60°

Are Weak Wii U Sales a Bellwether of Shifting Game Demographics?

Nintendo expects to sell fewer Wii U and 3DS units than originally claimed, according to reports this morning. The company says it sold three million Wii U units through December, but slashed its forecast of 5.5 million Wii U units sold by the end of March to just four million in all. On the Wii U software side, Nintendo is now forecasting 16 million units in the same timeframe, a number that’s down by roughly a third from original expectations.

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PopRocks3594097d ago (Edited 4097d ago )

Oh great, more of this crappy rhetoric.

The sales have been adequate, decent or otherwise just okay. NOT. POOR. Get that freaking straight. This thing is selling at a minor loss at a considerably higher than normal price in a faulty economy, AND it sold faster than its competition's predecessors in the first two months.

live2play4096d ago

dont worry man
let them say all these things about wiiu

once the far more expensive ps and xbox hit and experience far less sales

we will have even more to rub in their faces

JP13694096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

Why do you even have to bring the other console makers into this? This always happens. A console doesn't meet expectations, and then there's a flood of articles predicting the death of the console and possibly the manufacturer.
As to your claim that the other consoles will fail because of price, you have to consider the factor of perceived value. Myself, I think the Wii U is an interesting console and I would love to play some of the games that were just shown at Nintendo Direct. However, I'm not willing to pay the price Ninty is currently asking for it. The PS4, that's another story. As long as it's close to being as powerful as the rumors are saying, I'd gladly pay $400-$500 for it, especially since my favorite game series are either exclusive to Sony or are multiplatform. It's up to Sony and Microsoft to do what Nintendo currently isn't; convincing the average consumer that their product is worth the price of admission. Nintendo's failure has no effect on the potential success of the others. Quite the contrary, as the Wii U may not be seen as a true step forward in the eyes of your less informed gamers, who then might have decided to wait to see what the others come up with in terms of hardware.
Oh, and if anyone is rubbing anything in anyone's faces, it'll be those of us on hardware that can technologically be referred to as next gen.

Donnieboi4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

U need to relax buddy. Nowhere did it ever say that Wii U's sales were poor. In fact, if u do a word search, the word poor is never equated to the Wii U's sales. However, it's sales ARE low. And the article makes a strong point when it says that the casual demographic that sold the wii no longer applies to the wii u. Which is a fact since the wii was hardly ever catered to anyone but casuals.

Try reading the article next time before you let your Ninty fanboyisms get the best of you again.

Chidori4096d ago

Saying the sales are "low" or "weak" is what I don't understand. It's a few hundred thousands short of what the Wii did, which was expected. The Wii was something new. A fresh idea. What it accomplished won't be matched for a very long time..if ever. Those few hundred thousand people are probably too busy with their smart phones to care about a Wii U right now. Nintendo will probably convince them to purchase a Wii U sometime in the future instead. I understand Nintendo has set the bar extremely high for themselves, but to call the current sales of the system "weak" and "low" is baffling to me. It's selling better than the 360 and Ps3 did at launch, and I'm sure it will be the same with the ps4 and nextbox. That's not a bad thing. It's simply a fact that Nintendo has the casuals on their side and that's where the money is.

If you haven't realized, this site has been plagued by Nintendo doom articles and fanboys supporting them regardless of whatever the case may be. It's cool to bash Nintendo right now. Just check the articles. Any sort of Nintendo support shown is sure to be downvoted the most. Patcher has always been scorned and despised for everything he said by this community, but now all of sudden he knows what he's talking about and people are agreeing with him? Lol it's most pathetic. It was the same story with the 3ds. It's DOOMED. SALES ARE LOW. NINTENDO ARE DOOMED. But look how that turned out. The people defending Nintendo have every right to do so because of the current state of this community. There's no sense of rationalism remaining.

3rdDimension4096d ago

@ Chidori,

You my friend, speak the truth!

People are jumping all over the damn hate band wagon. The system is roughly 3 months old and people are already calling it a failure. This happend with the DS, Wii and 3Ds.

Fast forward to today and we see the same thing.

Whats really funny is that once the system starts selling, no one will acknowledge all the doom and gloom they all so vehemently agreed on. Just look at the 3ds. Where are all those people who said the system was going to fail? Especially against the PS Vita. They are all quiet as a church mouse!

PopRocks3594096d ago

@Donnieboi

Yeah clearly my fanboyism blinded myself to the correlation between "weak sales" and "poor sales". God, what a joke of a response.

ABizzel14096d ago

Well the Wii-U hasn't had any of it's big franchsies release on the console or even be shown for that matter.

When a new Mario, Zelda, Pokemon (if ever), Super Smash Bros., & Metorid all hit the Wii-U then we can say if it's going to be a success of not.

