Support NeoGAF

[gamergirly]

... which was his point. Instead of jumping to "Stop doom mongering!" you should actually read his post. They have consoles which it would cost too much to recall and reflash, so only updating in a month or two indicates that they are waiting until these stocks are depleted and the update will exist on newly produced units.

Its an update that you can complete overnight on top of that. I would think that Nintendo avoiding the console launch meltdown fiasco that Microsoft had would be a much bigger deal at this point

 

[gamergirly]

...only works as a qualifier for this low a sell-through if it was essentially sold out, which it doesn't appear to have been. As already pointed out.

If some of the numbers being thrown around for launch shipment numbers, 50K, 55K, are correct, that doesn't make the sell-through good relative to past launches. If anything it let's us know that demand wasn't sufficient to sell-through even this small a shipment.

Problem is that none of those numbers are confirmed by Nintendo. Unless they announce a relaunch of Wii U or a price drop, Wii U must be selling enough to avoid a corporate scalding

 

[User Tron]

They have consoles which it would cost too much to recall and reflash, so only updating in a month or two indicates that they are waiting until these stocks are depleted and the update will exist on newly produced units.

Or they just wait till the patch is better and more stable. Why flash anything if users have to update anyway because a newer patch is available? So this might have nothing to do with stock, only with cost.

 

[DCharlie]

Originally Posted by farnham:
in japan they have MH3GHD and DQX aside of mario wiiu and nintendo land so sales expectations are probably very high

We are 4 days from launch , still no demo units in Tokyo. Very small advertising areas but something curios happened between Thursday and Friday seemingly in Tokyo and Osaka (DJ Mizuhara seeing it in Osaka)

I check out a fair number of stores per lunch time - there's been no shortage of preorder slips - between Thursday and Friday they've all gone. Just in a day, they suddenly all got snapped up. Could well be that people have sat around and really not bothered to preorder for over a month and, despite a very very very low profile for the launch, people rushed out to get them on the same day.

Anyways, the lack of demo units is a bit weird too- perhaps they want to avoid any overheating units (x360 demo booths did themselves no favors for this) ? In a sign of how weird low key this all thing is - Shibuya Tsutaya have a wiiU info screen/video thing. An official Nintendo WiiU branded thing. It's been switched off for over a week - infact I don't think it was ever switched on.

 

[Stinkles]

We are 4 days from launch , still no demo units in Tokyo. Very small advertising areas but something curios happened between Thursday and Friday seemingly in Tokyo and Osaka (DJ Mizuhara seeing it in Osaka)

I check out a fair number of stores per lunch time - there's been no shortage of preorder slips - between Thursday and Friday they've all gone. Just in a day, they suddenly all got snapped up. Could well be that people have sat around and really not bothered to preorder for over a month and, despite a very very very low profile for the launch, people rushed out to get them on the same day.

Anyways, the lack of demo units is a bit weird too- perhaps they want to avoid any overheating units (x360 demo booths did themselves no favors for this) ? In a sign of how weird low key this all thing is - Shibuya Tsutaya have a wiiU info screen/video thing. An official Nintendo WiiU branded thing. It's been switched off for over a week - infact I don't think it was ever switched on.

I saw plenty of in store branding in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. But as is normal, it was overwhelmed by game specific material.

 

[cRIPticon]

Or they just wait till the patch is better and more stable. Why flash anything if users have to update anyway because a newer patch is available? So this might have nothing to do with stock, only with cost.

This. Also, the need to launch the TV service this month, which would push the patch out a bit further. As the demands of consumers to have game consoles be more than just game consoles, specifically media servers/community access points, increases, the complexity of delivering on all of these things will rise. Day 1 patches will be something we will have to live with moving forward.

 

[F#A#Oo]

What would zomg be denying?

His unrequited love...

... which was his point. Instead of jumping to "Stop doom mongering!" you should actually read his post. They have consoles which it would cost too much to recall and reflash, so only updating in a month or two indicates that they are waiting until these stocks are depleted and the update will exist on newly produced units.

Ofcourse...

He was spreading FUD by deducing OS update not being updated is because of artificial shortages and console's being sat on.

Nintendo was not known for keeping manufactured Wii's up-to-date...so what makes people think they'll care about Wii U console's being pre-loaded with latest OS? Nintendo will sort out those without internet via software releases...which will force people to update if they want to play that particular game...

 

[Steve Youngblood]

the insistence of detractors and FUD spreaders is equally sad. The truth will out in a matter of weeks about how its doing, but its only been 4/5 days, there are credible sources citing low shipments, and we already have people who want to talk doom and think they know it all.

Well, it's a message board. People like to talk about lots of things. Because, you know, that's what we do here. I admit that a wanton disregard for the truth and the spreading of lies to besmirch a corporation's reputation perhaps aren't the most productive conversation, but I think a lot of the dialogue is earnest speculation. And if people are wrong -- if the hard numbers paint a different picture -- then the people who are optimistic about sales and skeptical about the hearsay will get to say "I told you!"

