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[Manmademan]

when it comes down to it its all about the price. If nintendo manages to do a 150$ pricedrop with good games comming out the thing will sell solely because it wont be much of an investment for people while having the newest wii fit or mario kart on it. What more fundamental is there? 300$ was way too high and thats the main reason why they are failing (alongside with no nintendo games).

300 isn't high at all. It's right in line with where previous nintendo consoles were launched at, or possibly cheaper, adjusting for inflation.

NES launched at $250 or so in 1986, about $515 today
SNES launched at $200 in 1991, about $332 today
N64 launched at $200 in 1996, about $288 today.
The wii launched at $250, so about $283 today.

Keep in mind the PS3 launched at $599 and the 360 at $300 and $400, and both of them were selling about 3-4x as many consoles as the WiiU is at the same point in their lifecycle, and the 360 was the followup to a bomb in the marketplace, not the #1 system.
The price isn't the problem.

thats the big question. Nintendo has succesfully catered to that audience in the past but has abandoned that audience on their platform circa 2010. If they can win them back I think they will be fine but that will take a lot of marketing effort

The Wii had the benefit of being so new and innovative the mainstream media (good morning america, fox news, etc) did all the selling for them. Casuals like my 60 year old father bought one just to try "real bowling" in their houses. The wiiU in contrast is just using a tablet controller, which everyone and their grandmother has already. The mainstream media isn't going to cover it to the same extent, and this audience is gone and staying gone.

Still not enough. They have positioned themselves into a market that is only served by them. They need to be the capcom, square enix, bandai namco, ubisoft, activision and ea of their own platform. If they can ensure about one or two games per month for each of their platforms internally they will do fine even without much third party support.

but as we've seen with the N64 and Gamecube, nintendo is completely unable to carry a platform on their own. 1 or two games per MONTH? the N64 and Gamecube were getting about 3 good games a YEAR, with 4 and 5 month droughts with nothing released. And Nintendo no longer has RARE to lean on either- they're in worse shape than they were in the N64 era.

 

[metalslimer]

So with CoD apparently not doing well on Wii U , does the lack of a Wii U Destiny release mean Call of Duty cross gen could possibly not come to Wii U? This is the scary part about this situation in that 3rd parties cancelling/not having Wii U 3rd party games will impact hardware sales and then once 3rd parties see those sales they'll continue not to make games. It's a vicious cycle for a failing platform that the PS3 only managed to escape because 3rd parties dumped millions into PS3 development and would have been screwed without it. Vita will probably never break out of that cycle. In fact the only way I see Nintendo breaking this is to break out their checkbooks and start paying for every multiplatform game they can possibly get. As strong as Nintendo's first party games are, I do not believe that with a complete absence of 3rd parties they could save a system. Even the Gamecube had a good bit of multiplatform support.

 

[Basileus777]

So with CoD apparently not doing well, does the lack of a Wii U Destiny release mean Call of Duty cross gen could possibly not come to Wii U?

Since the work has already been done in porting the engine, I could see them putting COD out again this year if it's cheap enough for them to do it.

 

[darkside31337]

So with CoD apparently not doing well on Wii U , does the lack of a Wii U Destiny release mean Call of Duty cross gen could possibly not come to Wii U? This is the scary part about this situation in that 3rd parties cancelling/not having Wii U 3rd party games will impact hardware sales and then once 3rd parties see those sales they'll continue not to make games. It's a vicious cycle for a failing platform that the PS3 only managed to escape because 3rd parties dumped millions into PS3 development and would have been screwed without it. Vita will probably never break out of that cycle. In fact the only way I see Nintendo breaking this is to break out their checkbooks and start paying for every multiplatform game they can possibly get. As strong as Nintendo's first party games are, I do not believe that with a complete absence of 3rd parties they could save a system. Even the Gamecube had a good bit of multiplatform support.

You're reading too much into it. The decision whether or not Destiny was going to be on the Wii U was made ages ago, probably before the console even came out. Which is both pretty damning and also happens to look like a very smart business decision.

