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[Aquamarine]

HOLY FUCK WiiU!

I thought it would be a little further into the year before we saw numbers this bad.

I concede Ani. WiiU may actually have a worst first year than the PS3 did.

NPD November 2006: Wii - 476K
NPD December 2006: Wii - 604K
NPD January 2007: Wii - 436K - LTD 1516K
NPD February 2007: Wii - 335K

NPD November 2006: PS3 - 197K
NPD December 2006: PS3 - 491K
NPD January 2007: PS3 - 244K - LTD 932K
NPD February 2007: PS3 - 127K

NPD November 2012: Wii U - 425K
NPD December 2012: Wii U - 460K
NPD January 2013: Wii U - ~55K - LTD 940K
NPD February 2013: Wii U - ~45K to ~60K based on current market conditions

55K is SO FUCKING BAD that of course the PS3 is going to have a better year. In fact, the PS3 should blaze by Wii U LTD totals by next month according to my predictions.

Ninokuni doing more than 100k in less than 2 weeks is very good (out on Jan., 22nd, datas through Feb., 2nd. It could be a very good sign for Fire Emblem too (even if FE is still suffering shortages :lol)

Wii U is a freaking nightmare. What's really surprising is the giant drop compared to December. Imho, consumers have become much more impatient and frenetic: they don't have time to buy a console at that price for future content announced, but with unknown release periods, they want content as soon as possible. Otherwise, there are many other alternatives right now much more valuable than Wii U, and so people don't care about it. In the past, we would have never seen such big drops for suffering consoles, but consecutive drops month after month. PS4 / Durango need to bring appealing content since the launch, otherwise they'll really crater after launch. Not in the same way as Wii U, that'e impossibile...otherwise the market is fucked

The Wii U should be AT LEAST 100K right now to be considered anywhere NEAR healthy. Even than, 100K is struggling considerably.

Have 3DS numbers been released?

No. And we'll probably not get them, because of no Nintendo PR this time around. It's times like these that I wish we had an NPD insider to give us ballpark estimates...

 

[farnham]

Holy shit! Wii U is Dreamcasting! or... Virtua Boying!

Nintendo is screwed. They'll limp along and probably hold off the big games save a few until sony and MS release their new consoles. Can they afford to di anything else at this time?

They can probably do with a price cut and maybe they should. They console was overprices from the start. And no fucking software. "We learned the 3DS lessons" my ass.

Sony and MS would be wise to look at these numbers if they're thinking their own launches are gonna go smoothly. The market has changed.

That comment is hilarious as wiiu is following the path of 3ds (well the doom and gloom part)

No games
High price point

3ds turned around with a pricedrop and MK7, SM3DL... Lets see if Nintendo will do similar things

 

[AOC83]

That comment is hilarious as wiiu is following the path of 3ds (well the doom and gloom part)

No games
High price point

3ds turned around with a pricedrop and MK7, SM3DL... Lets see if Nintendo will do similar things

The 3DS has no real competition in the dedicated gaming handheld sector, the WiiU is up against 360 and PS3 which offer far more value for far less money.

 

[Kilrogg]

If Microsoft (and maybe Sony) goes through with the rumored stuff, I'll be hoping for a crash. For them to have a successful console would be far worse.

What's really sad is, if they do, and they deservedly go down in flames, I don't think a lesson will be learned. They, the publishers, and all the analysts, etc will probably just chalk it up to phones and tablets stealing the market.

Why are you saying 'probably will'? They already do for every minor failure they have.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Whoa Nintendo. C'mon, drop the price already, I'm just waiting for it to buy one. Price the Premium console between 200-250$, and you'll have one more buyer.

 

[GavinGT]

Whoa Nintendo. C'mon, drop the price already, I'm just waiting for it to buy one. Price the Premium console between 200-250$, and you'll have one more buyer.

Then, by the time they have games, they won't be able to drop the price.

 

[Baconsammy]

That comment is hilarious as wiiu is following the path of 3ds (well the doom and gloom part)

No games
High price point

3ds turned around with a pricedrop and MK7, SM3DL... Lets see if Nintendo will do similar things

Nintendo isn't facing strong competition in the dedicated handheld market. They're getting killed by Sony and Microsoft in the console market (and have been for 2 years), plus we all know how awful their third party support is and mostly likely will continue to be. The situations aren't remotely the same.

