The PS4 already sold more units than the Wii U

[Nobody]

Source:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/03/03/ps4-hits-6-million-ushers-in-new-era-of-social-gameplay/

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1312.pdf

So yeah, this says a lot about how successful the ps4 is (and how much of a failure the Wii U is).

Keep in mind that the 5.8 Mi. Wii U are shipped to stores, while the 6 Mi. PS4 are sold to consumers.

[Shauni]

RIP in peace wii U-san.

[Jedi]

Just because something sells less doesn't make it a failure. The GameCube sold significantly less then the PS2 and Xbox and yet its looked on very fondly.

The Wii Us got some grand games now and will be getting more. Yes I realize Nintendo's market is more handheld but calling the system a complete failure when people have worked hard on its games and such is a bit insulting to them.

Maybe I'm idealistic but still. The Ps4 just caters more to the gamers today and they did their marketing more effectively yes but Wii U's are still being sold even if its at a much lesser rate. Plus Nintendo has the whole of their other profits from the 3DS so they won't be going anywhere soon

[Rewjeo]

Once the Wii U gets Smash Bros., maybe a new Zelda, that kind of thing, I expect this to change. Software sells hardware and all that.

[Nobody]

Just because something sells less doesn't make it a failure. The GameCube sold significantly less then the PS2 and Xbox and yet its looked on very fondly.

The Wii Us got some grand games now and will be getting more. Yes I realize Nintendo's market is more handheld but calling the system a complete failure when people have worked hard on its games and such is a bit insulting to them.

Maybe I'm idealistic but still. The Ps4 just caters more to the gamers today and they did their marketing more effectively yes but Wii U's are still being sold even if its at a much lesser rate. Plus Nintendo has the whole of their other profits from the 3DS so they won't be going anywhere soon

Except I'm talking about its sales.

If it isn't selling well, it's a sales failure. Of course it has GREAT games, and I look forward to getting one. It's still a sales failure (as was the game cube, BTW).

It's the same as the PS3, that sold relatively well and has a great library but was the biggest financial failure in the video games story, making sony lose all its profits from the PS2. A failure is a failure if it doesn't bring profit and/or sells badly, regardless of having great games.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Nobody

[dreamcrash]

Their mistake was going after an audience that wasn't loyal in the first place and has since moved on to get their casual games elsewhere (mostly the smartphone market). The name is also very confusing to people who aren't very into gaming, which are the people that made the Wii such a huge success. I'd love to see Nintendo go all-out and make another powerhouse like the NES, SNES, N64, or GameCube (which was hurt mostly by a "kiddie" image and the lack of media features in a time where that was a major selling point, despite being a fantastic system), but at this point I'm unsure whether enough developers would even get on board and support it, even if the hardware power is there, because they perceive Nintendo's audience as being uninterested in their games. Nintendo's in a bit of a predicament at the moment. I have a feeling we'll see the Wii U retired much sooner than the PS4/XBO, and hopefully its successor will go completely after one audience or the other and Nintendo can stop trying to balance casuals and their core fans.

[Anacybele]

The Wii and 3DS started the same way, this is no surprise. But in the end, the Wii ended up selling more than either the PS3 or Xbox 360 COMBINED. I expect things to be no different with the Wii U, though maybe not to the same extent.

[charlie_]

I'm surprised it took this long to outsell it to be perfectly honest.

[dreamcrash]

The Wii and 3DS started the same way, this is no surprise. But in the end, the Wii ended up selling more than either the PS3 or Xbox 360 COMBINED. I expect things to be no different with the Wii U, though maybe not to the same extent.

The Wii was a phenomenon right off the bat. Having Wii Sports as a pack-in and it being all over the news and various talk shows really secured its success early on, especially since many places toted it as a healthy way to exercise for seniors and the like. Wii U has completely failed to garner the same attention, and I don't think it will live up to the Wii's sales at all. It will probably sell GameCube-like numbers in its lifetime, maybe less.

The 3DS is an interesting success story though, and I hope the Wii U can turn around like it did. I'm not sure what it will take, but I hope that it's possible.

[Anacybele]

The Wii was a phenomenon right off the bat. Having Wii Sports as a pack-in and it being all over the news and various talk shows really secured its success early on, especially since many places toted it as a healthy way to exercise for seniors and the like. Wii U has completely failed to garner the same attention, and I don't think it will live up to the Wii's sales at all. It will probably sell GameCube-like numbers in its lifetime, maybe less.

The 3DS is an interesting success story though, and I hope the Wii U can turn around like it did. I'm not sure what it will take, but I hope that it's possible.

