240°

Is the Wii U going to be a total Flop?

Sales for Nintendo’s newest system the Wii U have been plummeting and according to gamasutra the Wii U sold well under 100,000 units last month. This isn’t the first time Nintendo has experienced rough patches, the Game Cube did equally as bad in its early days, and in fact right before the original Wii launched Nintendo had its worse sales month. Now, I believe that can be attributed to people were waiting for the Wii to come out. But, right now the Wii U is putting up numbers month after month consistent with this time period and this is a new system, doesn’t bode well for the company

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wishingW3L4076d ago

a better tittle: Is Wii U going to become the next Virtual Boy?

startalancenter4076d ago

I couldn't agree more, Virtual Boy was cool for like 2 minutes and then disappeared looks like the same is going to happen with Wii U

TheFirstClassic4076d ago

LOL no. The Wii U may or may not be successful, but it is nearly impossible for the Wii U to achieve that level of failure based on the wii name and the progress so far alone. The VB had very few games, and even less games worth playing. It was an awkward piece of hardware that didn't work half as well as you thought. The Wii U is off to a slow start, but the games are coming. And even if it doesn't sell that well, it will still have some amazing titles it will be remembered for, Pikmin 3 will probably be one of them.

MikeMyers4076d ago

If we get a trend of sales like we seen in January then maybe. I think a lot of customers are like me, waiting to see what Sony and Microsoft offer. The casuals who literally ran to buy a Wii and counted calories along the way probably aren't returning for the Wii U. It took Nintendo a long time just to market the Wii U to the public of what it does. That right there goes against the grain of the original Wii which was easy to pick up and play and offer fun for the whole family.

HITANDRUN4076d ago

I will not dare say it will be a virtual boy, but I will be surprise to see numbers like the gamecube and N64. wiiu WILL BE what it is today a total disaster waiting for a total recall. Only way I see wiiu increasing the sales is if Sony are dumb enough to block used games as well with 720. There is no reason to own a wiiu, really think about it, what is there? If you said first party game then you are a true gamer, cause thats not reason enough for me to waste money on second rated last gen games, while I could be playing higher quality AAA on actual next gen consoles. WIIU RIP...

herbs4075d ago

Hourly Nintendoom article to feed the hungry Sony Zealots... Ding ding ding goes the dinner bell, them Zealots be Glutinous.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4075d ago
Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II4076d ago

Its looking that way... literally no games wow.

live2play4076d ago

i know right?
what utter trash

c'mon nintendo you have been out 3 full months and you havent released a 3D mario a new zelda, smash bros 4 or any other 1st party titles

other system launches never have this problem
everyone else already has megaton AAAAA titles out by now

WHAT A DISGRACE

HITANDRUN4076d ago

No they are not planning to be a flop, they are already a flop.

4076d ago Replies(1)
RyuCloudStrife4076d ago

Wii U gonna be a flop?

No friends it already IS a flop, a travesty.

OmegaSlayer4076d ago

WiiU will die too.
Imma poet

Shnazzyone4076d ago

Amazing how much people can determine about a consoles level of success based on one month alone. So vita sold worse than WiiU in the same month. Does that mean Vita is a flop too? From my understanding it's the worst sales of an HD handheld of all time. Does that mean anything? Guess sony AND nintendo are going under now.

Mounce4075d ago

I think, they shouldn't say Wii U is 'Going to be' a flop. It is CURRENTLY flopping.

The appropriate title is, can Nintendo stop flopping and flop back into the ocean again. All they have that's good for them are their VERY-Select 1st-party titles like Mario/Zelda, some 3rd-party deals of games that are Already on 360 or PS3 except for the rare circumstances of games like Bayonetta 2 which I'd be unsure if they Paid for exclusivity or timed exclusivity because the developers aren't gaining anything by limiting themselves for sure when they've made a lot of games for both PS3 and 360 already and are what they normally do.

Nintendo has nothing going for it except the controller-screen feature that could also be counted as a gimmick. Nintendo will make good use of it themselves, but how long until other developers try to make good use of it beyond the ones in the current-know?

I just, personally, don't see Nintendo going as strongly this generation as they did with the original Wii, there's just nothing Special in the LONG run. Sony always tries to go for the 10 year cycle, Nintendo and Microsoft typically go with the flow and try to plan a bit ahead of time but for the most case they just 'Do'. Wii U just isn't a 'Do' just like Gamecube wasn't, even though Gamecube ultimately got a few great games and great hidden gems which I'm happy to own like Eternal Darkness or MGS Twin Snakes orrrrr Pikmen 2.

Psn8004075d ago (Edited 4075d ago )

We need Nintendo to do well for the good of the games industries and we need strong competition .

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4075d ago
PopRocks3594076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

No it isn't. You know for every doom/gloom article that comes out, they almost always forget to look at history. Same with the commenters.

You want to compare the Wii U to the Virtual Boy? Alright, let's do that.

The Virtual boy was a fundamentally flawed machine, the 3D didn't work as well as it should and the graphics could only be projected in black and red pixels. So its designated "gimmick" was too broken to really be enjoyed.

The Wii U's "gimmick" is the controller's touch screen which actually does exactly what it is meant to do, be used for touch inputs and project content on the screen and on top of this the console is backwards compatible with the Wii.

It's been THREE months, since this latest console came out. How about we give it a year and give it some more software releases before spelling out its end? One month of low sales does not justify it as such when the Vita has been suffering the same problem for over a year.

