Slow Wii U sales?

[Gamevet]

Hehehe... Apparently, the causes of the Wii's success are now as shrouded in the mists of time as those of the Crash of '83, Leo.

I'd wager that, more specifically, Bowling on Wii Sports sold more than its fair share of Wii systems. I can't really recall anyone raving about any other games on the disk, to be honest. Heck, even non-gamers enjoyed that one a good deal.


That and Wii Fit. Wii Fit sold something like 23 million units. Soccer mom deluxe!

[Leo_A]

I thought baseball was broken. There's a type of pitch that is almost a guarantee of getting a strike.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

It was just some good natured fun. Your post made it sound (To me at least) like we're talking about a console that has been dead for 20-30 years instead of one that has just seen its successor released.

The Wii still seems almost brand new to me despite having owned it now for five years.

Oh, I see. For me, it IS starting to seem like ancient history since I don't play it that much. My Wii Fit leaning against the wall seems like a relic.

[BlastProcessing402]

What a difference a week makes. Now I'm seeing stacks of WiiU's everywhere, too.

[kupomogli]

I looked to see how much both PS360 sold during launch and while the price differences between PS2 and Wii in comparison to the Wii Us price differences back then were much larger, the sales also sucked. Didn't even hit a million in a month for awhile. The Wii U seems like it's getting slow sales for a Nintendo product especially when you couldn't find a Wii yet it sold just as much. I'd say that if we wait until February sales then we'll know whether the system is selling poorly or not.

Although it's safe to say that the sales are sucking in Europe. It got over 100,000 in its first week and since then it's been lower than 100,000 every week.

[Tupin]

Didn't see a single Wii on the shelf until mid 2008, now I could walk into any store and buy a Wii U.

Nintendo needs something like Pikmin 3 badly.

[kupomogli]

Be like Microsoft. Buy more third party support. You know they paid off Capcom to develop Resident Evil Revelations and make Monster Hunter a Nintendo exclusive property for this gen. PlatinumGames titles don't sell so you know they were dirt cheap in acquiring some exclusives from them.

Nintendo needs to start paying off more developers to make exclusive titles for the Wii U. Atleast until they solidify themselves as a solid investment. Because right now, aside from Nintendo exclusives, there are few exclusive titles I and many other people want from them right now.

[Leo_A]

I like baseball, bowling, tennis, and golf on Wii Sports. The only one I don't really care for is boxing. Takes too much energy and I'm too lazy ;)

I don't much like boxing either. I want to be lazy when I play videogames just like you do. :)

I'm surprised I enjoy bowling on it. I can't play that sitting down but it's well enough done that it's worth the extra energy. I play the others just sitting down.

[kedawa]

Bowling is the only one I enjoyed. The rest are pure gimmick.

[treismac]

If Nintendo's Wii U online store is as pitifully weak as the Wii's, you can count me out until they're practically giving the system away five to six years from now. Apart from Neo-Geo games, how many arcade games came out on the Virtual Console? Like 15? Inexplicably, I never saw Contra or Bionic Commando make their way to the NES' Virtual Console, and NOA's chief douche bag, Reggie, mocks the idea of ever bringing Earthbound to the Virtual Console. Overall, Nintendo fumbled in the downloadable world with the Wii and I haven't read anything to assuage my concerns over the same being the case with the Wii U.

Honestly, I kinda hope Nintendo gets a wakeup call with the Wii U in terms of lackluster sales, causing them to pull their head out of their ip filled arse and make the kind of "duh" decisions that are needed to keep from unnecessarily alienating and frustrating gamers.

Bleh... I'm starting to feel extra crabby from the flu vaccine I just got so I'll quit my bitching.

[Graham Mitchell]

If Nintendo's Wii U online store is as pitifully weak as the Wii's, you can count me out until they're practically giving the system away five to six years from now. Apart from Neo-Geo games, how many arcade games came out on the Virtual Console? Like 15? Inexplicably, I never saw Contra or Bionic Commando make their way to the NES' Virtual Console, and NOA's chief douche bag, Reggie, mocks the idea of ever bringing Earthbound to the Virtual Console. Overall, Nintendo fumbled in the downloadable world with the Wii and I haven't read anything to assuage my concerns over the same being the case with the Wii U.

Honestly, I kinda hope Nintendo gets a wakeup call with the Wii U in terms of lackluster sales, causing them to pull their head out of their ip filled arse and make the kind of "duh" decisions that are needed to keep from unnecessarily alienating and frustrating gamers.

Bleh... I'm starting to feel extra crabby from the flu vaccine I just got so I'll quit my bitching.

The virtual console should have been absolutely flooded with games. There must be some prohibitive factor involved in getting third party games up there because we should be seeing much more than we do. For example, why isn't every SMS game on there? It seems to me that putting a game up there is a relatively cheap and easy thing to do. There's no manufacturing or r and d cost. That said, I do enjoy a fair amount of the offerings on the vc. I just wish there were more.

The eshop is ass right now as well. There are only about 5 games on there that aren't retail releases, and none of them look that cool.

I did read in game informer that they are planning to get virtual console games playable on the tablet, but there's no mention of when that's going to happen.

[treismac]

For example, why isn't every SMS game on there [the Virtual Console]?

Well, it sure as hell ain't because Nintendo is afraid of over saturating the market with Mario games.

[The Adventurer]

I think you guys are underestimating what games Nintendo is allowed to put on the VC. Contra and Bionic Commando aren't Nintendo first-party titles. So its on Konomi and Capcom to prioritize their release. Not Nintendo. And that can pretty much explain any glaring omission on the VC.

[Tupin]

NOA's chief douche bag, Reggie, mocks the idea of ever bringing Earthbound to the Virtual Console.

Blame Itoi for that, not Reggie. He put a bunch of stuff in his game that wouldn't fly in present day copyright wise. There are only three things in that game that need to be changed/removed: the name of one enemy, the replacement of a sampled Chuck Berry song, and the Sky Runner song. That's it. The only thing that's kept the game in limbo for so long was the last one, apparently Itoi and NCL think they would have to write a new song for that ONE SCENE. They'd replace the Chuck Berry song just fine, why not the ONE SCENE with the Sky Runner?

[Leo_A]

I think you guys are underestimating what games Nintendo is allowed to put on the VC. Contra and Bionic Commando aren't Nintendo first-party titles. So its on Konomi and Capcom to prioritize their release. Not Nintendo. And that can pretty much explain any glaring omission on the VC.

To get your content released on the Virtual Console, you had to all but sign your life away to Nintendo. Both Konami and Capcom have publically stated that they submitted their entire 8/16 bit console library's of nonlicensed content to Nintendo. And in at least one instance, we know that Nintendo passed something over since they felt like it would promote something on the competition (NES Bionic Commando back around when Capcom was reviving the franchise elsewhere).

The ball is in Nintendo's court where Capcom and Konami are concerned. Nintendo has the rights to that content and it's their job now to get things reviewed by the ESRB, decide when and what is released, and for how much.

[A.C. Sativa]

I've been at a number of Targets, and seen the Wii U demo station just totally ignored, with all the other demo stations being used by people. It's weird.

Probably because the Wii U demo stations don't play any games, they just show demo videos. At least that's the case with all the ones I've come across.

[The 1 2 P]

Probably because the Wii U demo stations don't play any games, they just show demo videos. At least that's the case with all the ones I've come across.

Toys R Us's Wii U demo station doesn't play any games but Gamestop and Best Buy plays one: Rayman Legends. Definitely not the best game to promote a new system with but that decision's blame lies solely on Nintendo.

[WCP]

Man, the local Craigslist market has me extremely tempted to get a Wii U. I've seen a couple of different people selling brand new, in the box, basic versions for $220 straight up.


$220 is pretty damn cheap, when you consider the fact that you aren't even paying any tax on it. The thing is, why am I compelled to buy this thing, just for the sake of buying it ? It's like I want to buy the thing just because it seems like it's a good deal to get one so cheap. Problem is, I'd still need to buy Mario.

I made an offer to a guy selling a basic for $220, I said that I would give him $250 if it included Mario. You'd think, getting a brand new Wii U, with the Mario game, out the door for $250 is a screaming deal, but what happens when I finish the Mario game? What the heck am I going to play on it then ? I'd probably rent Zombie U at some point but, there really isn't anything calling my name. Mario isn't even really calling my name that bad, lol... Still, I guess it's just that consumerism bug in me. Have no real need for the thing, but the deal just seems too good.

[BricatSegaFan]

I don't think I've used my DS since I got an iPhone 3 years ago. I pull it out to charge every few months, bout it. It's just way more convenient to play something on my phone.

I don't see how anyone can "play a game" on an iPhone, with its tiny screen and thumbs in the way. Meh I loathe mobile and casual gaming.

[Cornelius]

Man, the local Craigslist market has me extremely tempted to get a Wii U. I've seen a couple of different people selling brand new, in the box, basic versions for $220 straight up.


