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[netBuff]

Didn't stop it from easily becoming the best selling in the series. If the word of mouth was that horrible it shouldn't have. Brawl's hatred is completely overblown. Was it disappointing to many people compared to melee? Yes. Did people want to burn the discs like SFxTekken? No. Also just because a game is a system seller doesn't mean it's going to save a platform that is doing horribly. You need more than huge big system selling games to maintain stable sales because there will be lulls when those aren't being released. Now, I'm seeing where people are definitely being too negative.

Well, I guess I can believe in Smash Bros. sales potential. But I'm not convinced relying on old franchises is enough.

 

[metalslimer]

It's hard NOT to be negative when Nintendo is acting so queer right now.

You can be negative without going off the deep end.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

You said that 3D Land and Mario Kart were perceived as the entire line-up of the 3DS. That was a pretty big generalization, so I retorted by saying that NSMB2 sold more than those other games in December to show you that your generalization that wasn't based on facts was too broad.

I'm not making complicated leaps here either.

You misunderstood. I'm saying last Year's system sellers are still on the shelves to help sell systems now. AND there was NSMB 2. And hardware sales are down. Why is this confusing you?

 

[guek]

Mario. And other actual headliner characters.I think they'll sell well.

But Nintendo's IPs were also available on the GameCube.

There's an argument to be had that the degree of success Mario Kart enjoyed this generation was as a result of a large installed base driven by motion control novelty and Wii Sports as a killer app. As opposed to actually being a primary driver of installed base growth.

Well the point is they'll sell well. "System seller" is such a specious term. Games like Uncharted for example could be considered a "system seller" for a lot of people but it's tough to compare it to something like wii sports, FF7, halo3, CoD, or even Just Dance in terms of system selling power. The next smash, much like a game like Last of Us, will definitely move a sizeable number of units at the very least. Whether it'll eventually achieve evergreen status that pulls in seemingly endless new purchases, well that's impossible to really predict until it actually happens.

 

[Kacho]

But Nintendo's IPs were also available on the GameCube.

There's an argument to be had that the degree of success Mario Kart enjoyed this generation was as a result of a large installed base driven by motion control novelty and Wii Sports as a killer app. As opposed to actually being a primary driver of installed base growth.

If things head south, there's no guarantee Mario Kart is some sort of panacea.

This is true.

But one could also argue that since the Gamecube games were released, titles like Smash and Mario Kart have gained considerable mind share.

 

[AdventureRacing]

What makes Super Smash Bros. so different from PSABR that it will sell boatloads of consoles?

That's why I brought up Playstation All-Stars as evidence of the genre not being in demand anymore.

Are you fucking kidding me? Maybe because smash bros is a hugely popular franchise that nintendo will market the hell out of? PSABR is a poor ripoff of the smash franchise (it was kidna missing the key ingredient of smash, popular characters) and a poorly marketed one at that.

If any franchise is an example of a system seller it's smash brothers. Just look at its huge attach rate on the gamecube. It's also continued to grow with every release so far.

Does LBP karting mean that mario kart is going to struggle on 3DS and wii U?

Mario. And other actual headliner characters.I think they'll sell well.

But Nintendo's IPs were also available on the GameCube.

There's an argument to be had that the degree of success Mario Kart enjoyed this generation was as a result of a large installed base driven by motion control novelty and Wii Sports as a killer app. As opposed to actually being a primary driver of installed base growth.

If things head south, there's no guarantee Mario Kart is some sort of panacea.

Nintendos franchises have gotten a lot more popular since the days of the gamecube though and the wii brand is a lot stronger than anything they had back then. That doesn't guarantee success but i can't see them going back to GC numbers. Having said that i think they could see a substantial decrease from the wii.

 

[jeremy1456]

You misunderstood. I'm saying last Year's system sellers are still on the shelves to help sell systems now. AND there was NSMB 2. And hardware sales are down. Why is this confusing you?

Because for some odd reason you seem to think that games have the same selling power from their launch until they are no longer printed.

I didn't misunderstand, I was just giving you the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Version 3.0]

Gamecube and Xbox performed better during their launch?

Or am I not reading this right...

