“The Wii U is dead”... “Nintendo should make abandon the console market”.... “Reggie and Iwata need to be fired” … “Even mobile games are surpassing Nintendo”... we've seen this kind of doom and gloom talk all so very often. Whenever the Big 'N' looks like they're in a pickle we get all the worst case scenarios possible... except, this time they're not in a pickle.
In spite of the Wii U's slow start, Nintendo has been really pushing forward and pushing hard to keep the Wii sequel relevant. The latest trend from the weekly Famitsu charts seem to reflect Nintendo's resurgence on the marketplace with the Wii U, as the console managed to move more than 100,000 SKUs in a single week.
DualShockers noted the flow and very little ebb from the little U that could. According to the Famitsu results, the Wii U was the top selling console of the week, managing 119,159 SKUs. The only platform ahead of it was from the handheld market and that was the 3DS – both the original version and the LL, which sold a combined 245,046.
Further down the list, both versions of the PS Vita rested at a combined 49,366, and even further down the list the PS3 moved a paltry 23,493.
If the Wii U keeps pace at this rate, they'll continue to keep a strong lead on the PS4 and Xbox One heading into 2014. As it stands, the Wii U is the current market leader in the eighth generation of gaming.
Some analysts, pundits and community goers believe that the PS4 or Xbox One could challenge the Wii U for the throne by February when the consoles from Micorosft and Sony respectively launch in more Asian territories. However, February is a long ways away for the competition when Nintendo is currently moving close to a 120,000 SKUs a week with the Wii U.
This number could also expect to hold steady as the Big 'N' continues to roll out more hard hitting titles to match the software already dominating the marketplace, such as Wii U Party, which managed to move 128,026 units in a week's time and ranking third on the overall software sales charts, bringing the total to 431,504. There's also New Super Mario Bros. U, which was fourth on the list with 113,773 units sold, bringing the total to 890,663 and showcasing that the game has sold more than Dead Rising 3 for the Xbox One.
Of course, Pokemon X & Y and PazuDora Z: Puzzle & Dragons Z were the crowned winners of the week as far as software goes, but we all know the Nintendo 3DS is on a steamroll lately to capture and keep the crown as the top selling and best selling handheld of the generation.
You can check out the hardware rundown below. But it looks like the Wii U's 340% sales surge was not an isolated anomaly, but rather the new standard. Prepare for Nintendomination this eighth gen, because it doesn't look like the king is ready to give up the crown anytime soon.
Famitsu Hardware Sales:
1. 3DS (Both original and LL) – 245,046
2. Wii U – 119,159
3. Vita – 49,366 (Both original and Vita TV)
4. PS3 – 23,493
5. PSP – 7,697
6. Wii – 2,444
7. Xbox 360 – 607
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