$220 is pretty damn cheap, when you consider the fact that you aren't even paying any tax on it. The thing is, why am I compelled to buy this thing, just for the sake of buying it ? It's like I want to buy the thing just because it seems like it's a good deal to get one so cheap. Problem is, I'd still need to buy Mario.

I made an offer to a guy selling a basic for $220, I said that I would give him $250 if it included Mario. You'd think, getting a brand new Wii U, with the Mario game, out the door for $250 is a screaming deal, but what happens when I finish the Mario game? What the heck am I going to play on it then ? I'd probably rent Zombie U at some point but, there really isn't anything calling my name. Mario isn't even really calling my name that bad, lol... Still, I guess it's just that consumerism bug in me. Have no real need for the thing, but the deal just seems too good.

If you need help justifying it, you might be able to convince yourself that Wii games look better on it...

[Leo_A]

If you need help justifying it, you might be able to convince yourself that Wii games look better on it...

On many HDTV's, they should look better. The Wii U's upscaling is good enough that comparisons between it and the native 480p output of the Wii look virtually identical.

But let your HDTV's internal scaling chip do the job and you're just as likely to get noticeable degradation as you are a pleasing image.

[treismac]

Blame Itoi for that, not Reggie. He put a bunch of stuff in his game that wouldn't fly in present day copyright wise. There are only three things in that game that need to be changed/removed: the name of one enemy, the replacement of a sampled Chuck Berry song, and the Sky Runner song. That's it. The only thing that's kept the game in limbo for so long was the last one, apparently Itoi and NCL think they would have to write a new song for that ONE SCENE. They'd replace the Chuck Berry song just fine, why not the ONE SCENE with the Sky Runner?

I just don't get how the suits at Nintendo are unable or unwilling to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement between them and the copyright holders of said intellectual properties. With Earthbound just sitting in the back bin of Nintendo's catalog, potential money is lost for all parties concerned.

Surely somewhere there must be a plucky, idealist lawyer who is also a gamer who can set off on an epic quest to make this happen.

[kedawa]

I don't see how anyone can "play a game" on an iPhone, with its tiny screen and thumbs in the way. Meh I loathe mobile and casual gaming.

That's because so many iOS/Android games are lazy rehashes of traditional handheld or console experiences. Stay away from that crap and the stupid casual games, and you can find some really fun stuff. There are games designed specifically for touch/gyro controls that are actually good, not to mention absurdly cheap compared to traditional portable games. Smartphones also have the advantage of always being on, and the games generally start up fast and get right down to business, unlike 3DS and Vita games that punish the user with load times or a parade of splash screens. Ideally, I'd prefer to play games on something like the JXD S7300 Android tablet, which has full tactile controls like the PSVita, but for convenience, you can't beat a smartphone.

[geneshifter]

That's because so many iOS/Android games are lazy rehashes of traditional handheld or console experiences. Stay away from that crap and the stupid casual games, and you can find some really fun stuff. There are games designed specifically for touch/gyro controls that are actually good, not to mention absurdly cheap compared to traditional portable games. Smartphones also have the advantage of always being on, and the games generally start up fast and get right down to business, unlike 3DS and Vita games that punish the user with load times or a parade of splash screens. Ideally, I'd prefer to play games on something like the JXD S7300 Android tablet, which has full tactile controls like the PSVita, but for convenience, you can't beat a smartphone.

This is so true. Like one I found out about this week. Spaceteam. It is a free, multiplayer game that is just insane. I highly recommend trying it if you have other people around you with ipads/iphones.

[Gamevet]

The virtual console should have been absolutely flooded with games. There must be some prohibitive factor involved in getting third party games up there because we should be seeing much more than we do. For example, why isn't every SMS game on there? It seems to me that putting a game up there is a relatively cheap and easy thing to do. There's no manufacturing or r and d cost. That said, I do enjoy a fair amount of the offerings on the vc. I just wish there were more.



Did the games that were on the VC sell well?

I'd heard that the games you downloaded were tied to the console, not your account. If your Wii died, so did all of the games you purchased. Or was there another way to back up your downloads?

[Words iManifest]

My family chipped in and bought me one for Christmas, the three hours of updates only to be quicky bored with Nintendoland didn't bode well for my initial excitement. Things picked up with Mario and ZombieU is quite fun despite all the negativity thrown it's way. I skipped the Wii so being backward compatible is a big plus and the tablet works well and feels decent enough to hold for more than an hour or so. Nintendo really does need some AAA titles fast though, I can see this ship sinking sooner rather than later with their terrible marketing, ridiculous identical naming and boxing to the Wii and sporting those cutting edge seven year old graphics. We need a brand new side scrolling Metroid HD, top down Legend of Zelda HD and forget the virtual console...New Eartbound HD, stat !

