Nintendo UK Executive Says Wii U Has Had "Quite a Good Year So Far"

Definitely a change from what we were hearing back in January. Hopefully this optimism will continue.

Good for you nintendo, wish you all luck in the future ^_^

Should have aways been "good" this is probably the most underrated machine in the current generation (not just video games"

Why is this news? Of course a Nintendo executive's going to praise the console their pushing.

@ColdingLight they are just giving us hope that the Wii U can be successful

Together with PS Vita the most underrated system, only Wii U isn't abandoned, far from it. Vita in Europe is mostly dead. Also, 3ds was 'dead on arrival' too, by popular opinion. Never regretted getting 3ds and Wii U at their respective launch.

TVii Europe? Another executive promised it would be here this year, which is nearly over. As half assed as it may be, could really do with another option instead of my slowly dying PS3 for media stuff

Yeah it is improving but if these guys are in charge I would like to grab hold of them and say "hey!! Where are the bloody tv adverts???!!!" I've seen 5 PS4 adverts tonight no wonder it's selling so much better and quite frankly they deserve it due to their far superior marketing. Come on guys you need to sort things out!

Glass half full, that's the ticket!

This should be viewed in the context of 2013 which was a bad year for the Wii U in the UK and Europe, remember that quarter where they shipped negative units? (i.e. retailers returned units)

It is a step in the right direction but it isn't changing the destiny of the Wii U that is an underselling niche console that people will cherish for years kind of like the Dreamcast (Wii U doesn't have the 3rd party support to be Gamecube 2). Its got different downsides to the Dremacast (OS being terribe is not something you can say about the Dremacast) but many similar ones such as no EA.

Nintendo UK are not resourced to do the marketing push it needs and the system really needs another £50 slashed to fly better which is unlikely to happen considering it still sold at a loss.

Glad to see things are better than last year. The Wii U is very underrated. Though I haven't played on it a lot recently, thanks to Smash Bros. Still trying to beat all the challenges, get all the trophies, and all the customs.

Its INSANE how underrated the Wii U is!

And I'm finally getting one tomorrow. My main reason for holding off were two things, all linked to one thing

First of all I wanted a price cut, mainly because of (number 2) the lack of games. There were only really ten games I wanted, which in nearly two years wasn't good enough.

But that one price cut we had is unlikely to go any lower so I'm happy with Amazon's price of £239 with a game. It will probably be around £10 more in shops but that's a small price to pay to be able to take it home on the day

So now there are finally enough amazing games and plenty more on the way, it's finally time to get one.

PS It's the Super Mario and Luigi U bundle I'm getting. I'd have gone with Wind Waker but would rather own it on disc.

So long live nintendo

I dont know the numbers but I dont think a 60% increase over any 2013 # is a great accomplishment.

Wii U should be selling better, it just should. PS4 is selling pretty well I think. Do you know what exclusive games PS4 is getting this holiday - the year late severly broken DriveClub. Thats it, 1 exclusive. Everything else is also either on PS3 or X1. Wii U just got Hyrule Waariors and Bayonetta 2 is coming, and Sonic Boom is still an exclusive Wii U game as the 3DS game is very different, 3D multiplayer vs 2D solo, and Captain Toad (US) and SSB U which hopefully someday soon we'll find out is bigger and better than its 3DS brethren. X1 has Sunset Overdrive.

Wii U is also $100 cheaper than the other 2 new consoles, and the amiibo are coming, and it has other exclusives such as W101, Pikmin 3 and MK8. How incomptent must you be to not sell this system?

Nintendo did the right thing by bringing more of the one thing the other consoles don't have... Nintendo IP's.

@Starwolf_UK

Mostly and sadly agree with your assesment, especially in the UK.

Not sure why you think WiiU OS is bad? I think its better than say ps3 but slower than it should be for nextgen. I think there are things to like, eShop is solid, Miiverse, the browser are nice.

