If you need to be reminded just how miserable lifetime Wii U hardware sales were, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad has shared a number of charts on Twitter, comparing Nintendo system sales as of 31st December 2018.
Noticeably, the combined sales of the SNES Mini Classic and the NES Mini Classic are expected to surpass Wii U lifetime sales, within the space of two years. To date, the Wii U has sold 13.56 million units. As NintendoSoup points out, combined sales of the classic systems could overtake the Wii U before the end of the fiscal year, ending 31st March 2019.
While it might seem unfair to combine the sales of these two retro-powered systems, this newer hardware did not receive the same level of marketing or support as the Wii U. The Wii U had a midnight launch worldwide, ongoing support for multiple years, online capabilities and even offered its own digital library of retro games. In contrast, the SNES and NES Classic systems were sold in limited supply, which only increased demand.
The success of these nostalgic Nintendo products hasn’t happened overnight. System sales for these devices over the past year have been outselling modern hardware. As of October 2018, the combined global sales hit the 10 million mark. Now if only Nintendo could follow this up by releasing more classic goodness on the Switch. Hold up – it just did.
[source nintendosoup.com]
Comments (53)
This is especially bad considering the Minis have been discontinued. Just imagine the sales if Ninty made the N64 Classic…
I still hope we see at least a Game Boy Classic Mini.
Gosh...
Wii U was the worst one.
Btw, here is my rank for every Nintendo consoles.
1. Switch
2. Wii
3. Gamecube
4. SNES
5. NES
6. Wii U
7. N64 (Skipped)
I don't know if this indicates the strength of the mini classic consoles, or the weakness of the Wii U.
Stuff like getting outsold by classic console emulators is going to make people remember the Wii U as a bad console...it was a financial failure but it isn't bad, It has some fantastic games!
@ReaderRagfihs Then why doesn’t anyone want a Wii U? Question of the ages. 🤔🤨🧐
I still had loads of fun with the Wii U, but yeah this is a little sad. But that's behind us now, the Switch is doing really well for itself and doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon.
I'll forever be thankful for the Wii U bringing us the joy of Woomies though! ♪
More interesting to me is that the Switch has nearly passed up the N64 and isn't that far behind the SNES.
I don't want anymore mini consoles however. I want them to program emulators for the Switch. Whether we get those games in collections on a game card, or via NSO or something else.
Or in place of mini consoles, Nintendo could release a dedicated retro console. Something with an eshop for downloading additional titles and perhaps even supporting original games. But what I don't want is a pile of plug and play consoles, one for each retro platform.
@Heavyarms55 What if both become a reality so you can choose your favourite? Collections on a gamecard or via NSO, and plug and play mini retro consoles. I personally love both and I could definitely see Nintendo doing both.
@Heavyarms55 "More interesting to me is that the Switch has nearly passed up the N64 and isn't that far behind the SNES."
And this is done in only about 2 years only of production.
@Yosher Of course I would be completely okay with having the different options. And to be honest assuming I had the cash to spare, I would probably buy both the mini console and the Switch version. As a collector's piece and display item I do like them. I just resent the fact that their existence seems to be as a replacement for those games being on the Switch - which is where I would prefer to actually play the games.
Poor Wii U, even the Mini consolation troll him. Well at least he can act almighty alongside the Virtual Boy.
This is more of an indictment on the Wii U than praise for the novelty mini consoles. Imagine what the sales would look like if they were continually mass produced.
@Heavyarms55 That is a statement I can definitely get behind- aside from 'resenting' their existence as a replacement for the games on Switch. I mean, I'm still not happy with that of course, but there's still NES games on Switch, and there has been found some evidence of SNES games coming in the future as well (unless they just put that into an update to throw off dataminers or something).
Either way, one doesn't necessarily exclude the other, so for now I'd say wait and see what Nintendo has in store in the future. But if I could choose only one over the other, I'd definitely choose the games being on the Switch rather than having the mini consoles as well.
@Yosher There are NES games on Switch and I do have NSO. But it took them well over a year to roll out that service and updates to it have been so infrequent and piecemeal that it seems SNES games wont be on it until 2025 and later systems never.
The mini consoles and more retro games on the Switch don't need to to be exclusive to one another but that certainly seems to be how Nintendo is treating it.
Could've brought the minis up for one more run with those sales.
