Nintendo Slashes Wii U Sales Expectations | DrJays.com Live | Fashion. Music. Lifestyle
Nintendo Slashes Wii U Sales Expectations
Submitted by Ben Glaser on January 19, 2014  11:47 amNo Comment
Nintendo announced this week that it expects much lower sales of its Wii U console than originally anticipated. Its another sign that the struggling Japanese gaming company is having trouble keeping up with competitors.
In a profit warning issued this week, Nintendo cut global sales forecasts for the Wii U by a whopping 69%, from 9 million to 2.8 million. It estimated a record 35 billion yen ($335.2 million) operating loss, and forecast shortfalls in Nintendo 3DS and original model Wii units as well.
Nintendo has faced fierce competition from Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox, which have attracted high-end gamers with better graphics, bigger titles, more intricate games, and better online integration.
On the other end, tablets and smartphones provide users with simple, motion- and gesture-controlled games, and lower prices and without having to buy additional hardware.
The Wii U was intended to counter some of these problems, putting a touchscreen console in the middle of a more traditional gaming controller. Instead, the device seems to have combined the worst of both systems, not the best.
According to Bloomberg, the Nintendo CEO recently discussed ideas about evolving business plans: