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[schuelma]

The combination of these two really gets me.

Like, what were they doing during all that time on the console front?

3DS emergency surgery? Complete inability to develop for HD?

I have no doubt that launching the 3DS hurt, but they have to have had huge development issues.

 

[ffdgh]

Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda, but I'm starting to feel like an HD remake of Melee with 1080p, a full fledged online featureset(done by Namco) at $40 on disc and digital would have been a better choice.

Oh all the wasted hours this would have produced.....

 

[Apophis2036]

They won't.

They need a Wii Fit esque phenomenon.

I would say they need a Wii Fit esque phenomenon for Wii like numbers yes but IP's like Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda ect will always guarantee that they sell around 20 million consoles in a generation.

I definitely think the Premium console would sell at $250, $350 is outrageous for what it is and what it currently offers imo.

 

[Black Republican]

For people blaming the economy, consoles dying, etc. I want to know who exactly was supposed to be buying the Wii U right now?

PS3/360 owners? Worse online, no achievements/trophies, worse multiplats, no showstopped graphically, online communities barely existent.

Expanded market from the Wii? After Nintendo basically abandoned the Wii, expensive console, expensive expanded market games (Nintendoland at 60 dollars really?)

The Wii is enough for most people. The truth is that we all though NSMBU would be enough to save the console, but what is the incentive to drop 360-410 dollars for NSMBU when there is no real reason to own it? There is honestly just no real good reason to drop the money on the console unless you are a real hardcore fan as we're seeing that last for about a good month and half

If the PS4/720 launch with the same shit lineup with multiplats looking worse or no change, no big 1st party games, and horrendous marketing they will fail too

forreal? link?

 

[GavinGT]

I might say wait until the big Wii U software hits, but nothing on the horizon has much potential for mainstream success. Pikmin 3, Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101 are not the kind of games that will spur consoles sales. They don't need niche games right now, they need the heavy hitters.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Just imagine the global numbers that would've been dropping onto Yves Guillemot's desk last month, far more indepth than what we have access to. If Europe's figures weren't eye opening enough, now the US also.

This is why the suits call the shots, even so late in the dev process (which was still shitty but tough decisions). Rayman Legends would have been bargain bin fodder for a full half a year before any chance to recoup anything positive out of such a disaster.

I can't even imagine what Feb's numbers are going to provide. We're already lower than the Gamecube's worst ever.

 

[Plinko]

Really, Nintendo needs to hit it big with some sort of huge promotion--SOMETHING to get people to buy it now. What that promotion could be, though, I have no idea.

Total access to the entire Virtual Console catalog? Guarantee a free game later this year?

I'll say this, though--this furthers my belief that the Wii U is a transitional console and we see a powerful (noticeably better than Durango/Orbis) one released in 2016 or 2017.

 

[Version 3.0]

Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda, but I'm starting to feel like an HD remake of Melee with 1080p, a full fledged online featureset(done by Namco) at $40 on disc and digital would have been a better choice.

Add in the option to turn off "up to jump", and I'll buy 2 additional Wii U's out of sheer happiness.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Holy Crap, i remember a poster in the prediction thread saying 90k would be horrible.
Fuck, this is real bomba territory here.

Heads will roll at nintendo, specifically NOA.

 

[maquiladora]

55k? Holy shit....

 

[MikeE21286]

I ardently disagree that Mario Kart and Smash Brothers will elevate the WiiU sales to great levels.

During the N64, and moreso on GameCube, Smash Bros and Mario Kart sold very well. They, obviously as pointed to by where the GameCube finished that generation, weren't huge system sellers though. They sold to the base Nintendo consumer that buys a Nintendo system

The reason those games hit ridiculous sales levels on the Wii was because they had a much larger and broader audience to sell to that was brought in by the Wii remote, and Wii sports specifically.

Right now the WiiU is selling to the base Nintendo consumer. That group of people have not transitioned from the Wii, and it looks exactly like it did back during GameCube.

Those games will not save The WiiU.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

55k is unambiguously and unprecedentedly disastrous.

Outside of Monster Hunter suddenly becoming a must have title outside of Japan for some reason, I don't know what they can do to fix it at this point either.
A price cut won't help, and you can't just release software that doesn't exist.

 

[Lo-Volt]

January sales show continued rough tides for the Wii U

Wow, OK.

 

[Dlacy13g]

Has there been any news on the Sony front? If the WiiU is only pumping out 55k units in Jan, I fear for what the Vita might have done.

 

[shinra-bansho]

January sales show continued rough tides for the Wii U

I guess that confirms it.

Also, lol at the bottom of that IGN story: We'll update when Sony releases info. So... never?

 

[Glorified G]

A price cut won't change a thing, they need software. And they could easily keep the price as is with a good portfolio.

Software won't change a thing, the need a price cut.

They both go hand in hand.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Iwata and Miyamoto watched The Producers back in 2010 and are on their way to Rio right now

 

[Duxxy3]

So what do Nintendo do to fix this ?, (bearing in mind they can't just click their fingers and create software out of thin air).

