The lights are on
An analysis of the current console sale numbers finds that Nintendo's once hot system may have passed its prime.
The L.A. Times has an in-depth and interesting article up on the current state of Nintendo's Wii console, especially as its sales compare with the other major current-gen consoles. The article points out that U.S. sales of the Wii are down 24% in the first 10 months of 2010, when compared to the same period last year. That puts the system in third place behind the PS3 and 360. Both those competing systems have seen significant increases in sales during the same time frame.
The decreased sales have hit Nintendo hard, especially since the Wii has never managed to garner the sort of third-party support that other consoles have received. Without the royalties connected to big third-party game sales, Nintendo is left to carry most of the system's profitability on console and first-party game sales.
As the article points out, it'd be a mistake to count out Nintendo based on these current numbers. Nintendo will shortly debut the 3DS, a handheld gaming device that delivers true 3D without the need for glasses. Given Nintendo's previous success in the handheld market, it's not hard to predict yet another change in fortune for Nintendo in the coming year.
Email the author Matt Miller, or follow on Game Informer.
Yeah, but the first-party Nintendo games are by far the best experiences I've had as a gamer. I'm not worried.
Whats frustrating about this article is that it says
"U.S. sales of the Wii are down 24% in the first 10 months of 2010, when compared to the same period last year. That puts the system in third place behind the PS3 and 360"
Its trailing in competing against its OWN numbers. It has sold more than 360 and PS3 all year. Again.
I love/hate the Wii. I love the fact that finally nintendo has finally come out with a console that can be called unique. I hate the thing because the graphics are old and it's loaded with shovel ware. Oh and there is no light gun.
NINTENDO IS THE BEST
The problem why the wii falls short on sales ...is because the graffics on the playstation 3 and xbox 360 are 10 times better ..i have a wii but now that i have my ps3 i dont play it as much because the game play on the ps3 r so much easyer and it just looks better on the ps3...if nintendo really wants to get more profits and up ther game they should design the games better and make the controls easyer ..cuz i played silent hill on the wii and the grafics were ok but it was hell trying to play it ...i played other games on the wii and they just dont intrest me like my ps3 dose.
come on wii u...show us that nintendo will not fail
I bought a Wii 3 times. Brand new each time. And all I was ever stuck with was "Super Smash Bros", "Mario Kart", "Mario Bros", and the "RE Umbrella" games.... The Wii fails if it is your only choice for home consoles.... I think Nintendo should just stick to handhelds for a little while...
The Wii is an okay system but I'm not surprised to see that they lost their touch. The 3DS was a mistake, I say this because they should have had two thumb sticks from the beginning and now Sony's Vita is coming. Nintendo might be in trouble if you ask me.
Why don't they just make a new 3d wii! That would be awsome!
Too bad, yet not a surprise. Since the beginning of 2010 it was clear something like this was going to happen. You just don't hear people talk about the as much any more. Plus all Nintendo has really done to the Wii is just new games and different colors available for the Wii. Now most people talk about getting the 3DS, now I'm not too excited about it since I'm just kind of tired of the DS now.
No need to worry. We're going to get a new console next year anyway.
so sad, it's a great console.
It's pretty sad, though. I thought the Wii was awesome with it's motion controls. It just got alot of really sucky games made for it. Nintendo should be pleased with their work.
I love the Wii but they should make it 3D HD!!!