Bad news for Nintendo, specifically on the Wii side of things: Software sales for the Wii have already peaked and have begun decreasing, according to sales tracked since May of this year. Sales of Wii games peaked two years after the consoles launch and have steadily decreased each subsequent year, finding the Wii behind the curve. The somewhat embarrassing news? PS2 game sales were still going strong nine years after the console’s release and had a higher peak than its Nintendo competitor.
Nintendo does find itself leading in its console sales, but if they don’t have the software to go along with it, it’s going to be harder and harder to sell console units as the years go on. Four years have passed since the Wii’s launch and it’s already seeing a dramatic decrease in game sales, and for the entire year of 2010 gamers may only be buying two games for the system. It is important to note these are estimates via analysis and are subject to change.
The Wii has always been an unusual console to me. Yes, the price alone makes it an incredible competitor with Microsoft and Sony. That’s all well and good, but if you don’t have the software to support the hardware, a company will begin experiencing trouble.
Nintendo has strong IPs under their wing and fans are always eager to pick up the latest Mario or Zelda game, but with so few AAA titles coming out for the Wii, it’s hard to maintain that lead in software numbers. There may be hope yet with this fancy new Zelda game coming out, but will it be enough? Even Shigeru Miyamoto himself has said he has to bring something new to the table.
Nintendo will never find themselves out of the gaming market, but I think a look at what they want their console to do and how to do it may be in order. It’s not enough to be accessible for everyone anymore, content is more important than ever.
Source: Joystiq
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My Wii is just collecting dust on my TV stand… it isn’t even plugged in.
There are a few titles I’d like to get for it, however. They just don’t push out as many huge hits that HD consoles bring.
I was thinking about hooking it up in my room just for Netflix streaming….
The Netflix interface is so bad, IMO. It’s leagues away from the setup Xbox 360 has and whenever I see it, it just seems so…archaic. It gets the job done, but I just wish it looked a lot better. Hopefully that will be a possibility, but who knows?
Haven’t tried it yet, but I have the disc. I use my 360 for Netflix quite a bit, love it. Already having the Wii is an easy fix for me to stream Netflix in my room.
I hear that! My Wii hasn’t been used in almost 2 years now. They need some fresh content that isn’t shovelware.
True story.
You guys write for a gaming site? Ugh. The Wii is generally pumping equal amounts of “fresh” content as the other two systems combined. Unless “fresh” is a poor choice of words, of course. How are Modern Warfare 2, FFXIII, Bioshock 2 or BFBC2 “fresh”? Wii games may not match with your personal taste, but Muramasa, Sin and Punishment 2, Mario Galaxy 2 and Wii Sports Resort are certainly different and innovative compared to the glut of third and first person shooters that the HD machines pump out. Red Dead is great fun, but is it really different? Almost every single mission involves shooting 10+ bandits/rebeldes/Army guys. Every. Single. Mission. That’s a poor argument guys and it reeks of PS360 fantardism.
I cant buy a nintendo until they get in the same century with graphics The wii looks the same as my PS1.
No, it doesn’t.
How is this graph indicative of anything? It says that the Wii was ahead of the PS2, the console that moved the most hardware/software EVAR, for the first 2 1/2 years, and dropped off halfway through the third year. If it proves anything it’s that hardcore gamers should be ignored since they generally can’t seem to get a clue through their fanboyism. You guys need to understand that hardcore gamers are a very tiny piece of the game-buyers pie and your opinions and anecdotal evidence are only going to become more and more outdated. Regardless, it must suck to know that the Wii is kicking the 360 and PS3′s asses in total software sales. Besides, if anyone is in serious trouble, it seems to be Sony. Remember how Sony was going to have these amazing system sellers like God of War 3 and FFXIII and LBP? It’s funny how they didn’t really end up moving a ton of systems, isn’t it? The PS3 hasn’t even been competitive with the original Xbox. How’s that for worrisome?
Oh man, check this out:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1107064p1.html
5 out of the 10 top-selling games this year are Wii games?! Get out of town!
Two of the games are Mario games, which have usually meant a guaranteed sale for Nintendo. When it comes to Just Dance, Wii Fit, and Wii Sports Resort, two of those games came bundled with new peripherals. It sounds like I’m trying to bad mouth the Wii and I’m really not trying to. The only problem I have with the console is it doesn’t have a more steady stream of titles coming out that would actually make me want to play it more often. A lot of the games, with the exception of the AAA-titles, feel like very elaborate flash games to me. That’s very harsh of me to say, but with the exception of games like Sin & Punishment or Monster Hunter, I can’t name many titles off hand that aren’t part of Nintendo’s normal line-up.
As for the PS3 competing with original Xbox, I feel that Sony’s main goal now is to try and expand their console into that all inclusive media machine that it was marketed as way back when it first released (and as a result, did less than fantastic for sales). Yes, console exclusives haven’t panned out for Sony, but it’s not stopping companies who are developing for Sony to not produce excellent titles.
Yes, the Wii has built up its own game library, but for people who aren’t already familiar with the Nintendo heavy-hitters, they may be a bit more hesitant to purchase them. Games like Uncharted or MGS4 have been both critically acclaimed and they are a ton of fun to play and deliver.
Another thing worth noting, while small and probably insignificant, is that Wii games retail for at least $10 cheaper than Xbox 360/PS3 games. Sometimes that extra $10 is enough for people to buy a Wii version.