 

[Alcibiades]

Is anybody else surprised that New Super Mario Bros. U isn't making a bigger impact? I didn't think it would be a major system seller, but I still thought it would have done helped the Wii U a little more. On the whole there doesn't seem to be Mario fatigue, as everytime a Nintendo report happens they add millions in sales to the tally (irrespective of what "mature" gamers on internet forums feel). NSMB 2 seems to be doing fine, and Mario Kart Wii and NSMB Wii keep selling well at non-budget prices.

Maybe there is enough Mario on Wii, NDS, and 3DS that parents/casuals can just pick any number of titles on those systems without having to shell out $300 for a new home system. I think long term NSMB U may help move systems, but the price of the Wii U and the $60 (!) MSRP of the game itself isn't helping matters.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Don't worry guys, it's just a soft launch.

 

[GavinGT]

Is anybody else surprised that New Super Mario Bros. U isn't making a bigger impact? I didn't think it would be a major system seller, but I still thought it would have done helped the Wii U a little more. On the whole there doesn't seem to be Mario fatigue, as everytime a Nintendo report happens they add millions in sales to the tally (irrespective of what "mature" gamers on internet forums feel). NSMB 2 seems to be doing fine, and Mario Kart Wii and NSMB Wii keep selling well at non-budget prices.

Maybe there is enough Mario on Wii, NDS, and 3DS that parents/casuals can just pick any number of titles on those systems without having to shell out $300 for a new home system. I think long term NSMB U may help move systems, but the price of the Wii U and the $60 (!) MSRP of the game itself isn't helping matters.

It just wasn't different enough from what people could already get on the Wii or DS.

 

[Baconsammy]

Don't worry guys, it's just a soft launch.

Soft launch, hard fall.

 

[Aquamarine]

Is anybody else surprised that New Super Mario Bros. U isn't making a bigger impact? I didn't think it would be a major system seller, but I still thought it would have done helped the Wii U a little more. On the whole there doesn't seem to be Mario fatigue, as everytime a Nintendo report happens they add millions in sales to the tally (irrespective of what "mature" gamers on internet forums feel). NSMB 2 seems to be doing fine, and Mario Kart Wii and NSMB Wii keep selling well at non-budget prices.

Maybe there is enough Mario on Wii, NDS, and 3DS that parents/casuals can just pick any number of titles on those systems without having to shell out $300 for a new home system. I think long term NSMB U may help move systems, but the price of the Wii U and the $60 (!) MSRP of the game itself isn't helping matters.

Brand identity completely fucked up any chance NSMB:U had of being a system seller.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON, and I'm talking about 40+ people here, whom I asked about the Wii U, all thought it was a super-expensive controller.

So when the topic of NSMB:U came up-----"I'm not paying $300 for the new Mario just to play it on the fancy tablet controller."

 

[Quinton McLeod]

I think it's pretty obvious that Nintendo took the lower tech path, and it has put them behind the tech curve. In all honesty, them sticking with SD gaming, with a lack of any real online focus may have hurt Nintendo much more in the long term, than the Wii ever helped in the short term.

How?

 

[curlyfriski]

You guys aren't going to be laughing when the February 2015 Wii U Direct knocks your socks off.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Then, by the time they have games, they won't be able to drop the price.

And what are they gonna do? Halt the production because it isn't selling? By Christmas, people will be flooded by the next Xbox and PS consoles marketing, and they'll forget about Wii U. Nintendo needs to do some very strong move NOW to build up an installed base, or they'll remain the only developer making games for their platform.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

You guys aren't going to be laughing when the February 2015 Wii U Direct knocks your socks off.

Are they going to announce an immediate 199$ drop for the Premium SKU? Yeah, this would be good.

 

[AOC83]

And what are they gonna do? Halt the production because it isn't selling? By Christmas, people will be flooded by the next Xbox and PS consoles marketing, and they'll forget about Wii U. Nintendo needs to do some very strong move NOW to build up an installed base, or they'll remain the only developer making games for their platform.

Agree, Nintendo has no time to waste, they need to act now or they´ll get stomped by Sony and MS (even more so than the last months).

 

[PopeReal]

And what are they gonna do? Halt the production because it isn't selling? By Christmas, people will be flooded by the next Xbox and PS consoles marketing, and they'll forget about Wii U. Nintendo needs to do some very strong move NOW to build up an installed base, or they'll remain the only developer making games for their platform.

