Nikkei Report Suggests That Wii U Production Will End in 2016

Way too early. Makes me extremely hesitant to pick up the NX at all, when I could be doing more productive and sometimes more fun things than playing video games.

Bought my Wii U at launch and was super excited for it. Great games were extremely few and far between, but I enjoyed them when they did come out. But then the games stopped coming, my Wii U gathered dust on my shelf for months, and I eventually sold my Wii U for an Xbox One after Nintendo's sh***y Direct last year. I saw the writing on the wall then and it looks like I was right to move on. Haven't regretted it since (got a little envious when Mario Maker came out, but that dissipated pretty quick), and I especially don't regret it now.

One thing's for sure: that was the last time I'll be an early adopter of a Nintendo console. Depending on what the NX is, it might've been the last time I'll buy a Nintendo console period.

Well that's an interesting wooden spoon in the nx speculation pot! That would lean towards a home console, at first at least, or a dual release if it is a x-over hand held/home console. TBH, I like surprises and I've got a huge back log so I'll let everyone else speculate.

I was at my local Target and Best Buy today and they had vary few Wii U games so this doesn't seam like it's false.

That's fine I guess. The Wii U had a decent selection of first party games. However, I personally am not ready for the NX yet. There are too many games coming out soon that are going to be incredible, so it's too soon for me to start saving for a new system yet. I'll be waiting for a cool special edition this time instead of buying at launch. Wii U sucked until Mario 3D World came out. Just my opinion.

Bring on that NX and don't fail me this time Nintendo!

It sure feels weird to end it this way...feels early for my tastes. But sad to see it end because it's one of my favourite video game consoles. As for the NX; not that I'm not hyped about it. I am, but in order to make me extremely desperate, their gonna have to make a whooole lot of games for the thing to get me hyped to the max.

@FlaygletheBagel I agree with everything you said except the remastering games overload thing. I see where you're coming from but the other platforms have seen loads more this generation. I guess it's more of a negative trend than a Nintendo problem imo.

If it hadn't been for a few Wii U exclusive games, I wouldn't have bought the Wii U at all. I was fine with my stock of Gamecube and Wii games on my original Wii. The gamepad was my biggest turn-off and I still avoid using it. In any case, I never bought a Wii U until several months ago but this news sucks because I apparently can't expect much new to come down the pipeline for the Wii U.

Bring on that NX and don't fail me this time Nintendo!

As much as I love the Wii U, it's a good call by Nintendo.
On a positive note, it sold better than Sega Saturn, and I loved that machine.
It had some great titles, a very underrated machine.

there are things that i like about the Wii U, and there are things that i don't like about i

• it has good games
• it's force to use the gamepad sucks, (i get it for games, but don't force us, to use the thing with settings and apps, why this was an idea for those. i'll never understand)
  as for the NX, i'm not getting it for awhile, im going wait and get it at a later date.

there are things that i like about the Wii U, and there are things that i don't like about i

• it has good games
• it's force to use the gamepad sucks, (i get it for games, but don't force us, to use the thing with settings and apps, why this was an idea for those. i'll never understand)
  as for the NX, i'm not getting it for awhile, im going wait and get it at a later date.

Your comment system is broken or something, haha

@FlaygletheBagel Well you missed the best game on the system then.

Who needs Wii U when we have Miitomo and smart phone games right????

Honestly, it feels like a really crappy time to launch this thing. There are soooo many huge games coming out this year and early next year, that I just couldn't care less right now. Unless they bring Metroid of course. That is probably the only game they could bring that would even make me consider the NX.

@EJzelda LOL, I was really wondering why this article already had 29 comments in the span of 14 minutes.
I'm guessing there's a lot of traffic going on right now (something like this is obviously going to stir the waters). So when users try to put in their comment, it looks like it didn't go through, making them click the reply button again. Educated guess, or the comment system's just messed up.

That's way quicker than I expected . I always liked my Wii U even though I only own a couple of games. Sad to see it go out like this.

At least 95% of my Wii U usage (and my siblings' Wii U usage) is from streaming apps/websites such as Netflix, Youtube, and Plex. Sure Wii U had some great games, but nothing that absolute screams PLAY ME RIGHT NOW FOO.
Except for Mario Kart 8, however a year of only that being worth playing in terms of Wii U gets tiring and now my siblings and I only occasionally touch it.

Well, I figured this would happen this year, just feels odd it's being reported before the next console even is shown.

I had a lot of fun with the Wii U, and even successfully convinced one of my siblings to buy one. It just feels like wasted potential.

Does anyone think that Wii U games will play on NX? I mean from a technical standpoint-- CAN they?
I'd be so happy it it were backwards compatible- even better if the existing virtual console titles carry over. I'll be so mad if my digital catalog becomes rubbish.

Edit: By can it I mean like.... Is there any speculation that it will or won't? I see Nintendo is pushing hard for digital but... I swear if they start "fresh" and I have to buy Mario AGAIN... Ugh... Or I'll just keep my Wii U

@NinjaWaddleDee
I'll also wait for an special edition this time around. I got the Wii U in the first year, and while I don't regret my purchase, I do feel a little burned that it seems they're going to abandon it already.

