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[John Harker]

By the time Nintendo's table is that big -- games will be built from the ground up for next-gen consoles.

People love saying that, but again... If the ROI is there, it will happen. The cost of making a good version of COD on Wii is likely more than scaling a cod to Wii u is, and Wii saw several iterations of CoD... Because the return was there. It's a business, and content is effing expensive so if there's a profitable channel, it'll come.

That's a big IF given the current state if affairs haha, but it's not some big conspirator to say FU to a platform because a port 5 months later sold less than 10k

 

[Chinpoko_Master]

Nintendo used the Wii name for Wii U to take advantage of the succes of the Wii but it ultimately hurt them.

Also no marketing and as a launch console, not much games and a price barrier.

No Wii U Sports 2. As predictable and critized as that would be and as great as Nintendo Land is, I think both titles should have been released on launch day.

So Nintendo this is fixable just

Release Wii U Sports 2 with a push in marketing, and release other major Nintendo software. The price will eventually come down to mass market range. Try to fix the Wii U name confusion with the best strategy possible.

$300-350 is a price barrier now?

 

[AniHawk]

Incredible.

I feel bad for Criterion, they really shouldn't have gone the extra mile.

i would have bought it had it been out at launch, with some other games. it was fucking march, though, and i had bought the ps3 version in november because why wouldn't i.

 

[Daingurse]

That Tablet will be the damn noose around Wii-U's neck, I swear to god. Why did Nintendo not perfect and refine the Wii-Mote? That's what captured the casuals imaginations and money. Nintendo should have made things easy for themselves and chose the natural progression of the Wii.

Seriously what kinda bubble were Nintendo in that lead them to believe the Wii-U would be a success?

 

[metalslimer]

Content is a major factor, and to think otherwise is hilarious to me.

But the biggest factor is marketing. Most people need to be told they want Wii U, and the rest need to be told Wii U exists. in NA I'd wager ~40% of the population doesn't know Wii has a successor.

Iwata has said their major advertising will coincide with major game releases, but I think they've already missed 2 big opportunities in NA. 1 was to make commercials advertising Wii TV (universal remote, sport scores, Netflix, etc), and 2 was Lego City Undercover. It's a Nintendo published game so I'm baffled they didn't make a push with ads and a hardware bundle. throw in a Lego skin to make your Wii U look like it's made of legos, maybe a real lego version of Chase, an exclusive in game vehicle, stuff like that. It'd be a cheap yet attractive bundle that would more than pay for itself, even with a major advertising campaign. Show the humor of the game, show the value of the bundle, etc.

No the biggest factor is most certainly not marketing. Do you really believe sales would dramatically improve with more advertising?

People love saying that, but again... If the ROI is there, it will happen. The cost of making a good version of COD on Wii is likely more than scaling a cod to Wii u is, and Wii saw several iterations of CoD... Because the return was there. It's a business, and content is effing expensive so if there's a profitable channel, it'll come.

That's a big IF given the current state if affairs haha, but it's not some big conspirator to say FU to a platform because a port 5 months later sold less than 10k

Fifa and Madden were also on wii every year

 

[Infernal Monkey]

No surprise that Need for Speed's selling like dog shit on Wii U. It launched at almost twice the price of what the PS3/360 versions have dropped to in stores now.

 

[AniHawk]

That Tablet will be the damn noose around Wii-U's neck, I swear to god. Why did Nintendo not perfect and refine the Wii-Mote? That's what captured the casuals imaginations and money. Nintendo should have made things easy for themselves and chose the natural progression of the Wii.

Seriously what kinda bubble were Nintendo in that lead them to believe the Wii-U would be a success?

i think they wanted to make the ds into a home console. it was probably easier to make similar games that way. plus, in 2008, the ds was selling like fucking crazy. i agree that the wii u should have been a refinement of motion controls instead of this.

 

[B.O.O.M]

No the biggest factor is most certainly not marketing. Do you really believe sales would dramatically improve with more advertising?