As it stands, the "just wait and see" posts often come across more as damage control than as pleas for sanity. It's not as if forum posters have a responsibility to only type verifiable truths into these reply boxes. It's not like news sites are picking up on stories like "NeoGAF's renowned Steve Youngblood theorizes that the early signs of the Wii U's launch paint an underwhelming picture" and that's causing Nintendo's stock to plummet, all because of my irresponsible rumor-mongering.

As long as people aren't outright lying and pretending like they have some sort of insider insight into the situation when they clearly don't, I don't think there's any cause for concern. If things really are going swimmingly, then let the detractors get egg on their face.

 

[Huff]

Man people getting defensive in here. Zomg knows his stuff

 

[netBuff]

He was spreading FUD by deducing OS update not being updated is because of artificial shortages and console's being sat on.

Nintendo was not known for keeping manufactured Wii's up-to-date...so what makes people think they'll care about Wii U console's being pre-loaded with latest OS? Nintendo will sort out those without internet via software releases...which will force people to update if they want to play that particular game...

The poster never claimed there to be artificial shortages, pretty much the opposite: Apparently, not enough consoles are being sold to get rid of currently manufactured product fast enough, therefore new Wii U's that contain the most current firmware pre-loaded won't be available on retail shelves for some months to come.

And yes, the newest firmware will be standard in the future: Not only did Reggie already confirm this, but Nintendo also couldn't afford to ship a broken firmware (with inadequate WiFi support) for years to come.

 

[milkybar1983]

360 also had an early (day one?) 512MB patch in the US, can't remember what it did. At any rate, it's better than waiting 3 months for what should've been day one like with 3DS.

wrong

first dash update was November 22 2005

v2.0.2241.0 = 1.59mb

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

wrong

first dash update was November 22 2005

v2.0.2241.0 = 1.59mb

Er, yeah, I was confusing the update with the first demo downloads. :/

Was it Madden at 512MB? I can't remember what it was exactly, just that it took me 2 hours to download half a gig on my Pro.

 

[ASIS]

How many did Nintendo ship in the UK?

 

[PaulLFC]

How many did Nintendo ship in the UK?

No confirmed numbers, estimates at between 45,000 and 55,000

 

[Mr. B Natural]

How many did Nintendo ship in the UK?

If we knew, at a lot of these sell out "mysteries" would be solved.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

The poster never claimed there to be artificial shortages, pretty much the opposite: Apparently, not enough consoles are being sold to get rid of currently manufactured product fast enough, therefore new Wii U's that contain the most current firmware pre-loaded won't be available on retail shelves for some months to come.

And yes, the newest firmware will be standard in the future: Not only did Reggie already confirm this, but Nintendo also couldn't afford to ship a broken firmware (with inadequate WiFi support) for years to come.

Well, that would still be ascribing an unconfirmed (and arguably somewhat negative) reasoning to the situation. Nintendo's only shipping 5.5m through March and we really have no insight into when they planned a changeover for the new firmware flashing. It doesn't necessairly have to do with shipments moving either, we have zero insight into Nintendo's manufacturing schedules and it may be a strategic decision to start a change in their production line next FY. That Reggie said "months" more lends to the impression this sort of thing was scheduled well beforehand though, and not some hand tied response to a UK specific stock glut.

People surmised this was also why Nintendo Land came on a disc rather than installed directly on Deluxe models. Who knows, that could also change for future production (it's standard for 3DS bundling now).

 

[Ashes]

So I heard back from a couple of people I contacted yesterday about their sales and stock. Both wish their chains to remain anonymous, but both are quite large.

They are now back in stock, but again, they say that both 360 and PS3 have higher sales than Wii U, and they have had more inquiries for PS3 12GB+Book of Spells than for Wii U (probably reflecting Sony's massive advertising push) but again, they don't have much stock for that bundle either. He says all the manufacturers need to get their arses in gear. The ~ £150 12GB PS3 is their pick for top dog this year, and Vita is their pick for worst in class.

Their pick for top sales is the £150 12GB PS3 as well and they also expect Vita to be worst seller.

I am still waiting on one more contact to reply, I think he will be less gloomy than these two.

Essentially he said a few locations are going to be doing questionnaires with PS3 12GB and Xbox 4GB buyers as to why they purchased those systems over a Wii U and asking Wii U purchasers why they bought a Wii U over a PS3/360.

This conjecture is wrong or at least not reflected in sales charting positions. Wonder book console did not do wholly better than either of the wii u premium console bundles, let alone both together:
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=502461

 

[zomgbbqftw]

This conjecture is wrong or at least not reflected in sales charting positions. Wonder book console did not do wholly better than either of the wii u premium console bundles, let alone both together:
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=502461

Well it is just one company who said they had stock problems for the bundle. Also, inquiries are not sales, people might just come in to ask about it and then not purchase it. I expect the conversion rate is much higher for the Wii U as it is selling to core gamers while Wonderbook is selling to casuals who are less likely to just go in and buy a £180 console.

