In this case? Absolutely.
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NWR: Wii U's Compared to GameCube, Wii (Spoiler: It's ugly)
- Thread starter Tom Nook Sawyer
- Start date
In this case? Absolutely.
puffyshirt
Banned
I can't imagine anyone truly believes Nintendo can turn things around at this point. The time has passed, the deadline was last November. Nintendo will need to start over. I bet they wish they could just cancel all current projects and restart them for a new console.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
Do you have a cite? I'll be happy to update the OP if so.
Although even those numbers aren't a favorable comparison
Wouldn't it be better to spend a massive $50,000,000 marketing the Wii U at its current price?
.....than cutting $50 off the price and losing $50,000,000 when you sell another million consoles?
ZSaberLink
Media Create Maven
So that means the GC number is wrong then. Thanks. The GC was at $99 towards the end of 2003 and sold like 1m in Dec 2003 in the US ALONE.
Actual March 2003 number based on that spreadsheet 9.48 million. The misinformation coming from a Nintendo site at that.
They have to let go of prioritizing same room multiplayer. It's killing them.
Interestingly, I feel like if they cut the Wii U life-cycle short (as I'm sure they will) they're in an interesting position to innovate and disrupt this generation just like they did with the Wii.
Interestingly, I feel like if they cut the Wii U life-cycle short (as I'm sure they will) they're in an interesting position to innovate and disrupt this generation just like they did with the Wii.
Spieler Eins
Member
That sure explains year long droughts and total radio silence between sparse Nintendo Direct shows in regards to WiiU information.
Watching these sales is probably the biggest fun I've had with the console this year (it's not like there's anything to play). They just really, really deserve this.
illmatic22
Banned
Holy crap
Don't understand how people can really think like this. I don't love my Wii U more than my gamecube by any means but people are very much entitled to their opinion.
Same room multiplayer has nothing to do with their problems right now.
Didn't Iwata say that they'd use the Wii U's life to experiment with some new methods of making/selling games?
ultratruman
Banned
Technologically backwards it may be, but the Gamepad's BOM ain't cheap.
Amazeballs
Member
It also had way better marketing and promotions initially.
Yep, The manufacturing cost has been estimated to be around 80 USD for the gamepad alone.
Price is an important factor. I'm sure if the Wii U was 99 bucks it would be selling on par with Gamecube. Let's not think like apes now.
I feel like it's more one of their problems than most people think.
Jaded Alyx
Member
No, direct from Nintendo. Refurbished.
Eh, I feel you man. Some things are black and white. I've bitched enough in this thread, but as someone else pointed out, this thread/sales figures are more fun than the Wii U this year.
I think prioritizing it is part of the problem, more of an emphasis on online would probably help the console though not by a significant amount.
Possibly...which would be an insane 85% drop from the Wii.
ZSaberLink
Media Create Maven
Please change the opening post TC and either use Aqua's numbers or this. NWR got their numbers wrong.
dacuk
Member
... and we have a winner!
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
"fun with numbers"
:-(
:-(
Look at Aquamarines numbers. They only sold 1.2 million last year. They might not make it to a million this year. It could take 4 years to sell anther 3 million at this rate. This console will not be on the market for four more years. Not a snowballs chance in hell.
EDIT: thats NPD data. Still, I don't see 4 million more units in 2 years.
it shows that Nintendo's pockets were strong enough to take this failure and not kill the company. that's what makes any comparison with Sega and the Dreamcast useless since Sega was doomed even before the DC was out.
if Sega had Nintendo's money, the DC would have outlasted the GC and XB.
if Sega had Nintendo's money, the DC would have outlasted the GC and XB.
Not compared to game droughts, relatively overpriced software, weak hardware, no proper account system and region locking etc etc etc.
Version 3.0
Member
14.5 million Gamecubes as of March 2003 is not correct. It was 9.55 million. Here is the breakdown of shipments by region, by year (ending March):
edit: and beaten, of course.
edit: and beaten, of course.
eddfromtheriver
Banned
This.
14.5 million Gamecubes as of March 2003 is not correct. It was 9.5 million. Here is the breakdown of shipments by region, by year (ending March):
I guess that makes it a little better...
Haunted
Member
Virtual Boy was never intended as the main Nintendo console of the time, WiiU is.
It's going to take a much longer time for Nintendo to drop/discontinue this. Just as Sony would rather invest money into turning the Vita's fortunes around instead of dropping it and trying again with another handheld, so will Nintendo continue to support the WiiU... for a while, at least.
Development-wise, the next two years of games are already set in stone for the WiiU, even if they were to decide to scale it back internally right now and prepare a successor console, we wouldn't hear of it until at least 2016.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
It's unfortunate that it's doing as poorly as it is, but it's not terribly surprising.
Though no matter how bad those sales figures get, I'm enjoying the hell out of the thing.