Yes, considerably better. As I posted earlier:

November 2001
Xbox: 711,619
Gamecube: 647,466

December 2001
Xbox: 690,817
Gamecube: 558,200

So the Life-to-date totals, all of them covering very close to the same number of days, are:
Xbox: 1.4 million
Gamecube: 1.2 million
Wii U: 885k

 

[Darryl]

Smash Bros sold enough GameCubes. People just largely wanted PS2s instead. I had a GameCube for Smash Bros - sold it eventually for a PS2. I got a Wii for Smash Bros, too. I've only considered myself an average Smash fan. I doubt we're going to see the next-generation of competitors launching to PS2-level acclaim.

 

[netBuff]

Are you fucking kidding me? Maybe because smash bros is a hugely popular franchise that nintendo will market the hell out of? PSABR is a poor ripoff of the smash franchise (it was kidna missing the key ingredient of smash, popular characters) and a poorly marketed one at that.

If any franchise is an example of a system seller it's smash brothers. Just look at its huge attach rate on the gamecube. It's also continued to grow with every release so far.

Does LBP karting mean that mario kart is going to struggle on 3DS and wii U?

I guess I see your point, I just hope it's still true and the tried and true Nintendo franchises still compel people to buy a Wii U.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Because for some odd reason you seem to think that games have the same selling power from their launch until they are no longer printed.

I didn't misunderstand, I was just giving you the benefit of the doubt.

No, but the cumulative quality of a library only improves over time. Despite having big hitters that sell well, hardware numbers aren't overly impressive for 3DS.

 

[metalslimer]

No, but the cumulative quality of a library only improves over time. Despite having big hitters that sell well, hardware numbers aren't overly impressive for 3DS.

You see the problem with the 3DS in the west is the same problem I think Wii U faces but on a bigger scale. The 3DS has big games out from Nintendo, but outside of those big games from Nintendo the western library lacks appeal to many people. Nintendo is basically the only company release big games that can sell to the west on the 3DS. This doesn't exist in japan because games like Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest are solely aimed at that market.So I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U follows a 3DS like trajectory in the west only probably worse off because of the much higher pricing. It's going to struggle hard for the next couple of months, but near the end of the year Nintendo will release the premier 3D Mario game and likely try and get Mario Kart 8 out as well to boost it.

Of course this strategy could fail miserably if Sony and Microsoft take away all of Nintendo's mindshare next fall. Nintendo was very lucky to have an incompetent Sony as their competitor with Vita.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Smash Bros and Mario Kart will move systems for sure. The same way Halo or GT move systems. And I agree, the general brand awareness of these titles has grown due to the Wii.

I still think the success of these first-party games is more dependent upon the success of the system, than vice versa.

The success of the PS2, PS1, XBOX 360 and even PS3 (although your mileage may vary on whether one uses the word success and PS3 together) were essentially the result of strong third-party support.

The Wii turned that on its head. The success of the Wii was being built upon a new audience brought in by a novel and compelling control scheme, despite poor third party support.

For the Wii U to be a success it will need one or both of these things. Given that strong third party support is conspicuously absent, it is essentially relying on the latter - the control scheme - to resonate and attract back that expanded audience.

I do not think Nintendo's traditional first-party titles alone (and minimal third-party support) are enough.

 

[guek]

No, but the cumulative quality of a library only improves over time. Despite having big hitters that sell well, hardware numbers aren't overly impressive for 3DS.

Are they unimpressive or only simply just what that market is capable of at the moment? A lot of people are looking ahead to PS4/XB3 but there's a relatively good chance that the dedicated gaming market, as whole, has cooled off tremendously. Obviously both sony and MS are going to mitigate that with multimedia functions and more hidden costs. It's very tough to say right now whether these soft sales are due to weak products or an overall softening of the market. I don't think a definitive conclusion is possible until MS and Sony finally launch and we can see how they perform.

 

[oconnomiyaki]

I think people who talk about supply constraints are forgetting human psychology. It's doubtful if the 360 numbers would have been higher if it wasn't -- and it probably goes for the Wii too. When you are told you can't have something, you immediately want it. They had Ocarina of Time (3DS) on clearance at one store chain recently for like US$3. I drove all over the city looking for a copy. Never mind the petrol wasted in a V6 far outweighed the cost of getting one elsewhere; my dumb brain needed that deal.

