I really do wonder if a $50 cut is enough. No games console has had this bad of a quarter since the Dreamcast and that's not hyperbole.My guess is that they will drop the Basic (haven't we seen evidence of this already?) and make the Deluxe $300. So that is sort of a $50 price drop although not really at this point since NintendoLand has been on sale cheap recently. I think $300 with a game included and a decent library (by the time the other systems launch that is) will position them somewhat decently against the PS4/One.
My 10 year-old son just discovered the Miiverse and has been messing around on that constantly for the last few days. This is where the ability to play off-screen is a huge plus. He can do that while the little kids watch something else.
I also started playing Tank Tank Tank with him and we are having a blast with that game. I don't get all the hate for it. It gets a little repetitive (what with having to clear all those medals before moving on) and you don't upgrade fast enough, but other than that it is a nice little game - definitely glad I didn't trade it in for $7 like most CAGs did when it was free at Best Buy. Actually, the only reason I have it at all is that a CAG was nice enough to send me a copy in exchange for my coupon (so he could get another one). The game was OOS around me the day the coupon went active.
Curious if this is indicative of issues the XB1 and PS4 will have as well. I'm not convinced of that, though, as I believe Nintendo's largets competitor isnt another console, but rather the iPad.I really do wonder if a $50 cut is enough. No games console has had this bad of a quarter since the Dreamcast and that's not hyperbole.
Of interest: Nintendo first predicted they would have 5.5 million Wii U sales by end of March 2013. Then they lowered their estimate to 4 million. They missed their lowered prediction. They're still nowhere near that number. Good thing they have the 3DS I guess.
I don't think that the Xbox 1 or the PS4 will have these problems selling. There are many issues with the Wii U that have been detailed for a while now. If they really wanted a "tablet" they could have had 2 SKU's, one without the "tablet" and one with a Nexus 7. Then they could have had a Wii U app on iOS and Android and let people play with the tablets they already have or if they don't own one yet they could get a Nexus 7 which is an excellent tablet that sells for $200 and Nintendo could have got a bulk deal on. They could have then packed in the pro controller. The SKU's would have been $149.99 for a tabletless SKU and 349.99 for one that included the Nexus 7 and people would have a REAL tablet. I do think that a $150 console that uses your current tablet via an app would have sold like hotcakes and would probably still be sold out.Curious if this is indicative of issues the XB1 and PS4 will have as well. I'm not convinced of that, though, as I believe Nintendo's largets competitor isnt another console, but rather the iPad.
I don't think we're gonna see sellouts on the XB1 and PS4, they might enjoy marginally more success than Wii U but they'll struggle for a few years at least. The biggest problem is price, average consumers are the ones who make or break a video game console's success and average consumers care about price first. Part of the success of Wii was the motion controls and the casual friendly appeal of it, but another part of it was the cheap launch price, especially in comparison to PS3's $500-600 launch price and the 360's $400 price at the time.Curious if this is indicative of issues the XB1 and PS4 will have as well. I'm not convinced of that, though, as I believe Nintendo's largets competitor isnt another console, but rather the iPad.
I agree price is the biggest factor for the average consumer. Most people simply don't have that much disposable income on a toy. That said, the PS3 launched at 500/600 and it's lowest quarterly sales figures were roughly 500k so that's more than 3 times the sales the Wii U had last quarter and those 500k figures were considered bad for PS3! To say that X1/PS4 will have only marginally more success than the Wii U would basically mean that the entire console market has failed. The collapse of the market like that would spell the end of console gaming in the way we've been used for for decades.I don't think we're gonna see sellouts on the XB1 and PS4, they might enjoy marginally more success than Wii U but they'll struggle for a few years at least. The biggest problem is price, average consumers are the ones who make or break a video game console's success and average consumers care about price first. Part of the success of Wii was the motion controls and the casual friendly appeal of it, but another part of it was the cheap launch price, especially in comparison to PS3's $500-600 launch price and the 360's $400 price at the time.
At this point in time, new consoles at $400-500 isn't going to appeal to the casual market particularly in light of the fact that all the big games (Call of Duty, Madden, Fifa) are coming out on the current gen as well. There isn't enough of a hook there to convince people they need to spend that money right now. You'll get the diehards of course, just like Nintendo got their diehard fanbase to come out, but you won't convince the casual 3-4 game a year buyer they need to upgrade at that price yet. The issue though is that we're getting to the point of diminished returns with consoles. We're left with basically just better graphics, yes I know there's more but from outward appearances those are minor additions(most gamers aren't going to care about streaming, kinect, lightbars, ps eye cameras, etc.). The current gen brought a lot more to the table: online, DLC, wireless standard controllers, blu ray (in the case of PS3), etc.
The economy just isn't in the same place it was in past console launches, people don't have the kind of disposable income they once did. It's turning around but for the time being people are being very skittish about big purchases, particularly when it's for purely entertainment purposes. Sure the iPad is selling well but people are buying those as hybrid entertainment/productivity devices.
Sony is trying to use a lower price to attract casuals and Microsoft is trying to use Kinect/TV features to attract casuals. I could be entirely wrong and they might have it pegged but personally I just don't feel like this will be enough to attract the casual buyers creating a Christmas-time fervor for these consoles.
This is a very real possibility. Also, console manufacturers are responsible for this situation. The extension of the current console cycle is part of the reason why the next one is going to have a challenge in taking off.To say that X1/PS4 will have only marginally more success than the Wii U would basically mean that the entire console market has failed. The collapse of the market like that would spell the end of console gaming in the way we've been used for for decades.
Evidently some of Nintendo's poor January sales were from lots of people returning the Wii U. As far as the Wii U launch went, no one at any of the stores near me was camping out for it and I went into TRU the day of the launch to buy something different and there were Wii U's available to buy, they hadn't sold out at 1PM. I knew the console was in trouble at that point. I simply couldn't believe that it wasn't sold out as soon as the store opened. Go into your local TRU or Best Buy when the others launch and see if there's any you can just walk in and buy.This is sort of an aside since people are talking about the XB1/PS4 launches... I'm genuinely curious to see how these work out in terms of actual numbers sold. The Wii U launch was interesting in the way that we kept hearing that pre-orders were enormous, sold out through March, whatever whatever. When launch hit, though, we discovered that, uh, there really wasn't a problem with obtaining one. We're hearing similar things about the pre-order numbers for the XB1 and PS4 now. You know, well beyond predecessors and all that.
Pre-orders have become a huge thing. I think REGULAR people have begun to realize the re-sell value for items like this which, combined with how much easier it is to pre-order now than it was seven years ago, creates this interesting scenario where a decent percentage of people pre-ordered for reasons other than wanting the console. It's not just resellers, either... show of hands, how many people here have BOTH the PS4 and the XB1 pre-ordered? I'm guilty of this, and I know damn well that I'm only getting one.
So, was the Wii U launch and massives amount of returns a fluke, or will we see something similar this fall? Sony has already claimed they'll have more than enough consoles this holiday, so... we'll see, I guess. Again, slightly off-topic, but it's something I'm curious to see play out.
Stop with your reasonable approach. I'd rather hear more of Blaster man's bold statements about the future and his fascinating historical fiction where Nintendo ships a Wii U with a Nexus tablet inside.All the stores around here were sold out on launch day but got more in the next few days.
All areas are different. Some people could walk in and get a Wii on launch but couldn't get a PS3 for awhile.
Where I lived (different than now) You couldnt find the Wii for a year+ but PS3 was ready available right at launch.
Yeah, it's not like all the anecdotal evidence discussed at launch turned out to be true...Stop with your reasonable approach. I'd rather hear more of Blaster man's bold statements about the future and his fascinating historical fiction where Nintendo ships a Wii U with a Nexus tablet inside.
I don't know what you're trying to say. The point is that anecdotal evidence is worthless.Yeah, it's not like all the anecdotal evidence discussed at launch turned out to be true...
At this point I may wait for it to drop $200. If the dismal sales keep up for another 18-24 months the product will probably be discontinued.how many more and different ways are you going to tell us you wont buy a will u till it drops $100?
Go tell the Federal Reserve that their highly anticipated and market changing beige book is worthless.I don't know what you're trying to say. The point is that anecdotal evidence is worthless.
Agreed, as I've said before, this is all still too early to tell. The only legitimate complaint and concerns you can have at the moment is the lack of software support this year (which is fairly common anyways with new console launches), and if the "on the horizon" games don't interest you.So, was the Wii U launch and massives amount of returns a fluke, or will we see something similar this fall? Sony has already claimed they'll have more than enough consoles this holiday, so... we'll see, I guess. Again, slightly off-topic, but it's something I'm curious to see play out.
Yes, your observations in a Best Buy one day are the same as the Federal Reserve's report.Go tell the Federal Reserve that their highly anticipated and market changing beige book is worthless.
