At GameStop, Wii U Deluxe sold out in less than 2 days. The PS3, in less than an hour...both models
The news that GameStop sold out all of its pre-order stock of Wii U Deluxe Sets has Nintendo fans rejoicing. While this is certainly good news for the big N, Wii U Only believes it's always a good idea to put things in perspective.
(GameStop, Industry, Next-Gen, Nintendo, PS3, Tag Invalid, Wii U)
"Then again, GameStop reportedly had only 13 to 16 pre-order slots for Sony's console at each store"
Exactly. And I know we don't know the exact number of units Nintendo is shipping, but I'm sure after the Wii success they would ship more than JUST 13-16 units per store.
Nintendo plans to sell 4-5 million by March of 2013. We have no idea at this point whether or not they will meet or exceed that target. That's roughly 1 million units per month.
Really? Its still up for pre order here in Canada, like everywhere...
Right now, I don't have the cash for a wiiU so this will be the first nintendo system I don't get at launch... but I will wait for a bundle that includes Smash or Zelda
People always seem to forget - every single console sells out for months on end when it is first released. It doesn't matter what the day 1 preorders are, or how fast they sell out on day 1. They will continously sell out day after day for months, just like they always do (unless its a dreamcast).
actually no ones knows the real number per store, but even if the numner were the two digits, well all know all know 98% of those preorders is the people who are looking to make a profit out of it.
so the question is How many of those truly nintendo gamers are buying the console.
There is in now way the kind of buzz for the Wii U that there was for 360 or PS3. I don't know anybody preordering a Wii U and nobody is talking about it.
Why is this even a story? They approve some questionable stuff here!
Actually there were plenty of articles over the summer saying Nintendo was having production issues with the Wii-U, and launching Worldwide within the same year, isn't helping the number of units per store.
The fact that they're not selling individual tablet controllers due to producing more consoles, so I don't think Nintendo has as many consoles as we may think.
I have a feeling they have worked hard to iron out such issues. The "late" Japanese release and rumored later European release may be the result of workarounds meant to circumvent production shortages.
Your point can't be ignored however, as they very well could have been affected as such by these issues.
Not necessarily, it could all be deliberate. By shipping few units on launch day they create the illusion of scarcity which get's people desperate to have one, just because it's hard to get one. The masses aren't that bright, if they see people lining up to buy something then many will decide they need to have one.
Just wait and see if closer to Christmas there are suddenly plenty available, that would indicate it's all part of the marketing scheme.
It worked well for the Wii, Apple products, Furby's, and Tickle Me Elmo Dolls. Where do you think these articles every year about that years "thing to have" come from.
With the original Wii, I think Nintendo was caught off-guard with the actual demand.
Shok just lurks in the unapproved Nintendo threads, waiting to find one with no comments and that needs a bit of damage control. Then BAM, there he is.
why u got disagrees when stating the TRUTH is BEYOND me U_U ... Yes the playstation 3 was sold out everywhere for months straights, people were paying 2-3 times the retail price online. i couldnt buy play3 until a year later lol. the question here is not the Wii-U sales, is How many of those preorders are people who are actually buying it for themselves n NOT to make a profit out of it?
why do we have to compare a 349-299 system to 599?
its 2 different systems early buyers always buy on these to sell on eBay for 2 times what it will cost at store, here is an idea why don't these publishers release 5 million system at launch? you know why because there won't be 5 million people buying.
they release limited numbers so it seems like its selling out. If there were enough to go around than you would see a lot of systems on shelf.
end of the day i want Zelda in HD the day it comes out me buying wii-u till than my ps3 and xbox360 will do me a fine job since every 3rd party game will be released on both systems
Still those 13-16 units sold out in an hour for PS3. Even if Nintendo had 100 per store its still no indication of how well the consol will end up selling considering it took them a day or so to sell out and Sonys 13 took an hour but we all know how bad the PS3s first 2 years were.
