Wii U hardware sales expected to slump 17% in the US during March

Wii U hardware sales in the US for the month of March will slump to only 55,000 units, analyst Wedbush has forecast in its March 2013 NPD Preview.

55,000 units is a 17 per cent decline over the 66,000 units moved in February. The console sold 57,000 units in January, following the November/December 2012 tally of 463,000 units.

[bicfitness]

What happened with MHU and Lego Batman boosting HW sales? If you listened to the N4G Nintendo pundits, those titles moved boxes like gangbusters.

That's quite a dreadful number if its true too, as the March HW tracking is a 5 week period, I believe.

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

This is like the 3rd remake of MH3, dont see how they thought thst lol.

[loulou]

i doubt that the success of the wii will be replicated. what is about lightning striking twice??

i have bad feeling that nintendo are going to get stomped this gen.

[dedicatedtogamers]

The only game moving the WiiU in great numbers (and I called this one prior to the WiiU's launch) is sidescrolling Mario. But even that isn't as potent as Nintendo would like, now that the market is starting to get saturated with sidescrolling Mario games as well as other sidescrolling games.

Nintendo Land is not Wii Sports, not does it appeal to the Wii Sports crowd. Nintendo's efforts to court 3rd parties on the WiiU has fallen flat on its face, and I doubt that will change any time soon. So, Nintendo's current spearhead into the "expanded audience" is as sharp as a loaf of bread. Contrary to what WiiU defenders claim, games like Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101, and Project X are not going to move the hardware in high or sustainable numbers. It will take a "new" Wii Sports title, more 2D Mario (this time a truly revolutionary sidescrolling Mario is needed), Mario Kart, and Smash Bros to get things moving. 3D Mario and 3D Zelda won't move the hardware in high or sustanable numbers, either, just like they didn't do so for the Wii or DS.

[lilbroRx]

I don't recall anyone saying Lego Batman would boost anything because its and old Wii game that most people already have. Also, it doesn't come out until next month I don't even see why that was released.

MHU did boost sales quite a bit so I don't know what you are getting at or this article.

The sales doubled in March. How did they come to the conclusion that they would slump?

[Mr_Writer85]

Maybe they doubled in Japan but this is on about the U.S.

And I think he meant Lego City. Which tbf a few deluded fanboys on here and other sites were claiming it was a system seller.

I think people need to stop thinking that everyone who bought a Wii is going to buy a WiiU. Once they accept that the WiiU won't be out selling the Nextbox and PS4 then things will calm down.

[LOL_WUT]

Right about now would be a good time for Nintendo to drop the price. If not then I expect Wii U sales to plummet even more. ;)

[Qrphe]

MHU was never going to boost sales significantly. It only sold 200,000 in Japan (the biggest market for such game). It sold 100,000 in NA and Europe combined.

[Zhipp]

According to VGchartz, Wii U sales doubled(from 30k to around 64k WW) for a couple of weeks around the Lego city and MH3U launches, and the biggest sales increase was USA. I dunno how accurate they are, though...

Speaking of accuracy, the article says they got their estimates from Wedbush. Doesn't Pachter work for them? I hope they're more reliable than he is, heh.

[TheDivine]

Moved about as many WiiU's as AC Liberation and COD moved Vita's.

Both systems need new games. Not ports, remasters, but new big games. WiiU has a killer lineup but most have no release dates. As soon as these games release the consoles will sell very well. Same thing happens with all consoles when there's few games early on. The 3ds started just as slow and now its on track to be the best selling handheld ever and it already has one of the best libraries ever. Hopefully Vita gets some big games announced at e3 also. Great system, no software.

[jcnba28]

People seem to foret that most of the world is in the middle of a recession, jobs are being lost everyday. Of course this is going to have an effect on sales.

[Donnieboi]

Wow that's a NEW excuse.

[jcnba28]

Excuse? Wow there really are a lot of pathetic people on this site.

[Utalkin2me]

^
*cough* Yes *cough*

[superterabyte]

@jcnba28 yes it will take an effect you're right But that is not the reason the Wii u is failing I mean the last month or so vita has picked up sales especially in japan why you ask? because they have released games that are big in japan.

The Wii u is selling bad because it doesn't have games and if it does eventually get games (probably first party sequels) sales will pick up if it doesn't then it will fail.

p.s. also doesn't help that the hardware is not impressive at all

[loulou]

bubbles + pikey.

but you forget to say unless that positive comment is about sony

[Utalkin2me]

@loulou

Really? This coming from someone who only joined a couple of months ago. Should have been around when the PS3 first launched and the site was littered with 360 fanboys.