Same thing with the Wii. People were buying them because "Holy shit, a Wii in the wild!" People were going down on lists because they were told they couldn't have it, so they no longer wanted it, they needed it. Constraint does funny things to the human psyche.

If people are using sold out as the metric for success, then Nintendo's only mistake was shipping in solid numbers.

 

[guek]

Also, wasn't that 5.5 million shipped figure through march for both wii and wii u? How has wii done this holiday globally? 1-2 million?

 

[metalslimer]

Also, wasn't that 5.5 million shipped figure through march for both wii and wii u? How has wii done this holiday globally? 1-2 million?

No it was just for Wii U. If I had to guess shipments I would say they probably got somewhere between 2.5-3.0 million stuffing the channels(maybe Nintendo has a better relationship with retailers though). Those units will still be sitting on the shelves during Q1 though. Nintendo was able to completely overship the 3DS at launch so its possible they could come closer than we all think.

 

[guek]

Ah you're right, I'm thinking of the 10.5 million figure for wii + wii u

 

[Darryl]

Also, wasn't that 5.5 million shipped figure through march for both wii and wii u? How has wii done this holiday globally? 1-2 million?

I think it's like 1.8M so far

wii u globally i mean

 

[Game Guru]

Even in the GameCube era, Mario Kart and Smash Bros sold nearly on par with Halo 2 and only the GTA and Gran Turismo games outsold either on consoles at the time.

Meanwhile Super Smash Bros. Brawl outsold every PS3 exclusive... Heck, Super Smash Bros. Melee outsold every PS3 exclusive except Gran Turismo 5 and that was GameCube-era Nintendo. Brawl also outsold all the Xbox 360's exclusives besides Kinect Adventures. Only the Call of Duty games have outsold Brawl in this generation. Now remember that both New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Kart Wii had vastly outsold Brawl. Why do you think Nintendo made sure that one of Wii U's launch titles is New Super Mario Bros. U? Because 2D Mario is not only cheap to make, but also sells pretty dang well.

Now will Wii U be the best selling console of its generation? That is a question that we won't know the answer to until Microsoft and Sony get involved, but I believe it will. However, I also believe that none of the three eighth generation consoles will do as well as their predecessors did. This belief comes from the fact that there are now a ton of devices out there that can play cheap games outside of the console and handheld ecosystem including devices that pretty much everyone needs to have but have games built in like smartphones and smart TVs.

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

OP seems to be a fairly good indication of what happens if you look at the numbers alone without actually understanding the circumstances which surround them.

It's not the numbers alone which show the Wii U's in trouble, it's the numbers combined with the circumstances. This will be backed up in January when it does sub 200k at best (assuming they don't panic and cut the price).

I understand the circumstances around the launches of the console. The Wii U wasn't supply constrained like the ps3, 360, and Wii were and its cheaper than the Ps3 and 360 were at launch.

No one knows how much the 360 would have sold if it were available to everyone who'd wanted one, and we don't know how much the PS3 would have sold if it were priced more reasonably. All we have to go on is the data that we have.

The Wii U's current performance isn't indicative of the console selling poorly. The 360 selling at its current rate isn't indicative of the Wii U selling poorly. The numbers are pretty much in line with the last generation of console launches.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

I do not think Nintendo's traditional first-party titles alone (and minimal third-party support) are enough.

I'm not sure Nintendo are going to have the same problems they did with third parties that they did on the Wii or the GC.

And, just to be clear, because you and Steve Youngblood aren't very good with non-binary posting stances, that doesn't mean I don't think they won't have any problems with third parties.

Japanese support (what's left of it after the massacre to Japenese development this gen) I think is going to be far stronger than they have historically enjoyed since the SNES era. Japanese development is looking pretty dire right now (and has been much of this generation with the possible exception of Capcom) and I don't think they can be as choosy about what platforms to release titles on as they once were; I think it's clear that Iwata has built a lot of bridges here, particularly with letting other developers use Nintendo IPs for mutual success (relative success anyway; Sega are still the only big winner playing in the Nintendo sandbox so far).

