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Interesting Analysis of Wii U Sales

Nintendo certainly doesn't rely on third party support. So apart from Wii, their sole break-out success since the NES, this has done nothing but harm their business. Wii U is now Gamecube 2.0...down the death spiral sales go.

I wouldn't say that. The gcn, didn't had the casual and family audience which the wiiu has.
 
An account specially for defending Nintendo WiiU.
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While I do agree that the other two consoles project to have a better long-term value proposition, a) future libraries aren't the only facet that needs to be considered, and b) that certainly doesn't justify buying in at launch (much as it didn't for most people for the WiiU, though at launch it had better value prospects for me than the PS4 and XB1 did at their respective launches).

In some ways, the argument reminds me of the people on HFBoards wanting to pitched established talent for draft picks and unproven prospects... and then when they don't exceed expectations in two years, trade them for draft picks and prospects. In this case, I don't think it's a bad move, but the argument itself is just so cringe-worthy, especially when a take on same argument was used as a strike against one console ("has no games") and a pro for the other ("will have games")

Xbone and PS4 has tens of million of

Loyal

enthusiasts champing at the bit for next-generation experiences. The launch is healthy enough to get millions of people to take the plunge and with the promise of a further deluge of quality titles from every major console publisher. That's as good a reason as any to make the purchase. Otherwise one should say...

No one should ever buy a console at launch. And that's a silly argument.
 
Maybe they already have a 3DS.

I don't really feel like I need another system dedicated solely to Nintendo games for that price. The Wii U's value is lower to me because I can already play similar Nintendo games on 3DS.

Yeah the 3ds is probably the biggest competition to the wiiu. And of course the games are similar in some ways - same developer. But if u compare the games side by side u are going to see, that the wii u delivers unique gaming experience which u can't find on the 3ds( pikmin 3, wonderful 101, party u, x, wii sports...)
 
There are good games on every system.

I'd rather have good games (better, IMO) on modern hardware with modern online infrastructure than good games on a piece of ancient hardware with a nearly nonexistent online infrastructure.

Every console has good games, of course.

Ancient hardware? Come on, just because its different, its ancient? Don't ya think that mario kart 8, x, 3ď world, looks awesome?

Nonexistent infrastructure? Did u ever played monster hunter 3 ultimate or used Miiverse in 3d world? Its kind of fun
 
Otherwise one should say...

No one should ever buy a console at launch. And that's a silly argument.

Unless you care for the launch library, no, no one should. Otherwise you get a nice, pricey pretty looking paperweight.

And yet there were plenty of people on GAF lamenting the fact that they had zero-to-one titles to play, but, they didn't want to wait for the second run of consoles... which likely still will be out before the Titanfalls and Infamouses and whatever else they're looking for. Awfully slim pickings for "next generation experiences" for those tens of millions of loyal enthusiasts.

Edit: The stock market analogy someone else made of buying early for promise of future performance doesn't exactly hold when the price of the good in question diminishes over time, fwiw. Especially when we're taking it as a given that the third-party developers are already looking to flock to these devices on their hardware and performance merits.
 
Unless you care for the launch library, no, no one should. Otherwise you get a nice, pricey pretty looking paperweight.

Most people who purchase a system at launch do in fact purchase launch games. And it is not simply to impress others. Its not like people put them on a mantle and expect house guests to comment on their new collection of brand new, unopened games.

What a ridiculous comment.
 
What a ridiculous comment.

And yet we're on GAF, where people do purchase consoles at launch despite not wanting/caring for any of the launch software. Shit, just look at the WiiU regret threads from the tail end of last year and the beginning of this year.

It's only ridiculous because it's depressingly true.
 
Unless you care for the launch library, no, no one should. Otherwise you get a nice, pricey pretty looking paperweight.

And yet there were plenty of people on GAF lamenting the fact that they had zero-to-one titles to play, but, they didn't want to wait for the second run of consoles... which likely still will be out before the Titanfalls and Infamouses and whatever else they're looking for. Awfully slim pickings for "next generation experiences" for those tens of millions of loyal enthusiasts.

Edit: The stock market analogy someone else made of buying early for promise of future performance doesn't exactly hold when the price of the good in question diminishes over time, fwiw. Especially when we're taking it as a given that the third-party developers are already looking to flock to these devices on their hardware and performance merits.

I don't think you understand why early adopters buy new technology right away.
 
