Nintendo only just announced a release date for this thing, I'm not sure why they've been so quiet about it. Right now, I can't imagine any fitness game doing well in sales. The genre is effectively dead.

It's fairly good itself. With the Fit Meter, it's very effective. When you choose a target (say, lose 3 kg in 3 months), the game tries to estimate the required number of kilocalories to burn, and gives you a goal per day. You clock up the kilocalories through walking/moving (Fit Meter) and through using Wii Fit U. It keeps track of your current number of days in a row that you've reached the goal. I'm up to 40 days in a row, I think. And the goal isn't trivial, either. To give you a sense of it - if I spend the day at home, I tend to get to about 300 kcal or so. My current goal is 990 kcal.

To get the rest, on days that I'm at home and not otherwise doing much, I go out on a night and walk around the neighbourhood, which has enough hills to help me clock up the calories more quickly (the Fit Meter tracks elevation, and adjusts calories burned accordingly - you burn more when walking uphill). Today I went for a walk for 80 minutes, am currently at 834 kcal, so I'll have to use Wii Fit U to get the rest of the way - it'll probably take about 40 minutes or so.

I used "fairly good" to describe Wii Fit U itself. My only disappointment is that there isn't a large number of new games within it, and a few from the previous versions have been dropped (like the one with the candle, where you need to be as still as possible).

One specific one to mention, because I was really surprised by one of the new modes - "Orienteering". Uses only the Gamepad, no balance board, and you're given Miis to find around Wuhu Island. You move by walking/jogging on the spot... the game detects the movement via the gamepad alone, and works remarkably well.

I'd definitely recommend it if you want something that will help to motivate you to lose weight. Since the Fit Meter does the job of pedometers much more expensive than it, and you get the game for free (right now) using it, it's worth the purchase.

It's definitely out in the UK, there was a huge advert for it in Argos. But when I saw it, it was like what, that's out!? as I'd not seen anything for it prior to that.

A look at game.co.uk reveals that, while the game is out at retail, it's also sold out at the moment. The only thing readily available is the Fit Meter alone.

I'm guessing that Nintendo didn't put a whole lot of stock out at retail yet, since most people were probably going to go for the Fit Meter + Download deal.

Stock also appears to be quite low here in Australia - I looked at the JB HiFi website, looked up Wii Fit U, and checked for in-store stock. The nearest store with stock is 730 km away from me, and it lists a total of three stores (one in NSW and one in Victoria) with it in stock at all. There are no Balance Board bundles available right now at JB HiFi.

Ryuzaki doesn't disappoint. Dooming a game that is not even out yet at retail. Go Ryuzaki, you can set the standard for all the newcomers that are and will be coming to the site.

I really doubt Wii Fit U will become a phenomenon like the original game. However, if distributed and marketed correctly, it could still be both a software success and something that drives hardware sales.

Nintendo needsto do the following:

1. Differentiate it from the original game! Key to success is to make people KNOW it's a completely NEW game, based on a new hardware concept.

2. Use retail stores as the PRIME way of distribution, and build parts of the marketing around that, with certain Wii Fit U boths in the largest retail stores. Also have a Wii Fit U tour during the spring and summer with fitnes celebrities attached to it.
E-shop should just be a secondary way of distribution, since the casual game consumers that Wii Fit U is meant to attract don't use e-shop as much as hardcore game consumers.

3. Have a clear product message and MARKET IT to the RIGHT audience. In other words use different markting channels than with regular game consumers.

4. Sell a Wii Fit U hardware package including the regular Wii U hardware system, a Fit Meter, Wii Fit U and a BLACK Balance Board. Also throw in an exclusive trendy exercise outfit in the package to add value.

5. Pray that consumers see it as something much more than the gimmick the original game actually was.


With the above, I believe Nintendo could reignite the Wii Fit brand, and Wii Fit U could hit worldwide sales of atleast 5 million copies, and probably also add close to 5 million in hardware sales.
Unfortunately it seems Nintendo believes the "game" will sell on its brand alone, and therefore I even doubt it can reach sales of 1 million includingboh retail and e-shop.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerms/WII+FIT+U.htm

All SKUs available instore and online at Argos. I wonder if GAME just ordered low quantities.

Or maybe Argos ordered an insanely large quantity. Or Argos recently got a shipment. Or people just aren't going to Argos to buy it.

We don't know, we don't have data. My only point with the mention of GAME is that at least one dedicated gaming retailer says they're out of stock of it, which suggests that it *is* selling in the UK. Of course, I've postulated that most current Wii U owners that are going to get the game got it through the digital + Fit Meter deal; if I'm right, then even if we had retail data it wouldn't be particularly informative.

Or GAME ordered low quantitied, love how you miss that one out in your list of possibilites. After having to send shipments BACK to Nintendo (Industry first?) I doubt any retailers in Europe are stocking much of anything to do with WiiU.

I like how you didn't even bother to read the post I had quoted (and thus was responding to). Note the bolded bit above.

Context: it matters.