The Wii U comes with Nintendo Land bundled with it. And it also got games like Wii U Sports and Wii Fit U. I don't see your point.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Anacybele

[Nobody]

The Wii and 3DS started the same way, this is no surprise. But in the end, the Wii ended up selling more than either the PS3 or Xbox 360 COMBINED. I expect things to be no different with the Wii U, though maybe not to the same extent.

You're so clueless it's not even funny. the wii was selling like crazy since its launch. In fact, it couldn't meet the demand for one year.

The 3ds was doing bad, but not nearly as badly as the wii u, and it managed to turn its fate half a year after its launch. the wii u was released over a year ago and is still flopping.

BTW, the wii haven't sold more than the PS3 and the 36o combined. The wii sold about 100 million units, while the ps3 and the 360 sold approximately 80 million units EACH.

Sources:

Wii: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1312.pdf

Ps3: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/playstation3-sales-reach-80-million-units-worldwide-230771611.html

xbox 360: http://www.microsoft.com/investor/EarningsAndFinancials/Earnings/Kpi/fy14/q1/Detail.aspx

If you don't know about the facts, please don't spread lies.

Here it is a comparison between the first year of the wii u and 3ds in japan. The western sales are harder to find:

http://garaph.info/linecompare.php?weeks=52∑=1&width=1500&height=1500&title=&ymin=&ymax=&html=0&sys%5B0%5D=3DS&date%5B0%5D=2011-02-21&sfd%5B0%5D=&std%5B0%5D=&gr%5B0%5D=hf&tra%5B0%5D=&sys%5B1%5D=WiiU&date%5B1%5D=2012-12-03&sfd%5B1%5D=&std%5B1%5D=&gr%5B1%5D=&tra%5B1%5D=&sys%5B2%5D=&date%5B2%5D=&sfd%5B2%5D=&std%5B2%5D=&gr%5B2%5D=&tra%5B2%5D=&sys%5B3%5D=&date%5B3%5D=&sfd%5B3%5D=&std%5B3%5D=&gr%5B3%5D=&tra%5B3%5D=&sys%5B4%5D=&date%5B4%5D=&sfd%5B4%5D=&std%5B4%5D=&gr%5B4%5D=&tra%5B4%5D=&sys%5B5%5D=&date%5B5%5D=&sfd%5B5%5D=&std%5B5%5D=&gr%5B5%5D=&tra%5B5%5D=

I want the wii u to succeed as much as you do, but wishful thinking doesn't change facts.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Nobody

[Tryhard]

Remember, the Wii also had around 3.2 million sales in the first quarter, and that was pretty crazy even then. The PS4 is pretty much the biggest launch numbers I believe ever for a game console?

EDIT: Sorry, I should have said the Wii sold ~5.8 million between December 2006 and the end of March 2007.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Tryhard

[Anacybele]

You're so clueless it's not even funny.

And you're being so rude, it isn't even funny. Try finding out if I legitimately thought I was stating correct facts before calling me a liar.

[dreamcrash]

The Wii U comes with Nintendo Land bundled with it. And it also got games like Wii U Sports and Wii Fit U. I don't see your point.

Nintendo Land failed to capture the same attention Wii Sports did, likely because the tablet isn't as universally appealing as the Wii Remote. Everyone wanted to try playing tennis by actually swinging the remote like a tennis racket. It was something so simple and new, but so universally appealing that it became a phenomenon. I know tons of people who bought a Wii and only owned Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

When it comes to Wii U Sports and Wii Fit U, they aren't as new or exciting as they were back then, and the people who played them are either unaware of the Wii U or are confused and think it's a tablet controller for their Wii, which they don't want to spend the money on just to play another casual game when they're perfectly happy with the ones they already have. The Wii's success was largely on the backs of people who aren't the type to go out and buy the latest system or play a ton of games, and that market isn't loyal enough to migrate to the next system because they simply don't care enough to be following the industry anyway. They're content with f2p or $2 games on their phones now.

Edited March 4, 2014 by dreamcrash

[Anacybele]

Nintendo Land failed to capture the same attention Wii Sports did, likely because the tablet isn't as universally appealing as the Wii Remote. Everyone wanted to try playing tennis by actually swinging the remote like a tennis racket. It was something so simple and new, but so universally appealing that it became a phenomenon. I know tons of people who bought a Wii and only owned Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

What? I recall playing games in Nintendo Land that REQUIRED use of the Wii remote. It was fun as hell. I'm sure it was usable in Wii U Sports as well. If people like the Wii remote so much, they were totally free to use it in most Wii U titles.