But yeah the Wii U is in serious trouble right now.

 

[AOC83]

Keep in mind the PS3 launched at $599 and the 360 at $300 and $400, and both of them were selling about 3-4x as many consoles as the WiiU is at the same point in their lifecycle, and the 360 was the followup to a bomb in the marketplace, not the #1 system.
The price isn't the problem.

Both offered a ton of value for the money, the WiiU doesn´t. That´s the difference and that´s why the market won´t accept the current price.

 

[metalslimer]

Maybe, I made a topic about it though because it's a pretty interesting topic in my opinion. Has anyone managed to break that cycle once it began?

 

[Christopher]

Maybe, I made a topic about it though because it's a pretty interesting topic in my opinion. Has anyone managed to break that cycle once it began?

DS 3DS even GameCube homed in on Xbox

 

[CadetMahoney]

Both offered a ton of value for the money, the WiiU doesn´t. That´s the difference and that´s why the market won´t accept the current price.

You avatar always brings a smile to my face.

 

[Manmademan]

Both offered a ton of value for the money, the WiiU doesn´t. That´s the difference and that´s why the market won´t accept the current price.

basically what I was getting at. The issue isn't the cost, like $300 is a magic number that's just too high (as 599 was).

The wiiU hardware as it stands is a bad value. it's underpowered compared to the competition, even if that competition is the 360 and Ps3 which will ALWAYS be able to undercut the wiiU on price anytime they choose. Forget about the PS4 and 720.

The controller itself isn't compelling- cheap tablets are everywhere. If the only option was the Ipad at $600 or whatever it might have a market- but sub $200 kindle fires and nexus 7s are everywhere, and have more utility.

It's a bad value to the mass market at $300, and it's a bad value to the market at $200. You can forget $150, that's fantasy land. might as well argue for $99 or free. At that price point you're basically giving it away.

 

[farnham]

basically what I was getting at. The issue isn't the cost, like $300 is a magic number that's just too high (as 599 was).

The wiiU hardware as it stands is a bad value. it's underpowered compared to the competition, even if that competition is the 360 and Ps3 which will ALWAYS be able to undercut the wiiU on price anytime they choose. Forget about the PS4 and 720.

The controller itself isn't compelling- cheap tablets are everywhere. If the only option was the Ipad at $600 or whatever it might have a market- but sub $200 kindle fires and nexus 7s are everywhere, and have more utility.

It's a bad value to the mass market at $300, and it's a bad value to the market at $200. You can forget $150, that's fantasy land. might as well argue for $99 or free. At that price point you're basically giving it away.

so its bad value when nintendo gives it away for free? Right...

 

[Manmademan]

so its bad value when nintendo gives it away for free? Right...

at the $99 price point you're no longer selling on value. you're selling it on the premise that it's so cheap it might as well be disposable. Second console for upstairs, something to give to your nephew to destroy, etc. Totally different market. It took the PS2 9 years to hit that point, and that was 3 years after the PS3 was already on the market.

let me be clear: The WiiU is in a position where there is no realistic price point where it is a good value to the mass market.

This is a very unusual and very painful position to be in.

Interested in console gaming? At it's current price point, it's more expensive than a Ps3 @ $279. At $199, gamers could just get a 4 Gig xbox 360. Both of these offer the same level of performance re: software, with massively larger libraries, cheap as hell legacy games at $15-20, and far more robust online options.

Interested in the tablet function? Reputable tablets go from $160 on up, and I've seen budget android tablets at the drug store even cheaper than that. All of them offer more functionality (apps, portability, battery life) than the WiiU tablet does.

the nintendo hardcore will buy it as they always do, but nintendo is in an almost impossible situation when trying to sell it to anyone else.

 

[farnham]

at the $99 price point you're no longer selling on value. you're selling it on the premise that it's so cheap it might as well be disposable. Totally different market. It took the PS2 9 years to hit that point, and that was 3 years after the PS3 was already on the market.