[Kiddcarter]

Not a bad argument, but come on now, the 360 and ps3 are doing very well in middle of the same recession, maybe people just don't want to buy Wii U's right now. As a Wii u owner i understand why its not doing well right now, there's nothing to play,i think once there's games, that even in this recession sales will pick up, but sales will never be like the Wii, and Nintendo fan boys and Nintendo themselves need to accept that, the Wii was a fluke system and it wont happen again

[bicfitness]

Tablet and iPad sales are through the roof, and those don't come with retailer/ telecommunication markdowns and contracts. We're talking $250-500 pieces of tech with arguable usefulness. If a device is compelling, people buy it. Period. The Wii U isn't compelling, a more attractive price won't do anything without software either, so Nintendo is in a bit of a pickle till they sort that out.

[DragonKnight]

That recession has been going on for years and hasn't prevented people from buying more expensive products like iPhones, iPads and other consoles. The Wii U interests no one. It's not the recession, it's the console. The casuals see no difference in it from the Wii and thus won't buy into it, the core remember how Nintendo abandoned them in favor of the casuals, and the diehard Nintendo fans are still waiting for LoZ and Metroid. That's just the facts. Stop looking for other reasons to explain the Wii U's poor showing so far and just accept that Nintendo didn't do enough this time around... yet.

[mcstorm]

The problem with the WiiU at the moment is that Nintendo have let the 3rd party bring out there games before Nintendo have had any big hitters them selfs and because of this people will not buy a WiiU yet.

For example the biggest game of last year in terms of sales was BO2 but people already have a PS3 or 360 so they wont go out and spend £300 on a new console to buy the WiiU version.

This is the same problem Microsoft and Sony will have with there next consoles if games like COD are out on the 360 and PS3 as well as the 2 new consoles because people will not want to shell out £400 or more to play the same game on there current console.

Once Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo bring out there big names like GT, Halo and Mario Kart and the 3rd party stop supporting the current gen consoles then people will start to move to the new gen consoles.

People are forgetting that we are in a recession at the moment and people are finding ways to save money and this is part of the reason why the PSV is not selling to well at the moment.

The WiiU, Next Xbox and PS4 will all sell well in the next 2 years and I also expect sales will be closer between the best selling console and the lest selling console I don't think next gen will have an out right winner this time round.

[famoussasjohn]

Definitely can't be for being overpriced.

[dedicatedtogamers]

@ bicfitness and DragonKnight

"it's not the economy, it's the console".

Bravo. Bravo x10,000. People should be saying this over and over again, screaming it in Nintendo's face until they run out of breath. Nintendo made the same blunder with the 3DS, assuming people would go ga-ga over the glasses-free 3D. It wasn't until they stepped in with a course correction, a price drop, and a scramble to add more software support that the 3DS began to take off. WiiU is in need of the same emergency surgery, and the only people denying it are Nintendo themselves and their shrinking, blindly-loyal fanbse.

[kenshiro100]

Are you serious? People rush and buy the new iPhones each day. This has nothing to do with a recession. Nintendo isn't delivering, plain and simple.

[Mr_Writer85]

Yet the PS3 manages nearly 1million a month.

The WiiU's market has shrunk. That's all nothing more nothing less. The people who bought the Wii are not gamers, they simply found a new fad, they then got bored and moved on.

I wonder if you compared the rise of tablet sales (you the know those things that cost almost 3 times the price off WiiU) from around the 2010 (the decline of the Wii) you will be able to see why the WiiU is struggling.

[loulou]

indeed. but will we see this almost 1m per month now that the ps4 has been announced??

if i didn't already have a ps3, i certainly wouldn't buy one now knowing that the ps4 is coming..

[Mr_Writer85]

I doubt you will see that, but the matter of fact is there is a market for it still. There will be people who haven't bought one who maybe tempted once a price cut comes.

I mean knowing the PS4 won't play PS3 games might catch the eye of say some 360 gamers, or even PC gamers once the price hits sub £/$120.

And just like the PS2 many South American country's are yet to see a PS3.

Again small markets but a market none the less. The WiiU does have a market, but it's not the same as the Wii, and it doesn't appeal to the full Wii market.

[miyamoto]

"effect on sales"

Yeah the recession of 2008 really affected unit sales of video games hardware in favor of the Wii & DS because they are the cheapest in the market compared to other devices.

Yeah were are still in that same recession since that time but the Wii U strategy is very unlike the Wii strategy of old.

Its the most expensive HD console today and the games are not that easy to make as admitted by Nintendo themselves( http://seanmalstrom.wordpre... unlike the Gamecube/Wii SD games of old.