Plus, my backlog has grown quite a bit these years and I no longer have time to play as I used to, so I'm in no hurry to replace my console. Specially since XCX is consuming my time like there is no tomorrow.

Why not just try reducing production costs? Getting rid of the charging cradle and console stand that comes with the premium pack for starters and then taking out the TV remote function on the Gamepad (since I imagine not many people actually used it). Not sure how much of the cost this would cut down but at least it would save Nintendo a few pennies.

Wouldn't surprise me if it's true. Sure the NX will be out by Christmas and it's not like many people are buying the Wii U anyway.

@TerrapinJess
If the rumour about it being powerful enough to rival or surpass PS4 are real, then I'd doubt so. Backwards compatibility requires a similar architecture (like the Wii being a more powerful GC). If we want something with a bit more dough, then most likely no.
Could be completely off the mark, though. It's all rumours at this point.

I'm pretty happy with the library I've accumulated for the system, and don't regret my purchase one bit.

@Octoling Like commenting on websites about video games.

In time, its true greatness will be known. Long live Wii U.

@Luna_110 that's kind of what I was thinking too... I'm not holding my breath but I've invested more money into Wii U digital and 3DS digital than any other system so.... It'll break my spirit if they're rendered useless on any further consoles. We'll see I suppose. I don't plan on getting rid of my Wii U anyway. I can't imagine many retailers giving much for trades and honestly... I'm sure someone will make another homebrew for it eventually and I can get some emulators for it like I did Wii. (Really only did it for all those other NES games that were awesome and never will see the light of day).

@TerrapinJess
Depends on if they want to continue using the same old PowerPC architecture.
Sure Wii U backwards compatibility will be cool for the small percentage of people who want it and Nintendo could use it in marketing. Something along the lines of: "Hey guys, remember that failed console we released last time? No? Well we don't remember either! However we do remember the games and think you guys should still play them even without that other console from who knows how long ago, so here's some backwards compatibility!"
Of course Nintendo would word it better so that it would show less of their desperation, but you get the idea.

Of course using PowerPC again, even a newer version, could potentially seriously inhibit performance yet again for the third generation in a row and could put developers off from working on it if they don't feel it's worth their time.

I'm glad. I'm ready for the NX.

@AVahne I see what you're saying. By no means do I want the backwards compatibility or VC to take precedence and hinder the rest of the console but yeah... I can only hope they have something up their sleeve in terms of that.
I'm excited for this regardless- itll all work out somehow.
And someon else mentioned here that they'll wait for a special edition of some sort before buying — ME TOO

@Luna_110 Haha yeah I'm with you. I bought my Wii U and Ps4 when I was still in high school. Now I'm halfway done college and of course a lot of my time and money goes towards that. There are just too many games coming out for other systems, that I don't really feel bad about waiting to get an NX. Maybe if they have a better launch then we'll see, but I would hate to make the same mistake of buying too early again.

Even if the Wii U's lifespan will be cut really short, I feel like I've had a great run for my money.
There's so many great games on Wii U, and it's the console I've had the most use for multiplayers this gen, that there's no doubt that it has been worth it!

And even if Nintendo made some dumb decisions and had a poor timing with the Wii U, they have every opportunity to make NX an awesome success.

Well, this is kinda worrying.

Whatever NX is, it had better be plenty frikin' special, and in some way, make up for the terribly short lifespan of the Wii U—if the rumour is true.

Now, it could do that if the Wii U was something like this:

http://www.inceptional.com/2015/06/26/heres-the-gist-of-my-idea-for-nintendos-nx/

It's not VR, but in its own way it could be pretty frikin' special.

Also, that would mean the Wii U only had a four year lifespan if it was dropped this year. It was released at the tail end of 2012.

For generations now, Sony has shown that not only do its consoles have long lifespans in terms of official support but those systems also stick around for a long time even after they are officially dropped and still see great third party support for further years too (and Microsoft is managing similarly as well these days), so gamers really feel like they get a very healthy life of the console for their money, but since roughly the N64/GC era Nintendo's consoles have basically died a death very shortly after official support stopped. And what this is doing is creating a sentiment among consumers that Sony's consoles are just far better value propositions in the long run, which I think is just one of many reasons why Sony is dominating right now too.

If Nintendo drops the Wii U now, it will be edging ever closer to feeling like Sega was back in the days of the Mega-CD/32X/Saturn/Dreamcast, where many people just didn't have much faith in the company's products anymore, even when they were good.

I really hope Nintendo handles this situation properly, or it could be real bad.

Sounds like a good business decision.

Bring on the new!

I don't think this can happen so fast.....remember, they have to release some games for the Wii U before they release the NX inorder to not only get support for it but also satisfy userbase.

What is up with the repeat comments

Very sad but business is business. Wii U will always have good memories for me and my family but it just wasn't to be...

While not 100% confirmed, it's most likely true.

Writing is on the wall there, especially with rumblings of shortages in Japan. Software support will probably end this year too as far as Nintendo is concerned. Indies and certain 3rd party games will still release on it though.

This doesn't mean anything but "we'll have enough consoles produced by the end of 2016 based on the sales over the past 4 years". So stop with the NX rumours.

Hugs Wii U I still love you.

Not surprising if this is indeed true, but still a shame. Boy, E3 couldn't come soon enough. I'm very curious to know what's in store in the near future.

I've had my Wii U less than a year, so I'd be a bit disappointed to see support dry up so soon. All the same, as poor as sales have been, I can see 2016 being the console's last year.

I think @RCMADIAX is spot on.
Nintendo will step up manufacturing to meet demands, and it'll fade away.
Ending things abruptly does nothing for consumer confidence.
Question though, when the machines are assembled, a bunch of stuff is different, right?
Ok, so if the PAL region system is different than the NTSC one, could this potentially be hinting at one line closing? If they stopped, say, the one that makes European units, they could probably convert that line to supporting the Asian market instead.
In the city I shopped on Black Friday, X1 and PS4 were both outselling Wii U (games and systems) at least 3 to 1. The guy working said their PS4 stock was all out on the floor and they still had a bunch of Wii Us in the back.
Japan seems better off having more units, a problem Nintendo makes by region locking their hardware and dividing their interests instead of focusing on the actual issue at hand.
It's all so micromanaged and it's opened the door for user friendly platforms like Steam to better compete.

Way too early. I'd feel very cheated by my Wii U purchase if they kicked it to the curb in addtion to the slow amount of releases to the Wii U.

This is only the 3rd month of 2016. We have a long ways to go until the end of the year. Besides theres no use in fretting over a rumor. Sure, Nikkei has been right in the past, but so has the weather channel.

@amiiboacid I will admit, I got a teensy bit envious when Mario Maker came out, but it didn't affect me too much. Still felt I made the right decision in selling.

It wouldn't be a surprise. The Wii U is boming and has no chance of picking up in sales. Nintendo already wants to talk about NX in this year's E3, so the major names are going to be it's last.
It could not happen, but at this point who else is going to buy a Wii U? Zelda U is the swan song, and that might not even be a strict Wii U exclusive.

@Maxz Look again at all the repeating comments. Not the first time this has happened either.

This seems phony. Just because a Japanese publication Nikkei says that the hardware's manufacturing production is due to cease later this year, does not mean anything. First of all, that would be a stupid move because you still sell the other console while the new one is out. Second of all, just because Nikkei says so does not mean it true. I have seen this all over the internet today. Third of all, I want more of the WIIU.

So does this mean the NX is releasing early 2017?

Hmm, very disappointing. If this is true, I think it will be my last Nintendo console. Sad to say, but I see them making the wrong moves going forward. It's comforting that in a few years Wii U is going to be so cool and rare. I believe that many of the first party games on it were the best of their series, smash, kart, etc.

This seems like a dumb rumour to get dumb gamers all pissy and on the hate Nintendo bandwagon. There is lots of great games coming in the later half of the year, why would they just cut production like that? Plus Nintendo has already said last year they plan to support the Wii U even when the nx releases. Personally, I think ppl just want a reason to hate on Nintendo with stupid rumours.

Also, here in Canada you could have bought a Wii well into late 2015, and still buy Wii games now, we even just got new Nintendo Select Wii titles, so your saying they cut it a year after Wii U released is crap.

@FlaygletheBagel I was talking about Xenoblade Chronicles X.

makes sense. i will await the books and articles about the failures of the wii u. going from their best-selling console in history to their absolute worse takes some doing.

@hYdeks Agreed

I'll forgive Nintendo if they release Pikmin 4 for the WiiU, but I still won't buy an NX. If however they make Pikmin 4 exclusive to the NX and completely drop software support for the WiiU I'll hate them for a very long time.

BS......

well i spent so much time playing my wii U and i enjoyed it ... but i didn't enjoy the crappy system it self really ... i enjoyed the first party exclusive really ... great games ( zelda mario etc .... ) bad machine with bad spec + bad controller pad also bad software ... I hope NX will make up things for us

@EJzelda Sorry, you're absolutely right. I made a joke by deliberately posting my own comment three times (somewhat naughtily), but now all the repeated comments have been deleted (including mine, which wasn't a genuine fault of the system), and so the joke is lost.

...So I'm awkwardly having to explain the joke instead. Anyway, yes, you're absolutely right (although all the evidence of you being right has now been removed), and I'd like to reassure you that at no point have I doubted your integrity and correctness.

@amiiboacid I'm not a JRPG fan and the first Xenoblade Chronicles didn't do anything for me, so XCX wasn't even on my radar. Was way more tempted by Super Mario Maker than Xenoblade.

@Maxz I knew you had a naughty streak.

@River3636 Everyone's got a naughty streak.