Before E3 they only have, any system sellers ? -

Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
Aliens Colonial Marines.
Lego City Undercover.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
Wii Fit U.
Game & Wario.
Pikmin 3.
Wonderful 101 (still a launch window game ?).

Fire upper management. This is two launches they have completely fucked up after being dominant with their previous attempts. Start at the top and work down. Yamauchi may need to takes the reigns back temporarily.

 

[Plinko]

What exactly was Nintendo doing between the Wii abandonment and the WiiU launch?

This is exactly the question I want answered.

 

[Version 3.0]

Total access to the entire Virtual Console catalog?

I've said this in other threads. Get the whole VC on there now, with off-screen support, and no "upgrade" fees for games you've already bought. It's the only thing they can do immediately. Actual new games take time.

 

[Kevtones]

I'm sad too.
I like the Wii U.
Pad is great.
But 55k?

 

[Linkhero1]

I don't know what to say...

 

[DashReindeer]

Yeah the problem here is definitely software.

While the primary problem may be software, the price is definitely an issue as well. For a console that is perceived as underpowered by most people who care about these things, the price is just not at a sweet spot.

Unfortunately, because Nintendo decided to focus on the GamePad (as much as I like using it), they have created a situation where they really cannot drop the price. Though the console is underpowered, it still costs them a ton to produce, and has put them into a really awkward position. Do they ditch the GamePad altogether, drop the price, and focus on putting out a constant stream of quality software?

This would essentially be like what they did with the 3DS, where they completely backed off the 3D as a selling point, dropped the price a ridiculous amount, and started churning out software like it weren't no thang. I'm just not sure that even this strategy would work for a home console.

At this point, I hope that this isn't as indicative of larger trends in the industry as it feels like it is. There has never been another place where I could play games that was anything like a dedicated gaming console. Sadly, that experience may be dying off completely.

 

[Baconsammy]

They're moving to a handheld/console hybrid anyway. They might be moving a lot faster than anyone thought now.

 

[yankeehater]

It will sell somewhat at that price but yes software is needed.

Also I really dont think it was a good idea to call it the WiiU.

Yeah the name is just awful. I have had people laugh when I tell them that it is called Wii-U. It might be a small thing but I think it definitely hurts them. They should change it now to something cooler like Revolution.

 

[Adam Blade]

I think people should have a 5150 out on WiiU-only owners for the next couple days or so at least...

 

[prwxv3]

We might as well post ambassador wish lists lol.

1. Pikmin 1/2
2.Luigis Mansion
3.Paper Mario 2
4.Smash Bros Melee

I dont think they can get away with only giving away NES, SNES, GBA games away again on a new console. I would be ok with N64 games as well.

 

[Can Crusher]

55k in a 5 week month....

I can smell the roast.

 

[timetokill]

It is nuts, but not hard to understand.

I use the Wii U every day. But I use it for Netflix because I've pretty much played everything there is to play.

I was going to get Rayman but, well, we know what happened there.

 

[Hero]

Even a price drop wouldn't really have too much of an effect without software to back it up, otherwise they might get a month spike for people on the fence and then it'd drop again.

It's gonna be a rough couple of months.

 

[serplux]

I ardently disagree that Mario Kart and Smash Brothers will elevate the WiiU sales to great levels.

During the N64, and moreso on GameCube, Smash Bros and Mario Kart sold very well. They, obviously as pointed to by where the GameCube finished that generation, weren't huge system sellers though. They sold to the base Nintendo consumer that buys a Nintendo system

The reason those games hit ridiculous sales levels on the Wii was because they had a much larger and broader audience to sell to that was brought in by the Wii remote, and Wii sports specifically.

Right now the WiiU is selling to the base Nintendo consumer. That group of people have not transitioned from the Wii, and it looks exactly lime it did back during GameCube.

Those games will not save The WiiU.

It'll elevate it to the point of being a decently successful console. The GC failed because of its terrible software droughts, and very few notable games being released after 2004.

 

[Nirolak]

3DS emergency surgery? Complete inability to develop for HD?

I have no doubt that launching the 3DS hurt, but they have to have had huge development issues.

I feel the partnership thing they're doing now is smart, since it really is a way to fill in their line-up with third party resources, but it really would have benefited them so much more if they started 2 years ago.

They might have been able to win over more publisher hearts that way too by having them invested in the platform for quite some time by the time it launched.

 

[Mr Swine]

Stop kidding yourself. When Nintendo releases Mario Kart 8/next 3D Mario/Retro's game this fall, we'll look back in horror at how badly it sold. And it'll have a successful life.

It's not that simple anymore. I sadly don't think those games will help Wii U so much as you think they will. Look at the 3DS sales of those games, they are selling good but down compared to their predecessor.

 

[Baki]

I would say they need a Wii Fit esque phenomenon for Wii like numbers yes but IP's like Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda ect will always guarantee that they sell around 20 million consoles in a generation.

I definitely think the Premium console would sell at $250, $350 is outrageous for what it is and what it currently offers imo.

