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[SmokedMeat]

I remember walking into gamestop on black Friday and being able to buy a Deluxe Wii U no problem. I don't think the Wii U sold out at launch

I preordered a Wii U and there were extra units available from people who didn't bother picking up their preorder. You could also find them on shelves at some retailers.

Regardless it's nice to hear. I hope the system does well.

 

[onemanasylum]

I remember walking into gamestop on black Friday and being able to buy a Deluxe Wii U no problem. I don't think the Wii U sold out at launch

Switch has not launched yet, Reggie did say there will be units launch day. We shall see. We also don't know how much they shipped, could be way less after wii-u.

 

[MrMephistoX]

Switch has the same fundamental issues.

In what way? The Wii U was a disaster from a branding perspective. The only knock against the Switch is lack of launch content and the price. There wasn't one compelling Wii U launch title whereas at least this is launching with Zelda.

 

[kubev]

I hope the timing of this news means that they only actually took as many pre-orders as they could fulfill at launch and that the one that I pre-ordered and paid $15 extra for shipping for actually arrives on launch day.

 

[Dremorak]

The Switch was never going to do as poorly as the Wii U but will those 20 preorders stick around once their buyers find out it costs NZ$550 (US$392)? Nintendo's handhelds have always done relatively decently compared to their consoles here, in large part thanks to Pokemon, but I really think it's dead in the water with their idiotic pricing.

I dont know about doing well, I used to catch the train into Auckland City every day, only got about 10 streetpasses from the same people for about 3 years haha

 

[OrbitalBeard]

I worked retail when Wii U launched. We received a big, second shipment of the console the day after launch and it took until Christmas eve (over a month) to sell that allotment.

 

[koss424]

Logic is this means nothing, that's a fact, not sure why this bothers you? Where did I say it was doomed? Without third party support though and 300 bucks it is not going to fly off shelves.

Of course it means something and of course it's not the end of the story. But there could be many worse headlines than ' initially stock sold out' so at least the Switch has that going for it.

 

[Plinko]

I worked retail when Wii U launched. We received a big, second shipment of the console the day after launch and it took until Christmas eve (over a month) to sell that allotment.

Yep. Same in my neck of the woods. It was everywhere.

 

[Maxinas]

Switch has the same fundamental issues.

Nah, the Switch improved on those issues, but at the same time developed new ones.

 

[onemanasylum]

I worked retail when Wii U launched. We received a big, second shipment of the console the day after launch and it took until Christmas eve (over a month) to sell that allotment.

Yes, exactly, the initial pre-orders sold out fast, then more arrived for launch, I suspect that's what will happen here as Reggie said they will be available launch day.

Hope so as I cannot find one to pre-order.

Of course it means something and of course it's not the end of the story. But there could be many worse headlines than ' initially stock sold out' so at least the Switch has that going for it.

Well yes I guess it does mean something, but I mean as far as long term sales strength/success, it doesn't. I hope it does though I like Nintendo personally, despite their odd decisions.

 

[Milly Osworth]

Wouldnt it be funny if this thing turns out to be a huge hit?

I doubt it will happen, but af least general public understands now that Nintendo has a new toy for sale. Apposed to the wiiu being the wii controller noone wanted.

 

[Baki]

Don't think it suggest much at this point.

I'd begin predictions after 4-5 months of sales at the earliest.

At the moment, I suspect high launch and dead afterwards.

35m LTD at best.

 

[AmyS]

I actually walked into my local GameStop to pre-order, yesterday. I wasn't going to mess around with online and hope delivery would be on time for extra money.

Should be a painless midnight launch.

 

[KingSnake]

Technically not, that's just a forecast. There could always be the chance they sell below or above their forecast of 2 million.

Considering that preorders have filled out fast means Nintendo may consider producing more units to meet demand if retailers order more.

We're less than 50 days before the launch. I'm not sure how much time is still left for any big adjustments.

 

[Kouriozan]

In before "is the Switch a Wii accessory?"
Don't forget the Wii U marketing and confusion was the worst ever.

A healthy start, but that's to be expected. Probably a great 2017 as well. It's 2018 and beyond that will be telling.

If Nintendo can't get their usual handheld IPs on it by 2018, that would be very worrying indeed.

 

[Fanuilos]

Don't think it suggest much at this point.

I'd begin predictions after 4-5 months of sales at the earliest.