Western support isn't completely awful either, like it was on the GC and Wii.
Ubisoft must be pretty pleased with Nintendo, as they've made some decent money from them, and with the WiiU using what seems to be a relatively easy to port to architecture, I think they'll continue multiformatting.
EA have sand in their vaginas about something, which could hurt Nintendo, or they could realise that the realities of modern publishing (they're still posting losses) means they're leaving money on the table.
Activision do realise the realities of modern publishing, and will continue releasing every title they can on every format they can.
Nintendos partnership with Unity can only pay off dividends in the long run for small and midsized games, particularly titles that would traditionally go the XBLA / PSN route.

I'd be surprised if there aren't 'surprise' WiiU port announcements for upcoming titles, certainly from Ubi and Activision, via nintendo directs throughout this year.
Bit too late for THQ backing though.

If those don't happen, then it's much more serious for Nintendo.

The biggest question is if this support will continue on into the 720 and PS4 release schedules; if titles for those consoles are CPU or RAM constrained, then WiiU support will likely be poor with 'spin off' franchise versions (as we see now with the Vita).
If they are GPU constrained, graphically compromised ports to the WiiU might still be on the cards (eg 720p 'low detail' mode with fewer post processing effects or cheaper AA techniques).

 

[metalslimer]

Japanese 3rd parties can't be picky with what they support, which is why they will make games for 3DS. Make Nintendo could pull a reverse Vita and try to convince more publishers into doing 3DS/Wii U games. As it stands the best Wii U can hope for from Japanese 3rd parties is multiplat ports from the PS3, and who knows what happens when those dry up.

I'm gonna go ahead and stick with my prediction of the WiiU being doomed. In 18 months the PS4 and 720 will be flying high on the current gens new rush of new IP's and old faithfuls while the Gamecube2.0 WiiU struggles to find its place in the market outside of being a place to play a few Nintendo/Retro developed exclusives.

Well at least someone finally actually used the word doomed lol

 

[Cipherr]

These sort of 'reassuring' comparisons are exactly the kind of things people do for stuff thats doomed.


I'm gonna go ahead and stick with my prediction of the WiiU being doomed. In 18 months the PS4 and 720 will be flying high on the current gens new rush of new IP's and old faithfuls while the Gamecube2.0 WiiU struggles to find its place in the market outside of being a place to play a few Nintendo/Retro developed exclusives. I fully expect to see multiplat port downs from the PS4/720 to the PS3/360 with NO WiiU versions in 2014. Book it.

3DS on the other hand will be fine. It wont get massive Western 3rd party support, but no handheld in the history of handhelds ever has. Itll be stronger in Japan than everywhere else, but itll sell well enough live a full traditional 5-6 year handheld cycle.

Well, there goes my statement that nobody is saying that unironically.

Indeed, I am very serious about it. I cannot forsee it being anywhere but a distant third place in this new gen. And I mean it sincerely. Should crow be served, Ill have no problem having my share; but I am more than confident that it won't come to that.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

I'm gonna go ahead and stick with my prediction of the WiiU being doomed.

Well, there goes my statement that nobody is saying that unironically.

 

[AdventureRacing]

Smash Bros and Mario Kart will move systems for sure. The same way Halo or GT move systems. And I agree, the general brand awareness of these titles has grown due to the Wii.

I still think the success of these first-party games is more dependent upon the success of the system, than vice versa.

I think this is pretty much spot on. Having said that smash brothers has sold more with each iteration including the GC version despite the GC selling almost half of what the N64 is. I actually think smash is one of their biggest system sellers. I don't think nintendos biggest selling games are necessarily their biggest system sellers.

I do not think Nintendo's traditional first-party titles alone (and minimal third-party support) are enough.

Absolutely agree. There is no way they can expect this thing to take off when the future software release list looks like a barren wasteland.

Are they unimpressive or only simply just what that market is capable of at the moment? A lot of people are looking ahead to PS4/XB3 but there's a relatively good chance that the dedicated gaming market, as whole, has cooled off tremendously.

What is this based on?

I think people who talk about supply constraints are forgetting human psychology. It's doubtful if the 360 numbers would have been higher if it wasn't -- and it probably goes for the Wii too. When you are told you can't have something, you immediately want it. They had Ocarina of Time (3DS) on clearance at one store chain recently for like US$3. I drove all over the city looking for a copy. Never mind the petrol wasted in a V6 far outweighed the cost of getting one elsewhere; my dumb brain needed that deal.

