By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Mr Puggsly on 30 September 2019
Edit Thread
theRepublic said:
Mr Puggsly said:

While I agree BotW and Super Mario Odyssey would have helped the Wii U sell more units, but we're talking about a console that only sold about 13 million units. Would those games have pushed it to 20 million? 25 million? Not everybody buying a Switch has Mario Odyssey or BotW. People were much more hyped about the Switch hardware in general versus the Wii U.

Basically I'm gonna stress the fact the Wii U sold horribly in spite of have notable content. If the console was closer to $199 at launch and simply used Wiimotes, I feel more people would have been willing to buy one even with the software complaints you mentioned. I don't believe the hardware ever went below $249 officially and that tablet control looked cumbersome and useless (fun fact: it was mostly useless). If the Wii U was just console and a Wiimote, it could have hit $99 to $149 at some point.

But again, it probably best the Wii U failed as it did because it was inspiration for the Switch. I'm also glad Nintendo has technically exited the home console market.

VGChartz has numbers for some Wii U to Switch ports. The Wii U had strong content that does well on Switch, but people weren't will to get the hardware.

The Gamecube dropped to $99, and that didn't help it to move units.  It launched at $100 cheaper than the PS2 or Xbox, and that didn't do it.  Why would it work for the Wii U when it didn't for the Gamecube?  Software moves the hardware.

Gamecube sold better and wasn't riding on the success of the Wii. It seems like the Wii U couldn't hit a low price because that tablet control was too expensive to produce.

So let me clarify, I'm not arguing Wii U would have been a great success if it was basically just a more powerful Wii relying on the same Wiimotes and priced lower. I'm arguing it could have sold better if it wasn't bundled and reliant on the expensive tablet control. Your example is the competitively price Gamecube which sold better.

In my opinion and I believe many agree, the Switch is truly a handheld console. Its the successor of Wii U and 3DS combined. I think that appeals to people more than any Nintendo home console would at this point.



Recently Completed: 
River City: Rival Showdown for 3DS (3/5) - River City: Tokyo Rumble for 3DS (4/5) - Zelda: BotW for Wii U (5/5) - Zelda: BotW for Switch (5/5) - Zelda: Link's Awakening for Switch (4/5) - Rage 2 for X1X (4/5) - Rage for 360 (3/5) - Streets of Rage 4 for X1/PC (4/5) - Gears 5 for X1X (5/5) - Mortal Kombat 11 for X1X (5/5) - Doom 64 for N64 (emulator) (3/5) - Crackdown 3 for X1S/X1X (4/5) - Infinity Blade III - for iPad 4 (3/5) - Infinity Blade II - for iPad 4 (4/5) - Infinity Blade - for iPad 4 (4/5) - Wolfenstein: The Old Blood for X1 (3/5) - Assassin's Creed: Origins for X1 (3/5) - Uncharted: Lost Legacy for PS4 (4/5) - EA UFC 3 for X1 (4/5) - Doom for X1 (4/5) - Titanfall 2 for X1 (4/5) - Super Mario 3D World for Wii U (4/5) - South Park: The Stick of Truth for X1 BC (4/5) - Call of Duty: WWII for X1 (4/5) -Wolfenstein II for X1 - (4/5) - Dead or Alive: Dimensions for 3DS (4/5) - Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite for X1 (3/5) - Halo Wars 2 for X1/PC (4/5) - Halo Wars: DE for X1 (4/5) - Tekken 7 for X1 (4/5) - Injustice 2 for X1 (4/5) - Yakuza 5 for PS3 (3/5) - Battlefield 1 (Campaign) for X1 (3/5) - Assassin's Creed: Syndicate for X1 (4/5) - Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare for X1 (4/5) - Call of Duty: MW Remastered for X1 (4/5) - Donkey Kong Country Returns for 3DS (4/5) - Forza Horizon 3 for X1 (5/5)