Alright I will try to explain this to you....Yes, your observations in a Best Buy one day are the same as the Federal Reserve's report.
I'd suggest putting blaster on ignore and be done with it. I put him on ignore a long time ago when every post he made in every thread talked about how shitty the wii u is but he plans on gettingone as soon as they drop the price, come out with more games, hand wash his ballsack, etc. I see he keeps posting in this thread so I can imagine his tune hasn't changed much, unless he actually bought one, which I highly doubt.Stop with your reasonable approach. I'd rather hear more of Blaster man's bold statements about the future and his fascinating historical fiction where Nintendo ships a Wii U with a Nexus tablet inside.
I think people really underestimate where the video game market is these days, we've seen some major publishers drop out lately and other stalwarts floundering. Every publisher is getting super timid these days because unless you're the next call of duty you aren't making enough profit. Look at Tomb Raider, that game sold very well but despite that it still wasn't good enough for Square Enix. The problem is that most publishers don't have a backup plan to help them take chances anymore. That's why you aren't seeing 3rd party support for wii u, because these publishers are hemorrhaging money and they can't afford to take risks on new platforms.Really, all this gloom and doom stuff is really premature. Nothing has changed form now and a few months ago. After this holiday season when they have releases a lot of exclusive games and they are STILL not selling, THEN there is a problem.
This is why Ubi said they weren't interested in making any games that can't be used as a series. I'm a little concerned that watch dogs will be annualized like Assassins Creed.I think people really underestimate where the video game market is these days, we've seen some major publishers drop out lately and other stalwarts floundering. Every publisher is getting super timid these days because unless you're the next call of duty you aren't making enough profit. Look at Tomb Raider, that game sold very well but despite that it still wasn't good enough for Square Enix. The problem is that most publishers don't have a backup plan to help them take chances anymore. That's why you aren't seeing 3rd party support for wii u, because these publishers are hemorrhaging money and they can't afford to take risks on new platforms.
Look at vita and 3ds too, yeah the 3ds is turning around but there still isn't anything approaching significant 3rd party support. They'd rather fart out some ios/android free to play game because they make so much more money these days versus the cost investment.
The problem is big names blow millions on making AAAAAAAAA games that aren't actually fun, so they don't turn a profit. The same thing is happening with "tentpole" summer movies. Most people aren't dumb enough to pick up a bad game, or sit through a bad movie in the information age.I think people really underestimate where the video game market is these days, we've seen some major publishers drop out lately and other stalwarts floundering. Every publisher is getting super timid these days because unless you're the next call of duty you aren't making enough profit. Look at Tomb Raider, that game sold very well but despite that it still wasn't good enough for Square Enix. The problem is that most publishers don't have a backup plan to help them take chances anymore. That's why you aren't seeing 3rd party support for wii u, because these publishers are hemorrhaging money and they can't afford to take risks on new platforms.
Look at vita and 3ds too, yeah the 3ds is turning around but there still isn't anything approaching significant 3rd party support. They'd rather fart out some ios/android free to play game because they make so much more money these days versus the cost investment.
The point made in the Ubi article I posted is that AAA games are the only things that sell enough to have a chance of breaking even and that's the problem Nintendo is starting to run into. They didn't understand the amount of staffing they needed to get games out the door on time.The problem is big names blow millions on making AAAAAAAAA games that aren't actually fun, so they don't turn a profit. The same thing is happening with "tentpole" summer movies. Most people aren't dumb enough to pick up a bad game, or sit through a bad movie in the information age.
And Call of Duty isn't immune. People aren't buying because it's annualized, they're buying because the game has been diversified. Zombies? Aliens? Horses? Compared to the original, blops 2 is unrecognizable.
The Tomb Raider thing is this recent trend where publishers just throw a ton of money at a new game to try to force it into the top-tier of sales even if it's the sort of game that doesn't fit that mold, which leads to games like Tomb Raider having such absurdly high expectations that having the best launch in the series' history is somehow a failure. EA's also guilty of that with Battlefield, Dead Space 3, and Medal of Honor, which has only resulted in positive results for Battlefield due to positioning it as a Call of Duty competitor. It's not a sign of the market being doomed, but foolish notions by the publisher that more money solves all of their problems rather than cutting back on the budget so that those games can be reasonably made for the type of sales numbers that it'll get. EA and Square Enix are feeling the sting of those decisions now and are mostly cutting back in response.I think people really underestimate where the video game market is these days, we've seen some major publishers drop out lately and other stalwarts floundering. Every publisher is getting super timid these days because unless you're the next call of duty you aren't making enough profit. Look at Tomb Raider, that game sold very well but despite that it still wasn't good enough for Square Enix. The problem is that most publishers don't have a backup plan to help them take chances anymore. That's why you aren't seeing 3rd party support for wii u, because these publishers are hemorrhaging money and they can't afford to take risks on new platforms.