Also remember the PS2 was the biggest selling consol in history and it still ended up selling under predictions so the Wiis sucess is nothing to go by either.
There is no allocation per store. There is a universal allocation for the company. Once it's reached, the pre-orders stop to make sure we can guarantee the orders.
Errm... THe way this gamestop pre order stock works. They take the pre orders, the head office/ distribution teams will try to fulfil each stores pre order list, so 1 store might sell 100 WII U's and another may sell 5. The probably have a rough idea (if not an accurate idea) of the total stock they will be getting. Now they know the pre-order figures by store they can send out the correct numbers of consoles to each store accordingly.
There most likely will. Expect Nintendo to purposely skimp on supply. People naturally want things they can't have. The fact that the Wii U will be hard to get on launch day will make consumers go even more crazy over it.
Actually live, this is exactly the way to sell 1 million a month. Expect next week the mainstream media picking this story up and there being a small steady supply leading up to the holiday buying season. Everyone will want to get one as a gift for Christmas, but the perceived supply will be limited, thus increasing demand.
Probably soon after Black Friday you'll see an increase in supply and people will feel awesome for being able to pick one up as an awesome Christmas gift and feel they are the most awesome person ever for it.
With the Wii they did the same thing, however the actual demand was huge, much bigger than most console launches, and it caught a lot of people off guard.
It's all about perception and this is a very common marketing ploy. Never forget that the average consumer (ie. the masses) tend to have a mob mentality about this kind of thing, and don't really reason out what goes on behind the scenes.
I don't doubt that GS, Best Buy, Amazon, etc are sold out of their pre-order allotment. However, allotment doesn't equal all the consoles that will be available.
I personally have my pre-order in so I don't have to worry about it either way.:)
Nintendo ADMITTED to shorting wii stock to boost sales and it worked amazingly. People get paid to come up with these marketing schemes you know? It's not about how much you can sell in a month its about how much money you can sell over its lifetime.
I almost missed out. I assumed - mostly from the Nintendo negatives I find on this site - that pre-ordering wasn't going to be an issue since nobody really cared about it anyway. I ended up ordering the standard unit because all the deluxe ones were gone. Another few hours and I would have missed that too.
I already got my pre-order in. My local game store said they had a pre-order allotment of 75 per store in the area. So take it for what its worth. There were around 10 other people pre-ordering Wii U's at the same time as I was.
Keep in mind that the WiiU is releasing a week or so before Black Friday. This means that Nintendo will have enough units to meet the initial demand and to meet the Black Friday demand. This console is going to sell insanely. Also, playing the shortage angle would be a bad move because ps4/720 news is going to be coming within months of the WiiU being released. Nintendo has a short window to capitalize on sells, so I doubt we will see console shortages.
"...ps4/720 news is going to be coming within months of the WiiU being released."
Nope. E3 2013 at the earliest. With The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, and Gears of War: Judgement all coming out next year there's no way they'd cannibalize sales of their current consoles with a next gen announcement.
The longer they wait to release their next console, the better tech they can use at lower costs.
First off, I agree with you. I would point out that E3 2013 will only be about 6 to 7 months after the WiiU is released, so my prediction isn't wrong. Also, you are correct about the longer they wait the better tech they can deliver for a cheaper price. With all that said, I don't see Sony or Microsoft allowing Nintendo to have a year lead head start on them with no announcement of their new systems.
If you recall, Microsoft had a year head start on Sony and they never recovered from it. No matter what, the other big gaming company have to do something to slow down sales and support for WiiU, unless they want to have a repeat of the current situation. A situation where the Wii is the top selling console, yes those sales have dramatically slowed down but they still have out sold the other consoles.
I get where you are coming from, but I think you are underestimating how important it is for Microsoft and Sony not to let Nintendo move unchecked. If the WiiU is truly successful, I can almost guarantee the announcement of the ps4/720 sooner than later.
