Which is just their cover in case Switch bombs.
However, all signs point to it being both in time.
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GI.biz: Nintendo Switch sells 80,000 in the UK in its opening weekend
- Thread starter DKHF
- Start date
Which is just their cover in case Switch bombs.
However, all signs point to it being both in time.
WrenchNinja
Member
One thing about Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U had going for it was the free additional game you could get digitally during those first two months it was out
OfficerRaichu15
Member
Ocarina_117
Banned
It sold less in those two months than the following months combined though. Let's be fair.
AcademicSaucer
Member
That's good for a March launch
95,000 in two weeks UK. 260,000 sold / 326,000 shipped in Europe. Source: Edge #79
63,000 in the first two days.
rochellepaws
Member
That's your interpretation. Mine is that the Switch is the Wii U fully realised and there's absolutely no evidence in terms of features or software that they see the Switch as a handheld successor.
I'm surprised people can believe with such certainty that Nintendo are lying.
McMoneyman
Member
Didn't PS3 also launch in the UK in March? Also taking into consideration that people seems to be buying more consoles and games now compared to March 2007, is it really that good?
Yeah I don't believe it either.
AcademicSaucer
Member
Well, there is also the fact that the UK is among Nintendo's worst markets, I remember the thread when Knack outsold Mario
Sounds like a huge improvement from Wii U where it was quite obviously DoA in that region on launch day, just by visiting shops and seeing the struggle to sell them. I think that without BotW it would have been Wii U redux - that game has carried the day.
For such a weak launch in March, this is fine. It's going to be a rough few months of sales until the holidays, though. But at the holidays you'll have bundles with either Zelda, Mario Kart, Mario etc for the same price we pay for the system alone now, and it'll be very appealing. If a pokemon is out by then they'll really have a strong chance to compete.
For such a weak launch in March, this is fine. It's going to be a rough few months of sales until the holidays, though. But at the holidays you'll have bundles with either Zelda, Mario Kart, Mario etc for the same price we pay for the system alone now, and it'll be very appealing. If a pokemon is out by then they'll really have a strong chance to compete.
Rellik
Member
I remember someone posting "It's not true that Nintendo consoles have weak launches in the UK! The Wii was huge!"
And I look at these numbers and my first thought is "Wow Nintendo launches in the UK are terrible"'
Still a 100% increase over Wii U tho, I guess
Well Nintendo are dead here.
It's all PlayStation.
Having a brand new GOAT Zelda at launch definitely helped them.
Fix'd that for you
I think Switch + Mario Kart bundles by november are a safe bet (going for the same price as the current switch seperatly).
Gotdatmoney
Member
It's both but WiiU has officially ended production and the 3DS hasn't so it is being marketed as a console first and foremost.
I think the launch is pretty good. Being below the 3DS is unsettling but if you look at the launch period the I imagine the switch is well above all the other systems if it was a november or december launch. I think the legs will be better than 3DS too because the software is better over the long term. But yeah, this is why nintendo need 3rd party releases.
PSFan
Member
But in HDddd
I know just i think it'll help with sales maybe not much but a little.
Well, I am definitely interested to see how well it will do and if it will help move hardware.
I will believe that when we get a fixed release date.
Either this is the result of Nintendo's prudent stock allocation or people really weren't moved by the overall launch of the Switch. Doesn't seem hard to difficult to find units so I'm inclined to believe the latter.
Really hope Nintendo doesn't take this half baked + "silence in response to questions" approach in the future.
Really hope Nintendo doesn't take this half baked + "silence in response to questions" approach in the future.
Little Monser
Banned
wow Nintendo keeps slaying! wooo
Lets agree to disagree then
IMO casuals won't come for a long time. Those aren't even on PS4/Xbox One yet.
Being a solid gaming system with attractive hardware and loads of alternatives to the (soon) 4k twins should be enough to lay out a solid user base. It won't set the world on fire but I'd bet it will bridge the time to the first price cut/hardware iteration rather well.
oh, i usually miss my predictions, so if i say MK won't be huge it will probably sell gangbusters
TIme will tell, nintendo is in a weird situation. WiiU bombed, 3DS did okay, and portable gaming seems to be low this days compared to DS PSP era so i find the Switch difficult to predict because it is an hybrid, but ultimately i'd say its success, or lack of it, depends quite on how it is positioned by nintendo, as a home console or a portable. Or both, who knows. And obviously what kind of software receives, depending on how the customers use it.
That is my question too. My prediction (that will fail) is that users will define if Switch turns one way or the another.
Gotdatmoney
Member
It's been explained mutiple tines that the stock situation is not good.
I remember someone posting "It's not true that Nintendo consoles have weak launches in the UK! The Wii was huge!"
And I look at these numbers and my first thought is "Wow Nintendo launches in the UK are terrible"'
Still a 100% increase over Wii U tho, I guess
Some things to note about Nintendo in the UK.
The NES and SNES were never huge deals here. In the 8 bit era it was all about home computers. In the 16 bit era it was all about the Mega Drive. This means that the UK generally doesn't have the same level of nostalgia as other countries. Obviously everyone knows Mario and Pokemon but Zelda, for example, has never been as huge here as it is in the US.
