Nintendo's not in the business to please the few.[HP];109135953 said:I for one am enjoying the WiiU a hell of a lot more than Wii or the Gamecube combined.
If we're going by anecdotes, there are also many many gaffers in Nintendo threads (part of those 6 million diehards) that have vocally expressed their desire to never invest early in another Nintendo console, if they dropped the WiiU right now. You absolutely can not take the support of your core for granted, or you end up with stupid quotes from Mattrick who assumed the "core gamers will buy both anyway". Things don't always go your way. It also extends past gamers, and sends a message to third party devs, if they drop support. Making a game for your system takes time. These devs need to know you'll always still by your hardware, so they can develop and release games on your platform. Dropping the WiiU will cause whatever little support Nintendo has from third parties like Ubisoft to completely evaporate.You'd be silly to think those 6m diehard fans wouldn't buy their next console no matter when it's released. I know a handful of people that bought the Wii U at launch just because it was a Nintendo console and they wanted HD Zelda, Smash, and MK. Every single one of them has traded the system in by now because those games haven't surfaced and the third party support is non-existant.
In what sense is almost double the sales 'not that big'? It's massive. There is also nothing to suggest that the WiiU will sell just shy of 20 million units in the rest of it's life when it has only sold a fraction of that so far.So the Gamecube was 9.55 million and the WiiU is 5-6 million?
The difference is not that big, anyway I still think the Wii U will at least equal the Gamecube sales, not like that's a big achievement...
They can't carry the system alone, though - and with only one major third party (Ubisoft) supporting them, the system's already a dead console walking. The Gamecube had a far better set of games (including some stellar launch window titles) and it still flopped. It shouldn't have, but it did.
I own one, but I'm not expecting much of a future for it after Smash (which I really don't care about) and MK8. I'm still not convinced we'll ever see Bayonetta 2 or X in America (though I'll buy both if and when they come out).
it's less than 2/3 of the Gamecube's sales at the equivalent time, and it'll almost certainly finish with less than 2/3 of Gamecube's LTD in the end
I didn't say there was a conspiracy. There's just people who post here who make money on videogames, and because it's an english forum, there's expected to be a majority of western interests here. There is nothing wrong with that and there is no conspiracy.
Hell, at this point it might be lucky to hit 10 million.
I don't think it's that, I think it's about the graphics/power, that has been an issue from the very beginning with the Wii U. The majority of gamers have become graphic whores. As for third party, I am utterly baffled as to why that's such a huge issue, you can get third party games on three other platforms. Turn it the other way around, and Microsoft/Sony have a rather weak first party output compared to Nintendo, but it's all about the third parties for some reason.
I wonder if Nintendo is going to continue going all in with the Wii U, or if they're already redirecting resources and potential projects to their next console.
This, I also didn't consider. And this is such a depressing fact. Why aren't the core owners buying anything? I know people will say it's the soft library, but even though the titles are few in number, the quality is very high. I would expect diehard fans to at least buy these big titles =/Keep in mind that same fan base is not really buying software.
....let's not get too crazy now
I don't think it's that, I think it's about the graphics/power, that has been an issue from the very beginning with the Wii U. The majority of gamers have become graphic whores. As for third party, I am utterly baffled as to why that's such a huge issue, you can get third party games on three other platforms. Turn it the other way around, and Microsoft/Sony have a rather weak first party output compared to Nintendo, but it's all about the third parties for some reason.
This, I also didn't consider. And this is such a depressing fact. Why aren't the core owners buying anything? I know people will say it's the soft library, but even though the titles are few in number, the quality is very high. I would expect diehard fans to at least buy these big titles =/
Is that crazy though? The sales dropped off a cliff and the system will likely be replaced by the end of 2016, do you really think it can double its LTD in two years? Sure it's possible, but I don't see it selling anymore than 13 million maximum.
I don't think it's that, I think it's about the graphics/power, that has been an issue from the very beginning with the Wii U. The majority of gamers have become graphic whores.
It's about variety. A majority of people don't want to own 3 consoles, so they are going to buy the one that covers the most bases. Everyone has this notion that Xbox360 is the CoD/Halo/Gears box but there were tons of 360 owners that didn't even touch those games. Why? Because maybe theyw ere Madden fans? Or Forza fans? or liked some of the more "indie" stuff like Minecraft or Meat Boy. Halo might be MS' biggest IP, but if you absolutely hate Halo and the rest of MS' first party offerings, there was potentially plenty for you to play to make the 360 a worthy purchase. Be realistic, if someone is not a diehard Mario/Zelda fan, is there honestly any reason for them to buy a Wii U? Is there anything there for them? Would you recommend one to a friend or family member who hated Mario Kart and Mario platformers? Therein lies Nintendo's problem. They continue to preach to an ever shrinking choir. If Nintendo is going to figure a way out of this they need to figure out how to appeal to people who don't care about their established first party games (they did this with Wii Sports, hence the sales phenomenon).
