Is the Wii U truly dead?

[ReddMcKnight]

Honestly, the thought of it being "dead" scares the hell out of me. That being said, is it as bad as everyone is making it out to be? Will games still be released for it? This seriously worries me.

[Tynstar]

Nintendo will release games for it. I read an article about Nintendo cutting the sales forecast by 70%. It also said the price cut and release of the Mario game didnt sell as many units as they thought it would. Too me it sounds like it is going to be like the N64 again.

[Link41]

Nintendo will release games for it. I read an article about Nintendo cutting the sales forecast by 70%. It also said the price cut and release of the Mario game didnt sell as many units as they thought it would. Too me it sounds like it is going to be like the N64 again.

But at least the N64 was supported by 3rd parties to an extent

[Tynstar]

Nintendo will release games for it. I read an article about Nintendo cutting the sales forecast by 70%. It also said the price cut and release of the Mario game didnt sell as many units as they thought it would. Too me it sounds like it is going to be like the N64 again.

But at least the N64 was supported by 3rd parties to an extent

I am sure the Wii U will get some third party support. I dont see them getting huge blockbuster third party games. The cost now a days would be hard to justify.

[tactical_nuke]

I'm still rotting for it. I think they released it like a year too early and now the games they have planned are being sorely needed right now. The N64 had a problem like this too where it didn't get a good amount of games until a while later.

[slackur]

I'm still rotting for it. I think they released it like a year too early and now the games they have planned are being sorely needed right now. The N64 had a problem like this too where it didn't get a good amount of games until a while later.

Hope you meant 'rooting'; The R.U.S.T. (RFGeneration Undead Security Team (TM) ) is currently on paid vacation and not at all involved in a secret mission involving an underground government facility and possible outbreak.  Also they are not hiring at the moment but several positions may soon become available.

Oh, right, the Wii U.  I hope no-one, especially the big N's shareholders, expected another runaway success in line with the Wii and even 3DS.  But sales on the Wii U are undeniably sluggish compared to the company's projected numbers.  I'm honestly more surprised with the sales success of the Xbox One, and slightly surprised at how well the PS4 is selling. 

Calling the undertaker at this point is way too premature; we're not dealing with another Virtual Boy.  My guess is once the price drops down to the magical 199, the Wii U will begin to flourish, though likely to only reach Gamecube-type success.  In a way, the success of XB1 and PS4 will work to Nintendo's advantage; the other two are unlikely to have a price drop because of it, and that leaves the Wii U to drop price and clean house as the less expensive alternative, original GameBoy style.

Despite everyone comparing the Wii U to the other two new systems, I think they're apples and oranges in terms of games and the market itself.  I'm glad I have one, and also glad Nintendo has way too much in its favor to be going away any time soon.  We play the silly thing almost every day, and it would be daily if our kids had a say in it.

[Disposed Hero]

I bought a Wii U back in September, so I'd really hate to see it go under anytime soon.  There are a few third party games in development for the Wii U right now, but third party development may very well cease if Nintendo doesn't start moving some consoles soon.  I keep hearing talk that Smash Bros. and Mario Kart will be system sellers when they are released later this year, but we'll just have to wait and see.

At any rate, with games like Smash Bros., SMT X Fire Emblem, the Xenoblade followup, and an inevitable new Zelda title coming out sooner or later, there should be plenty to keep Wii U owners satisfied at least for the foreseeable future.

[Tynstar]

I'm honestly more surprised with the sales success of the Xbox One, and slightly surprised at how well the PS4 is selling. 

Why are you surprised by that? I agree with you it isnt going away anytime soon. But in years to come with how far they are behind other consoles and phones/tablets eating away at the handheld market Nintendo could be in a world of hurt.

[techwizard]

i think it's too early to say, it's just over a year since it came out. the PS3 had very little going for it either in the first year or so, but it surged in popularity and now towards the end of it's life it's getting some amazing titles. i hardly expect the Wii-U to be a juggernaut in sales, but really who did? releasing a year before the other systems was probably it's main mistake, every time a console gets a release window like that it always seems to end badly for it. i really do hope it's like the N64 or Gamecube, and not the Dreamcast.

