Wii U sales will only reach about a third of the Wii sales, according to game industry analysts. Piper Jaffray analyst Andrew Connor recently said in an interview that the company expects Nintendo Wii U will sell only about “35% of the volume of the original Wii” during the first 14 month on the market. Connor cites two big reasons for “sales slump”: the Wii U specs, which he believes are unimpressive, and the competition from mobile gaming.
There’s no denying that mobile and casual gaming has hurt general console sales over the past few years, with more and more people opting for cheap games on their smartphones and tablets, rather than home consoles. While this trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future, it doesn’t explain why the Nintendo 3DS, a mobile console, still managed to sell 15 million units in its first 12 months on the market. This is despite the onslaught of competition from iPhones, iPads, etc. The 3DS’ “Killer feature” is its 3D screen, and the Wii U controller, with its built in touchscreen, might be the same x-factor for the Wii U.
While the Wii U is unlikely to outsell the original Wii, which has sold some 95 million units to date, it’s much too early to write it off and estimate Wii U sales. The Wii U has several advantages over the competitors upcoming consoles, mainly, the new Wii U controller and the fact that it will have a full one year head start on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720.