I don't think Sony and Microsoft are that worried about Nintendo right now (not saying they shouldn't be). I'm guessing they're banking on Wii U popularity not exploding like it did with the Wii.
Looking at sales so far, the Wii is at 96 million while the 360 and PS3 are at 68 and 66 million. Second and third place isn't the death knell that it was last gen. I don't know where the Wii will finish, but I'm sure both the 360 and PS3 will each reach 85 million sold at least. Last gen, the Xbox and Gamecube sold about 46 million units combined.
Also, many (not all, but many) Wii sales were from people who either didn't buy a console last gen or who own a Wii and another console. This conclusion can be drawn from a console sales comparison. Last gen, the PS2/Xbox/GC sold 200 million units combined. This gen, the Wii/360/PS3 will sell at least 270 million units combined, an increase of 35%.
So while MS and Sony would like a piece of that Wii pie, they're also not hurting by any stretch. All three companies' gaming markets are in pretty good shape, which is great for all of us. I'm sure MS and Sony are focused on making the Wii U look "obsolete" while also releasing an inexpensive console. To do that, they'll have to wait as long as they can. Now the question becomes: how long can/will they wait?
The average consumer probably isn't going to know or care about the PS4/720 come Black Friday. If people go in to buy a Wii U and they aren't available, then they may go for the PS3/360, which may look like an attractive alternative gift, especially if the rumored PS3 Slim comes out cheap. It's hard to say what the masses will do though since both systems have been out for a while.
My Gamestop only got 12 of the Deluxe before we were told to stop. It was a company wide deal not per store. As of yesterday we had around 50 of the basic and still going.
As a gamer, you should care about the success, because lack of sales = lack of developer support. And lack of developer support = fewer games for your system.
Nintendo systems are special because Nintendo will support the Wii U, no need to buy one to play a batman or a darksiders, i think Wii U is like the Wii i need to own another console at the same time.
Mario and Zelda, this is why i will buy a Wii U and success or not those two will release one day. and 90% of the people commenting on this are only fanboys: It sells more it's the best... I know and you know this is not true and this console war shouldn't exist at first place.
The PS3 was released AFTER the 360: next gen was in full swing. Gamers needed to buy a PS3, 360 or Wii in order to keep up with new releases. The wiiu isn't exactly in that situation.
The PS3 followed in the footsteps of the ps2, whos legacy can't be denied. While I disagree with the majority opinion on the wii, its legacy is less than stellar in the public eye. The wiiu has less to work off of for many people.
What will attract people to the Wii U is that it will be the cheapest option for hardcore next gen gaming alongside the most likely $399-$499 PS4/720. Thats pretty much Nintendo's plan for the future.
M$ will probably charge cheap price for the console with a stupid monthly subscription to Xbox Live. Just my theory anyways. As far as PS4 I have no idea what they're up to.
2 Disagrees? Huh... My point is the wiiu has these obstacles the PS3 didn't have, and is still selling(pre selling. Whatever) quite well. So far anyway, it is quite impressive, and could be a show that the positives outweigh the obstacles.
Here's another one: the economic situation is less favorable to large purchases than it was when PS3 launched.
The PS3 had a launch price of $500-$600 (adjusted for inflation, that's $550-$650 today) and a launch lineup that consisted of one quality title (Resistance). That's a pretty big obstacle.
I didn't click disagree, but that could be a reason others did.
True, our economy isn't as good as it was when ps3 came out. But these are luxury items. People will cut out food for a week if it means getting a new game. Plus the Wii U isn't $600 at launch. So even though money isn't how it used to be, the Wii U being half the price of a ps3 at launch more the compensates for that.
I'd say the apple sheep are def a little stupid when they blindly buy a more expensive, inferior product.
But I don't know if gamers are much smarter.
There plenty of valid reason to buy an xbox over a PS3, but if people actually compared them properly, looking at all the facts, I think a lot more PS3s would have been sold this gen.
