TAS
Member
Vita numbers. 50-60K :|
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Pachter/EEDAR predict NA Wii U sales came in between 110,000 and 125,000 in January
- Thread starter liger05
- Start date
Vita numbers. 50-60K :|
DeuceGamer
Member
If true, not bad considering there haven't been any new games and the lack of marketing. Pretty bad overall though...
test_account
XP-39C²
I think Pachter had it at 675k and EEDAR had it at 600k. It was just predictions though, as far as i know.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/385270/wii-u-sales-hit-600k-in-december-in-the-us-analysts
Schnozberry
Member
I'm not sure that's apples to apples in any case. The PS3 released into a strong economy without competition from high end smartphones and tablets at similar price points.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Perhaps we're just splitting hairs in a pointless battle of semantics, but this strikes me as very disingenuous. "I'm not saying these numbers are good, but so long as they don't dip into Vita territory, I'm going to insist that things are still in some nebulous 'okay' region." If you're assessing the viability of your platform, the bar shouldn't be set at "better than Vita."
Version 3.0
Member
No, it didn't. The Wii outsold it handily right from the start - every month in 2007 except March, sometimes doubling the PS2's sales. The PS2 did do somewhat better than the 360 - although the 360 closed out the year ahead. The only new console it "beat the shit out of" was the PS3.
or better games to justify the purchase, I know I'll be buying one later this year for MH3, W-101 and Pikmin 3 and if everything goes as expected I'll be able to grab Sonic racing and tekken for $20 or less
JustAnotherOtaku
Member
Better than I was expecting. Or maybe I'm just setting the bar too low given recent (UK) sales :/
Version 3.0
Member
That prediction would put the Wii U behind everything but the Gamecube. That's bad. And it'll get worse before it gets better, because of the empty release schedule.
If I were Nintendo, I'd get the whole Virtual Console library up and running over the next few months. The system needs quantity over quality at this point, anything to keep interest alive until new games start coming regularly (which they also need to work on).
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Yeah, but that makes the situation worse. I'm sure the WU will be pretty alright in the end, but thats indicating that its not regarded as a successor system. I mean the PS2 outpaced the 360 and PS3, but only by a few thousand, with far less revenue than either one of them by themselves.
The reason the PS3 did so terrible its first year was because the economy was terrible. It was worse then than it is now.
But anyway, Pachter was off by more than some GAF members last time.
Schnozberry
Member
That is demonstrably false with even a cursory glance at unemployment and GDP growth.
Hellsing321
Member
Thats actually better than I was expecting, but I was expecting a blood bath so...
Zoramon089
Banned
They need GAMES. I don't know why people instantly jump to price cuts. Yes, it'll cause a boost but games are a more pressing issue. A price cut is a more serious and permanent decision not one you just throw around because things aren't going well
Ummm... no, The Economic crises happened in 2008, PS3 launched in 2006.
michaelius
Banned
Hmm I'm thinking that both might be overguessing it and final number will be in 80-100k range.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
I obviously wasn't talking about the Wii. It's THE exception of exceptions.
Graphics Horse
Member
In my recollection, Pachter seems to always overestimate these by quite a bit. :/
Steve Youngblood
Member
The price cut option has one advantage in that it can be implemented in the short-term. If the great software that's going to drive sales isn't going to be ready for some time, what else do you have to fall back on? If it's not finished, you can't just shove 3D Mario onto the marketplace and expect it to carry the platform.
Mind you, I'm not suggesting that the answer is a price cut. But it's worth noting that the 3DS recovery was the result of both high profile releases and a price cut.
grimshawish
Banned
If you were paying $599 for a console you'd think the economy were shitty too.
Because it is bad. LOL @ 'That would be ok'. No, that would be terrible. Reminds me of the early PS3 days.
Schnozberry
Member
Fair point
JESUS. Those are sales numbers I'd expect during anemic or phasing out periods..
Zoramon089
Banned
With the 3DS it always seemed they had the leeway to lower the price significantly. With the WiiU not so much. I'm pretty sure it's selling close to it's price point and Nintendo probably wants to keep it selling at a profit for as long as possible and cut only when they're absolutely sure it can't be salvaged. If they cut it and it booms later in the year they're essentially permanently losing that difference in profit
Schnozberry
Member
Iwata said costs should come down enough for them to turn a profit on Wii U in the summer. Once they refine the OS a bit with updates and release some games, the fall and Christmas season should be better for them.
I'm a Nintendo fan, but it is impossible to deny the blunders made on the Wii U firmware, early lineup and marketing. Hopefully E3 is where they turn the corner. Monster Hunter and Lego City should also help in March.
Steve Youngblood
Member
I would assume that the boom later in the year would have been heavily aided by a price cut. I am going to be shocked if there isn't a price cut before the year's end, even if I agree that right now may not be the right time for one.
