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Wii sales down 50 percent and probably decreasing photo

Run for the hills, it's all coming to an end! Wii sales have dropped! PS3 sales are up! The world is spinning out of control, people. In a recent talk with IndustryGamer, analyst Michael Pachter has said just as much, revealing that the Wii's sales are down 50 percent year-to-year over the last five months and he expects them to continue dropping if Nintendo doesn't start selling a new bundle or cutting the price of their system as its two competitors have done.

"Until the late August PS3 price cut, the Xbox 360 appealed to consumers, likely due to a higher perceived value proposition (the Xbox 360 'core' model was priced $100 lower than the PS3). With the core PS3 and Xbox 360 models priced only $50 higher than the Wii, we expect year-over-year sales of Wii hardware to continue their annual declines until the company either changes its bundle or lowers price. Wii unit sales are 50% below last year’s level over the last five months, and we think that September sales will repeat the pattern," Pachter said.

What should be noted is that "below last year's level" for the month of August is still 277,000 units sold in the US alone (more than the 360 or the PS3). That's not bad at all. In fact, it's good. See, half of a bajillion kazillion is still a bajillion, and when Nintendo turns a profit on every system it sells I just don't see them desperately clawing for extra market space just because their competitors are seeing an increase in sales. While a Wii price drop is sure to be coming at some point in the future I don't think it will be because Nintendo came in first place yet again. 


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45 comments | showing # 1 to 45

Arianol's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:10
Arianol
While I've always been loyal to Nintendo, they haven't really delivered to us hardcore gamers lately. They toss us a bone every once in a while, sure, but while this whole "appeal to the common household" crap sounds good, all it does in the end is put the big N's fans on the back burner. Maybe a slipping profit will be just what this old giant needs to start waking up.
Super Drybones's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:14
Super Drybones
Great, now gametrailers will have 6 shows talking about how this is the end of the Wii, like every episode.
Thank god destructoid doesn't over react to this stuff.
Mushman's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:19
Mushman
Next cats and dogs will be living together, and yes, Reggie Fills Aime has no dick.

That's my ghostbusters joke for the day, I'll move along now.
NihonTiger90's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:23
NihonTiger90
As long as it wakes them up that they need to remember about the core gamers out there, I'd say it's not a bad thing.
UncleMilkshake's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:26
UncleMilkshake
I do have a friend of the family who is middle aged. She bought a Wii and got bored with it one month later. The only games she bought were Dancing with the Stars and Wii Sports (which came with the system).

I enjoy my Wii for Wii Fit, EA Sports Active, Resident Evil: Lightgun Chronicles, and some of the Virtual Console stuff, but I can see the limited shelf life of it for the average user.
LK4O4's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:31
LK4O4
Well, they are still making a good amount of money even with slipping sales. People tend to forget, Nintendo was even making millions off of the GameCube. We're definitely in for some new colors (which is something Nintendo has always done in the past, but the color is black now because they think they're Apple), but we have yet to see about a price drop.

Then again, it is nearly three years into the life of the console, so the tech might be cheap enough that they can lower the price and still turn a profit on them.
Cyber Altair's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:31
Cyber Altair
Doesn't everyone own one of those things already? I mean for how long will the damn thing keep selling.
Tubatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:36
Tubatic
Oh Oh me next!:

Well, looks like consumers are finally coming around to the TRUTH about Nintendo's paper thin game console! Now all these poor unssupecting Wii Gamers are coming over to the winning TEAM! With all the good core titles and a system with real horse power! Good luck selling your snake oil now NinLAME-do!

How was that? Did I do it right?
Brlito's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:41
Brlito
Nintendo fanboy says: It's because everyone has the loving Wii, Nintendo loves us, Nintendo will take care of us. Unlike you failbox and PS3 jerks who still need marketshare.

Xbox fanboy says: People are now seeing how truly great Natal is, this is just a pre-emptive strike before the 360 takes over!

PS3 fanboy: Fad over! Time for $299 PS3 to take over! Natch!

War over, go home nerds.
Laird's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:43
Laird
This is probably because the Wii has already sold so many units. As long as it still sells a shitload, I wouldn't expect a price drop. Maybe a bundle. Regardless, I agree with Matt that Nintendo is still sitting pretty. Especially when you consider DS sales and software sales (or profits, rather). Not to mention the fact that Ninty makes a hell of a lot more profit off Wii sales.

Nintendo's Blue Ocean business strategy makes them immune to pressure from Sony and MS, at least until Natal and the Wand come out (maybe). So I don't think they're sweating over the PS3 selling more.
Natural 20's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 18:44
Natural 20
If everyone has bought a Wii. Who can the Wii be sold to?
lewness's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 19:07
lewness
WRONG. A thousand bajillion makes a kazillion, not two.
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 19:14
The-Excel
Their sales are down because no one needs to buy more, which is a lot more than can be said of its competition.
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 19:49
lubczyk
So how are those 3rd party sales? Will anything outside Nintendo, Golf, Music Games, Minigames and On-Rail Shooters sell?