Nintendo is not ready to make HD games- games or lack thereof makes or breaks a platform. What Nintendo needs to do is Speed Up their HD game making process double time before PS4 games hit the market this holiday season.

edit:
Videogamer is a flame bait site like Kotaku

[kneon]

The economy has little to do with it, otherwise you wouldn't see PS3 and 360 sales still doing so well. The Wii U basic is the same price as the PS3 bundles so price isn't the issue there, people just don't seem to want a Wii U.

[lovegames718]

No hating but ever since the Wiiu came out fans have been saying every new release would sell units lol Not too long ago it was Monster Hunter and although it sold better then most games on Wiiu in Japan it didnt sell Monster Hunter numbers. I keep saying those games wont sell units the way Pikmin wont and Bayonetta 2 wont they are games that didnt even sell that much to begin with. Both games dont go past 1 million no matter what system its on.

Recession we already know is a dumb excuse especially since ps3 and xbox are still selling well above Wiiu and arent that much cheaper in price (at least ps4 isnt), not to mention Apple products keep selling through the roof.

200 price point with Mario Kart and Zelda releasing should do it for Nintendo and make sales wise otherwise its going to be a hard, bumpy ride.

[apollo06]

Not sure why.... Monster Hunter 3, LEGO City Undercover and Need for Speed Most Wanted U are all very good games and should've given the Wii U a bit of a sales boost... I guess people are just waiting for Nintendo to release their big guns.

Keep in mind the eShop has some AMAZING games as well.

[PopRocks359]

Games of that nature haven't really moved the media or the public in any way. The Wii U needs some games that really grabs peoples' attention. For those who have adopted early, your point makes sense since there's some content to access on it, even if not a whole lot. As for people still waiting for a reason, it's understandable why someone may not dive in right now.

[Theyellowflash30]

This is surprising if true. I thought for sure sales of the Wii U would be higher with Monster Hunter and Lego City.

[lilbroRx]

It was already confirmed higher by actual retailers. There was a 125% increase. I don't know where this article got its info from.

[Theyellowflash30]

This is American NPD, the 125% was Euro sales.

[sorceror171]

Funny, my kids pooled their saved-up present money just last night, and we went out and got a Wii U deluxe. They were very excited.

Then we got it home, hooked it up... and it was busted out of the box. Just a blinking red light, no picture, no nothing. We'll be exchanging it today. Wasn't the best first impression, but hopefully it was just a fluke.

[lilbroRx]

How that is relevant to this article, I do not know.

[sorceror171]

The crash isn't, but at least anecdotally, there's *some* sales interest. My boys wanted a Wii U because several of their freinds had ones already. It always takes time to build a console's audience.

BTW, the replacement is working right now, but wow - the warnings about that first update taking a couple hours were right. Ah, well, they're digging it.

[thezeldadoth]

i think all console sales are going to slump with the growing mobile market. Nothing is wrong with the WiiU, its doing alright for a newly released console with only a few games to play.

[KontryBoy706]

I don't understand how Nintendo has failed this bad. They should have had software and 3rd party support ready from the start. "Don't pull your gun out if you're not ready to use it". If they weren't ready to release the console they should have held off instead of trying to beat Sony and Microsoft to the punch. If the sales numbers are this bad now it's really gonna be evident when Sony and Microsoft release their consoles. No Mario or Zelda is gonna fix this like most Nintendo fans believe. If people aren't even buying the console yet it's because they don't see the value in it. Or, the masses don't even know it exists because of Nintendos horrible marketing. Most soccer moms think its just an add on for the Wii

[Ck1x]

Just for a quick reference, you guys said the same exact thing about the 3ds before the Vita launched! All I remember people on this site writing was how the Vita at $250 was going to end the 3ds and no Mario game could save it... Most of you based this theory on the fact that Vita on paper is a much better buy spec wise for $250 than the 3ds and XL are for $170-$200. But the mainstream public just doesn't agree with the fansites of gaming and that's what really puts the fanatics here in a tizzy. It's what we call free choice people, if you want to live in a country where people have no choice but to follow what a dictator suggests the go live in Cuba or something!

[tinezedw]

Who said that? And the only reason why it started to sell was because of the price cut.

[xursz]

^precisely.

Wii u needs that price cut to be competitive with PS3/Xbox360. I have no idea what dude is saying about dictators and Cuba.

[maniacmayhem]

Let me see that new Mario Kart and it better be on par with MK:64 with a mix of double dash fun times (plus Mario Kart 7 which I have not played but everyone tells me it's a masterpiece.) And I will get one post haste.

[Donnieboi]

Why did they ever stop having two characters on each kart? I liked that about DD, and each character had a unique special attack. The only thing about DD was that it didnt feel as fast as some of the other mario kart games.

[N4g_null]

Double dash sucked.

