shinra-bansho
Member
Yes, the difference is major games might have an actual impact, while mid-tier games likely won't.
What exactly provides the validity for your argument? Do you have some sort of precedent upon which you're drawing from?
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Analyst: Nintendo sold 55,000 Wii Us in March, 85,000 Wiis
- Thread starter ClovingWestbrook
- Start date
Love this gif. So much potential.
The problem is Nintendo is asking you drop $349 for New Super Mario Bros. and a bunch of late PS360 ports with spotty quality. Even as a Wii U owner, I can't recommend the console to anyone else because the value just isn't there. You can get away with shit software in the early days of a new console if the graphics and online features are more impressive than gamers can find on their current system.
Plus, I do think PS4 and Durango are poised to have some solid games available on Day 1.
Outtrigger888
Member
hmm..it was all about that year head-start, instead of launching strong.
I know the 360 had two major titles in its first March: Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and, perhaps most importantly, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
If there's a spot of hope here its that the 3DS had a similarly lackluster software lineup for quite a while and now its turned itself around and is doing quite nicely for itself.
If Nintendo truly wanted 3rd parties to shine, they would've given them more appealing hardware to play with.
I'm expecting sales under 100k units as well. The first half of the year for sales performance looks bad and Iwata can only say "Please understand the situation" so many times. Nintendo panic mode here we come.
Iwata thought several of its early 1st party titles would turn evergreen but New SMBU and stand alone Nintendo Land sales have already fallen down the charts. Wii Fit U is going to meet the same fate.
Iwata thought several of its early 1st party titles would turn evergreen but New SMBU and stand alone Nintendo Land sales have already fallen down the charts. Wii Fit U is going to meet the same fate.
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
Except Nintendo mever has to worry about third party support on their handhelds. They have to on their home consoles.
Things are looking way worse than the Gamecube era.
Gamecube wasn't a generation behind in tech, it wasn't abandoned by third parties as quickly as Wii U, it had a much stronger initial first party lineup, and sales were never this low. It seems pretty dire right now and I don't think they'll be able to turn things around.
Quadraphonic
Member
It also doesn't help that the boxes look almost identical. Of course, we don't expect them to learn. Gamestops mix up DS with DSi with 3DS titles all on the same shelf.
AZ Greg
Member
Yeah, March was a really solid month. 10-12 games released IIRC. And other than the 2 you mentioned, it had games like Burnout Revenge, Far Cry: IP, and a couple of other games that, while average, WiiU owners would love to be getting right about now.
Well, there hasn't exactly been another system in this situation before (Vita?). I think we can agree to disagree.
This is true.
Aquamarine
Member
1. PS3 had one retail release in its first January and two retail releases in its first February.
2. 360 had zero retail releases in its first January and two retail releases in its first February.
3. Wii U had zero retail releases in its first January and zero retail releases in its first February.
1. PS3 had ten retail releases in its first, post-holiday software refresh in March.
2. 360 had ten retail releases in its first, post-holiday software refresh in March.
3. Wii U had six retail releases in its first, post-holiday software refresh in March.
Like I said, it's a typical software roadmap strategy. And yet....
360 NPD sales:
1st November - 326,000
1st December - 281,000
1st January - 250,000
1st February - 161,000
1st March (cycle refresh) - 192,000
PS3 NPD sales:
1st November - 197,000
1st December - 490,700
1st January - 244,000
1st February - 127,000
1st March (cycle refresh) - 130,000
Wii U NPD sales:
1st November - 425,000
1st December - 460,000
1st January - 57,000
1st February - 66,000
1st March (cycle refresh) - 55,000 (Pachter's prediction)
Man, whenever Katsuya Eguchi comes out during E3, I am just going to expect some form of disappointment.
And with everyone connecting online, I can't believe this game had no online multiplayer features. It was like something out of the N64 era.
AZ Greg
Member
No matter how many times I read this, it never stops being funny!
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Wii U just needs a new image, a new mascot they can market
Outtrigger888
Member
honestly, we cant judge these sales numbers by being nintendos best shot at launching wii u. Instead, look at these numbers as anything nintendo could grab with their year head-start.
Everyone is saying its failing, but really it just never got a strong/proper release just so nintendo can have a head-start.
Everyone is saying its failing, but really it just never got a strong/proper release just so nintendo can have a head-start.
Q
qizah
Unconfirmed Member
$50 difference would be great, but I'm not sure. I'm not really a hardware guy, but is $399 doable considering the PS4's spec's and Sony's willingness to lose profit on the machine?
I agree. It's hard to recommend right now, despite how much I've enjoyed Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros U; there's just not enough on the console from Nintendo to recommend it to people.