They will do a 100$ pricedrop perhaps like they did with the 3ds at this point and they will release wii fit u, wii party, mario kart u and probably either mario galaxy 3 or smash bros alongside with zelda ww hd and some other minor titles.

That will add to the value as the primary value of a console is the games available for it.

If it still stays at 55k a month in november after mario kart hits nintendo can pack it. I dont see why they should bother being a console manufacturer at that point though

 

[Manmademan]

They will do a 100$ pricedrop perhaps like they did with the 3ds at this point and they will release wii fit u, wii party, mario kart u and probably either mario galaxy 3 or smash bros alongside with zelda ww hd and some other minor titles.

That will add to the value as the primary value of a console is the games available for it.

If it still stays at 55k a month in november after mario kart hits nintendo can pack it. I dont see why they should bother being a console manufacturer at that point though

1.) The 3DS had a substantial profit margin built into it, because nintendo got greedy. The WiiU does not have this kind of room. Nintendo will lose massive amounts of money doing this.

2.) the WiiU 8 gig console is $300. Dropping it to $199 means that it's on par pricewise with an Xbox 360 4gig. There are VERY few reasons to choose a WiiU over an Xbox 360 right now- the 360 has far more games at cheaper cost, and better online. It also puts it in the range of a nexus 7, which outperforms it as a tablet.

even at $199, the wiiU is not a good value for what it offers. At $150 or $99...sure, they'd probably sell a few just because at that level you're talking chump change. But nintendo would lose so much money it's basically fantasy land for a new console. Nintendo would go bankrupt in the attempt, losing far more money per console than they could ever hope to bring in. They may as well give it away for free, it would have the same impact to the bottom line.

 

[Graphics Horse]

1.) The 3DS had a substantial profit margin built into it, because nintendo got greedy. The WiiU does not have this kind of room. Nintendo will lose massive amounts of money doing this.

It might have that kind of room at the end of the year, they're going to have to find ways to get their costs down eventually.

 

[Totobeni]

It might have that kind of room at the end of the year, they're going to have to find ways to get their costs down eventually.

a smaller Gamepad is one way to do that I think.

 

[metalslimer]

Cost reducton usually comes with consistent manufacturing right? Won't the awful sales make it harder to get a price reduction because isn't the Wii U using pretty custom parts? Also if the gamepad is costing them so much with a 480p screen, how much could they theoretically even get that down to.

 

[AzaK]

Maybe it's hyperbolic, but I can't see any scenario for the year that really fixes what is obviously broken. Software will help marginally. It always does. But there's a core disinterest in the platform that should be noticeable by such a drastic drop-off. Me thinks the lack of a proper hook, lack of defining software, and "iffy" word of mouth have put off any interest that might have been there.

This is a bad place to be.

Marketting and software will do it, neither of which Nintendo is producing at the moment which is the problem. Like you I can't see things changing any time soon. I just do not feel that the "Wii Fit" crowd are as enamoured with that sort of thing anymore after it has sat in their closet for the last few years. The age of the crazy peripheral (especially ones that have been done before) might be over amongst the mainstream.

It's a different, more polarised landscape now. AAAAAAAAAA high end titles by the big guys, casual fare galore on phones and tablets and the indy scene on PC and consoles to some extent. Nintendo had lots of casual games on the DS which I think are being usurped to some degree by phones. Their AAA stuff whilst good is of a different ilk to the AAA we see from other publishers and certainly not in borne from powerful consoles. Indy stuff they seem to be doing better but they can't run a whole business on that and titles come far too slowly to the store.

They are in some weird Limbo IMO.