EDIT: The PS3 didn't start well, the 3DS didn't start well and both of those platforms are now considered roaring successes. If people gave the Wii U and Vita the same time of day, then we wouldn't have ridiculous Pachter-like headlines like these.

InTheLab4076d ago

Surely you see the difference between a $600 console selling 4m in 3 months and a $300 console selling the same, right?

Also, I see every WiiU defender throwing up Vita numbers as if that saves the WiiU from failure. They're both selling poorly. There's no point to be made there.

PopRocks3594076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

What are you getting at? I've openly said in the past that the Vita is not a failure either by any stretch of the term, but people keep labeling the Wii U as such without so much as acknowledging the Vita's even lower performance in sales.

The PS3 selling slowly is due to the price, yes. But the economy was stronger then. The Wii U is currently the most expensive HD console on the market and has a rather small game library (not to mention how the 360 and PS3 are both still hot on the market despite being over half a decade old). You also didn't bother to talk about how the 3DS started slowly but became a best selling system as well.

EDIT: Did you read my comment all the way through by the way? If you actually did you'd notice I said specifically that people should give the Wii U AND the Vita the time of day they both deserve.

BullyMangler4076d ago

i think he was only joking .. .

TotalSynthesisX4076d ago

> Completely valid and sensible points
> 11+ disagrees

Don't bother trying to convince these rabid Sony fanboys, man. It's a lost cause.

PopRocks3594076d ago

I'm not out to convince anyone of anything man. I'm here to simply express myself and have some fun debating with others, same with anyone on an online forum. But I appreciate the vote of confidence regardless.

AKR4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

Watch out PopRocks - Making sense and providing cold hard proof to justify it is quite dangerous here. You should be careful. The Sony fanboys will eat you alive.

~ Seriously though - excellent point, my friend. It's good to see knowledgeable and logical people, who actually THINK and not have knee-jerk reaction to things, on a site like this.

The Wii U is no Virtual Boy, people. It - like every other console before it - is in it's total infancy. It has no games at the moment, because developers are still working on them. It's THREE months old. Not THREE YEARS. What, you expect an entire tsunami of games instantly? Hah! Keep dreaming! We won't even see that with the PS4 or Xbox 720. Why? Because it's the pattern with consoles.

- New hardware. Developers need some time to work with the hardware. Once they get the hang of it - more and more projects start being produced, and the rest is history.

No console has ever had a Golden Road launch. They all launch on a rocky patch, but it tends to smooth out as time passes.

Has anyone forgotten the "Wii U Direct" video? What about all of the other games? Has anyone forgotten how many things were revealed? Or has the surge of "Doom and Gloom" articles over-washed that? Let's jog your memory, and take a look.

- Wind Waker HD
- Fire Emblem
- 'X'
- New 3D Mario (?)
- New Mario Kart (?)
- Super Smash Bros. 4 (?)
- LEGO City: Undercover
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted U
- Bayonetta 2
- Watch Dogs
- The Wonderful: 101
- Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate
- Project C.A.R.S
- Yoshi's Land
- Bit. Trip Runner 2
- Toki Tori 2
- Pikmin 3
- Rayman Legends

. . . Ahem? How is that for you? "No games", right? Oh! What about when Nintendo mentioned the UNANNOUNCED TITLES THAT COULD SEE RELEASE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR? Has E3 flew out of your mind guys? Who knows what reveals we could see, what we don't know about yet!

Honestly - These doom and gloom articles need to stop. Judging the Wii U is rather foolish, this early in it's lifetime. Give it 1 full year out on the market first, then pitch your two cents, people.

And for everyone using the "PS3 was more expensive, yet it sold more at launch" argument. - The economy of 2006 is much different than the economy of 2012/2013. Money is harder to obtain, and needs to be allocated to the more important things.

Also - The Wii U's library is rather dry. But once quality software is released (like the ones I mentioned above) - we can see some units shuffling around.

Honestly, the Wii U is looking to have a better first year than the 3DS when it first launched. Time will solve it's woes.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4076d ago
Old McGroin4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

6 months after the likes of Mario Kart and Wii U Fit launch the sales figures for the Wii U will look very different to what they look like now, i.e. a hell of a lot larger.

Cyb3r4076d ago

Didnt the PS3 have nothing but doom and gloom articles when it was first released and look at how successful it turned out. The only problem with the Wii U at the moment is that there are no games that would justify buying the console but just wait till Zelda U and other exclusives get released.

Godmars2904076d ago

Before it was released. Thanks to the $600 price point.

LevelUp4076d ago

Nintendo has some of most reliable hardware (however underpowered) and coolest innovations (motion control, tablet control, spawned and will spawn copy cats) out there right now. Software choices on the Wii were so limited after MARIO, METROID, and ZELDA there wasn't much to choose from. The Wii U is looking at the same problem. Once some of the better titles release I hope/think we see better sales.
They just can't wait so long after a console launches because Sony is going to announce their new console in a few days and Microsoft is sure to follow them sooner rather than later.

Show all comments (67)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1014d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref3d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde3d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19723d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville3d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21833d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos3d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
isarai4d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref3d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan3d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0073d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19724d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

4d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

4d ago
4d ago
Zeref3d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde3d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19723d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19723d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier3d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto3d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21833d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto3d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Hofstaderman3d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts3d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts2d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel10d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8810d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing9d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS9d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder9d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff21839d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.