Nintendo Wii U sales in dire straits, being outsold by original Wii

Nintendo is running out of time to sell the Wii U before it gets heavy competition from both the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox. As Engadget points out, Nintendo has reported selling just 390,000 Wii U consoles over the past quarter, which puts its total number of consoles sold at just 3.45 million.

[_QQ_]

This isn't as big a deal as nintendo haters want it to be.

[admiralvic]

Actually it's, but typically for a different reason than these posts get at.

Most articles simply look at the sales of A and B, then declare a problem, which isn't a big deal. However, if the Wii U had games (this in it of its self is a big deal) and was still selling poorly, then it would be a huge deal. No reason to buy, when there isn't anything you want or anything in the foreseeable future.

[WiiUsauce]

actually it isn't. the PS2 outsold the PS3 when it came out. Proof: http://www.ign.com/articles...

[kreate]

@wiiusauce

Are u being serious w that comparison?

Ps2 outselling any console including the ps3 is different from wii outselling wii-u.

Wii pretty much died 2 years ago.
So if wii outsells wii-u, they're both pretty much dead.

On Nintendo's defense, wii-u will be fine, but it wont do wii's number. Mario will always save the Nintendo kingdom.

[Old McGroin]

If you compare the first 5 months sales of the 360, PS3 and Wii U, the Wii U did better than the 360 and slightly worse then the PS3:

http://www.gamesradar.com/w...

So Nintendo haters/trolls, pack your bags and leave, nobody likes you.

[PygmelionHunter]

The second I saw WIIUsauce's comment, I knew someone was going to say it wasn't the same case haha, also, the Wii U is doing as good if not better than the PS3 and 360 did in their first months on the market.

I would also like to address how some people hating on the Wii U right now because of sales were or are defending the PS Vita, which is in at least, a very similar position if not worse. Doom articles have to go for good, specially for consoles that just recently released or those that haven't been.

[FarEastOrient]

Everyone that is using the PS2 outselling PS3 comparison is failing to take into consideration that PS3 had supply issues over the same time. The Blu-Ray wasn't being made fast enough and the price is $599 for a very long time.

[kreate]

'I knew someone was going to say it wasn't the same'

becuz u already know the reasons why, thats why u knew someone was going to make that comment

1. ps2 was still in its prime and more games coming out after the ps3's launch like god of war 2 while ps3 had no games
- wii is dead, nobody wants it
2. sony shipped 200k ps3 on launch, the rest was being air-shipped to the states at later dates
- wii-u was available everywhere across the USA and it still is
3. everyone hated on the ps3, who hates wii-u? ppl might not care for the wii-u but nobody really hates it, the 360 fanboys bashed the ps3 but they let the wii off the hook
4. ps3 launched with 500-600 price tag while wii-u shipped with 300-350 price tag, easier for ps2 to outsell ps3 than a wii outselling wii-u cuz again, wii is RIP

if wii outsold wii-u 2 years ago, its ok.
for wii to outsell the wii-u in 2013 is pretty bad. ps vita is also doing pretty bad if that makes u feel better.

it really doesnt matter which console sales better to what comparisons are invalid to some degree.

idk why nintendo fanboys are butthurt when u guys pretty much dominated the sales chart with the wii

idk if its little kids defending mario or whats up with nintendo fanboys

wii-u will sell just fine, and it is currently the highest selling next gen gaming system on the market outselling the ps4/nextbox (of course these are not yet on the market)

nintendo has a headstart, so dont worry about it nintendo fankids

mario and princess zelda will always love u. go eat a mushroom and grow up.

[n4f]

@kreate
the more you talk the less relevant you seem to be

[showtimefolks]

We are not hating as you stated

Where are the games

Online structure is going through the pain we went with PSN and I don't want to do it twice, didn't Nintendo learn anything from PSN or xblive?

Missing E3 when other console makers will be making huge news why? Why not show up at E3 with a lot of games and prove to gamers that wiiu will be getting games soon along with build some partnerships with 3rd party publishers

Here is a fun fact for us the haters as you called us, last N system to get great software support from 3rd party?(SNES)

And don't even get me started on all the wasted R&D on gamepad when they should have invested that into making the specs of the system itself better, now wiiu will be stuck in the middle of last gen but still not on par with next gen.