Same thing with the Wii. People were buying them because "Holy shit, a Wii in the wild!" People were going down on lists because they were told they couldn't have it, so they no longer wanted it, they needed it. Constraint does funny things to the human psyche.

If people are using sold out as the metric for success, then Nintendo's only mistake was shipping in solid numbers.

I just don't buy this argument at all. People were clamoring for the wii long before there were any shortages. It's also not as though the wii U had THAT big of a lunch shipment anyway which makes your whole post misleading.

Does a shortage potentially make people interested in the product? Sure i think it does. I don't think it has nearly the impact you're trying to say though.

 

[AdventureRacing]

Sorry DP.

 

[Road]

Japan + US sales in the same period:

Wii: 2 million
Wii U: 1.6 million

Europe must be making up for the 400k loss, though...

 

[klapauzius]

Funny how there is no mention of 360 supply constraints or the fact that the Wii was sold out in stores for like a year.

Some of you seem to be trying way to hard to convince yourselves the Wii U is doing fine. It's not and that realization is going to be harder to swallow the longer you put it off.

Xbox360 had never big supply constraints, not even at launch. Some of you seem trying hard to convince yourself that the Wii U doing bad.

When the new Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Metroid, Xenoblade successor, Project Zero 5, 3D Mario etc. arrives the sales will spike up anyway.

The first two month sales of the Xbox3 and PS4 will be lower for sure.

 

[pvpness]

I think history dictates that, short of supply problems, the December number would have been expected to be 1.5 - 2 times November's figure. So, 425K for November would have been expected to hit 637.5 K to 850 K to be considered respectable.

Alright, cool. Had a feeling that might be it, and in that context they aren't hot. Though recent history has shown some consistency in drops from Nov to Dec on new hardware. I'm biting the bit for, say, end of march returns. Could be a blood bath. (sorry bout slow return, at magic kingdom and there's no lines!)

 

[Zombie James]

Xbox360 had never big supply constraints, not even at launch. Some of you seem trying hard to convince yourself that the Wii U doing bad.

Here's an article from February 2006, three months after the 360 launched:

Moore also apologized for the shortage of Xbox 360s. "We took a three-continent view of the Xbox 360," he said, referring to the console's near-simultaneous launch in the US, Japan, and Europe. "Controversial? Yes. Clearly it's caused some short-term shortages in all three territories." Moore promised those present that, "You should be able to walk into a store in the next four to six weeks and see [Xbox 360] hardware on shelves."

So, shortages until late March/early April 2006.

 

[The_Lump]

It's only doomed on GAF.

Press is being weirdly positive. And, as you pointed out, the numbers whilst not mindblowing are actually good.

 

[KageMaru]

Smash Bros and Mario Kart will move systems for sure. The same way Halo or GT move systems. And I agree, the general brand awareness of these titles has grown due to the Wii.

I still think the success of these first-party games is more dependent upon the success of the system, than vice versa.

The success of the PS2, PS1, XBOX 360 and even PS3 (although your mileage may vary on whether one uses the word success and PS3 together) were essentially the result of strong third-party support.

The Wii turned that on its head. The success of the Wii was being built upon a new audience brought in by a novel and compelling control scheme, despite poor third party support.

For the Wii U to be a success it will need one or both of these things. Given that strong third party support is conspicuously absent, it is essentially relying on the latter - the control scheme - to resonate and attract back that expanded audience.

I do not think Nintendo's traditional first-party titles alone (and minimal third-party support) are enough.

I have to say I love how you bring sound logic to these threads. =)

I understand the circumstances around the launches of the console. The Wii U wasn't supply constrained like the ps3, 360, and Wii were and its cheaper than the Ps3 and 360 were at launch.

No one knows how much the 360 would have sold if it were available to everyone who'd wanted one, and we don't know how much the PS3 would have sold if it were priced more reasonably. All we have to go on is the data that we have.

The Wii U's current performance isn't indicative of the console selling poorly. The 360 selling at its current rate isn't indicative of the Wii U selling poorly. The numbers are pretty much in line with the last generation of console launches.

