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GameStop: Holiday 2013 is Key to Wii U Success!

They had a whole year before the new HD twins arrived and they have fucked it.

It's over. As others have said. They are going to get buried this holiday season.

TBH, I'm not sure if they could have handled it any worse if they tried. It astounds me how bad they goofed here.
 
I thought they got rid of the basic model?

Rumors of Basic Sets being sent back to Nintendo.

PS4 is only 50$ more expensive. Using the Basic Set for argument's sake just seems like spin.

Wii U will have a rough time this holiday. They really need Mario Kart or Smash to have any significant momemtum this Holiday. MS and Sony are the whole f'n show this year.
 
It'll definitely have a great line-up. Personally it's the best compared to Xbox One and PS4. The only problem is that the consistency will drop after the Holiday season. Afterwards you're waiting for Mario Kart 8.
 
It'll definitely have a great line-up. Personally it's the best compared to Xbox One and PS4. The only problem is that the consistency will drop after the Holiday season. Afterwards you're waiting for Mario Kart 8.

As it should be the best of the three, its the Wii U's second holiday season on the market where this will be the first for the other two new consoles.
 
When isn't Holiday the key to success? The game industry as a whole is very much geared toward that currently. Still it is interesting that Gamestop feel it has to be this holiday (I guess it does, once XBone and PS4 libraries mature it will be terribly dated).

Did they? It's still available in Europe at as far as I can tell.
Wasn't this rumour fuelled by some retailers dropping it (they likely dropped it as it does not sell; Iwata used this fact evidence that price is not he Wii U problem). Add in Japan getting a 32GB white model and it seems like it is like it will go the way of the 20GB PS3 phat (IIRC we did not even get that in Europe).

Not that the 32GB is terribly useful either (you'll need a dedicated hard drive if you go big into eShop).
 
It'll definitely have a great line-up. Personally it's the best compared to Xbox One and PS4. The only problem is that the consistency will drop after the Holiday season. Afterwards you're waiting for Mario Kart 8.

It's really not. Take out cross-gen and multiplatform games... the exclusive games in the Wii U's fall lineup is still pwned by next-gen launch games.

Nintendo does not make games of such high quality that no other software can compare too. That's a myth and a twenty year-old argument that has never been true.
 
Eh, I could see it going either way for Wii U, honestly. In spite of what some of GAF may think about Nintendo's line-up this fall, it's not a bad selection of appealing games. No single one of them is a system seller like Wii Sports or anything, but together, there's still a good variety that could potentially draw in some new players.

Games aside though, I think Nintendo's level of success this holiday will fall on how well they market the system in the face of their competition. If they continue on the path they're on now, I can't see the Wii U making much of an impact, even with good games coming out. If they can actually create buzz with a clever marketing campaign however, Nintendo could very well benefit from the consumer awareness that the new consoles will create. It really requires that Nintendo make a serious effort though, and unfortunately it seems like they just plan to let the games do all the marketing for them, which I feel is a big mistake and will be a HUGE missed opportunity.
 
that 299 wiiu has a whopping 8 gigs of space. it's useless without an external drive.

$350 WiiU has 32GB of space. It's equally useless without an external drive.

If you're buying the deluxe for more storage space and not NintendoLand or the digital discount you got duped.
 
Took Sony quite a bit longer. PS3 was an utter disaster for a very long time, yet they managed to turn things around eventually.
PS3's situation was completely different though. It failed due to horrible PR, a lack of games and an outrageous price. The only things similar to the Wii U would be the lack of games, and even then there was guaranteed third party support for the PS3. Also, the PS3's sales we're no where near this bad. The Wii U is tracking below the Gamecube ffs.

To sum it up, Sony saved the system with countless price drops, a technically competent console for the time, third party support, tons of great ad campaigns, console redesigns, tons of games, and a complete 180 in terms of PR quality. Nintendo does not have the power to do all of that, and their situation is worse. Holiday 2013 will most likely be the do-or-die point in the Wii U's life span in terms of whether or not this console can be a success.
 
