It appears that, despite promises to the contrary, Nintendo may be in a sticky situation with their latest console release. Though the Nintendo 3DS suffered from poor reception at first largely due to its high price tag, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata made a statement reassuring their fans (and stockholders) that the Wii U would not suffer the same fate and that Nintendo wouldn’t “make the same mistakes that [they] did with the 3DS…”
Well that statement was made about a year ago, and here we are with sales figures suggesting the exact opposite. The Wii, that six-year old console that lacks HD-support and has been available since 2006, managed to outsell Nintendo’s brand-new Wii U console for the first and second quarter in 2013. One could argue that it’s the lower price point of the Wii causing this “cannibalization” of their new home console- and that person would probably be right. But what’s even more worrisome is the overall huge drop in sales the Wii U saw from its launch to this year.
So is the Wii U going to need a price cut to survive just as the 3DS did?? All that is certain is that Nintendo needs to do something to ensure its home console can be competitive this holiday season! Sound off in the comments!
That drop!
I just noticed that there’s a new blogger here :D
Yes!
No
Well, it is cheaper, more popular, and already has a huge library of games (even though they can be played on the Wii U).
The thing is, Nintendo needs to do a better job at public awareness.
This^
Maybe many people mistaken Wii for Wii U.
^This and it doesn’t help that adds like the one from target this week continue to confuse consumers. http://mynintendonews.com/2013/08/01/target-doesnt-know-what-a-wii-u-looks-like/#comments
Look at the console that the Gamepad is sitting on top of and tell me that doesn’t propagate confusion!!
Why did the old Wii sell so good at Q4 2012?
Holiday season I believe.
Christmas
Launch….
No. The Wii didn’t launch a year ago xd
because of the bundles and price cuts. Skylanders was pretty popular and they had a pretty nice starter set bundle.
I hate to say it but I really think the Wii U is doomed and before anyone yells at me I do have a Wii U and really like it quite a bit, but Nintendo have not done enough in advertisement or explain to the general public what the Wii U is all about.
The ps3 sold less then the Wii U did in its first year. Everything’s gonna be fine, we have to wait for what the future has in store.
The ps3 was $600
Then they had a price cut. Just like Nintendo SHOULD do. In order for sales to pick up…
OK so first you said it was selling good, and now you say it needs a price cut? thats like shoving a prickly banana up your vaginal hole if you were a black nun.
Ok, I’m trying to piece this reply together because it makes no fucking sense. I never changed my mind that its selling good as it is, but a price cut COULD help it sell much better than it is now. Though when Pikmin 3 comes out those sales will show up to play. Next time you reply to me, actually try to insult me, otherwise your not worth my time.
lol. If Pikmin 3 hadn’t been delayed, and then Rayman Legends, the first quarter 2013 would have been much stronger. Sales have already ramped up with Pikmin 3 launch and Rayman Legends and Wonderful 101 are right around the corner. I expect another million or so before the launches of PS4 and Xbone. Then, if they come out with a Wind Waker bundle and/or price cut they should do well this holiday season. 2014 Brings the big guns and if by next year’s E3 the system hasn’t sold 10 million then I will concede it’s in big trouble.
It had an install base of hard-core players to ride off of thanks to the PS2.
The Wii U doesn’t have that luxury.
Also, its pricing was a mistake, plain and simple. It had the titles to sell well but the price held it back.
Wii U, exact opposite; the price is fine. It’s the titles that it needs.
i beg to differ, the Wii U is lacking in both, the only thing that would make me buy a Wii U right now is Smash, or a new Zelda, but honestly i think the Wii U is overpriced.
Mine was too…-_- that was a pain to bye.
I bought it two months ago (so probably I’m one of those 160k buyers in Q2 :D) and I did it fully aware that I may have bought a machine for 10-20 games or so alone.
