| Ail said: So non withstanding Patcher comments, there are actually people on this site that think that WiiU can recover and reach something like 50 million units sold lifetime ? |
I don't know honestly. The short term seems to indicate it will reach Gamecube levels; however, regardless of one's personal perception of Nintendo, the Mario Kart, 3D Mario, Super Smash, Zelda and Pokemon franchises are much more popular and have reached a larger audience compared to the Gamecube era. Consequently, I believe Wii U will eclipse 50 million, however not by much.
The market has changed since 2005 and sadly Nintendo is still living like it was in 2005. Nonetheless, I believe Wii U's strongest market will be Japan, much like we are seing with the 3DS. Nintendo foothold is incredibly strong this generation and will most likely be the system of choice for many Japanese publishers. I see the Wii U reaching over 10 million in Japan - bold I know.
Nintendo's weakest market is the U.S. hands down (Nintendo actually sells very well in Canada). I don't see that changing anytime soon. Microsoft erupted into this powerhouse with the Xbox 360. I see Sony and Nintendo both underperforming in the US going forward and Microsoft being the platform of choice.
Hence, they have an uphill battle to climb and will they be successful? I don't know; however, as many have said, never bet against Nintendo.