It will be interesting to see how well that marketing works. People may be fine with their PS3s and 360s this Christmas. Still lots of high profile games coming out for those systems. I really have no idea what will happen.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I am still surprised that they actually released NSMB2 only three months before NSMBU (or rather, NSMBU so soon after 2). Before E3 I thought the idea that there would be an NSMB launch title was nuts because Nintendo had previously spaced each of the games out by three years and people were already tired after seeing 2 and the Mii tech demo in 2011.

 

[KillerMan91]

Ninokuni numbers really are quite good. Not to mention that going by PAL charts it did maybe even better in Europe. Doesn't surprise me that much though. It's critically aclaimed so it does get core gamers on the move and the art is very appealing so probably many parents have bought it for their kids. Could have legs too...

 

[AzaK]

I am still surprised that they actually released NSMB2 only three months before NSMBU (or rather, NSMBU so soon after 2). Before E3 I thought the idea that there would be an NSMB launch title was nuts because Nintendo had previously spaced each of the games out by three years and people were already tired after seeing 2 and the Mii tech demo in 2011.

I think we know now that they had nothing else and working off an established base takes a bit less time.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

HOLY FUCK WiiU!

I thought it would be a little further into the year before we saw numbers this bad.

I concede Ani. WiiU may actually have a worst first year than the PS3 did.

Really? Based on only the first and the slowest retail month of the year?

 

[Aquamarine]

Really? Based on only the first and the slowest retail month of the year?

This is the worst selling month out of any Nintendo home console since 2001. And next month may be even worse with no major releases.

 

[Gartooth]

Glad to hear that Ni No Kuni had a great start, hope it has long legs because it's an absolute gem of a game. (especially when you consider it released halfway in January, with practically no marketing, and as a PS3 exclusive)

 

[filetefrito]

Just waiting for the Wii U price drop... I wouldn't cut my neck off until this happens.
I bet this will look completeley different in just a few months. I will be happy if not, though, XDXDXD.
PD: Happy too for the Ni No Kuni start, that's not my kind of game but have lot of friends that love it, and at least seems to have good production values.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

NPD November 2006: Wii - 476K
NPD December 2006: Wii - 604K
NPD January 2007: Wii - 436K - LTD 1516K
NPD February 2007: Wii - 335K

NPD November 2006: PS3 - 197K
NPD December 2006: PS3 - 491K
NPD January 2007: PS3 - 244K - LTD 932K
NPD February 2007: PS3 - 127K

NPD November 2012: Wii U - 425K
NPD December 2012: Wii U - 460K
NPD January 2013: Wii U - ~55K - LTD 940K
NPD February 2013: Wii U - ~45K to ~60K based on current market conditions

55K is SO FUCKING BAD that of course the PS3 is going to have a better year. In fact, the PS3 should blaze by Wii U LTD totals by next month according to my predictions.



The Wii U should be AT LEAST 100K right now to be considered anywhere NEAR healthy. Even than, 100K is struggling considerably.

All I was saying is I expected much better than this. Right now the system isn't acting like it will get to GCN numbers. These are much much worse starting numbers and while they won't be indicative of the platforms lifetimes sales (software generally does move hardware) these are far below even my expectations. Which always were muted in reference to WiiU anyway.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

Agree, Nintendo has no time to waste, they need to act now or they´ll get stomped by Sony and MS (even more so than the last months).

I doubt it. Nothing really exciting about Sony's nor Microsoft's offerings outside of possibly better graphics. Everything else seems to be more of the same. I doubt consumers will flock to these systems without some form of innovation.

 

[Wolfie5]

Just woke up to this. Checked the first few pages. Has the 55k been confirmed by other source? There seemed to be some confusion there.

11k/week is really low. Is that a new record for a console in US?

My thoughts:
Nintendo got lazy/arrogant. They thought since Wii sold so great, they could just ride on that success. They even thought they were beeing clever naming it Wii U instead of the obvious name Wii 2. Yeah, naming it Wii U won´t confuse the general public, right Nintendo? And it won´t help if your first part titles look very similar to Wii games either. With the Wii struggling for the last few years and Nintendo beeing so secretive about Wii U before launch, there was no hype what so ever. It was a secret launch that not many knew about.

