According to an NPD representative, the figure represents a 38 percent decrease on sales for the original Wii at the same point in its life, and Gamasutra estimates that the actual number is between 45,000 and 59,000 consoles sold. If accurate, that would mean the Wii U performed worse in January than the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 did in any single month throughout their entire lifespan. Nintendo will be hoping for a sales boost later in the year from recently-announcedSuper Mario, Zelda, and Mario Kart titles.

Microsoft, meanwhile, announced that the Xbox 360 sold 281,000 units last month. We're yet to see numbers from Sony, but they look to be lower — Microsoft is claiming the crown of best-selling console in the US for its 25th consecutive month. The company reiterated the figure of 76 million consoles sold worldwide; an IDC report from last month cited the same number shipped versus 77 million units for the PlayStation 3. With Sony set to announce its next-generation PlayStation in under a week, it appears that the company isstill neck and neck with Microsoft towards the end of the PS3's life.

It seems demand has dropped off considerably for the Wii U for the month of January, selling well under the 430,000 units in December of last year. It's estimated that the Wii U has clocked in at around 45,000 to 59,000 total January sales. What are your thoughts, is this to be expected when there's no big games coming out in a few months, or is this a sign of more to come?

Source.

This thing already bombed.

I have no interest in playing a game with that controller

I keep forgetting that the Wii-U is a thing. I also can't help but feel that it should have been called something else.

I've never had the urge to look outside of my tv or monitor when gaming, and when I have to, it's frustrating, like trying to printscreen something, that said, playing the wii u sounds... not appealing to me. I am all for innovative controls, but just pushing another screen at you with no real use for it, other than to annoy you and prompt on screen to 'now look at your controller for more options', no, just no. Until I see that game that enhances the core gameplay with another screen, I might check it out. Also, that thing is too big to any comfortable position, maybe some people like to rest it on their laps, but that doesn't work out for me, I usually lean towards the tv with the controller suspended above the floor, holding that big thing for a long time also... not appealing.

Man the amount of money MS and SONY must be losing, mobile phones sell 200 million a quarter. PCs usually sell 100 million a quarter. It takes xbox 7 years to sell 76 million. what ever who cares give me my games

I can't remember what insane number it is of activated android devices per day, but it's in the multiple tens of thousands. I know android spans many many types of devices, but surely the bulk of those are smartphones/tablets, and the bulk of those smartphone/tablet activators will use that for quick games and not care about any other device. Google and Apple are really dominating the sales charts, and someone would have to be seriously dumb to think it isn't affecting traditional gaming at least a small bit.

The biggest problem I see when I look at myself is that I'm going to have money to buy 1 new console. So I'm waiting for the new consoles which I believe will be better than the WiiU. I can only imagine that I'm not alone in this. Moreover, "remember that Wii we bought? The one that's collecting dust in our living room? They have a new one now!", isn't really a seller either.

Well obviously, there are no games coming out for it. As we've seen with the 3DS, people buy games consoles to play games on them, amazingly enough when there are no games that people really want to play no-one's going to buy your console. When the games do arrive sales will pick up. As it stands the WiiU has no system selling games to speak of. I am really tired of Sony and Nintendo releasing consoles with no games lined up and wondering why they sell like shit.

@damisterchief: Consoles earn most of their money from licenses on game sales.

Next E3 will be incredibly interesting. Nintendo will have to show off some incredible games and probably cut price as well. On top of that they will need to cut through the blizzard of next gen discussion around Sony and Microsoft which will undoubtedly dominate this year.

I really do hope that Nintendo will be able to pull through this. Then again, I'm not buying a Wii U and it would be nice to play Nintendo franchises on my next gen systems...

Nintendo's Dreamcast. I don't think they'll recover. They won't even be able to sell DS' much longer as people use their phones and tablets more and more to play games.

There not going to show Zelda in any meaning full way as they are re-releasing wind waker, no Metroid as they let team ninja rape that to dead, no Mario as we already got that, Mario kart 8 / smash brothers 5 are both not really things to get excited about, new IP? Maybe but that would be a single game then. The only thing I really can think of is Retro, since nothing has come from them besides Donkey Kong Country Returns.

So yeah my expectations are low, really low.

This does not surprise me in the least, considering there's absolutely nothing exclusive to it that's must have and the naming/marketing of it seemed like a pretty big misstep. Not to mention that they basically made a competitor to the 360/PS3 when the hardware is on its way out, so when the Microsoft/Sony bring out their next consoles it'll be such a huge gap between WiiU and everything else.

So what? Doesn't help if most are casual users who doesn't by any other games for it.

Edit: Just to point out I don't really care about the Wii-U, but competition is good.

The Wii U just looks like an awful idea for a console.

