If the WiiU outsold the launches of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 -- why is it such a disappointment?  People seem to forget that that both of those systems were outsold by the PS2 during their launch windows.

The WiiU did not reach Wii levels -- but nothing before ever did either.  Unfortunately, Nintendo set high (and unrealistic) goals for sales -- and those are now causing analysts to crow. But they seem to be ignoring all market dymamics.

* Even at a 52-week low, Nintendo's maket cap is almost 85 percent of Sony's.  That means that the maker of ONLY video games is worth as much as a global electronics giant.

* Calls to put Nintendo on Apple ignore that the company has had a bite taken out of it recently with decreasing market share, profits, and stock price.  it appears to no longer be the dominant player in mobile phones -- except to those who think Nintendo should put their games on them.

* The world economy has gone bust. The US economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2012 (GDP down 0.1%). Uneployment rates in many countries sit around 8 percent or higher. Fuel prices are higher.  In other words, it is not 2006 any more.  

I just wonder what analysts will say if/when the PS4 and/or Xbox 720 do not have gangbuster opening sales.

Mike from Morgantown

Oh, don't try to use reason and logic upon critics! They never listen anyways,

Won't work, WiiU IS STILL DOOMED!!!

They are all doomed.. thats how this site works... if they weren't doomed we wouldn't have anything to talk about and Spurrgeonryan would fill up this forum with his threads.. and then "we" would be doomed...

Nintendo channel stuffed retailers this holiday quarter and was really the only reason they were to achieve a three million print on shipments, and I could understand retailers willingness to take, the Wii back in 2006 did gangbusters for them. Reality set in and now those retailers sit on mountains of unsold merchandise and Nintedo cuts its Wii U forecast by 20+%. Outselling the launches of the X360 and PS3 is not a worry of investor in Nintendo.

Wii U outsold the PS3 launch? That's new for me.

Edit - And Apple break so many records in the quarter release... so EPIC.

Where are Apple's decreasing profits? (they are more like flat) They shipped a record number of iphones and ipads this past quarter. And nintendo did nothing to dent it as their sales and profit have been falling for three or four straight years. Its more competition from Android than anything Nintendo has done.

Its not 2006 anymore but Nintendo achieved record sales of Wii's and DS, record sales and profit during 2008 2009 and 2010, which was the height of the Housing and Credit crisis world wide when unemployment was 10% and the stock market was 1/2 of where its at now.

Apple profit down 6 cents per share.  Technically closer to flat, but still down.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/technology/apple-earnings.html?_r=0

Launch window numbers -- PS3 -- 1.612M. Xbox 360 -- 1.345M. WiiU -- 2.471M (with probably one more week of January data).

This is for November to January of the launch window, global sales.