Sure. 2014. Considering they haven't precised any further (as opposed to MK8) in their release schedule, that might mean a summer release.
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Wii U Shipped 160k Units Worldwide Between April and June 2013
- Thread starter Anth0ny
- Start date
Sure. 2014. Considering they haven't precised any further (as opposed to MK8) in their release schedule, that might mean a summer release.
Ninja Scooter
Member
But he'll hold bananas or put on cat claws!
Aquamarine
Member
The first real shipment data we have for Nintendo 64 comes from March 31st, 1997.
The N64 shipped 5.80 million total in:
1) 6 months for the USA
2) 9 months for Japan
3) 30 days for Europe
The Wii U shipped 3.61 million total in:
1) 7.5 months for the USA
2) 7 months for Europe
2) 6.75 months for Japan
muzzymate
Member
I can't even calculate what that year over year growth percentage is! Nintendo's stocks should soar!!! Invest now!
coinoperatedboy
Banned
Is anyone surprised?
Amid brand confusion and a game drought for many months coupled with a none existent marketing campaign?
I don't see loosing the console as an option tbh. I actually think the console is a good one.
But turning this around will be an uphill battle (perhaps more of a vertical battle).
Nintendo must commit and keep making great games and keep advertising the damn thing.
I get the feeling that something must have happened with Nintendo considering the abandonment of the wii and the rushed wii u. It would seem they had time but perhaps growing pains took them by surprise?
Not sure what went down, but something did.
The are a gaming company and must do what they do best. GAMES!
That is also what I care about most, the games.
If the keep the quality that I have thus seen I could se them making it to an OK success.
Amid brand confusion and a game drought for many months coupled with a none existent marketing campaign?
I don't see loosing the console as an option tbh. I actually think the console is a good one.
But turning this around will be an uphill battle (perhaps more of a vertical battle).
Nintendo must commit and keep making great games and keep advertising the damn thing.
I get the feeling that something must have happened with Nintendo considering the abandonment of the wii and the rushed wii u. It would seem they had time but perhaps growing pains took them by surprise?
Not sure what went down, but something did.
The are a gaming company and must do what they do best. GAMES!
That is also what I care about most, the games.
If the keep the quality that I have thus seen I could se them making it to an OK success.
To be fair, they sold anywhere from 200K to 250K over the course of those three months
...
wow, I only realized that it's shipped, not sold
no words
but I bought Wii for Wii Sports, I suspect many people did also and got confused by the Wii U when it was announced
No one really should be. There was no way this wasn't going to be the result.
Various Artists
Banned
That is a crazy low amount. IF they dont have something being pulled together by the end of the year, the wii U is toast.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
You could almost argue that Nintnedo MADE their competition- Mobile gaming wasn't big at all when Wii landed; people who would never have considered gaming as a hobby previously were suddenly finding it enjoyable. Once capable handheld tech became readily available in daily life, those newfound gamers -gamers that Nintendo helped create- quickly moved to the most convenient games they could play. Numbers support that:
Perfect storm kinda thing, where George Clooney plays the part of Iwata.
This is the elephant in the room every time there's a conversation about "Wii, the fad" and "casual gamers are unreliable, Nintendo should have stuck with their hardcore buddies". (Hardcore buddies who generally gave up on Nintendo after the end of the SNES.)
I've always felt a more truthful narrative is that Nintendo made a very, very good intuitive guess with the Wii. They saw the potential in the surging popularity of games like Guitar Hero and suspected there was a large audience of lapsed and non-game players who might find video games entertaining but were turned off for various reasons. They struck gold with Wii. And in the process helped define an entire market. They also helped define game concepts that have stayed with us - moving into the greater "expanded audience" that is now represented by the mobile market.
The problem though, is Nintendo is not Apple. Or Google. Or a global electronics conglomerate. Everyone keeps talking about 'dat war chest' but just because they're sitting on a bunch of money doesn't mean they are configured to say, get into the mobile phone market with their own device. As a result once the expanded audience began playing games, the smartphone and tablet explosion essentially took over where the Wii left off. Nintendo didn't have any products positioned, and probably couldn't have in just a couple of years, to stop their audience from effectively being stolen.
That1BlackGuy
Member
Ouch.
coinoperatedboy
Banned
Aye, and I am what most people would call a diehard fan boy :S
They have dropped the ball, but I think that the steps they are taking are ones in the right direction.
It may be too little too late but time will tell.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
I think they could've, and it's something they need to consider w/ the U follow-up.
Here's to hoping they get there; if not, I'll have to buy a few 40s to pour out.
Unless Smash will miraculously make Q1 2014, I think they are crazy
I think they are at least a little insane in any case.