@Maxz You are right, but why do I have it more than others?

@FlaygletheBagel I have a Wii U and Xbox One. I turned my Xbox One on for the first time in 3 months because of the Fallout 4 DLC. Not only does the horrible Xbox One OS constantly annoy me (it makes Vista and ME seem great), but what are the actual good games? The Wii U has more than twice as many games that I like. Xbox One has stuff like Dragon Age 3, Diablo 3, Fallout 4, and I got Halo MCC which was a massive disappointment.
Wii U has Pokken Tournament, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros, Splatoon, Mario Maker, Yoshis Wooly World, Lego City Undercover, Mario 3D World, DKC Tropical Freeze, Captain Toad, Xenoblade Chronicles X (best RPG of the generation, blows Fallout 4 away) as well as many ports of other games like all LEGO games, Deus Ex: HR and more.
I more recently got a PS4, I haven't got much for it aside from both Dynasty Warriors 8 games and Jackbox Party Pack 1 & 2 (Xbox One only has one of them), but the PS4 with its more stable and easier to use OS is my media watching console.
I wish I had only got a PS4 as all the Xbox One games I actually like I could have bought on PS4 instead.

@hYdeks Nintendo also promised that the DS would be a "third pillar" alongside the GCN and GBA, but then Nintendo promptly dropped all support of the Game Boy Advance in favor of the DS. I would take Nintendo's promises of platform support with a grain of salt.

You're also neglecting the fact that the Wii was an entirely different beast from the Wii U. The Wii sold extraordinarily well, while the Wii U is sputtering out at about 13 million; the worst selling console in their history. It makes sense for Nintendo to pull the plug early. Is the report true? We don't know yet. But it's not ridiculous to suspect it may be.

@Project_Dolphin A mainline 3D Mario game? A Metroid game? Any new IPs (Splatoon seemingly being the only one)? Just to name a few.

@River3636 Because you're a cheeky monkey.

Or maybe some other reason that you'll have to sit down and have a deep, introspective think about.

Probably one of the two.

@Maxz I would go with cheeky monkey. I don't feel like being introspective. I might give off a EMO vibe or something.

This seems legit and is coming from a reputable source. But I'm not really expecting anything special from the NX, either - this is modern Nintendo we're talking about. And even if they get some things right with the NX, I know they'll get even more wrong. It's been like that with Nintendo for a looooong time now. We'll see; I'd love to be wrong but I'm extremely skeptical and not expecting much from 'em...

Now this is the right time - sad to say - for all the doom 'n' gloom talk to kick in. What really angers me is that, somewhere, @Pachterkid is out there giggling.

Of course naturally this doesn't mean the WiiU is coming to a close immediately or by the end of 2016 even. If they're stopping the manufacturing that could mean they've made a enough of them, either for good or for now. The Wii stopped production a couple times for short periods because the market was saturated and they had created enough of them. Slow sales are obvious but perhaps there are too many WiiUs unsold and they want to get rid of them first. Of course all I'm saying really is that it's bought us maybe until the end of 2017 before a major switch occurs.

@Maxz Ha ha, it's all good.

Well, judging by the overall sales figures, they probably have some stock left anyways.
Or they are working on a revision and just cease production of this build.

Since nothing is officially conformed, i sort it under "doom and gloom stories".

If this is, indeed, a coplete production stop, without back-stock and revisions, its probably because the NX is closer than we might think, which would, in my opinion, be a little hasty.

Lets wait and see.

Very short lifespan if it's true but I've no regrets and there are still a couple of games like #FE and Zelda that I really want to play. Also, this is the console that brought me Bayonetta 2, so everything is forgiven!

I am more worried about how hasty this NX launch seems to be getting.

@thedanman64 I used tv gamepad feature frequently, especially when my son gets a hold of the tv remote and I need to turn it on.

@Project_Dolphin The experiences available on Xbox resonated with me more than what Nintendo seemed to have planned for the next year-plus, so I just switched to something I would use and enjoy more.

I really have enjoyed the Wii U. Just yesterday, I checked our playtime as it compares to when we first got it, and it's pretty much the same. I'd be interested to know how many games people own on their Playstions or Xboxes as it compares to the Wii U.

I have around 30 Wii U games. Are they more in line with the demographic of my children? Naturally, they are, but that is what I am looking for from Nintendo. I understand if some are not, but my Wii U has served me well.

How many do they have in stock and what time will they stop production? For all we know they have enough units for two years with the systems sales trends.

Makes perfect sense to not make too many.

@River3636 I dunno man, I think Socrates managed to pull it off without being considered too emo.

But then, Socrates probably wasn't a cheeky monkey...

@Pink_Floyd that's because there is few - even GameStop doesn't have a big selection. Terrible job by Nintendo! You can't put out 1-2 quality retail games every 3-4 months! Oh well I still enjoy my Wii u though- thank god for the indie support too cause Nintendo destroyed a golden opportunity with the virtual console classics as well!! Sigh!!

What?!..I scratched off the Wii U and underneath it said Dreamcast...