Also here is another fun fact. The reason 3rd party publishers don't support Nintendo isn't because they hate Nintendo, it's because most big games from 3rd party don't sell on the Nintendo home system which is geared towards kids and hardcore Nintendo fanboys. Mario game will sell huge numbers but COD won't. Zelda will do fine but GTA on Nintendo console not so much

There is a reason Rayman legends was delayed UBI had its doubts
There is a reason a big game from 2-3 years ago is coming to wiiu in dues ex instead of bioshock or next GTA

We are not the so called haters we call it as we see it instead of being blindly in love with Nintendo.

It's fine for Nintendo to make as many Mario games but not fine for ms to do another forza or halo or not for Sony to do another god of war. Gaming media looks at Nintendo as gaming's little darling who could do no wrong

[brewin]

Dude, Nintendo is still going to have a huge presence at e3 dumbass. They just dont need to waste money on a huge, flashy event and pay for usher or paul mc cartney to come on stage for no fucking reason. Hello... you REALLY think nintendo isnt going to be at e3? Jesus you fucking people dont actually READ the articles you just see the news headlines that say "NINTENDO NOT PRESENTING At e3OMGOMG! they will be there and have a huge presence

[showtimefolks]

Brewin

I never said they were totally skipping e3 did I?

And for last decade it was fine to be at E3 and hold event and all of the sudden it's time to save up? E3 is where you get the nationa Medias attention. Holder smaller event for gamers is all good but its not us who aren't buying its the unknown who don't visit gaming sites daily and E3 Nintendo conference presenting a lot of software on spike TV could be a hug boost

You see how I made my point without calling you name maybe you should learn the meaning of someone else's opinion

Also no way they will have a so called huge presence when Sony and ms are actually showing new systems with most likely many new iP's. if Nintendo wants the spot light away from them than this is totally the wrong way to go about it

Wiiu needs am awareness campaign many still don't know if its just an add on to wii or a brand new system.

But again we are the so called haters because we see the problems Nintendo has had for a long time and they haven't learned a thing. Wii selling was once in a lifetime phenomenon and of they expect wiiu be bought by casuals and core than this is the wrong way to deliver your message

Again made my point without calling you any names, maybe Nintendo fans are bunch of kids since that's all Nintendo ever targets

[grimmweisse]

Nintendo should host a presentation, even by Nintendo's standards they have acknowledged that the Wii U isn't selling as well as they hoped. Compare all other consoles over the same period as much as you like with like-for-like sales, but things are never certain.

The market has changed a lot, and if they think Nintendo isn't worried then you're sorely mistaken, because with the release of the PS4 and Next Xbox to be announced they really need to have some killer games to show off at E3.

But even so, there is going to be a lot of next-gen games that will probably out hype whatever Nintendo will throw out for the Wii U at E3. Mostly likely a new Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Zelda, although it's the same thing as always, that will please Nintendo fans mostly, but won't set the gaming world on fire.

It's far from being a dead console, but it's the revolution or innovation it was supposed to be.

[n4f]

wow brewin calme your horse
but to be frankly, e3 is starting to be garbage. the last time i jump up from my chair was when they announce metroid other m.(metroid being my favorite game) even last year's e3 was garbage.
on n4g, and most of the headline: "was all 3 console maker didnt make a good impression", "nintendo started well and finish weak" and so on.its like sony ms and nintendo played it safe .multiple website state that ubisoft was the grand winner. I'm not hating on ubisoft but if ubisoft has to be the grand winner of a e3 well that mean most of the of stuff was either weak or everyone didnt want to show there cards

[DeadlyFire]

Well the majority expect a Nintendo price drop when the other two consoles hit the market. So WiiU could soar after PS4/X720 launch.

[majiebeast]

If they want to get that 100 billion profit forecast they wont and also whats a pricecut without games. The wiiU is already unofficialy 299 euros in my country for the premium model with Nintendoland and 249 for the basic model. German Amazon has the basic model for 199 euro's and it still doesnt sell. So without the games the pricecut looks to be pretty useless.

[lilbroRx]

Why? The other two console will cost more than it does.

[MasterCornholio]

Poor sales are always a big deal whether you like it or not. And that goes with any system it doesnt matter if its made by Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

I'm pretty sure The 720 will outsell the the new Xbox. Especially if its rumored 99$.