Furthermore, the average consumer that actually knows it´s a new console, has no incentive to buy it. There is no killer app. What´s that? A new Mario game you say? Looks like a Wii game and is named same as the Wii game. You just added a U at the end. The average consumer will say, hey I have that on Wii. So, no need to buy a Wii U.
Nintendoland? Seriously, who are you targeting with this game? It´s more of a niche game than Pikmin.

The controller looks great, but what games have Nintendo made that uses it in a creative way? Why does it feel like Ubisoft is the only one that actually tried making a game that really uses most of it´s features?

Having said that, I think it´s too early to say Wii U is doomed. But I will say it´s doomed for the next 6-9 months, as it has no upcoming games that will change the tide. It will most likely do better next holiday as there will be more software releases and maybe even a price cut.

 

[pieatorium]

Really? Based on only the first and the slowest retail month of the year?

The PS3 sold over 4 times as much in it's first January at a much higher price. I think it would actually be surprising if the WiiU gets close to PS3's first full year numbers in the US.

 

[Aquamarine]

Just woke up to this. Checked the first few pages. Has the 55k been confirmed by other source? There seemed to be some confusion there.

11k/week is really low. Is that a new record for a console in US?

1. The number has been confirmed by Gamasutra's twitter, a rep at Gamasutra who posts here on GAF, and an industry insider with access to the numbers. It's 100% confirmed to be ~55K. I'm guessing the real number is 56.2K, but you get the point.

2. It's a new record for the past decade, that's for sure. PS3 / 360 / GameCube / Xbox / PS2 never got this low.

Not sure about the Dreamcast.

 

[AOC83]

I doubt it. Nothing really exciting about Sony's nor Microsoft's offerings outside of possibly better graphics. Everything else seems to be more of the same. I doubt consumers will flock to these systems without some form of innovation.

How do you know there will be no innovation ? Just because they don´t come up with lackluster gimmick controls? On top of that the PS4 hype is already higher than the WiiU hype ever was although we haven´t even seen anything yet.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

This is the worst selling month out of any Nintendo home console since 2001. And next month may be even worse with no major releases.

So... You're saying if you go further back, Nintendo had a console that sold just as bad or worse? I mean, 2001... That's only the Gamecube. After that, the Wii was a run-away success.

The PS3 sold over 4 times as much in it's first January at a much higher price. I think it would actually be surprising if the WiiU gets close to PS3's first full year numbers in the US.

I doubt January shows enough information to determine the rest of the year for one system.

 

[jamesinclair]

This is what happens when you have a dozen development teams and zero games.

Seriously, at this point on the gc we had ssbm, pikmin, wave race, Luigi mansion, and court side with monkey ball and rogue squadron from third parties, and resident evil ready to go. Eternal darkness, star fox and kameo in the launch window

Wii u has a mini game sample pack.

3ds launch failed for the same reason.... Steel diver and a wii sports resort downport? Please.

The worst part is, the wii release calendar has been dead for two years. Its not like nintendo was even saving up games, they just forgot how to develop. Probably clock in and browse porn all day.

 

[Mpl90]

Wait, Ninokuni got no advertising in US? I mean, no spot on TV? That makes its result even better.

 

[Infinite Justice]

:O :O :O

and damn this result has eclipsed the entire discussion in regards to other numbers.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

How do you know there will be no innovation ? Just because they don´t come up with lackluster gimmick controls? On top of that the PS4 hype is already higher than the WiiU hype ever was although we haven´t even seen anything yet.

Yeah... Ummm.... No
Unless, you consider Kinect and Move innovative, it's safe to say these new systems will be just bigger and better versions of the same thing we have now.

 

[AOC83]

Yeah... Ummm.... No
Unless, you consider Kinect and Move innovative, it's safe to say these new systems will be just bigger and better versions of the same thing we have now.

I absolutely don´t care about move or kinect or other waggle stuff. I want awesome games with classic controls that´s it. As long as there isn´t a real substantial improvement over current controls keep the innovation were it belongs, in the games.

 

[Zen]

I hear you man. Just look at all the fuckin' gimmickry. Silly Itsuno.

Edit: Even more gimmicks man.

That doesn't make it a gimmick, the game didn't incorporate the style switching in any meaningful way in terms of design, it's just there so people can make combo videos.