Entirely subjective of course. For me the system lacks variety and games with depth. 3D World felt so basic and superficial. It was loaded with lots of attractive colorful doodads but at the end of the journey I didn't feel like going back and playing anymore. It just didn't offer a substantial experience for me. Again, that's me. And I'm a Wii U owner. Based on my experience I wouldn't recommend it.This, I also didn't consider. And this is such a depressing fact. Why aren't the core owners buying anything? I know people will say it's the soft library, but even though the titles are few in number, the quality is very high. I would expect diehard fans to at least buy these big titles =/
That is a major problem for Nintendo. They have no third party support so if you don't like Mario and Zelda there is nothing for you. Yes there are alternatives like W101 and Pikmin, but those titles are pretty niche. What about people who like ForzaGT? Or Sports games? Or story-driven games like TLoU and Heavy Rain? Let's not even look at the games, what about people who want a single media device in their living rooms, to play DVD's, Blu-Ray's, Netflix, and some games here and there? The Wii U has very little to offer them compared to the PS3/4 and Xbox One.
Another 3-3.5 million this year (sales surely must go up slightly at least), 1.5-2 million the year after, then whatever scraps after that leads to 12-13 million.
This, I also didn't consider. And this is such a depressing fact. Why aren't the core owners buying anything? I know people will say it's the soft library, but even though the titles are few in number, the quality is very high. I would expect diehard fans to at least buy these big titles =/
It's about variety. A majority of people don't want to own 3 consoles, so they are going to buy the one that covers the most bases. Everyone has this notion that Xbox360 is the CoD/Halo/Gears box but there were tons of 360 owners that didn't even touch those games. Why? Because maybe theyw ere Madden fans? Or Forza fans? or liked some of the more "indie" stuff like Minecraft or Meat Boy. Halo might be MS' biggest IP, but if you absolutely hate Halo and the rest of MS' first party offerings, there was potentially plenty for you to play to make the 360 a worthy purchase. Be realistic, if someone is not a diehard Mario/Zelda fan, is there honestly any reason for them to buy a Wii U? Is there anything there for them? Would you recommend one to a friend or family member who hated Mario Kart and Mario platformers? Therein lies Nintendo's problem. They continue to preach to an ever shrinking choir. If Nintendo is going to figure a way out of this they need to figure out how to appeal to people who don't care about their established first party games (they did this with Wii Sports, hence the sales phenomenon).
Well I have a similar opinion of the gamepad, which is also why I can't seem to get into handheld gaming no matter how hard I try. But I was simply going to remedy that by buying a pro controller on day 1, when I get my Wii U. Is that no doable for every title?Personally I so disliked using the hardware, and the gamepad even more so, that I ended up returning my WiiU. It is simply too clunky and combersome. Every time I would sit down to play I ended up playing a different system.
I honestly expect 1-2 million this year and 500k-1 million next year. Unless they reveal something massive I see the Wii U continuing its downward spiral.
I honestly expect 1-2 million this year and 500k-1 million next year. Unless they reveal something massive I see the Wii U continuing its downward spiral.
I honestly expect 1-2 million this year and 500k-1 million next year. Unless they reveal something massive I see the Wii U continuing its downward spiral.
Sales so far this year are moderately higher than last years. In NA at least. I expect this year to be WiiU's high.
I thought they were up in March only?
it's less than 2/3 of the Gamecube's sales at the equivalent time, and it'll almost certainly finish with less than 2/3 of Gamecube's LTD in the end
Wii U January-March 2013: 191k
Wii U January-March 2014: 201k
It's up, barely ("moderately" is a bit of a stretch).
Is that crazy though? The sales dropped off a cliff and the system will likely be replaced by the end of 2016, do you really think it can double its LTD in two years? Sure it's possible, but I don't see it selling anymore than 13 million maximum.
I thought it was going to be something like 15m vs 6m lolIn what sense is almost double the sales 'not that big'? It's massive. There is also nothing to suggest that the WiiU will sell just shy of 20 million units in the rest of it's life when it has only sold a fraction of that so far.
Wii U January-March 2013: 191k
Wii U January-March 2014: 201k
It's up, barely ("moderately" is a bit of a stretch).
This is using NPD data, right?
Is it an equal number of weeks?
Sales dropped off a cliff? They were already pretty damn low. It will be up YoY this year. I bet on it. 13 million is probably about where I'd put it too unless Smash, Kart and Sonic really take off. 15 Million seems to be the highest. All still disasterous numbers, mind you.
I will, it does not follow their five year cycle.Is anyone actually going to be surprised when Nintendo preemptively pulls the plug on the Wii U?
yeah that's NPD data, and actually I think 2013 is 14 weeks while 2014 is 13 weeks, so weekly averages:
2013: 191k/14=13.64k/week
2014: 201k/13=15.46k/week
even then, that's only a 13.33% increase in the weekly average
edit: actually the post above makes a decent point, even a relatively negligible amount of December 2012 returns (~10k?) makes these figures worse
I think it's more shocking because the Gamecube barely sold over 20 million, and was even considered a failure by Nintendo's standards (despite how awesome people thought it was). So to see another console of theirs selling only a fraction of their last failure is pretty damning.I thought it was going to be something like 15m vs 6m lol
Is anyone actually going to be surprised when Nintendo preemptively pulls the plug on the Wii U?
The system will hardly survive year two, let alone five.I will, it does not follow their five year cycle.
Is anyone actually going to be surprised when Nintendo preemptively pulls the plug on the Wii U?
I didn't say there was a conspiracy. There's just people who post here who make money on videogames, and because it's an english forum, there's expected to be a majority of western interests here. There is nothing wrong with that and there is no conspiracy.