Mario Kart 8 helps Nintendo’s Wii U, lifting console sales more than Titanfall or Second Son

Could great first-party games be enough to save the Wii U and Nintendo’s bottom line? If the early sales data from Mario Kart 8 is any indication, the chances are looking surprisingly good.

[NextLevel]

Nintendo's and Sony's 1st party is amazing. Microsoft's is just ok, most of their studios work on games, apps and few big franchises. Nintendo and Sony just have more talented developers. Titanfall isn't even 1st party, it's a 3rd party cross gen game.

Microsoft
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

Sony
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

Nintendo
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

Microsoft is more interest in buying 3rd party games, timed exclusive rights and timed DLC than 1st party studios. Which IMO is why they never come out on top when any generation they participated in is over. Sony's 1st party closed the year headstart the 360 had and Nintendo's 1st party has the Wii U outselling the Xbox One worldwide.

[Chrischi1988]

Nintendos is the best. I really dont see, why Sony is better than Mircosofts. MS has some nice exclusives.

[No_Limit]

@Chrischi,

NextLevel is just trolling as usual. The Xbox can cure cancer but it will still not be enough for her to acknowledge that it is doing anything good.

[MightyNoX]

@chirchi: Because sony creates new IP whilst MS leans on regurgitated halo/Forza/GoW (two of those are third party IP they bought, not created)
Even Nintendo experiments with its existing IP otherwise we'd never have gotte. Kart, party, smash Bros etc.

Derpity Derpity derpy comprende?

[NewMonday]

Watch Dogs sold more PS4 consoles than MK8 did to WiiU, It's multi-platform but it seams like the exclusive marketing for the PS4 is working, even more than it did for the 360.

[ShadowWolf712]

@PumpkinEater69

Titanfall: EA/Respawn. Also not exclusive.
Scalebound: Platinum Games
Sunset Overdrive: Insomniac Games.

Those are Third Party, man.

[duckmysick]

You really don't see how Sony has better 1st party games?!? Well I wouldn't either if I were stuck playing Xbox games, lol. Infamous, uncharted, last of us, Demons souls(the game that started it all, the soul series), Wipeout(which is coming back with a bang), the Order, and soon to be Bloodborne are just recent tastes of whats to come. Plus all the other 1st party games that don't see commercial success like puppeteer, but are still light Years ahead of what "Microsoft studios" are doing. Do yourself a favor and get a PS4 and wait, cause that's about all your doing with an Xbox anyway.

..but for real, I was with Xbox for 6 years and could not be more happy with my ps34U.

[GameSpawn]

Nintendo has good, well made first party games, but this is also one of their biggest downfalls (and not just in this generation, this issue goes back to the NES days). Nintendo has a way of alienating third-parties, leaving first party games being the only options (well... also toss in some 2nd party gems as well) to keep the system afloat. Nintendo knows this is the case and "throttles" their first party releases in order to re-surge sales when they slump, they did it with the GameCube, they didn't really have to do it with the Wii (but still did), and they're doing it with the WiiU -- it's the carrot dangling strategy.

Sony is in general better than Microsoft because of their track record with remarkable 1st party titles, while also at the same time inspiring 3rd party developers to compete, rather than feel alienated (Sony shares programming resources and techniques with 3rd party developers that are interested - case and point Sony's ICE Team). Nintendo has traditionally held back resources and techniques to insure 1st party titles' quality is always better than 3rd parties' - this attitude spun off the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" censorship of the NES/SNES.

Microsoft, well...Microsoft has a proven track record of a "VERY" few 1st party investments versus 3rd party timed-exclusives and 2nd party buyouts (known as commissions and contracted games in the professional tongue). Microsoft also "gambles" with their studios less than Sony does (not that Sony isn't making educated gambles - they are fully aware of what potential their studios have and what they are possibly capable of).

In short if we were to focus on strictly 1st party offerings primarily weighted more for "quality" than "quantity":
1) Sony
2) Nintendo
3) Microsoft

2nd party:
Pretty much even across the board - this is more subjective than the other two categories

3rd party:
1-2) Sony & Microsoft [Depending on 360/PS3 or PS4/XBO]
3) Nintendo

[thisismyaccount]

Not sure why one has to brag about this, more than anything else what it really tells (the news) is how bad/low the console sales of the WIIU really were before the release of the next recycled nintendo game.

It´s nice of them to ignore the most important data here "an +670% increase in hardware sales"...

One spike represeting the release of MK8, once the hype settles down it´s back to the usual routine at nintendo.

http://saved.im/mty3odexcgv...