But I had to play ZombiU, Lego City Undercover, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, The Wonderful 101, X, Bayonetta 2 and Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem. Add some good Nintendo games in there (specially Pikmin 3, Smash Bros and new Zelda for me, but I’m taking Mario Bros U, 3D Mario, Donkey Kong and Mario Kart with gusto, thanks!) and I’m satisfied already. The console can end after that and I’ll still feel it was money well spent.
This
Yeah but they’res no Call of Duty or Halo on it that normal people play you dumb dog.
#thebensanderslives
“normal people play”?? ahahahahah…asshole
Oh, and cnange your name, yo’re disgracing Stevie’s
I find people who play Halo & Call of Duty everything bit normal…
Also, the PS3 was in an advantageous position in terms of raw computing power. The PS3 was the biggest beast on the market, with potential to run any game that its competitor’s could. The WiiU, if DirectX 9 rumors are true, will be outpaced by the other two machines, and completely plowed under, unless they get some dramatic 3rd party support soon.
The DirectX rumors are false, since that technology’s owned by Microsoft, and I don’t think they’d just license their technology to their competitor.
If anything, it uses OpenGL, or if not, an OpenGL-like API.
The same case happen in 3ds and the ds also. its normal and look to 3ds now best seller. strange thing vita in other side worst selling consul and no body say is doomed??
My nintendo news and other crapy blogs it seems the beast way for them to pring ppl by trolling .
Why i cant see 1 good news ?
Sorry 4 my crapy engilsh im not a native :/
Price cut or die. That’s the truth. I plunged in now but I know at least 5 other people that are waiting for that price cut.
well you seem to live in a weird part of the wirld..because hardly anyone seemed to care about the drastic price cuts that happened in europe.. it still doesn’t sell
Is America who wants the price dropped I’m sure America is not Europe.
No you’re wrong you stupid dog. I know 1 1/2 people who are waiting from the price cut.
#JohnnyDeppIsCool
I would expect new bundles, but not price cuts.
LOL, you deserve it for being so lazy, Nintendo. It wasn’t hard to design a console from zero and make something powerful that was capable of standing in front of its competitors. But no, you had to recycle the Wii. Wii U is a joke!
ummm the Wii U is quite different than the Wii, besides microsoft and sony recycle their systems more than Nintendo
you clearly have absolutely no idea how complex console design is. “not hard” doesn’t even come close
LOL YES YES!!!!! #STEVIEWONDERNOSEALL
I have faith in the upcoming software, simple as that. I would be lying if i wasn’t on alert status Super Mario 3D World cant come soon enough
sincerely
The Lark
Donkey Kong and Retro Studios magic will fix this.
Uhh Yoohoo! Dats wat hppans nitendo wen u dunt tayk busnsess lesuns wiz mii! U cud had fan wayl ay teech Ban inglish.
thank goodness gracious you’re here, baby.
i believe some thought they’re getting a Wii U but bought a Wii.
I think that you may be right in this assumption! The branding of it as Wii U instead of Wii 2 hasn’t helped people, or uninformed consumers, to understand that it’s a “new console”.
The reason this is happening is because the wii u had no compelling titles in the first half of 2013. but with games like Pikmin 3, Waker Waker HD and Wonderful 101 coming out very soon I’m sure the system will get enough positive promotion and publicity to sell well in the holiday season.
Excuse me while I laugh a hearty laugh akin to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yyN7rPbHybk&t=250
Q3 and Q4 should be the start of the recovery. The Pikmin 3 craze and been and gone, and the next title up before the fire is The Wonderful 101, and then the rest will follow.
I’m pleased for the Wii though, now that it has officially sold over the 100 million mark. However, even though the Wii U is still not heading in the right direction, and even though it doesn’t have much in the way of advertisement or first party gems at present, it just needs a little more time before those sales begin to climb up. Christmas, strangely, may be the best period for the Wii U to gain some much needed momentum.
The Pikmin 3 craze most definitely isn’t over. It still hasn’t been released in North America.
I have learned to not care about how a console sells. I just want my games, whether the console fails or not. People are getting stupidier by the second so why try to change that.