If 20M consoles is the barometer for success. Then yeah, sure, I can see Mario etc... pushing the WiiU to eventually meet this goal.

For any success beyond 20M, they need lightning in a bottle. Honestly, at this point, management needs a serious shake up. The entire digital eco system screams of a company living in the 90s.

 

[MikeE21286]

This is exactly the question I want answered.

What exactly was Nintendo doing between the Wii abandonment and the WiiU launch?

Learning how to make HD games.

Going through the same growing pains the rest of the industry went through 8 years ago.

 

[Baconsammy]

55k is unambiguously and unprecedentedly disastrous.

Outside of Monster Hunter suddenly becoming a must have title outside of Japan for some reason, I don't know what they can do to fix it at this point either.
A price cut won't help, and you can't just release software that doesn't exist.

Minecraft 2: Mining My Own Business

 

[Plinko]

It's not that simple anymore. I sadly don't think those games will help Wii U so much as you think they will. Look at the 3DS sales of those games, they are selling good but down compared to their predecessor.

But they actually did help 3DS recover.

 

[metalslimer]

If we want to look at the software for the 3DS as the reason Nintendo couldn't focus on Wii U then Nintendo is screwed because Wii U software will be much more resource sucking than 3DS games. I agree Nintendo at this points needs to move to the hybrid because they just don't have the resources to do 2. They barely could do Wii and DS and this is much harder.

 

[stktt]

This is exactly the question I want answered.

Developing 3DS games?

 

[schuelma]

Price drop probably won't do much until the Fall when presumably software will start flowing.

Wow. This thing is dead in the West 3rd party support wise.

Nintendo's only shot in North America is a Wii Sports like phenomenon.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Yeah the problem here is definitely software.

They need to take every measure they can to secure a strong line-up as soon as it can come out.

That might still be a while from now, but once it starts coming, they want to make sure it doesn't have any droughts.

I don't think software is the only problem, I just think the demographic they're aiming toward has moved on, BUT if we assume software is 100% the issue, it's easier said than done to have no droughts when you lack the 3rd party support.

Not saying it's hopeless but drastic measures will have to be taken place.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

Wait until Smash 4!

 

[TheGreyHulk]

only 55K... ouch... i guess the hardcore fans already got their console or they're waiting for more games. doesn't look like they'll be catching the mass market like the wii did.

i have mine.... but it doesn't get much use other than playing black ops 2 right now.

oh well

 

[Incendiary]

As did Sony with Vita. It's baffling how these companies can make these decisions when we can see this happening a mile off. No one in their right mind thought Vita would be a success. And the Wii U reactions at both E3 2011 and E3 2012 spoke volumes.

Of course, then the Wii always gets brought up - "Analysts and 'the Internet' said Wii would be a disaster, and it became the fastest selling console of all time!" An anomaly.

The difference between the Wii and Wii U is that the Wii was a complete innovation. The motion controls were new and caught the attention of the family unity. Wii Sports was hella fun on its own and enough reason to get the Wii by itself. In addition, it released at what...$249? Compared to a $400 360 and a $500 PS3? Despite the doom-and-gloom analysis of the internet, looking back there's no surprise why the Wii completely dominated the market.

Compare that to the Wii U release atmosphere. A) It's innovation is a tablet controller, which makes it no different or more interesting than an iPad/Kindle/Nook/everything else on the market. B) Nintendoland is not the big package deal Wii Sports was. It may be a good game, but it's not the simple-yet-instant classic needed to really draw in consumers. C) It's releasing at $300/$350 in an atmosphere where the PS3/360 are either the same price or cheaper, and have a wide array of games. Nothing in its launch sets it apart from the competition. Honestly, even a strong launch line-up of games wasn't going to help. If Nintendo wanted to replicate the Wii's success, it had to be because of the main hardware standing out, not the games.

 

[michaeltraps]

I'm not entirely sure the 3DS and WiiU comparison holds water anymore. Isn't the Wii U already selling at a loss? They can't possibly drop the price to an acceptable range without taking too large a hit - and I'm not entirely sure that would make a difference right now.

Truth is, people are excited and waiting for the next Xbox and PS and what the Wii U has to offer right now just isn't turning heads. Nintendo desperately needs the next 3D Mario or (more realistically) the next Smash to really hit where it needs to (and the latter is at LEAST 2 years away).

It's going to be very rough for the Wii U going forward, made only worse by the launch of the 2 new consoles this holiday. I will continue to love and play my Wii U, but the road will be bumpy.

 

[wsippel]

Software won't change a thing, the need a price cut.

They both go hand in hand.

Then I guess Orbis and Durango are doomed as well unless they launch at $250 or less?

 

[Kazerei]

creamsugar where art thou

 

[toddhunter]

Remember when everyone was proclaiming the 3DS was dead in the water?

Ok try again...

 

[Raist]

They managed to fuck up even harder than Sony, and that's being ~2x cheaper and without facing a 1 year headstart and simultaneous launch from other competitors. Impressive.

 

[MikeE21286]

Wait until Smash 4!

Show me the chalkboard!