Well maybe, except the Dreamcast was pretty awesome and the Wii U...well, it remains to be seen. Not much on the Wii U worth paying attention to right now.

It seems likely it'll pick up once more games come out for it. If not then we most likely have another GameCube like system again.

Man, they really need some big titles for this thing and fast. I'm sure a 3D Pokemon game would sell like hot cakes.

I loved my goddamn Wii even though Nintendo still fucked me up the ass. You know, no Mario Golf, F-Zero and the overall lack of software from the franchises I most enjoy. The Wii U doesn't have shit I want to play and the future doesn't seem to be bringing any of them to the table any time soon. Not sure what Nintendo has been doing with its time. I was hoping they had been developing software. Maybe they gave all that money from the Wii to their shareholders.

Well they turn the 3DS around, so hopefully they can do the same for the Wii U, but yeah, if those numbers are right, they are in trouble.

That's (sadly) what I am thinking too, they really need to adapt their business right now, not just software with online, they need to adapt their hardware.

@bestusernameever: right, because what we need right now is another generic platform in an already ongoing arms-length race to push the best hardware for the lowest cost, which was already single handedly won by PCs decades ago.

True. I'm not saying the Dreamcast was bad, it was my favorite console of all time....until I got the Xbox (which I felt the Dreamcast lived on through, as they were actually quite similar).

They obviously need a Marcus Wii U advertising campaign.

They made the 3DS relevant again rather quickly so I have some confidence that they'll do the same for the Wii U. Give me a Mario game by the Galaxy team and then I'll be interested in getting one.

Wii U is gonna have a new Smash Brothers and a new Bayonetta. Combine that with Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem and Monster Hunter, and really, even if it does poorly commercially it's gonna have a fucking outstanding library.

I feel like it's a little too early to count the Wii U out yet. Mostly because they haven't bothered releasing any games for it since launch. Once that tiny problem is solved, I feel like it will successfully reach Gamecube-level sales numbers. I for one have already resigned myself to purchasing one. Why? You already know the reason.

there aren't any games so why would you buy the system?

Maybe if they make a zelda game and after I hear that its great I'll start thinking of the wii-u . I really can't see myself ever buying the thing, cause I'll probably buy ps4 next, than new computer. Now is the time when WiiU should be crashing it, their out in front of next-gen, somewhat. There aren't any big name games coming for a short while there is a perfect window which nintendo is missing.

Ya I keep thiking the same thing. Imagine casual customers. I catch myself saying wii all the time and when I see a setup in store I go oh ya.... Also my dad and mom thought it was controller add on. So..good going with the name.

What we don't need is a controller that is huge and proposes no benefit above regular control methods. I love Nintendo's innovation, but the Wii U is the weakest of the bunch other than the virtual boy. If nintendo and 3rd parties treated it as a controller first, then IF they found a good use for the screen, adding that functionality, I'd probably think the Wii U has a big upper hand as far as control methods go. Right now though, the Wii U is playing to none of it's strengths, it's like they just threw everything at the wall and hoped the consumers would like something about it.

What are you even saying? If we're talking about games (where MS and sony make all their money) sales on any system other than iOS are laughable. PC and android game sales are wildly undercut by big piracy problems. Even if there is 100 million PC and 200 million phones sold each quarter, how much of those users buy games and give their money to game developpers? Not that many compared to a PS3 or 360 owner.

Maybe all these devices are competing for our attention. Phones and tablets might be eating away at the console market but I will fight that trend until it's no longer a problem or until I die. Seriously, I never had a single meaningfull experience with a phone game or a game built on these new buisness models. 99% total trash and garbage and 1% xbox live arcade level of entertainment. If that's the future of the medium... than god help us all.

Nintendo really shot themselves in the foot naming it the Wii U.

That is true, forgot about the insane android piracy problem, thinks it's something as high as 60% pirating customers for a lot of games. PC is bad too, but Steam really is the big platform there, and it works well enough to make PC a lasting success.

I don't think the basic idea is particularly flawed. Seems to me the plan was to make a console that serves as an advanced DS for the television. Given that the DS' usual usage of the bottom screen is mostly always-visible menus (maps, inventories, etc.) I think it was a viable idea that could have been more successful than it apparently has been for them so far. They made several mistakes:

-It's underpowered and will be obsolete as a direct competitor to MS and Sony by fall of this year. The two screen gimmick cannot carry the system in the same way motion control did for the also relatively underpowered Wii. They banked far too much on the casual market eating up the controller just the same as they did the Wii. Huge miscalculation.

-They failed to differentiate the system from current hardware. "Wii U" made it seem like a peripheral add on. Gameplay footage didn't do a great deal to separate it from current gen either. Sure, the Wuu games look nicer than Wii ones, but it's not I want to spend hundreds of dollars for this new thing nicer.