You speak the truth. WiiU is gettin great games for the rest of this year and great games are comin next year too. DK,Mario,Sonic(platformer kings) are comin, what is wrong with people? Why complain?
But if the console fails, you don’t get any games because people stop making them.
Maybe they should stop advertising the controller and advertise the CONSOLE.
Or at least do a console re-design so it can stand out from the Wii.
It’s a good thing Nintendo has fused its handheld and console divisions together, because the 3DS could teach the living hell out of the Wii U. Games like Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei are blowing the 3DS up, while the Wii U has…what, Wonderful 101? I’m all for facing the risks down, but did they really not have to reveal a Metroid game for the Wii U? Cuz damn.
Its all part of nintendos plan out sell ps2.
N runs it, I as well see it. They don’t see that even the Wii is selling. Nintendo is making profit as people cringe lol.
As I said before, I don’t believe a price cut would change anything. Lots of retailers dropped the price, but they couldn’t sell much more. What the Wii U needs now is games and a better marketing strategy. What Nintendo did with the demos at Best Buy was amazing, but aside from that, there hasn’t been anything ever since the E3.
Regarding games, we have Wind Waker HD, Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World, Rayman Legends, and more coming at the end of the year. THAT is what boost sales: a great line-up f great games. That’s the reason the Wii U vanished from retailers when it first launched: because it had an amazing line-up, like we’ve never seen from a Nintendo console.
As long as there isn’t any large space between each title’s launch, and Nintendo gets it right with their marketing strategy, it could outsell the Wii anytime of the year!
Actually Mario Kart 8 is coming out Spring of Next Year :D
All those Wii systems out there…. Since Nintendo is already losing money, and if they want to get it back they need to increase the user base of the Wii U, they should offer a trade-in program where one Wii + $100 gets you the new HD Wii to play on that TV you got for Christmas.
Seriously, why not.
You know, that’s a damn good idea.
Even if $50, or a voucher to download two retail games, hell, you could really run with that Wii-exchange idea.
Someone post this to Miiverse or start one of your petition things!
They could easily enough include a digital copy of Nintendo Land or Super Mario Bros. U (or both) to sweeten the deal. And if they included the latter, they could still make money by advertising the Luigi DLC.
Isn’t it such a good idea? I bet there’s also a few cents to be made in recycling old Wii components.
That’s a great idea!! Since with the Wii U people don’t need their old system to play their Wii games and they can even transfer their on line boughts to the Wii U. I think even a lower discount, about $50, should work to stimulate people to update their system.
um didn’t the 3ds also fail to sell because it didn’t have any games? at least that was my impression
people have to stop saying that a price cut will change anything… it won’t
price cuts of nearly 50% didn’t help at all in germany and the UK
even without the games, the price cut sored the 3ds sales through the roof, and that right there was Nintendo’s Problem.
When Nintendo gave that 3DS a price cut, they very clearly said (in the action that they took) that they would do drastic things to sell the console. Now, people are expecting the same thing, why support a console when we know Nintendo is just going to give it a price cut soon since its clearly not doing well? why get it for $350 now when you could possibly get it for $250-$280 some time soon? im sure as hell not getting burn twice. (yes, although i love my 3DS now, it was a bitch to know that i payed $80 more than people who bought it 5 months after i did)
*impatiently waits for 2014*
As long as Nintendo does not cancel the new Zelda, and gives me the 1st party games I bought the system for, (and doesn’t go under before giving me one more HD console) I’m fine. I’m accepting my 1st party / indie machine being what it is.
If Nintendo manages 3rd party support someday, that great, but I’m pissed at most of them anyway, so I don’t care. They just need to make enough money to stay alive as far as I’m concerned at this point. They’ll lose some gamers, maybe get some new ones to take their place,… Probably a corporate restructure, and gaming will go on.
Price cut is NEEDED Nintendo, last I check stores did not stop selling 3DS’s like theyre doing with WiiU. WiiU is in a way worst position than 3DS or PS3 was.
It’s been done in other stores.