I seriously doubt the Wii-U is going to have the same success and appeal as the Wii did, simply because the mass appeal just isn't there like the Wii had (although I wasn't on that hype train).

So I think Nintendo will be disappointed in their lifetime sales compared to the Wii, and will try to focus on getting that same Wii type appeal during their next console. However, I think the Wii-U will be the core console gamers have wanted from Nintendo since the N64 (gamecube was great, but N64 was the last great 3rd party supporter), and hopefully that's something NIntendo tries to keep from now on.

insomnium24096d ago

There is a Mario game out already isn't there...?

Protagonist4096d ago

What about New Super Mario Bros. U

ABizzel14095d ago

New Super Mario isn't Mario 3D.

SDF Repellent4096d ago

The bigger concern with the Wii U is that when the X720 and PS4 are released, it will not be able to keep up with the ports to match those 2 monster consoles and it will be the Wii all over again. Developers will ignore their big franchises and Nintendo will have to resort to Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda to save their console.

Chidori4096d ago

That's a good thing. If it really is a problem, it's as simple as buying another console. Less fanboys around the better.

MEsoJD4096d ago

because people have the money and space for a bunch of consoles...

Chidori4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

@MEsoJD So why complain about a lack of releases if you don't plan on buying a new game every month. The Wii had several good titles released within the 6 years of it's life, but they didn't come out every month though. If you spend more than $100 every month on games, I'm pretty darn sure you can afford to support more than one console. Only these type of gamers are permitted to complain about Nintendo's lack of 3rd party support. But they already own the other consoles too. And if they don't, they should. Problem solved. You now have the world of video games at your disposal. People complain anyway without no real reason. Gotta love the internet.

It would be silly purchasing a Nintendo console expecting a constant flow of high quality 3rd party game releases. This is a business. All these 3rd party publishers care about is your money. Why release an exclusive for one console (the wii) when you have a much wider market to appeal to through the 360 and ps3 with a multiplatform game.

Mr. Donnieboi above is full out bashing Iwata for the new direction he lead Nintendo in after the gamecube in another article... Which btw probably saved the company from suffering the same fate as Sega after the Dreamcast. Why hate the man for that? His job is to keep profits coming in at the company, and hell he's done a FANTASTIC job. You people love when people keep their jobs right? Well Iwata is the reason for thousands of employees still being employed and new employees coming in all the time at Nintendo. Without him, Nintendo wouldn't have the money to pay them all. But I guess it doesn't matter since it's Nintendo. SMH.

3rdDimension4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

This is such a weird argument people have. They complain about a lack of games yet they would not by more then a few titles within a couple of months.

It's like this silly vibe in that people feel better about knowing that a system has a lot of games even though they would never buy said quantities of games. This makes them feel comfortable about their investment, but at the same times, it's stupid because they would never buy that amount.

If I could use the analogy, it's like feeling good about owning a suped up sports car all the while you live in the city where you could never drive at the car's intended speed yet you argue that other cars are slow in comparison.

G-cis4096d ago

pokemon >you dont know what you`re talking about

shadylove4096d ago

can someone explain something to me, the wii u is not sold out in stores i think its doing pretty bad, but i keep reading that the sales of the ps3 and xbox 360 were worse, im sry but i couldnt find a ps3 for 6 months after it came out...

3rdDimension4096d ago

It's all about supply. Considering that both those systems where not cheap (and had multiple hardware issues), those two consoles were not produced as abundantly as the Wii U.

So naturally with more systems out there, the perception is that they are not moving at all.

dubt724096d ago

Couldn't find a PS3 for six months??? I was a video game store manager and I can count on one hand the number of days we were sold out of it in the first six months! Wow...

4096d ago
Show all comments (22)
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?"

purple1016d 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 ☝️

Zeref5d 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.

DarXyde5d 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.

PhillyDonJawn5d ago (Edited 5d 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.

Einhander19725d 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.

MrBaskerville5d 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.

shinoff21835d 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.

Profchaos4d 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 4d ago
isarai6d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref5d 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.

MrNinosan5d ago

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

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

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

Einhander19726d 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.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

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

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref5d 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.

DarXyde5d 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.

Einhander19725d 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.

Einhander19725d 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.

BehindTheRows5d ago (Edited 5d 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.

Zeref5d ago (Edited 5d 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.

Chevalier5d 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.

Tacoboto5d 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.

shinoff21835d ago

Yay steam

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

Tacoboto4d 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 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d 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?

crazyCoconuts5d 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.

Xeofate5d ago (Edited 5d 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.

crazyCoconuts4d 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

FinalFantasyFanatic4d 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."

XiNatsuDragnel12d ago

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

banger8811d 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.

Jingsing11d ago

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

PRIMORDUS11d 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.

mastershredder10d 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.

shinoff218310d 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.