-Weak 3rd part support at launch. This is partly an extension issue to the horsepower problem. Third party isn't biting.

-Catastrophic online functionality at launch. Tons of bad word of mouth from games media as a result. Consumer confidence weakened.

If they had decided to go head to head with MS and Sony with an equally powerful system and some third party support, rather than leaning on the touchscreen controller gimmick to save them, I think the console idea could have done well. Hell, I would have been interested in something like that personally, and I haven't owned a Nintendo console since the N64.

Once it gets some good games(Bayonetta 2, Pikmin 3, Windwaker HD) i'm sure sales will improve.

This right here, Nintendo didn't change anything huge because they thought the consumers would just buy it on the name alone, well, it looks like the name only caused confusion, not a genius branding move. Plus yes, the controller method has turned people off immediately that I've seen, casual gamers are willing to jump head into a game they don't know at a party if all you have to do is move the controller like the sport/game on screen, if you hand a non gamer this huge, sort of complex looking controller, you instantly get the 'no, I just don't feel like learning this' face.

But, I don't know what Nintendo should have done to follow the wii and not 'abandon' their innovative and creative past. The best route would be making a successful console, just not wii successful, more like Gamecube numbers, which were actually quite good. Nintendo's ego is showing now, they thought they could strike lightning twice without actually understanding why the Wii was such a hit, simplicity. Gamepad, Wiimote and Pro controllers for one system doesn't ring of simplicity.

No games, man. How do you convince people to buy your console when you don't release a steady stream of new games to keep consumers excited? I don't believe the Wii U is dead yet, but it's on life support as it waits for a few high profile games to appear. I think if it can make it through to mid 2014, it will be okay. More games and a price reduction will help settle it into the Gamecube-like 3rd spot this next generation.

<p>What is the target audience of the wii u? I think it's supposed to be the wii casual audience which doesn't exist anymore. How can expect to sell a game console when your audience doesn't exist? How can you sell a Nintendo console when even those big Nintendo fanboys are mostly gone? I hate to say this but I think Nintendo shot themselves in the foot this generation.</p>

Things aren't going to get better without games along with Google and Apple pushing another generation of product out. The window to help is closing fast.

And who is still buying 360s or PS3s?? I am really questioning the accuracy of the way they gather data.

This thing will be a new GameCube. Sells small but just large enough for their first party stuff to do well as usual but nothing beyond that. Which was fine back then. That thing didn't lose them money despite it's limited success. It will be back to their 20-30 millions or so core audience they've had forever now.

To me the real question is, is that enough? Their shares must be so much higher now than what they were in the GameCube days. Is going back to a smaller kind of success even a possibility anymore? I know that if i was a new investor that came on board while the Wii was killing it i'd probably be pretty pissed at the moment.

The PS2 went on to sell over 50 millions unit after the PS3 came out. These consoles will continue to sell for years. Plenty of people started this gen late and have plenty of catching up to do before running out of quality games to play. That plus all the emergent markets that get the consoles way later than the big and rich established markets.

Couldn't agree more. It had no chance.

Given what it looked like (possibly an add on) and the lack of advertising the name was just damning.

Well put. Agree with the GC comparison.

So, it's pretty much fucked, right?

I wouldn't say fucked. Any hope of it being Wii like seems unlikely at this point. I think Gamecube-esque seems more likely.

The PS2 also existed in a different era at a different price structure. I'm not suggesting no one is buying hardware but given the level of game sales, something doesn't "jive". If all of this is correct then there are millions of people buying consoles and deciding to play only a handful of 2 or 3 year old games or Madden and have no interest in anything else.

@extomar: games continue to come out for the old platform for a while after release of new hardware. First-party studios usually switch immediately, but third parties will continue to publish where there is money i.e. the system that everybody has.

People like to downplay the Gamecube's success, but it actually sold well. So I agree, I see this Wii U as a moderate success in the long run, and I don't think it's too soon to predict that, on hardware alone it's clear it won't sell like the wii, because a lot of wii purchases were just because of it's control method, Wii sports and Mario kart wii.

Yeah I'm with you, GC was a solid console and certainly wasn't a failure.

The issue becomes though, as @pr1mus points out, that Nintendo is a public company and investors as of late came on because of Wii success. It's not the same company that it was back then and the market has changed. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Absolutely, such a strange move, the mass, casual market has moved to mobile gaming pretty much, it's been said a million times I know. But that's the point, it's so obvious where the casuals are now, iOS, android and dare I say it, the 360 now, for Nintendo not to realize that, pull it back a bit and make the next gen console a next gen console is so weird to me.

Who knows, maybe in a year they'll push the pro controller and have a clear marketing strategy against the real next gen. But then it still has the problem of being under powered... uhh, oops?