You're missing his point. The numbers lining up with prior launches is mostly irrelevant because the circumstances are different. The 360 and Wii were supply constrained, the ps3 was priced much higher than the competition. Neither of these circumstances apply to the Wii-U, which is why you can't form any opinions solely based on numbers.

When demand for your new product is this low, that usually indicates poor sales. I'll say the same about the PS4 and Durango if I'm able to readily find a system on the shelf within a month's time after launch. Though I feel like MS and Sony will push their systems more aggressively than Nintendo is now.

 

[AdventureRacing]

Xbox360 had never big supply constraints, not even at launch. Some of you seem trying hard to convince yourself that the Wii U doing bad.

Yes it did.

When the new Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Metroid, Xenoblade successor, Project Zero 5, 3D Mario etc. arrives the sales will spike up anyway.

Of course they will, the question is how much? Also what is project zero 5?

The first two month sales of the Xbox3 and PS4 will be lower for sure.

Anythings possible but i disagree strongly with this.

 

[Neuromancer]

I think people who talk about supply constraints are forgetting human psychology. It's doubtful if the 360 numbers would have been higher if it wasn't -- and it probably goes for the Wii too. When you are told you can't have something, you immediately want it. They had Ocarina of Time (3DS) on clearance at one store chain recently for like US$3. I drove all over the city looking for a copy. Never mind the petrol wasted in a V6 far outweighed the cost of getting one elsewhere; my dumb brain needed that deal.

Same thing with the Wii. People were buying them because "Holy shit, a Wii in the wild!" People were going down on lists because they were told they couldn't have it, so they no longer wanted it, they needed it. Constraint does funny things to the human psyche.

If people are using sold out as the metric for success, then Nintendo's only mistake was shipping in solid numbers.

If that were true than every product would release in small numbers to generate that kind of hype and demand. The fact is there are hot products that people want and there are lukewarm products people don't.

 

[KageMaru]

Here's an article from February 2006, three months after the 360 launched:



So, shortages until late March/early April 2006.

This lines up with my experience trying to find a 360 for my little brother. We couldn't find one until April IIRC.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Road, you can add Wii European launch sales to the mix as well at 700K.
-----

I'd be surprised if there aren't 'surprise' WiiU port announcements for upcoming titles, certainly from Ubi and Activision, via nintendo directs throughout this year.
Bit too late for THQ backing though.

If those don't happen, then it's much more serious for Nintendo.

At what point does this narrative about a super secret NDA preventing announcements cease?

I mean, I'm sure some announcements are coming. We had a couple in the last few days: The Walking Dead game and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. But the big titles for the year from publishers remain conspicuously absent, with no reason to prevent announcement.

The biggest question is if this support will continue on into the 720 and PS4 release schedules; if titles for those consoles are CPU or RAM constrained, then WiiU support will likely be poor with 'spin off' franchise versions (as we see now with the Vita).
If they are GPU constrained, graphically compromised ports to the WiiU might still be on the cards (eg 720p 'low detail' mode with fewer post processing effects or cheaper AA techniques).

Platform decisions are ultimately about ROI. It doesn't matter if the Wii U can handle a port if prospective ROI doesn't justify it - and conversely, a cut-down version of anything can be made if the ROI looks like it will be worth it.

Publishers, Japanese of otherwise, will target the platforms they think will provide them with a return.

 

[Neuromancer]

Xbox360 had never big supply constraints, not even at launch. Some of you seem trying hard to convince yourself that the Wii U doing bad.

Either you don't remember or you never knew (or you're not in the US) but 360s were hard to come by for like, the first 4 months. Hell I had to sign up for Sam's Club for a year just to get one in late February 2006, that was the only place around me that had them.

 

[WheelHoss1]

All I can say is that I've never liked a console this much this quickly. Obviously my first Nintendo back in the day comes to mind, but this new crush may beat them all. I just love how the controller feels, love how I don't have to keep my hands so close together, love inventory management on the touchscreen, and love posting dorky drawing in the ZombiU Community.

Maybe the 720 will come out with mind-numbing 4K graphics (kidding) and make me forget all about my Wii U, but from someone who's had one since Christmas, I couldn't be happier.