Microsoft just ok? Okay being above average? Sorry but no... i do not remember any 1st Party Game from MS Studios at all, except for Kameo and now Project Spark (BELIEVE it or not : in 15 years of exbox this is the best IP coming from their studios and im being serious here!... just stupid of them to release it for the pc as well /duh)

90% of the game release on XBOX Platfrom were avaib. on the PC later that year or next fiscal year + the Par..Cl.... ensures or is what keeps them alive, Publisher know this : Extra platform means more (potential) copies to sell.

It is in their best of interest (Publisher side) to keep the exbox alive (via shaddy contractual obligations and what not), it ensures them few extra copies, they d.g.a.f about the brand or what not (same with PlayStation), they´re just after the buck....

Nintendo simply refuses to "host" violent games, they do not want to create a new synonym fro Nintendo, "the shooter console" etc...

[Gamer1982]

"--- Yep, because, you know, Titanfall, Quantum Break, Scalebound and Sunset Overdrive were TOTALLY old proven IPs... " not one of those are 1st party..

[Chrischi1988]

Hahahaha, say one thing against the PS4, just 2 Sentences and you get burned by the botherhood of PS4 fanboys.

I never said that I liked MS more than Sony, but I also do not dislike them more.

And it is a fact, that Nintendo has the best exclusives. Call them rehashes as much as you want. I think another Shooter or Zombie Survival Game is just as much a rehash, but from unproven IPs, in my eyes that is not the slightest bit better than a rehashed game, that people love to play and are eagerly waiting for a sequel.

Sonys exclusives are nothing compared to nintendos. It is a fact and many non Nintendo fanboys would agree, that if Nintendo had a more powerful maschine and the 3rd Party games plus its own exclusives, nothing would stand a chance and why? Because of its exclusvies. Sony and MS is bought for 3rd Party, Nintendo for 1st party and an ocassional 3rd Party game.

[Eejanaika]

compared to nintendo both sony and microsoft are ok.
considering thats all they focus on is exclusive games.

[DualWielding]

I think Sony's first party output was much superior to Nintendo's during the 7th gen... However, I admit 8th gen Nintendo first party has been superior so far. However, 8th gen has only started for Sony

[elhebbo16]

considering that all nintendo focus on is exclusive games alone make them fanatastic. Sony/MS has 3rd party to rely on when they are dry on first parties.

[Chrischi1988]

@ferthepoet:

Lol, you cant be serious. Or you just did not play them all, to make a real comparision.

Look, I am not saying PS3 exclusives were bad, but to say they were better then nintendos, is pretty deluded.

Just to give you something to think about: Mario Kart Wii (just under the top 3 of most sold game of all time), Mario Galaxy 1&2, Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime 3 and many many more.

[bigpiece]

lmao you just love to take hits at microsoft whenever you can. The fact that people are saying that microsoft isnt taking risks when they are showing new exclusives such as sunset overdrive, quantum break, scalebond, and bringing back phantom dust which didnt even sell well on the original xbox is just mind blowing to me. stop the fanboy crap on both sides its just ridiculous.

[NextLevel]

Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break and Scalebound are all 3rd party exclusives. Thanks for proving my point for me.

[stuna1]

I don't see Microsoft as the ones taking the risks with those games! If anything the 3rd party developers are the ones taking the risks, while Microsoft could potentially sit back and reap the rewards.

TitanFall on the other hand was a totally different story, with Microsoft being tied up in it's actual development and funding.

[sonic989]

look Sony needs something like Crash with mass appeal
something that sells millions and can be a reason for somebody to buy the system for .
infamous is good its not generic or a shooter that tries to beat call of duty so for me infamous is something you can find on playstation .
mario is like that for nintendo and I hope Sack boy can show us what he can ( already very successful ) .
and hopefully sony can get their crash back .

[Drithe]

NINTENDO RULES!!!

[ritsuka666]

Man , this guy is trolling in all articles of Nintendo. What's wrong with you dude?

[Tales RPG addict]

Nintedo is back and stronger than ever, wish i could say the same about Sony another favorite company of mine.

[360ICE]

Well, Sony is in peril, but PlayStation is obviously looking stronger than i a long time. And really, Nintendo looks stronger than they did following the launch of the DS and Wii?

No.

[kewlkat007]

I just pored 3 hours into MK8 with my little niece..just managed to finish the 50CC and unlocked Rainbow Road..This game is too fun to pass up..