Fifa and Madden were also on wii every year

Well I think more than more advertising the system needs smart advertising. The current marketing campaign looks like a 3rd grade school project (edit: Obviously exaggerating for dramatic effect) compared to the 'wii would like to play' one.

Obviously the system has many issues but this is also definitely part of it

 

[djyella]

Got my copy of Need for Speed from the Nintendo Eshop. It would be nice to know how it sold there and on Origin.

 

[Daingurse]

i think they wanted to make the ds into a home console. it was probably easier to make similar games that way. plus, in 2008, the ds was selling like fucking crazy. i agree that the wii u should have been a refinement of motion controls instead of this.

I honestly am hoping the next Nintendo system is a console/portable hybrid. It's the most logical next step.

 

[megabytecr]

$300-350 is a price barrier now?

Yes mass market price for a console is 200-250.

I bought it at launch, I find the Wii U price a good deal.

 

[Bruno MB]

I honestly am hoping the next Nintendo system is a console/portable hybrid. It's the most logical next step.

I just can't see that working. In my opinion that move would single-handedly destroy Nintendo's home console and handheld market at the same time.

 

[AniHawk]

I honestly am hoping the next Nintendo system is a console/portable hybrid. It's the most logical next step.

they might not have a choice. their next handheld would be what, a slightly better-looking vita? and they're only now catching up to 360/ps3 visuals. they're on year 13 of making games with gamecube-era visuals, so they're at least used to that. unless they find that right piece of software again, they'll just be struggling their damnedest to kickstart a userbase each and every time.

 

[giancarlo123x]

At least Im fairly certain that's standalone I can dig into it tomorrow


As for the above nfsu question, the vita versiom has like 100k on Wii u, Hell it outsold it this month too

WOW! That's insane. EA must be livid.

 

[timetokill]

I got NFS on Wii U, one of the few, the proud? But I got it for $30. Wouldn't have gotten it full price.

 

[nhlducks35]

Man, my predictions were almost there

[360] 270K
[3DS] 230K
[PS3] 210K
[PSV] 30K
[WIU] 75K

Thank you!

360 - 261K
3DS - 230K
PS3 - 211K
Wii - 91K
NDS - 86K
Wii U - 67K
PSV - 33K
PSP - 8K

NDS, PSV, and PSP are calculated.

 

[Lambda Pie]

EA should bail out, nothing to gain there.

 

[metalslimer]

EA hasn't even invested the resources every system gets, so i doubt they care at this point.

 

[fabprems]

In the UK Need for Speed: Most Wanted U has barely sold 1k or 2k units.

I guess it's the same thing here in France. But to be honest, that's a late port, there's no advertising, and the game hasn't even been reviewed by videogame websites !!

If you don't want to sell a product, I would say that's the way to go...

 

[Of All Trades]

Content is a major factor, and to think otherwise is hilarious to me.

But the biggest factor is marketing. Most people need to be told they want Wii U, and the rest need to be told Wii U exists. in NA I'd wager ~40% of the population doesn't know Wii has a successor.

Your made-up number, even if somehow miraculously correct, is still irrelevant because that group of people aren't typically the group that buys a console at this point. Further, even if they were 100% aware (which I think is actually much closer to the truth), there's nothing on the system that will attract them at the current value proposition. Nintendo has released a console that would have been startlingly forward in 2009, probably extremely well positioned in 2010, playing serious catch-up in 2011, and has completely missed the market in 2012.

Iwata has said their major advertising will coincide with major game releases, but I think they've already missed 2 big opportunities in NA. 1 was to make commercials advertising Wii TV (universal remote, sport scores, Netflix, etc), and 2 was Lego City Undercover. It's a Nintendo published game so I'm baffled they didn't make a push with ads and a hardware bundle. throw in a Lego skin to make your Wii U look like it's made of legos, maybe a real lego version of Chase, an exclusive in game vehicle, stuff like that. It'd be a cheap yet attractive bundle that would more than pay for itself, even with a major advertising campaign. Show the humor of the game, show the value of the bundle, etc.