I think WiiU is overpriced in the UK market and could use a 50£ cut. For that matter I think a cut is timely in all regions for xmas as they really have a nice lineup and library to push new system sales.

I never thought I would say this but I think Nintendo should consider a gamepad detatched WiiU mini. Let it sync all controllers, hex the drive, 128gb flash and then remove vWii but bring Wii and GC to VC so you can buy the greats in digital and launch from WiiU dashboard. Sell it with a pro controller for cheap $149 bundled with smash or MK. Then make a new slimmer gamepad available seperately (for mini or original). Then offer both models old/new. I love the gamepad, but I also love that WiiU offers so many controller choices. I don't think gamepad would die if the offered with/without and separately. If they ever make a damned game that demands the gamepad it will sell more gamepads. Getting to be so many great WiiU games that could be played on a much cheaper platform.

If they bring great games, people will come, maybe not that many, but they will come, I have no problem with a GC sized body of Owners, as long as Nintendo can profit from the Wii U.

@QuickSilver88 That's a terrible idea. If Nintendo made a GamePad-less Wii U, third party developers wouldn't use any GamePad features. The Wii U would be in possibly a worse state than it has been.

Microsoft did just what you suggested and dropped the Kinect from the Xbox One. Now, essentially, it's got nothing aside from Halo to differentiate it from the PS4. Sure, not everyone likes the Kinect (or GamePad), but the proper solution isn't to cut it from the system. What developers need to do is show why they made this a part of the system and how it can improve your gaming experience.

@Great_Gonzalez Love your avatar. I wish Sega were still making consoles.

I don't know.... I don't know what momentum he is talking about unless it is strictly UK. No offence to Nintendo but 2014 has been a rough year just like 2013 has. Like the only two major releases were DK and Mario Kart. I know there are games like Bayonetta though I don't expect it to be all that great sales wise and Smash but from the beginning until now... it has just been drought time with a few drops of water here and there and developers are leaving else where so. And it feels like we will be in for another one come next year for the same time period. Like year the sales are up from last year but last years sales were just bad and now it went from bad to still bad for a console as old as it is.... I just feel this guy is trying to make it sound better than what it really is.

@FLUX_CAPACITOR

Easy Flux, don't blow a capacitor....lol. Look I said I love the Gamepad, and I do, I like it for offTV and also like it when its even minimally used for second screen purposes......still the point is and this is what Star Wolf was saying is even with an uptick in sales the WiiU is not going to be a mainstream commercial success. If it does 25mil that will be about max.

A device like I am describing could be real game changer taking WiiU sales to much higher numbers. You know already I don't need a gamepad to play almost every great game on WiiU. So this non-gamepad, would be offering your MarioKart, B2, Smash, Zelda, and everything else.

Look I like WiiU, and conceptually I think the gamepad is great, the problem is Nintendo has done little to justify its existence, and third parties haven't either. Nintendo's greatest asset is their IPs, which are being held back by poor hardware sales. Mario Kart on Wii sold what 30million units, MK8 which is the best MK ever will be lucky to 5mil in its life.

I have some great, awesome game ideas for gamepad use, and I think Nintendo is cooking some stuff (starfox and splatoon) that may make it a must, but so far it is not a required part of the WiiU experience. No worries though because Nintendo will likely not change course so don't sweat it.

Not dead yet!

But on a more serious side I'm really happy with my Wii U. A lot of the games released this year are ' my kind of games'. Love Hyrule Warriors. Eagerly waiting for Bayonetta.

On top of that the eShop promotions are interesting. Just upgrade DC (had it on Wii so just 1,25 to upgrade!) and then proceed to buy the digital version of Tropical Freeze with a nice discount. Somehow this system works, the Hyrule Warriors promotion left me with more old school Zelda games then I would otherwise buy.

Sure we're missing out on 3rd party releases and we always want more AAA Nintendo releases but form me money's no problem if PS4 or XBone have a truly great game I can buy it in an instant but uptil now there is no system seller release for me on those platforms. I rater consolidate my game library of excellent past en present games on the Wii U.

