Nintendo's Wii U Will Be Sold At a Loss

another random user tips news that Nintendo will be selling its upcoming Wii U console at a loss in the hopes that spurring earlier adoption will work out for the company in the long run. This differs from the Wii, which made money from the start, but it's a similar strategy to those used with the Xbox 360 and PS3, which both lost money for their companies at release. "The Japanese firm's president revealed the news after the firm cut its profit forecast. It marks a change in the company's business strategy. The decision to abandon the prospect of immediate profits in order to maximize later earnings is part of a growing trend in the tech world. Nintendo might have altered course to take advantage of the fact that neither Microsoft nor Sony have announced their next-generation consoles yet. Its pursuit of the more casual gamer means it has also had to take account of the keenly priced tablet market which attracts a similar consumer."

Comments

Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[crazyjj]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes). And, unlike some, I think that the $300-$350 price tag is fine (compared to the $600 debut price tag of the PS3, that's a frickin' bargain bin price!). But I haven't been hearing a lot of buzz about it, considering it's supposed to be launching next month. I know it's supposed to be as powerful as the PS3/360. And, of course, I know about the controller. But I haven't heard much about the debut game lineup. And even gamer podcasts and shows don't seem to be giving it much attention.

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well. And they offer a pretty good bargain most of the time. I think they're underrated myself and wish they got more respect. Not every console and handheld has to cater 100% to hardcore gamers, you know.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, am a Nintendo fanboy. I have really only ever purchased systems from the Big N. I agree with this author that Nintendo doesn't get the love they deserve. It is not like Nintendo made a mistake to not attract hard-core gamers with the Wii. It was an intentional business decision (which paid off huge as the Wii flew off the shelves and loved by families). The hard-core community may have felt slighted, but this is unfair.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

It should be illegal to sell at a loss, for competition and environmental reasons.

Captcha: baneful

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[demonbug]

The controller raises a lot of interesting possibilities (though it's a little bulky for my tastes). And, unlike some, I think that the $300-$350 price tag is fine (compared to the $600 debut price tag of the PS3, that's a frickin' bargain bin price!). But I haven't been hearing a lot of buzz about it, considering it's supposed to be launching next month. I know it's supposed to be as powerful as the PS3/360. And, of course, I know about the controller. But I haven't heard much about the debut game lineup. And even gamer podcasts and shows don't seem to be giving it much attention.

Frankly I think Nintendo, for all their faults (most notably, their admittedly piss-poor online support), kind of gets the short-shrift in the gaming community. Their systems may not have the cutting edge CPU's and GPU's, but they do what they do pretty well. And they offer a pretty good bargain most of the time. I think they're underrated myself and wish they got more respect. Not every console and handheld has to cater 100% to hardcore gamers, you know.

I think you've kind of answered your own questions. $300-$350 for a console with the same power as consoles that have been out for five years (and that you can get for less). A focus on casual gamers for the previous console generation (or two), which doesn't exactly attract a lot of attention in the gaming world. A control scheme significantly different from the other main consoles, which means it will only really shine with games exclusive to that console - but a worrying lack of information on launch and first-party titles doesn't exactly instill confidence that there will be a decent library.

Now news that they are going to release an under-powered console, with a limited selection of games, at a loss. That doesn't exactly help me feel confident about the future of the console (or of Nintendo, for that matter). It will probably do just fine, but I don't really see much to get excited about. I know lots of people that bought a Wii, used it for a few months, and basically gave up on it because every game that was released that made use of the unique control scheme seemed to be more of a tech demo than a game. Maybe some really cool games did eventually come out, but if so it was long after interest had waned. The WiiU seems to be a repeat of that - interesting concept, great potential, but unless they have some full-fledged, finished games at launch that make good use of the controllers, it's not going to get much attention from the gaming community.

Re:Why aren't people more hyped about the Wii U?

[Beardo the Bearded]

You can't get Amazon or Hulu outside the US. Netflix is seriously underpowered outside the US as well.

I have a Universal remote. It was $10 at what used to be Radio Shack.

I have a browser in everything. Even my microwave can run Chrome. The shittiest browser I've ever used, and I include the one I wrote in College using BCB+, was the whatever the fuck Nintendo has on the Wii. The browser on my WATCH is better and it doesn't even have an Internet connection.

Nintendo banks on their legacy games, and frankly their selection is terrible compared to the other consoles.

Seems expensive?

[NinjaTekNeeks]

Article mentions 250GBP for the unit which is about $ 400 US. That seems like a hefty tag for a Nintendo, which historically has been cheaper than MSFT and Sony. Game pad is another 160 $ for standalone play.

500$ buys me about 10 new video games or 15-20 sale games for my 360 or steam account, I probably won't be running out to pick this up.

Real power?

[SuperMooCow]

I've read some comments that say the Wii U is "as powerful as an Xbox360/PS3", however I've also read articles that mentioned the Wii U is two generations ahead of the other two consoles... so, which one is it?

Butthurt Xbox360 and PS3 owners spreading FUD about the new Nintendo system now that they have to comment about how gameplay is more important than graphics, or dumbass writers who will say anything to have people read their articles?

Do we even know the specifications of the Wii U's GPU to make such comparisons?

It's not that it's underpowered...

[realmolo]

It *is* a little underpowered for a system coming out in 2012, but honestly it's powerful enough. We've reached a bit of a plateau with graphics on consoles. PS3 and 360 games look *damn good*. If the WiiU can do that, people will be happy.

The bigger problem for the WiiU is that I think the console market has changed. People have SO MANY gaming options these days that game consoles just aren't as interesting as they used to be. Especially for the price. Nintendo wants to sell this thing for $400, but that buys you an iPad.

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft need to realize that they don't have the gaming market to themselves anymore. Not like they used to, anyway. And in this economy, cost is king. If they think they are going to be selling new consoles for $400, they are nuts.

Honestly, I think that both Sony and Microsoft should keep their current consoles alive indefinitely. I mean, why not? Keep lowering the price, and keep them alive. I'd love to be able to pick up an fully-loaded 360 with a Kinect for $100 in 2016, and still have new games coming out for it. Like I said, we've reached a bit of a plateau with consoles. Why not stay on that plateau for a while?