From a software development side, yes. Things don't look great, though apparently Nintendo is planning some major announcement just over the horizon. (Still plan to be disappointed.) However, the Wii has already recouped their R&D investment and then some. So Nintendo's response is likely "Who cares? Care to swim in our money pool?"
Wait, so you mean pissing Minigame Collections on the Wii won't make it do well? You don't say? Does this mean that Nintendo has to... no, never mind. I need to preorder Wii Sports Resort!
The state of my Wii has been pretty bad for a while since I haven't bought a single game since SSBB and haven't played it for quite some time; but I highly doubt thats anything bad for the Wii in terms of sales of hardware and software because the games they are pushing out right now appeal to the casual crowd and that is a large amount of their user base.
The Wii isn't selling as much anymore in Japan because everybody pretty much friggin has one. 127.3 million people in Japan according to Wikipedia, 7.8 million systems sold. That means that there's one Wii to about every 16 people. That's pretty damn good. DS sales are better because a game-playing household only needs one Wii, while everyone can have a DS. That's the same logic behind the high PSP sales; handhelds are big in Japan. Sure, they could sell more, but they are. The PS3 didn't outsell the Wii by 50 million units. I think it was 3,000 or so.
Meh, this means nothing. It is just fast food for the Wii haters. They started calling it a failure before it was released. They got that wrong. They called it a fad when it succeeded and it kept selling. Now they are just jumping on a sales dip. Boo hoo. The Wii is so far ahead of the game, it would take a cataclysmic shift to change anything, get over it.
Th only thing they got right in the article was the bleeding obvious. There are marginally more PS3 and 360 units out there than the Wii, so they can make a game specifically for those consoles and port back and forth. To continue to ignore 48% of the market is still stupid. For every big franchise on the PS3 and 360, there should be a quality side story game that compliments it, exclusively on the Wii, built from the ground up. Then make an equally good quality side story for the DS, built from the ground up. That is a proper business plan.
"Meh, this means nothing. It is just fast food for the Wii haters. They started calling it a failure before it was released. They got that wrong. They called it a fad when it succeeded and it kept selling. Now they are just jumping on a sales dip. Boo hoo. The Wii is so far ahead of the game, it would take a cataclysmic shift to change anything, get over it.
Th only thing they got right in the article was the bleeding obvious. There are marginally more PS3 and 360 units out there than the Wii, so they can make a game specifically for those consoles and port back and forth. To continue to ignore 48% of the market is still stupid. For every big franchise on the PS3 and 360, there should be a quality side story game that compliments it, exclusively on the Wii, built from the ground up. Then make an equally good quality side story for the DS, built from the ground up. That is a proper business plan.
"
Ummmmmmmmmmm . . . I think Chinatown Wars speaks to the opposite of that. But I agree, to an extent. I'd be happy without a Lost Planet spinoff, but with exclusive franchises to the Wii, which it will probably get. Hell, Dragon Quest X is exclusive to it.
Oh, shit. Just wait for that to come out. Wii sales will skyrocket.
That's a non article. One analyst says so and it's true? Wasn't it the same analysts that spelled Nintendo's doom when the Wii had barely launched at all? The other first parties have a LOT of ground to cover if they're to catch up. Also, the EA comments are taken COMPLETELY out of context. It wasn't a jab against Wii development, it was a jab against developers that try to make quick cash-in ports instead of focus any actual resources. EA shifted 50% of its development workforce to the WIi some months ago, they're not about to change mind again after admitting they made a BIG mistake by not providiing proper support for it initially. Anyway, when they take positive comments (an urge for developers to provide proper support) out of context to make them sound bad for the Wii as a platform then it's clearly a non article grasping at straws. Yahoo?
Also, this is in that article: "that still leaves plenty of wiggle room for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 to continue closing the gap. And if Japan is any indication (and it usually is), that gap can disappear in a heartbeat"
How can ANYONE write that without being sarcastic? Disappear? In a heartbeat? Because of one month's slower sales? Seriously? Does he even know the extent of the gap he's talking about to even begin to think it's closing, as opposed to just "widening slower" or something?
Balderdash! The Wii is as healthy as ever... for Nintendo. The Wii is doing just fine outside of Japan and some major titles are on the way soon. Wii Sports Resort will be huge, guaranteed.
Analysts are jumping @ every chance to bash the Wii so they can claim they were right. Nobody predicted Nintendo would do so well, and even after the first signs of success they naively kept calling it a fad. Now they're grasping @ straws hoping to validate themselves after the Wii made them look like the clowns they really are.
"Hardware sales are slowing now, but this was always going to happen - I'm just surprised it took 3 years. "
yes, hardware sales slow-downs are inevitable, but you have you take into account the software sales aswell. Game companies make most of their money from software sales, so if Nintendo's hardware sales and software sales both slowdown, then they will have big problems.
but anyway, i don't think Nintendo is losing sleep over this. becuase i think they already achieved what they were set out to do: and that is dis the hardcore, and cater to the casuals, where the $$$$$$ is at.
Dude, the Wii's sales are through the roof. It's fine. Nintendo have enough money to make a whole fucking building out of dollar bills if they wanted to.
Game companies make most of their money from software sales...
The important part of missing from that statement is that it includes most game companies; the exception is in fact Nintendo. Nintendo has/will never sell any hardware at a loss. It is just part of their business plan. While Sony and Microsoft live by the "Razor and Blades" model, Nintendo actually makes a little bank with each Wii/DS/whatever that is sold.
Yes, it is a problem if Software sells are slowing down, but don't kid yourself that Wii Sports Resort isn't going to do a killing. Hell, why does Nintendo need to do well on new software when Mario Kart and WiiPlay are still in the top ten every month of the sales? Those are long-ass legs, ladies and gentlemen.
Only when we talk about the Wii could selling more units than Sony or Microsoft combined be considered a portent to doom. The truth of the matter is analysts need to talk or they don't get paid. Hence, yesterday Sony was a failure, today it's Nintendo and tomorrow it's someone else...Microsoft? Apple? Sony again? Who knows, who cares? These types of articles have no value to anyone outside of Wall Street.
Even if by some bizarre twist of fate the Wii crashed and burned tomorrow, Nintendo still have near-domination of the handheld market with the DS. They also have amassed a fortune on the back of non-stop Wii sales for the past 3 years. With this in mind, I can't see how they would be in any kind of financial trouble in the foreseeable future.
The future of the Wii is gloomy...but not for nintendo. I see nintendo making games, but not making any more consoles. The Wii was a good idea at the time, but I honestly feel that it could have had more thought put into it.
I don't think it's as gloomy as the article says, but I do agree that having 50 million PS3s and Xbox360s together means multiplatform games will continue to dominate that end of the market. Which is fine by me, I have a Wii and a Xbox360.
"I see nintendo making games, but not making any more consoles."
Lol? Didn't people keep saying that last gen just because they were at third place? Now they say the same bullshit when they're at first place making more money than anyone dominating both the handheld and the home console market? Lol, get real, stop wanting Nintendo franchises or Nintendo controls on your consoles of choice, it's just not happening any time soon (this or the next gen).
The Wii will continue to sell as long as there are parents and young kids out there. Its here to stay like it or not. I dont own one, but i admire Nintendo and the job they are doing with it, they will and do rule in terms of sales numbers.
Log in to comment