Yeah, I'm not expecting Red Steel 2 or Call of Duty 4 Reflex Wii to sell well at all.

Watch Shattered Memories and Cursed Mountain bomb.

Wii, the 3rd party graveyard. I've already bought like 6 games this year.

I've bought over 12 games just for my PS3 this year. How many games has the average Wii owner bought?
MasterMS's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 19:50
MasterMS
Seeing as they are appealing to a more casual market now, you think they would drop the price to $99. I'm sure their sales would skyrocket. Not only that with the amount productions costs have dropped I'm sure they would still be making a profit.
sauceatron's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:07
sauceatron
how come i have a feeling it's because of the original price difference in the systems, that (and of course, the range of ages that play wii) the wii sold more. which means, more people have it RATHER than having an xbox or ps. now that those two have been made more affordable, and since everyone has a wii, people are now more subjected to make the purchase of an xbox or a ps.

yay or nay?
Zippyduda's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:17
Zippyduda
Well the Wii has sold 60 million whereas the PS3 has sold 21 million and the Xbox 30, so it doesn't even matter if they fall 50% per year.
Doomsday Forte's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:19
Doomsday Forte
@sauceatron: The price drop of both the 360 and PS3 is putting quite a bit of pressure on Nintendo. I mean, look at what the Slim3 did for Sony. Plenty of people held out for a price drop or due to rumors about a new system and the Slim delivered on both fronts. I don't see a major Wii revision coming out anytime soon (and I don't think there was one for the GC, and the N64 as well), but because the Wii is no longer the "cheapest option," if someone is new to gaming sees the compared prices between the consoles, the advantage isn't in Nintendo's hands.

And there's also the fact that households are saturated with the system. No matter how hard you wish, once everyone has Product X, you can't push additional units. Unless they fail, of course, but who would want to sabotage their own hardware? =P
Eradicopter's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:25
Eradicopter
Well, it seems as though everyone who wanted a wii has gotten one by now. Nintendo has sold such an insane amount of them I'm not surprised sales are getting a bit slower.
whormongr's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:25
whormongr
this shows us something that I would hope would at some point be obvious to everyone:
price cuts and new products translate to higher sales.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:27
Xzyliac
@Natural 20
EXACTLY! Now Nintendo needs to stop with the hardware bullshit and start putting out AAA software. With the new Metroid they can really get some momentum going with a couple good reveals next year that slowly trickle onto the shelves throughout 2010-2011.
Calleh's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:34
Calleh
...
Surely the sales of the wii going down makes more sense, since more people already own them, so less people would be buying them?
Fuck I don't know sales mean nothing to me. :<
MellowBunny's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:42
MellowBunny
I feel bad for my Wii in my room...T___T.

Just laying there next to my PS2 crying about how much I use my PS3.
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:54
Everyday Legend
Nintendo as a company needs to be reaiming some of their focus back to the actual gamer crowd - they need a first-party exclusive that doesn't include a gimmicky peripheral or an almost obscure niche to appeal to.

Time to drop system price by at least fifty bones and show off that new Zelda, N.
killah2010's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 20:58
killah2010
maybe its because everyone already has a wii
Steel Brotha's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:01
Steel Brotha
They can sell all the consoles they want, but when 3rd party games don't sell on it (No More Heroes, MadWorld) 3rd party companies move away. Remeber how Brutal Legend was to be a Wii only game?
Mr Jonson's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:05
Mr Jonson
Wii Slim, anyone?
EdgyDude's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:11
EdgyDude
Ah, seems finally NoA will get that swift kick in the nads it needs so much to wake up from casual dreamland. Kudos to Sony, they also at long last get their day in the sun, and though it's true its very late, it's also true it's due their own stubbornness. And MS? they can go f*ck themselves for all i care until they release a quality tested SKU free of hardware issues.
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:17
pedrovay2003
Since everybody has a Wii, yes, I've expected the sales to start dropping.
Hiltz's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:18
Hiltz
Uh, No More Heroes is GrassHopper Manufacture's best selling game. On top of that, it sold well enough to spawn a sequel.


Nintendo has and always will continue focus on the "actual gamer" crowd. Why? Well it's because the majority of Nintendo's franchises are for the core gamer. It's their bread and butter. Nintendo's simply doing a balancing act of making games for its fans as well as games for the expanded audience just like how it has been doing so on the DS.

I guess Sin & Punishment 2, Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Metroid: Other M, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Zelda: Spirit Tracks aren't core games, huh ?

People need to think before they say something stupid.
John B's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:25
John B
Two words: critical mass. By now most people who want one have one. If the rumor mill is correct and the Wii gets a price slash, its sales will go back but only of it significantly breaks the $200 barrier.
Vanor's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 21:29
Vanor
Nintendo isn't competing with Microsoft or Sony for sales, or for us (core gamers). They made the Wii and DS to compete against disinterest in gaming and what they feel is the gradual decline of the core gaming market.

