Four Reasons Why The Wii U Is Struggling

With sales far below expectations and key industry figures now raising concerns, Nintendo’s Wii U platform appears to be struggling commercially. Considering various factors surrounding the console’s first few months, Mark Butler takes a look at four things that are to blame.

[Ramon3MR]

We need more software right now...Nintendo should've pumped out Gamecube VC games in the meantime.

[Psn800]

Yes I agree Nintendo are very slow outta thee blocks , hope they get it right for a great gaming future for all consoles .

[Garethvk]

My issue is that while fun, I get very bored with the games very fast. Zombiu is to dark and hard to control, Mario is fun but gets old fast and most 3rd party titles I play on PC or PS 3.

[Godmars290]

That's what's wrong with the industry right now: no games you just P-L-A-Y.

Everything has to have a cutscene or storyline and make you involved. Even mini-games.

[classic200]

Heres the NEWS

Millions of gamers actually play games for an engaging story with great gameplay. A great story gives the purpose to carry on playing.

Walking dead]
Heavy rain
Bioshock
Half life 2
Metal gear games

I notice that the best games release are the ones with great story and great gameplay combined.

[perfectCarbonara]

So storylines ruin games now ?

[InsaneChronos]

Every single game has gameplay. You can P-L-A-Y even a visual novel. The question is what kind of gameplay do you need.

[MasterCornholio]

I dont think your capable of understanding a game with a good story and playing it at the same time.

Oh well you dont know what your missing out on then.

[Godmars290]

Its one thing to have cutscenes and narrative cutting into a game once in a while, then there's having it dumped in every other scene if not every scene.

Unless its an iPad title there's next to nothing you just star up and play for a minute or two. Instead, you have to deal with a minute or two of exposition.

[MNGamer-N]

I think it has alot to do with price. When ps4/xbox are launched, Nintendo will lower the price making it the more attractive option for families etc. and will sell units. Same scenario as last gen.

[zebramocha]

I disagree,I believe the reason they're in this position is,they didn't evolve with each gen in terms of content produced.

[PopRocks359]

If you're trying to suggest that Mario Galaxy is the same as Sunshine and that Skyward Sword is the same as Twilight Princess, I'll have to ask you to take a second look at those games before making that assessment. Their core gameplay differs greatly and share very little outside of title and general formula.

[Thepcz]

i dont own a wiiu because there are no games on the system i want.

pikmin may change my mind if the reviews are good.. if not, the day that xenoblade game will be out is the same day i buy a wii.

oh, and if windwaker hd comes out before then, i will buy it then.

[LOL_WUT]

See thats the problem with many of the consumers and with Nintendo itself, theres too many people playing the waiting game. People waiting on Zelda, waiting for a Metroid game and on F-Zero theres just no incentive to buy the Wii U.

Instead of trying to rush the Wii U to the market Nintendo could've held back the Wii U until it had some of its core ip's ready to launch with the console.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

Wow, did you just make a little sense to me?

I agree with you in a way but I also think that people who know that they will buy the Next Zelda and have the income probably should make that purchase now.

Especially if they think WiiU is being unfairly railroaded by the game industry, right now.

[SuperShyGuy]

If you don't think Sony and MS will get their new console out before the holiday season whether they are ready or not you are crazy.

Hell 360 launched without HD because of that reason.

Hell PS3 launched with only on game of any significance Resistance the rest were sports games and forgettable games

[classic200]

Nintendo gamers must be tired of these articles.

[wishingW3L]

PS3 gamers were tired too: http://www.computerandvideo...

This is just the Doom Stage because the console is new.

[DigitalSmoke]

Listen I'm all for original hardware that grasp the imagination, but this screen on the Joypad is extremely lame for anybody with a mid range experience in video games.

Only noobs or blind ppl will go for this, I'm sorry if you feel offended, but the truth is the truth.

[Phil32]

The only offensive thing here is you posting your opinion as fact. Speak for yourself next time.

[DigitalSmoke]

Your Nintendo love shines through and i'm cool with that, I have love for them as well.
But serving a grown man hardware he toyed around with 15 years ago ain't gonna fly.
Dont get uptight about it when somebody recognises this and expresses it firmly, its backwards.

[deafdani]

I was born in '82, I have been gaming for about 24 years now. NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, PS2, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360.

And now, a Wii U.

And I'm enjoying it a lot. I guess that makes me an inexperienced gamer according to your logic.

[AJBACK2FRAG]

Don't worry your fine. I really like (love) my WiiU. Miiverse is really extremely cool. If you couldn't doodle it would be cool but I've seen some amazing pieces of art on those little rectangles. It's kind of ironic to me because I really really very much dislike Microsoft but the 360 has played host to some amazing games. I dislike the Halo series but I'd be fooling myself if I did not say Halo 4 is probably the best looking game to grace a video game console so far. I also think that Microsoft did a fantastic job creating Xbox Live. I actually think it's one of the very few things they've done right. No one in the whole world will believe me when I say, "Nintendo created a better online system than Xbox Live." so weird to even think it but there it is. Now here's the tough part, on Miiverse People are nicer. Polite. Kind and lot's of fun. On Xbox Live, not so nice... Little kids talking crap swearing. I swear one time I heard some kid say the n word over and over no fun at all. Definitely not worth sixty bucks a year. Oh yeah. I almost graduated in 81 and the first game I played was Pong on the Odyssey.

[PopRocks359]

Phil wasn't really being uptight. He simply corrected your assessment as a subjective opinion as oppose to the "truthful fact" you made it out to be.

[krazykombatant]

lol, you're one of those people who keep saying that Nintendo will flop, how they're games are for children and that they can't innovate and they can't hold a candle to the almighty SONY (in your case as i can see that as you type with one hand you cradle the chode from sony).