Manmademan
Member
I didn't respond because alas, I left for work and have a 9 to 5. a more detailed response will have to wait until after 6, though it looks like others have responded for me well enough.
but I will leave you with this. if the wii had a healthy, active base, why would Nintendo abandon it? they've never done so before even with consoles that were struggling.
why wouldn't third parties sweep in to satisfy that base Nintendo abandoned? do third parties hate money?
the answer to both is the same. the base wasn't buying much outside of a few first party titles,and at some point Nintendo realized that trying to retain them was a losing proposition.
the casual audience does indeed "get tired" of novelty gaming eventually, and guitar hero is a great example. NOTHING activision or harmonix can do will bring back tens of millions of casuals and get them buying plastic guitars. that business model is no longer viable, and the Wii audience is very similar.
StickSoldier
Member
They really had no clue what to do with this system I don't think. When I initially heard about the Wii U, I imagined seeing a bunch of new games that would take advantage of the gamepad. All we're getting from Nintendo are the same games we JUST played on the 3DS. Why create a new system if all you're going to put on it is games that are essentially the same as their 3DS counterparts? The only company showing any sort of understanding with this machine is Platinum games. Nintendo just wants to play it safe which won't work anymore. They've got to come up with some ideas to show why this system is different than the new juggernauts coming out soon, but unfortunately for us, it seems as they are past the point of reclaiming the magic that used to reside in their games.
Take advantage now Wii U owners: http://www.gamestop.com/trade-values#nwiiu
DragonSworne
Banned
People who are waiting for games to release on Wii U might as well wait for the next system.
I just don't see how Nintendo can release Zelda and Smash for the Wii U. Just save it for the next console launch in 2015.
I just don't see how Nintendo can release Zelda and Smash for the Wii U. Just save it for the next console launch in 2015.
Completely expected. We have been seeing the sale rate out of Japan. We also saw how few sold when the price was substantially reduced in Europe. It sure as hell was not selling better here in the USA.
Nintendo needs to globally reduce the price and have an ambassador program or something. Once the PS4/Nextbox come out they are going to be in an even greater world of hurt. If they wait that long then people don't even have the opportunity to pick up the Wii-u before launch. (Not many will do it if they drop the price now, as we have seen in the UK... but still...)
That's actually a great deal if you want to dump your wii-u.
Nintendo needs to globally reduce the price and have an ambassador program or something. Once the PS4/Nextbox come out they are going to be in an even greater world of hurt. If they wait that long then people don't even have the opportunity to pick up the Wii-u before launch. (Not many will do it if they drop the price now, as we have seen in the UK... but still...)
That's actually a great deal if you want to dump your wii-u.
Hellsing321
Member
I can't see anyway Nintendo turns this around. The market has just changed so much in such a short time that by the time they play catch up, everything will have changed again.
What steps? Bolstering NCL? NCL was never the problem.
This is my biggest problem with Iwata right now; his "solutions" seem to be more of the same, only bigger, and retreating further and further into Japan. It makes no damn sense.
I think it's time for people to face the music: Nintendo is past the point of being able to dig themselves out of console irrelevance by just digging in their heels and giving us more of the same. There seems to be this idea that Nintendo doesn't actually have to change anything, just keep doing what they're doing and try again next gen -- people will come around. Highly unlikely.
Like Sony when the PS3 was under the threat of tanking, we need to start seeing DRASTIC changes over at Nintendo. They need to reshuffle their top management (wipe 'em all out, if you ask me), and completely overhaul the way they approach this industry. Because they may have a huge amount of cash stored, but that won't stop them from being on the path to total market irrelevancy. And there's no coming back from that.
coinoperatedboy
Banned
I don't see that happening. The repercussions of burning the people who bought a Wii U would make that 2015 console into a dreamcast.
Mr. B Natural
Member
This core industry is no longer wide enough for 3 major contenders competing for similar real estate. Nintendo stopped trying to aim for the hardcore gamer a long time ago and aimed for gimmicks to succeed. It was only a matter of time until that bit them in the ass. They don't call them casual gamers because they're reliable and consistent.
The core industry may not even have room for 2 contenders anymore...as Microsoft's constant shift in focus (and determination towards keeping their gimmick intact) may prophesize.
Nintendo made a wrong turn, which would typically be a punishing move, but doing it during these fragile times made it beyond punishing.
The core industry may not even have room for 2 contenders anymore...as Microsoft's constant shift in focus (and determination towards keeping their gimmick intact) may prophesize.
Nintendo made a wrong turn, which would typically be a punishing move, but doing it during these fragile times made it beyond punishing.
Not really surprised by the Wii U numbers. Does anyone on here actually know anyone that has one? I think your crazy for thinking the Xbox One will bomb this hard but only time will tell!
Azure Dream
Member
Nekomimi Iwata says "Please Understnyand."