The only real smash hit consoles Nintendo have had in the UK were Wii and DS. Don't be misled by that 105,000 console launch for Wii. It was sold out absolutely everywhere. It was a phenomenon. You couldn't regularly get hold of a Wii in a normal store for absolutely months. I reckon the Wii might have outsold the PS4 at launch if they had the stock available.
Anyway, this makes the UK a tricky market for Nintendo. We're a big market but apart from the Wii/360 era, in which Sony were pushed into last place, it's always been a country which favoured Sega and then Sony.
It's really hard to tell how good this launch is in that context. America seems to be Nintendo's strongest market so that figure may prove to be more telling.
I would say that is most of the people interpretation follow from Nintendo stand for combining handheld and console game development together, hence the codename NX (Nintendo cross). And it's not so surprise that Nintendo would want to it it, since they are cornered by both mobile market and console competitor + not enough resource to make game for 2 machines at the same time.
Obviously they would say this is the third pillar bullshit just like DS to Gameboy. It's all the cover just in case the machine fail. Where is gameboy2 now if whatever Nintendo said was true? Come on.
Combining their handheld and console development divisions is a prime example of why it is the case and is perfect evidence.
Pancakes R Us
Member
Fair point but is it enough to get people to shed put £280 for a console plus £50 for the game, especially in a market that isn't favourable towards Nintendo?
MisterR
Member
This is the problem, numbers are gonna be bleak after the Zelda hype wears off. I hope they can keep some momentum until MK8D launches.
ethomaz
Banned
That is really a fact?
Wii is the best selling console in UK ever if I'm not wrong (wrong... read the edit).
Blame Wii U and not the market because like UK everybody else didn't buy it... if Nintendo makes a console that the market wants to buy (like Wii) then it will sell great.
Edit - Wii was the fastest console seller in UK but after it was discontinued 360 outsold it.
I Wanna Be The Guy
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Wii didn't even sell as well as the 360 over here.
Wrong, 360 was.
OfficerRaichu15
Member
Interesting quote in the article...
"There wasn't a huge number of units pushed into the channel (most major retailers are sold out) and the marketing and PR campaign was truncated and arrived late in the day. Retailers tell us that they were very happy with the launch and one store even declared: "Nintendo is back."
So it seems like retailers were happy with the result and there was stock issues according to this . Week 2 will be very interesting. I mean is not great but not disaster either.
"There wasn't a huge number of units pushed into the channel (most major retailers are sold out) and the marketing and PR campaign was truncated and arrived late in the day. Retailers tell us that they were very happy with the launch and one store even declared: "Nintendo is back."
So it seems like retailers were happy with the result and there was stock issues according to this . Week 2 will be very interesting. I mean is not great but not disaster either.
Anecdotal evidence is going to contradict this so hard in a few seconds.
In hell, like the Wii U.
Doesn't change the fact that UK was one of the few countries where PS3 launched better than the Wii. And also one of the few countries where the Wii wasn't the best selling console last gen.
ethomaz
Banned
Ohhhhhh I found the article.
360 beat Wii in 2013 after Wii U launch... you guys are right.
Wii sold over 8 million way before that... it sold 6 million before 3 years... sad it have a short live.
That didn't change my point... Wii was not hated in UK.
No evidence.
Except that you can play games on the go on a native screen with the same battery life of the new 3DS XL.
But hey, who noticed it was portable and a tablet?
Labombadog
Member
I don't think that game will come out this year unless they have been working on it for quite a while already. Just preparing myself to not get upset over a delay.
All these "good for March" comments are honestly just excuses.
First week sales are all about preorders, early adopters, fans and how many units the company can ship. March has nothing to do with these sales.
The impact of being outside of the holiday season is yet to be seen and btw the Switch's biggest problem is the total lack of games besides Zelda and that is going to have a lot of weight going forward.
PS3 launched in March at double the price (599) and it still sold double than what Switch did. And even with such a strong launch, after that sales collapased because of the price and initial lack of games.
First week sales are all about preorders, early adopters, fans and how many units the company can ship. March has nothing to do with these sales.
The impact of being outside of the holiday season is yet to be seen and btw the Switch's biggest problem is the total lack of games besides Zelda and that is going to have a lot of weight going forward.
PS3 launched in March at double the price (599) and it still sold double than what Switch did. And even with such a strong launch, after that sales collapased because of the price and initial lack of games.
Primethius
Banned
Seems pretty good given the Wii U numbers and stock constraints. Let's see how it pans out in the coming months.
People are correct about the UK never really being big on Nintendo, despite the Wii's popularity. I don't know where some are getting the idea that Nintendo was popular in the 80s and 90s.
The NES wasn't really thing in the UK thanks to personal computers dominating the market in the 80s, the Mega Drive was more popular than the SNES and the Playstation was generally more popular than the N64.
The NES wasn't really thing in the UK thanks to personal computers dominating the market in the 80s, the Mega Drive was more popular than the SNES and the Playstation was generally more popular than the N64.
EhrgeizVII
Member
How is there no evidence when the main feature of the Switch is that it's portable?
No but every time it's compared to a console we're told that it's a handheld and a 3DS successor. It's just rather convenient now that it couldn't match 3DS' launch it's now being compared to Wii U as a barometer for success.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
TBF Nintendo themselves refer to it as a console and not a handheld. it's not like they pulled that from thin air.
It won't ever will in revenue pokemon merch itself already makes huge amounts of cash.