I dunno. Sales don't affect me, so it's all about the games and so far this year there was DK and MK8. But, to be fair, it was generally poor on all systems this year. Bayonetta 2 next week though

Prime time TV multi channel Advertising.
How many WiiU adverts has anyone seen on UK TV?
I've seen maybe one prior to the release of MK8. I've seen none for Hyrule Warriors and non for Bayonetta 2.
Surely the aim is to get more non WiiU gamers to buy a WiiU, so how can that possibly be achieved without advertising?
It also will have the positive side effect of reminding those disengaged WiiU owners whose WiiU's are gathering dust, the ones that don't frequent sites like this or watch Nintendo Direct or buy a Nintendo gaming magazine (if there are any left as official Nintendo mag closed this month) and most importantly who don't buy any games, that the WiiU is still going and its future is bright.
Especially if their only contact with the gaming retail is via high street stores like Game and HMV which both have stopped supporting the WiiU. My local game only has 'traded in' used WiiU titles and a minor selection of eShop cards on its counter 😟

Word of mouth only goes so far

For anyone in the UK thinking of getting a Wii U, there are some great deals on the basic model at the moment across various internet retailers, Zavvi, Shopto, Base, Tesco. Basic model plus various games for between £160-£180. A premium model is not essential. And the Wii U is great.

The fact that WII U was in negative sales in europe last year (retailers returning units!) anything out of that negative will be classed as a major sales boost in europe which is not impressive as it would be classed and small or poor sales in the US. The fact is WII U is still under performing here with only being £50 cheaper than a PS4 or Xbox One shoppers are just going for what they see on TV and in the papers and what there friends are talking about and thats not the WII U.

Really?

I do think it's time for a price cut in UK and Ireland before Xmas. Maybe €50.

EDIT: Dont get me wrong, I love the gamepad, even the size of it it's a great controller. Its not going anywhere anytime soon as it will follow on to the next system for backwards compatibility. But people are just not interested in the WiiU. Bring it down to €199, they will make a lose on each system sale BUT they would make money back on the games, physical and also the eshop must be a goldmine for them.

Just think it's time. And for God sake Nintendo, advertise on tv! rolls eyes

Good to hear Nintendo have had a good year with Wii U. Unfortunately I've not had a very good year with my Wii U. Think the only game I've been interested in and played was MK8

To make things worse Captain Toad is pushed to 2015 and Zelda could be years away yet. I really hope Nintendo have some unannounced stuff up their sleeve...

They have a Head of Marketing?

I'm not sure Splatoon and Captain Toad will attract many new customers, although they will be great additions for existing customers.
After this year Nintendo has effectively blown it's load with MK and Smash. They don't have anymore console-selling IPs, bar Zelda which I can imagine being pushed to next christmas or 2016.

@cornishlee No, no, there must be a mistake? Maybe they meant head of catering?

I hope so, even though the U.K is probably Nintendo's worst market. And before I get any hate comments, I live in the U.K, trust me and the weekly sales reports, the U.K is Football Crazy. I personally think that Football is o.k, I just prefer Cricket to Football. Maybe it's because I'm an Indian born in England and Cricket is India's national sport...

Can't understand these people who constantly insist that a price cut will help the Wii U- it's far cheaper than its competitors already. Also the idea of 'ditching' the game pad is ridiculous. Dropping the consoles USP would not help it. The Wii U only needs to change people's attitudes, and it will sell. end of story.

@HappyMaskedGuy maybe, irk, Advertise the damn thing! Otherwise it won't sell. A price is better than nothing at this stage.

As I said in my previous post, they will NOT get rid of the gamepad, this gen or next gen, end of story.

@FLUX_CAPACITOR @QuickSilver88 Sure thing. Here is why the Wii U OS is bad.

I want to back up my saves. There is no simple and sensible mechanism to do this. So I want to do the next best thing; have save games internal and games external (if the internal breaks any thing external is useless anyway). It doesn't let you do that. Everything to do with a game has to be in the same location.