At the moment, I suspect high launch and dead afterwards.

35m LTD at best.

Pretty sure Nintendo would take that. It would be one hell of an improvement from Wii U sales.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Wouldnt it be funny if this thing turns out to be a huge hit?

I'm not sure about "a huge hit", but it's going to be a lot more successful than many on GAF think. The Switch is a compelling product with a ton of correctable mistakes, unlike Wii U, which was a fundamentally flawed piece of hardware that had impossible-to-fix problems.

 

[onemanasylum]

I'm not sure about "a huge hit", but it's going to be a lot more successful than many on GAF think. The Switch is a compelling product with a ton of correctable mistakes, unlike Wii U, which was a fundamentally flawed piece of hardware that had impossible-to-fix problems.

Maybe but I don't see it, it has the same lack of software and price is a real issue. There is no hook for casuals with this device, it looks like a hardcore nintendo system only. PS4 and X1 will be 199 this holiday. I'd love to be wrong though\.

It has new issues like paid online, accessory pricing, looks like even worse third party support.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

It's going to get the third Pokemon Sun/Moon, and in HD.

I think that will be a big seller.

 

[noshten]

If stock becomes a problem with European retailers, that's when I become sure that Nintendo won't be able to meet demand.

 

[Plinko]

It's going to get the third Pokemon Sun/Moon, and in HD.

I think that will be a big seller.

Don't forget a new Animal Crossing, which will help.

 

[Speely]

In before "is the Switch a Wii accessory?"
Don't forget the Wii U marketing and confusion was the worst ever.
If Nintendo can't get their usual handheld IPs on it by 2018, that would be very worrying indeed.

True. I think they will get there within that time frame. At least by holiday 2018.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Maybe but I don't see it, it has the same lack of software and price is a real issue. There is no hook for casuals with this device, it looks like a hardcore nintendo system only. PS4 and X1 will be 199 this holiday. I'd love to be wrong though\.

It has new issues like paid online, accessory pricing, looks like even worse third party support.

It doesn't have the same lack of first party software and honestly, outside of the launch (which is really bad compared to Wii U), its third party situation is no worse than its predecessor.

Things like price and the online service can be tweaked. This is what I meant by correctable mistakes. All the price drops in the world weren't going to save the Wii U.

 

[Pastry]

I was able to get an online reservation at GameStop earlier today around 10. Got the gray Switch and Zelda. Tried last night and I couldn't get one there so a couple of people must have cancelled.

 

[Matt]

Maybe but I don't see it, it has the same lack of software and price is a real issue. There is no hook for casuals with this device, it looks like a hardcore nintendo system only. PS4 and X1 will be 199 this holiday. I'd love to be wrong though.

It has new issues like paid online, accessory pricing, looks like even worse third party support.

I can tell you that, from a consumer interest and awareness viewpoint (as measured by market research), the Switch is nothing like the Wii U. It's way, way ahead in all metrics.

Does that guarantee success? Nope, but to say it's in the same position as the Wii U was is just not true.

 

[onemanasylum]

It doesn't have the same lack of first party software and honestly, outside of the launch (which is really bad compared to Wii U), it doesn't have the same lack of third party software either.

Things like price and the online service can be tweaked. This is what I meant by correctable mistakes. All the price drops in the world weren't going to save the Wii U.

It doesn't lack third party software? I can't agree with that at all, the lineup for 2017 is scarce, and third parties were basically non-existent. First party software is not enough.

I can tell you that, from a consumer interest and awareness viewpoint (as measured by market research), the Switch is nothing like the Wii U. It's way, way ahead in all metrics. As for correctable mistakes? Nintendo has an awful track record.

Does that guarantee success? Nope, but to say it's in the same position as the Wii U was is just not true.

Not saying it's exactly the same but it still has a lot of the same issues, I can see it doing better but not lighting the world on fire.

 

[Twenty7KVN]

I believe it was anywhere between 20 to 50 depending on how much traffic each store got and I even read about a store or two getting upwards of 70

Yea my local store in the Bronx got 70.

 

[Instro]

Maybe but I don't see it, it has the same lack of software and price is a real issue. There is no hook for casuals with this device, it looks like a hardcore nintendo system only. PS4 and X1 will be 199 this holiday. I'd love to be wrong though.

