The Wii U is Dead?……Don’t be an Idiot!‏

BG: ''I hear it every year just before Christmas; punters and pundits alike telling me how Manchester United are playing poorly, how their squad lacks the depth of its closest competitors, how some other team is going to run away with the league……..fools!''

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

A G-G-g-g-g-g-GHOST!

Anyway, thanks for this article. How can we call the WiiU dead after 3 months?

[PopRocks359]

Technically four, but the Vita's a good comparison since it's been out longer and has a similar, albeit cheaper price range. It was not selling any better for a year. After a price drop, it sold much better in Japan. If the Vita can turn itself around like that, so can the Wii U.

[LOGICWINS]

"If the Vita can turn itself around like that, so can the Wii U."

Apples and oranges comparison.

[PopRocks359]

@LOGICWINS

How so? They're video game platforms with extremely similar functionality and even similar launch issues. Unless you're suggesting it's because one is a handheld and the other is a console.

Need I remind you that this generation in particular for handhelds marks handheld devices becoming very similar to their console counterparts, both with features and with games.

@Th4Freak

Fair point, but I'm comparing the two based on the market and the overall similarities between the two. The Vita can act as a second screen on the PS3/PS4 for example.

But if you need a better example, look no further than the PS3, a console, or the 3DS, a Nintendo platform. Both of which also suffered early low sales but turned around immensely later on.

[Th4Freak]

Well the difference is that PSV is only competing against 3DS while Wii U is competing against PS4, Xbox 720 and Steam Box.

[Th4Freak]

@PopRocks359 @thaimasker I'm not saying that Wii U doesn't have a chance or is dead, i'm just saying that handheld market and console market are very different.

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

The Vita has been out over a year before the price cut and was sitting between 4-5 million...over a year. That's terrible!!! So yeah, apple orange comparison.

[PSVita]

@Poprocks-I agree. A lot opeople that aren't "hardcore gamers" just look at the prices, so I think a price drop could defiantly revive any system. The thing with the WiiU though is its selling at a loss right now so I don't see that happening any time soon.

[lilbroRx]

Its pretty much just the wishful thinking of Nintendo haters.

They want it to die and they want Nintendo to fail, so they will take every negative piece of news to the worst extreme and dismiss any and all positive news.

For a console to die it would have to not make profit. Nintendo is still making a small profit after all is said and done. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[LOL_WUT]

Oh boy here we go again...

The Wii U is by no means dead but, to say that it's not doing good would be an understatement. Oh, and not everyone who firmly criticizes Nintendo is a "hater" just letting you know. ;)

[PopRocks359]

@LOL_WUT

'Oh, and not everyone who firmly criticizes Nintendo is a "hater" just letting you know. ;)'

Oh I'm sure he knows that. But I think that based on your comment behavior over the past few months, you're one of them.

[delboy]

No one hates Nintendo, but they wish N to fail and go software only.
I think they are just jealous and want to play great games but can't afford a second console.

[Garethvk]

I like ours but can honestly say we have not played it in weeks. We went through Mario and ZombiU and now wait for the next exclusive title as it would not be the platform of choice for any non exclusives for us.

[Chidori]

No major 1st party games yet they say it's dead. Lol.

[lilbroRx]

Or that the games are still under development as what was announced...just something rationalized logic there.

[Chidori]

That's N4G for ya. Say the ps4 has a slower launch than the Wii U, I guarantee the same people saying the Wii U is dead will be most understanding claiming "it just needs some time". Lol. Sony shipped around 5 million ps3 systems near the end of 2007 (an entire year after launch), but look how things turned out in the end. The Wii U is sure to surpass those sales end of year, but I guess people don't really look at facts any more. Lol.

[kB0]

I def have interest in the Wii.U but for nintendo products in the last couple of years...since they are no longer HARDWARE competitive...I'd rather not pay this much for their console...

If and when the Wii.U drops down to 200-max 250+ game I'll jump on the train...but till then I'm sorry 300+ is super expensive...

Then again I'm mostly a portable gamer, so I am happy with my 3Ds and Vita for now:)

[deafdani]

Wait, let me make sure if I got you right: you say that the Wii U, at $300+, is super expensive, yet you say you have a Vita? Which, as of now, retails at $250, without a propietary memory card included - which is REQUIRED for some game saves, thus ramping up the Vita's price towards the $300 or more range... yet that's fine to you?

That doesn't make the slightest amount of sense to me. Also, what do you think are the chances of Sony and Microsoft's next consoles being cheaper than Wii U?

[Hicken]

You seem to have some reading comprehension issues.

He's not saying it's specifically about the price. But, rather, that the price Nintendo is asking for isn't representative of what the system is worth.