Also, for the love of all that is holy Nintendo, revise your pro controller so I can actually plug my headset into it and not the tablet that I have to leave sitting on the couch next to me draining precious battery. Who on Earth though that was a solid idea ? I always look at Nintendo not as the kid in school who is truly different but the kid who obnoxiously goes out of his way to be...No ethernet port ? You have to buy a seperate usb dongle that actually slows the connection and makes wi-fi faster ? Ugh.

I'm on board WiiU but the clock's ticking.

[BricatSegaFan]

You know I just realized that Nintendo never made a console that could play music CDs...including the Wii U and excluding the Panasonic Q.

That being said I just wish Sega would come back and make a new console to keep Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony on their toes.

The Wii U just seems....eh.

[Graham Mitchell]

My family chipped in and bought me one for Christmas, the three hours of updates only to be quicky bored with Nintendoland didn't bode well for my initial excitement. Things picked up with Mario and ZombieU is quite fun despite all the negativity thrown it's way. I skipped the Wii so being backward compatible is a big plus and the tablet works well and feels decent enough to hold for more than an hour or so. Nintendo really does need some AAA titles fast though, I can see this ship sinking sooner rather than later with their terrible marketing, ridiculous identical naming and boxing to the Wii and sporting those cutting edge seven year old graphics. We need a brand new side scrolling Metroid HD, top down Legend of Zelda HD and forget the virtual console...New Eartbound HD, stat !

Also, for the love of all that is holy Nintendo, revise your pro controller so I can actually plug my headset into it and not the tablet that I have to leave sitting on the couch next to me draining precious battery. Who on Earth though that was a solid idea ? I always look at Nintendo not as the kid in school who is truly different but the kid who obnoxiously goes out of his way to be...No ethernet port ? You have to buy a seperate usb dongle that actually slows the connection and makes wi-fi faster ? Ugh.

I'm on board WiiU but the clock's ticking.

I agree. I'm enjoying it, but it's time for something with some depth.

[wiggyx]

I was in a local Best Buy today, and they had around 30 black Wii U systems for sale out on the floor, as well as another 30 white Wii U's. They were all stacked in a pile on top of each other. Seems pretty odd to see a brand new video game system during Christmas time in such plentiful numbers. In fact, every store I've gone into lately has had plenty of Wii U's in stock. Either Nintendo released more than enough systems to go around this time, or the sales for the system are really slow. Does anyone here know which it is? Maybe it's both?

The Wii fad has faded. Casual gamers won't see a need to buy another console when they can bowl on their old Wii just fine and us more serious gamers most likely feel burned by the original Wii (I know I do).

I picked my Wii up 3 days before Xmas. TRU had plenty of 'em, which sorta shocked me too. Hopefully Nintendo will begin catering to the "real" gamer again...

[IHatedSega]

Hopefully Nintendo will begin catering to the "real" gamer again...

I thought that was the point of the console? Screwattack made a video where they loved Nintendo for going back to focusing on real gamers with the console, then they trashed the name. It has great titles already and Bayonetta 2 is coming out soon. :)

[wiggyx]

We'll see is my point. They can blah blah all they want, but I won't believe it until I'm playing these promised games.

[IHatedSega]

We'll see is my point. They can blah blah all they want, but I won't believe it until I'm playing these promised games.

Im betting the PS4 and 720 will be too expensive to develop for. So a lot of exclusives will be on the U, and hopefully itll be games like Journey and Braid. Games that focus on story and game play more than "my graphics are the best".

[kupomogli]

Im betting the PS4 and 720 will be too expensive to develop for. So a lot of exclusives will be on the U, and hopefully itll be games like Journey and Braid. Games that focus on story and game play more than "my graphics are the best".

This isn't really true. Development costs should be the same for the most part because with more powerful hardware, developers are going to be using higher quality textures. Outside of CG/FMV/cinematics, better graphics doesn't mean it's going to cost more. Costs of development are mostly the amount of people developing the game, voice actors, stunt actors, purchase rights for all the tech that's used, advertising, and time that goes into developing the game, etc. Diablo 2 cost $10 million back when it was made, while Uncharted 1 and 2 cost $20 million each. Most games don't cost near that much.