Neither of those are "big" opportunities. Those are minor elements that a healthy console would have promoted as a way of demonstrating added value, not defining the majority of value.

 

[JAYSIMPLE]

Incredible.

I feel bad for Criterion, they really shouldn't have gone the extra mile.

If they hadn't gone the extra mile everyone would have said the wii u is a crap console over the 360 and ps3. I'm glad they proved that with a little effort you can havea better looking, better performing game. Sadly it is a game that anyone who wanted it already had it, and there is more important games to buy on the system.

The vita version was given away a lot in the uk with vita's maybe it is the same in the states? or maybe it is a sign of it being the only racing game on the vita worth having?? for a portable experience, no body knows.

I'm glad criterion went the extra mile, EA won't be, But I am. Criterion are a great DEV team

 

[rdrr gnr]

People love saying that, but again... If the ROI is there, it will happen. The cost of making a good version of COD on Wii is likely more than scaling a cod to Wii u is, and Wii saw several iterations of CoD... Because the return was there. It's a business, and content is effing expensive so if there's a profitable channel, it'll come.

That's a big IF given the current state if affairs haha, but it's not some big conspirator to say FU to a platform because a port 5 months later sold less than 10k

Sure. But even then -- many "ports" weren't really true ports. They were games that just happened to have the same branding. Functionally, and I think realistically, the Wii U won't recover to the point where we'll see, say, Battlefield 5 and AC5.

 

[Of All Trades]

I honestly am hoping the next Nintendo system is a console/portable hybrid. It's the most logical next step.

My completely made up theory is that Nintendo was working towards this but they didn't have the engineering capacity or whatever to achieve more than the current WiiU tablet and were caught completely off-guard by Apple/Google's focus on tablets/OS, resulting in Nintendo holding an expensive Super Gameboy that couldn't begin to compete with what the market had decided was the standard for tablets.

 

[shinra-bansho]

A handheld-console hybrid, which would ultimately simply be a handheld with HDMI-out, would simply relegate Nintendo to being a handheld-only company.

$300-$350 is the barrier to entry for new consoles? $599 sold better than the Wii U is selling.

Content is a major factor, and to think otherwise is hilarious to me.

What content will modify the value proposition such that it results in a purchase, and to whom?

But the biggest factor is marketing. Most people need to be told they want Wii U, and the rest need to be told Wii U exists. in NA I'd wager ~40% of the population doesn't know Wii has a successor.

Why will these people be compelled to buy the system when they're made aware of it, on the grand assumption that no one is aware of.

Iwata has said their major advertising will coincide with major game releases, but I think they've already missed 2 big opportunities in NA. 1 was to make commercials advertising Wii TV (universal remote, sport scores, Netflix, etc), and 2 was Lego City Undercover. It's a Nintendo published game so I'm baffled they didn't make a push with ads and a hardware bundle. throw in a Lego skin to make your Wii U look like it's made of legos, maybe a real lego version of Chase, an exclusive in game vehicle, stuff like that. It'd be a cheap yet attractive bundle that would more than pay for itself, even with a major advertising campaign. Show the humor of the game, show the value of the bundle, etc.

So, in your fantasy-land, everybody is made aware of Netflix on a console and Lego City and they rush out and buy a Wii U?

 

[Toski]

i think they wanted to make the ds into a home console. it was probably easier to make similar games that way. plus, in 2008, the ds was selling like fucking crazy. i agree that the wii u should have been a refinement of motion controls instead of this.

As I and others have said, the Wii U was a plan B or C from Nintendo after they couldn't cram everything into a suped-up handheld that met whatever their standards were for the original project.

If Nintendo actually released a stop-gap platform that was more powerful than the rumored specs of the Durango...

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

As I and others have said, the Wii U was a plan B or C from Nintendo after they couldn't cram everything into a suped-up handheld that met whatever their standards were for the original project.

If Nintendo actually released a stop-gap platform that was more powerful than the rumored specs of the Durango...

This is the first I've heard of any of this.

 

[Toski]

This is the first I've heard of any of this.