I think it he mentioned it as it was indicative of interest for the Wii U being poorer than for PS3 12GB+Book of Spells. Overall PS3 sales were higher on the weekend according to that guy, but that includes the solo 12GB, the Assassins Creed 500GB, the solo 500GB and the Skylanders 12GB as well as the BoS 12GB. Not just the 12GB+BoS bundle having higher sales alone than the Wii U.

 

[Ashes]

 

[Amir0x]

I wanted to shoot myself every time I set sail in that game. Sailing through a flat blue landscape was not immersive at all.

Off -TV Play is cool though, even if it doesn't appeal to me at all.

Man, the only thing that annoyed me about sailing was the stupid having to constantly go back to the baton to change wind direction stuff. That was such a pace killer.

But I really loved the whole atmosphere, sense of adventure, the emergent experiences that developed from casting out and just going where you will. I would love a new Zelda game but with a more dynamic water system, so crazy waves and even more nightmarish shit on the seas.

And all the dungeons this time! All of them!

I don't have as much faith. Yoshi's island U, sure - but are my hopes up for anything else currently? nope... and Yoshi's island is probably 6 months away at best as are the other anticipated titles.

You know I don't have "faith" about the quality of what they might have in the pipe, but I think it pretty much goes without saying that they have a considerable amount of games unannounced. One, they've already said as much. Two, they did it all throughout the Wii gen... they announce a game like a few weeks before it's actually set to come out. I think they are still stuck in this really nasty habit, and don't realize it actually works against how a game sells in the end.

 

[jrDev]

Underwhelming...

Man, if PS420 doesn't outsell their predecessors launches, it's gonna be a bloodbath next year...

Gonna wait a while before calling the "Vita doom and gloom" though...

 

[test_account]

Underwhelming...

Man, if PS420 doesn't outsell their predecessors launches, it's gonna be a bloodbath next year...

Gonna wait a while before calling the "Vita doom and gloom" though...

I think it is pretty safe to say at this point that PS3's 165k wont be matched unless the PS4 has something really special feature that tons of people wants. Xbox 360's 70k might be possible though.

 

[electroshockwave]

I think it is pretty safe to say at this point that PS3's 165k wont be matched unless the PS4 has something really special feature that tons of people wants. Xbox 360's 70k might be possible though.

I think the big thing that helped the PS3's launch here was the extra few months between the US/Japanese release and the UK one meant that there was a good supply available. That the PS3 sold that much in March while being £425 and having the negative perception of it in full swing makes me think it would be possible for the PS4 to beat 165k if it was priced right and has a killer app. (Depending on how the economy is by that point too)

70k+ is a lock for the Xbox 3 if the supply is there.

 

[test_account]

I think the big thing that helped the PS3's launch here was the extra few months between the US/Japanese release and the UK one meant that there was a good supply available. That the PS3 sold that much in March while being £425 and having the negative perception of it in full swing makes me think it would be possible for the PS4 to beat 165k if it was priced right and has a killer app. (Depending on how the economy is by that point too)

70k+ is a lock for the Xbox 3 if the supply is there.

Yeah, if the supply is there and it has a killer app/feautre, i guess it is not impossible. But with the increased popularity of the Xbox 360, i think the PS4 would really something really special.

The 165k PS3 launch at £425 is amazing, probably the best launch ever in the UK (i know that the PSP was at 185k, but that was far from £425).

 

[Joni]

Man, if PS420 doesn't outsell their predecessors launches, it's gonna be a bloodbath next year...

It would be a nice 'I told you so' to all people claiming the generation is going on too long and that that is causing the current low hardware sales.

 

[Jal]

CEX had 191 white and 163 black a couple of hours ago, white now up to 212, i guess the scalpers cant shift them.

 

[Clay Davis]

Man people getting defensive in here. Zomg knows his stuff

he does? his "facts", insider knowledge and predictions in the uk policgaf would disagree with you.

 

[Clay Davis]

CEX had 191 white and 163 black a couple of hours ago, white now up to 212, i guess the scalpers cant shift them.

unlikely. if it was scalpers, why would they sell them to cex? why not return the unopened units to the store?

if we're honest, it's probably a mixture of the two with unhappy customers selling the console as cex are the only store to offer a good price for used consoles. scalpers have the option to return the console to the store for a refund, those who have used it don't.

 

[Jal]

unlikely. if it was scalpers, why would they sell them to cex? why not return the unopened units to the store?

if we're honest, it's probably a mixture of the two with unhappy customers selling the console as cex are the only store to offer a good price for used consoles. scalpers have the option to return the console to the store for a refund, those who have used it don't.

Because they're giving £275 for a white (£249rrp) and £325 black no game (£295 + £30 for nintendo land) (£299rrp).

 

[Clay Davis]

Because they're giving £275 for a white (£249rrp) and £325 black no game (£295 + £30 for nintendo land) (£299rrp).

fair enough. it just seems like a lot of work for very little profit.

 

[Psychotext]

Anecdotal... was following my missus around Cardiff today (shopping) and all the usual suspects had stock, both models. HMV had a demo unit too which was good as I hadn't had a chance to look at the tablet until now.

I noticed Toys R Us now have them online too.