Even though I've only had the Wii U for a few months I don't regret my decision. A very underrated console. The system still has future games that I'm still interested in getting. With saying that I want to see what the NX is and whether it's backwards compatible or not. If it turns out to be backwards compatible I may trade in my Wii U to invest towards it.

Nobody here remembers when they stopped producing GCN for a while before the Wii was even known about, I'm assuming...

To me, the Wii U is a Smash Bros. HD and Mario Kart HD console, with some other goodies here and there.

@FX29 if you just got it only a few months ago you're in great shape as there's tons of great games to play at this point! It was us early Wii u adopters that have suffered greatly from the beginning! Oh man how the games were far an few between!! Lol

This isn't surprising at all. There were rumours a few weeks ago that Japanese retailers were sold out of Wii U stock and they were telling their customers they had no idea when or if Nintendo would restock. There is also evidence of the Nintendo Selects range of games which launched in March. These types of sales and promos are a way for Nintendo to get late-cycle software sales from consoles that wont be supported. It all adds up into one clear picture that the Wii U will not be supported anymore and the 3DS is what Nintendo is using to keep a foot in the gaming market while they prepare the NX. I absolutely love my Wii U. It's a tremendous system and the games are awesome. However, it's always a long wait between releases and there is no 3rd party support. I do not think its possible to have Nintendo as your main, stand alone console anymore. I think most people (if they can afford it) will purchase a PS4 or XB1 and then supplement them with a Nintendo product. I have a great backlog of games to play on my Wii U so I will enjoy those games for the next year and I will pick up the odd straggler that releases in 2016. I will not buy the NX until it proves it has staying power. I don't want a new console every 3 years (I bought my Wii U in 2013).

Nintendo is not ending production of Wii U

http://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/nl/articles/1603/23/news081.html

In case it wasn't mentioned already (main article isn't updated or removed)

Here's hoping that next generation is a great one, as opposed to the merely okayish one we're wading through currently (that goes for all platforms)

@Joenen

"That report didn't come from us"

That's not a denial.

"We plan to continue production into the next fiscal year and beyond."

The next fiscal year starts in about a week. They didn't say they'd be producing consoles throughout the next fiscal year. It's PR spin in order to damage control.

The Wii U is a great console, I'm disappointed others didn't see it as one. I think its a lot better than the original Wii and that sold like crazy. I hope the NX will bring Nintendo great success. It better be backwards compatible with all Wii U titles!

Honestly, I haven't used my Wii U for many games like I did with the past consoles.

I pretty much just use the wii u to play smash bros. They are like only 2 games I still want to play on it (3D world and XCX)

I'll take this as another speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. I would even say it would be a smart move, the Wii U has the worst sales of any Nintendo home console, there's no point in pushing much more effort into it when they can start anew with a new console.

I love the console, but I also want Nintendo to make profitable decisions as well.

Also, why do people think four years is 'very short' for a console span. Yes, it's less than average, and I wish I could get more out of the console as well. But the N64 had a similar lengthed life span, I never heard anyone say that was cut too short... the last generation just happened to be absurdly long.

Well, it was a slightly shorter generation, but I must tip my hat to Nintendo here.

In 2012 I bought a handheld called a PS Vita (just google it if you haven't heard of it), and due to low sales, Sony prematurely withdrew their support, leaving me with a barren handheld that only saw a few releases a year from 3rd parties, mostly anime Japanese titles. A few gems here and there, like X-COM just released today, wohoo! Unfortunately it runs like *** just like every other major port on the system (this might even be worse than Borderlands 2, and that game had all kinds of issues).

The point is, Nintendo stuck with the system and supported it despite the extremely low sales, and after experiencing the Dear John to the Vita I am more than satisfied with the effort Nintendo has put into Wii U.

This generation was far better than the last. I will forever remember my 600 hour binge on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, playing Mario Kart and Smash in HD for the first time, Splatoon will certainly be remembered (and will be a staple franchise going forward, I'm sure). I will never forget Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101, or both GameCube Zelda's spruced up in HD. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, that will stay with me the rest of my life. Same for Pikmin 3. And Xenoblade Chronicles X. I'll remember the best Yoshi's Island sequel I could have ever dreamed of, and how I got more out of Pokken Tournament than I did the disappointing Street Fighter V. I'll even remember the quirky games too like Kirby Rainbow Curse and Captain Toad, oh and Wii Sports a Golf- that really should have seen a full release just for the golf.

I won't make mention of the return of Star Fox this gen with Star Fox Zero, or the strange yet incredibly alluring Tokyo Mirage Sessions, or the new Zelda which will surely leave lasting impressions. Heck, even Color Splash might be remembered fondly. You never know. But, I do know that come time for the 3DS to say it's goodbuys, we're gonna need a 7 gun salute for that marvelous little gadget. Forever plastered and ingrained in my memory- FIRE EMBLEM and MONSTER HUNTER. The handheld that went toe to toe with giants.

That is so obvious that shouldn't even be called news

To everyone who is still thinking that Nintendo will cease production on the Wii U console: http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-denies-report-of-wii-u-ceasing-production-this-year/

When did they discontinue the Wii-Mini?

I wonder if Nintendo will make a different Wii-U like they did with the Wii Mini?

Lets hope Nxt will play Wii-U games....

@Project_Dolphin

Nope. "Into the next fiscal year" means that as of the start of the next fiscal year and shortly after, they'll still be producing Wii Us. The "and beyond" part can mean that they'll continue production beyond the next fiscal year, but it can also mean "beyond that initial period". No possibilities have been excluded.

That's called PR spin.

According to Kotaku, the actual translation is "From the next quarter and thereafter as well, Wii U production is scheduled to continue."

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-denies-its-ending-wii-u-production-anytime-soo-1766548639

So yeah, Nikkei's report hasn't been outright refuted.

Besides, there is a bit of history of Nintendo "denying" Nikkei reports that turned out to be true.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/nintendo-of-japan-nikkei-reveal-of-new-dsi-is-speculation/

https://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=198964418&postcount=71

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/nintendo-may-have-supersized-3ds-with-4-3-inch-screen-at-e3/

just read from kotaku that nintendo denies it, that for this quarter and thereafter, production is still scheduled to continue.

@Project_Dolphin

It seems you're unfamiliar with PR spin, but I'll drop the discussion on that part because that translation was faulty anyways.

The Kotaku translation should be the one used, and is a more reliable translation.

"From this quarter and thereafter as well" doesn't deny Wii U production being ceased by the end of 2016. It only means that Wii U production is guaranteed until the end of September.

While the Nikkei has been wrong before, they have a strong track record and are more likely correct than not.

Sinds the big/leading companies do not produce 1 game for the wiiu, it does not suprise me at all.
Nintendo do need third party and not only indie freinds.
Their biggest concern should be Sony with their ps4.5, wich will become 5.0 within a year or 2, Nintendo lags behind...

The nx has to be better then good, but possibly it will be on par with ps4 at max.

Dark clouds, wrong decissions, to much arrogance.

Dream on Nintendo

@woomy Your profile image is an Inkling, so I think it's safe to add Splatoon to your list of games

I wonder if the report means ceasing production of this model. What if they come back with a slimmed down version like they did the Wii. They might take out the Wii backwards compatibility, take out the online version, and maybe do something different with the gamepad. If they could take enough stuff out to get it around the $199 price point, it might give it some new life.

@FlaygletheBagel
I agree...
I was also a day one Wii U owner and sold mine last year also. Not sure about buying the next system. If I do buy the NX it will much later than the launch date. I don't know about Nintendo anymore....

Bring on the NX! Day 1 for sure!

@Project_Dolphin And neither does Nintendo Everything.

The "fiscal year and beyond" translation is most likely a rough translation based on hitting "translate" through Google Translate, which is terribly inaccurate for translating whole articles at once.

Kotaku may not always be the most reputable source, but they're not so unreliable that they'd have a completely screwed up translation.

My only hope is that the NX will be backwards-compatible with Wii U. They can release a separate Gamepad-type peripheral if they need to.

nintendo has already confirmed it is false.

@edgedino could be damage control they denied other things like mobile the dsi and others also but they was all true so it's 50/50

Well Nintendo, if you did what Hiroshi Yamauchi did for the Gamecube and drop the friggen price, maybe people would be more inclined to take a chance on the poor Wii U and enjoy some of it's games.

" [People] do not play with the game machine itself. They play with the software, and they are forced to purchase a game machine in order to use the software. Therefore the price of the machine should be as cheap as possible."

It still just shocks me that Nintendo is abandoning the Wii U so quickly. I got it on launch day and it seriously doesn't feel like it was that long ago.

I'm just getting into The Witcher 3 on my PS4 and suddenly realised that there is a snowball's chance in hell that Zelda U could even scratch that experience.

For every game I own and LOVE on my Wii U, there is a better experience on another console.

For instance, it was brilliant to play Splattoon online, but Battlefield 4 is my multiplayer FPS of choice, it is more varied, more complex and ultimately fun to play.

And if you have played The Last of Us Remastered and Bloodborne, you know that those are far superior gaming experiences than anything Nintendo has to offer. I mean, the same Super Mario games over and over, the Donkey Kong Country franchise, even Zelda has become stalled, and I love those games, I will buy nintendo consoles for the rest of my life because I personally enjoy them, but still, I find it so hard to convince my friends to jump in and buy one...

I'm content with my Wii U. Maybe Wii U is coming to it's end rather early, but I'll never regret buying one. It has some fantastic games, and there's many games I haven't even played.

Wii U will definitely keep me busy for at least a year or maybe even two.

I would be very disappointed if this were true. I don't think that they should just completely give up on the wii u- it's too early.

As others have said, I was an early wii u adopter and sold when they delayed Zelda. I'm not sure I'll ever buy another Nintendo console.