Look at vita and 3ds too, yeah the 3ds is turning around but there still isn't anything approaching significant 3rd party support. They'd rather fart out some ios/android free to play game because they make so much more money these days versus the cost investment.
I don't think it's all that recent. You go through EA pretty extensively and they're probably the biggest offenders of chasing money that isn't there. We all know UDraw is the major reason for THQ's failure but they also got to a point with trying to save the whole company with Darksiders 2. Then there's 2k who has chased it with both Darkness 2 and (even more so) Spec Ops. Disney has almost altogether pulled out of video games (save the upcoming Disney Infinity). Sega has scaled back its releases significantly. With Assassin's Creed on the seeming decline, Ubisoft has to be betting big that Watchdogs will be their next major franchise.The Tomb Raider thing is this recent trend where publishers just throw a ton of money at a new game to try to force it into the top-tier of sales even if it's the sort of game that doesn't fit that mold, which leads to games like Tomb Raider having such absurdly high expectations that having the best launch in the series' history is somehow a failure. EA's also guilty of that with Battlefield, Dead Space 3, and Medal of Honor, which has only resulted in positive results for Battlefield due to positioning it as a Call of Duty competitor. It's not a sign of the market being doomed, but foolish notions by the publisher that more money solves all of their problems rather than cutting back on the budget so that those games can be reasonably made for the type of sales numbers that it'll get. EA and Square Enix are feeling the sting of those decisions now and are mostly cutting back in response.
Of course, cheaper games never make money. No one's ever invested a million dollars on something and gotten half back. As for Nintendo's staffing, they've got fewer employees than Ubisoft. They've never understood staffing, except when the Wii made them the most profitable company per capita.The point made in the Ubi article I posted is that AAA games are the only things that sell enough to have a chance of breaking even and that's the problem Nintendo is starting to run into. They didn't understand the amount of staffing they needed to get games out the door on time.
Of course people make money if they can make a game for a million dollars. Unfortunately that's not easy to do in the HD era. If you're more capable at doing this then maybe you can work for these guys and make a fortune. Usually the people that make games by themselves or with one or two other people don't get paid until the game sells. They're gambling and hoping it pays off.Of course, cheaper games never make money. No one's ever invested a million dollars on something and gotten half back. As for Nintendo's staffing, they've got fewer employees than Ubisoft. They've never understood staffing, except when the Wii made them the most profitable company per capita.
Speaking of money, shouldn't you be losing some on the stock market right now?
wii u line up for late 2013 is not that impressive to over haul system selling issuesReally, all this gloom and doom stuff is really premature. Nothing has changed form now and a few months ago. After this holiday season when they have releases a lot of exclusive games and they are STILL not selling, THEN there is a problem.
I'm sure it will pick up around the holidays, that's only natural. The question is, how much will it pick up and how many sales would be considered a success at this point? Would 1 million during the holidays be a huge success? 500k? What?I guess we will find out after the holidays then?
Maybe they wont sell like crazy, but with their holiday line up, it will pick up. Can't see it still not selling when they will put out games alot of people will want.
It's difficult to say at this point. Not selling Wii U's isn't actually hurting Nintendo right now. The hardware is still being sold at a loss, and they haven't pushed their first-party development yet, so they aren't missing out on too many software sales. They could go for another year with soft sales on the Wii U and not have too much to worry about.I'm sure it will pick up around the holidays, that's only natural. The question is, how much will it pick up and how many sales would be considered a success at this point? Would 1 million during the holidays be a huge success? 500k? What?
I would say we're nearing doom and gloom when over the last sales period the WIi outsold the Wii U.Really, all this gloom and doom stuff is really premature. Nothing has changed form now and a few months ago. After this holiday season when they have releases a lot of exclusive games and they are STILL not selling, THEN there is a problem.
Considering Nintendo probably makes more money over Pokemon toothbrushes in Japan than they do video games worldwide, I don't think there is much doom and gloom at NOJ.I would say we're nearing doom and gloom when over the last sales period the WIi outsold the Wii U.
Yeah, the Wii console + Wii U tablet is pretty bad, I guess 9 months isn't enough time to get some updated images in the ad department.Target isn't helping to clear up any confusion: