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Nikkei: Nintendo ceasing Wii U production at the end of the year

T

Tangled Up in Blue

Banned
Sub Boss said:
Im typing this from the Wii U
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MGS3.jpg


For the record, the Wii U has supplanted the Gamecube as my second favorite Nintendo console. Rage against the dying of the light.
 
H

hwy_61

Banned
This is gonna be kinda shitty to say, but I really hope the NX isn't backwards compatible. I would feel better about my Wii U purchase.

Sorry for being selfish.
 
H

horuhe

Member
Don't know if this has been posted.

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horuhe said:
I think I need to explain this, a little bit better.

The Wii U shortages, as far as I can tell, are (or better said, were) caused by an internal production problem in Mitsumi Electronics Co. This company was one of the manufacturers of the Wii controller and some parts of Wi-Fi PCB for DS, in the Wii/DS era, and now is dedicated to manufacture some parts for the Wii U hardware.

Their factories are located (at least, those focused on manufacturing Wii U) in China. The Wii U stock problems started somewhere around the beginning of the festivity of the Chinese New Year on February 8th (new moon), and they stopped the production. This festival ended on February 22nd (full moon), that's why Rakuten and other blogs expected that Wii U shortages would have ended by around that time (late February to early March), since there are not factories in Japan and there are some difficulties to send the production from China to Japan.

What is the problem, now, that there is no reason for shortages? Well, doing some research, I found that Mitsumi Co. became a subsidiary of Minebea (another electronic company) and announced an official integration with this company.

http://shikiho.jp/tk/news/articles/0/97891
http://eetimes.jp/ee/articles/1512/22/news046.html

In early February, they had to revise their expectations to explicitly declare a six billion yen deficit on their anual report.

http://www.nikkei.com/markets/kigyo/gyoseki.aspx?g=DGXLZO9693979004022016DTC000
http://www.fukeiki.com/2016/02/mitsumi-2016-loss2.html
http://m.finance.yahoo.co.jp/news/detail/20160204-00000226-stkms-stocks
http://shikiho.jp/tk/stock/info/6767 (with some graphics)
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------------

horuhe said:
More info about Mitsumi.

In this one, Moribe (Mitsumi CEO) says that sales have fallen from 100 billion yen to 30 billion yen, and that their human resources were insufficient. Something that drove them to became subsidiary of Minebea.

http://www.nikkei.com/markets/compa...79&ba=1&type=2&g=DGXLASFL21HM4_21122015000000

This is the presentation of the integration with Minebea, finally concluded in April 2017.
(Something coincidential with all the Wii U, and NX stuff)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGmRDkdePtY
Click to expand...
 
D

Doctre81

Member
If it has hardware BC that means it is either gonna be more expensive than it could have been which is bad...or held back by old hardware again..which is even worse.

BC is out this time fellas.
 
N

Neoxon

Junior Member
Doctre81 said:
If it has hardware BC that means it is either gonna be more expensive than it could have been which is bad...or held back by old hardware again..which is even worse.

BC is out this time fellas.
Click to expand...
But what about NX Handheld BC for 3DS games?
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
hwy_61 said:
This is gonna be kinda shitty to say, but I really hope the NX isn't backwards compatible. I would feel better about my Wii U purchase.

Sorry for being selfish.
Click to expand...

Even if it did have BC, the problem is the gamepad, which you'd probably have to keep.

Meaning you could sell your Wii U, but then the new buyer would be left without one, so why bother? Then you might as well keep it around, which means the only real reason for BC regarding Wii U games would be convenience.
 
L

LiveFromKyoto

Member
Farewell old friend, it's been a great few years. You still have the best Zelda ever (WWHD), best Mario Kart, my favorite 3D Mario and my favorite 2D platformer since the 16-bit era (Super Luigi U). Some cool surprises in Zombi U and Bayonetta 2, and a couple of worthy ports like Deus Ex. Worth every penny.
 
Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie

Member
giphy.gif


Good night sweet prince. I'm very thankful for all the memories I already have with its library, the gamepad, and the times I've had playing the great games of my favorite developer. There's still many to discover! I'll keep it plugged for many, many years to come. Just flat out love it.

I mean, the Wii U is the console with a Captain Toad game. It's automatically awesome.

Almost forgot, but by God the Woolly World OST is one of the best I've ever heard. Now I'm sad ):
 
P

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Mihael Mello Keehl said:
I bet PLENTY money its being downported on Wii U now. The official released screens are in 1080 P. Unless they got that thang on Wii U at 1080P then no. Something more powerful than Wii U is what its being run on.
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Skyward Sword had bullshots, and those 1080p Zelda U screens were released at E3 2014...

Not to mention WWHD ran at 1920x1080, so it may have been a target, even if it's pretty pie in the sky and impossible on Wii U with solid visuals, except Smash to an extent.
 
A

Anth0ny

Member
Mihael Mello Keehl said:
I bet PLENTY money its being downported on Wii U now. The official released screens are in 1080 P. Unless they got that thang on Wii U at 1080P then no. Something more powerful than Wii U is what its being run on.
Click to expand...

I don't know about downported, but I honestly wouldn't be shocked if they went full TP and released the Wii U version after the NX version to really drive people to buy the new console.
 
C

CaptainGyro

Banned
shagg_187 said:
So those that bought a Wii U, are you happy with what you got? Are you happy with the 4 year production cycle of the console?
Click to expand...

Well I knew the console was doomed when I got it in fall 2013. I remember there were 2013 NPDs where the Wii U numbers were under 10k for several months, which is just mindboggingly low. I also remember people posting that gif of the sinking horse in the muddy water, and I was a little depressed just how bleak it was looking for Nintendo. So I decided to buy a Wii U to help keep it alive. When I got it I said I would be happy just to playNSMBU/NSLU, SM3D, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong TF, Bayonetta 2. Wonderful101, Earthbound, Castlevania IV and MK8 , and now it's ended up with at least 20 games that I consider worth buying. The fact that Super Mario Maker,Captain Toad game, a good Yoshi game, the first Bayonetta, Splatoon, Zelda Minish Cap, Lttp, Metroid Fusion and MK8 /Smash Bro cheap dlc unexpectedly came along was huge. Also I spent a couple thousand hours using the wii u gamepad in bed while browsing the internet, youtubes, netflix etc and yeah I think the thing provided shitloads of entertainment out of it and I got my money's worth .My pick for most underrated console, I like it more than the wii and maybe the n64.
And though 12 million sold is still considered a failure, I actually consider that a successful turnaround from the bleak future it looked like it had at one point.

Anyways, yeah overall I am pretty happy with how it turned out
 
Rhazer Fusion

Rhazer Fusion

Member
Is Wii U the first major console that technically never had a price drop? I mean I understand that they were trying to break even or make a profit, but to me it's a tad surprising or even preposterous that they never really dropped the price of the hardware to try to move units. I feel that a few more people would of gave the console a chance if it wasn't almost the same price as the PS4 or the XBox One. Oh well. I still think the NX will launch in 2017 and honestly, that would probably make a little more sense than late 2016. I am not so sure how many people will tush out to purchase an NX after the Wii U underperformed. We'll see eventually.
 
I

Instro

Member
Rhazer Fusion said:
Is Wii U the first major console that technically never had a price drop? I mean I understand that they were trying to break even or make a profit, but to me it's a tad surprising or even preposterous that they never really dropped the price of the hardware to try to move units. I feel that a few more people would of gave the console a chance if it wasn't almost the same price as the PS4 or the XBox One. Oh well. I still think the NX will launch in 2017 and honestly, that would probably make a little more sense than late 2016.
Click to expand...

I think by the time that it was feasible to drop the price it was already too late to make any meaningful difference to the sales trajectory of the system. Probably the same reason why the bundles for the system were so quite lackluster.
 