 

[The_Lump]

Either you don't remember or you never knew (or you're not in the US) but 360s were hard to come by for like, the first 4 months. Hell I had to sign up for Sam's Club for a year just to get one in late February 2006, that was the only place around me that had them.

Was actually similar to WiiU imo (as far as I remember!): lots of talk of selling out, but was readily available on shops in the UK I beleive?

 

[Newton Crosby]

That's why I brought up Playstation All-Stars as evidence of the genre not being in demand anymore.

Yeah...that's not evidence of anything and you know it.
Smash Bros. has characters people care about, no amount of spin by you can change that.

 

[zruben]

Nintendo made more profit with the WiiU than with the Wii... even with the "poor sales"...

that number is far more important for them than the total sales.

 

[KageMaru]

Was actually similar to WiiU imo (as far as I remember!): lots of talk of selling out, but was readily available on shops in the UK I beleive?

You don't send out a message to gamers apologizing for shortages over anecdotal evidence. They launched a bleeding edge system in 3 territories in the matter of a few months. No one did this before, so I would think the reports of shortages were real.

Edit:

Nintendo made more profit with the WiiU than with the Wii... even with the "poor sales"...

that number is far more important for them than the total sales.

Yes but at what cost? You're falling for their spin without an understanding of the cost involved to generate this amount of money.

To give a simple example: looking at hardware sales alone. Even if they generated ~$30 million more in revenue, if they are selling the Wii-U at a loss but were selling the Wii at a profit, it's reasonable to think they actually made more money on the Wii in the same time frame. You're mistaking revenue for profit.

 

[Neuromancer]

Was actually similar to WiiU imo (as far as I remember!): lots of talk of selling out, but was readily available on shops in the UK I beleive?

I don't know about the UK but I can personally attest to the fact that here in the US they were real hard to find for months.

 

[jkanownik]

i think it'll struggle doing 150k in january.

Note that January is a 5 week month this year versus 4 weeks most years..

 

[The_Lump]

You don't send out a message to gamers apologizing for shortages over anecdotal evidence. They launched a bleeding edge system in 3 territories in the matter of a few months. No one did this before, so I would think the reports of shortages were real.

Why not? Sounds like good marketing to me. In fact Nintendo just tried to pull that one didn't they??

Probably were sold out in places. Just remembered going to our local store around launch to check it out and a friend of mine snapped one up. Wasn't like Wii level, where there literally weren't any available anywhere for months. US may have been different of course.

Edit: This is really irrelevant to the thread though. I'm not having a pop at 360 or anything.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

Was actually similar to WiiU imo (as far as I remember!): lots of talk of selling out, but was readily available on shops in the UK I beleive?

The 360 was incredibly hard to find in the UK from launch until Christmas. Not sure how much of that was down to low shipments and how much was down to its desirability, but you weren't getting one at launch unless you had an early pre-order.

 

[coughlanio]

Was actually similar to WiiU imo (as far as I remember!): lots of talk of selling out, but was readily available on shops in the UK I beleive?

The 360 was incredibly hard to find in the UK from launch until Christmas. Not sure how much of that was down to low shipments and how much was down to its desirability, but you weren't getting one at launch unless you had an early pre-order.

I walked into a shop on launch day here in Ireland (Pretty much the same market as the UK) and got one. They were easily got, and I remember a couple of my friends purchasing them on Christmas Eve.

 

[The_Lump]

The 360 was incredibly hard to find in the UK from launch until Christmas. Not sure how much of that was down to low shipments and how much was down to its desirability, but you weren't getting one at launch unless you had an early pre-order.

Must have been an exception in my area then. Only speaking from personal experience - didn't follow the launch numbers etc back then to be fair.


Edit: as above, different experiences in different places I guess!

 

[Nerdstrom]

I'd like to pose a serious question. What do you think nintendo will do if Wii U doesnt get the support it needs for 3rd parties to hang on? PS4 and 720 come along, set the world on fire, Wii U fails to catch on for various reasons but Nintendo still releases its own 1st party games. IMO at worse Wii U could do worse than gamecube. If this happens will it even make financial sense for nintendo to produce 1st party titles? Or would they scrap the whole project and start fresh in 3 or 4 years kinda like the original xbox?