The State of Wii U: Rumors of its Early Death are Greatly Exaggerated

GenGAME writes: "Wii U’s had a rough six months. No denying it. It’s hard to pull off a console launch, and judging by the struggles that 3DS and Vita had in 2011, it would have taken a miracle for Wii U to beat the trend. Since 2013 kicked off, the system has only seen 10 new games – three of which hit today, May 21. The platform’s current weekly sales have become something of a laughingstock among critics. None of this is good.

"However, there’s a silver lining beneath all the bad: Wii U is starting to come together as a platform with a mission. And compared to other next-gen devices, it’s actually not doing too badly."

[DivineAssault]

Wii U is not going to die lol.. It will prolly get the least attention but its not going to die.. Nintendo is legendary & has never given up a console battle.. Virtual boy was a semi handheld & doesnt count (they didnt even invent it either, they bought the rights to it)

[fr0sty]

By that logic, this article mentioning Vita shouldn't count either, since it too is a handheld.

[showtimefolks]

Well it depends on what people feel is death in gaming

Will wiiu sell as much as wii most likely not but will it sell 40-60 million most likely will. I think we will be able to get a clear picture after E3 because all 3 console makers will be bring their A game to E3 so lets see

I know to Manu these apps and media features are important but to me personally a gaming console has to deliver exclusive games, now a day most 3rd party titles release on all systems so why buy 3 when all 3 will be getting the same games

And that's where I think both Nintendo and Sony are way pass MS, they have a long and successful history of delivering games and variety(verity more from Sony than ms)

People want wiiu to fail so badly and it makes no sense, Nintendo belongs in gaming industry and have done a lot right.

I feel like MS gets a free pass while they keep releasing same 3-4 games while Sony and Nintendo have to deliver so much more. Also wiiu dying is more American gaming journalist made up since USA means the world to most people living in the USA. There is a world outside USA full of gamers

Just look at how well Sony has done with ps3 in Europe in passing MS.

Wiiu will do well and if for nothing else will be a must have for Nintendo exclusives and hopefully some HD collections or remakes of older games

[Aceman18]

yea i'm american and that's how it is pretty much with the media in general here majority of the people here think USA=World.

fortunately i do not think that way and know that both Sony and Nintendo have always provided great gaming experiences.

i've no doubt that both the Vita and Wii U will be around for a long time, and have great games to show for it.

look at the flak Sony took this gen because of the launch price, and the glossing over Microsoft got for the massive RROD by the media.

[diepdiep]

Regardless, I still have faith in them. Since they were able to make a big comeback for the 3DS by releasing more games, the same thing can happen to the Wii U.

[mcstorm]

I agree plus as I have said before the Wiiu only has 4 must own games at the moment in MarioU, ZombieU, Lego City and Monster Hunter 3. The rest of the AAA games are all on the PS3 and 360 so why would people look to spend £300 on a new console for the games that are on there current console.
This will be the same with the next gen PS and Xbox. If Sony bring out GT6 on the PS3 and not the PS4 why are people going to get a PS4 on day one? it would be the same if MS did Halo 5 on the 360 and not the next xbox.

Come xmas this year the WiiU sales will pick up as it should have some big name games like Mario Kart, Zelda and more.

[1upgamer99]

You are right, and of coarse the fanboy's disagree. It is sad. You can put the numbers right in front of them and they will still disagree. I do not wish anything bad for any system, but I think this (next) gen is going to have a slower start than past gens. Gamers will buy them right away but the average person will not. We only have a few more months to wait and see. I am interested to see where PS4 and One are 6 months after launch. That should shut some fanboys up.

[legendoflex]

Note the double standards: Wii U has done better than 3 out of the 5 other launches in the last ten years, yet gets more flak than any of those systems.

[Locksus]

Haven't you noticed the state of "professional journalism" these days? Anything that's not American gets criticism far more than they deserve.
They fail to realize, that it takes -time- for a game console to grow in popularity.

[GamersRulz]

what console launches do you mean?

EDIT: People always tend to forget that PS3 was released in US/JP only and Sony had only 500K units available during launch 400K for US and 100K for JP (reduced from 2million due to bluray diod problems. So basically PS3 launch was largly hindered by the limited amount of consoles available for sale at the time. Sony could have easily pulled 2million at launch if it wasn't for the diods problems. after the launch problems and releasing later in EU, PS3 had been selling better than 360 and catching up nicely to the Wii which is faded quickly. give it one or tow years most and PS3 will be King of this gen by mile(sales+games)

WiiU in the other hand, sold good at first, then sales dropped to unprecedented industry lows, it lost the momentum so fast.