The PS3 and the 360 are so even it is negligible. I own both of them and a gaming PC.
My preference is gaming on the 360. I like the setup and ease of use of the online functionality.
It is much easier to get matches going on the 360 than it is on the PS3. I have to send a text through the PS3 or my phone (if I even know their number), to get a match set up.
With the 360, it is one button press to bring up the friends menu, then one press for each friend to invite them to my party and then we can discuss what everyone wants to do and decide on a game/s to play.
That alone to me is worth the price of Live.
I use the PS3 for exclusives and the PC when I want to drool over graphics.
It is usually a matter of preference.
I don't know where you live, but everyone of my gaming buddies is more intelligent than most everyday citizens.
The majority of people that rush out to get the new idevice are really not too bright. As apple (lower case on purpose) likes to make tiny improvements to their products every six months. They market the hell out of it like it is the second coming, yet in reality it is nowhere near worth upgrading.
Sorry for rant/ off topic, but I had to address jessupj. It is preference when it comes to PS3/360 as neither of them are WAY better than the other one.
I knew this was going to happen! Despite all the negative speculation, I knew better than to doubt it so I prepared and reserved 1 for me, 1 for my son, and an extra 1, in case I'm able to sell it and make a profit. Nothing wrong in capitalizing on peoples doubts right!?
I pre ordered the regular edition since they were out of deluxe but if i feel i need the deluxe edition ill just buy it later next year and give this one to my little brother.
I wonder how many people are going to sell them back. I remember when the 360 came out this one guy bought like 10 or 15 of them and sold them all back for like $200-300+ more on Ebay, that's a nice profit.
I got $750 for a 20GB PS3 shortly after launch.. I would like to turn a profit on this as well but idk if its gonna be in demand.. I dont think many ppl other than die hard fans will go nuts over it
I wish Sony will come up with a better name for their next system instead of Playstation 4. Its just boring and stupid. At least X-box 720 is better than X-box 3. Of course, we don't know for a "fact" that is what the next X-box will be called. Look at Kinect, it was known as Project Natal, etc. Game companies seem to use code words for all their systems or weird peripherals. Anyway, sorry for being way off topic.
EDIT: Haha nevermind i was wrong! You can play games off the external! That's so awesome. Still gonna wait for a price drop cause im in college and cant really afford it atm but im impressed <.<
_____________________________ __________ [original comment:] I would assume same as PS3 no? D: Music, movies, photos, etc.
I cant imagine you can play games through a USB Hard Drive. The transfer rates are probably way too slow no?. Not to mention, easy piracy.
I've been googling around i cant find anything that says "You can play games off of an external".
Im not arguing haha just saying. I guess we'll see soon enough. [/original comment'
anyone else miss the days of the magic of "not knowing some shit" and when you read a title like "console x sold out!" it meant they literally had millions and sold out millions?..not dozens per store? =(
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Exactly. And I know we don't know the exact number of units Nintendo is shipping, but I'm sure after the Wii success they would ship more than JUST 13-16 units per store.
Nintendo plans to sell 4-5 million by March of 2013. We have no idea at this point whether or not they will meet or exceed that target. That's roughly 1 million units per month.
Right now, I don't have the cash for a wiiU so this will be the first nintendo system I don't get at launch... but I will wait for a bundle that includes Smash or Zelda
to say that when the ps4 720 start selling out
Unless we get unit numbers though we can't say much.
For example:
@Shok "I'm sure after the Wii success they would ship more than JUST 13-16 units per store."
Well the PS2 was also greatly successful and yet Sony still only shipped out 13-16 units.
Like I said we can speculate but at the moment this is not hard evidence that the Wii U is selling fast.
ATM!
so the question is How many of those truly nintendo gamers are buying the console.
There is in now way the kind of buzz for the Wii U that there was for 360 or PS3. I don't know anybody preordering a Wii U and nobody is talking about it.
Why is this even a story? They approve some questionable stuff here!
I've already pre-ordered the deluxe version (paid in full), so I ain't complaining :P.
The fact that they're not selling individual tablet controllers due to producing more consoles, so I don't think Nintendo has as many consoles as we may think.
Your point can't be ignored however, as they very well could have been affected as such by these issues.
Just wait and see if closer to Christmas there are suddenly plenty available, that would indicate it's all part of the marketing scheme.
With the original Wii, I think Nintendo was caught off-guard with the actual demand.
"White Knight Shokio doing damage control"
Wow you people are throwing that word around now even when it doesn't make sense to use it! LOL
a defensive comment, playing down what it stated above = damage control
if their was no damage were you just rambling or something else?
Typical honestly.
the question here is not the Wii-U sales, is How many of those preorders are people who are actually buying it for themselves n NOT to make a profit out of it?
NO?
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photo...
its 2 different systems early buyers always buy on these to sell on eBay for 2 times what it will cost at store, here is an idea why don't these publishers release 5 million system at launch? you know why because there won't be 5 million people buying.
they release limited numbers so it seems like its selling out. If there were enough to go around than you would see a lot of systems on shelf.
end of the day i want Zelda in HD the day it comes out me buying wii-u till than my ps3 and xbox360 will do me a fine job since every 3rd party game will be released on both systems
Also remember the PS2 was the biggest selling consol in history and it still ended up selling under predictions so the Wiis sucess is nothing to go by either.
THe way this gamestop pre order stock works.
They take the pre orders, the head office/ distribution teams will try to fulfil each stores pre order list, so 1 store might sell 100 WII U's and another may sell 5.
The probably have a rough idea (if not an accurate idea) of the total stock they will be getting.
Now they know the pre-order figures by store they can send out the correct numbers of consoles to each store accordingly.
Its just a logistics thing
its stupid speculation
something CANT just sell out because alot of people want it
nono there HAS to be an evil scheme to fool people
there just HAS to be
funny how i see alot of people, (mostly ps360 fanboys) say oh they are selling out because nintendo is purposely making shortages
oh no but if the ps4 720 are selling out
oh wow its a great success!!111
and no one will acuse those companies of evil scemes
How do I know you've been going to the beach? because it sounds like you have sand in your vagina.
Actually live, this is exactly the way to sell 1 million a month. Expect next week the mainstream media picking this story up and there being a small steady supply leading up to the holiday buying season. Everyone will want to get one as a gift for Christmas, but the perceived supply will be limited, thus increasing demand.
Probably soon after Black Friday you'll see an increase in supply and people will feel awesome for being able to pick one up as an awesome Christmas gift and feel they are the most awesome person ever for it.
With the Wii they did the same thing, however the actual demand was huge, much bigger than most console launches, and it caught a lot of people off guard.
It's all about perception and this is a very common marketing ploy. Never forget that the average consumer (ie. the masses) tend to have a mob mentality about this kind of thing, and don't really reason out what goes on behind the scenes.
I don't doubt that GS, Best Buy, Amazon, etc are sold out of their pre-order allotment. However, allotment doesn't equal all the consoles that will be available.
I personally have my pre-order in so I don't have to worry about it either way.:)
Nope. E3 2013 at the earliest. With The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, and Gears of War: Judgement all coming out next year there's no way they'd cannibalize sales of their current consoles with a next gen announcement.
The longer they wait to release their next console, the better tech they can use at lower costs.
If you recall, Microsoft had a year head start on Sony and they never recovered from it. No matter what, the other big gaming company have to do something to slow down sales and support for WiiU, unless they want to have a repeat of the current situation. A situation where the Wii is the top selling console, yes those sales have dramatically slowed down but they still have out sold the other consoles.
I get where you are coming from, but I think you are underestimating how important it is for Microsoft and Sony not to let Nintendo move unchecked. If the WiiU is truly successful, I can almost guarantee the announcement of the ps4/720 sooner than later.
