160°

The Wii U is Officially Nintendo's Slowest Selling Console Ever

Since its 2012 launch, the Wii U has only sold 9.2 million units, according to its latest financial report. The Wii U isn’t just well behind the original Wii, it’s behind every single major Nintendo console to date. That includes the NES, SNES, N64 and even the low water-mark set by the Gamecube, previously considered to be Nintendo’s least successful console release.

Sincere01213374d ago

Wow these Nintendo haters are reaching.
Try changing the subject from sales to games and you find Wii U is leading the market.

After all a gaming console is for playing games not for analyzing sales.
If your more interested in sales then your better off getting a calculator than a gaming console.

Regardless of what Wii U sells, they are still making profit, you can't that about any other console manufacturer.

mushroomwig3374d ago

I love how you say mention the number of sales in games and then you say a gaming console isn't for analysing sales.

There's no need to get all defensive, it's not really "reaching", it's just an article stating a fact. Judging from your comment history it's not exactly difficult to see how much you love Nintendo, so much that it might just be blinding any rational thought you might have.

user55757083374d ago

its a shame the WiiU isn't selling well. it really does have some quality games

Yi-Long3374d ago

It has a very good line-up right now. Nobody is arguing anymore that the WiiU doesn't have games.

Sadly, in many other departments concerning the WiiU, mistakes have been made.

I'll probably be buying a WiiU this year for Xenoblade X and Zelda, but the reasons why I haven't already bought a WiiU, are many.

Region-blocking, outdated hardware (no FullHD tablet controller, no decent size HDD, and simply much too expensive software. Yeah the games are good and worth it, but other consoles also have great must-have games, and those ARE in the bargain-bin for 10-20 bucks after a year.

If I'm buying into a new console, you kinda look at value-for-money, and with the WiiU, when you add up the games you would want, it's just too expensive when those older games are still priced at 50 bucks or something (Pikmin, Wonderful 101, Zelda Windwaker, etc)

So for the price of 1 great WiiU game, I can also pick up 2-3 great PS3/360/PS4 games. At least.

Nintendo really has to rethink their pricing strategy when it wants to convince more gamers to invest in their console.

If games like Mario 3D World and Zelda would go down in price after 1-2 years, many more people would be seduced into buying a WiiU.

Gamer19823374d ago

Why oh why didn't Nintendo go for a more powerful machine?? I feel if they did so and lost the tablet it would be up there with ps4 and xbox right now. As it would too be able to stream etc.. Stuff people are really enjoying on their new consoles.

saviin3373d ago

Im not looking to start trouble but isnt ps4 software sales similar to Nintendo's so knowing most of Nintendo's software sales were 1st party and i think ps4 was sold for loss, that im just guessing. So isnt possibe Nintendo made more of a profit than sony.
Just like the gamecube still made profit even though it sold poorly. Wii u might do the same.

DarkZane3373d ago

@saviin

Nice try, the PS4 isn't sold at a loss. In fact, they could drop the price to 349$ and still make a profit, but there is no point because it's selling a lot and winning.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3373d ago
nevin13374d ago (Edited 3374d ago )

@Sincere0121

But what was your stance last gen when Wii sold the most hardware?

LOL_WUT3373d ago

They were all about sales last-gen, now sales don't matter and apparently neither does 3rd party support ;)

pcz3374d ago

its the slowest selling because its the worst

Canary3374d ago

Game-wise it's the best out of the three current-gen consoles. Feature-wise, too. Which is why it's such a tragedy that it's not selling well.

Locknuts3373d ago

Worse than the original Wii? Haha that thing was a serious POS. Sold like hotcakes though and I don't really understand why. Kind of like the PS4.

Magicite3373d ago

WiiU is a huge downfall compared to Wii, in 25+ months WiiU achieved less than 10% of Wii's LTD.
And its probably no surprise that WiiU wont reach Gamecubes LTD numbers before being discontinued.
Now its a battle between WiiU and PSV, who will reach 10m and 15m first.
On a bright side - next Nintendo console surely cant be worse selling that WiiU?

SilentNegotiator3373d ago (Edited 3373d ago )

What a sad display of fanboyism, calling this article "reaching". Nintendo's current system selling slower than any of their other home consoles is an important fact/news.

"Regardless of what Wii U sells, they are still making profit, you can't that about any other console manufacturer"

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...
Sony's game division profited. And you're wrong whether you pretend like you meant a company as a whole or not, since Microsoft makes profit as a whole; Nintendo is NOT the only one making profit.

3-4-53373d ago

If Nintendo was an American Company, Forbes will be all over their jock.

Forbes + Video Game news = They are out of touch with reality.

They try their shady business forcasting and try and apply it to a creative format like games and it doesn't work.

Tons of these "experts" do it.

It's the problem with video games now.

They bring in this Forbes like "money guys/women" who think they have all these savy business practices that end up screwing everybody over because they were too arrogant to see the truth of the matter.

* Microsoft is doing just fine.

* Sony is doing just fine.

* Nintendo is doing just fine.

* Video games are as strong, for a business, as they've ever been and aren't going anywhere.

Misleading Media tries to make you think the answer is A, when it's actually B.

They do it to all companies, all people....as long as they can make a buck selling a story.

They do it with politics too.

Our media has sold us out.

Knushwood Butt3373d ago

Wii U is already in last place this gen after a year head start.

That's not reaching.

The only reaching being done is by Nintendo themselves. Do they really think they can shift more hardware when they've already released their big gun games?

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3373d ago
leganord3374d ago

Well, what can you expect from Forbes' "SJW extraordinaire" Paul Tassi? These people don't care about games, only about clickbait and creating drama. They are lowlife trolls, and I should have known better before clicking on it. To think that a year or two ago I actually held Forbes in high esteem, how quickly do things change.

snookiegamer3374d ago

So? ...doesn't make it any harder to enjoy the best games so far of this generation!

Quit the doom propaganda ...life's gonna be okay ;)

LOL_WUT3373d ago

That doesn't change the fact that its their slowest selling console ever in which case not a lot of people are going to get to enjoy your so called best games ;)

Malice-Flare3374d ago

that's on them. it doesn't matter how many good games are on the system if the company doesn't have the guts to market it or to promote it...

GokuSolosAll3374d ago

To be fair Nintendo set high bars with their previous systems, even NGC did fine, just not for a Nintendo system. Wii U's problem is a lack of good games; NGC had that a bit but still had better games. Baten Kaitos, RE0, MGS:TS, ToS, and many others. I'm hard pressed to justify a Wii U purchase after 2 years. It really is their worst.

All that aside, I think it is still good enough to buy later. Practically every syatem has been though, with few exceptions (just among the Big 4; Sega, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft). Even Virtual Boy was better than crap like 3DO. Nintendo's failures are still cool. Their potential is wasted for sure though.

higgins783374d ago

Lack of good games? I'm sorry, but for my money it's library of great games is far greater than anything on PS4 or XB1 - certainly exclusive to the particular console.

Show all comments (61)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10113d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref13d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde12d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197212d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville12d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218312d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos12d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
isarai13d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref13d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan12d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00712d ago (Edited 12d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197213d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

13d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197213d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

13d ago
13d ago
Zeref13d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde12d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197212d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier12d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto12d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218312d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto12d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
Hofstaderman13d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts12d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts11d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic12d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel19d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8819d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing19d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS18d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder18d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218318d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.