The whole marketing strategy is bad, I find criminal for example not focusing on the off TV aspect, it´s non existing in ads.
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
Not bad actually.
Of course it could be better.
Of course it could be better.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Well, better than what? Than what we're seeing now? I should hope so. Personally, while I don't write off the chances of a "good to great" holiday 2013, I don't feel comfortable at all going out on a limb and making a call either way. There's way too many variables in play that we don't know enough about yet.
Schnozberry
Member
Well, if I could predict the future, I'd be much more shrewd with my investing. They have a lot of work to do. I think the system could have more broad appeal if they can market it correctly, but its a catch 22 because you can't do that without effective software. It's all in the follow through.
Version 3.0
Member
The Gamecube suffered, in my view, from what I'd call either/or syndrome. It launched almost exactly at the same time as the Xbox (3 days apart), and the two were almost always mentioned together. After the holiday rush, the Xbox had sold slightly better, and it became sort of "known" that the Xbox was the "winner" and the Gamecube was the "loser". Of course, it had quite a few other perception problems as well, but I attribute its strong start and sudden decline to that sort of view. It was fairly well regarded prior to launch, was going to be the disc-based system that solved all of Nintendo's problems stemming from them sticking with cartridges the prior gen. Kind of funny and sad that so many of those problems are still there for the Wii U.
Visualante2
Member
Seems awful to me. Lot of rose tinted glasses around here.
How are they going to hit 4 million with this kind of performance for the next two months? I have doubts they can do it.
How are they going to hit 4 million with this kind of performance for the next two months? I have doubts they can do it.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
"Rose-tinted" how? Serious question. It's not horrible, but being behind PS3/360 at this point in their launch is a major problem.
This thing needs software, software, and more software.
Version 3.0
Member
Its early sales figures - heavily supply-contrained, to be sure - were comparable to the PS2's early ones. Nothing that unusual about them. And, as I said, the 360 managed to hold its own pretty well, catching up by Christmas.
Davey Cakes
Member
It's good considering that expectations are low.
People say the Wii U needs a price drop, but I think it just needs more consumer exposure and software.
People say the Wii U needs a price drop, but I think it just needs more consumer exposure and software.
Visualante2
Member
Just a while ago they had hoped to sell 5.5* million by April, that became 4 million, already indicative of a bad launch. Have we realigned our expectations to that new figure so soon? I really doubt they're going to do it.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
They have no choice. They botched the launch. They said they learned so much from the 3DS launch and learned nothing.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
I'm guessing closer to 85k. December was horrendous and it didn't suddenly get any cheaper.
Visualante2
Member
It did in the UK, some outlet stores offering a third off what GAME are charging. Still besides the point.
Version 3.0
Member
Right now is definitely not the time. I agree with you, they should cut the price at the same time they can get some high-profile games to market. With the lineup so sparse, they'll need the extra attention. And the game release(s) would help offset any hardware loss.
Steve Youngblood
Member
What I'm specifically referring to is just in what they need to do in the face of new competition. What's the recipe for a great Wii U holiday season? I would say drop the price at least $50 (maybe even a little more) coupled with 2 - 3 big first party games that release to critical acclaim. Also, just for appearances, let's hope that any big 360/PS3 games that release over the holiday timeframe get Wii U ports, and that they all don't end up like GTA. Finally, hope that Orbis/Durango only appeal to early adopters and lack compelling software that truly captures the public's imagination.
That's not outside the realm of possibility. However, any or all of these things could go awry. Maybe they only get one blockbuster title out the door, and it gets middling reviews. Maybe Orbis/Durango hype winds up off the charts, and it becomes clear that they squandered the only chance they ever had at being the hot new toy on the market. Maybe everything fails, and people just opt to stick with their old 360/PS3s, and the third-party situation hasn't improved at all for Nintendo preventing them from being able to have versions of current-gen AAA third party games with the off-TV play hook that could provide marginal assistance in sales.
Basically, I tend to think better software will obviously help. However, I think many people are counting their chickens before they hatch when they surmise that the Wii U is just a Nintendo hit or two away from mainstream success.
Grinchy
Banned
Wow. I keep forgetting how awful the PS3 sales were during some of its initial months. It's like no one wanted a second job.
DashReindeer
Lead Community Manager, Outpost Games
Pachter had a really good analysis to go with those projections. I know he gets a lot of hate, but I think he was spot on with why the wii u is umderperforming and what needs to be done to get the console back on track.
Duxxy3
Member
As long as the price is above $129.
outunderthestars
Banned
I imagine they have done market research and it simply isn't a big selling point in a country where the average home has over 3 televisions in it now.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
I really thought they learned after the 3DS launch. I guess they were really banking on the fourth NSMB game to do business >_>