190°

The Wii U death spiral, and how Nintendo can reverse it

It's hard to overstate the importance of momentum in the console gaming market. A new system has to come out of the gate fast, selling enough units of both hardware and software to prove to publishers that there's a good reason to focus at least some of their development efforts on it. If those initial sales aren't there, publishers may start ignoring the system altogether, which makes players even less likely to buy the system, and on and on, until the console is a barely remembered footnote in the ongoing console wars.

Read Full Story >>
arstechnica.com
PopRocks3593840d ago (Edited 3840d ago )

Wii U "death spiral"?

I know the Wii U has its share of issues in sales, but come on! It recently saw a sales spike thanks to Zelda, albeit a modest one.

MyFeetHurt3840d ago

this xmas will be the final death blow to the wii U, it wont see anything compared to xbox or sony, and thatll be the final death blow.

wii U wont see anything but mario titles by 2014.

3840d ago
3840d ago
herbs3840d ago

Yes HurtFeet the holiday season is definitely when the Wii U will stop selling and die off most definitely. Nintendo is so totally doomed forever this Xmas because no one buys stuff at that time of year and theres an immensly huge selection of awesome games coming to Xbox one and PS4. Mario, Wii U sports, Wii U fit and Wii party U are all games that historically sell horribly and nobody wants them nobody. Nintendo is so totally going to death blow itself into oblivion and cease to exist forever because Fanboyism.

TekoIie3839d ago

Yeh Bayonetta 2, Smash bros, Xenoblade 2 and Donkey Kong are just invisible to you right?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3839d ago
3-4-53840d ago

Outright lying in title = no views from me. I just want the truth, none of this BS to sell stories.

LOL_WUT3840d ago

Thanks to Zelda? Looks like someone forgot all about the price cut.

Aside from Mario 3D World what other games does Nintendo have to fall back on for the rest of 2013? The W101 came and went and Sonic lost worlds isn't quite what everyone made it out to be. Lets face it Nintendo is in a difficult situation. November is going to be a very interesting month ;)

Yep3840d ago

Price cut doesn't do anything without a simultaneous release of games. A price cut alone didn't help the 3DS or Vita.

In fact, there was barely a surge in sales after the price cut of the 3DS. The HUGE spike came after 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.

But nice try ;)

iamnsuperman3840d ago (Edited 3840d ago )

@Acesonnall

"In fact, there was barely a surge in sales after the price cut of the 3DS. The HUGE spike came after 3D Land and Mario Kart 7."

Actually that isn't true. The 3DS price cut came in mid to late August and for some reason the sales spiked (from 4.32 to 6.68. The previous three month span had less than a million sold ). Then Christmas it went up another 125% to 15 million. Now you can count the games having an effect but the price being dropped by a third would have helped as well (arguably more so). The price drop was only in effect for a two or three possibly 4 weeks and there was a sales spike. Then you add the Christmas rush and the spike can be explained by the price drop

Games help a price drop (no doubt) but don't underestimate how much that 30% price cut did for the system

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Yep3840d ago (Edited 3840d ago )

@iamnsuperman

3DS Price Drop was July 28th, 2011 ( http://www.nintendo.com/wha... After that followed Star Fox 64 3D on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario 3D Land in November, Mario Kart 7 in December and Kid Icarus: Uprising in March.

This is what I meant by the price drop not really doing anything in comparison to the release of a slew of games:

http://i.imgur.com/0uLv6Fn....

(A small spike after the price drop, Star Fox didn't do anything as it was a 3D reboot, Super Mario 3D Land is where the huge spike began and Mario Kart 7 sealed the deal. KI didn't do jack either).

I really wasn't pulling these facts out of my ass

BullyMangler3840d ago

ha haaa exactly but they wont report the good stuff just what makes them feel BETTER . . ha haaaa sony fanpies will do their best to make nintendo look bad or worse than sony ha ha haaa so they use saLes in order to feel good about something ha < fact

justin biber more saLes than 2pac . . does this mean Bieber has more skill more talent than 2pac?

saLes EXPOSED!!!

ritsuka6663840d ago

This is N4G, they not like good news of Wii U.

Black Block, We are the Resistance.

XisThatKid3840d ago

Doubt they can show me anything to turn me into a consumer and despite this site I am not alone there isn't MUCH of a market for the non bias non nintendo fan out there. Especially since we have such alternatives Tablets Phones PS4 X1. most bases are covered besides the only thing that keeps them where they are and that's 1st part exclusives dislike what you want but this is told as true. Nintendo needs a new niche to be as successful as it's competitors especially this gen hate it or not.