I think Nintendo knows it too, but there's nothing they can do at the moment because they weren't well-prepared for the HD jump (who knows what they did these last few years). The fact that Retro is developing Donkey Kong HD is because they need more games as fast as possible, a new big IP would take too much time. It's not playing it safe, more like the risks are too big since the situation is bad.
Yeah, if my kids want to play Nintendo games I'd just buy them a 3DS, way cheaper and with way more games, and it covers the off-tv play too. 3DS + 360 or PS3 is much more valuable than 3DS + WiiU.
Portugeezer
Member
All Nintendo's fault.
Launched a system early, constant game delays (Pikmin, Rayman, W101) and software droughts with little 3rd party support, only to have 4 - 5 million unit head start (eventually by November)...
They're going to be left with a underpowered system and little to no reason for 3rd parties to bother making Wii U versions of games. Meanwhile XB1/PS4/PC will be the main platforms for 3rd parties. But hey... it will have Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Zelda U, people will eventually buy it.
They majorly overshipped for launch. Actual sold to customers numbers for USA + Europe + Japan are somewhere around 3 million based on NPD, MediaCreate and what EU charts we have seen, Shipments next quarter will be higher. Even with the horrible worldwide sales, the Wii U is moving more than 55k units a month.
Agree.
DragonSworne
Banned
I think it will be better to not release another system with a huge drought post launch.
Maybe do a cross gen release like Twilight Princess had?
You could almost argue that Nintnedo MADE their competition- Mobile gaming wasn't big at all when Wii landed; people who would never have considered gaming as a hobby previously were suddenly finding it enjoyable. Once capable handheld tech became readily available in daily life, those newfound gamers -gamers that Nintendo helped create- quickly moved to the most convenient games they could play. Numbers support that:
Perfect storm kinda thing, where George Clooney plays the part of Iwata.
Y'know, I'd never thought of it like that. I figured people migrated to the app store because it was shit hot. You might well be right, Nintendo created a bunch of casual gamers that then found a better fix elsewhere.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Because they were focusing on the 3DS and at least trying to prep for HD development on the Wii U. Iwata has said this multiple times.
Manmademan said:
You're implying that third-party software didn't sell on Wii, which, again, is totally false. More than half of the million-sellers on Wii were third-party.
I think the sales numbers are pretty telling, man. I'm using personal observations, sure, but you don't have to be in sales to understand the graph: The Wii's output hit the skids and mobile took off, both of which happened to overlap starting in 2010.
Wii U never had a chance trying to pull people in from the mobile gaming market; the demographic for those games isn't a console gamer. Going a bit econ here, but the Wii U and gamepad isn't able to compete as an imperfect substitute vs. iPad or (good) android tablets, iPhones or most of the mobile device market, and it's not because of the tech- it's the proposition.
There's no compelling reason to own both for the majority of consumers... Wii may have brought some gamers out of the wilderness, but looking at sales figures those consumers quickly moved on to mobile, and have stayed (and grown) there.
SquiddyCracker
Banned
I just hope it stays alive long enough for the following games to be released:
Do you guys think it'll survive that long?
- Mario Kart 8
- Super Mario 3D World
- F-Zero UX
- Non-wind waker Zelda
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- Bayonetta 2
- Second 3D mario game
- Project X
Do you guys think it'll survive that long?
makingmusic476
Member
They need to drop the price like mad. If they wait until Fall to do so, they're only further proving themselves to be the fools that they are.
From my point of view, this is all happening because of three things:
1. They released a slightly more powerful ps360 seven years late as opposed to a slightly less powerful ps4/XBO a year early.
2. They prioritized 3DS releases over Wii U content during the console's crucial launch window.
3. They have consistently viewed these offerings as being more compelling than they actually are, and have overpriced them accordingly. A $349 Wii U is laughable in light of a $399 ps4, and the pricing of the Wind Waker HD relative to titles like Okami HD and the Final Fantasy X Collection show that they're still operating within this framework.
From my point of view, this is all happening because of three things:
1. They released a slightly more powerful ps360 seven years late as opposed to a slightly less powerful ps4/XBO a year early.
2. They prioritized 3DS releases over Wii U content during the console's crucial launch window.
3. They have consistently viewed these offerings as being more compelling than they actually are, and have overpriced them accordingly. A $349 Wii U is laughable in light of a $399 ps4, and the pricing of the Wind Waker HD relative to titles like Okami HD and the Final Fantasy X Collection show that they're still operating within this framework.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I agree with this. I believe they brought in a lot of casual gamers but now I believe they moved on to iOS and the cheaper 360, which is the reason for the great 360 sales over the past two years.
Squiddycracker said:
I think we'll see all of those but no more entries in any of those series on the Wii U.
drspeedy said:
I agree with you about the mobile, as I stated above.