What a fanboy christ, all of that said I'm sure you're also one of those that wants ninty to go 3rd party so you can get those shitty/childish games on your beloved SONY console.

[The Meerkat]

The casuals are still happy with their Wiis, mobile phones and the hardcore are waiting for the ps4/720.

[AJBACK2FRAG]

Man are you in for a surprise! See you at e3!

P.S. Nintendo wins again!

The biggest problem for Nintendo In my mind right now is the average non gamer is having a difficult time differentiating the the video game system Wii from the video game system WiiU. In six months it probably won't matter but they should have named it something with a little zip like Ultra Wii, which explains everything clearly or even better the Revolution Everybody loved that code name!
crinale, the WiiU does run on a blu ray drive.

[mamotte]

I think is pretty normal. Many people bought a PS3 at launch, with a $600 price tag, and the only good game they had to play was Resistance. Every console launch with a few good games, and it get 4-5 months to start receiving good games. Just give it time. And look back a little bit to see it's true.

[kneon]

But that doesn't explain why previous consoles were selling significantly more at this point after launch. Since as you say they were all short on games then that means there is a different problem this time around.

[Venoxn4g]

I think one of the problems that it is hard times in economics right now too.. just look at Europe's game sales overall, at least I think like that

[krazykombatant]

Because the world was totally in a recession with previous consoles. -_-

[crinale]

It also was a best and cheapest Blue-ray player at that time, an important factor that cannot be ignored.
Meanwhile, WiiU currently does not have other alternative uses.

[lovegames718]

Not a big reason to do so at this point. It is not an upgrade over current gen systems in any shape or form. First party games that ppl want really arent out yet. An outdated regurgitated mario isnt really a system seller anymore unless of course they innovate but Nintendo hasnt done that with software since the 90's.

[WalterWJR]

Four words why I don't care - I don't really care.

I am just glad this "failure" has taken some heat away from the vita.

[lovegames718]

The vita still has heat on it lol Nevertheless i look forward to Tear away and kz mercs soon enough!!!!!!

[hazardman]

IMO Nintendo should have taken an extra yr. For game development and a more powerful console to compete with PS4 and X8. They put out the WiiU and forgot the games. Mario could only do so much, and at 33 I don't think its a reason for me to buy a WiiU. Now had they launched with a next gen Zelda, Eternal Darkness, Metroid and Smash Bros. then its a whole different outcome. Now they probably need a premature pricedrop again. Hopefully they have some good games coming within the next few months. Its the only way Nintendo gets my money, but after I buy X8 and PS4.

[Dread]

This article raised some very good points.

consider me concerned for the WiiU.

I am definitely not going to buy it until I see more games and compare it to the nextbox and playstation 4.

[CanadianTurtle]

I honestly feel very bad for anyone that bought this console.

[wishingW3L]

I bet is just the price. It's always the price.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

It's not just the price. As the article showed, there are many reasons why it's doing poorly.

The name confusing casuals, few games, price, hardware, marketing, etc. Nintendo screwed up in just about every way.

They went the casual route last gen and it paid off for them. The downside is they lost a lot of hard core gamers due to that choice. Now they want the HC gamers back but it's too late. Not many HC gamers think Nintendo will get 3rd party support or make HC games.

As for the casual gamers, they aren't going to pay a lot for a console(especially one that's overpriced for what it is). They also don't keep up with gaming news so that explains the confusion with them not even realizing it's a new console separate from the Wii. The name having "Wii" in it didn't help things at all. The commercials do nothing to clear this up.

Now, take all this and ask what 3rd party devs think about the Wii U. They see all these mistakes and they don't want to risk exclusives on the Wii U. Heck, EA doesn't even consider it next gen. This further exacerbates the problem of the lack of games.

[kirbyu]

I GET IT! I GET IT! I GET IT! The Wii U is struggling. You can all stop making articles about it.

[tweet75]

i think all the negative gaming press about troubles moving data from wii to wii u has affected sales. However its too early to decide wii us fate. Also I think it was a little too expensive the 32 gb should be the only version out there at $299 or less. Once nintendo gets more triple AAA titles im confident sales of wii u will pick up.

[breakpad]

Nintendo never tried or risked new things (i m talking about software...the core of a succesfull console)...always played safely with mediocre third party games and quality first party games (which also drained out the nostalgia and tired the players...mario,zelda,starfox. ..)When Ninty wanted a good hardcore third party stole it from Sony(resident evil,monster hunter,bayonetta...etc)now with a cheap gimmick and a not-next-gen console trying to sell mario and zelda games all over again ...she deserves what is happening to her

[kirbyu]

These are really dumb reasons.

How good the library is is all opinion.

There are not many hardcore games yet because hardcore developers haven't had much time with it.

Are you kidding me? Other than the high price, the Wii U is casual gamer gold.

And how can we already say the upcoming consoles are good. We know nothing about them.

[Qrphe]

Software and price (same reasons Vita has).

[greenmeanie]

I think it is the price. The system was priced way too high, just like the 3DS was at launch. If they lower the price, I am sure the sales will rise... just like the 3DS. Heck, if they dropped the price by $50, I would buy one today!

[wiiulee]

lol..silly man , i wouldnt say wiiu is struggling..i would say its exactly what i would expect if there are no major games out yet and no interesting advertisement and the other systems are 100 dollars cheaper..but that will change soon

[Luigi_s]

I must admit i'm not the biggest nintendo fan. I purchased a Wii U for the off-tv play and I LOVE IT! I had a PS Vita but sold it as it just wasn't doing it for me. So when the kids have there cartoons on or the Mrs is watching her programs then i can still get my game on!