I sense there were champagne corks popping in the households of some of the more dour commenters on here upon seeing that headline...

If this report is true, I am confident that shops have plenty of unsold wiiu s sitting around in their stock rooms. I'm sure that if there is a run to get the console before it's discontinued, the market can handle it.

Of course.

That was really quick! I've quite sure Wii U would sell like hot bread if Nintendo did a price cut. Can't blame people if one can buy PS4/Xbox1 for price cheaper than Wii U now!

The wii u had some great games but the console itself felt out of date as soon as it came out..the gamepad is very clunky and the machine is underpowered..asymmetrical gaming is pretty limited in scope and the wii u didnt seem to have the juice to utilise what potential it had. Without this the wi u had no unique selling point apart from standard exclusives.

Ninty is denying it: http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-denies-report-of-wii-u-ceasing-production-this-year/

@Fidu Honestly, if i was Nintendo i would deny it too, this news can hit what's left of WiiU's prospects hard, nobody really wants to buy a console that even its maker has given up on, after all...

@MysticX yes, of course. But Nintendo's word should still weigh more than some not-100%-trustworthy magazine's, no?

Weird thing to do now since I'm sure in April many will buy a Wii U thanks to those 2012 games at budget price! Oh, Nintendo...

We've had the system since day one. Sure, it's sat plenty of times and collected dust (this was basically due to the lack of games arriving in retail format), but it still has it's love. I could see it happening, as I don't even think the system has a total of 100 RETAIL games, and as I walk around in stores, I barely see anything for Wii U (games that is). It's even hard to find a game that just was released not too long ago (Bayonette 2, Hyrule Warriors are impossible to find unless going online). It's a true shame, but I could see them doing this. It seems that whenever they announce or get ready to come out with their next console, the old console is forgotten about. Gamecube, N64 and Wii seemed to dry up in their 5th years (barely getting any games), which could mean that this COULD be the last year of the Wii U (as there are not many games coming out for it this year...but there hasn't been many games on it in the past 3 years).

This also means, that it will become one of the retro systems that people then seek out to own 10 years from now. I see people wanting Gamecubes nowadays and even N64's. Some systems still sell later on, and as long as the people who bought the system since day one, got their enjoyment from it, then it wasn't a bad decision. I bought the Sega Dreamcast 4-months before Sega announced they were ending it...made me go out and purchase games, controllers and accessories, but I still love the system. Guess, I'll be going out now and getting everything that we still need or want for the Wii U, before it's too late.

@andreoni79 What's sad, is that you can barely even find those $20 games. I see Super Mario 3D world in a few spots and Donkey Kong Country, but NES remix and Pikmin 3 are no where to be found. This even goes with some of the 3DS and Wii titles that were mentioned too. I saw them advertised in Walmart and Best Buy, but then I went over to it, and only found Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D...the rest were empty spots. Luckily, I already owned the Wii U ones, but It would have been nice to find Ocarina Of Time 3D in retail format.

I don´t see the problem. I got the Game Boy Advance SP (2003), missed out on the first generation of DS one year later (2004) and got the updated and much improved DSi years later (2008). If the NX is somewhat experimental it might be worthwhile to keep using existing systems until you really want something new. If the original slides are correct the NX isn´t a direct replacement for either the Wii U or 3DS, and if they run out of stock they will probably make a trimmed down version, like they did with the Wii. (You still can buy a brand new wii-system if you like).

@Fidu The long-time Nintendo fan in me would love to say "yes" to that, but considering the situation... I'm not so sure anymore.

I never bought it for two reasons: price has always been to high, and because I prefer handheld games (3ds specifically). So the cessation of production will have no effect on me, unless it means I can find a new one on clearance for $100.

It was fun being doomed. I wonder what the future doomed is going to be. I’ll be buying the next doomed day 1 again

@FlaygletheBagel Ya done goofed, son

I enjoyed my WiiU on all its lifespan, it gave me some amazing titles I loved like TW101, Bayonetta 1 and 2, Hyrule Warriors, XCX, Mario Kart, rayman Legends.... but at the same time I got bored of the "usual" Nintendo games, I can't stand anymore another Mario platformer, another "too light for my taste" rpg like Zelda and so on, and the costant software draught pushed me to buy a Ps4, which I adore for the variety of experiences it is giving to me. So, I would call WiiU a bittersweet console for me and will probably be my last Nintendo console for a while....

By the way, stopping the production of a failing console is a good thing, one of the few right decision Nintendo took lately.

@Al_Godoy Bloodborne is the best game of the generation and one of the best in the history, every gamer should play that game...