@Heavyarms55 That is unfortunately true, yeah. I'm just holding onto the hope that Nintendo will improve their classic game offering on Switch before too long. That, and I can't imagine Nintendo not putting their classic stuff, up to at least N64, back onto the Switch, especially now that the Wii Shop Channel is dead.
But, then, I also couldn't imagine them doing away with Virtual Console as a whole and here we are, so... uhm. I'm still gonna be optimistic and have faith in them for the time being, and hope that Nintendo doesn't see the mini consoles as a replacement, but if at least SNES games don't get added to the Switch library this year then I'm probably not gonna have much hope for it anymore either.
I dont know if i should laugh or cry at this. Maybe both. XD & T_T
Yes, the WiiU sales were trash compared to other things but we cannot deny the unique, fun & memorial experiences on that system like skell battles in Xenoblade Chronicles X, or stage making with Super Mario Maker or and even Nintendo Land's carnival like experience. It was really cool.
Never thought the Wii had such a long wiener.
I have 5 of each mini! 3 each with the original 21 and 30 games and 2 of each variously modded from 2700 to 7500 games! The modded ones are just absolutely unbelievable!!! 😁
@joey302 Piracy at its best alright.
Such is the Power of Nintendo!
@Heavyarms55 @Yosher
Some day like the Wii shop channel, the Switch online services will be closed barring any access to any games we have access to now and in the Switch’s future and then you just won’t be able to play them! The lack of a purchase option is soooo glaring and nonsensical with this service!
@ReaderRagfihs For a moment there I thought you said Tickle Me Emo.
@Heavyarms55 it’s such a beautiful thing! Not only am I tired of waiting for Nintendo to step it up but the mod options also grants you the ability to play so many licensed classics that will never ever resurface again! The list is endless! It has also given me the opportunity to unhook a few older Cartridge console Systems and make some much needed space! 👍👍
If anyone modded their minis its Nintendos fault for hoarding their classics and other publishers for not re-releasing them. Games were meant to be played!
@Charlie_Girl A healthy mixture of both, I think!
@ReaderRagfihs Yup, that's the one.
Well if we are combining the sales of two different products, then they are nowhere near the combined sales of the Wii and Wii U...
Comparing apples to oranges.
What I took away from the chart is that the Switch is just about to eclipse the sales of the N64. It’s got legs!
I find it amazing that in business terms every Nintendo home console was a failure after the NES till the Wii.
@Heavyarms55 It’s so stupid Sony didn’t learn from Nintendo’s mistakes; they could have been selling gang busters with a PS Classic that can digitally download from the PSN Store. Now they probably won’t touch another classic console design due to their laziness and the resulting lack of sales. Let’s hope yhe rumor that PS5 is completely Sony BC turns out to be true
@SetupDisk Well, Nintendo did not treat their third party partnerships well
@Acein210 Bingo!! 👍
The Wii U Classic will probably outsell the Wii U.
The combined sales of my toenail clippings is likely to outstrip the Wii U’s lifetime sales 😂
@Antraxx777 " Let’s hope the rumor that PS5 is completely Sony BC turns out to be true"
What do you mean? Do people think the PS5 wont be completely Sony? What else would it be, Samsung?
I like how we all loved wiiu a few years ago on this site and now with Switch we like to make fun of it...
But bring in more WiiU ports!!1
@koekiemonster
I am reading this plus most sites on my wii u still. The best console browser for your tv by far.
I wonder if we see an N64 classic this year. Maybe with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong Racing. Leave Banjo and Kazooie in it and have them guest in Smash. Sorted
@Charlie_Girl Why would someone down vote that comment?
@koekiemonster
Who’s ‘we?’
I always thought it was rubbish.
@Ricochet72 I don't know or care, to be quite honest
Bring on the N64 mini !
@RadioHedgeFund : They would probably fetch for more on eBay too.
@westman98 : You mean the Switch?
We have both of them, and they are really a joy to use!
Great console that was doomed day 1 but I still love it
@Heavyarms55 I’m talking about rumor that Sony will feature complete backwards compatibility of their extensive library on PS5. Probably just wishful thinking though.
@Antraxx777 Everything? My God, if they did that, that would be amazing! And the price of older PS1-3 games would jump through the ceiling!
@GyroZeppeli
Perhaps one day they will.
@Charlie_Girl
Yes to both.
Can we get the Wii U an F in chat?
To be fair, you could sell bags of cat poop for £10 each and it'd outsell the Wii U. Not the best metric for success.
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