340°

Why is the Nintendo Wii U or Wii U Games Not Selling?

Possible reasoning of why the Wii U has not been selling well.

Read Full Story >>
nintendo-centrum.net
Dylila4076d ago ShowReplies(13)
solidt124075d ago

Because most people have a PS3, Xbox360, or both and they already played most of the Wii U launch titles that are for the core. Once the software starts rolling in sales should pick up.

Army_of_Darkness4075d ago (Edited 4075d ago )

So I'm not surprised that the wiiu isn't doing as good as they thought assuming nintendo was expecting the core gamers to flock right back to them with an updated wiiHD. Guess they were wrong....

Same gaming experience for multiplat games, but on a pricier console?! No thanks.

PopRocks3594075d ago

@Army of Darkness

Looking at the sales figures I think that's because the core gamers ditched Nintendo during the N64 and GCN eras.

Also Need for Speed on Wii U looks more like the PC build than the 360/PS3 versions, so no, not all multiplatform games are guaranteed to be the same.

3-4-54075d ago

Exactly. They have already announced multiple games that will sell 2+ million copies including:

* Mario Kart U - 2-3 Million +

* 3D Mario U - 5 Million +

* Yoshi's Yarn - 500k +

* Super Smash Brothers - 5 Million +

* Fire Emblem X SMT - 500k-1.5 Million +

* Monoliths game - 500k +

There are games coming...but we must be patient.

Look at the 3DS...it took a while but now they are releasing at a more constant rate.

MaxXAttaxX4075d ago (Edited 4075d ago )

Core gamers ditched Nintendo during the N64 and GC era because Nintendo was stuck and continues to be stuck in their own ideals, while systems like the PS1 pushed forward what we know today as modern gaming to the masses.

The Wii sold incredibly well because all of the marketing surrounding it was aimed at a casual audience. The NOVELTY of motion controls is what sold the Wii. Without motion controls, the Wii would have sold no more than the GameCube did, which was somewhere in the 20 million range.

The Nintendo fanbase is a lot smaller than some people would like to think and Nintendo knows that after the N64 and GC. It is why they used a gimmick(or novelty feature) like the Wii remote and targeted a different audience.
They're trying to do the same with the Wii U and the gamepad, but I'm not sure it has the same appeal and impact as the original Wii did. Also because adding a "U" after "Wii" was a dumb decision. Kinda like DS Lite, DSi, etc were all just different versions of the same system, the average consumer looks at it and says "oh so it's a Wii with touchscreen" and don't think much else of it.
And if you look at multiplatform games like Mass Effect and Batman, people that wanted to play those games either already did on their PS3/360 or will be able to. They don't feel the need to buy a whole new system to be able to do something that's already possible with what they currently own. Unless, of course, the only system you owned was a Wii. Then all of that will be new to you.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4075d ago
herbs4075d ago

Wow the majority of people who post on this site are not even gamers just a bunch of losers and brand zealots strait up...

LOL_WUT4076d ago

Because the asking price for the console is too high and right now there isn't any incentive to buy one, the games just aren't there. ;)

1upgamer994075d ago

How much do you think other next gen systems are going to cost??? Certainly AT LEAST $50 more.

dgonza404075d ago

He's saying it's a combination of both, not just one or the other.

Deku-Johnny4075d ago

Most consoles release at a price that is 'too high' without many system selling games. PS3/360 were both more expensive than they were worth and didn't have any more system sellers than the Wii U does, look at them now. If the Wii U does what they have done over the past 7/8 years then Nintendo are on to a winner.

AJBACK2FRAG4075d ago (Edited 4075d ago )

I think the Wii's original price, $250.00 was super attractive to mainstream audiences. I don't even know why. Maybe a more reasonable price, to non gaming consumers, a better name, even though I love the name. One of the N64's codenames was the Ultra 64 but most of all I think of Gumpei Yokoi's first toy, the Ultra hand. Like here's an example of a good name the Revolution. That would've been a great name and millions of people already like it. I think alot of people could say more games right now but you know I don't mind waitng for a great, system seller type game. Mario Kart U I believe is one of those types of games that are worth waiting for. Super Smash Bros. Universe is another one also. The WiiU is awesome seriously give a try it's fun. e3 is gonna be a huge time for Nintendo amazing games headed our way. Problem solved. A nice price drop probably wouldn't hurt.

whoyouwit044076d ago

I think the real answer is poor advertisement, and people not knowing that the Wii U is actually a brand new console and not a add on to the Wii. they really should have just called it the Wii 2 to avoid confusion.

Anon19744075d ago

I agree. It's a branding, advertising problem. I know what the Wii-U is because I'm a game nerd. I keep up on these things. Not one of the families I know with a Wii have bought a Wii-U and I'm willing to bet that if I asked them if they considered buying a Wii-U I'd just be met with blank stares.

Also of note, of the families I know with the Wii (none of them stepped up and bought a PS3 or 360 last gen) I haven't seen any of them turn it on except to use netflix in years. There was a time when I'd go over and the kids would be all over Super Mario Bros Wii, or Wii sports 24/7. Now the kids are a bit older, between 6-13 kinda range and I rarely see them without some tablet in their hands, or ipod touch. That's something else that as a developer I noticed.

Where I used to see the DS all the time when visiting friends with kids of this age group, there's no Vita's, there's no 3DS's, even the DS's which I know they own have disappeared. I don't know a single kid, no nephew/niece, no kids I see visiting friends and family, I haven't seen a single 3DS or Vita yet. Every single one of them has some small tablet now. Anyone else noticed this with kids between that 6-13 range, or is this just a regional thing?

maniacmayhem4075d ago

I too have seen and experienced this. I have not seen one kid/teenager with a Vita and the kids/teens I have seen with a DS or 3DS don't even game on it anymore. I have only seen a couple of kids in college and work with a Vita. And I mean literally a couple.

Just recently I went to a friends house where he had his 4(!) nieces over and three of the oldest (also between 6 to 13) wanted an iPad/Phone for their birthdays.
The nephews I have want either a ps3 or a 360, they know of the WiiU but they are not interested in it at all since they have played games like CoD, Gears or even GTA on their father's 360/PS3.

They have no idea that the WiiU is and that it is now trying to cater to the games that this younger generation has spent most of their time on. As much as I hate to say it I do think that the image the Wii cast on itself is directly hurting what the WiiU is. But only time can tell, it is still way too early to start declaring doom for the WiiU. We saw the same thing for other systems. Nintendo has been around the block a few times they know whats up.

StrongMan4076d ago

Because they are trying to sell core games to casuals. That won't work. It's just like right now MS is trying to sell causal games(Kinect) to the core and they are not selling. Same thing.

Karpetburnz4075d ago

I think youre on to something there. Nintendo is has a casual fanbase, and now theyre trying to sell core games to a casual audience.

danny8184075d ago

Very true. Also the selling point is too much for casuals. Maybe they thought the tablet would make up for it. Problem is, its just not so appealing. The games are there i mean, the line up was stellar compared to te 3ds. Something just doesn't give

CatXFlash4075d ago

They should be the Kids console and only that, we already have PC, PS and XBOX we can afford to give our kids their own system. Nintendo would do superb as the official kids company.

boldstarr4075d ago

its not selling because PS4 is on the way...!

PS4 Baby!!!!

4075d ago
truechainz4075d ago

Do you think splitting gamers into only 2 groups could ever be an accurate representation of them?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4075d ago
Show all comments (102)
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.

mkis0072d ago (Edited 2d 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.

banger889d 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.