Judging by Wii hardware sales, many PS3 and 360 owners actually did "chose" Nintendo before and probably are interested in Nintendo games - just not interested enough to jump in at launch, when only one or two interesting games were available.

Thats a poor argument but people keep bringing up wii numbers know that. Wii was pushed by flaky casuals and fad chasers who will never be back regardless of what Mario game is released. The point of 360 and PS3 being both $199 and with al the hot games of the season, and more, with no discernable fidelity difference is troublesome for Wii U.

There is a group during a gen transition that pps up. These are the families or casuals that buy cheap and at the tail endlooking for big libraries and cheap games. Those people are going to be looking at the cheap ps3 and xbox. Thse looking for more are looking at the next gen systems. That leaves ???? for Wii U, nintendo fans. The comparisons to Gamecube numbers are apt in this case. For Wii U to be successful the next gen twins had to screw up and unfortunately for Nintendo Sony prevented that. So here we are with reality.
 
It's really not. Take out cross-gen and multiplatform games... the exclusive games in the Wii U's fall lineup is still pwned by next-gen launch games.

Nintendo does not make games of such high quality that no other software can compare too. That's a myth and a twenty year-old argument that has never been true.

True or not, I like their line-up better. I didn't state it as a fact, I stated that I liked it more personally.
 
Went into a UK GAME store today (to buy Wonderful 101) and Wii U has a tiny little bit of shelf space in the Used section, plonked next to used Wii and DS games (new Wii U games and systems though). For the rest of the store, one side is PS3, other side is 360 with heavy advertising for PS4 and X1. Bit of Vita, bit of 3DS, bit of PC and oddly, iPads.

This situation will not be improved by Mario, DK and Zelda. Come November/December, it will be all but gone. At this point, I don't think even dropping the price to £99 would help, nobody wants it.

You are aware that all the platform holders pay for their display sections right? If WiiU has a tiny shelf presence it's Nintendo's fault, not Gamestop's.
 
It's really not. Take out cross-gen and multiplatform games... the exclusive games in the Wii U's fall lineup is still pwned by next-gen launch games.

Nintendo does not make games of such high quality that no other software can compare too. That's a myth and a twenty year-old argument that has never been true.

Quality is subjective. But I don't think anyone would argue that their games are the most polished.
 
Nintendo should've done everything in their power to rush Smash Bros or Mario Kart out this holiday. I'm not convinced Donkey Kong will be the major system seller they need.

They're in for a very rough time if there's no price drop.
 
True or not, I like their line-up better. I didn't state it as a fact, I stated that I liked it more personally.

I'm not debating your preferences. It's just that this "better line-up" is not a generally shared opinion or something tht can deter interest in next-gen launches and software.

I'm saying this as a Wii U only gamer (at the moment) as well.

The Wii U situation is Nintendo's biggest challenge to date.
 
I'm glad Nintendo didn't release a system like this during my super nintendo fan days. This shit would be so hard to defend. Wii U will sell better this holiday but it won't be enough. They don't have the right games. WW HD, DK: Jungle Freeze, 3D World, these are their big games and they're all expansions of previous games. Last year it was NSMBU, another game too similar to previous installments. These games will not sell a significant amount of new systems. People want new experiences on new systems. The only exceptions will be Mario Kart and Smash but they're for next year. If 3D World was instead something new and creative like Galaxy was there would be a lot more hype. Obviously those are some big shoes to fill but that's what people expect out of a new system.
 
Nintendo really need this system to be successful this fall, there's a LOT of exclusive games coming out for it which have proven in the past to do well for the company, a sequel to Mario 3D Land, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Wii Party, Wii Fit, an HD remake of a well received Zelda game, an exclusive Sonic game and perhaps a few others I missed out.

They need to really promote the system, there are people who do truly believe this is just an HD Wii, not a Wii 2. And on the American side of the world, I think they may HAVE to drop that price if it's only $50 cheaper than a far more powerful PS4!