As an example, the 3DS wasn't viewed as being worth the original asking price- the very same $250 the Vita is set at- so sales were not what Nintendo expected. In many people's eyes, there simply was not enough technological improvement over the DS for the 3DS to be WORTH that much money. The Vita, while more costly, is viewed as being worth its asking price, even if the price is somewhat prohibitive for a handheld.

If, for some ridiculous reason, the PS4 and Nextbox released at, say, $250, that'd be a steal. They'd almost certainly be worth that, whether their performance far outstripped the Wii U or not. At the same time, if they showed significant improvement over their predecessors and, indeed, the Wii U, would they not be worth more than the value the Wii U is set at?

Again, it's more about the value of the device than the price. There's a pretty sizable difference.

[Jadedz]

Nintendo math is a ''-'' for some, while Sony's math is a huge ''+'' xD (you totally called that person out, unless they got their Vita used).

[MikeMyers]

Hicken,
"As an example, the 3DS wasn't viewed as being worth the original asking price- the very same $250 the Vita is set at- so sales were not what Nintendo expected. In many people's eyes, there simply was not enough technological improvement over the DS for the 3DS to be WORTH that much money. The Vita, while more costly, is viewed as being worth its asking price, even if the price is somewhat prohibitive for a handheld."

How can the Vita be viewed as being worth its amount but not the 3DS when sales suggest both need a price drop to improve sales? You can have a 4K television for $20,000 but most consumers will not see the value. So are you speaking in production costs or consumer value because right now consumers do not see the Vita as having the value otherwise the 3DS would not be outselling it. Consumers see more than just the price, they see the content. This is why Sony had to make an adjustment many times for the PS3 hardware when they did just like the Xbox 360 and the Wii. Value is more than what the hardware can do.

I think right now the PS3 offers the best value out of the current consoles but not everyone would agree and that is because everyone views value differently. The Wii-U is being sold at a loss but its value is not there for the consumer because of the content. Just like Vita, consumers don't see value in it yet even though Sony might not be making much money on the hardware.

[kB0]

Hicken Seems to get it:) thank you.

You can't compare oranges to apples as the same fruit, you can compare their quality though!

Vita Offers near tablet features, and packs in a lot of horsepower on the go and let's not forget the OLED screen., the 3Ds pack 3D and near Wii graphics and both are PORTABLE which raises their value.

We all know that anything portable is more expensive than it's stationary counter part.

Example Laptops vs PC Desktops. A 1200$ will be trumped by a 1200$ Desktop, yet if you travel or think about the fact that the laptop includes the monitor, mouse and keyboard with a battery all packed in one small sleek design, you start thinking about other values the laptop has over desktop.

The Vita currently in Canada could be found for 199.99 for assassin's Creed bundle if you bargain shop, the vanilla console also can be found for 199.99 pretty regularly. The 32 GB card has even seen price drops to 69.99$ during sales.

Your right, the general price is still expensive, but when you compare it to tablets...it's still cheaper than the nexus 32 GB if you are more into games than other app features.

If Sony were able to, it would be very smart if they found a way where you could DUAL boot into Android off your memory card.

Anyways, I don't mind waiting 6 months to a year. I did that for the Wii and never regretted it, I do regret buying the 3Ds at launch (no features promised were included), and I regret having a Vita during these dead days lol.

Honestly as consumers WE NEVER WIN. Either we're over our necks in games or are left in the dark....there is no balance, we go from 1-2 games a month (which honestly 1-4 should be enough) to have 15+ games a month! That's insane! lol

Anyways I don't see the Wii.U as dead, I don't think any1 does...but I do see them in trouble at least until they can push our more games or manage to at least break even for cost.

[deafdani]

That's quite a bunch of stuff to make out of a little post.

No, sorry. He just said that "the Wii U is super expensive". It isn't. I commented on that, and that alone.

You make way too many assumptions, but I'll entertain your point a bit here.

Nintendo is reportedly losing about $25 dollars per Wii U sold. So, I don't see how that makes the Wii U "super expensive", when they're actually selling it at a slight loss.

To make my point a bit further, take a look at this graph:

https://images.nonexiste.ne...

Of course, this graph doesn't show that the PS3, while actually super "expensive" as a game console at the time it launched, was in fact an absolute steal when you stopped to consider that the cheapest blu ray player at the moment was about a thousand bucks (so, the PS3 was probably the best priced console of all time, considering all the stuff it packed inside).

But, in the general viewpoint of console prices, the Wii U is actually VERY competitively priced when you watch that graph.

[B-radical]

Not dead until ps4 and durango release.....no offence nintendo dudes

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Even then the Wii U won't be dead. Get real, Nintendo consoles/handhelds will always be relevant.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

My Wii U is on life support til the 19th...Then monster Hunter will revive it.

