Did the Wii U launch fall flat on its face?

[KitsuneNight]

That article was harsh..but accurate. The day WiiU drops to a 99 dollar console maybe sooner than I expect.

quite so
i generally dont care for cnn but that article has got quite a few accurate points
nintendo needs to get their head out of their ass and realise just how much the market has changed maybe the dismal performance of the wii U and all its negative press will finally be the wake up call they need

[JCU]

A few thoughts:

1.) The 3DS is selling great and has been topping the charts off and on for a while. People are adamant about the price as being the reason why it wasn't selling but I tend to look at the lack of games as the reason. What a difference quality 1st person games make, huh?
2.) The advertising for the Wii U was paltry at best for the first few months of the system being on the market. The average non-gamer didn't know the difference between the two Nintendo consoles and I'd go as far as saying many didn't know the Wii and U were different systems.
3.) The Wii U doesn't need to go the route of Xbox Live and have advertisements galore along with 900 different applications. Something along the lines of Crackle, IGN, etc.., might work well though.
4.) Instead of having every game using the off TV play, I'd just be pleased if I could use the control in another room rather than a 20 ft or so limit.

[KitsuneNight]

2 is in my opinion the wii u's biggest problem
only dedicated gamers ...ie the kind of peopel who sign up for a forum like this are actually aware that the wii u is a whole new console
most "casuals" and non gamers tend to think the wii u is an upgrade of the wii ( that name doesnt help at all )

nintendo really needs to get word out that the wii u is a whole new different console ( a lesson they havent learned from the 3ds launch disaster )

as for 1 i think its a combination of both high price tag and a lack of games does not invite peopel to buya machine
unlike the ps 1 to ps 2 jump or ps 2 to ps 3 jump the current jump in graphical quality is just not big enough
and the current gen has been going on for 8 years now
a lot of people are quite content with what they got and dont even want to have a new console for a while to come

i know i would prefer to stick with my ps3 for a while

[EclecticGroove]

I still see people in stores asking "Why can't I play these games on my wii?"

I think Nintendo made a huge blunder with the name, regardless of anything else... wii-u just doesn't differentiate enough. Nothing about -u makes it sound different. At least a -2 makes it clear it's a new iteration or a sequel.

All the other issues with it being an "upgrade" into the last gen specs with the next gen actually right around the corner combined with a less "mass" appeal gimmick than the original wii and a too high price point just don't help.

I will say however, if it drops to $99 I'd absolutely get one, and I think a bunch would probably feel the same. I skipped the wii due to lack of interest, but since I can play wii games on the wii-u it would be a perfect opportunity to knock out both consoles.

Unless they can drastically improve their position Sony and MS are likely going to solidly destroy them in sales for the entirety of this console generation.

[kyuss462]

Yes. But I've had hours of fun with the family on the few titles that were released. I have a 9 and 7 year old daughter. We still have a blast playing Nintendoland and Mario. In fact, we had a few minutes to spare this morning before they got on the bus for school and we played a few rounds of DK's Crashcourse.

[JCU]

Wii U isn't any different than PS2 to PS3 or NES to SNES though.

Nintendo assumed they didn't need to push this new system as hard as they did with the Wii and ultimately it blew up in their faces. Prior (and during) to the release of the Wii commercials bombarded the television. DVD's were made available (like the GCN) to showcase the new system. Nintendo even sent advertisements in the mail. I have a stack of video gaming advertisements showing how certain companies would push their systems and they all seemed to address it seriously. This past weekend was the FIRST time I've seen Nintendo offer any type of booklet or pamphlet for the Wii U. Almost six months into launch and now it dawns on them?

Waiting to buy a Wii U until it becomes a $99.00 system? You'll be waiting a while although by then you'll be sure to have plenty of games to play.

[FoxHound]

Waiting to buy a Wii U until it becomes a $99.00 system? You'll be waiting a while although by then you'll be sure to have plenty of games to play.

How much did the Dreamcast drop in price when the PS2 hit? just saying..I dont remember but if Sega could do it so can Nintendo. I think it was even price cut again when Xbox was released. You would think Nintendo would have a set protocol for launching a system by now with good marketing techniques and the whole 9 yards.

[JCU]

In my opinion Sega took extreme measures and pulled the plug rather prematurely. Perhaps the "success" of the Saturn was a reason why there was a rush to haste. Nintendo is in quite a different situation and could rely on its first party titles for the survival of the system. They are coming off a highly successful Wii, a crazy masterpiece with the DS and the 3DS (which is doing well). Nintendo seems to have more flexibility and options before they have to resort to drastic measures.

And no, I don't recall the price drop either. That was a long time ago.

