It’s like the quintessential “chicken or egg” discussion.
The Wii U hasn’t exactly been flying off the shelves lately, and people are pretty much all but ready to call it a flop. However, what people disagree on is why exactly the console hasn’t taken off. Some believe it’s due to the price being somewhat on the unreasonable side. Others think that it’s because there are only three or four worthwhile games for the system at the moment. And most others believe it’s a combination of the two. Well, count Satoru Iwata in the Lack of Software camp.
In a discussion with CVG, Nintendo’s CEO stated that he did not believe that price was the reason why Wii U hasn’t been selling as much as it seems that it should. Instead, he believes it’s due to the software, or lack thereof. He cites the lack of familiar Nintendo titles has brought sales down far more than the price did. Regardless if you support that camp or not, the numbers don’t lie. In the last quarter report, it was shown that only 160,000 Wii U consoles were sold within the past three months.
Of course, it’s still too early to pronounce the Wii U as DOA…after all, the 3DS certainly has rebounded nicely.
Source: IGN
Price has rarely been an issue before as many of the most expensive systems have sold well. But with the economy suffering, and the 3DS’s take-off clearly after the price-drop, price may be becoming a factor. Lack of games is certainly a problem, and, as I have said before, lack off competition. It is way too early to say, and even MS and Sony (who is certainly no one to judge rebounds) have quieted their criticism. It mostly seems to come from stock market pundits who seem intent on destroying Nintendo’s reputation.