We are not made of money. Nintendo platforms cost money. There is not enough of a value proposition to entice consumers to purchase their hardware and subsequently, their games. Its just not there and will never be there.

Surly for some consumers. But not for all? Or are u u telling me that all consumers abounded the wii u?
 
Every console has good games, of course.

Ancient hardware? Come on, just because its different, its ancient? Don't ya think that mario kart 8, x, 3ď world, looks awesome?

Nonexistent infrastructure? Did u ever played monster hunter 3 ultimate or used Miiverse in 3d world? Its kind of fun

The problem is Nintendo IPs are getting stale most of them are going in similar format since N64 days, they haven't changed that much. Not that it's bad but when you have a console lacking diversity this is a really big problem for me. The lack of 3rd party support on the level Xbox and PS gets is really hurting Nintendo home consoles business.
 
And yet we're on GAF, where people do purchase consoles at launch despite not wanting/caring for any of the launch software. Shit, just look at the WiiU regret threads from the tail end of last year and the beginning of this year.

It's only ridiculous because it's depressingly true.

If there are anyone who purchase a console without the slightest care about the library available then they are a tiny minority of consumers.

People do not buy a console because they expect launch games to be the best things ever. Much like people don't go to the movies only to watch potential Oscar Award winners.

There is an interest in new games, and with most consoles, the new technology they bring to the table.

People will want to experience AC4 in 1080p. Or Ryse and its glorious Cry engine. Killzone SF image quality etc etc.

People do not just buy consoles and shrug their shoulders and not purchase anything. Purchasing a game at minimum requires some level of interest. People do not just throw away their money.
 
I don't think you understand why early adopters buy new technology right away.

I do understand why they do. I think it's dumb unless they fall into a group for which there is a genuine value to be had from early adoption, but there are a lot of people that do it because of "hype" or perception of ownership of a prestige good. People complain about value propositions and not having money to throw around, and then immediately go out and buy the new shiny hotness and subsidize further production runs/development.

I was an early adopter for the WiiU, because the at-launch value was there for me. It's the only console for which I was, though I've owned just about every piece of home and portable hardware from the last four gens. I work with people and know people that bought into consoles for launch hype and then sat there twiddling their thumbs waiting for the games they wanted (which either missed windows or weren't due to come out until the second quarter of the console's life).

There is an interest in new games, and with most consoles, the new technology they bring to the table.

People will want to experience AC4 in 1080p. Or Ryse and its glorious Cry engine. Killzone SF image quality etc etc.

People do not just buy consoles and shrug their shoulders and not purchase anything. Purchasing a game at minimum requires some level of interest. People do not just throw away their money.

I'm not going to argue that a number of people do (probably the majority), but as enthusiasts we're generally aware that most of the launch titles are going to be cross-gen (edit: and/or, forgot the or!) have hosts of problems, and yet people in this circle -- who should be the informed buyers as early adopters -- are still buying in at a premium because of the promise of future quality and hype (nevermind the population at large). Hell, that's essentially what you told me earlier in the thread.
 
One time I was out with my buddies and we started talking about the PS4/bone and who's planning on buying these new consoles. I suggested that I might actually get a Wii U at some point. For some reason they thought I was joking and burst out laughing :(
 
I'm not going to argue that a number of people do (probably the majority), but as enthusiasts we're generally aware that most of the launch titles are going to be cross-gen (edit: and/or, forgot the or!) have hosts of problems, and yet people in this circle -- who should be the informed buyers as early adopters -- are still buying in at a premium because of the promise of future quality and hype (nevermind the population at large). Hell, that's essentially what you told me earlier in the thread.

The promise of future games is part of the value proposition. It is not the sole reason to purchase these consoles over the Wii U. People keep bringing up the current library of the Wii U as a reason to purchase because it is more mature than the competition...as if there was no reason to buy the competition at this point of time if one compares libraries. It is perfectly reasonable to justify purchasing an Xbone/PS4 right now for their current games and in addition there is the promise of a bright future.

Which isn't the case with the Wii U. Having a more compelling library now, which is to be expected after a year, isn't much of a case if there is no future.

One time I was out with my buddies and we started talking about the PS4/bone and who's planning on buying these new consoles. I suggested that I might actually get a Wii U at some point. For some reason they thought I was joking and burst out laughing :(

Because Wii U really is a joke at this point.
 
