Gaming Nintendo Confirms Wii U Has Flopped, Slashes Sales Forecast By ~70%

[osirisjem]

Nintendo Confirms Wii U Has Flopped, Slashes Sales Forecast By ~70%

Nintendo has confirmed what we knew already: its unhappy controller/console combo, the Wii U, is a flop. The company said hardware sales of the Wii U had failed to reach its target during the year-end, pushing it into a third consecutive annual loss,Reuters reports.
“We failed to reach our target for hardware sales during the year-end, when revenues are the highest,” said Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, at a shareholder briefing on the sales figures.
With the Wii U failing to shift off shelves — and that despite a $50 price cut last September, to $299 — Nintendo has slashed its global sales forecast for the device for the year to March 31 by almost 70%. It said it’s expecting Wii U sales to number just 2.8 million units over that period. It also cut its sales forecast for its handheld 3DS console to 13.5 million units from 18 million.


More at .... http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/17/wii-u-not-selling/

There’s no longer any debating it: Nintendo’s Wii U is an absolute disaster. People were shocked when we talked about what a tremendous failure the Wii U would be following its launch back in 2012, but it’s now a matter of public record. While anyone who has tried the console will tell you that games on the system are just as fun and exciting as they have ever been, the Wii U lacks the flair and innovation that made the Wii such a success. And now, this simple truth is coming back to bite Nintendo yet again — the company said on Friday that terrible Wii U sales will result in its third consecutive annual loss. Nintendo also slashed its 2014 Wii U sales forecast 70 % from 9 million units to just 2.8 million, fewer than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sold in just over a month following their respective launches last year.

“We failed to reach our target for hardware sales during the year-end, when revenues are the highest,” said Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata at a shareholder briefing, according to Reuters.

More at http://bgr.com/2014/01/17/wii-u-sales-2014-forecast/

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Nintendo mulling new business model after forecasting loss on weak Wii U demand


Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata said the maker of video-game machines is considering a new business model after forecasting a surprise 25 billion-yen (US$240 million) annual loss because of tepid demand for the Wii U.

Nintendo fell the most in more than nine years in the U.S. The company had previously projected profit of 55 billion yen for the year ending March as it counted on Christmas shoppers to revive sales of the Wii U console featuring games with iconic characters Mario and Zelda. Nintendo cut its forecasts for Wii U console sales to 2.8 million units from 9 million and for Wii U game sales to 19 million units from 38 million.

The family-focused content of Nintendo is losing its appeal as titles were delayed, casual gamers migrate to mobile devices, and hardcore players opt for the faster Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. The owner of Pokemon and Donkey Kong also refuses to offer games with its characters on mobile devices, limiting its ability to profit online players’ surging demand.

“We are thinking about a new business structure,” Iwata said at a press conference today in Osaka, Japan. “Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It’s not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone.”

http://business.financialpost.com/2...-after-forecasting-loss-on-weak-wii-u-demand/

 

[Foxi4]

Please remove the formatting and hyperlinks and re-format the text. Better yet - rewrite it, this falls under the "No Copypasta" rule. Additionally, you don't have to "reserve" posts - you have the Edit button at your disposal if you want to extend your post in the future with additional information.

Other than that, myeh - this was to be expected. The 3DS money pillow could only last so long - all this means is that the profits from 3DS hardware and software sales are no longer sufficient to make up for Wii U's shortcomings. If anything, this will motivate the company to make changes in their strategy, which is a good thing. Ahh - Console Wars - can't win all of'em, lads.

 

[Hanafuda]

Ironically, chances are that 10 years from now, just as with the 64 and Gamecube, this will be the "retro" console most people will want (vs. its contemporaneous competition).

 

[Foxi4]

Ironically, chances are that 10 years from now, just as with the 64 and Gamecube, this will be the "retro" console most people will want (vs. its contemporaneous competition).

It's the Cult Classic syndrome, yep.

 

[tbgtbg]

Nintendo didn't "confirm wii u has flopped" they confirmed it hasn't sold as well as they projected. Flop is a conclusion of whoever wrote the article. Shoddy "journalism".

 

[the_randomizer]

*Yawn* This isn't news.

 

[wolf-snake]

i don't even fucking care if nintendo, sony or microsoft fuck up when the steam machines hit the market the industry will crash once again like it did 30 yers ago or even worse

 

[GameWinner]

The thread title reminds me of Valwin.

 

[the_randomizer]

i don't even fucking care if nintendo, sony or microsoft fuck up when the steam machines hit the market the industry will crash once again like it did 30 yers ago or even worse

Funny you should mention those Steam machines http://gbatemp.net/threads/steam-machine-disappointment.360725/#post-4889033 looks like they're not all they're cracked up to be

 

[Thomas83Lin]

I wonder how much they could slash the price if they got rid of the gamepad

 

[Foxi4]

i don't even fucking care if nintendo, sony or microsoft fuck up when the steam machines hit the market the industry will crash once again like it did 30 yers ago or even worse

Can't wait to pay $500 for a Steam Machine that will perform worse than the equivalent console since software isn't optimized for the hardware and subsequently will require me to upgrade it. Alternatively, I can't wait to spend $1000+ for an overpriced one that doesn't suck.