It doesn’t work.
But having an official pricecut would increase awareness.
Nintendo dropped the ball when it came to market their new console.
However, I still think that the worst case scenario would be the same thing that happened with the gamecube.
ive stated to my friends before.. im not buying a wii u untill ssb4 comes out or the price cuts. which ever comes first.
says it all really.
Target is selling Wii consoles with touch screen controllers! Of course the Wii is doing well! :D
Price drop for the Wii U could do a lot!
As much as I like really like Nintendo they dropped the ball with the Wii U. I did purchase this console for my sister and myself because we always been fans of Nintendo. But all the system is doing is collecting dust. The way Nintendo market this console was just terrible. Remember Nintendo had the market to themselves for a WHOLE YEAR and did nothing with it. And they always brought up nothing but excuses complaining that their games take a while to make. News flash Nintendo it’s 2013. You mean to say they did not test how long games would take when they were developing the console? It’s almost like Nintendo did not even have a plan when they started the development of the Wii U. Even with the price cut the basic Wii U is going to be selling in Canada for $199 on August 2nd, and as a consumer I still would not purchase this console because for 1 the competition will have their consoles out on the market and they will have better hardware and a good launch. Nintendo even said they would not make the same mistake that they did with the 3DS, which was take forever to bring out games for the handheld, but they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Just look at the articles. Iwata is always defending Nintendo saying OH PLEASE UNDERSTAND, OH PLEASE UNDERSTAND OH PLEASE UNDERSTAND, yet he should be the one to make us understand why this console has no good 1st party titles that will make people buy the system on the first year of it’s launch. Someone at upper management has to go. They need new blood within the company and guys who are thinking forward. I hope with the 2014 line up that Nintendo has it will make gamers purchase a Wii U as a secondary console. But I just do not see that happening because they have very good competition on console market. Only thing I would get from Nintendo right now is the 3DS because it’s competition the Vita was dead from the get go.
You’re preach’in to the choir. All we can do now is wait and hope the slow release of games will turn things around.
Pikmin is coming out? If you have a sister, rumor has it, that there is great local coop?
Very well said. And ABSOLUTELY agree that someone in the higher up needs to go. Nintendo needs to be AGGRESSIVE and to focus on changing directions. It takes too long to make games? Then get third part developers and buy them out. BOOM. Now you’ve got even more people to work on your games.
It’s mind-boggling how they got in this position and someone needs to take the blame (probably Iwata)
Thinking about getting rid of my Wii u before its too late. Too much bullcrap im starting to get worried. Better buy a ps4
Or just get a PS4 and keep the WiiU.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nintendo-needs-another-vp-of-marketing/
Scott Moffit should be fired!!!!!!
Or placed in a department were he won’t do any damage, alá silent director. TREE HOUSE at nintendo America is another mistake. Really!
That’s what they get.
Ikr, “we wont make the same mistake we did with 3DS” my ass.
They should’ve changed the figgen name. Look the Wii had the Wii Remote, It allowed motion controls, and they made it really useful in there games.
However, They can’t just smack a letter into the name and expect it to sell. Not only that, the use of the gamepad totally contradicts the use of the Wii-mote.
To add insult to injury, they don’t even know how to make the gamepad useful in most games.
As for the prices. Discontinue the basic model, and have a deluxe set in both with and black for 50 dollars less.
Gah! Nintendo really screwed themselves over.
Don’t get me started on the gamepad.
I don’t think they know how to market the Wii U.
Does it really matter? Nintendo got money either way lol.
You make it sound as if they’re Microsoft…
Yeah I feel like a price drop would help. I feel like if its way cheaper than PS4 and Xbox1 it would definitely get consideration
My friend who is a gamer, thought it was an add on. Nintendo should have named it something different.
I feel like I’m the only who owns the Wii U and actually loves it.
I´m with you
nope, I’m one.
A price drop is coming. I see it, $100 less than the PS4 with a mystery nintendo game. Wait! Metroid WiiU shall soon be announced. A show of Zelda or a December Zelda release would be major.