I think you're right. People ARE confused about the system. But once they figure it out, its sales will skyrocket. Hopefully.

[dreamcrash]

What? I recall playing games in Nintendo Land that REQUIRED use of the Wii remote. It was fun as hell. I'm sure it was usable in Wii U Sports as well. If people like the Wii remote so much, they were totally free to use it in most Wii U titles.

I think you're right. People ARE confused about the system. But once they figure it out, its sales will skyrocket. Hopefully.

It's true that a lot of Wii U games use the Wii Remote, but what I was trying to say is that it isn't as new or interesting as it was when the Wii came out, and that's why we aren't seeing the same interest. People already experienced the novelty of the Wii Remote back then, and I'm guessing they just don't see reason to spend $300 on a more powerful Wii when they already have one. The tablet isn't enough of a draw to justify that investment for most of the Wii audience either, it seems. In other words, the introduction of the Wii Remote was like lightning, and lightning doesn't strike twice.

I'd like to think that will happen too, but I'm not entirely confident once people figure out what it is they're going to want it either. It's a really hard sell when the casual market is so owned by facebook and smartphone games now. The only audience it really has is hardcore Nintendo fans, and as someone who would consider themselves a Nintendo fan, there isn't even enough for me to go buy one now (though I'll probably pick one up after Smash is out). I think they just made the error of thinking the Wii audience had staying power, and that really cost them.

[Anacybele]

It's true that a lot of Wii U games use the Wii Remote, but what I was trying to say is that it isn't as new or interesting as it was when the Wii came out, and that's why we aren't seeing the same interest. People already experienced the novelty of the Wii Remote back then, and I'm guessing they just don't see reason to spend $300 on a more powerful Wii when they already have one. The tablet isn't enough of a draw to justify that investment for most of the Wii audience either, it seems. In other words, the introduction of the Wii Remote was like lightning, and lightning doesn't strike twice.

I'd like to think that will happen too, but I'm not entirely confident once people figure out what it is they're going to want it either. It's a really hard sell when the casual market is so owned by facebook and smartphone games now. The only audience it really has is hardcore Nintendo fans, and as someone who would consider themselves a Nintendo fan, there isn't even enough for me to go buy one now (though I'll probably pick one up after Smash is out). I think they just made the error of thinking the Wii audience had staying power, and that really cost them.

Firstly, it's not a tablet, it's a gamepad. Secondly, why are people so interested in the 3DS then? It's just a more powerful DS with full 3D graphics, isn't it? Nintendo even released a version without the 3D called the 2DS. I still don't see what you're trying to tell me. All the WiI U needs are more big titles, and those are on the way.

[Ema Skye]

The Wii U has been a flop for the past ~15 months, so it's really not a surprise. It's a failure as a system, and I think it's getting to the point where not even the 1-2-3 punch of Mario Kart + Smash Bros + Zelda can save it. It's already at the point where Iwata had to cut his salary in half to avoid a financial crisis for the company. It's failed to meet the demands of consumers, and I fear it's too little too late to save a dying system. Nintendo has got to get their act together, accept their losses, and salvage what they have left.

[dreamcrash]

Firstly, it's not a tablet, it's a gamepad. Secondly, why are people so interested in the 3DS then? It's just a more powerful DS with full 3D graphics, isn't it? Nintendo even released a version without the 3D called the 2DS. I still don't see what you're trying to tell me. All the WiI U needs are more big titles, and those are on the way.

Well, with both the 3DS and the Wii U, Nintendo's main selling point that they've been pushing hasn't really captured people. By that I mean, people aren't buying the 3DS for the 3D, they're buying it for all the great games it has. Likewise, people aren't buying the Wii U for the gamepad (sorry for using "tablet", that was kind of ignorant of me), but it doesn't have the library to draw people in yet like the 3DS does. You could be right about Wii U pulling a 3DS once it gets more games, and I'd like it if that happened, I guess the only point I'm trying to make is that Nintendo can't rely on the majority of the Wii audience to move over to the new platform. On the gamer side of things, it doesn't help that most third party titles are not going to appear on the system either. It just seems like they're trying to appeal to two very different audiences at once. It's just that one of those audiences isn't loyal and is getting their fix elsewhere (mainly on phones), and there isn't enough developer support or games available to capture the other audience (gamers) either at the moment. I just don't see it ever reaching Wii sales numbers because the audience that made the Wii such a success has dissipated. Edited March 4, 2014 by dreamcrash

[Comet]

The Wii U comes with Nintendo Land bundled with it. And it also got games like Wii U Sports and Wii Fit U. I don't see your point.

oh crap that's too revolutionary for me to take, i think i'll die from excitement. Guess what wii sports did? It showcased motion gaming (or whatever you want to call it) and everything that made the wii the success it was. That was BIG for its time. Nintendo Land? Psh. Maybe I'd play it once. It's nothing now compared to what wii sports was.

oh oops this was already covered

Edited March 4, 2014 by Comet

[Anacybele]

See, you all are giving up too easily. Does Nintendo think the situation is hopeless? No, they keep going and trying to fix it. And I think they will. They've gotten out of it before if the Gamecube was as big a sales flop as you all say.