 

[Aquamarine]

So... You're saying if you go further back, Nintendo had a console that sold just as bad or worse? I mean, 2001... That's only the Gamecube. After that, the Wii was a run-away success.

The Virtual Boy sold 770k consoles worldwide in its LIFETIME. The Wii U's lifetime-to-date sales are at 940K in the US ONLY.

So yes, Nintendo did have a catastrophic failure in the past.

Here are some more statistics for Nintendo consoles:

SNES - "7 months" - 1.5 million units
Nintendo 64 - "3 months, 3 weeks" - 1.5 million units
GameCube - 3 months NPD - 1.3 million units
Wii - 3 months NPD - 1.5 million units
Wii U - 3 months NPD - 0.94 million units

But you have to take into consideration the size of the market. The video game market in 1990 was MUCH SMALLER than it is today.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

I absolutely don´t care about move or kinect or other waggle stuff. I want awesome games with classic controls that´s it. As long as there isn´t a real substantial improvement over current controls keep the innovation were it belongs, in the games.

Who cares what you want? It's the casual consumer we're talking about here. They've seemed to have flocked to games on their tablets and smart phones. Playing a game by swiping your finger is much more innovative than holding a controller. It's also much easier to understand too.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

I doubt January shows enough information to determine the rest of the year for one system.

All it really shows is that WiiU has a lower floor than the PS3 did in its first year. PS3's lowest month was in the summer and 80,000 units? I remember the battles with the GBA. It might have been 90,000 units.

Either way this is much worse. And it's the first month of the year.

 

[shinra-bansho]

So people are actually trying to spin this number as if it isn't both terrible and portentous.

Depending on where it falls in the range we're given this could be sub-10K a week.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

The Virtual Boy sold 770k consoles worldwide in its LIFETIME. The Wii U's lifetime-to-date sales are at 940K in the US ONLY.

So yes, Nintendo did have a catastrophic failure in the past.

Here are some more statistics for Nintendo consoles:

SNES - "7 months" - 1.5 million units
Nintendo 64 - "3 months, 3 weeks" - 1.5 million units
GameCube - 3 months NPD - 1.3 million units
Wii - 3 months NPD - 1.5 million units
Wii U - 3 months NPD - 0.94 million units

But you have to take into consideration the size of the market. The video game market in 1990 was MUCH SMALLER than it is today.

By your logic, the SNES was a failure too.

 

[airmangataosenai]

Yeah... Ummm.... No
Unless, you consider Kinect and Move innovative, it's safe to say these new systems will be just bigger and better versions of the same thing we have now.

EyeToy was very innovative for its time and Kinect is absolutely innovative today.

 

[dallow_bg]

Who cares what you want? It's the casual consumer we're talking about here. They've seemed to have flocked to games on their tablets and smart phones. Playing a game by swiping your finger is much more innovative than holding a controller. It's also much easier to understand too.

Casual consumer is still buying a ton of 360s and PS3s.
They just don't want the Wii U.

 

[Quinton McLeod]

All it really shows is that WiiU has a lower floor than the PS3 did in its first year. PS3's lowest month was in the summer and 80,000 units? I remember the battles with the GBA. It might have been 90,000 units.

Either way this is much worse. And it's the first month of the year.

Yep. The first (and slowest) retail month of the year.... Still not enough data to make these outlandish claims.

 

[Aquamarine]

By your logic, the SNES was a failure too.

No. 770,000 consoles WORLDWIDE, LIFETIME sales for the Virtual Boy is pretty damn abysmal.

In comparison, the SNES had 50 MILLION worldwide, lifetime sales.

 

[dallow_bg]

Yep. The first (and slowest) retail month of the year.... Still not enough data to make these outlandish claims.

Wow, you're in a dream world.

 

[AOC83]

Who cares what you want? It's the casual consumer we're talking about here. They've seemed to have flocked to games on their tablets and smart phones. Playing a game by swiping your finger is much more innovative than holding a controller. It's also much easier to understand too.

The Wii/motion control casuals are not the target group of a 400€ next gen console anyway, so i couldn´t care less what they want.

 

[mrklaw]

Casual consumer is still buying a ton of 360s and PS3s.
They just don't want the Wii U.

WiiU is too expensive for the casual consumer - both hardware but also with the lack of cheap used and greatest hits software