Eye2 and Kinect 2.

 

[Mushkins]

I think that Nintendo has dropped the hardcore gamer from its target audience. Too much competition to target them. They never take losses on their consoles from the actual sales hoping for software attachment rates. So they won't do what Sony and Microsoft are doing.

I agree they can do amazing things for the tablet controller but they would need to put out some serious hardware to go after the 3rd party developers.

If they "dropped the hardcore gamer from their target audience," then they're essentially selling expensive hardware and expensive games to compete with Angry Birds type smartphone games.

I could dump a couple hundred dollars on a WiiU and all the stuff to go with it, or I could whip out my phone and pay $1. If that's genuinely the market segment they're gunning for, sales aren't going to get any better over time.

They don't *need* any more serious hardware than whats in the Wii U. A good game isn't all graphics power, there were some great exclusives for the Wii that weren't Call of Duty or Halo. Nintendo has just taken an actively hostile stance to third party developers they dont already have a very close bond with. Why would any developer want to jump through nintendo's hoops when they could be welcomed with open arms on either of the other platforms? Taking advantage of the cool tablet controller doesn't outweigh the almost nonexistent market penetration, they're in the business of making money, not making cool games "just because".

 

[cmdrdredd]

I have faith in them because they have the best 1st party titles period. The 3ds is killing it. So what if the Wii U is struggling right now. Those entirely new games are coming. If it takes until next Christmas to do that, I think that would be a mistake. It really needs to have at least a new title out by June of next year. I expect it to be similar to ps3. ps3 sales were god awful but as the price point got to where it needed to be the system started making sales.

They have over 5 billion in liquid assets. That is crazy money.

I tend to agree that Wii Sports being attached to the Wii gave it a huge advantage. However it does not change the fact that it truly was a smash hit. I have not felt such a positive experience from groups of "average" people since the original Mario bros on SNES.

IGN has a great article on Nintendo that I just came across.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/31/exactly-how-bad-is-the-nintendo-situation

The 3ds has absolutely nothing to do with the WiiU. Don't even know why you brought that up.

As for the bolded part...I don't think so. Not anymore. Sony Worldwide Studios has done better games in the last 5 years than anything Nintendo has done since Metroid Prime in my opinion. From Little Big Planet, to Uncharted, to Last of us, to God of War. All of those beat the shit out of pretty much anything Nintendo has released since the N64 IMO(with the exception being Metroid Prime).

 

[drbrock]

I only brought up the 3ds as an example of Nintendo not losing its way.

While the exclusive games are good for Sony and they are great games. They are no where near Nintendo's titles. The average consumer has no idea who Sackboy and Nathan Drake are.

I would take Twilight Princess over of the games mentioned besides maybe Last of Us. I have not played Last of Us but people have been going crazy over that game so it has to be good. I can't wait to see what they do with LBP3. Hopefully they can reinvigorate the title. Uncharted is getting tired for me and God of War has always been overrated IMHO. I have tried to give God of War a chance but I can not get into it.

Sony is getting better but they still have a long way to go before they have a real Mario or Link

 

[purbeast0]

im with cmdrdredd on this one. ps3 KILLED the wii as far as exclusives go. nintendo first party titles are nowhere near the caliber that they once were. as we've been talking about already, they are just rehashed ideas that haven't really changed in decades.

mario and link haven't been the classic mario and link that they once were.

 

[nextJin]

I only brought up the 3ds as an example of Nintendo not losing its way.

While the exclusive games are good for Sony and they are great games. They are no where near Nintendo's titles. The average consumer has no idea who Sackboy and Nathan Drake are.

I would take Twilight Princess over of the games mentioned besides maybe Last of Us. I have not played Last of Us but people have been going crazy over that game so it has to be good. I can't wait to see what they do with LBP3. Hopefully they can reinvigorate the title. Uncharted is getting tired for me and God of War has always been overrated IMHO. I have tried to give God of War a chance but I can not get into it.

Sony is getting better but they still have a long way to go before they have a real Mario or Link

There is a big difference between name recognition and quality exclusives. Nintendo has had 25 years to build their character name recognition (Metroid, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda). Sony's big players (ND, Santa Monica, Insomniac, etc.) keep trying new things and creating new characters.

Naughty Dog for instance has Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Nathan Drake and now TLoU. If they had kept making Crash Bandicoot games he would be up their with Mario possibly, but ND get's bored easily and doesn't have to rely on character recognition to sell their games.