The video output is limited RGB only. Many output devices (such as computer monitors) support full RGB only. This results in an extremely dull image unless you mess with the brightness and contrast on your device (which I did, using the game pad as a calibrator; great feature btw), I'm a bit oversaturated but that was a hassle I could have done without. I imagine many users don't bother with this potentially seeing an inferior image to what they should.

Yes the OS has come leaps and bounds from the launch, which was a joke in how under featured it was (no folders was ridiculous, I don't care PS4 still lacks them, 3DS had them at the time of Wii U launch) but there is still room for improvement.

I'll definetly going to buy a wii u unless nintendo puls off another trick and makes I don't know ''new wii u '' with holes for every game every produced by nintendo

@QuickSilver88
We need a cheaper wii u, but removing the ability to play wii games?! It would be a public relations nightmare, not to mention that it wouldn't actually reduce any costs, as it really is just a disc drive and a posh emulator. The gamepad is poorly implemented, but then many games wouldn't work, so it would not really be of benefit. What they need to do is to stop selling all the 'accessories' with it. This means no more gamepad stands, etc etc, just console, gamepad, wires, game (cheap disc or code). No frills attached. They need to sell it simply- "You buy console. You plug it in. You have fun." Then they need to sell it at that price for a year or two, then put the price down again. And again. They also need the included standard game to be a recognisable title, that repetitive launch Mario title, a la Mario world. And they need it at the forefront of shops. And in prime time telly. And they need it cheaper- £150 to £200 tops. Then it would sell. Reducing price worked for 3ds, after all!

I think this will be the year I finally pick up a wii u. I had a 3ds since launch and played numerous great game. With super smash bros. approaching I think its time to grab one, and enjoy multiple great titles!

I do plan to pick up a Wii U next year, but only if I get a work and if they release a Special Edition. I am fond of those 'cause it's something I see as "unique" and not commom ones I can get everyday. For instance, if Ninty revealed a "The Legend of Zelda U Limited Edition Wii U" I would be all over it without a single glimpse of doubt.

@FLUX_CAPACITOR lol, you must be extremely deluded if you think "there probably aren't two other people on the planet " who care about backing up saves.

As for the display. Oh thats it, blame the consumer. Such a sound argument. You've convinced me, I shouldn't blame Nintendo for making the Wii U output in limited RGB only and have to use it on a full RGB only monitor because that is the only device I have with HDMI in. I'll just and go and spend £300 I don't have right now on a new monitor just because Nintendo can't be like every other console manufacturer and support full RGB. In case you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.

@Mega719 Couldn't agree more, what an incredibly underrated device. Tons of great exclusives and more to come. It's vaguely upsetting to see it sell poorly.

Might be time to dial things back a wee bit, guys, and not make it personal.

@flux_capacitor - you're hyperbole is starting to blur your message.

@rdenton85
Your main reason for holding off?!?

I bought the package you're getting for £199 eleven months ago, and you've been waiting for it to hit £230?

You've been sleeping and it's cost you £30 and eleven months fantastic gaming. Wake up and get with it!

@FLUX_CAPACITOR
Why get annoyed that what's important to you isn't important to others and vice versa? Phrasing has a lot to do about it, too: you are 'annoyed' whilst others are 'bent out of shape'.

Tbh, I don't accept good news from ninty at face value. This piece is basically PR from nintendo, which is fine, but it's a spin, nonetheless.

You are most welcome.

I'm just glad you aren't sensitive as you've called others. Lol.

It's nice to hear Nintendo UK say something upbeat about the wiiU. It's totally underrated. While it has it's struggles it's been well worth the cash I spent on it. I don't mind if third parties keep their crappy ports if it means the wiiU can have quality over quantity. I have nearly ten games already and I haven't finished them all yet and with Bayonetta, smash bros and a host of other games to come I wont be left wanting.