It just launched in Japan and I fully expect WiiU to be successful in Japan for a number for reasons - although the combination of Mario, Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest is probably sufficient.

It is the rest of the world were WiiU has to prove itself.  And it is the rest of the world where we will all be watching the sales closely over the next few months.

I'm not surprised (not pleased either) that it's outsold by 360/PS3 - which isn't uncommon for new system launches.  But I am surprised to see the weak selling Wii outselling WiiU by 30k in Europe.  

Would love to know what the stock situation is like there and what kind of marketing Nintendo has going.  Why isn't WiiU selling better?  I expected it to be sold out until Feb at least.

eh, still don't like it.

at bold:  http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=4976394

as sad as the wiiU numbers look ...life is only going to get more depressing from here. 

Ok, so let's see: about 140M PS3+XB360 out there. Those people don't need a Wii U to play 3rd party games. So it is all down to 3 exclusives of relevance, none of them is really a system seler. Then we get an OS that is half broken, now a key app (Nintendo TVii) that is fully broken. Then we get tech that isn't that impressive (at least the Wii was superior to all consoles from previous gen). And finally, it is expensive. So yeah, no surprise.
Yes, I am disappointed, and the fanboy in me just wish that Yamauchi just step back in and replace most of the current upper management. Iwata and co. are seriously out of touch.

Yes I've been very vocal on that point myself and that's why I've been so highly critical of the WiiU.   It's the exact wrong approach to the current market challenges.   Nintendo needs to differenciate themselves from other casual offerings, and WiiU does the opposite - poorly.  Which is beyond stupid because the Wii did that brilliantly.

However, I'm not clear on regional factors here.   Is this effecting PAL sales more than NA?  Why isn't this as big a factor in Japan?  Or perhaps it is but Mario/MH/DQ are a compelling argument to shell out for a WiiU.

My guess is PAL sales are due to marketing (or lack thereof) moreso than this issue, although long term I fear the future of WiiU is bleak.

Software sales show that the only demographics that are buying WiiU right now are the Nintendo fans, and perhaps casual Christmas shoppers to some extend. If WiiU can't appeal beyond those it will face massive drops starting January.

I feel like Sony fans and Nintendo fans just switched places. (PS2 > PS3 and Wii > Wii U)

all I can say is, I live in europe, am a huge nintendo fan but don't care about the Wii U right now.
I am certainly not willing to pay at least 350 euros to play mass effect, ac or batman, if I want to play those games I just buy them for my ps3.
I am also absolutely not interested in playing the same old 2d mario game again.
I will definitely get a wii u, once it gets a price drop and/or a new 3d mario that does something new or the new zelda gets released...or smash bros.

That all isn't much of a problem in Japan and the US though. Only in Europe. Second thing, that leads to this thread: Wii sells better than expected. I personally blame Just Dance.

Darksiders works well as Zelda replacement. If you like Zelda, you should check it out. Not necessarily on WiiU though.

exactly. I can buy that for my ps3 aswell, so there is no reason for me to spend 350-400 € right now.