While there will probably be no hard evidence of the current Wii U being a plan B to what it was supposed to be, one has to wonder what Nintendo was thinking putting out a console slightly more powerful than the 360/PS3 with many of the features half-baked, and the killer apps missing. One has to wonder if a super-powered handheld that could act as a console wasn't Nintendo's original goal.

 

[SpookyBlackFish]

Incredible.

I feel bad for Criterion, they really shouldn't have gone the extra mile.

Greetings!

I feel bad for them too but I do not agree with the rest of your statement. While it is a pity that going the extra mile seems to be in vain, in my opinion another half assed port would be at least as bad for the console as no port at all (if not worse).

But hell, at the moment I do not see anything that could encourage devs to put any big effort into a good and original Wii U game. And I say this as a big fan of the Wii U. I hope it recovers somehow as time passes by, like the DS and 3DS did. I personally do not give a fuck about who is the No1. when it comes to sales numbers, you can even perform well over time when you come in last, but I really really want to see at least a small bunch of very good games per year for the consoles I own.

 

[PhoenixDark]

The WiiU is effectively dead, I see no point in pretending otherwise. Zelda, Mario, etc didn't save the Gamecube, I see no reason to believe they'll magically revive this system considering the next gen systems will be out by the time those games release. The casual market moved on to social media gaming, iPhone/Adroid games, Kindles, etc. They don't give a shit about WiiFit U or whatever else Nintendo has planned.

Another thing: the 360/PS3 aren't going anywhere, anytime soon which will compete for sales with the WiiU (and the next gen consoles initially, to be fair). They'll be cheap, have online gaming, and be getting ports for a long time.

 

[Quentyn]

Bioshock Infinite 878k

Update: Number one game BioShock Infinite sold 878,000 units on home consoles during the month, according to data supplied by Cowen and Company. The analysts now expect the game to be on track to sell 4.5 million units (including PC sales) for its first year on sale.

 

[AdventureRacing]

Vita and wii U sales must both be tiny worldwide. They both need something big to turn them around (not sure what Sony has really). If nothing changes in the next year or so it's going to be hard to keep them on the market. I see the wii U turning around somewhat not so sure about the vita.

 

[Raide]

Gawd. The MH-U figures have to be horrific. I am sure the 3DS version is doing ok outside of Japan but I was hoping for a bit more U. No matter, I got my Wii-U to play MH so it will be my MH machine now.

 

[GetemMa]

Vita and wii U sales must both be tiny worldwide. They both need something big to turn them around (not sure what Sony has really). If nothing changes in the next year or so it's going to be hard to keep them on the market. I see the wii U turning around somewhat not so sure about the vita.

The Vita is dead. I don't think even Sony is going to continue supporting it to any great degree. IMO it looks like they are setting it up to be a peripheral for the PS4 for remote play.

I might actually get it for that reason if it drops in price substantially.

 

[Soriku]

230k for 3DS is pretty good still, though it could be better YoY with the releases its gotten. It definitely needs that second half of the year boost.

Vita and wii U sales must both be tiny worldwide. They both need something big to turn them around (not sure what Sony has really). If nothing changes in the next year or so it's going to be hard to keep them on the market. I see the wii U turning around somewhat not so sure about the vita.

I don't think there's really any salvaging the Vita in the West at this point. Most of its support is from Japan, but a lot of stuff won't get localized, and the stuff that would be big in Japan (One Piece, God Eater, Senran Kagura, etc.) wouldn't be big over here even if they got localized (we already know One Piece Musou 2 Vita isn't coming as well, though the PS3 version is). Shit, Soul Sacrifice is one game being localized yet barely being marketed over here. GG Sony. A price cut is definitely needed, but I don't think the SW is strong enough. Even in Japan Vita's sales are slipping despite the price cut.

Wii U depends entirely on Nintendo's big hitters. If they don't make a big impact...it's over. Third parties are going to focus on the other consoles.

 

[metalslimer]

The Vita is dead. I don't think even Sony is going to continue supporting it to any great degree. IMO it looks like they are setting it up to be a peripheral for the PS4 for remote play.