[thaimasker]

@Th4Freak The PSV is also competing against mobile gaming. and an arguement can be made that it is competing against consoles/PC as well.

Anyway history shows that Consoles and Systems that aren't doing well in the start can come back. Especially when you have the games nintendos got. As soon as Nintendo starts to get those major first party titles later this year and A price drop it will be doing just fine and then you guys will be talking about the next console not doing great within the first few months...Just like with the PS3 then 3DS then Vita and soon Wii U

[just-joe]

Oh thank god, we almost went an hour without the usual doom and gloom article.

[GreenRanger]

The problem with the Wii U is it's timing.
I think Nintendo waited too long to release a HD console.
If i was a dev thinking about making a Wii U game, i would take a few things into consideration before deciding, such as how third party games have performed on the Wii U so far, Nintendo fans' usual preference for first party games only, whether the casual audience will move from the Wii to the Wii U or not , the install base of the PS3 and 360 VS. the Wii U's and the fact that by the end of the year, the Wii U will be competing against the PS3, the Xbox 360, the PS4, and the Xbox 720.

[Kevlar009]

Don't think of the WiiU as dead, think of it as... hibernating

[mshope10]

I play my wii-u everyday.I got Nintendoland,new super Mario bros U,zombiu,call of duty black ops 2,tekken tag 2,assassin's creed 3,Batman arkham city,all great retail games!

then I have nano assault Neo,and trine2 director's cut.two great eshop games.

then I use the great web browser for surfing the web,I like messing around with wii street u with the gamepad cause its fun,and chatting on the miiverse about games is incredible.and then I use Nintendo tvii cause its a great companion app that shows what's on TV and lets you chat with people when your watching sports.

and then theres video options like Netflix,hulu+,Amazon intsant video,and a ok YouTube app. I say ok cause using the webrower on wii-u to watch YouTube is way better.

we have all of this and its just over 3 months!whether people want to admit it or not wii u is a great system.
with great games and many different things to do like built in video chat.

so wii u is not even closed to being dead!in fact I use mine way more then I ever did with my Xbox 360!

most people who hate it never really sat down and had real time with it.or they are such Sony or Microsoft fanboys they're to blind to enjoy anything else.

[PS4isKing_82]

My wiiU just has a temporary leave of absence until this fall when some games will start coming out. Really hoping a new Mario kart makes it out this year. And a new Mario party. And of course the wind waker remake.

[nosferatuzodd]

Nitendo will be fine people are taking the doom this and doom that way too far..
First it was ps3 , ps3 is a 600 dollars mess its doomed remember that, or what about this one nintendo DS is dying ,or how about this one psp is on life sopport.

People are so quick to forget when microsoft came out 2001 they've lost almost 5hundred million dollars trying to keep xbox floating but if its sony /nintendo the doomed stories just keep coming

[esemce]

To me Nintendo is all about 1st party games and right now they got jack sh1t, Nextgen will be like this gen with PS4/720/PC getting the full quality 3rd party games and the WiiU getting the crappy ports with added gimmicks if you are lucky.

Until Nintendo release quality original titles then I'm not touching it price cut or not, I'd rather buy the PS4 and a new PC GPU.

[SilentNegotiator]

Dead? No. In a decent danger of being a last place system? Yes.

Horrible third party reaction? Check.
Not a system designed around enticing grannies and soccer moms? Check.
Highly likely it won't appeal greatly to casuals, nor hardcore as result? Check.

Wii U isn't built around a very strong concept for bringing in masses or high-paying (hardcore) players. It's not going to be a very strong console gen for Nintendo this time around.

[TongkatAli]

Wii U and Vita are the shizzz. I don't understand the hate for the two. Both have games, stop being picky female dogs.

[Allowen]

Nintendo needs to start giving more 1st party and 3rd party games to the wiiU before the PS4 and nextbox arrives.

Unless the guy buying a is a huge Nintendo fan he might go after another console even with a price drop on the wiiu.

I was super ultra super ultra disappointend with the Nintendo Wii.
It had a few amazing games such Metroid Prime 3 corruption, Mario Galaxy 1 2 and Mario kart.
But I ended playing a hell lot more on the PC and PS3.

No matter that I got a Wii for a very cheap price but it is still the worst console I ever bought in more then 20 years of gaming.

Unless you love every exclusive game made from Nintendo then a BigN console is not for you.

[Kos-Mos]

The fanboyism on this site is flat and dead to me.

[danny818]

Its not. But let be realistic. Its not going to sell wii numbers. Thats pretty damn clear. Now that paves way for one of the next generation console to come out victorious for this upcoming generation. By the time great must own titles are out, ps4 and the new Xbox will be picking up steam and making an impact. Nintendo had really bad timing .

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

All trolls wanna see the Wii U fail