EDIT: I have one and can see potential with the machine, The Wonderful 101 demo left me impressed with the clever use of the gamepad.
 
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo's best selling game this Holiday is NSMBU.

They desperately need a price comparable to the more expensive models of the PS3 and 360. I'm sorry but in no way is the Wii U comparable to next-gen consoles.
 
Quality is subjective. But I don't think anyone would argue that their games are the most polished.
Yeah, Skyward Sword was the epitome of polish what with telling me I got a new material piece every time I started up a game. Cause I don't already know what an Amber Relic, or Jelly blob or a tumbleweed is after 60 hours of playing.
 
Yeah, Skyward Sword was the epitome of polish what with telling me I got a new material piece every time I started up a game. Cause I don't already know what an Amber Relic, or Jelly blob or a tumbleweed is after 60 hours of playing.

Or the unnecessarily broken swimming controls.
 
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo's best selling game this Holiday is NSMBU.

They desperately need a price comparable to the more expensive models of the PS3 and 360. I'm sorry but in no way is the Wii U comparable to next-gen consoles.
This wouldn't surprise me either. This and maybe Wii Fit U.
 
Wow. some nintendo defense force is desperate.
How is this contributing to this thread?

----
on the subject, I really don't believe price factor is going to be really important as long as the software is there. I doubt someone who wants a Wii U decides not to get it, because instead of say $279, it is $350.

Also, It's not like than 100m, even 10m, or even 5m, will be buying a PS4 at launch window, which just shows people have very different criteria for buying a hardware.
 
Yeah, include the price of the Wii U SKU that no one has bought. Basic Set is a failure.

I have no idea why the basic is doing worse. If I ever end up getting a Wii U I'll get the basic. The cheaper the better. I have zero interest in Nintendo Land and I would never download anything on Wii U anyway so the hard drive means nothing. Basic is the only way to go.
 
I have no idea why the basic is doing worse. If I ever end up getting a Wii U I'll get the basic. The cheaper the better. I have zero interest in Nintendo Land and I would never download anything on Wii U anyway so the hard drive means nothing. Basic is the only way to go.

Better "value." The included items and memory capacity make the Deluxe set more appealing and the consumers who are aware of the Wii U have also shown that they Basic Set is not the wiser consumer option.
 
I have no idea why the basic is doing worse. If I ever end up getting a Wii U I'll get the basic. The cheaper the better. I have zero interest in Nintendo Land and I would never download anything on Wii U anyway so the hard drive means nothing. Basic is the only way to go.
Well, obviously because most people care about NL, will buy at least eShop games not available as retail, and then of course there are extra accessories included in the deluxe version, and uh, its storage is 4 times larger than the basic model, it is also black.

I do agree that all of these may not be important to you, but it easy to understand why people would prefer the deluxe version.
 
I think it's time for a price drop. Though Iwata said that price isn't the issue, half the posts in this topic keep bringing up price compared to PS4 and current gen consoles. I know Wii U still sells at a loss (to my amazement), but desperate times call for desperate measures. Couple a price drop with that fall lineup and the Wii U should do fine this holiday.
 
This wouldn't surprise me either. This and maybe Wii Fit U.

I don't think Wii fit U is going to do much for them, Nintendo seem to be very ignorant when it comes to the changes in the market and providing what consumers are looking for. A follow up to a successful title is fine but I'm not sure if there's a great demand for more fitness games.
 
Mario Kart 8 demo with Wind Waker HD. The catch:
The demo is 30 uses.

You are aware that all the platform holders pay for their display sections right? If WiiU has a tiny shelf presence it's Nintendo's fault, not Gamestop's.
The thing about those massive PS3/sections is they are mostly pre-owned games. Platform holders don't pay for that (store wants those on the shelf to sell them). But yes it is true that publishers pay for instore chart manipulation and shelf space (including pre-orders).

Wii U has basically no library to stock and GAME tend to rarely stock new releases beyond a few months, hardly any pre-owned games as trading in the Wii U would require people to buy it.