I always end up buying all consoles at some point..Games like MK8 is why I still buy Nintendo.

You couldn't find one game like MK8 on the other platforms and is just as fun..

[Benjaminkno]

That's not surprising, but that's also nothing to brag about.

WiiU still has a long way to go before (if) it turns around.

[Concertoine]

Yeah MK8 is on a whole other level than either of those series in terms of popularity. This is to be expected.

I am eager to see the Smash bros boost though. That's a different demographic than the one MK appeals to. Im worried that it'll come out TOO close to the holidays.

[randomass171]

As long as they can release it before Christmas, I think Nintendo is golden. If they are smart, they can also mega bombshell the industry with a price cut or a cheaper Smash Bros. bundle.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

The gamecube didn't have a lot of advantages that the Wii U does have, though.
Better online being one of the bigger ones, and the type of controller for another.
There's also the complications in development to consider; the Gamecube was the most powerful system but also the most complicated to develop for due to the disk size and architecture.
Not the case with the Wii U, where some devs are getting PC ports to run with the flick of a switch.
There's more that went into it, but the Wii U's potential for recovery is better than the Gamecube's was.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

At this point there's no "if" about it.
It's got games coming that will be big enough to turn it around.
Smash and Mario Kart alone are a killer duo for the system, but then you gotta add in games like Devil's Third, Xenoblade X, and Bayonetta 2[with 1 packed in], and then you take a look at some of the truly fantastic indies like Shovel Knight and AREAL, and suddenly your wallet is cowering in a corner.

Especially if you're a multiplatform gamer, because then you've got the games on other platforms to worry about on top of all the Wii U awesomeness that's coming.

[Concertoine]

You would think so but the gamecube had 2 pikmins, mario sunshine, a mario kart, 2 zelda games, smash bros, f zero, 2 metroids, 2 star fox's, animal crossing and a few new IP's and still didn't do too hot, and the wii u is still tracking behind it.

I have no doubt the wii u will be seen as a console that redeemed itself with good games and it'll have some of the best games this gen but unless Nintendo supports it longer than originally intended i don't see it being anything but a marginal increase over GC sales at best.

[Concertoine]

The gamecube was not hard to develop for at all. The only system that was hard to develop for was the ps2, because it did a lot in 2000 to help future proof itself. The gamecube also wasnt the most powerful, the Xbox did laps around it. I doubt the GC could run Half Life 2 or Doom 3 like the Xbox could.

Also the Wii U is at way more of a disadvantage, don't know how you can spin that. Its a lot less powerful and its the only one not using x86. The gamecube was at least powerful enough to run ps2 games. Sure the wii u has online, but so did the GC, and like the gamecube, it's still an inferior service in most people's opinions compared to the other systems.

You can argue that Nintendo's series have been exposed to more people since the the success of the Wii and DS so those games DO have more potential than 10 years ago, but also let's keep in mind the Wii U is currently 3 million behind the Gamecube at the same point in it's lifetime... that's a lot.

[seraphym88]

You make some good points Concertoine, and i also believe the Wii U will only do 'respectable' numbers this gen, however i do think it will be better than GC by quite a bit, im thinking 40mil range if given 5 to 6 years.

The gamecube may not have been hard to develope for, but it used small proprietary discs, with low storage. To make a nice big game, you had to put it on 2discs (Tales of Symphonia) which upped costs. Also, just like Wii U, it was the most different of that gen, Nintendo has almost always done this since N64 days. Some say its to stifle 3rd parties (read above comments and someone acually says that lol), but more knowledgable people know its because Nintendo makes the console THEY want to develope for, the one that will run Nintendo games best.

http://www.theverge.com/pro...

The GCN had lower ram than even the ps2, and used a power pc prosessor chip called gekko. Both aspects are very similar to Wii U.

You mentioned another very big point, Wii and DS days were GOLDEN, so many people experienced the awsomeness of Nintendo IPs, Mario kart pushed over 35 mil alone. However another big point is that Nintendo themselves arent the same, they are worth around 18bil, a huge amount of that growth came since Gamecube. Nintendo did yield the 'capcom 5' but that was very late in the life cycle, Nintendo has already gotten more big-name 3rd party support for Wii U than GCN i would say, besides RE5 which later went multiplat. Indies are also a big part on Wii U, sure indies wont save it, but exclusive indies like shovel knight can cetainly help.