Though no matter how bad those sales figures get, I'm enjoying the hell out of the thing.
giancarlo123x
Banned
Eh Id rather get it new honestly. Personal preference. Thank you for the heads up though.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
OP's been updated
SolidSnakex
Member
Not recognizing the importance of online multiplayer is absolutely a problem Nintendo is having with the Wii U. Is at the front of the list? No. But it's certainly one that's important enough to not ignore. Sony and MS both launched their consoles with first party games that featured online multiplayer. Nintendo's first Wii U online multiplayer game was released nearly a year after the console launched, and that was just an online version of Wii Sports. Their first retail game will be Mario Kart, which is obviously coming out well over a year after the console launched.
That 'stupid fucking tablet' is the main USP of the Wii U, they can't get rid of it.
It's a problem, certainly, but they're hardly prioritising it to the detriment of online play. When the get the hang of it with Mario Kart and Smash I'm sure we'll see much more online play in Nintendo games.
BinaryPork2737
Unconfirmed Member
No, that's just your opinion. Just because you think one way doesn't mean everyone else does, and you've really got no right to claim otherwise.
TalentBurke
Member
Good for them. I hope they listen to consumers with their next console. I thought this would be the console that nintendo would try to use to make them a power house again and get third party developers on board, but what did we end up getting? another gimmicky console that's marginally more powerful than the ps3 and xbox 360.
People need to start losing their jobs over there.
People need to start losing their jobs over there.
starwarsfan541
Banned
Agreed, lots was going for the gamecube too bad MS had to screw it all up buying Rareware
Wickerbasket
Member
Well yeah, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not everyone's opinion is worth listening to.
I'm sure there's some guy out there who swears the NGage is the best console ever created, but I doubt many people share that opinion.
I personally think it's crazy that someone would prefer the library of the Wii U over the classic libraries of the N64 and Gamecube, but they're entitled to that opinion, crazy as it is.
Ragnarok
Member
half the point is that it's pretty darn difficult to effectively market this hardware at its current price
Honestly, they need to decide what they're gonna do with the gamepad. Either drop it or don't. They talked as if it was revolutionary and added so much to the games, but from the games they've released, it's clear they don't know what to do with it. So few games, even first party, have little gamepad features outside of Off TV Play.
They have about 3 options now:
1) Show how the hell to use the gamepad. Pull a Wii Sports. Show people why they need to have this device.
2) Do a major, major OS overhaul. Cut the gamepad. Don't require it. Sell the gamepad separately. Release an accessory for use with the 3DS line that enables Off TV Play on that. Drop the price to account for the lack of gamepad. Release updates for first party games that require the gamepad to not need them, and encourage third parties to do the same.
3) Continue to do nothing. Continue to let the gamepad higher the cost of the console while confusing potential buyers, and hope to god for some fluke (which, honestly, could be the whole purpose of the NFC thing).
They have about 3 options now:
1) Show how the hell to use the gamepad. Pull a Wii Sports. Show people why they need to have this device.
2) Do a major, major OS overhaul. Cut the gamepad. Don't require it. Sell the gamepad separately. Release an accessory for use with the 3DS line that enables Off TV Play on that. Drop the price to account for the lack of gamepad. Release updates for first party games that require the gamepad to not need them, and encourage third parties to do the same.
3) Continue to do nothing. Continue to let the gamepad higher the cost of the console while confusing potential buyers, and hope to god for some fluke (which, honestly, could be the whole purpose of the NFC thing).
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
I agree with your entire post. Nintendo Land is the only 1st party game that's really NEEDED it and benefited from it; Wind Waker HD showed how it could enhance more conventional games, but being a remake took some wind out of its sales (heh).
And the rest of Nintendo's line-up has been embarrassing use of it--blowing into the microphone in 3D World? Jesus
I think a $50,000,000 marketing budget for Mario Kart 8 and Wii U would sell far more consoles to consumers than a $50 price cut would. In ideal world both would be nice...but marketing would have a much bigger impact.
$299 to $249 or even $149 won't do squat without the marketing to back it up.
Mauricio_Magus
Banned
It's their new mainline console, there's still 6 million consumers that bought it and they can't just drop it, they probably took years to make it and will take years for the next one.
I personally love the console even if the mainstream market ignores it, it has great games and I'm a happy Wii U owner.
Just thinking that Mario Kart 8 is so near drives me crazy, I need it already!
Zeyphersan
Banned
I do think that they're going to drop support after 2015 though. I would not be surprised if a lot of the far-off titles (those that had been started, but not announced yet) were just quietly pushed onto the next console.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Who sold Rare?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I wouldn't mind seeing them try a 3DS player add-on to try and bring handheld gamers into the fold...
I don't think it'd be particularly successful, but it'd be something. And, more to the point, I want it.
I don't think it'd be particularly successful, but it'd be something. And, more to the point, I want it.
ZSaberLink
Media Create Maven
Thanks for the update, but could you put the update before the article? People will often just look at the initial numbers and not look at the update...
Mauricio_Magus
Banned
If we get Kart, Smash, Bayonetta 2, X, SMTxFE, Yarn Yoshi, and the newly announced Fatal Frame.
Then they can kill it and I'll still be fine with it, I'm already happy with my purchase right now anyways.
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