C

crinale

Member
Rhazer Fusion said:
Is Wii U the first major console that technically never had a price drop? I mean I understand that they were trying to break even or make a profit, but to me it's a tad surprising or even preposterous that they never really dropped the price of the hardware to try to move units. I feel that a few more people would of gave the console a chance if it wasn't almost the same price as the PS4 or the XBox One. Oh well. I still think the NX will launch in 2017 and honestly, that would probably make a little more sense than late 2016.
Click to expand...

The major chip vendor (Renesas Electronics in Japan) handling WiiU chips sold the firm didn't help I guess. I'm now wondering whether Sharp Corporation in trouble would affect NX launch.
 
J

Jorok Goldblade

Member
Makes sense. According to the marketing leak, isn't Paper Mario Color Splash supposed to be the last title to be announced for the rest of the Wii U's lifespan?

Rhazer Fusion said:
Is Wii U the first major console that technically never had a price drop? I mean I understand that they were trying to break even or make a profit, but to me it's a tad surprising or even preposterous that they never really dropped the price of the hardware to try to move units. I feel that a few more people would of gave the console a chance if it wasn't almost the same price as the PS4 or the XBox One. Oh well. I still think the NX will launch in 2017 and honestly, that would probably make a little more sense than late 2016. I am not so sure how many people will tush out to purchase an NX after the Wii U underperformed. We'll see eventually.
Click to expand...

My understanding is they never sold enough to transition to cheaper parts, so they had to keep price up to not lose money on early production runs.
 
D

Deku89

Member
Rhazer Fusion said:
Is Wii U the first major console that technically never had a price drop? I mean I understand that they were trying to break even or make a profit, but to me it's a tad surprising or even preposterous that they never really dropped the price of the hardware to try to move units. I feel that a few more people would of gave the console a chance if it wasn't almost the same price as the PS4 or the XBox One. Oh well. I still think the NX will launch in 2017 and honestly, that would probably make a little more sense than late 2016. I am not so sure how many people will tush out to purchase an NX after the Wii U underperformed. We'll see eventually.
Click to expand...

They had a price drop in the first year ($350 to $300). It was around the time Wind Waker came out.
 
W

Wagram

Member
shagg_187 said:
So those that bought a Wii U, are you happy with what you got? Are you happy with the 4 year production cycle of the console?
Click to expand...

No. Second console disappointment in a row, which is why i'm being heavily reserved for NX. I'm not an ULTRA Nintendo first party fan so the Wii U library is pretty abysmal for my tastes.
 
Meesh

Meesh

Member
shagg_187 said:
So those that bought a Wii U, are you happy with what you got? Are you happy with the 4 year production cycle of the console?
Click to expand...
Not too happy about the lifespan, but I'm welcoming a change that obviously needs to happen. Wiiu had some amazing games though :( just not quite enough or variety.

So...in the end not too happy really. Lol, sorry to be confusing.
 
M

MK_768

Member
Meesh said:
Not too happy about the lifespan, but I'm welcoming a change that obviously needs to happen. Wiiu had some amazing games though :( just not quite enough or variety.

So...in the end not too happy really. Lol, sorry to be confusing.
Click to expand...

Basically how I feel. Loved Pikmin 3, 3D World, Mario Maker, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros. But I definitely felt like we lost out on some games. For instance, Pikmin 4 is geting push to NX and there is no Animal Crossing. Also some of the more recent games were rushed and Nintendo seemed to move on from Wii U(for the most part) early last year...if not earlier.

Yes, I'm aware Splatoon, Mario Maker, and Xenoblade came out in that time.
 
H

hprshredder

Banned
hwy_61 said:
This is gonna be kinda shitty to say, but I really hope the NX isn't backwards compatible. I would feel better about my Wii U purchase.

Sorry for being selfish.
Click to expand...

I hope this for the sake of cost. I'd rather not have to buy the Wii U again in the form of added BC. I don't think it will be BC though, because they're moving away from the Wii brand according to Kimishima and that means no Wiimote functionality (THANKFULLY)

So honestly I hope the Wii U can be its own niche thing so I don't have to pay for the parts to make the NX sun Wii U stuff. Id rather just pay for a system with specs that aren't a generation behind.
 