I will admit that I haven't been using my Wii U lately, but that's because I've played through everything I have for it as much as I can (and have interest in). Before, I was on it constantly.

But whatever's going on, having a negative attitude isn't going to help anything.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Anacybele

[kingddd]

Most Wii U owners sadly are really die hard Nintendo fans like myself are actually satisfied with what the current library is actually offering. I mean I already have 12 games that I still frequently play. The biggest problem as most people will say is the marketing. I think I only saw one ad for the Wii U was in the theatre. I never saw any advertisement for it at all. Even in websites, TV shows, youtube commercials nada even once. They basically went oh we have a new console called the Wii U and here is an awesome on screen TV gamepad. Then they kept promoting the gamepad like it's the greatest thing ever but hardly ever mention it was a new system. This was during E32011 and even in 2012 they kept showing off the gamepad but nothing about the console itself. The press were just as confused.

Here is in my opinion the biggest issue for the Wii U. You remember the Wii would like to play marketing? During the last Christmas holiday, they had nothing like that. No slogan, no catchy moments in their commercials, hardly show off anything. It was awful and they weren't even tryingl. It just showed a bunch of kids telling their parents that they should "Upgrade" to the Wii U. That just makes it even more confusing because it's not just an upgrade. It's a completely new system with Wii Remote support. What they should of done is like in the previous Wii commercials like "Wii would like U to play" or show off the actual console and say something like "Welcome to the next generation of the Wii" or something along the lines. The marketing was not aggressive. They just pass it along as something oh this is fun hahahahhahaha. It was nothign spectacular.

Now don't get me wrong though, I love the Wii U and games that are exclusive to it. There are incredibly fun. The problem is Nintendo themselves are being very passive about it. They assumed that the old Wii customers would transit to the new system but they failed to mention it to those audience and market to that consumer base.

[LuxSpes]

Once the Wii U gets Smash Bros., maybe a new Zelda, that kind of thing, I expect this to change. Software sells hardware and all that.

See, you all are giving up too easily. Does Nintendo think the situation is hopeless? No, they keep going and trying to fix it. And I think they will. They've gotten out of it before if the Gamecube was as big a sales flop as you all say.

I will admit that I haven't been using my Wii U lately, but that's because I've played through everything I have for it as much as I can (and have interest in). Before, I was on it constantly.

But whatever's going on, having a negative attitude isn't going to help anything.

Even with that, I don't think it will be able to dominate. I would like to keep a positive attitude, but things are pretty grim for nintendo has a home console manufacturer and it's not something that started this generation. Gamers just don't seem to want Nintendo home system anymore. Since the NES, every Nintendo home consoles sold less than its predecessor(with the exception of the Wii, but it was a big gamble that arrived at the right time and made even non-gamers buy the system):

NES: 61.91 million units

SNES: 49.10 million units

N64: 32,93 million units

GC: 21,74 million units

Wii: 100.9 million units

I know other factors could contribute to the decline in sales(since even the sony consoles sold less each generations), but the PS1 sold 102.9 million units and the PS2 outdid it with 155 million units(as of now, the PS3 is at 80 millions and that's after the horrible start it had and competing against the Wii). But it's still clear that Nintendo sold less with every generations.

I'm a big Nintendo fan and I'm really afraid about the future of the company. The above number are on their own pretty disappointing, but if you consider that the only reason why anybody buy a Nintendo console now is to play Nintendo's first party game. Every other consoles offers their own first-party title as well as a ton of 3rd party and historically, 3rd-party never did well on Nintendo platforms(especially when compared to how they performed on the competing console). I read a lot on the subject recently and some pretty well researched article that recounted Nintendo's relation with 3rd parties said that the problem was already there with the N64. Nintendo consoles always were different in terms of tech from their competitors. N64 was on cartridges, Gamecube was on small CDs and the Wii was significantly less powerful than its competition, meaning that the Nintendo ports were usually either more costly to make or just inferior to what was offered by the competition(in terms of graphics or online). In the case of the Wii U, it's technological design is really different from the PS4/XB1 which share a similar architecture, meaning that once again, it's an additional chore to re-program big multiplatform 3rd-party games for the Wii U architecture.