[grimmweisse]

$99 for the next Xbox, that's probably that xbox mini thing, which is probably different from the 720. I think there is no way in hell the official next-gen system will be selling at $99.

[_QQ_]

I didn't say poor sales aren't a big deal, but anti nintendo people act as if a 5 month old console being outsold by super popular 130$ system means wiiu is doomed for good, when everyone knows that game releases is all the wiiu needs to succeed. Games that have already been announced.

[joab777]

Exactly...no games...no investment. But its a catch 22. Release black ops 2, no one buys it so they won't realease next cod on it. Not only did they choose to release a console that is only slightly more powerful than this gen, they did so without standout launch titles. Ppl r dying for a new console and nintendo could have really delivered. It sucks that games like pandoras tower, the last story and xenoblade weren't remade for the wii, or that a new monster hunter wasn't made. Though it was smart to get monster hunter out this year. So many opportunities wasted. Its almost as if they thought more ppl would buy simply because of the name and promises made.

[ps3_pwns]

i know its an even bigger deal we are actually underestimating the bigness my friend. wii u wii u wii u ambulance is on its way put mario on the stretcher.

[Dj7FairyTail]

Yeah them haters gotta learn.
http://wololo.net/2013/04/2...

[SAYGUH]

IDK what to say about this, it's humiliating. Havin new software takes time, that's what it needs. Second when the funk do we get dual Gamepad support?

[TheUndertaker85]

Maybe when they actually sell the gamepad separate, which they don't. Was noted before too that there are no plans to sell the gamepad separately. The only legit way to get a second is to buy another system.

http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

This still holds true. No retailer sells just the WiiU gamepad including Nintendo itself.

It also may be impossible for the WiiU to support multiple gamepads as one gamepad is already taxing. If multiple is wanted developers would have to build the game specifically to use multiple gamepads.

http://wiiudaily.com/wii-u-...

"Nintendo has said it was possible to use two Wii U controllers with the console, however, the current plan is that only one controller will be supported at beginning. The Wii U controller requires a lot of resources and processing power from the console hardware, which means a considerable amount of more power from the system will have to be used to support the extra controller. That’s why games who would support two controllers would have to be created for this kind of support from the ground up. Because of this, it’s uncertain whether the console will ever support multiple tablet controllers."

[TheUndertaker85]

Sorry, my mistake. WiiU gamepads are currently being sold separately in Japan only. They retail for around $160 from Nintendo. Replacement gamepads are around $140. Repairs for the gamepad are around $90 if out of warranty.

Satoru Iwata also confirmed that if multiple gamepads are supported by titles they'd all take hits, dropping ALL titles that do down to at least 720p/30fps.

http://www.ign.com/wikis/wi...

[SAYGUH]

I'm sorry Undertaker, but this is not acceptable. I understand that they don't want to abandon the Wiimotes, however not utilizing 2 or more Gamepads etc is very sickening. I love Nintendo like SEGA & imagine how much respect the rest of you guys might feel for them but THIS cannot happen. Not everything they do is excusable

[TheUndertaker85]

@SAYGUH: Wrong message taken from my posts, my friend. I'm not saying it's right or wrong(At least in those earlier posts). All I'm saying is these are facts, facts Nintendo themselves are even supporting.

I'll clarify my position though by saying this: It does seem stupid for Nintendo to have commenced with the specs they have for WiiU when they 1) Knew how much resources would be needed to run one gamepad 2) Knew what it'd take to run multiple gamepads 3) Knew they'd have to have specialized experiences to use multiple gamepads, even knowing they'd have to dumb down those experiences to get it to work and 4) Knew that the cost of the gamepad individually would be roughly half of that of a new system with the gamepad.

The second part could be subjective though. The first posts in many instances come directly from Nintendo admitting to the shortcomings of trying to run multiple gamepads. That's not subjective. That's info for those seeking it or willing to accept it.

Fanboys will rant about what they don't understand, rather they try to put a positive or negative spin on it. Real gamers will hopefully seek info such as this before purchasing so they can make the decision to purchase or not with the info they have at hand, knowing what the system will offer them plus the downfalls.

