Despite what some are saying, the general consensus among analysts is that the Nintendo Wii U will do just fine. Last week analysts from Macquarie Capital Securities told investors to avoid Nintendo stock due to the uncertainty around the upcoming Wii U console.
With that statement in hand, GamesIndustry went and got the opinion on the Nintendo Wii U from other game industry analysts. They asked the likes of Ted Pollak of Jon Peddie Research and Michael Pachter from Wedbush Securities. Most of them seemed to agree that if Nintendo prices the Wii U right, and has a decent launch lineup, they’ll do “just fine”, as Peddie put it.
Price wise, most analyst think that even $300 for the Nintendo Wii U is too much to ask. This is because Microsoft and Sony will likely lower the price of their current gen consoles even further once the Wii U hits the store shelves. As Pietro Macchiarella from Parks Associates points out, the key for the success of the Wii U lies in pricing the console right at launch, and not adjusting the price as Nintendo did with the 3DS. He also said that a strong launch lineup is important, but that goes without saying — every major console launch needs a strong lineup of games. He believes that Wii U sales will struggle if priced at $300, and that “not even Mario would be able to help”. All of the asked analysts agree that the Wii U controller is what sets the new console apart, and that Nintendo needs to really showcase its possibilities in order to attract an audience of core gamers.
The latest rumors indicate that the Nintendo Wii U will launch at $300, but if Nintendo pays attention to the market, and these analysts, we may very well see the Wii U at a lower price point. As for a games lineup, so far around 10 Wii U games have been confirmed for launch.