I dont want to sound rude, especially since i think you did make good points, but you cant really judge Wii U based on GCN. Times have changed so much, we are all in the HD days, and no matter how much people want to argue, the graphical gaps are much smaller, since everything has millions of pixels/polygons. We are still at the beginning of this Gen, and people are bickering about resolution/FPS right now, but im almost positive it will die down shortly, as soon as people go back to realizing gameplay is way more important.

One reason i was so interested in this debate is because i was thiknig just a few days ago...."man, Gamecube was awsome... but i think Wii U is my favorite Nintendo console" hand on bible. Seeing these posts really got me thinking as to why, since gamecube was my fav before. I think ive come to the conclusion that, simply put, Nintendo has been making exceptionally good games as of late. IMO the Wii U's library is leaps better than PS4/X1, and while Wii U had a 1yr lead, i dont see any killer exclusives for the competetion. E3 was seen as a bit of a let down overall i would say, mostly due to 85%-90% of the libraries for PS4/X1 being the same, and mostly shooters.

sry for the WALL, biggest post on n4g ever by me.

[ZoidsRaven]

MK8 will help the Wii U, but I wish Nintendo would just work harder on their advertising. You basically weren't watching TV if you didn't see the "Wii like to play" adds. Why is that not the case for the Wii U? 7_7

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Advertisement is Nintendo's biggest roadblock to good sales right now, honestly, in tandem with a lack of quick first-party releases.

[ricochetmg]

the lack of third party leads to a lack of games

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Wii u has third party games.
It's just that they're mostly bad ports.
Bad ports won't help the system.
Nintendo is working on fixing that with a slew of really good first and second party games on top of some third party exclusives, though, and their indie selection keeps growing stronger.
They won't have "a lack of games" for very much longer, AAA third party or no.

[brotherlymoses]

Titanfail and infamous boring son

[Th4Freak]

You missed Mario Rehash 1589^9999.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Didn't know 8 suddenly becomes 1589^9999.

[Jihaad_cpt]

@Otaku

I think he is refering to the Mario IP (used in like multiple games) not the one specific game. Let's face it Nintendo is Mario and Mario is Nintendo

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

*Looks up from my respectably large second and third party collection from Wii and Wii U*
I'm sorry, what was that?
I missed what you said.
I was just so distracted by all these great games....

[Chrono]

For a week or so

[DoctorJones]

Your posts are so dull. Every time I see you in a Nintendo article I already know you'll just making a boring negative post before I've even read it.

ZZZZzzzzzz.......

[ColinZeal]

I'd rather read Chrono comments than anything that the spin doctoring NDF (Nintendo Defence Force) posts...

[randomass171]

Uh yeah, I can see how obvious trolling is better to read than Nintendo fans who have a different opinion. /s :/

[PlayableGamez]

I am sorry to say, but that is an unfair comparison. Mario Kart is a well known and a popular franchise that has built upon the Nintendo System for years. So yeah it makes a lot of sense for Mario Kart 8 to move Wii U consoles for one, people didn't have Wii Us up until Mario Kart 8 was released and two, like I said, it's a popular game.
As for Titanfall, it's not an Xbox One exclusive. So how can it move Xbox Ones, when it's on other platforms (Xbox 360 and PC). Also, it's a new IP. Of course Mario Kart is going to sell more and move more consoles than the Xbox One.
Lastly, Infamous: Second Son is not even that much of an anticipated game to the begin with on the PS4. Overall, Infamous is not that much of a popular franchise. So how the heck can it compete with the Mario Kart 8? Also, check out the PS4 sales. The PS4 has rapidly been sold world wide, unlike the Wii U. So how can one game blow up sales for a console that already was selling well versus a console that wasn't up until one game was released?

[randomass171]

I get what you are saying, but there was a ton of hype for both Infamous and Titanfall. Heck, I thought Titanfall was going to sell millions of Ones and I was pretty wrong about that and Infamous has sold quite a lot on PS4 from what I heard. Mario Kart is a best seller on what everyone considered to be a dying or even dead console. Pretty impressive numbers for such a poor success, that much is undeniable.

[kneon]

This article also chooses to ignore that when infamous launched the Ps4 was still supply constrained, so there was an artificial limit to how much it could cause sales to increase.

[Visiblemarc]

Be careful, you are employing common sense in a thread bound to draw in trolls by the dozens.

[Alinea]

last I checked the best selling games atleast on the ps4 was cod ghost, and it doesnt even reach half of the audience while nintendo goes over half of their audience with mk8, and to be fair, theyre using the most hyped games so far for the system, which I think its still unfair for the wii u because the most hyped game for the wii u is smash bros.