For the record, I do not own a WiiU because frankly, it has nothing to offer me. I don't own a Wii either. I've never been a fan of Mario titles(Outside of Paper Mario. Had an ok time with that.) plus the last Zelda title I really enjoyed was Ocarina of Time. If I wanted to play those though I'd just buy a N64. I don't own a Xbox because of the same reasons plus not wanting to pay for Live. Doesn't mean I don't research the products to see what they do offer or that I haven't experienced the products first hand.

[Fierce Musashi]

Mmh. Their marketing was and is not nearly as aggressive as it was with the original Wii ( & 3DS to an extent ). Maybe when more games start flowing in, particularly their main franchises.

As for now, they could be doing a whole lot better with spreading the word around about it.

[SAYGUH]

Musashi, I sure hope you're rite about that. It ain't lookin good at all for their 1st full year released

[silkylove]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the PS2 outsold the PS3 for a while after launch.

[AWBrawler]

Shhhhh quiet. They might hear you.

[Utalkin2me]

I agree he needs to be quiet, if he only picks a certain thing to try and fit his agenda. Just read my below post.

[Minato-Namikaze]

PS3 was only released 2 regions though. We'll see what the wii-u looks like this time next year.

[majiebeast]

Ye but the ps3 never only shipped 360.000 consoles in 3 months worldwide. Has never had such low NPD sales as the wiiU its worst month was 90k WiiU's worst month is 55K so far.

[lilbroRx]

And that was attributed to the mass number of units returned from people who hoped to sell them at an increased price.

The actual total number of units sold that month was said to be around 100k minus 50k returns. NPD does not count returned units as sales.

[Utalkin2me]

@silkylove

The difference is the PS2 was outselling all consoles, not just the PS3. The Wii hasn't been selling strongly for a while now, where as the PS2 was still selling strongly after the launch of the PS3. Plus the PS3 was alot pricier then all other consoles. And it wasn't available in all regions till 2 years later.

[Starbucks_Fan]

Dammit Nintendo better reveal some games pretty soon or I'm selling my Wii U.

[lilbroRx]

They arleady revealed some a lot of games. Finishing them is their is to it now.

Assuming you actually do have a Wii U, no one really cares if you sell it. That is your business. Me and the everyone else who has one will still be having fun when the games come out.

[LOL_WUT]

How much does Nintendo pay you dude? ;)

[Williamson]

The only game thats out that has me interested for a wii u is just mario U. Im sure more games will come but as of now the games are lacking.

[brewin]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1...

The PS2 outsold the PS3 for years into the PS3 cycle. How easily you fools forget. The PS3 turned out alrigth wouldnt you say? Check the proof in the article.

This article should prove the media bias going on here. The U is not in the hole your are made to believe. Stop being brainwashed. Just wait the U will be on fire later this year once some original titles come out for it. Haters will be crying for Bayonetta 2 and other exclusives that only Nintendo can provide. 2nd wave wii U stuff will be where its at. the U will just be hitting its stride when the new systems are relaeased. Yes ps4 will be badass, but it damn well better be for $500. Fuck that, ill see what my wii U can do over the next two years and get caught up on my ps360 backlog.

once I see 10 games that I want on the system and its at a decent price, maybe with a black friday mega bundle, Ill jump in then. I got burned by the ps3 and honestly feel the wii U is in much better shape at this point in its life than the ps3 was back then. and I love my ps3, but Im not blinded by the brainwashing.

[kneon]

You are ignoring some important facts, the ps3 wasn't available in all the main regions until almost 2 years after launch. Some countries didn't get it until just a couple of years ago. And yet it a was still selling several times more than the Wii U at this point in it's life cycle.

[Utalkin2me]

@brewin

I shouldn't reply to you cause you act like a 10 year old, but i'm doing it anyways. This is copied from my above post.

The difference is the PS2 was outselling all consoles, not just the PS3. The Wii hasn't been selling strongly for a while now, where as the PS2 was still selling strongly after the launch of the PS3. Plus the PS3 was alot pricier then all other consoles. And it wasn't available in all regions till 2 years later.

