That was a different time. The Gamecube didn't make a loss did it? The SW seemed to sell quite well, the hardware definitely so.

Well the Wii U isn't being sold at a loss any longer though either right and earlier in its life it only needed the buyer to pick up 1 game to become profitable, so as i see it yes the Wii U may be selling lower then the other 2 but profit is still profit right? Throw the 3DS into the mix and i can't see Nintendo doing anything dramatic.

I do wonder why software sales are much lower then the Gamecube though...

Do you have a source for that? Last time I heard it was still making a loss, and this "buy one game" ect rubbish does not negate a loss leading strategy.

The Wii U has some fantastic arguments for it. No subscription, notably cheaper, almost all the big titles are exclusive, and a second screen so it isn't always dependent on the TV to do things.

Thing is they have to SELL that. Nintendo needs to advertise. They never do that.


I expect Nintendo will go forward with the titles they have planned for it, and if the big blockbusters like Bayonetta 2, Zelda, or X don't do something for the system they'll start switching to 3DS. And don't get me wrong: they'll give the systems a nice bump, but it won't save the system. I'm guessing the Wii U will get quietly discontinued in 2016. That's enough support most fans won't rage-quit Nintendo, but not so much it'll bankrupt them.

The 3DS will probably start showing age about that time, too, although the added support might give it another year or so. I imagine Nintendo will probably have a portable-console hybrid succeed both.

Are you sure they are not selling the Wii u at a loss?  THey did drop the price $50 and are bundling 1 to 2 games w most deluxe sales

I don t know the answer, just wondering were your info came from

As someone who bought the Wii U at launch, I have been disappointed in their efforts re the Wi U almost fro the start- having said that, I m more concerned with how much and what quality software they will release on the Wii U between now and its effective life end more so than how long its effective life ends up being-

I have not heard of any significant game they are planning on releasing that they did not mention at or before the big Nintendo direct they had in Jan/Feb 2013 - at least so far it seems they are going forward in some form w the games they planned at the start of the Wii U life but have not publicly committed to anything more- I hope that changes and they announce some high quality diverse software at e 3 but I have my doubts

Look at the pathetic effort they have done re the Eshop VC games today they released volleyball and that's it- does not sound like they care too much about the future of the Wi u or the people that own it

An unlikely partnership with Sega to develop the DreamWii.

One can always dream. :P

Im not sure how or where you're getting your numbers, but VG's newest Yoy chart has Wii u up 7.7% as of March 8th, unless i am missing something.

It's hard to imagine Nintendo are making a loss on such a low cost console. It's likely to cost less to make than a hard drive equipped ps3 or 360. It's the absolute minimum in hardware and licensing.

The gamecube was a state of the art console for its time. Yes it didn't have the brute force of the original xbox but it was still impressive. The wii u lags behind 360 and PS3 in overall performance due to weak cpu performance. The wii u can definitely go a lot cheaper and Nintendo can bundle more software.

It's difficult to predict what Nintendo will do though. Their decisions recently have been a disaster and its quite possible we will have more of the same going forward.

Nintendo have he potential to have a fantastic Christmas 2014 with a very competitively priced wii u with mario kart and perhaps another game. Nintendo need to realise they are in a corner and they need to create a must have package that will appeal to a huge audience.

Ultimately if Nintendo fail it would seem that perhaps they will be a handheld console only manufacturer and this may be the beginning of the end for Nintendo. I personally think its powerful dedicated gaming hardware that will survive long term and its the casual market that will be saturated by phones, tablets and other low cost hardware. Nintendo will struggle to find margins in such an arena.

Mediacreate = down 50k yoy

NPD = up yoy 8k for Jan/Feb.

Europe as I said we just have VGC estimates, but it sells really low there anyway.