[blackout]

Isn't this Nintendo's first major first party exclusive for the Wii U? While Sony had Killzone(Well Launch Title) and Microsoft hasn't released anything yet, Maybe (Forza 5 Launch Title). The Holidays haven't even began yet. Are any of these titles coming to the Wii U

Far Cry 4 Kyrat Edition - November 18th

The Crew - Muscle Edition - November 11th

Halo: The Master Chief Collection - November 11th

Assassin's Creed Unity - October 28th

Sunset Overdrive Day One Edition - October 28th

NBA 2K15- October 7th

Dragon Age Inquisition - October 7th

Forza Horizon 2 Day One Edition - September 30th

Destiny - September 9th

Just to mention a few.

I think Nintendo is in trouble this holiday. P4 and x1 fan will be laughing all the way to the bank (Literally).

Wii U has Zelda annnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's it. One good game a year is not good at all.

[CaptainN]

Really??? So Smash Bros during the holidays is now irrelevant??? And Bayonetta 1 & 2 combo, Hyrule Warriors, & Toads Adventure wont get anyone interested either I assume huh? Fanboyism is strong with this one folks!

[blackout]

Not trying to be spiteful but Smash isn't even dated yet and Bayonetta are you serious. You need the third party to survive and there is a big VOID there with the wii u. Now Zelda will move console's but compared to the games coming out for the other two big players (Xbox One & PS4) it's an unfair fight. It's nice something good happened to Nintendo but it will be short lived. The holidays is where this industry makes there money.

[TekoIie]

@blackout

"Not trying to be spiteful but Smash isn't even dated yet"

which means what exactly? Its scheduled for Q4 2014... Not like it magically disappears because its not got a 100% specific release date yet.

"Bayonetta are you serious. You need the third party to survive and there is a big VOID there with the wii u."

... Did you just ignore Bayonetta 2 or are you unaware that its exclusive? Bayonetta 1 comes free with Bayonetta 2 so I'm not sure what your trying to get at with the 3rd party thing. Especially when most of your list is third party titles... Double standards much?

[ShadowWolf712]

@TekoIie

Bayonetta 2 IS Third Party, but just about the only Third Party game the Wii U really has with any weight.

He said consoles need Third Party to keep afloat in this day and age.

[Knushwood Butt]

I bet Bayonetta bombs.

[TekoIie]

"Bayonetta 2 IS Third Party"

Bayonetta 2 is second party due to the publisher being the console owner.

"He said consoles need Third Party to keep afloat in this day and age."

His comment is definitely open to interpretation but when you say "Bayonetta are you serious.", and follow it with "You need the third party to survive and there is a big VOID there with the wii u.", just comes across as sarcastic trolling.

[MorbidPorpoise]

Ubi/Ea/Acti/2k will get the last laugh from your bank by selling quater of a game to you at full price, locking another quater behind huge grinds or microtransactions and then selling the half via DLC ;)

[blackout]

OK you seem upset. So what game will you be playing this holiday season.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

nope
First Party:
Super Mario 3D World
New Super Mario Bros. U
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
Pikmin 3
Nintendo Land
Wii Party U
Mario Kart 8
Hyrule Warriors
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Super Smash Bros.
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
Yoshi Wholly World
Kirby Rainbow Curse
Splatoon
Star Fox
The Legend of Zelda

Second Party:
Bayonetta 2
The Wonderful 101
Lego City Undercover

LOL you mention third party and not sony published games

[HmongAmerican]

Nintendo can survive without third party support but its going to be a very long and slow run for them. This year E3 Nintendo show a lot of games, but what happen after those game comes out? The console need steady game line up to feed all the hungry gamers.

[jholden3249]

After all those games come out, it'll be E3 2015 and they'll be announcing a new lineup, and the cycle will continue.

Nintendo platforms have far less total games, but they're almost all must-own, top-shelf releases. So Nintendo can get away with only 10 major Wii U releases per year, because all 10 are games worth buying. PS4/X1 may get 50 major AAA releases per year, but when only 1 out of 5 are worth buying, you're left with the same 10 must-buy games per year.

Just look at Nintendo's releases this year- DKC Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, Shovel Knight, Pushmo World, Bayonetta 2, Captain Toad, Smash Bros 4, Watch Dogs...

They get fewer games, but they make sure each and every one of them count.

[HmongAmerican]

I agree with ya.

[MCTJim]

Anyone remember the dreamcast? Great console..poor third party support. First party alone cannot keep the Wii U afloat. I love my Wii U...but there r not enough games for me at the moment..