Didn't i tell you all that 2016 would be the last year or WII U? It was very obvious with that low end console. If they want to last longer they had to move to the NX. So stop wasting money in to WII U and save up for the NX! You will be much better off! You're welcome

Is this all too early? From someone that does not own a large portion nor work for Nintendo, and would love them to milk the WII U for every penny it's worth for the next 2 years or so, yes, yes I think it is too early. Difference is I am not in charge of their company, their finances, nor am I a shareholder or investor in the company; I am merely a gamer that enjoys every console they have ever produced. Their company, their rules at the end of the day. I would love to NOT buy an NX on launch day/month, merely because of the large catalogue of Wii U games I need to finish first, but I'm not daft, I know the chances are that I will be there within the first 30 days of its launch buying mine lol. Whatever happens, I do not regret my Wii U purchase at all, no more than I will the NX either

@FlaygletheBagel I felt like they regularly rubbed salt in the wound too by releasing games for 3DS that should have had a version for wiiU. I'll wait 2 years to see how NX is before I consider it. I have an xboxone and ps4, so I'm not playing favorites. They really boggled things almost every step of the way.

@erv Nintendoomed 2: Electric Boogaloo

Look at all these people giving a WiiU obituary.

Nintendo can deny it all day long but the Wii U is still dead.

Only four years after it was launched.

Nintendo can't wait to bury Wii U and get done with it. It's like an unwanted child that Nintendo wants the world to forget it ever existed.

@ThomasBW84:

"That would also point to a potential 2016 release for the NX hardware to take its place in the market and in Nintendo's manufacturing pipeline."

I don't see why NX would be released in 2016 if the manufacturing hasn't even started?
It would make a lot more sense if Wii U manufacturing stopped in 2016 so that NX manufacturing could begin. Then when they have enough units, probably in 2017, they would release the NX.
But releasing the NX in 2016 without having produced a single unit doesn't make sense.
And manufacturing a significant number of units takes its time.

So I don't see how a manufcaturing stop of Wii U (they would still sell the stock first) means an instant release of the NX.

But what really shocks me is the amount of postings here who don't understand what all that means. Manufacturing doesn't mean releasing or shutting down. The Wii U will have lived 5 years in the end and that's totally fine.

@JaxonH
Good words from a true fan, judging by the comments they are rare round these parts.

@TerrapinJess Although the rumour mill indicates a processing platform shift from PowerPC to Intel x86 I wouldn't automatically assume that rules out backwards compatibility. You could achieve that via inclusion of the PPC chip on a daughterboard or via emulation.

The idea of breaking with the Wii U (and 3DS if it is a combined handheld/console unit as rumoured) completely is quite risky. Though the Wii U base is small, you could argue that it's the hardest of the hard core Nintendo fans. Given the eShop is likely to continue and the volume of software it seems unlikely to me that they would launch a new platform which is solely dependent upon whatever they've been developing in-house for the past couple of years. If instead they could launch with a full eShop catalogue to run and effectively offer existing Wii U owners a swap as well as potentially entice new customers, that would seem a better deal even than Wii owners were given with the upgrade to Wii U.

The biggest single turn off about the PS4 for me was the lack of backwards-compatibility with the PS3 library and the much smaller size of the PS4 library. I can't see sticking the NX on the same shelf as my Wii U and re-purchasing software. The Japanese Wii, PS3 and Wii U feels like a lot of game systems as it is!

I've still got a backlog of game to play on my Wii U and definitely don't want to stop playing any time soon. I'm not going to be an early NX adopter as I'm going to wait for several decent games to be released first and that's going to take some time.

It's a shame that not that many gamers tried out the Wii U. It is definitely my favourite console ever released. No, I'm not a fan boy either as I have a bunch of Sony consoles/handhelds and X Box consoles as well.

@Fidu @IceClimbers @Project_Dolphin Since the original Japanese text was aksed for, here it is:
http://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/nl/articles/1603/23/news081.html

I'm taking this with so much salt that i got hypertension. Either way I've been a proud wiiu owner since day one and unlike the 4 and the one my wiiu gets daily play. I'll likely sit out the hand held until the second revision but I am pleased enough with the wiiu that I'll be in line day one for the next system. Sony and MS on the other hand, I'm done after this gen.

I seriously doubt that Nintendo will cease Wii U production altogether in 2016. More likely they will ramp it down and move it to a smaller facility.

NX is not going to be cheap at launch. I predict that it will come out at $400US which is not unreasonable but is not in impulse purchase range either. That will create an opportunity for Wii U to receive a substantial price cut and be marketed as a budget console for families. A package that includes a 32GB Wii U and a game for $200 could do well this holiday, especially with the fact that the Wii U line-up is very family friendly.

Wii U had Rayman Legends. That automatically made it the best of the 8th gen home consoles for me, although the later games were nice, too. Too bad Nintendo didn't market worth a damn, so of course everything sold poorly. (Except the viral Splatoon and Mario Maker crazes.)

Next time, Nintendo needs to return to their N64 5th gen era way of thinking on advertisement funding: spend at least $100 on marketing for every console produced. Spend $150 even, if that's what it takes...

It's a hard one for me. I will want the NX day one but I am going to hold off to see how things go, if it has a better launch & games doesn't suffer from delays after delays I'll pick one up. I really like my Wii U & my games for it, but the game delays & 3rd party support dropping that did hurt I am not going to lie hopefully the NX will not have the same problems.