Wii U sales numbers aren’t looking any better month to month. According to NPD sales data, the Wii U sold just 40,000 units in April, which was once again outsold by the original Wii, which old just over 40k units. The PS3 and Xbox 360 on the other hand, sold over 100,0000 units each.
So far the Wii U has sold 3.5 million units worldwide, which doesn’t sound like a lot for a games console. However, when those numbers are compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 during the same period in their life cycle, it doesn’t look as bad.
During the same period in their first 6 months, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both sold under 3 million units. This doesn’t change the fact that Wii U sales are still below what Nintendo estimated (they wanted 5.5 million units in the first 6 months).
It also doesn’t change the fact that big third parties like EA have all but abandoned the system. Nintendo hasn’t been advertising and promoting the Wii U in any meaningful capacity since launch back in November, and first party titles have been limited.
When the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch this Fall, the Wii U will have some advantages. For one, the console should get a price cut and easily be the cheapest of the three next gen systems. Secondly, the Wii U would have been on the market for a year, with several large system updates. Thirdly, we expect several high profile first party titles from Nintendo this Fall, such as Wind Waker HD, Mario Kart U, and perhaps even a new 3D Mario game.
We’ll have to see how things go. And while the current sales numbers are disappointing, keep in mind that the current best selling PS3 and Xbox 360 didn’t do any better during their fist 6 months on the market.