[jholden3249]

To each their own, but to me it's never been about how many games come to the system, it's always been about how many GREAT games come to the system that are worth buying. A common misconception is that you NEED 3rd party support. Sure, 3rd party consoles need 3rd party support. But Nintendo hasn't needed 3rd party support in 20 years.

It's not like lack of 3rd party support just happened yesterday. You look at the top selling games for N64, Gamecube and Wii, and you can count the 3rd party games on your fingers. In fact, Wii U has actually had MORE meaningful 3rd party AAA support than any Nintendo platform since the 16-bit era. Over 2 dozen AAA Wii U ports to date. That's more than Wii got its entire lifespan. People are just now NOTICING the lack of support. But it's been missing for decades. But the 3rd party support Nintendo DOES chase after is all top-tier exclusives like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Bayonetta 2, each of which are worth owning a Wii U for in and of themselves.

When this year is over, I'll have bought these games for my consoles:

Wii U
DKC Tropical Freeze
Mario Kart 8
Pushmo World
Shovel Knight
Wii Sports Club
Hyrule Warriors
Bayonetta 1/Bayonetta 2 (easily best game of 2014)
Watch Dogs
Project Cars
Fast Racing Neo
Stealth Inc 2
Armillo (awesome game btw)
Child of Light
Captain Toad
Smash Bros
***30+ VC titles and games like NES Remix 2

PS4
Infamous Second Son
Tomb Raider
Transistor
Valiant Hearts
Trials Fusion
Wolfenstein
Last of Us Remastered
Far Cry 4
Destiny
Metro Redux
Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate
Guacamelee
Lords of the Fallen (is this still coming in 2014?)
GTA5
Assassin's Creed Unity (MAYBE)

X1
Sunset Overdrive
Halo Master Chief

So from my perspective, the Wii U is pretty much going pound for pound with the PS4 as far as providing fun games I will buy. If ever there was a reason to complain (from my perspective), it would be the X1. With all multiplats being purchased on PS4, it's only real purpose is providing exclusives, which are few. But I'm satisfied. It's not like I depend on just ONE console for all my gaming needs.

[DualWielding]

not everybody can afford to own all 3 consoles..... the Wii U is a great secondary console but if you have to pick only one its lack of third party support makes it the worst option... and personally if you already own a PS4/Xbone I'll recommend 3DS or Vita as secondary consoles over Wii U

[Concertoine]

Uhh, Dreamcast had pretty decent third party support outside of the lack of EA. Capcom, namco, etc. made a ton of dreamcast games. I mean the dreamcast got like 600+ games in under 3 years on the market, that's nuts.

It honestly had better support than the gamecube, wii or wii u but obviously the industry is much different in 1999 than it is now. The main reason it got so many games was because sega had a very low licensing fee and Nintendo's is still quite high.

[MCTJim]

this article is a good read if you wanna read it: http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

[randomass171]

Dreamcast was a financial disaster for Sega because they put a lot into the machine and people pirated the crap out of its games so Sega could not even make money back on software. That's not the case on Wii U.

[ThaBlackBaron]

Software moves Hardware, Its that easy

[SilentNegotiator]

And yet Ps4/Xbone are still outselling/outpacing it by a mile.

Now all Nintendo has to do is release a Mario Kart caliber game every week or so.

[Digimortal]

That can easily change. Also, last time I checked, Xbone is still in last place. Also, wait the Amiibos to launch. If Nintendo can manage to pull in casuals back into there system. What you just said, won't hold that much weight for very long. You people seem to completely forget about the casual aspect. Yet I can understand why as well, but if Nintendo can manage to snag a bunch up. Yeah PS4 will be in second place down the road.

[SpiralTear]

I think PS4 is going to be the frontrunner (at least for the first portion of the generation), but at this point, the Wii U is much more secure than it was at the end of last year. If you're still spelling doom on it now, you haven't been paying attention.

Not only does Nintendo's 2014 lineup actually have a great amount of AAA exclusives (can't say that about the other two), but Nintendo didn't bank all of their money on 2014 alone. 2015 actually has some major releases set as well.

If Nintendo can keep the boat steady past the holiday season, they'll be fine. PS4 is leading the course right now, but that doesn't mean that Wii U is "doomed." It's doing better now than it has since launch.