This isn't about competition for Nintendo, it's about survival. Part of their strategy is to maintain the public's perception of the value of their hardware and software for as long as possible. To cut their prices would mean the value of their hardware and software would be diminished. That's why Wii and DS games haven't seen any price cuts or "Platinum/Million-Seller editions". They worry about if the value declines, then the interest in their hardware and software declines, and this is what they are competing against.

As for Sony and Microsoft, it's obvious that the value of their hardware has greatly diminished from their inception. The PS3 was 500-600 dollars at launch. If the system's value was worth that price range, then there would have been no need to cut the price, because the system wouldn't be selling so (comparatively) poorly. With each price cut and SKU, the value of the system diminishes. And because Microsoft and Sony aren't catering to the Expanded Market (yet, though I doubt they'll do a very good job of it when they do), they're competing over us (core gamers), which means they are more than likely going back and forth cannibalizing each other's sales.
matrixdude171's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 22:49
matrixdude171
So it seems Nintendo is finally feeling the burn of the recession.... excellent, excellent.... Soon, that etch-a-sketch will be mine!
gains's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/12/2009 23:24
gains
Folks, we're talking hardware here, and first party only. This isn't going to change their attitude toward games for the casual vs. 'core audience. It just means there will be a new Wii commercial on TV next month.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 01:39
Chronic Logic
Nintendo is fucking filthy god damn rich. Even if sales drop to 0 percent. They'll still would have sold more Wii and games.
Black Nexus's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 02:30
Black Nexus
considering Nin sold 69879 katrillion Wii's I think its safe to say they won't care.
thenooby1's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 02:31
thenooby1
I didn't know they expected people to buy 2 Wii's.......
FinnE's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 03:31
FinnE
It was only a matter of time. If you put your most dedicated fans (the hardcore gamers) on the backburner and continue to put out shovelware instead of great games, eventually, people are going to get bored of Wii <insert lame activity here> games.
Zantetsuken's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 07:35
Zantetsuken
FinnE has hit the nail on the head, they alienated the audience that they have had since the 80's for non gamers.

Eventually they would've got bored of it.
BluDesign's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 08:52
BluDesign
I got nothin. Nintendo will always appeal to me with their classic games and rehashes, but I don't even really think about the wii anymore.

At least my DS is still rockin it.
Vanor's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/13/2009 10:25
Vanor
The mistake that Nintendo has made in the last year or so is that they didn't put out any good games, or tried to put out experimental games that they thought would appeal to people, but didn't. That's why their sales are on the decline. Fortunately they seem to have realized this since they're putting out New Super Mario Bros., a game that pretty everyone that owns a Wii could recognize and want to play.

But the slowdown isn't from the recession, or because they abandoned us "core gamers" (they're catering to both markets now), but because they haven't put any good games lately. The Atari 2600 sold during a recession, and Nintendo isn't blaming the recession for their poor sales, and have gone out of their way to adjust their projections accordingly.
Steel Brotha's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 00:35
Steel Brotha
@ Hiltz
"Uh, No More Heroes is GrassHopper Manufacture's best selling game. On top of that, it sold well enough to spawn a sequel."
NMH has sold only 100,000 in the 1.5 years it's been out on the highest selling console this gen. 100,000 is really low in sales.
Hell Suda 51 wants NMH to appear on other platforms after NMH 2. Can't blame him.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 06:19
Sexualchocolate
It's a shame that Nintendo "don't care about gamers" - they've been spoiled by the whole "our market is everyone" thing and when their next console isn't a one-of-a-kind-appeal-to-everyone-even-grandma deal it's not going to see the same success.

Nintendo have officially sold out by going after a big but difficult market on which they won't have the same grasp next time while abandoning it's core market, you know, GAMERS.

My parents that have a Wii for when the neices and nephews come round are not gamers, yet they helped Nintendo's sales figures and they certainly wouldn't buy a WiiHD or a SuperWii or whatever, and due to the lack of "proper2 games on the Wii, i wouldn't either.

I will be borrowing MY wii back from them when Monster Hunter Comes out though, just for that one game - My name is Sexualchocolate and I have a problem with Monster Hunter.
gamesronlygames's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 09:23
gamesronlygames
So they are down, but still in the lead. What does that say about the competition?
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 10:23
Sexualchocolate
"What does that say about the competition?"

It says that the competition is after a completely different market, a far more specific market and a far more constrained demographic.

Granny doesn't want a PS3 but the ladies at the home said Wii bowling was fun...

Not to diss the Wii, I'm all for a bit of sillyness, but they're not aimed at gamers in the slightest, would even go as far as calling the wii a "console-like-toy" rather than a games console.
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