To Wii U "Haters": Why Do You Think Wii U Will Sell On The Same Level Or Worse Than GameCube?

[zorg1000]

anonymunchy said:

Soundwave said:
My suspicion is that Nintendo will hit the panic button with Mario Kart 8 and make their "do or die" stand with the console there.

Drop the Game pad (probably about a $60-$70 savings) as a standard and take another $40-$50 reduction in price ... $199.99 Wii U alongside Mario Kart 8.

I honestly don't think they have much choice left.

Smash Bros. isn't going to salvage the system where 2D Mario and 3D Mario and Mario Kart have all failed and Zelda sure as heck isn't either. It's Mario Kart or bust now.

Dropping the gamepad is really not an option as it is an integral part of the UI, the Wii U doesn't function properly without it. Most of the games may not show it just yet, but the console is built around the gamepad. The amount of redesign required after so many years of R&D can not be justified and this would in no way benefit Nintendo's long term goals.

I could see a bundle and price cut if Wii Fit U fails to pick up the ones attempting to honour their new years resolution and Donkey Kong not pushing hardware. Personally i predict healthy sales for the Wii U all year round next year though.

2D Mario has far from failed, its attach rate is over 50% and together with Nintendo Land by far the best selling game on the system. NSMBU is actually still appearing in notable positions in the charts in all regions, which gets us to the conclusion it's the support that failed. 3D World has already managed to climb to the top of the list as well. It was one of the few games to actually see an increase in sales over last week in Japan and will most likely see a considerable spike during Christmas week in other regions. These games are some of the few reasons the system is selling at all.

Smash Bros is a growing franchise, even the Gamecube version saw an increase in sales over the n64 despite the userbase difference. Total sales for the Wii version are over 10 million, not many single platform franchises reach these numbers. Even during the extreme Wii U doom period Smash and Kart remained hyped. It should not be underestimated. 

Zelda really depends on the graphical style Nintendo chooses to pursue I think, which is unfortunate really. Their claims of letting go of certain Zelda elements we've grown accustomed to could lure in potential buyers but a Wind Waker art style approach would blind these changes.

All that said, I don't expect massive spikes for most, if any of these games, rather a steady increase in interest in the console in general. 

I dont buy the whole gamepad is integral part of the UI argument. What about it wouldnt function properly with a Wiimote or Pro Controller?