[legendoflex]

Xbox 360 2nd quarter cumulative sales: 3.2 million
Wii U 2nd quarter cumulative sales: 3.45 million

3DS 2nd quarter sales (Americas): 110,000
Wii U 2nd quarter sales (Americas): 200,000

PS Vita seven month sales: 790,633
Wii U five month sales: 3.45 million

[Moncole]

Many people started gaming this gen and dont know anything about gaming other than that COD is a popular game.

[ZeekQuattro]

Sad but true.

[AdvanceWarsSgt]

The Wii U is tracking below the Gamecube currently. That's bad no matter how you spin it.

Also, the Wii U has long since been selling worse than both the PS3 and 360 at similar time frames. To add, the Wii U is in even worse shape than at any point in the 3DS's first 6 months.

You can tout it for selling better than the Vita I guess, but that is something I wouldn't really hang my hat on.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

SCIENCE!

"Intelligent" to both of your comments!

[badvlad]

i hope it does, suz I play my snes if i wanna play nintendo.

[supermonkey007]

Once the sonic games and the marios roll in , the Wii U will be just fine.

[MagickaEmperor]

Nintendo beat the tar out of Sega over a 10 year span. But then Sony's PlayStation came out of nowhere and crushed the fledgling N64! The Microsoft's Xbox stole exclusives from the GameCube while the PS2 stole it's [then teenage] fans. And in the last few years, the modern smart phone has stolen most all Nintendos casual audience who might otherwise buy a 3DS.

Nintendo is like an old friend who refuses to acknowledge it has a problem. They said they have no intrested in competing with Sony or Microsoft - & for that, they've already lost key publishers. They refuse to lower the price of the Wii U - which is looking like an increasingly worse deal. It becomes more evedent that the Wii U isn't the deal they make it out to be, as we get closer to a new generation of consoles which are only about 60% more expensive, but will be 10,000% [I'm exaggerating here] more powerful and [get ready for another exaggeration folks] have 100,000% more games within the next 3 years. Nintendo even 'requires you purchase a hard storage device SEPERATELY' - which can set you back another $100! This at a time when Sony and Microsoft are no doubt going to offer systems that features a 1,000GB (1TB) harddrives, built in!

Nintendo's audience has - for the most part - grownup, and moved on. The kids of yesterday - kids like me & my friends, who swapped controllers around while comparing attempts to finish Mario Bros 3; kids who lugged around our N64's to sleepovers to challenge each other in Golden Eye; kids who charished every fleeting hour of life our new AA batteries gave our battered & worn [fat] Gameboys - we are all gorwn up now, and some of us have kids of our own. Many [nay, MOST] of us don't game anymore, and the rest of us have to worry about our aging parents, and keeping a our utilities payed in a world where every dollar counts. Even Ninendo's 'Wii Generation'; the old folks, soccer moms, & tweens, who made the wii and DS so big - they've have treated Nintendo just like every other fade: they moved on to the next big thing - which at the moment is smart phones & social media games.

I'll always loved nintendo because only they can deliver the experiences they do - but the reality is; they're obsolete. Their formula for game design & marketing, doesnt work anymore. In a world where even big omni-god Microsoft is being critisized for their loss of focus on gaming, and their closed-in publishing model [which has caused an exodus of indie developers to move to PSN & PC], a publisher/manufacturer model like Nintendo's cannot work. Nintendo can't survive the way they did with the GameCube; souly off inhouse ips, while ignoring the wants & needs of thridparty publishers and the indie scene. Face it fanboys - Nintendo is commiting suicide. There's no question that if they dont do somthing in the next year or so; that within this decade, Nintendo will have to retreat back to Japan, a closed market strategy, and development on small scale mobile devices, such as smart phones.