I don't know how much it cost Runic Games to develop Torchlight, but given that it was developed in less than a year by only 30 people, I would assume it's not even close to the cost Diablo 2 was. I'd guess it's $100,000+ but less than a million. Does anyone know what Torchlight actually cost?

[Bojay1997]

This isn't really true. Development costs should be the same for the most part because with more powerful hardware, developers are going to be using higher quality textures. Outside of CG/FMV/cinematics, better graphics doesn't mean it's going to cost more. Costs of development are mostly the amount of people developing the game, voice actors, stunt actors, purchase rights for all the tech that's used, advertising, and time that goes into developing the game, etc. Diablo 2 cost $10 million back when it was made, while Uncharted 1 and 2 cost $20 million each. Most games don't cost near that much.

I don't know how much it cost Runic Games to develop Torchlight, but given that it was developed in less than a year by only 30 people, I would assume it's not even close to the cost Diablo 2 was. I'd guess it's $100,000+ but less than a million. Does anyone know what Torchlight actually cost?

I think you would be shocked at how much even smaller games cost to develop. A full-time experienced programmer starts at $70-$80K not including benefits and many more seasoned programmers can get over $100K. Creative Directors, Producers and other higher level management people can easily make over $100K per year or more. A 30 person team working full-time probably has an average salary of $50K per person (averaging lower end people like QC and technicians with higher end management and programmers) so that's $1.5 million a year just in salaries. That doesn't include rent, equipment, utilities, other overhead, etc...that can easily run hundreds of thousands more.

Having said all that, I agree that simply being on the PS4 or Xbox 720 isn't necessarily going to result in massive cost increases over the WiiU.

[Tupin]

Im betting the PS4 and 720 will be too expensive to develop for. So a lot of exclusives will be on the U, and hopefully itll be games like Journey and Braid. Games that focus on story and game play more than "my graphics are the best".
This might not be a good thing. Indie developers tend to talk a big game but never deliver, and the whole "retro inspired platformer" thing has gotten very old.

I'm all for smaller game studios and more creativity in games, don't get me wrong. I just hope that we have more Daisuke Amaya types and less people like Phil Fish or Peter Molyneux.

[treismac]

That being said I just wish Sega would come back and make a new console to keep Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony on their toes.

I'm not terribly enthralled with the idea of there only being Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony video game systems to choose from each new generation, either, but it is hard to imagine another party joining into the fray.

[Gamevet]

I'm not terribly enthralled with the idea of there only being Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony video game systems to choose from each new generation, either, but it is hard to imagine another party joining into the fray.

Steam or Apple could make a run at it.

[treismac]

Steam or Apple could make a run at it.

You're probably right. Apple certainly has the resources to make themselves a contender. Of course, being Apple, they'd price their Chinese slave manufactured hardware much higher than their competition. Foxconn's suicide nets don't come cheap, after all.

[kedawa]

Apple's console is an iPad dock.

[wiggyx]

Im betting the PS4 and 720 will be too expensive to develop for. So a lot of exclusives will be on the U, and hopefully itll be games like Journey and Braid. Games that focus on story and game play more than "my graphics are the best".

Says who? Microsoft has always worked hard to be developer friendly. As far as Sony goes, you're like 1500% correct. Developers seem to loath Sony machines for their steep learning curve with regards to developing.

[Tupin]

You're probably right. Apple certainly has the resources to make themselves a contender. Of course, being Apple, they'd price their Chinese slave manufactured hardware much higher than their competition. Foxconn's suicide nets don't come cheap, after all.
Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Samsung, LG, and most other companies all use the same kind of labor. If you really want to go deep, it's these companies that are indirectly or directly causing everything from civil war in the Congo over the mining of coltan to the near-slavery conditions of Foxconn factories to the cancer-inducing "recyclers" that people send their electronics when they're done with them.

Everyone has blood on their hands, including the consumer. Some just have less blood than others.

[Gamevet]

Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Samsung, LG, and most other companies all use the same kind of labor. If you really want to go deep, it's these companies that are indirectly or directly causing everything from civil war in the Congo over the mining of coltan to the near-slavery conditions of Foxconn factories to the cancer-inducing "recyclers" that people send their electronics when they're done with them.

Everyone has blood on their hands, including the consumer. Some just have less blood than others.

I'd like to thank the little Asian kid that assembled my tennis shoes.

[treismac]

Everyone has blood on their hands, including the consumer. Some just have less blood than others.

In this world I suppose that is the best we can hope for.

[BricatSegaFan]

Steam or Apple could make a run at it.