Ironically, what may make me consider a Wii U is GAME. With the Nintendoland £10 and Pro controller £10 promotion GAME are (were?*) doing (when bought with other Wii U items, I guess accessories or possibly the NFC Pokemon count) I'm tempted to go with those and bide for £100-£150 Basic model.
*-The pro controller was a glitch (it was meant to be £10 off for a total of £30, not £30 off) and boxed Nintendoland is being phased out for eShop download code (only £42...)

Though in the same brush GAME have a monopoly on niche Wii U games and kind of kill the console with ridiculous pricing. At launch the only place you get MH3U on the high street was GAME so they charged something stupid like £54.99. Why not buy it from Amazon for £35? Stock shortages...
 
I think it's time for a price drop. Though Iwata said that price isn't the issue, half the posts in this topic keep bringing up price compared to PS4 and current gen consoles. I know Wii U still sells at a loss (to my amazement), but desperate times call for desperate measures. Couple a price drop with that fall lineup and the Wii U should do fine this holiday.

They are not going to do a price drop.
 
Honestly, Nintendo should have abandoned the system back in March and introduced new plans for a system at E3.

Dragging out the Wii U is just bad business. Now they are stuck with the system and will be irrelevent for the next 4 years.
 
I think it's time for a price drop. Though Iwata said that price isn't the issue, half the posts in this topic keep bringing up price compared to PS4 and current gen consoles. I know Wii U still sells at a loss (to my amazement), but desperate times call for desperate measures. Couple a price drop with that fall lineup and the Wii U should do fine this holiday.

Don't rule out the price drop. Iwata will not hint at a price drop until they go ahead and do it when it's not expected.
 
I'm glad Nintendo didn't release a system like this during my super nintendo fan days. This shit would be so hard to defend. Wii U will sell better this holiday but it won't be enough. They don't have the right games.

They also don't have the right price. With PS4 and Xbox One taking the spotlight this holiday season, I don't know what to expect from the performance of the Wii U in sells. That $50 dollars more for a PS4 is a problem for them.
 
Honestly, Nintendo should have abandoned the system back in March and introduced new plans for a system at E3.

Dragging out the Wii U is just bad business. Now they are stuck with the system and will be irrelevent for the next 4 years.

Who the hell would buy the next system when they abandoned the WiiU after 6 months? Also who would develop for it?
 
Who the hell would buy the next system when they abandoned the WiiU after 6 months? Also who would develop for it?


Apple product owners and iOS developers...

And did Nintendo suffer from virtual Boy? Nope, because they cut their loses quick. Dragging the Wii U out has put them in a quagmire.
 
Honestly, Nintendo should have abandoned the system back in March and introduced new plans for a system at E3.

Dragging out the Wii U is just bad business. Now they are stuck with the system and will be irrelevent for the next 4 yearsm

Yeah, that'd really be a great strategy in regards to those that actually bought the console.

That'd make them really happy and ready to go for another one.

If irrelevant means having great exclusive games, bring it.
 
Yeah, Skyward Sword was the epitome of polish what with telling me I got a new material piece every time I started up a game. Cause I don't already know what an Amber Relic, or Jelly blob or a tumbleweed is after 60 hours of playing.
Wow! Great argument, you sure taught him a lesson.
 
Yeah, that'd really be a great strategy in regards to those that actually bought the console.

That'd make them really happy and ready to go for another one.

If irrelevant means having great exclusive games, bring it.

Not many people bought the system or will buy the system....

the longer Nintendo waits the worse it's going to be. It's almost to the point now they'll have to keep the system around for a full generation just to maintain good faith. -_-
 
Wow! Great argument, you sure taught him a lesson.

Skyward Sword is an excellent example to argue "Nintendo polish" because SS lacks a great deal of polish. I'm running thru the game right now in anticipation of TWW HD and what's painfully clear, that as much as I love the game and welcome many of its changes, it lacks polish in regards to controls.
 
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