I just think it's WAY too coincidental that these people started leaving once Nintendo abandoned the Wii software. I mean, look at the release schedule from 2011 on. It's awful. There's literally no reason for anybody to buy the console.
coinoperatedboy
Banned
The steps I'm referring to is releasing games for the actual console.
They have hired more people so they can cope with making first party titles faster.
I hope they market the damn thing.
Could you be specific as to what overhaul you would like to see?
a price cut is pretty much a sure thing this year, dat $349 vs $399 lol
moltonasty
Member
woah. this is atrocious. i know nintendo won't be going third party anytime soon, but really wtf is going to happen to wii u in 2014? i know it's been said, but the level of support seems like it will be worse than anything in the company's history (excluding virtual boy). i have other gaming options, but i always loved nintendo. this is sad.
This thing has been an absolute screw up at every level. I mean, who in their right might would greenlight such a silly business model? Did Nintendo ever pay attention to where all that money came from.
We have a device that has the same level of comparable strength to current 7 year old tech on the market. We have a main input method and selling point that is a heavily watered down knock off of something the mass market already has/wants. As a result of this decision we have a gaming console that now tries to capture both markets with two heavily crippled areas of its feature set due to the obvious compromises. What we now have is a gimped peripheral no one asked for, jacking up the price of a machine that otherwise offers what we already have with a subpar version of the important network pillars of these consoles that were established years ago.
With the constant leaning on the crutch that is Mario and friends in Nintendo's IP stable over the past few years, it has minimized the impact that those franchises will have upon the Wii U iteration releases.
With a lack of aggression, a lack of trying to push things forward, the more they rely on these IP's for a quick bump in sales to appease shareholders, the more they will diminish in value over time.
Give me something new to Wii U, something, anything.
I think its time some of BOD's at the top got on the chopping block and Iwata too if things don't improve.
I think it was telling at E3 when Keighly asked Reggie and he flat out asked "With more powerful and a close price disparity with you competitors on the horizon, why should people buy your console?" And Reggie responds with " cause Mario, Zelda DK, Smash, Kart, ect."
It speaks volumes about the state of mind of this company, how it views the market, their poorly thought out business plan, and just how much confidence they actually have in their own platform.
The same old song and dance, same IP's and not a single inkling that they just may want to try and push themselves a bit further.
Right now, the ultimate crux of this situation is the question that both core and casual gamers have about Wii U is: Nintendo, what can you the platform holder and software producer provide me that I cannot get anywhere else ?
And if the answer is nothing, then why the fuck does this thing exist in the first place?
We have a device that has the same level of comparable strength to current 7 year old tech on the market. We have a main input method and selling point that is a heavily watered down knock off of something the mass market already has/wants. As a result of this decision we have a gaming console that now tries to capture both markets with two heavily crippled areas of its feature set due to the obvious compromises. What we now have is a gimped peripheral no one asked for, jacking up the price of a machine that otherwise offers what we already have with a subpar version of the important network pillars of these consoles that were established years ago.
With the constant leaning on the crutch that is Mario and friends in Nintendo's IP stable over the past few years, it has minimized the impact that those franchises will have upon the Wii U iteration releases.
With a lack of aggression, a lack of trying to push things forward, the more they rely on these IP's for a quick bump in sales to appease shareholders, the more they will diminish in value over time.
Give me something new to Wii U, something, anything.
I think its time some of BOD's at the top got on the chopping block and Iwata too if things don't improve.
I think it was telling at E3 when Keighly asked Reggie and he flat out asked "With more powerful and a close price disparity with you competitors on the horizon, why should people buy your console?" And Reggie responds with " cause Mario, Zelda DK, Smash, Kart, ect."
It speaks volumes about the state of mind of this company, how it views the market, their poorly thought out business plan, and just how much confidence they actually have in their own platform.
The same old song and dance, same IP's and not a single inkling that they just may want to try and push themselves a bit further.
Right now, the ultimate crux of this situation is the question that both core and casual gamers have about Wii U is: Nintendo, what can you the platform holder and software producer provide me that I cannot get anywhere else ?
And if the answer is nothing, then why the fuck does this thing exist in the first place?
Man, we might just have another Sega Saturn on our hands where it is the successor to a successful console but fails to bring home nearly as big numbers and is deemed a failure by many, despite having some great games on it. But hey, at least the Saturn had Nights into Dreams and various Panzer Dragoon titles.
coinoperatedboy
Banned
I agree, they fucked up with the wii u.
IMO they should have waited with the launch instead of rushing it out.
Regarding a new console with cross gen release I would not buy it.
I have hade Nintendo as my pride and joy all my life, but if they pull support on the U that early I won't buy another home console from nintendo.