I think Nintendo's own huboris & hard-headedness has finally lead them here. Neglecting E3, will be the poison pill, that makes the eventual release of the PS4 and next xbox that much more talked about, as we all turn our attentions to the future from here on out, and leave nintendo and their unwillingness to move forward in any credible way, in the past. As many developers have said; the public has moved on, and the ideas, market models, and game design of even a few years ago - will no longer suffice. Game devolpers are stuggling to keep up with the changing times; for some reason; Nintendo has decided that the thing to do is stick with their guns, and forge a path in a new direction. To what? God only knows, but so far: it looks an awfully lot like the XBOX 360 in 2007.

[legendoflex]

1) "Nintendo has already said they arnt trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft - and for that, they've already lost key publishers."

How many of those "key publishers" mattered on Wii? How about NES? That's what I thought. EA sat out basically all of the NES's life. Their absence was irrelevant to NES's success.

2) "They refuse to lower the price of the Wii U - which is looking like an increasingly worse deal, as when get closer to a new generation of consoles which are only about 60% more expensive"

PS Vita is, interestingly enough, about "60% more expensive" than 3DS. And though it's also more powerful, we've all seen how its life has gone so far.

3) "Nintendos audience has - for the most part - grownup, and moved on."

Last time I checked, New Super Mario Bros. Wii outsold Super Mario World. And Super Mario Galaxy outsold Super Mario 64. The audience seems to be pretty darn strong.

4) "Nintendo can't survive the way they did with the GameCube; souly off inhouse ips, while ignoring the wants & needs of thridparty publishers and the indie scene."

Pretty sure Nintendo could definitely live off its in-house IPs as long as they keep correctly identifying ways to draw in consumers. You'll notice that there hasn't been a single Nintendo platform that hasn't successfully done this. Not to mention that 3DS by itself has already thwarted basically all of Nintendo's issues with decline, even before its strongest-ever year for software has really come to fruition.

[FlyingFoxy]

Nothing is wrong with the Vita, it has SOME quality games, not as any as 3DS sure.. but it has a lot of potential.

I like both 3DS and Vita, but i think Vita is a lot more comfy to hold for longer. Plus no issues with the control sticks being slippery like 3DS.

[vishmarx]

too long didnt read.
lol

[MagickaEmperor]

@legendofflex : thanks for reading my comment and responding, I read you're reply and respect many of you're points. They're intellegently viewed, and you probably couldnt have pointed out better examples. However, I would like to point out something about the EA bit you meantioned: EA wasnt even vaguely the position of power it is now in the days of the NES. There where literally hundreds of small publisher back then (remember Midway, Atari, or Hudson?). These days EA, Activision, Valve, Square-Enix, Ubisoft, and Namco Bandi have bought out most the little guys, and populate the majority of the market.

You meantioned that more recent mario games have out sold some older titles such as Super mario World; you're also neglecting that in the mid 1990's gaming was still a rather small hobby in comparison to today. It was much later, that games like Halo, consoles like the DS, televised events like E3 and MLG, and celebrity buzz, brought awareness and respect to the business. These days it's acceptable to game. I can still remember vividly as a kid in the late 80's and early 90's, being beatup by bullys and called a nerd because I 1.) owned a computure, and 2.) played videogames. Back then gameing wasnt exactly viewed as a 'cool thing to do with you're free time' outside a specific demographic of youth and aficiandos. You're average person had little exposure to videogames, gamers, and videogame culture. For example: As far as my parents, teachers, friends parents, and community was concerned - I was communicating to with the devil thru my tv screen 3 hours a day after school.

You gotta remeber (if you're old enough to/ I'm assuming you are) in the small market of the 1990s, Super Mario World sold phenomenally well. In todays market, New Super Mario Bros Wii U has only sold 'well' in comparison to games like Call of Duty.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Different markets. Console and handheld. Why is Vita selling so poor? 3DS thats why. Cheaper, more games etc.

The reason you want a Wii U isn't the reason you don't want a Vita and vice versa. One is a handheld, one is a console.

Wii U is selling poorly due to "the reason you want a Wii U is" etc. Its selling based off of what you want FROM A CONSOLE! Nintendo games? Not there, hardcore games? Heading to next gen and are not looking back THAT is whats wrong with Wii U right now.

Handhelds are quite different, as great as the DS did, it didn't some how stop 80 million people from owning a PSP and I think neither will a PSV. I think PSV just needs its "it" game for it to start selling well. The problem with Wii U is they have 3 HUGE competitors where the PSV just really has one. I can own both handhelds EASY, all 4 systems? err...not so much.