Linked to that is Nintendo's image. Their family friendly attitude and their philosophy of developing games that appeal to everyone has made them considered to be a kiddy game developer that carters to the younger audience(I'm not saying I agree with this, just that it's a widespread opinion). This article describe in great details the effect of negative branding. The TL;DR version of it is that even before it was launched, the Wii U was branded as a failure and Nintendo has been branded as kiddy for a long time. This branding and the limitations their consoles had made it so that 3rd-party games usually sold less on Nintendo consoles due to the public being different or people preferring to buy the 'better' PS/XBox/PC version. This doesn't really encourage Bethesda to develop for Nintendo.

Yes the 3DS is doing well, but even that is selling less than expected and it practically has the monopoly on the portable console market. As for the Wii, it was mainly the novelty of motion control and Wii Sport that made every one and their (grand-)mother buy it. While I think the Wii had some of the best games I've ever played, most people that wanted a 'serious' gaming machine bought a PS3 or 360. As for the Wii U, I don't think even a big game will make it reach the level of the Wii at this point. Most people already invested in a PS4 and the non-gamer market has moved on from consoles to tablets and smartphones.

Even if Nintendo came out with a power house that used the same architecture as the Sony/Microsoft consoles and had tons of first-party M-rated offering to appeal to the 'hard-core' masses, it wouldn't get rid of their negative branding and would probably alienate their fans that love their effort toward innovation and the whimsical quality of their games.

Overall, I can only see Nintendo accept to make most of their profit from their handhelds and accept that their home consoles will always be seen as secondary gaming platforms or try to come out with a console that is able to wow both gamers and non-gamers alike.

PS:

While this whole post consist of my pessimism concerning Nintendo, I would really like them to succeed. I personally like my Wii U and find the gamepad to be a pretty neat feature. I also think their first-party offerings are the best games out there. I like Nintendo for being different from Sony and Microsoft, who's consoles always look really similar(both between themselves and when compared to their predecessors). I find that they bring variety to the market and I consider that to be a good thing. I love that they always try to make their consoles affordable. But a lot of people don't seem to see it that way and instead wish that Nintendo would either become similar to Sony/Microsoft or just disappear from the console market. I sincerely wish for Nintendo to succeed and would like other people to realize that the diversity they bring is good for the market. So if anybody has anything to say that would help me to be optimistic again, don't hesitate to say it.

(I guess they're that QoL thing they're working on, but we still don't have enough detail for me to form an opinion)

[Anacybele]

I think some people are idiots and fail to see how great Nintendo really is because of all the innovation and such that they've done. Each of their systems has been totally different from the previous one for the most part. The N64 was nothing like the NES and SNES. The GC was nothing like the N64. And the Wii is TOTALLY different from the GC.

But I see little difference in Sony's and Microsoft's consoles other than size, power, and graphical quality. How can people say these are better when Nintendo keeps going fresh every time? How can Wii gamers not be okay with making a transition to the Wii U, but find moving on to an Xbox One or PS4 to be just fine?

How are Nintendo games less enjoyable because they sometimes look "kiddie" or have no blood and gore? People are stupid and closed-minded and it's not fair to Nintendo. They deserve more love, more attention, more of their money.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Anacybele

[Djing]

Nintendo really needs to update their advertising model. They pretty much reject any form of advertising they aren't familiar with. They reject Youtube Lets Plays. They reject streaming Smash Bros tournaments. All of these are forms of free advertising that they are squandering.

All of their IPs are just sitting there. The last Metroid game was a bust. When was the last Star Fox game? Have we ever gotten a Wario Ware game for handheld in 5 years? There was a new Pikman game that was being hyped up to hell, only to be quietly released and never to be spoken of again. They have no signs making any new IPs like Sony has.

The Wii was mostly marketed towards a casual audience. That worked out for them at one point, but its definitely a one time deal. The senior demographic is not going to pay money for a brand new console.

They're putting far too much stock on cash cows like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Those games are not going to live up to expectations. Nintendo is losing astronomical amounts of money that even those games won't bring them out of the slump. Smash Bros 4 might even fall into the same trap that Brawl fell and fail to be as competitive as Melee was. Copyright claiming videos from Youtube and Twitch will deny their games from much needed longevity. It's stupid that they would get rid of what is essentially free advertising for their games.

They also spend way too much of their resources for gimmicks. People buy their consoles for the games.

Nintendo is my favorite gaming company, but they have a lot of shit to clean up if they have any hope to stay afloat.