[brewin]

Whatever dude. Why u trying to spin it? Simple fact is that newer consoles don't dominate the market when they first release. I'm just so sick of seeing these be articles all over the web. How am I acting like a 10 year old about it? I've been gaming hardcore since the early 80s and own and enjoy all the current consoles. I just don't understand why Nintendo gets all this negative press when every console goes through its growing pains. Yeah, thinking critically is totally the same as acting 10 though right. Just cuz I'm defending Nintendo I MUST be some ignorant 6th grader or something. Whatever.

[andrewer]

I saw PS2 and I had to say....
PS2 FTW 4EVAH!!!!
PS2 is the console that had most sells in da freaking gaming industry, and is also my favorite console. PS2>N64>Wii>PS3, Xbox, Xbox360, Philips-CD-i lol

[nigelp520]

Nintendo hasnt had a good launch lineup since gamecube

[Grimhammer00]

I once considered buying another ninny box.
But I buy like 30+ titles a year. If I tried that on Nintendo's machine.....excluding handhelds, I'd have to play on multiple generations of ninny consoles!!!!

The machine needs games.....but 1st party will never be enough for hardcore gamers. I fail to see how it'd be enough for hardcore Nintendo lovers!

[kagamer79]

I agree with brewin 100 percent. Nintendos off to a slow start but enough already with the doom and dire straights articles. Its flame bait period. Every new console has a fucked up start. Xbox 360 had terrible quality hardware at first rrod plauged many consoles at launch and well after launch for that matter. Sony had a rough start with ps3 because of pricing and the cell processer was difficult to devs. Sony just started making profit not long ago at the end of its cycle and look at ps3 now it has an awesome library and still has great games to be released. Nintendo may make mistakes but with a 9 billion dollar bank account, there far from being doomed or broke ppl get fucking real ! Ps3 has produced some beautiful games this gen and even if wii u is only 1.5 times more powderful it will produce some stunning games as well. Ports never show a consoles graphical capabilities and neither does rushed launch games. Wait for the new zelda u built from the ground up for wii u and then judge its ability. Yes nintendo does fuck up and your blind to deny it, but you fanboys calling out nintendo fans for defending their consoles rough start are forgetting something. You were in the same boat with the xbox and ps3 when it launched and negative doom articles appeared and you were right there defending them. So why slander and dog nintendo loyals for doing the same thing you did 7 yrs ago fucking hypocrites!

[Utalkin2me]

I could care less about your reply, but paragraph some stuff off if you're going to have so much to write. And BTW, you must be Brewins 10 year old playmate.

[OwlEyes]

This is normal.

Expensive new console with few games sells less than an old console with many games.

PS2 outsold the PS3 at first
DS outsold the 3DS at first
PSP outsold the Vita at first

[Thepcz]

i want to buy a wiiu, but there is no reason to

because there isnt any games that i want on it, right now.

i want pikmin 3, but even when that comes out, that alone wont be worth the £250/300 asking price. it needs more games

same with wind waker hd. yes, it will be amazing, but the wiiu needs more games to make it a worthwhile purchase.

its so frustrating, it could be so great but it frankly sucks right now

[andrewer]

Outsold by original Wii...Wii sold like hell, how can you compare? It sold even more than PS3/Xbox 360.

[MadMen]

LOL @ wiiU

Called it a year ago, said it was a failure of an idea and will be a failure of a launch

Its a Failure* Period

[bigtrucknd]

Nintendo is played out. How many times can you release a Mario or Zelda game.I loved Nintendo back in the day but by N64 I had enough with Mario and Zelda.

[jcnba28]

How many times can you release a God of War, Killzone, Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Rachet and Clank game?

[supremacy]

True, but here is the kicker, god of war isnt the only franchise being pushed. That is the difference between Sony and Nintendo, giving you both old and new ips versus just old ips with slightly different ways to play. Ask yourself, when was the last time Nintendo released a new ip?

Major difference.

Powerful hardware, killer software, great services, simply Playstation.

Now for those comparing this situation to the ps2 versus ps3, you all need to realized the ps3 was the most expensive console and the 360 wasn't all that popular until gears of war released.
Another thing was, ps3 used alien parts like bluray and cell and thus was in short supply for a long time, with some places not getting units until much later in the calendar year. Yet, despite this, the ps3 was the fastest selling console.

The problem/s with the wiiu is not just a severe lack of games, but also the of awareness. Some people think the wiiu is an add-on to the wii rather than its own complex; in other words it not only has identity issues but also needs marketing and Nintendo has money to do just that.