It has new issues like paid online, accessory pricing, looks like even worse third party support.

It is still a portable though. That counts for something, in relation to migrating users from the 3DS.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

It doesn't lack third party software? I can't agree with that at all

No, you're absolutely right. I worded that really, really poorly and edited my post. The third party software situation is the same. I meant to say it's not gotten worse (outside of launch, where the Wii U actually did decent in that regard).

 

[KingSnake]

I think, much like the 3DS, sales will be slow and it won't hit its stride until its first holiday. Switch is in a better position out of the gate though because it's launching with a killer app, regardless of it also being on Wii U.

Switch is also more expensive than 3ds. And the games are much more expensive. And accessories are much more expensive.

3ds needed a price cut quite fast after launch. My bet is that Switch will get one too (or at least some game bundled) before holidays.

Wii U didn't launch with a killer app, but it launched with a system seller. It would be quite a good surprise if a Zelda will manage to sell as well as a 2d Mario.

 

[Apathy]

I'm not sure about "a huge hit", but it's going to be a lot more successful than many on GAF think. The Switch is a compelling product with a ton of correctable mistakes, unlike Wii U, which was a fundamentally flawed piece of hardware that had impossible-to-fix problems.

Anyone claiming it to be Wii u level of sales is crazy and completely ignoring what Pokémon does to sales, specially if Nintendo just drops Pokémon from the 3ds (which they should) and goes "next Pokémon is switch exclusive". That being said, the one guy that thinks this will be wii + 1 billion seller is just as dumb as the other extreme

 

[Sean]

The Wii U launched in the Holidays. The Switch launches in March. This means it has several months to build up a library, and then get in on some sweet holiday deals (plus on the gamer side of things show what it has in store for the future at E3).

so yes the Wii U did great at its launch, but its not exactly the same. Nintendo, at the very least, has the chance to grab momentum.

they probably wont tho

;_;

More realistically... It will sell out in March, probably have a big drop off in April causing a panic to start.

Mario Kart 8 will release and the big talking point throughout May will be about how bad the Switch's online "service" is.

E3 will come around soon after and all the big games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2, Call of Duty, etc will NOT be announced for Switch and its gonna be clear that Switch was an non-starter with third parties.

Then Black Friday comes around and there will be cheap as fuck PS4 and Xbox One bundles that take the majority of the holiday sales.

I don't think Nintendo will be able to build any sort of momentum this year based on what we know so far. Unless there are some big surprises at E3.

 

[onemanasylum]

It is still a portable though. That counts for something, in relation to migrating users from the 3DS.

True but nintendo is saying it is a console and 3ds is no going anywhere, and it's way too expensive. We shall see I guess. I'm getting one regardless, I need zelda.

 

[Realeza]

My store had 52 units. I wonder what's the average.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

True but nintendo is saying it is a console and 3ds is no going anywhere, and it's way too expensive. We shall see I guess. I'm getting one regardless, I need zelda.

Stop believing everything Nintendo says in a press release. This is their singular piece of hardware moving forward. It's absolutely replacing the Wii U and 3DS.

3DS has a large install base and they can still do a couple price drops, so it'll be around for another 12-18 months, but it is not their future and there is absolutely zero way Nintendo is going to release a successor, as they are arguably incapable of supporting one platform, let alone two.

A smaller Switch will release in the future that caters towards the handheld market exclusively. Bank on it.

 

[onemanasylum]

Stop believing everything Nintendo says in a press release. This is their singular piece of hardware moving forward. It's absolutely replacing the Wii U and 3DS.

3DS has a large install base and they can still do a couple price drops, so it'll be around for another 12-18 months, but it is not their future and there is absolutely zero way Nintendo is going to release a successor, as they are arguably incapable of supporting one platform, let alone two.

Maybe, I just find it hard to see switch fully replacing 3ds due to it's size, battery, but we shall see. Plus the handheld market keeps shrinking, the casuals will be playing on ipads and phones.

 

[jabberwocker]

Maybe, I just find it hard to see switch fully replacing 3ds due to it's size, battery, but we shall see. Plus the handheld market keeps shrinking, the casuals will be playing on ipads and phones.

The switch is about the same size of a iPad.. but too big...

.... is confused

 

[lenovox1]

Not saying it's exactly the same but it still has a lot of the same issues, I can see it doing better but not lighting the world on fire.