After looking through the CES offering I've concluded that I might as well build my own "Steam Machine", Dual Boot Windows and SteamOS and be better off than with those offered.

 

[osirisjem]

I wonder how much they could slash the price if they got rid of the gamepad

It costs $140 to replace
http://wiiudaily.com/2013/02/wii-u-gamepad-costs-around-140-to-replace/

 

[Skelletonike]

i don't even fucking care if nintendo, sony or microsoft fuck up when the steam machines hit the market the industry will crash once again like it did 30 yers ago or even worse

How will the steambox which is pretty much a pc, change anything?
Most of the people that want pc games, will continue using a pc anyway, people that want console games will still buy console games. Besides, I bet that the steambox won't sell as much as some fans expect, it's nothing revolutionary.

 

[Harsky]

In my opinion, I think the Wii U will ride out the rest of its lifespan like the Gamecube. Languishing in last place but finding a niche audience. I did see a Wii U console for sale at a clearance price last week but decided against it. Even if Nintendo decides on another MASSIVE price cut, they've pretty much lost the shelf space to the PS4/Xbone games so I guess they'll really have to focus on their digital store.

A redesign MIGHT help but I still have the feeling that Nintendo is still placing their bets on Smash Bros/Mario Kart as the system seller. Maybe it will and I still want a Wii U but I feel like waiting it out a little longer to see what they'll pull out of the hat as a last ditch rescue attempt (most likely limited edition console designs).

 

[Foxi4]

How will the steambox which is pretty much a pc, change anything?

The idea was that the Steam Machine was supposed to be the PC for the People - something streamlined for the consumer, a Plug and Play entry point into PC gaming... but with so many varied designs, vastly different specs and price ranges between as little as $500 and as much as $2600, the consumer will only get confused just like it was the case with PC's since the dawn of time. They will not know what makes one Steam Machine more expensive than the other, why one looks like this and the other one looks like that and so on because they don't care, they're not geeks. Geeks build their own PC's - they don't need Valve's help.

The reason consoles are doing so well despite the fact that most gamers can easily afford a gaming PC these days is that consoles are simple - people like that. Every console is exactly the same - shove the disc in and it will work. With the Steam Machine come the PC woes of "it will work... kind of, but you'd be better off upgrading" and console gamers don't want that - they want a streamlined experience and games optimized to work on their machine, not a figurative machine the developer had in mind.

This openness will be Steam Machine's undoing - there should've been a basic specs sheet of first generation Steam Machines that hardware manufacturers would have to more or less follow and they should all look exactly the same so that the layman gamer who just doesn't give a damn knows that by picking up a Steam Machine box, he'll get all Steam has to offer. Right now it's a clusterf*ck of vastly different designs and if this is how it's supposed to work, you might as well build a HTPC without paying anyone royalties.

 

[Arras]

I wonder how much they could slash the price if they got rid of the gamepad

It's pretty much integral to the OS and many games. They won't just "get rid of it".

 

[yuyuyup]

"Price cut" to $300, I bought mine for $238 after shipping/tax. They just need to drop new smash/kart like now

 

[Skelletonike]

This openness will be Steam Machine's undoing - there should've been a basic specs sheet of first generation Steam Machines that hardware manufacturers would have to more or less follow and they should all look exactly the same so that the layman gamer who just doesn't give a damn knows that by picking up a Steam Machine box, he'll get all Steam has to offer. Right now it's a clusterf*ck of vastly different designs and if this is how it's supposed to work, you might as well build a HTPC without paying anyone royalties.

The thing with the steambox is that you're still pretty much paying for a computer that is missing the things that make it useful as a computer.
Given the prices of most of the steamboxes and it's specs, you can buy a computer with similar specs and use it for more than simply what the steambox offers (well, if you assemble it yourself, it's even cheaper).
The only thing that I find interesting in the steambox, is the controller, and even so, it's not something that I'd like to use in every pc game.

 

[Foxi4]

"Price cut" to $300, I bought mine for $238 after shipping/tax. They just need to drop new smash/kart like now

As if first-party titles have ever saved a system from falling into the realm of obscurity. What Nintendo needs to do is go door to door to third-party and start sucking some c*cks to make sure that at least for 3-4 more years their system will be supported and will not become obsolete.

 

[Thomas83Lin]

It's pretty much integral to the OS and many games. They won't just "get rid of it".

OS can be updated so you dont have to use it, most of the games don't require it (some do though). but I agree they won't get rid of it. Maybe make it less bulky I'd be happy with that.