Looking at sales so far, the Wii is at 96 million while the 360 and PS3 are at 68 and 66 million. Second and third place isn't the death knell that it was last gen. I don't know where the Wii will finish, but I'm sure both the 360 and PS3 will each reach 85 million sold at least. Last gen, the Xbox and Gamecube sold about 46 million units combined.
Also, many (not all, but many) Wii sales were from people who either didn't buy a console last gen or who own a Wii and another console. This conclusion can be drawn from a console sales comparison. Last gen, the PS2/Xbox/GC sold 200 million units combined. This gen, the Wii/360/PS3 will sell at least 270 million units combined, an increase of 35%.
So while MS and Sony would like a piece of that Wii pie, they're also not hurting by any stretch. All three companies' gaming markets are in pretty good shape, which is great for all of us. I'm sure MS and Sony are focused on making the Wii U look "obsolete" while also releasing an inexpensive console. To do that, they'll have to wait as long as they can. Now the question becomes: how long can/will they wait?
I hate this site sometimes....
Just for fun:)
Mario and Zelda, this is why i will buy a Wii U and success or not those two will release one day.
and 90% of the people commenting on this are only fanboys: It sells more it's the best... I know and you know this is not true and this console war shouldn't exist at first place.
The PS3 was released AFTER the 360: next gen was in full swing. Gamers needed to buy a PS3, 360 or Wii in order to keep up with new releases. The wiiu isn't exactly in that situation.
The PS3 followed in the footsteps of the ps2, whos legacy can't be denied. While I disagree with the majority opinion on the wii, its legacy is less than stellar in the public eye. The wiiu has less to work off of for many people.
My point is the wiiu has these obstacles the PS3 didn't have, and is still selling(pre selling. Whatever) quite well. So far anyway, it is quite impressive, and could be a show that the positives outweigh the obstacles.
Here's another one: the economic situation is less favorable to large purchases than it was when PS3 launched.
I didn't click disagree, but that could be a reason others did.
Gamers are usually a little brighter than the apple sheeple.
Definite no to your second sentence.
But I don't know if gamers are much smarter.
There plenty of valid reason to buy an xbox over a PS3, but if people actually compared them properly, looking at all the facts, I think a lot more PS3s would have been sold this gen.
My preference is gaming on the 360. I like the setup and ease of use of the online functionality.
It is much easier to get matches going on the 360 than it is on the PS3. I have to send a text through the PS3 or my phone (if I even know their number), to get a match set up.
With the 360, it is one button press to bring up the friends menu, then one press for each friend to invite them to my party and then we can discuss what everyone wants to do and decide on a game/s to play.
That alone to me is worth the price of Live.
I use the PS3 for exclusives and the PC when I want to drool over graphics.
It is usually a matter of preference.
I don't know where you live, but everyone of my gaming buddies is more intelligent than most everyday citizens.
The majority of people that rush out to get the new idevice are really not too bright. As apple (lower case on purpose) likes to make tiny improvements to their products every six months. They market the hell out of it like it is the second coming, yet in reality it is nowhere near worth upgrading.
Sorry for rant/ off topic, but I had to address jessupj. It is preference when it comes to PS3/360 as neither of them are WAY better than the other one.
I would want at least 200GB... I'll wait and grab one with a bigger drive in the inevitable future. Prices are pretty good though >.>
/discussion
Serious question lol. I would guess not but who knows
_____________________________ __________
[original comment:]
I would assume same as PS3 no? D: Music, movies, photos, etc.
I cant imagine you can play games through a USB Hard Drive. The transfer rates are probably way too slow no?.
Not to mention, easy piracy.
I've been googling around i cant find anything that says "You can play games off of an external".
Im not arguing haha just saying. I guess we'll see soon enough.
[/original comment'
349€ - premium
source: Amazon.de (Germany)
£249.00 - basic
£299.00 - premium
source: Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom)
Games: ~70€ / ~50£