Instead, what we hear is them showing up to e3 like a small 3rd party publisher, where there they could just as easily be lost in the shuffle with the capcoms,squarenix,konamis,namc o,segas ect.
A live presser is exactly the kind of thing they need to remind us what exactly is the wiiu and why we should care. Not give people the impression you are either intimidated or really have nothing to show or worst both. Everyone knows there is going to be two behemoths on the show floor, but thats no reason to step down, if anything its a great chance to talk about price and games, but i digress.

Compare the vita to the wiiu all you guys want, but if these numbers are legit than its worse for Nintendo then it is for Sony. The vita is sitting at those numbers if not at higher figures at the moment and is considered an expensive hanheld by quite a few people.
Also if it does indeed fail it is something Sony can easily dump like the pspgo and move on, the same couldn't exactly be said for the wiiu. Heck the cost of the gamepad tablet alone is an issue altogether, add the fact that wiiu is the first console in history designed and released with a one player configuration? Yet you named this console the wiiu after the wii, a well known family console. Nothing that cant be fix, but so far the damage has been done here.

Wii outsold everything thanks in part (to at the time of its launch) a single configuration 200 dollars cheaper than its competitors, and marketed its niche to the walmart crowd pretty well. But even so it offered nothing outside of Nintendo ips that was worth mentioning, too much showelware and little to no 3rd party support. So in time when the heard started to migrate elsewhere, the wii began to sell less and less.
Nintendo likes to stay on the cheap side of things, so maybe this is why they tend to make cheap hardware only to outsource most of its support to its cheaper handheld business.
These so call big games shouldn't have to come years later, nor 6 months apart from each other.
They are making some serious cash, so there shouldn't be much of a problem addressing some of these issues.

[bigtrucknd]

God of War has 6 iterations how many times have you seen a Mario game or Mario themed game. I loved mario when I was five to 15 but enough is enough. I think they are also overplaying Kratos as well. I think these companies need more fresh ideas or they are going to just hurt themselves in the long run. Nintendo was talking about more third party support but it's just not there. Mario on NES through Mario 64 was the golden age of Nintendo. Just so you know I don't hate nintendo just saying come up with something new.

[jakmckratos]

Im a full blown SOny Fanboy(hence the name) but these articles have to STAHP. I love several Nintendo franchises and at the moment the Vita and the Wii U's problem is the same. THERE ARE NO GAMES!!! Nobody really wants to spend $400_ for a system that has side scrollers,2 year old ports and minigames...if you wanna sell people you need factual games that are system sellers...and while Pikmin 3, Yoshi's Yarn and Wind Waker HD are all awesome ideas the things that will sell the system are Mario Kart, Mario 3D, Metroid, Zelda and Smash Bros...and 60% of those will be confirmed at E3 with the other 2 titles probably about be announced as well. Nintendo's problem is they're waiting too long to show off the good stuff and letting some cool things out of the bag, but those cool things don't necessarily mean they're gonna sell systems. everyone will stfu soon enough once SSB, Mario Kart and Mario 3D HD are announced.

[kagamer79]

10 yr old playmaye huh? If My writing bothers you then don't read it because this is a game web site so my punctuality isn't really needed. Maybe if you weren't so fucking stupid you could read between the lines. Oh and as for your crude comment you probably live in your moms basement and the closest thin you ever had to sex was a WOW experience. So don't be an internet gangster and cowardly cut ppl down while hiding behind the safety of your computer. Oh and yeah I'm talkin to you bitch boy!

[R00bot]

The PS3 was getting outsold by the PS2 for years.

[madjedi]

Well nintendo is still making money off wii hardware and software sales, so that is about as bad as people buying ps3's and 360's and software after the next systems release.

The wii beating the wiiu in sales isn't a bad thing, the wii u being 300k-400k behind the gamecube in sales after the same time on market is the real problem for nintendo.

I see the nintendo defense force is still alive and active, how dare others not worship nintendo or it's games, with the same reverence you do.

"Not everybody can play the Wii U. Only us chosen can which is why the sales are so low."

Lmao i guess some aren't as subtle as others.

But hey anyone that isn't with the big N is a hater right.