Actually, there isn't much to change in the Nintendo strategy, simply because the people who is currently buying a Wii U IS the Nintendo fan base.

Exactly the same that supported the Nintendo Gamecube sales back then.

And yes, there are not millions and millions of them. Following with a Gamecube-like publishing strategy - which is exactly what Nintendo is doing with Wii U - the console could never aim to an amount of sales higher than the Gamecube's one, simply because the fan base shrunk year after year.

So, we had about 20 millions of Gamecube sold. Then Wii arrived with its 100 millions users. Does this mean that the amount of people interested in Zelda, Mario and Metroid quintupled?

No. Simply, most of these users did not bought a Wii for Mario and Link. They bought it for the Wiimote and Wii Sports.

Nintendo removed these elements in the new console without replacing them in a meaningful way - a touch screen in the tablet age? Ok... - and here we have Gamecube numbers again. Even less, I'd say.

This is not "the shooter's fault". Because people interested in FPS left Nintendo years ago, when they stopped developing quality first-party FPS. They moved elsewhere.

It makes no sense to blame everyone else for the Wii U sluggish sales: the only company to blame is here Nintendo, doped by the Wii sales and being unable to analyze them in order to understand how to replicate such a success.
 
Yes the sales are not the best, but they are getting every week better. And that is good.

There is a natural bump to console sales during holiday season. The bump this November was great from a sales percentage sense. But again, 2 is greater than 1. The Wii U sales were still abysmal and the raw sales figures are so far below even other massive console failures that there is no turn-around to be had. Sales percentages aren't everything. You need to shift a certain amount of total units to be relevant.
 
The promise of future games is part of the value proposition. It is not the sole reason to purchase these consoles over the Wii U. People keep bringing up the current library of the Wii U as a reason to purchase because it is more mature than the competition...as if there was no reason to buy the competition at this point of time if one compares libraries. It is perfectly reasonable to justify purchasing an Xbone/PS4 right now for their current games and in addition there is the promise of a bright future.

Which isn't the case with the Wii U. Having a more compelling library now, which is to be expected after a year, isn't much of a case if there is no future.

The argument I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't be buying a PS4/XB1 right now unless you want titles from the launch library (or if you derive utility from an emotional sense from being an early adopter/prestige good holder), as you will likely be able to get them at an equal or lower value by the time the next round of software starts to drop. The stock market analogy someone else made is bunk because PS4s/XB1s will not be expected to see an increase in price/cost over time (thus giving you a return on investment). Take the WiiU out of it altogether.

Now we all have different valuations/utility functions that will determine when that threshold is, but if your primary driver for purchase is "unannounced/undated future titles", there is no real reason to be buying the consoles right now, just as I wouldn't have expected people to buy a WiiU at launch if the only titles they were interested in were Mario Kart/Smash. I'm not saying "never buy it", I'm saying "why spend USD$400/$500 now if you don't need to".

That's all.

Edit: Of course, I've also been sitting on a planned PC upgrade for a year because I keep putting it off waiting for a better incentive to buy + better hardware, so maybe I just have a little more thrift-inspired hesitation than the average. :p
 
They've just seen one of their biggest games release and sales numbers are DOWN year on year.

I would just consider 3ď world as a big game
release. And the number went up. Mario kart 8 & the next smash bros are the next big game releases from nintendo.
 
Its to early and to harsch to say something.

We've had a full year of sales encompassing two three holiday periods (Black Friday, Christmas, and Black Friday this year). Soon we'll be expecting Christmas sales figures in the December NPD.

So at what point can we finally come to the conclusion that the Wii U, which is selling wose than the Gamecube, is in fact performing worse than the Gamecube?

Do you want us to wait until this month's NPD?

Do you want us to wait until next year's holiday sales?

Do you want us to wait an additional 2 years?

Do you want us to wait a decade so that we can have enough time to scrutinize the data and create academic papers to be published in major financial journals detailing Nintendo's failures?
 
Because an old image?

There's absolutely no indication that Wii U sales will improve in a drastic way. What we are seeing right now are seasonal influences. Paired with the rather dire software situation in 2014, I really cannot see the Wii U reach GCN sales.
 
I'm really worried that their drive to unify their handheld and console architectures is going to result in another underpowered and exotic console.

Yeah. So am I. I'm pretty positive at this point that WiiU will be their last standard home console machine. I think they will specialise on some sort of hybrid system that allows you to game on the move and plug it into your tv when you get home.
 
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