[Gr81]

Worst console MK Nintendo ever created. I'm noticing that many folks talking about how great GC was were around 10-13 when GC came out, the fact is GC had three to five games worth a damn. And it wasn't Toon Zelda, Mario Water Back-Pack, or DD.

It was Metroid Prime, RE4, Smash,..and I'm struggling to find a fourth..Twilight Princess? I dunno. What I do know is Wii was Nintendo going back to their NES days. Unfortunately the youngins don't remember that far back ; )

[maniacmayhem]

Double Dash wasn't the best but it was far better than Mario Kart Wii.

DD had some of the best tracks to date and honestly one of the major mechanics that really sucked compared to the 64 version was putting wings on the blue shell.

I can really get into other aspects of the Kart games and the flawed design that I have been complaining about since day one but these complaints are for the whole series in general.

But Double Dash was fun and it had some great gameplay. And the use of the two riders may have been a gimmick but I would gladly take that over ... motorcycles.

[N4g_null]

Motor cycles rocked and if you havnt figured out how to dodge blue shells then it will always be a sad day for you. Wii mk so far is the best.

I really hope nintendo can shake this n64/Ngc logic. The wii was a master piece of console gaming goodness. Not upscaling old wii games on the wiiu is a ball drop.

Also my wiiu library is looking pretty good I only need more einhander, strider, commando and R-type and I'm good lol. The new need for speed is awesome on the wiiu. Oh and sorry guys I bought a ps3 lol and started downloading the god games luckily I had monster hunter and need for speed to play.

If the wiiu does fail then I will look forward to another real wii moment in gaming. Unfortunately I'm not sure the other next gen systems can prove their case with such a backlog of good games to compete with around $29.

An os speed up would be fine but a wii upscaler would be a friggin god sin.

[josephayal]

they could lower the price, worked for the 3ds, IMO if Wii U was $150 I would get one

[superterabyte]

Im not paying any money for a console with less than impressive 'next gen' hardware and no games especially with the new PlayStation on the horizon

[Ck1x]

The PS3 & 360 aren't even that price, but then again you knew you were trolling with that answer...

[Theyellowflash30]

$150? Dude that's lower than the 3DS.

[Qrphe]

Never on retail but I have seen brand new basic Wii U systems going for around $200-$250 around my area on Craigslist.

[AKR]

Oh yes! Guys, this is the truth I tell you! It was the first month that the Wii U got retail activity, so OF COURSE sales are going to fall!

Yeah, makes perfect sense. Another stupid flamebait article created from baseless assumptions. Gaming journalism? Hah, I wish...

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

fall and holiday season is when the wiiU sales will actually increase by a decent amount. Mario Kart, Smash bros, 3D Mario. Nintendo will be relying on those notable games.

[xursz]

I know this is what people, especially die hards, are hoping for, but doesn't it seem like many people have gotten bored of the same old Nintendo? I know those are franchises that are considered classic nintendo but it's like telling the same *hilarious* joke over and over again; you might laugh the first 5 times but at some point you realize this guy is just trying desperately to be funny and you kind of just chuckle along for support. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it.

[OwlEyes]

I didn't really expect anything different.
This is for March, remember. No Wii U games were released until the very end of the month.

[OwlEyes]

Double post. sorry.

[OldSchoolGamer78]

Price drop right now won't help the WiiU much if any at the moment. The system is lacking a wide variety of games. There is a void of certain types of games that is required to help sell systems in large numbers. Example sports. This is where EA got Ninty by the balls for now. If I was Ninty I would be making all effort in trying to convince sega even going as far to partner up with them to fill the void of bringing their sega sports to the WiiU with extra features tailored for the console.
I prefer sega sport titles anyday to EA. The game mechanics are far more refined, plays smoother. EA games mostly rushed out each year due to the shear volume of titles they produce. Hence jack of all trades but a master at none.

[OldSchoolGamer78]

It would be nice as well if Nintendo relaunch or make a new eternal darkness game. Damn that was challenging and fun to play. Great puzzles.
I miss Midway. They had some really fun arcade games.
Oh and Star wars rogue squadron series from the gamecube please remake them in HD and add online co-operative play.

[OldSchoolGamer78]

Power stone would be well suited for the WiiU as well with online play and larger scale stages and even more players fighting onscreen at once. Who's with me?

Sega could also make a killing if they were to revamp and release exclusively on wiiu Sega gt. Nintendo have no car simulation games. They could conquer the wiiu market with a driving simulation game. SEGA GT was pretty good for the dreamcast.
ManxTT superbike with online features, sega rally with online features, and Daytona USA with online features.
SEGA hope your reading this.

Games of this nature is what's lacking to sell systems. Of course Nintendo signature games will eventually appear, but in the meantime it would be nice to have other style games on here. Just saying.