Right. We're just saying the Wii U had even more. And fundamental ones.

Most of the issues the Switch has, bar third party support, are the same ones the every console Microsoft has every launched and almost every console Sony has launched have had.

 

[onemanasylum]

The switch is about the same size of a iPad.. but too big...

.... is confused

Ipads have way more utility then a handheld gaming device, but phones are smaller and the real issue. You dont see many going around with ipads, but you do phones.

Right. We're just saying the Wii U had even more. And fundamental ones.

Most of the issues the Switch has, bar third party support, are the same ones the every console Microsoft has every launched and almost every console Sony has launched have had.

I obviously conceded I was wrong on that point. It still has issues though, and some new ones. Lack of third party support is a pretty big thing, the biggest games are third party, and nintendo lack of cohesive online is another.

 

[Instro]

Worth noting that the larger sized DS and 3DS hane always been more popular, even in Japan. I don't think size will be a factor.

 

[Speely]

The switch is about the same size of a iPad.. but too big...

.... is confused

Forever doomed, bud. No matter what.

 

[Matt]

It doesn't lack third party software? I can't agree with that at all, the lineup for 2017 is scarce, and third parties were basically non-existent. First party software is not enough.



Not saying it's exactly the same but it still has a lot of the same issues, I can see it doing better but not lighting the world on fire.

Lol, what happened with my quote there? I didn't say two of those sentences.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Worth noting that the larger sized DS and 3DS hane always been more popular, even in Japan. I don't think size will be a factor.

You're right, size is absolutely not a factor. If this fails, it'll have nothing to do with size. Consumers chose the XL as the most popular 3DS almost immediately and nothing has changed.

 

[onemanasylum]

Lol, what happened with my quote there? I didn't say two of those sentences.

No idea man I'm confused lol.

Worth noting that the larger sized DS and 3DS hane always been more popular, even in Japan. I don't think size will be a factor.

Isn't this larger then those though? I think size is a factor when you consider portability.

 

[ggx2ac]

I'm curious to see how much word of mouth marketing occurs in big cities where people are likely to use the Switch during commutes. Doubly so if Nintendo is relying on artificial scarcity to drive demand. Part of the passive interest that's likely to be built through seeing it on a train will be the ability to ask what it is and then go buy it from a store immediately after. If someone can't? That could pretty easily backfire.


I walked into a Gamestop in the middle of Seattle and grabbed a WiiU a day or two after launch. It was bizarre.

So, how did that artificial scarcity work out for the Wii U and 3DS at launch?

 

[Speely]

Ipads have way more utility then a handheld gaming device, but phones are smaller and the real issue. You dont see many going around with ipads, but you do phones.

To be fair (and you do have a point,) the Switch has way more utility than any existing console as well. Everything Nintendo has done with this platform has been a trade-off in one way or another. It just sounds like those trade-offs are not up your alley, and that's fair. Introducing a new kind of platform will have that effect. Doesn't make it a crap platform in an objective sense just because of that. Only time will tell in that regard.

 

[onemanasylum]

To be fair (and you do have a point,) the Switch has way more utility than any existing console as well. Everything Nintendo has done with this platform has been a trade-off in one way or another. It just sounds like those trade-offs are not up your alley, and that's fair. Introducing a new kind of platform will have that effect. Doesn't make it a crap platform in an objective sense just because of that. Only time will tell in that regard.

I'm buying one at launch, I am not talking about me personally, but the wider market at large. I certainly don't think it's crap, I just think Nintendo still has some issues to work on.

 

[GuitarGuruu]

As we all know, shortages at launch guarantee a successful console.

Lmao I've never seen this before. She had to of thought she struck gold.

 

[Screwtape]

Just doing some basic math in my ignorance,

I'll assume each Gametop averaged with 50 available reservations. I've seen some stores allotting 30 reservations, and others, like the one I went to, just south of Grapevine, allotting 100. I'm probably low-balling, but regardless:

50 x 3,900 = 195,000 pre-orders.

Hardly a scientific approach to getting the numbers, but I'd say that'd be a reasonably good first wave of pre-orders for a single retailer.

 

[Speely]

I'm buying one at launch, I am not talking about me personally, but the wider market at large. I certainly don't think it's crap, I just think Nintendo still has some issues to work on.

They certainly always seem to have some issues to work on, I will agree.