[Raidou]

Way too early to call any Gen-8 console "dead", but I don't see the Wii U becoming a serious threat to the PS4 or XBone, or providing a strong third party library.  The next Zelda will probably boost interest, but if Super Mario 3D World and the NSMBU Bundle didn't meet sales projections, then Mario Kart and SSB won't either.

[slackur]

I'm honestly more surprised with the sales success of the Xbox One, and slightly surprised at how well the PS4 is selling. 

Why are you surprised by that? 

Price, mainly.  In the current economic climate, I didn't expect a $400 game machine to sell 4.2 million units in such a short time last year, and even though its behind, I certainly didn't see the XB1 moving 3 million so fast either.  I didn't think they would fail or anything, but those are impressive numbers to me, especially since there are no 'Halo' or 'Gran Turismo' caliber exclusives to move systems yet.

[raffa1985]

By the end of this year, Nintendo will have already release all of their big guns (Mario 2d and 3d are already available) : Zelda, Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros, Mario Kart and certainly a new version of Animal Crossing will be out sometime this fall or early next year. I'm sure they will move some millions of Wii U's, but GameCube had them all (except DKC) and ended selling just around 20 million units, not counting the fact that it had better 3rd party support.

So, if during the next E3, Nintendo is not able to show a truly innovative experience (hardware or software), that generates a lot of buzz for Wii U, the way Wii Remote, Wii Sports and Super Mario 64 did during their time, my answer would be…probably.

[Tynstar]

I'm honestly more surprised with the sales success of the Xbox One, and slightly surprised at how well the PS4 is selling. 

Why are you surprised by that? 

Price, mainly.  In the current economic climate, I didn't expect a $400 game machine to sell 4.2 million units in such a short time last year, and even though its behind, I certainly didn't see the XB1 moving 3 million so fast either.  I didn't think they would fail or anything, but those are impressive numbers to me, especially since there are no 'Halo' or 'Gran Turismo' caliber exclusives to move systems yet.

I am not surprised at all. Hell I know one guy that bought 7 Xbox One's. Is the Wii U consider part of the Ps2 and XB1 generation? Seems to me it is Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. Seems like it came out 45 years too late not 1 year early.

[slackur]

I'm honestly more surprised with the sales success of the Xbox One, and slightly surprised at how well the PS4 is selling. 

Why are you surprised by that? 

Price, mainly.  In the current economic climate, I didn't expect a $400 game machine to sell 4.2 million units in such a short time last year, and even though its behind, I certainly didn't see the XB1 moving 3 million so fast either.  I didn't think they would fail or anything, but those are impressive numbers to me, especially since there are no 'Halo' or 'Gran Turismo' caliber exclusives to move systems yet.

I am not surprised at all. Hell I know one guy that bought 7 Xbox One's. Is the Wii U consider part of the Ps2 and XB1 generation? Seems to me it is Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. Seems like it came out 45 years too late not 1 year early.

Of course, there will be exceptions, but a person buying half a dozen $500 systems is not the average consumer, even in the video game market.  I'm a big fan of the 360's LAN capabilities and own several systems for our network, but I had to do it slowly and at discounts for each system.  Even then, you and I are definitely in the minority for owning so many 360s and we represent a niche market.

In our store, when it comes to XB1/PS4, I'd say of those who ask about them, about 40% are not terribly interested in either at this point, 50% are interested in one or both but cannot afford it, and only about 10% already have one or the other.

When it comes to the Wii U, I'd say 20% have little or no idea what it is, 30% want one but are waiting for a price drop/more games, 30% have no desire to get one, and 20% have one.  Interestingly, I don't tend to hear stories from people who own one but don't like it, the folks who don't want one always mention their disappointment in the Wii, and for the folks who don't know much about it either think it's an add on for the Wii or have never heard of it at all.

[Tynstar]

Oh I know he isn't the norm. Even in achievement circles he is extreme. Other than people on this site I only know one person that has a Wii U. He only has it for his kids.