I really think Nintendo has hold on the soccer mom fitness casual game market. If apple made a console it would only be used to play angry birds....lord knows we have wayyyy too many ways to play that.

Steam? Some people, mainly console gamers like physical media. Unless steam would make discs or something for their system why not stick to pc digital distribution?

[Bojay1997]

I really think Nintendo has hold on the soccer mom fitness casual game market. If apple made a console it would only be used to play angry birds....lord knows we have wayyyy too many ways to play that.

Steam? Some people, mainly console gamers like physical media. Unless steam would make discs or something for their system why not stick to pc digital distribution?

For better or worse, Apple has become the greatest content provider on the planet for video and audio. It wouldn't be hard for them to completely dominate the soccer mom market for video games. Heck, iPads and iPods are already killing the Vita and 3DS. Whether or not they will enter that market in more than a passive manner is a whole other question.

[Gamevet]

I really think Nintendo has hold on the soccer mom fitness casual game market. If apple made a console it would only be used to play angry birds....lord knows we have wayyyy too many ways to play that.

Steam? Some people, mainly console gamers like physical media. Unless steam would make discs or something for their system why not stick to pc digital distribution?

It won't be much longer before we don't have physical media as an option. It sucks, but the PC market is almost there and MS/Sony are testing the waters with their online stores.

Gabe Newell has been pushing for a Steam console over the past year.

[kedawa]

It makes sense to do away with physical media on PC, since the software on the disc becomes obsolete almost immediately anyway, and it's completely useless after a couple of years. Half the PC games I've played this year had day one patches.
Game consoles are a different story of course, but the next generation of platforms will be set-top boxes first and game consoles second, so it could go either way.

[Gamevet]

It makes sense to do away with physical media on PC, since the software on the disc becomes obsolete almost immediately anyway, and it's completely useless after a couple of years. Half the PC games I've played this year had day one patches.
Game consoles are a different story of course, but the next generation of platforms will be set-top boxes first and game consoles second, so it could go either way.

It's getting the point where console games need patching on day 1 as well. My wife gave me the Mass Effect Trilogy for the PS3. I installed the first game and had to wait about 15 minutes for it to download an update.


I picked up Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters (2011 title) for the PC, from a Half-Price Books. The game didn't have a registration code and loaded without any issues, from the disc. Juiced 2 was a different story. I installed the game, but could not register it, since Juice Games/THQ is no longer around.

[geneshifter]

For better or worse, Apple has become the greatest content provider on the planet for video and audio. It wouldn't be hard for them to completely dominate the soccer mom market for video games. Heck, iPads and iPods are already killing the Vita and 3DS. Whether or not they will enter that market in more than a passive manner is a whole other question.

Yep. I have to admit, it is real easy for me to go ahead and get games at 99 cents on the iPad mini instead of $30 on the Vita. In fact, I realized this recently and got rid of my Vita. Feels weird and maybe it's because I am older and like spending less. I really only play for maybe 15-30 minutes at a time to relax scattered through a day. The iPad mini serves that purpose fine and cheaply past the initial investment of $330.

Back on topic, I keep hearing a variety of numbers for the WiiU sales. May I ask what is the most reliable source of this information? I see people talking of vgchartz but then see other people discrediting that as a reliable source.

[kedawa]

Vgchartz just speculates and then corrects their numbers when more reliable information is available. TRST no longer releases their numbers publicly, so we're pretty much in the dark.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I was at a used game store last weekend and they had two WiiUs that people had traded in. I overheard the guy working the counter laughing about how "they already have people trading them in." On the other hand, he did say they dropped the prices on the regular Wii's since the WiiU's release.

[BricatSegaFan]

Steam or Apple could make a run at it.

I just remembered Apple did try the whole console thing before. Anyone remember the failure that was the Apple pippin?

[Tupin]

I just remembered Apple did try the whole console thing before. Anyone remember the failure that was the Apple pippin?
The way Apple was in the 90s is very different from how they are now.

[WCP]

460K in December.


Wow. Just plain.... wow.

[The 1 2 P]

460K in December.


Wow. Just plain.... wow.

I still don't think we will have a fair view of Wii U sales versus the other systems until atleast March or April.

[Bojay1997]

I just remembered Apple did try the whole console thing before. Anyone remember the failure that was the Apple pippin?

There was no such thing as an "Apple" Pippin. They designed an architecture and specs but never released anything themselves. Bandai licensed the design and sold several versions of a system based on that architecture. At the end of the day, it cost Apple very little as it was basically just a pretty standard mid-90s Mac design.

[PreZZ]

There was no such thing as an "Apple" Pippin. They designed an architecture and specs but never released anything themselves. Bandai licensed the design and sold several versions of a system based on that architecture. At the end of the day, it cost Apple very little as it was basically just a pretty standard mid-90s Mac design.

I agree... its like saying dreamcast was a microsoft console because it had games that used windows CE.

[orangest]

I spotted a boxed Pro Controller at a Goodwill last night, a Target salvage piece. One of the inside flaps of the box was missing, and there was no paperwork (don't know if there's supposed to be any); they were asking $17.99. Thought it was funny to already see.

[kupomogli]

So only 50,000 sales this week. Sales are looking pretty bad.

[Graham Mitchell]

The thing needs games!! I use mine as a wii more than anything else because I'm already tired of the wii u games.

[WCP]

I came extremely close to purchasing a Wii U the other day. I was looking at Wii U's on Craigslist, and I was wondering just how cheaply I could I get one of these things, now that the Xmas hype has died down and the honeymoon period is overwith. This one guy was willing to sell me his Wii U,plus Nintendoland for $220. Screaming deal right ? I mean, that's like going into a thrift store and seeing a Wii U with Nintendoland priced at $199 plus tax.

I was very tempted to get it, but at the last minute, I caught myself, and changed my mind.


Certainly, $220 for that package, was not a bad deal AT ALL. There is no question about that. It's a great deal. Why did I change my mind ? Well, mainly, the only game that I'm really interested in playing is the new Mario game. So, while he was going to thro in Nintendoland, I really wanted the Mario game. The cheapest I can get the Mario game is $35 (from another Craigslist guy), but then that takes the grand total up to $255, which I'm basically spending to play one game. I just came to the conclusion that paying $255 just to play one game is kinda dumb of me, so I decided that I'm going to hold off for now, and wait for the inevitable price drop, and for some more games to come out.

Part of me was thinking that the price for a Wii U on Craigslist isn't going to get much lower than this anytime soon, because Nintendo is likely to announce a new Mario Kart or new Zelda or something, and then there will be more excitement around the Wii U, and getting one for $220 with Nintendoland will be damn near impossible. So, one side of me still thinks it might be a good idea to buy one now, while people think it's a "dud" before all the new announcements come out for various games. But then the other side of me is saying... "Wait a minute... You know this is Nintendo, and you know that Nintendo takes FOREVER, to finally get all their games out, and I could be waiting until Fall 2013 before anything of any real significance is released, and by that time, I might be more interested in a PS4 or Xbox Infinity or whatever..."



But hey, if anybody out there is interested in getting a Wii U on the cheap, there are deals to be made, because some of these people on Craigslist are willing to sell their Wii U's for pennies on the dollar. (okay, maybe not pennies, but you know what I mean.. )

[kupomogli]

Xbox Infinity

This would be a good name for the next Xbox.

[wiggyx]

The problem with that is, where do you go afterward?

...and beyond?

[kupomogli]

You talking about the Xbox Infinity? Yeah, it'd be kind of hard to make a follow up name afterwards. There's always Omega though, but then there's really nowhere else to go.

[duffmanth]

I don't think the Wii U is going to sell the numbers the Wii did? From what I've read about the Wii U, it just seems like a Wii with HD graphics. It'll probably take a flagship game like Zelda before the Wii U starts selling huge numbers.

[The 1 2 P]

I came extremely close to purchasing a Wii U the other day. I was looking at Wii U's on Craigslist, and I was wondering just how cheaply I could I get one of these things, now that the Xmas hype has died down and the honeymoon period is overwith. This one guy was willing to sell me his Wii U,plus Nintendoland for $220. Screaming deal right ? I mean, that's like going into a thrift store and seeing a Wii U with Nintendoland priced at $199 plus tax.

I was very tempted to get it, but at the last minute, I caught myself, and changed my mind.


Certainly, $220 for that package, was not a bad deal AT ALL. There is no question about that. It's a great deal. Why did I change my mind ? Well, mainly, the only game that I'm really interested in playing is the new Mario game. So, while he was going to thro in Nintendoland, I really wanted the Mario game. The cheapest I can get the Mario game is $35 (from another Craigslist guy), but then that takes the grand total up to $255, which I'm basically spending to play one game. I just came to the conclusion that paying $255 just to play one game is kinda dumb of me, so I decided that I'm going to hold off for now, and wait for the inevitable price drop, and for some more games to come out.