2.) the WiiU 8 gig console is $300. Dropping it to $199 means that it's on par pricewise with an Xbox 360 4gig. There are VERY few reasons to choose a WiiU over an Xbox 360 right now- the 360 has far more games at cheaper cost, and better online. It also puts it in the range of a nexus 7, which outperforms it as a tablet.

even at $199, the wiiU is not a good value for what it offers. At $150 or $99...sure, they'd probably sell a few just because at that level you're talking chump change. But nintendo would lose so much money it's basically fantasy land for a new console. Nintendo would go bankrupt in the attempt, losing far more money per console than they could ever hope to bring in. They may as well give it away for free, it would have the same impact to the bottom line.

Thing is, it is pretty good value......if you like the GamePad. I do, but unfortunately a lot of enthusiast gamers don't see the value, and Nintendo sure aren't selling people on it.

 

[test_account]

Unless I'm mistaken, the PSP was selling a lot better in 2011 than it was after the Vita was released.

That is true (although in 2012, i guess the 2011 is just a typo). But i think it was just going to decline from there as the system got even older. And as airmangataosenai, stores cleaned out the stock and didnt order anything new.

On the face of it 40% seems impressive but 13,600 for this generations most successful IP is certainly not impressive.

I think it is more fair to compare it to the other COD handheld games. COD Vita is not a full COD experience. It lacks a single player campaign (it has Spec Ops missions though, but so did Modern Warfare 2 and 3, and that game also had a full single player campaign), and the online multiplayer is also more barebone compared to a full COD game, it only got 6 maps and 3 game modes.

I'm curious to how Activision sees the total sales of Declassified. Ubisoft already commented on the sales of Assassins Creed: Liberation and were happy with those. Unfortunately Activision hasnt said anything about the sales of Declassified. I guess it will be somewhat telling if there will be another COD Vita game coming or not.

 

[farnham]

1.) The 3DS had a substantial profit margin built into it, because nintendo got greedy. The WiiU does not have this kind of room. Nintendo will lose massive amounts of money doing this.

2.) the WiiU 8 gig console is $300. Dropping it to $199 means that it's on par pricewise with an Xbox 360 4gig. There are VERY few reasons to choose a WiiU over an Xbox 360 right now- the 360 has far more games at cheaper cost, and better online. It also puts it in the range of a nexus 7, which outperforms it as a tablet.

even at $199, the wiiU is not a good value for what it offers. At $150 or $99...sure, they'd probably sell a few just because at that level you're talking chump change. But nintendo would lose so much money it's basically fantasy land for a new console. Nintendo would go bankrupt in the attempt, losing far more money per console than they could ever hope to bring in. They may as well give it away for free, it would have the same impact to the bottom line.

The reason will be nintendo games.

 

[farnham]

Marketting and software will do it, neither of which Nintendo is producing at the moment which is the problem. Like you I can't see things changing any time soon. I just do not feel that the "Wii Fit" crowd are as enamoured with that sort of thing anymore after it has sat in their closet for the last few years. The age of the crazy peripheral (especially ones that have been done before) might be over amongst the mainstream.

Is there any statistics for this? I see this everytime but with no actual number or survey to back it up

 

[Diablos54]

Is there any statistics for this? I see this everytime but with no actual number or survey to back it up

Apparently the tie ratio being 1 below the other 2 systems means everyone threw their Wii in the closet 2/3 years ago, or something like that...

 

[CadetMahoney]

Everyone threw their Wii in the closet 2/3 years ago.

I always suspected this.

 

[Mindlog]

200k for PS3 is a solid figure, the ASP is higher YoY.

This has happened more than once now. You ask me before this gen; 'What would be most unlikely?' I would have to put hardware realizing strong/stronger sales with an increased ASP right up there. Gentle nod to the people at Sony and Microsoft that managed to pull that off.

 

[Cosmozone]

The reason will be nintendo games.

And no ads in the dashboard. Xbox customers must be insane to accept this.

 

[AZ Greg]

And no ads in the dashboard. Xbox customers must be insane to accept this.

I'd take a postage stamp sized ad in the bottom corner (Which can be bypassed, btw, by having the console boot straight to game) vs. a current and inevitable future dearth of 3rd party support.