They said no price drop.
Considering how long it took for the PS3 and Xbox 360 to outsell the PS2 and Xbox…
This site is becoming mybadnintendonews. Fuck you all and speak positive things, not this doom and gloom bullcrap over and over again. Where is the positivity? Put Nintendo Commander and Gamer writing articles for fuck sake. Bunch of idiots
You are not helping :P
annoying Anubis, how can you help me?
Out of all the trolls, you find me annoying?
Yes. I don´t answer to trolls though. Yo’re a troll sometimes, sometimes not. That annoys me
You rather have delusion than actual news? Sometimes the things that are good for you are the things that need to wake you the fuck up.
Its not like the Wii U is ubber expensive, a price drop seems pointless and is only going to cheapen the brand. I dont get all this bad rep the Wii U is getting. It IS a fantastic console. It may need more killer games though. But those are coming.
Who gives a shit! All I care about is whether I like it or not. All this negative story posting and dooms day talking is plain idiotic. I’m beginning to think it’s time to stop frequenting these types of sites.
“good things comes to those who wait”, now…I don’t know about the rest of you but one thing is for sure…I’m waiting for those games. If you were smart, you’d do the same thing. You all are rushing it and not really giving a chance by saying “I’m losing faith, I’m returning my wii u” or “I’m getting worried, maybe getting my wii u was a bad idea”. You guys need to relax and wait.
this
…. The console’s almost a year old. They’ve by far waited long enough and there’s still little to show for all the waiting. Nintendo needs a massive turn around within the next few months or the court of public opinion will never come back around to Nintendos side. Now is the console owners last chance to try and get some return on their investment on the chance the console crashes and burns.
*sigh* The confusion of Wii and Wii U in the market is more apparent than ever. I hope those great upcoming titles don’t arrive too late to save the console.
You mean like the Ps2 outsold the Ps3?
the two question marks tipped me off that someone new wrote this
Yeah. Pretty amateurish.
Oh boy! Calm yourself. It was posted prematurely and I wasn’t able to proofread it. Just try your best to live with it if you can.
why would i need to “calm myself”
i didn’t mention anything negative or what it was even a flaw, just that it was the cause of me checking the topic author out of curiosity
don’t take it personally
or that*
My mistake, actually. I intended to post it to the person who referred to that minor error as “amateurish.” Either way, ain’t no thang. Have a good one, fellow Zelda fan.
And what the hell does this mean without the Christmas shopping season having started? Nothing, beyond the fact that people are buying Wiis.
This map is CRAP, the Wii U JUST STARTED less than a year ago. Look at the month it started and then following, they are off by fractions; on the other hand Nintendo does need to bring a bigger variety of games, Shooters, RPG’s, and so on. they have nothing as of now! Last Gen their first party titles got them around but now; Nintendo Needs Third party support. And secondly they need to bring sequels to games like The Conduit, Red Steel, Turok, hell even Timesplitters. There is a family looking at the company right now and turns for another console mainly because of the games they offer, Nowadays we need a console that plays everything.
I agree…nintendo needs that and devs need to quit being lazy and making shit excuses for themselves and get busy and stop trying to by pass nintendo. Nintendo needs to get off their asses and say “hey, we need you guys too, don’t hold back”. Come on nintendo, get serious here and start a better online third party support as well as going into it youselves if you EVER hope to succeed!
Parents probably just buy the cheaper not realizing the new console can play Wii games too.
Wait until the big Wii U games come out and then we will see a change. Just like the DS and 3DS had slow starts and picked up later on, the Wii U will pick up the pace, too. We just need to be patient and not jump to conclusions.
right, as I said, “good things come to those who wait”. People need to realize this and relax and wait.
Why still sell the wii? If it’s to play Wii games, stop selling the machine and advertise the backwards compatibility.
Does anyone remember how much the 3ds sold in its first year?