[M-M]

Literally a wall of text.

[LiberatedAnimal]

Whoa dude, it's videogames. Not a philosophical agenda of the new age movement. Let the heavy-hitting games release and the WiiU will start selling like hotcakes or, one better....3DS's! ;)

[Kingthrash360]

yeah, yeah just price cut the thing already. I know the controller costs too much for you to make money on a price cut but not many want it because honestly who wants to pay 400$ on a system not really much stronger that an 8 year old console... six months before more powerful consoles joins the wiiu in the next gen race...price cut while you still can grab a few people, because people will want a ps4/720 over a wiiu.

[legendoflex]

Just like they want PS Vita over 3DS, amirite?

[xursz]

Let's be honest about onething, the next gen consoles are getting the majority of support it seems.

[yugovega]

were did you get $400 from? you can get a wiiu for 300. the same price a some ps3's and vita.

[Kingthrash360]

wiiu fanboys and the vita comparisons...smh
the wii worth buying is the deluxe because after the giant day 1 patch update all your is gone if you have a basic...cmon man even I know this and I dont own one yet. so yeah after taxes 400$.

@ legend
really? ok so u have 500$ bucks right, assuming the ps4/720 costs 450 and ,wiiu is 400$ . if you had to choose you would pick a wiiu?
hey more power to you my friend, because just like your comment people have thier own preferences and will choose what they want....and I promise you this time around ps4/ (720 depending on what they show today) will outsell tge wiiu by Christmas if they dony lower that price by black friday....the ps4 has a huge hype level right now that hasent been seen since ps2....and right nowthe vita is outselling the wiiu. the wiiu is supposed to had usher in the next gen and so far that head start they have isnt showing much. im speaking as a gamer and want the wiiu to succeed...hell I want them all to make it so take your fanboy glasses off and see the truth of nintendos situation. they are in big trouble this time around and not having the traditional e3 conference that Nintendo always does ..I mean they have a six month old struggling wiiu the need to sell and to skip out on gamings biggest stage and most media covered on every news channel from gaming sites to mtv news to fox 11 news is a real flop....like it or not they need to sell the wiiu and I dont own one so I will not be able to see the Nintendo direct announcements...only the people who already own a wiiu will be able to see it first. just dumb.

[Kingthrash360]

I remember you too yugo...you were trolling sony the other day too.

stop it...no...bad boy. rubs face in fanboy comments.

[yugovega]

why d you assume you have to have the deluxe? the update wasn't that large and the games don't install. virtual console game barely take up memory. an if you wanted dlc you are free to use a sd card which most everyone already has. even take the vita out of my comment. why is the ps3 still 300 and no one saying it needs a price cut? you really thing they will release the ps4 at only 100 more then their 7 year old console? and also the basic is selling for 240 right now in the us at target so there's your price cut.

[MagickaEmperor]

Before people jump my prior opinon - I'd just like to clarify that I, myself, would love nothing more than Nintendo to rise like a phenix from the ashes, and deliver a Super Nintendo calibur library of intellegently designed software, for a system that appropriately powerful for the price (not to meantion comes with a harddrive, ssd or atleast a realistic amount of flash memory). But like most things from japan these days, Nintendo is too steeped in tradition and pandering a nich audience, to appeal to the needs of the 'modern' gamer. That's not to say I woulnt be purchasing each and every Zelda game they make, but will my purchashing Zelda XX save them? Not at all.

[TenkoTAiLS]

I still can't understand why they dribble out Virtual Console stuff at a snails pace when out of all the companies they have the biggest and richest back catalog across all their old systems. They also make odd decisions like REMOVING highly praised games from the service like the Donkey Kong Country SNES games. Where were other well loved classics like SNES Yoshi's Island? And where was half their awesome N64 games on the Wii Virtual Console?

Some are 3rd party sure, so they need permission etc but they didn't even release a good amount of their 1st party stuff. Even their old partner games which they hold rights to, like the Rare ones, which even Rare themselves mentioned they had no idea why Nintendo hadn't released them like Donkey Kong Country 64.