[GenericNameHere]

Xbox One came out a year later than the Wii U, and it is behind only by like a mil. 6.3 or something Wii Us shipped VS 5M Xbox Ones shipped is the most recent info so far. Skylanders and Disney Infinity have been giant successes, but they were on multiple successful platforms. The Amiibos are only on Wii U games this holiday, while the next Skylanders and Infinity 2.0 will be on several platforms also this holiday. Anything can happen, but Nintendo's just riding on the bandwagon, and I don't think it will be as successful as the other two.

What casual aspect? The ones they lost to mobile? People flocking to the Wii U to play the indie games? It's the holidays. All consoles will get boosts even if there is no games to play. People will get Wii Us to play Smash U and MK8 and the other games, and people will also buy Xbox Ones and PS4s to play their games. A new Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, GTAV next-gen, Halo Master Chief Collection with Halo 5 beta?? The casuals will also eat these up a lot!

And PS4 going to second place... Yeah, doubt it.

[randomass171]

Hasn't Wii U been selling about the same or above the Xbox One as of late? Most of what's coming out at the end of this year for PS4/XB1 are multiplatform games and most of those will more than likely go to the PS4 install base so I can't really see much outside of Sunset Overdrive really helping XB1. Wii U on the other hand has a small variety of exclusives and Smash Bros. to consider. Furthermore, XB1 is not currently outpacing Wii U "by a mile." Recent VGChartz weekly numbers have been putting the two in close proximity of each other, with Wii U actually outselling XB1 when Mario Kart 8 was newer. And VGchartz is generally known for overcharting XB1 numbers.

edit: tl;dr As of now I think PS4 is winning this race by far, but second place is completely up in the air. There is literally no way to tell whether XB1 will outsell Wii U or vice versa. It's simply too early in the generation.

[SilentNegotiator]

First of all, Wii U only outsold Xbone for a few weeks and is now back on the bottom. A few weeks a longer term trend doesn't make. Meanwhile, Ps4 and Xbone are both outpacing Wii U by a mile.

If Ps4 and Xbone CONSTANTLY get the boosts that they've seen with most of their big multiplat releases this year on TOP of the boosts that they get with exclusives, they're going to continue to overshadow the Wii U.

[CAB1802]

I called it, Sony is trash

[GenericNameHere]

You've got two bubbles... You been trolling, brah? Get rid of your avatar. You don't deserve to have a Protoman avatar, you 2-bubbled troll.

[CAB1802]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

[MegaRay]

Wonder who agreed with your comment.
Just be greatful Sony is here, you would've logged on everyday otherwise

[crazysammy]

Mario Kart is definitely helping but I also think the strong showing at E3 (Nintendo Direct to be specific) really pushed the system that consumers were on the fence about. I hear every day in my store now how impressed people are with the Wii U. Believe it or not it has all been positive press since the Nintendo Direct.

[Tales RPG addict]

Personally Xbox has very few interesting IP's Halo was better in the past, Gears of War has come and gone IMO, Banjo Kazooie a once treasured IP of Rare has become a mangled crap heap, Killer Instinct is a former shell of what made it so great, and even Conker was awesome but now reduced to a game called Project Spark which already seems like a wannabe LBP2.

No thanks i'll stick with Nintendo & Sony they both have interesting IP's and both are looking to have amazing Next Gen. Games
Bloodborne
Super Smash Bros.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Bayonetta 2
Mario Maker
Super Smash Bros.
and many more where that came from. Srsly who cares about Fable Legends when the 3rd game sucked. Sunset Overdrive ill sit that one out, Master Chief Collection no thanks i like Samus Aran better. Nintendo teabagged Microsoft and Sony at E3 and now Nintendo strikes back with madder vengeance.

Nintendo & Sony FTW. Its time the Japanese retake back the industry and really show off their true potential. The Shooter trend is still around but it won't lead the industry Forever there's only So many COD & BF games before people eventuall get beyond sick of them.

[lemoncake]

Mario kart is such a big game for Nintendo, good to see them pushing out the big guns on the wii u now.

[Adolph Fitler]

Lucky I have a Wii-U to go with my PS4...The fact is though, no shadow of doubt, that I could do without the Wii-U, & easily get by with PS4 & PS3....There are some great games already on PS4, & then the filler is more than made up for on PS3. PS4 & XBone have been released around 1 quarter of the time Wii-U has, & the fact is, Nintendo doesn't have much to show for it, apart from the most predictably fanboy feeding fodder Mario themed, or starring titles....I'm a bit sick of it, to tell the truth, apart from Bayonetta 2, there is nothing exciting in the Wii-U lineup.... Whereas PS4 has The Order 1886, Driveclub, Unchartered 4, LBP3, Evolved, MGS:TPP, GTA5, etc, etc.... Whether 1st party, or 3rd party, or "Indie", Sony has everything covered, & in bigger, better, more abundance than either Ninty or MS. There's so much we know that is coming from Sony's inhouse teams, but there is also SO much we don't know anything about coming from teams like Guerilla, Media Molecule, SSM, etc, etc.... Sony just has the best teams....