A price cut from Nintendo isn’t the solution. Why? Because even if the price is cut the Wii U still lacks amazing games. The PS4 is more expensive than the Wii U and I bet a high amount of consumers will continue to buy it for many more quarters than Nintendo experienced.
Once again, I believe the launch of the Wii U was done wrong.
November 2012: “Hey, we are launching the Wii U now, yay! …Here is Nintendo Land and a couple of recycled games from current gen systems that everyone’s already played.”
9 Months later…”Okay! Pikmin 3 time!”
This holiday….
New Super Luigi U
Wonderful 101
Wind Waker HD
Wii Party U
DK Tropical Freeze
Mario and Sonic Olympic Games
Super Mario 3D world
Wii Fit U
Out of those I’m interested in maybe like, 2…
Nintendo,
Discontinue the original Wii. Only have one home console in the market at a time.
Have a year where the best games you release don’t amount to just Pikmin 3 and Super Mario 3D world.
There are 365 days in a year, Nintendo. 2 games is not enough for us hardcore people.
I totally agree. I guess they thought NSMB was a series that people really care about, misinterpreting the high sales of the previous games. They were released on consoles that already had a huge install base with casuals. With the time they spent on garbage like NSMB and Nintendo Land, maybe they could have put out a huge Metroid game or something at launch.
Well..Seeing As There Were So Many Great Games That Were Released At The Launching Of The WiiU (Im Acting Sarcastically)….Ofcourse Nobody Would Buy It..(I Did..I Couldn’t Wait), Anyway, When The Actual AWESOME,AMAZING,SPECTACULAR Titles That Nintendo Announced At E3 Arrive..I Think That the WiiU Sales Would Go NUTS !
I Mean Common ! Pikmin 3, A New 3D Mario (With A New Power Up !), Donkey Kong !, FUCKING ZELDA !!!
Even Hardcore Gaming People Would LOVE These Titles…
Their biggest flaw was naming the console “Wii U.”
Had they have gone with a brand new name, so the console didn’t sound like an upgraded Wii, I guarantee it would be doing so much better. That choice was very foolish on Nintendo’s part. I think they were trying to feed off of the success of the Wii, but it’s costing them.
I think you bring up a very good point. I remember this past December, two women were looking at an ad for the Wii U and one of them said “OH! So it’s just a controller for the Wii”. I remember thinking that was a bad sign. I’m sure there’s a lot of consumer confusion. Honestly, even the name Wii HD would’ve been a better choice I think. At least that would have conveyed more power while also letting people know it’s definitely not a Wii.
YES! A price cut AND some cool new colors. The black and white Wii U’s are SO boring. Bring on some green, blue and red Wii U consoles!
I was just at 2 Wal-Mart stores, and neither one had any Wii U’s in stock. So they must be selling good at SOME places. Either that or they’ve stopped receiving shipments.
Doesn’t people know that the Wii is a dead console now? Or at least ALMOST dead. Nintendo doesn’t even support it anymore.
It needs one simple thing more good games.
It truly is that simple. If there were games available, this would NOT have happened. I only hope Ninendo has enough Aces up their sleeves to bring them back during the holidays.
I’m not bothered by such things. All of Sega’s consoles weren’t a massive success either but those of us, that had the privilege of owning them during their heyday, have great memories of playing something fantastic games. The same applies to the Gamecube and will likely happen with Wii U too.
Console sales are an issue for the companies, not for us. So let’s just sit back and do what we enjoy; play video games.
Just going to say – The GameCube had awful sales, and also so much negativity in the gaming community because of how people could feed off of the bad comments made about it.
But that was one of the best consoles I had. I still had fun on it, despite the sales. Hell, as long as Nintendo keeps on making great games, people with a Wii U will be enjoying it like myself and a hell of a lot of people did on the GameCube.
Some people are too narrow minded and think sales = a good console, it’s just not true.
What makes a good console is the creator support. And to be honest, all I’ve seen Nintendo do is try, and that’s what counts.
I personally haven’t seen that determination from Nintendo in Microsoft or Sony.
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