Part of me was thinking that the price for a Wii U on Craigslist isn't going to get much lower than this anytime soon, because Nintendo is likely to announce a new Mario Kart or new Zelda or something, and then there will be more excitement around the Wii U, and getting one for $220 with Nintendoland will be damn near impossible. So, one side of me still thinks it might be a good idea to buy one now, while people think it's a "dud" before all the new announcements come out for various games. But then the other side of me is saying... "Wait a minute... You know this is Nintendo, and you know that Nintendo takes FOREVER, to finally get all their games out, and I could be waiting until Fall 2013 before anything of any real significance is released, and by that time, I might be more interested in a PS4 or Xbox Infinity or whatever..."



But hey, if anybody out there is interested in getting a Wii U on the cheap, there are deals to be made, because some of these people on Craigslist are willing to sell their Wii U's for pennies on the dollar. (okay, maybe not pennies, but you know what I mean.. )

Now is a really good time to get Wii U deals on craigs list and some people have already been finding Wii U games as Target returns in Goodwill. I think that if I found an actual Wii U system in Goodwill that was a Target return I would most likely pick it up. As long as it was in good shape....and Goodwill didn't price it as if they were listing it on ebay.

[PreZZ]

People (me included) laughed at the wii U specs, but the leak from amd lawsuit about the ps4 and nextbox shows that they have very similar specs making all three systems about the same in gpu/cpu... Can the wii U really outclass the ps3 and 360?? and will the next gen really be a huge step forward?? cant wait for e3 2013!

[Leo_A]

I highly doubt that the Xbox 720 and Playstation 4 have similar specifications to the Wii U that largely has the horsepower of the generation that started back in 2005.

[kedawa]

It worked for the Wii.

[kupomogli]

I'm with Leo A. I doubt the PS4/720 will be Wii-like in as a next gen console compared to the PS360. The reason for this is how much better looking games are getting on the current gen consoles and developers can't keep a stable framerate. Assassin's Creed 3 with its framerate between 25-30fps, Far Cry 3 with 20fps and screen tearing all over the place, Darksiders 2 with screen tearing all over the place, etc. It's probably just the developers, sure, but if most developers can't make a game that looks as good as Uncharted 3 or Halo 4 and the framerate is still subpar, then it's time for next gen.

[Ponyone]

Alz I know is that im having a blast with the wii-u. Graphics are great, zombi-u is splendid, black ops II multiplayer while im in bed under the covers but over the rainbow? Sounds good. Nintendoland is fun, batman is cool, tekken is stella. I think thats all i have. Just waiting for nintendo to come out with a wireless extender for the pad that they already created and just waiting to sell separate so I can play batman in the bathtub.

[WCP]

Alz I know is that im having a blast with the wii-u. Graphics are great, zombi-u is splendid, black ops II multiplayer while im in bed under the covers but over the rainbow? Sounds good. Nintendoland is fun, batman is cool, tekken is stella. I think thats all i have. Just waiting for nintendo to come out with a wireless extender for the pad that they already created and just waiting to sell separate so I can play batman in the bathtub.

The idea of playing my games portably around the house does appeal to me. This is one thing that does really attract me to the Wii U. The problem is, I have to buy the damn games for $59.99. Nintendo published games rarely go on sale, and most of the 3rd party games are ports anyways.

Still, the idea of being all snugged up in bed playing NSMB U does sound appealing.

[Gamevet]

Batman in the bathtub? WTF?!

[kupomogli]

Monolith Soft Xenoblade style game, 3D Super Mario Bros U, Mario Kart U, SMT x Fire Emblem, Yarn Yoshi, and Windwaker HD remake announced. Other games just reconfirmed, Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, and Super Smash Bros U.

Xenoblade 2 interests me as does Super Smash Bros U. Everything else not so much. This whole announcement sounds like desperation to me, though. Four Mario titles and another highi profile developer payoff title?

[Bojay1997]

Monolith Soft Xenoblade style game, 3D Super Mario Bros U, Mario Kart U, SMT x Fire Emblem, Yarn Yoshi, and Windwaker HD remake announced. Other games just reconfirmed, Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, and Super Smash Bros U.

Xenoblade 2 interests me as does Super Smash Bros U. Everything else not so much. This whole announcement sounds like desperation to me, though. Four Mario titles and another highi profile developer payoff title?

Actually, the whole announcement sounds like classic Nintendo to me and every game you listed above is a must buy IMHO. I don't know if it's enough to massively increase sales of the WiiU, but it certainly makes me very happy as a WiiU owner.