I don't have blind faith in this company or anyone for that matter but I do make my choices and I do indeed take my side but I wouldn't "hate on" a company's product for without reason if did so. I owe them nothing I had just as many good memories with NES that I had with my Sega Genesis, PSOne, DreamCast, Atari etc. I don't have this boundless faith that they can pull out of anything in real life. The Wii was a flash in the pan I doubt they can exploit an untapped market like that again doing what they are doing and in today's market and the competition is ridiculous. Yea rehashed HD remakes and franchise milking might pay the bills on a steady income but there will be a time where mediocrity will no longer be allow to skate by and exploiting its blind fans, NINTENDO - "Leave luck to heaven" and all that.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3839d ago
NYC_Gamer3840d ago

Wii U isn't dying and the console doesn't need to break sales records to be successful for Nintendo

caseh3840d ago

Maybe not dying but no doubt its going to have a difficult Christmas.

Two new consoles that every man and his dog will be buying compared to a fledgling console that is has a HD remake of a Zelda game.

A sizeable price cut would help but personally, I would rather drop the extra £100-£150 on a PS4 or XB1.

iamnsuperman3840d ago

I think even Nintendo have written off Christmas this year. It would be unfair to think they could. What is worrying for Iwata is if the PS4 and or One sell more units within a year he is in trouble. Wii U has a better chance next Christmas but honestly it needs the games and to drop in price (I think a sub £200 is a sweet spot for it with new systems coming out)

caseh3840d ago

Yah it deffo needs to be less than £200 here in the UK.

Even the Vita is looking more alluring these days, I saw it advertised with 2 good games (KZ and 10 psn titles) and an 8gb memory card for £139.99 yesterday.

£250 for a Wii U is a stretch considering everything else thats about.

davidDIRK3840d ago

Wii u blows. Bring out the hot chick in stilettos and stomp that lousy console into a million pieces. Hell yeah. Bo-ner!

Neonridr3840d ago

@caseh - good luck finding a PS4 or XB1 if you didn't preorder... So everyone and their dog will not be purchasing either of those consoles. Only those who really, really wanted them.

With a $100 lower price tag than its nearest competitor and a larger library of games available (not to mention every Wii title to boot) and you have an attractive little system there..

caseh3840d ago

Everyone who has pre-ordered won't be buying a Wii U. Those who missed pre-orders still won't buy a Wii U, they will simply hold onto their Wii/PS3/360 and wait for the next shipments.

$100 less simply isn't enough of a lure if you ask me.

Neonridr3840d ago

@caseh - you mean $100 with an included game.

I mean right now my Future Shop (Similar to Best Buy in the US) is selling the Zelda Wii U console with Black Ops 2 thrown in for free. That's $300 for the system and 2 games. To me that is one heck of a deal.

Dunban673840d ago

What does the Wii U need to accomplish in order to be succeful for Nintendo? Can The Wii U be successful for Nintendo yet it not be successful for most who purchase it?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3840d ago
king_george3840d ago

Smash bros will give it a nice boost. Theres so many fans.

STGuy10403840d ago

The Wii U is doing well since the Zelda bundle was released.

Axonometri3840d ago

Upcoming games for Wii U will sell the console. 2014 should speed up a lot.

Show all comments (66)
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?"

purple10112d 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 ☝️

Zeref12d 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.

DarXyde12d 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.

PhillyDonJawn12d ago (Edited 12d 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.

Einhander197212d 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.

MrBaskerville12d 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.

shinoff218311d 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.

Profchaos11d 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 11d ago
isarai12d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref12d 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.

MrNinosan12d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00711d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197212d 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.

12d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

12d ago
12d ago
Zeref12d 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.

DarXyde12d 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.

Einhander197212d 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.

Einhander197212d 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.

BehindTheRows12d ago (Edited 12d 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.

Zeref12d ago (Edited 12d 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.

Chevalier12d 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.

Tacoboto12d 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.

shinoff218311d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto11d 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 11d ago
Hofstaderman12d 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?

crazyCoconuts12d 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.

Xeofate12d ago (Edited 11d 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.

crazyCoconuts11d 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

FinalFantasyFanatic11d 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."

XiNatsuDragnel19d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8818d 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.

Jingsing18d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS17d 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.

mastershredder17d 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.

shinoff218317d 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.