[Lan Di]

The DC dropped to $50.00 when the original Xbox was released. I remember being at Toys R Us on launch day in 2001 and the Dreamcast was price dropped to $50.00. Seriously doubt if Nintendo will do the same so quickly. If the WiiU does get a deep price cut it will be a long while still.

[sheath]

The Dreamcast was at $150 when the PS2 hit the shelves in the US with less than 400k units. Dreamcast retail price only dropped below that after it's discontinuation the following February of 2001. Some sources claim that the Dreamcast languished on retail shelves during Christmas of 2000, that might have been the impetus for discontinuing the system.

It is worth nothing that neither the Xbox or Gamecube succeeded that generation at stunting PS2 sales either. Today we have an entirely different situation though. The Wii U isn't just Nintendo's latest game console, it is something weird that nobody understands and is less powerful than the PS3 or 360. Manufacturers and developers are mutually confused as to what kind of device to make games for today, and the Wii U exemplifies that.

[kool kitty89]

How much did the Dreamcast drop in price when the PS2 hit? just saying..I dont remember but if Sega could do it so can Nintendo. I think it was even price cut again when Xbox was released. You would think Nintendo would have a set protocol for launching a system by now with good marketing techniques and the whole 9 yards.

In my opinion Sega took extreme measures and pulled the plug rather prematurely. Perhaps the "success" of the Saturn was a reason why there was a rush to haste. Nintendo is in quite a different situation and could rely on its first party titles for the survival of the system. They are coming off a highly successful Wii, a crazy masterpiece with the DS and the 3DS (which is doing well). Nintendo seems to have more flexibility and options before they have to resort to drastic measures.

And no, I don't recall the price drop either. That was a long time ago.

They took extreme measures in the wrong areas too . . . the price drops, discounts, and other deals (including the Seganet related ones) really cut in on Sega's already problematic monetary situation and contributed to their eventual decision to discontinue it.

The only major spending on the marketing end (including price drops and other deals) that really made sense was the initial launch price of $199 and the heavy mass advertising. (hell, putting that wasted investment from price drops and other subsidies into raw advertising -including competitive ads against the PS2- probably would have been the only thing with a chance to actually improve sales over what they were) That, and price drops and other discounts cut into revenue, so looks worse to investors (net profits/losses might not differ, but gross revenue will look more attractive if you push heavy marketing without price drops vs investing in price drops instead).

Alternatively, Sega could have toned down their spending in general on the DC, and focused on trying to transition to net profits ASAP, at the potential expense of sheer volumes and market share. (still, to have decent volumes for stability on the market, they'd at least have to market it heavily for the first solid year after launch anyway . . . so it probably would have been until 2001 that they'd have seen net profits in any case) So maybe the best thing would have been to be aggressive, but a bit more moderated on spending in certain areas than they were to the point of being able to ride things out a year longer than they did historically. (lacking additional funding to just pour into things)

[Segadream]

Maybe Nintendo secretly bought Sega and wants to "compete" with itself.
So they give it a shoddy launch in the beginning, only to release a better sega, then use the first ever real nintendo upgade to make the wii u equal? Man I should be in business. My tactics would rule the markets.
And blow sony and Microsoft back to where they belong, making pcs and dvds.

[KitsuneNight]

Maybe Nintendo secretly bought Sega and wants to "compete" with itself.
So they give it a shoddy launch in the beginning, only to release a better sega, then use the first ever real nintendo upgade to make the wii u equal? Man I should be in business. My tactics would rule the markets.
And blow sony and Microsoft back to where they belong, making pcs and dvds.

...right this sounds more like a feverdream from mrsega

stop drinking the magical kool aid

[KitsuneNight]

I still see people in stores asking "Why can't I play these games on my wii?"

I think Nintendo made a huge blunder with the name, regardless of anything else... wii-u just doesn't differentiate enough. Nothing about -u makes it sound different. At least a -2 makes it clear it's a new iteration or a sequel.

All the other issues with it being an "upgrade" into the last gen specs with the next gen actually right around the corner combined with a less "mass" appeal gimmick than the original wii and a too high price point just don't help.

this may sound a bit out of left field but doesnt the u in wii U make people subconciously jump towards upgrade ?
ie that it becomes wii upgrade ?

[Knuckle Duster]

this may sound a bit out of left field but doesnt the u in wii U make people subconciously jump towards upgrade ?
ie that it becomes wii upgrade ?

Wasn't the U supposed to be for Universe, or wasn't that supposed to be the subtitle moniker for the platform's software? There was supposed to be an info leak or rumor about the next Smash Bros game a while ago that had the title. It would have been better marketing to have it on everything else I think. The N64 got away with it.