I might actually get it for that reason if it drops in price substantially.

And yet they will lose money if it drops in price substantially so this is why the logic of selling an expensive ps4 remote player sounds ludicrous to me. At that point why not strip vita down basically into a gamepad and sell it as a 99 dollar remote player.

 

[user_nat]

Kinect is almost 2X Wii u this month too

Is this an usually high month for the Kinect?

Honestly would have guessed it was selling closer to half the Wii U. Are people just playing the bundled software (like me)?

 

[big youth]

my response to shinra-bansho and Of All Trades:

again and again I see people on this board underestimate the power of advertising. Take for example Apple, one of Nintendo's biggest modern inspirations, who, against all odds (price, strength of brand, less storage in early ipods, etc) rose to astronomical highs on the back of powerful marketing. Just like the Wii, which was literally advertised on almost every channel during prime time, Apple made their products seem cool, and people bit.

So yes, I think Nintendo has missed some opportunities. The tablet controller showed very well at E3 because Nintendo highlighted a dearth of features that they still haven't shown the public. They showed the universal remote feature, video chat, checkers, drawing application, Twitter-like functionality during live TV, having Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu all in one database, etc. These are the type of features that, if advertised properly, would impress.

and the notion that nearly 100% of America knows about Wii U just shows how out of touch you are. Asking a few random people on the street if they know what Wii U is might bring you back to reality...and make people think you're crazy.

 

[metalslimer]

They showed the universal remote feature, video chat, checkers, drawing application, Twitter-like functionality during live TV, having Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu all in one database, etc. These are the type of features that, if advertised properly, would impress.

Like who? Someone who just came out of a 8 year coma that had never seen a smartphone or tablet? And did you really just put checkers on that list. Nothing about what you just listed outside of the universal remote features is impressive to people especially on a low resolution single touch screen. Like i really want you to tell me who in this day and age is impressed by the most basic of features.

The system is also failing in japan where wiiu is a definite known quantity as well.

The problem is not that people dont know. It's that they dont care to know.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Given Randolph Freelander's comments prior, I thought this would be interesting to look at, and perhaps draw some parallels from.

PS3 weekly sales averages.

The points of interest are probably:
Transient sales spike at Jul-07 - $100 price drop on the 60GB ($499).
Baseline increase 2008 - $100 price drop on 80GB ($499) and 40GB model introduced in Nov-07 for $399.
Transient sales spike at Jun 08 - Metal Gear Solid 4 and bundle.
PS3 Slim and price drop August 2009 ($299).

The only sustained shifts in the PS3's situation came from major price reduction. Any increases from specific games were very transient.

 

[ekim]

Update: BioShock Infinite sold 878,000 units on console during the month
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...t-save-march-us-sales-from-10-percent-decline

edit: beaten

 

[big youth]

Like who? Someone who just came out of a 8 year coma that had never seen a smartphone or tablet? And did you really just put checkers on that list. Nothing about what you just listed outside of the universal remote features is impressive to people especially on a low resolution single touch screen.

The system is also failing in japan where wiiu is a definite known quantity as well.

Playing numerous board games in virtual reality form isn't neat? Where else can we do this? And does it not further demonstrate that the Gamepad can function independently of the console and TV? You don't think kids and families would find it neat? Are you old enough to remember pet rocks? With advertising you tell people what they want, then they want it.

 

[metalslimer]

Playing numerous board games in virtual reality form isn't neat? Where else can we do this? And does it not further demonstrate that the Gamepad can function independently of the console and TV? You don't think kids and families would find it neat? Are you old enough to remember pet rocks? With advertising you tell people what they want, then they want it.

This is a horrendous interpretation of how marketing, consumers and the market in general work No i dont think families will find this neat. Apparently you just woke up so ill just point you to the appstore where people can get loads of boad games. And before you say price, there are a shit ton of tablets that can do more than the gamepad for cheaper. You know why the ipod took off? It provided convenience that was not seen before. So did the iphone and ipad. Please tell me what a bunch of 4 year old features provides for anyone

 

[shinra-bansho]

again and again I see people on this board underestimate the power of advertising. Take for example Apple, one of Nintendo's biggest modern inspirations, who, against all odds (price, strength of brand, less storage in early ipods, etc) rose to astronomical highs on the back of powerful marketing. Just like the Wii, which was literally advertised on almost every channel during prime time, Apple made their products seem cool, and people bit.

You really think "advertising" is the sum total of what made Apple the dominant force it is today... Okay... :s

It also wasn't what allowed the Wii to become a phenomenon, in itself. Without the core value proposition, advertising does not work.

So yes, I think Nintendo has missed some opportunities. The tablet controller showed very well at E3 because Nintendo highlighted a dearth of features that they still haven't shown the public. They showed the universal remote feature, video chat, checkers, drawing application, Twitter-like functionality during live TV, having Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu all in one database, etc. These are the type of features that, if advertised properly, would impress.

You really do live in a fantasy-land if you believe that. Regardless of how much you personally find this functionality impressive, the market does not.

and the notion that nearly 100% of America knows about Wii U just shows how out of touch you are. Asking a few random people on the street if they know what Wii U is might bring you back to reality...and make people think you're crazy.

Hello Straw Man. I didn't say that "nearly 100% of America knows about Wii U." I didn't propose any made up number as you did. But I will say that even if made aware of it, they will not care, as those that are aware of it now do not care. The value proposition is not there.

With advertising you tell people what they want, then they want it.

Good grief.

 

[Log4Girlz]

So no definite word on Wii U? Probably not good huh?

 

[ambientmystic]

my response to shinra-bansho and Of All Trades:

I completely agree with you that Nintendo has not done what it could to absolutely spread and inculcate Wii U awareness amongst the American populace at large.

Compare that with Wii-era Nintendo, circa 2006-7.

Wii ads were ubiquitous.

Wii had national exposure on Oprah, and all the major primetime talkshows.

Nintendo had primo mindshare with the Wii that rivalled Apple's products.

It was a must have product and public awareness was incredibly high.

They could do no wrong.

"Wii would like to play" was the cornerstone of their ad strategy, and it worked beautifully.

They knew what worked then, it boggles the mind why they're not even attempting to do accomplish the same thing right now. It's like they're not even trying.

What I don't agree with however is the impact those ads would have in this curent climate to the sales of the aforementioned product. Like shinra mentioned above, the value proposition this time around is not as clear cut as the freshness and novelness that was the Wii experience.

 

[metalslimer]

So no definite word on Wii U? Probably not good huh?

We're going with 68k

 

[big youth]

Your made-up number, even if somehow miraculously correct, is still irrelevant because that group of people aren't typically the group that buys a console at this point. Further, even if they were 100% aware (which I think is actually much closer to the truth)...

Here's where you make the claim

and the first of 2 times where you point out the number I gave (which was obviously a guess) was a guess...good job

 

[shinra-bansho]

We're going with 68k

67K, but splitting hairs really.

Here's where you make the claim

and the first of 2 times where you point out the number I gave (which was obviously a guess) was a guess...good job

Who exactly are you talking to? Do you realise who you just quoted? Is this real life?

Oh my lord, I'm dying here. Neogaf I need to sleep damn it.

Sony better get to work on Vita Checkers, then blanket the world with ads for it; problem solved.

 

[Daingurse]

Like who? Someone who just came out of a 8 year coma that had never seen a smartphone or tablet? And did you really just put checkers on that list. Nothing about what you just listed outside of the universal remote features is impressive to people especially on a low resolution single touch screen. Like i really want you to tell me who in this day and age is impressed by the most basic of features.

The system is also failing in japan where wiiu is a definite known quantity as well.

The problem is not that people dont know. It's that they dont care to know.

Oh my lord, I'm dying here. Neogaf I need to sleep damn it.

 

[Hindle]

Bioshocks sales are great, but probably not good enough. As for TR, considering the time in development and the budget I'd say it didn't do too good.