NES,SNES,GB,GBC,GBA,N64...so many great systems and games and they take far too long to release the content. And now unless you transfer from the Wii, we have to wait for them to do it at all again instead of having all the stuff they already had on Wii available to the Wii U >.<

[khowat]

You know, I've always felt that since that January nintendo direct that nintendo really hasn't even been trying, there has been only 3 wii u focused nintendo directs and only one was actually about games. More over, whenever asked questions about the wii and if its doing well or not they all seem to say that they aren't worried yet. I get that they have had experience and have come back from worse and this whole quality over quantity thing but seriously, they aren't doing what they can now to help their console now and they forfeited an actual conference and literately want to show us 4 games at e3 to make us happy, they better have something up their sleeve because now is not the time to be so apathetic

[xjustice1920]

Wii U is not going to die?! Not saying 3rd party devs are washing there hands, but what 3rd party devs are really on board? Sega!? Oh, yea! Alot of support there.

They say "We're going to appeal to the hardcore audience this time." So, they give COD. Nice. Do, we really know the specs of the Wii U? It seems like the 3rd party devs do and i don't think there impressed. You put a screen on the controller, add HD and its Next-gen? OOOH REALLLY!?

So, the fanboys say "Wait till theres a Mario or Zelda game and thats when the devs will come." I don't know about you ppl, but my Mario days were over after SNES. What about Borderlands? If Nintendo and EA wasn't beefing could your system support a game like Borderlands? My point Nintendo fanboys is that no matter how much you love and support that gaming company. It will be hard to please all the consumers specially with a 7 month console. Imma Sony fanboy, but i won't defend everything Sony does. Sony can be shady at times too.

Enough, fanboyism. I think Nintendo did there homework before releasing the Wii U. Beside, specs. Everything on paper looks sound. One thing they missed is the changing gaming market. There timing couldn't of been worse. I think had they waited maybe 2 quarters they would have seen this.
Also, its possibly that Sony and M$ will see the same struggle with there consoles thinking there delivering whats hot and what the consumers want, but all it takes is a new device with some new tech to totally take everyones attention away. I mean who knows that share button on ps4 sounds hot now, but by the time you get a ps4 controller in your hand are you really gonna use it.?

Nintendo, needs a new 3rd party exclusive ip. Thats has mmo features and i think that will be the system seller. Phanasty Star Online, maybe?! Hmm!

[o-Sunny-o]

I'm hoping Nintendo know what they are doing because I don't know what to do with my Wii U but draw. T-T

[Kikilon]

Well, the bashing from the WII-U is tiring me... It's been an hectic 6 months for this machine as I do think its identity is not so clear for new consumers... I am 40 year old and have consoles since more than 30 years... And I had the Atari, Mattel Intellivision, SMS, NES, Genesis, Super NES, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, GC, WII and now the WII-U... So I would say that I am more than open to try systems out from the ones from Big N.
My point is that games are the real deal. Specs debate are useless as if you want the best specs you take a beefed up PC or a Mac and there you are... What's the point having 3d party games on all consoles? If you like franchises like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Starfox, DK, Mario Kart, why should I wish 3rd party games? Lately, we had the dismiss from EA and this is sad, but no big dear, Nintendo will survive... EA should remember that if they are today and this big, they can be graceful to Ninty.It is maybe not their best decision skipping all games on WII U as the momentum will come back... In the meantime, EA is not at all the best editor/publisher on planet earth! Ubisoft is way better and they are supporting the WII U, because they believe in its potential. The most important fews things Nintendo need to boost up the sales would be:
- very strong 1st party games
- very strong 2nd party games
- strong and exclusive 3rd party games
So why people are trolling over Nintendo? Because Sony and Microsoft have less 1st party games and IP and they propose the same games... And Nintendo does games that nobody else can do.
I have been playing the Rayman Apps and you can feel the potential from the Gamepad. This is more than a gimmick and gives new heights to the gameplay... Playing games is more about the gameplay or the graphics? Since the games are so polished, I feel that a lot of them are very dull to play.
Thank you for reading and please keep in mind that it is all about the games. If you like Halo, then buy a Microsoft console, if this is the Shadow of Colossus, buy a Sony and if it is for Zelda, buy a Nintendo. We do not need to fight between games, but should be happy to play such great games on different formats without bashing each other.
Cheers, Kikilon

[Bumpmapping]

WiiU>Xbox One

[o-Sunny-o]

Agreed Wii U beats Xbox One and So does PS4 beats Xbox One again. 3 strikes and your out Micro$oft.