it did not, sold out or not 40K is pathatic for a launch. its as simple as that. can we call the wiiU a failure because of it? no if they really are sold out then they cant sell more. but still the number is very low, so it did in fact not sell well. and thats a fact

Maybe if it was 2005 I would be inclined to agree with you but not right now. It is a completely different situation to when 360, wii and ps3 originally launched. People here have cancelled holidays and they simply don't have the money to spend on electronics. Even i-phones don't sell as well as they used to (though there have been slight increases in sales). In my area I have yet to see 3ds take up major shelf space in the majority of my stores. They actually combine 3ds and ds stock on the shelves. And vita still has those little corner shelves where it's games sit there unwanted. On the majority of shelves in my local hmv and two games, both stores have less then 100 vita games on the shelf.

If ps3 had launched friday at the same price it wouldn't stand a chance. The uk as a market is a lot harder to crack then it was 7 years ago. Even microsoft are likely to struggle here. And 360 is currently the one to beat in the uk.

If we are going by timelines both ds and psp had whole sections dedicated to their games on the first day. After 7 months ds had half the stores as shelf space. That hasn't happened here. New systems launching at this point are all going to struggle when you compare them to systems which have been on the shelves for years. That is why 360 and ps3 are currently outselling the others here.

When you look at the fact that they met sold nearly double the stock they expected to ship last month they have done well. No debate there.

If I were you I would hold off these claims till nextbox and ps4 release. Of course if the Ps3 released this year at 350 dollars then it wouldnt sell well. Thats because its old tech at a higher price. thats a silly comparison just like holiday launch of the wii u to the vita launch

even the vita had better launch numbers when it released in a worse launch window. talking about numbers you can spin it all the way you want but they are still pathatic. 

If ps3 had launched friday at the same price it wouldn't stand a chance. 

WHAT???? do you even know anything about the PS3 launch?

I'm in Berlin currently and I didn't even notice that the WiiU has been released here already. I went to a Media Markt (Alexandersplatz) and they had loads of them (could be a new shipment though). I haven't seen anyone in the WiiU section except 4 kids (5-10 years old) though I saw one guy in the mid 40s that actually bought one at the counter.

When the 360 2 and ps4 release there is honestly no way of telling what kind of financial situation we are in. For ps3 I am basing this on entry price here. The entry price of ps3 was £425 if I remember right. Even back then I still managed to find stock everywhere. If we were in the financial situation we are in now, it wouldn't have sold. or it would have seriously struggled more then it did.

When we eventually recover sales of 3ds, vita and wii u will all rise. I would argue 3ds is actually doing very well. I think the only reason it is selling slower then ds here is because people aren't willing to spend. For the systems from microsoft and sony it will depend on how much people are spending and how much stock they get out.

@ bananaking Yes I know about the ps3 launch. As said above I could still find it everywhere though I speak for myself. There were most likely places that sold out but not in my area. You need to understand how I am looking at this. If 3ds and vita have sold as slow as they have at £230 what chance does a £425 console have? People aren't rushing out like they did in 2005/2006 now. Vita naturally outsold wii u because there was more stock. Lets see it reach 10 weeks and see what happens.

What I believe is that either the controller has hindered stock here, or nintendo are taking things slower because of the overestimated demand of 3ds and vita. I bet in 10 weeks wii u will have outsold vita by the same time margin. If we are still in the financial state we are by the time next christmas comes along xbox will struggle as much as 3ds, vita and wii u are now. For the type of situation this is here, all three are doing well. What you guys should worry about is how well vita is doing in the rest of the world because the uk is harder then it was back then. And if we are still in recession when the others come out, they will struggle as much as the current ones are.

The last time I checked 40,000 in the first 48 hours meant TWO days... Someone has probably picked you up on this already, but there we go.

Simply put.... excuses

No way. You guys can highlight vita as a comparison now but what did it sell after launch exactly? Considering it hit 100,000 after 10 weeks it can't have been much. Lets wait 10 weeks and see what happens. Only after that will I even consider this being a flop but it is really the rest of the world that matters.

Th fact that you can't see a flaw in that says a lot. A. UK has bought more Nintendo then Sony products last gen so comparing the Wii U to Vita is useless. And B. comparing holiday sales to non holiday sales is a really dumb comparison as well.