S

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Welfare said:
You know how to become irrelevant? Announce your current dead console is officially dead this year and not be replace it until next year. That's how you kill something. NX is 2016. Nintendo isn't stupid.
Click to expand...
A smart company doesn't go from swimming in an ocean of DS/Wii money to putting out a console that barely squeaks by the Dreamcast. Nintendo had all the time and money in the world last gen to carve some notable expansions and alliances, to cover very obvious weaknesses in their portfolio and guarantee their next console was compelling and successful right out of the gate. Instead, they opted to do nothing but rest on the laurels of the Wii name, which they also cultivated terribly in those last couple years before they asked people to buy a new one.

Wii U is a case study in stupid, non-forward-thinking business decisions.
 
H

Hackworth

Member
This seems like a good time to look back and reminisce about the best games on the system. Splatoon and Bayo 2 were worth the cost of entry alone.
 
A

Aroll

Member
Deku89 said:
They had a price drop in the first year ($350 to $300). It was around the time Wind Waker came out.
Click to expand...

Just quoting this for emphasis. They definitely had a price drop. Launch price was $300 for the 8gb White Console, $350 for deluxe 32gb Black. It's now $300 for Black, $250 for white (in the very few locations you can even find a white console). They did a price drop for it in 2013 about a year after release. They haven't dropped the price since, but if you think about it it's not exactly that long ago, and unfortunately the price drop at the time failed to bolster sales. When they dropped the price on the 3DS it started to pick up steam instantly. Wii U didn't. That indicated (or had to indicate) to Nintendo that for handhelds, the 3DS was simply too expensive day one, but for consoles - price may not have been the issue.

You can argue it is an issue today, but it's not hard to find a wii u used or on Nintendo's online store for around $220.
 
TLZ

TLZ

Banned
shagg_187 said:
So those that bought a Wii U, are you happy with what you got? Are you happy with the 4 year production cycle of the console?
Click to expand...

Yes. I enjoyed and still enjoying all the games that I got for it. 4 years is nice and sweet. Not too long, not too short.

NeXt please!
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Shig said:
A smart company doesn't go from swimming in an ocean of DS/Wii money to putting out a console that barely squeaks by the Dreamcast. Nintendo had all the time and money in the world last gen to carve some notable expansions and alliances, to cover very obvious weaknesses in their portfolio and guarantee their next console was compelling and successful right out of the gate. Instead, they opted to do nothing but rest on the laurels of the Wii name, which they also cultivated terribly in those last couple years before they asked people to buy a new one.

Wii U is a case study in stupid, non-forward-thinking business decisions.
Click to expand...

.
 
Osukaa

Osukaa

Member
Can we get a price drop on all the games then. I mean that's the least they can offer for those of us who stuck around -_-....
 
C

copelandmaster

Member
shagg_187 said:
So those that bought a Wii U, are you happy with what you got? Are you happy with the 4 year production cycle of the console?
Click to expand...

It has some fun games that I have enjoyed: basically Mario Kart 8 and Pokken. The rest were demos, remain wrapped up/ unplayed on my account, or were expensive disappointing muck
Smash 4
.

Fun games in spite of the hardware and OS being absolutely below par. No built in ethernet and no optical out make me something something.

The gamepad as a "Hey, you can take this bastard away from a tv and play games" thing is a dream come true idea, one that I would think about often as a kid. The gamepad as "comfortable controller for playing a game at your desk facing a monitor" for long periods of time" is a failure. The gamepad as "second screen gameplay!!!" can go to hell.

Even as a $225 refurb, I got more out of my Playstation 4 pretty much playing Bloodborne and FFXV: Duscae exclusively, save for the odd rental like COD:AW, Tearaway, and SFV.

4 year prod cycle? Do whatever, I don't really care how much I spent on this thing and how little I've played it. Both the Wii U and PS4 pale in this regard to my PC.

In fact, hurry up and release the damn NX so I can play Pokken Tournament NX/2 at a not completely terrible display/texture resolution.
 
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