Little Green Yoda
Member
I don't think this current drought is simply a matter of Nintendo doing 3rd parties a favor. Not when no retail titles come out for a system for two months straight. Either their games are delayed for "upended tea table" reasons or they really want to hold off their titles for one big blowout in hopes that the zero exposure right now doesn't cost them before their "relaunch" later in the year.
All the big ones. The Vita has Persona, Uncharted, Gravity Rush, Lumines, Asscreed, Wipeout and some great ports like Rayman Origins, NFS MW, Oddworld yet many still complain it has too few games.
As a comparison: Since febuary 360 owners got MGR:R, Crysis 3, Tomb Raider, and Bioshock while WiiU owners got Lego City and MonHun. They are probably two great games, but why wouldn't you buy the cheaper console that gets more new titles and has a gigantic game library in addition?
Wow. You can really see all the "hard core" (haven't got a better word) guys buying it the first two months and then the sales fell off a cliff.
Well that's quite interesting then. Consider your argument accepted. (Although I still have some doubts.
)ViewtifulJC
Banned
"And now before we go..."
*all Nintendo fans huddle in anticipation oh god is it Smash 4 is it 3D Mario is it sneak peak at Retro's new game omggggg*
...let's take one last look, at Nintendoland"
/wrist
KillerTravis
Banned
I don't get it though.
SolarPowered
Member
damn that looks horrible. Even the PS3 did way way better
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Yeah, it´s not because Nintendo is having difficulty with HD development or anything.
Barack Lesnar
Banned
Wii U just needs a new image, a new mascot they can market
*dead*
Yeah, even something like Fight Night Round 3 can serve as a sort of system seller when it comes out on new hardware. PS4/Durango are already in better shape than Wii U as soon as casuals see Madden 25 and Fifa 14 running on them.
AZ Greg
Member
The Wii launched a year after the 360, and was similarly underpowered, yet it still sold amazingly. I doubt Nintendo, so desperate to get some head-start numbers, would sabotage their own launch.
GoofsterStud
Member
Hardware wise it's feasible they might not take a loss at $399. We aren't paying for things that aren't important to most gamers in the box, which makes it reasonable. Add contracts with PSN+ and it could go even lower.
Now if they want to make a small profit on each console then $449 should be reasonable.
Don't forget the Scalpers. A lot of people bought it with the idea that they could sell it for double the price on EBAY like the Wii.
But Waggle felt next gen. Motion controls were next gen feeling for a console. Tablets don't have the same effect. Especially to attract casuals who already have an Ipad, Nexus, or Galaxy.
shinra-bansho
Member
See Aquamarine's post.
For a somewhat analogous situation, at least in terms of struggling post launch, see the PS3's numbers more closely and the failure to increase sales Feb -> Mar.
IFAICT there isn't any precedent for a 50% increase in sales that some appear to be predicting. Holding flat at ~65K would actually be better than the norm, and a decrease to ~55K fits the norm very well.
And yet they announce the 3DS XL at a Nintendo Direct and The Wonderful 101 as a Spike TV exclusive. They're strange people.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
I'm still baffled by how much NintendoLand didn't catch on. Everyone I know was done with Wii Sports after a few weeks, but a half dozen friends and I were playing NintendoLand every week for like four months. Just a weird situation where my experience apparently runs completely contrary to the market.
Bel_Air_Jeff
Banned
I think the Wii U sold more than this honestly. I was thinking closer to the 80k mark...
It did for a while, but it never got any of the major third party exclusives like the PS2 did; Resident Evil was the only real victory for the system, and even that was severely undermined when Capcom announced the PS2 port of RE4 before it even came out.
Alex
Member
MHFU and Tri both sold well over 500k in the west. Monster Hunter has probably peaked for what it can achieve in the West and if did continue to grow it's certainly not going to be from a Wii U port and an offline 3DS version with no adhoc party.
Outtrigger888
Member
thats when consoles jumped to hd. You have to factor in the times with the hype of owning an hd console to go with your hd tv.
Its still worth looking at, tho.
SolarPowered
Member
The game, on the outside, appeals to no one. Hardcore fans are turned off by the casual look. Casual fans have no attachment to the references to old series. Who was this game made for?
Regardless of how good it actually is (I've enjoyed it) it's nearly unmarketable.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Bayonetta 2 was announced through some third party stream after hours
If and when Nintendo E3 conference disappoints, keep hope alive for Destructoid community blog exclusive reveal of Metroid Dread, a 2D 1080p new adventure for Samus Aran, with Zone Editor for custom levels you can share on the Miiverse
Outtrigger888
Member
I dont, at all. It just seems like the correct route, business wise.
They got their console out just before black friday 2012...a coincidence? I dont think so.
Keep thinking about it...
Of course. Explains the PS3 outselling the 360.
I have seen it and have noted it. But how is dropping 8k "fitting the norm" when the other two systems increased a bit, even if it's no more than statistical noise?
That's the fun thing!
? No it was announced through a Nintendo Direct.