And those calling out Bayonetta 2 as game of the year 2014, are more ignorant than even the average rabid Nintendo fanboys usually are.... Unless, Bayonetta 2 covers EVERY genre of gaming, & does ALL genres THE VERY BEST, then that statement is a pipe dream..... Bayonetta 1 wasn't a great seller, over 2 machines, with very decent install bases, so don't jinx the game...for me, if it is at least as good as Bayonetta, then I will own the 2nd immediately...... But, that doesn't mean it will be the best game of 2014, by any stretch of the imagination.

[LightDiego]

I'm really satisfied with Nintendo and Sony exclusives, my favorites, i have a PC but the exclusives are not that good for me, if Microsoft releases a Banjo-Kazooie game, i will be crazy for a Xbox One.
Wii U is amazing with great exclusives, you should try it.

[zero_gamer]

And, the Wii U haters are on the floor squirming.

[ricochetmg]

or do they tell the truth you cant stomach

[zero_gamer]

Well, they say that the Wii U is doomed to failure and Nintendo should just go 3rd party. Not quite the truth.

[ricochetmg]

the struggle is real(STILL) and now but with the success of the handheld market I wouldn't go third party unless you are talking Apple. The next console will tell us the most about the future of Nintendo although the rumors of the hybrid is the best bet.

[GenericNameHere]

Wait, can someone explain that chart to me, other than it's data from VGChartz (ugh)? You can see week after week that the PS4 and Xbone have had better spikes, yet total Wii U sales are higher? Am I not just seeing the pattern?

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Evergreen titles means Nintendo's console is due for the slow yet steady route in sales.

It's like Nintendo has been saying all this time: "This generation will be a marathon for us, not a sprint."

[chito1016d]

I just got home with my Wii U Mario/luigi bundle and Mario Kart 8. Can't wait to set this baby up.

[BattleN]

You name it yet?

[BattleN]

And they said Mario Kart wouldn't sell!

[stripe814]

Yikes lolz..I guess TitanFall falls flat so bad

[assdan]

IT gave it a slightly bigger bump. It only helped it more if it raised the baseline, which it clearly didn't.

[ncc-017]

Well I hope you people don't think I'm being negative here but to be honest Wii U sales were so bad that no wonder MK lifted the sales percentage as much as it did compared to Microsoft and Sony whose consoles were already doing great even before Titanfal and Infamous.

[Many-hat5]

Ninentendo is, I feel, caught in a trap of their own making. See, Nintendo doesn't really, at it's heart, want games like COD and BF on it's platforms.Yet it feels it has to cater to all markets to maintain it's profile and market share,but that, in my humble opinion,is it's biggest problem. Mario kart has upped sales I believe,simply because it's a true Nintendo game. The kind of game Nintendo wants to make, and the kind of game Nintendo fans want to play. Essentially,that means fun! And games should be fun,right? Trying to be objective, I'd say Nintendo does need new software,to improve it's sales, and over reliance on a very few first party titles doesn't appear to be the best policy to increase sales consistently.However,if Nintendo stick to their roots and produce new IPs with traditional Nintendo values of fun and creativity,they will always find a strong market for their products. I don't own a current generation Nintendo console, but I'd love to come back, and MK is a tempting proposition!

[tsn]

I've been a Sony/Xbox guy since forever my house mate got a Wii U with Mario Kart 8 just 3 days ago I must say I haven't had this amount of fun in a console for a while not surprised by the sales boost.

I think where Nintendo is strong is they make games and the games are fun because the other competitors have seriou trying to real life type games which kills the mechanics in games, having realistic mechanics can suck sometimes.

[MAULxx]

I would really like to get a WiiU this year as they have games out & games coming I want to play.
Do you think we'll see a price drop for the console this year?
That's really the only thing holding me back, the money.
I'm buying a small stack of games this year for the PS4 like Alien ISO, Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor, Diablo 3 UEE, Jamestown & maybe TLOU Remastered. I have limited funds so I have to work with what I got. If I can comfortably get a WiiU and a few games for it plus all the other games I want this year I might pull the trigger.