 

[Violet_0]

nm

 

[big youth]

how is everyone ignoring the fact 360 is an old console on it's way out whereas Wii U is a new console that is guaranteed at least 5 years of support? buying a 360 (or PS3) is mostly paying for past games, buying a Wii U is an investment in future potential. completely different, and the fact they are similarly priced should be seen as a good thing for the next gen console, Wii U, not a negative.

 

[Basileus777]

how is everyone ignoring the fact 360 is an old console on it's way out whereas Wii U is a new console that is guaranteed at least 5 years of support? buying a 360 (or PS3) is mostly paying for past games, buying a Wii U is an investment in future potential. completely different, and the fact they are similarly priced should be seen as a good thing for the next gen console, Wii U, not a negative.

It's often difficult for new consoles to compete with old ones early in their life cycle. That huge library of games is highly appealing, and it's not something the WiiU is ever likely to match, let alone be able to compete with now with its current software lineup.

 

[H_Prestige]

how is everyone ignoring the fact 360 is an old console on it's way out whereas Wii U is a new console that is guaranteed at least 5 years of support? buying a 360 (or PS3) is mostly paying for past games, buying a Wii U is an investment in future potential. completely different, and the fact they are similarly priced should be seen as a good thing for the next gen console, Wii U, not a negative.

New consoles aren't guaranteed anything. Just ask playstation vita.

 

[big youth]

but that's completely subjective. for my tastes Microsoft consoles are mostly useless because I game on PCs

what's not subjective is there is much more excitement surrounding future games. If you want to buy a console that will still be getting games after 2013 then Wii U is the better option. by your logic everyone should just buy SNES instead. how can Wii U, Nextbox, or PS4 compete with that library?

 

[big youth]

New consoles aren't guaranteed anything. Just ask playstation vita.

....ya I figured someone would bring up this argument. do we really need to discuss the 1% chance that Wii U is killed prematurely? as much as some people want it to happen, it's extremely unlikely.

 

[teh_pwn]

They are not similarly priced. They are $100 apart. And if you're in the market for a 360 and you haven't played games from that era, you have 20+ solid games that are mostly going to be < $20 each.

I'll give you Wii U has more future games excitement...but not by much. Aren't mulit-platforms coming out for PS3/360 over the next year, while most Wii U games are TBD? I'm not seeing the excitement, yet anyway.

 

[shandy706]

but that's completely subjective. for my tastes Microsoft consoles are mostly useless because I game on PCs

what's not subjective is there is much more excitement surrounding future games. If you want to buy a console that will still be getting games after 2013 then Wii U is the better option. by your logic everyone should just buy SNES instead. how can Wii U, Nextbox, or PS4 compete with that library?

That's silly. If you want to play BLOPS2 and the next CoD, or Madden, or Gears of War, or etc.....they are and will be available on the current gen. Most games that are on the WiiU will be on the 360/PS3 for a few years.

You could potentially play them on the 360 for $99 up front. Why would a casual gamer care about WiiU or the near future in that case?

 

[Stumpokapow]

....ya I figured someone would bring up this argument. do we really need to discuss the 1% chance that Wii U is killed prematurely? as much as some people want it to happen, it's extremely unlikely.

The Vita hasn't been "killed prematurely", it's just that third parties don't support it and Sony's first-party is spread too thin, which is absolutely a possible fear for Nintendo as well.

 

[schuelma]

The Vita hasn't been "killed prematurely", it's just that third parties don't support it and Sony's first-party is spread too thin, which is absolutely a possible fear for Nintendo as well.

I think there is a pretty significant difference 1st party wise, both in terms of what Nintendo has already released and what will be coming relatively soon.

 

[Version 3.0]

....ya I figured someone would bring up this argument. do we really need to discuss the 1% chance that Wii U is killed prematurely? as much as some people want it to happen, it's extremely unlikely.

It's extremely unlikely, yes, but look at the support. It's also extremely unlikely that it'll have a particularly large or diverse library of games compared to the 360 or PS3 when it reaches that age. Its support looks weaker than any major system since the N64.

 

[schuelma]

It's extremely unlikely, yes, but look at the support. It's also extremely unlikely that it'll have a particularly large or diverse library of games compared to the 360 or PS3 when it reaches that age. Its support looks weaker than any major system since the N64.

I dunno...I mean, I'm absolutely expecting cancelled projects from Western companies because of the terrible initial numbers, but jesus Wii 3rd party support was so so bad.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

It's extremely unlikely, yes, but look at the support. It's also extremely unlikely that it'll have a particularly large or diverse library of games compared to the 360 or PS3 when it reaches that age. Its support looks weaker than any major system since the N64.

Honestly, i don't think support looks worse than the Wii right now. Still very shit mind you, which is why i always shake my head when people decide to go exclusively with Nintendo consoles then complain about support down the road. Must not have been paying attention from the N64 onwards.

 

[walking fiend]

The Vita hasn't been "killed prematurely", it's just that third parties don't support it and Sony's first-party is spread too thin, which is absolutely a possible fear for Nintendo as well.

- Wii U will be the cheapest system on the market when PS4/Durango launch that will be getting 1st party support [exclusive support in general]

- Making exclusive games for Wii U relatively will be the opposite situation:

- Nintendo's 1st software development team are much bigger and more competent than Sony's [at making games that sell]

- Unlike Vita compared to 3DS, Nintendo requires a low budget to produce games on Wii U compared to the PS4/Nextbox [3DL being made by 40 people or so and selling 8m]

- Collaboration with 3rd parties is much cheaper for them, again for the reason above

 

[jj984jj]

Looking at the scale of X, Monolith working on a 3DS game as well, at least in any meaningful capacity, seems unrealistic. Unless it's the Project X Zone team.

He's probably referring to this, the potential MonolithSoft Kyoto Studio game:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511509
http://www.monolithsoft.co.jp/special/interview/vol11/vol11_1.html

But I don't know if that's really confirmed for a game or if they'll be revealing anything in the near future. X is being made in Tokyo by Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuyuki Honne is running this new studio so whatever this is isn't related to X.

Souichiro Morizumi could be making a new game after Project X Zone too, but I doubt that would be revealed anytime soon either.

 

[beast786]

instead of price cut, WiiU and Nintendo need to money hat western 3rd party. WiiU relevancy depends on 3rd party. Nintendo needs to be aggressive, MS has changed the way the game is played. I remember Sony said they won't money hat, and then look what happened. Sony learned it lesson and adjusted with its own 3rd party deals.

Nintendo needs to wake up and open its war chest .

 

[Glass Rebel]

He's probably referring to this, the potential MonolithSoft Kyoto Studio game:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511509
http://www.monolithsoft.co.jp/special/interview/vol11/vol11_1.html

But I don't know if that's really confirmed for a game or if they'll be revealing anything in the near future. X is being made in Tokyo by Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuyuki Honne is running this new studio so whatever this is isn't related to X.

Souichiro Morizumi could be making a new game after Project X Zone too, but I doubt that would be revealed anytime soon either.

Ah, I remember that artwork but I had no idea they had a Kyoto branch. Thanks!

 

[pieatorium]

I think there is a pretty significant difference 1st party wise, both in terms of what Nintendo has already released and what will be coming relatively soon.

Game preferences and sales potential aside the Vita at this stage had more 1st party support as far as volume, with more in the wings close by.

Most likely WiiU's 2nd half of its first year will be both more and bigger first party games than what the Vita got but thats not helping now.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Reducing the price to $199 is pipedream fantasyland talk. Even $100 cut will cause deep losses if they're already at negative margins.

how is everyone ignoring the fact 360 is an old console on it's way out whereas Wii U is a new console that is guaranteed at least 5 years of support? buying a 360 (or PS3) is mostly paying for past games, buying a Wii U is an investment in future potential. completely different, and the fact they are similarly priced should be seen as a good thing for the next gen console, Wii U, not a negative.

Perhaps because the Wii U isn't guaranteed 5 years of support from anyone but Nintendo. The Wii U's support is essentially dependent on continuing 7th gen support. And even then ports aren't guaranteed.

That's also why saying it will be the cheapest 'next gen' console is pointless. Yes, it's ostensibly a next gen console in terms of chronology. It's still going to be viewed as a contemporary of the PS360.

Cost reducton usually comes with consistent manufacturing right? Won't the awful sales make it harder to get a price reduction because isn't the Wii U using pretty custom parts? Also if the gamepad is costing them so much with a 480p screen, how much could they theoretically even get that down to.

Yes, I believe so. Economies of scale and whatnot.

 

[AzaK]

The Wii U's support is essentially dependent on continuing 7th gen support. And even then ports aren't guaranteed.

I don't think so. I think they go hand in hand. If a third party is going to support Wii U, they'll do it into next-gen too. We can be pretty sure the Wii U will handle the games in some capacity, so it'd be silly for them not too.

This is assuming, of course, that they can get their install base and general outlook a lot healthier.

 

[shinra-bansho]

I don't think so. I think they go hand in hand. If a third party is going to support Wii U, they'll do it into next-gen too. We can be pretty sure the Wii U will handle the games in some capacity, so it'd be silly for them not too.

This is assuming, of course, that they can get their install base and general outlook a lot healthier.

There's a considerable gap between Wii U and Durangorbis.

It may make sense to make a third SKU when already downporting a version intended primarily at the 175M PS360 base.

A specific downport to Wii U may not. There are opportunity costs to consider and the development resources may provide better return elsewhere.

 

[big youth]

instead of price cut, WiiU and Nintendo need to money hat western 3rd party. WiiU relevancy depends on 3rd party. Nintendo needs to be aggressive, MS has changed the way the game is played. I remember Sony said they won't money hat, and then look what happened. Sony learned it lesson and adjusted with its own 3rd party deals.

Nintendo needs to wake up and open its war chest .

Nintendo's best option is to publish the Wii U version of multiplats. second best option is to offer contingency plans. if your game doesn't sell x copies or make x money Nintendo could pay the remainder of x out of pocket.

but to just pay for games to also come to Wii U would be foolish, aside from major games like GTA and CoD. Nintendo is in the business of making money, so spending money only to have consumers buying those games rather than the games Nintendo made or published doesn't seem like a sound strategy.

 

[Nekofrog]

at this point, i doubt most major western third parties would even entertain any moneyhatting offers. they've moved on to the next gen, they don't want to work with a console that's on equal footing with what we have now (and in some areas, worse)

 

[donny2112]

A question: I remember in the past February weekly sales always being higher than January generally thanks to pays being distributed. Is it true or not?

4-week February is generally higher than 4-week January. However, NPD is often "adjusting" their software in February, for some reason, so that throws a kink in things. May not need to happen so much now, since having Wal-Mart means they have 80-85% of the market directly tracked. The running theory seems to be tax refunds giving people extra cash to spend on consoles, though, yes.

Most important releases in 2013 so far

February: Fire Emblem Awakening
March: Castlevania, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
April: Lego City Undercover The Chase Begins
June: Animal Crossing New Leaf
Summer: Mario Golf, Mario & Luigi 4, DKCR3D
October: Pokémon X & Y

No Brain Age love?

 

[AzaK]

There's a considerable gap between Wii U and Durangorbis.

It makes sense to make a third SKU when already downporting a version intended primarily at the 175M PS360 base could make sense.

A specific downport to Wii U may not. There are opportunity costs to consider and the development resources may provide better return elsewhere.

Good points. I can imagine a situation while cross-gen development is going on, where the team assigned to the PS3/360 ports will get the Wii U version too. At worst, as those machines stop getting games I would expect Wii U to start becoming the third SKU. Then again I expected a lot from Wii U and it's not delivering that well so far.