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Wii U News
by Published on October 29th, 2012 22:03- Categories:
- Wii U News
It's been said that gamers buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games, but the Mario maker is hoping they'll be happy with fewer first-party titles than normal for the Wii U's launch. In a post-earnings Q&A with investors released in English today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said Nintendo is trying to avoid a post-launch release slump by rationing out its first-party Wii U titles.
"Nintendo tends to release too many titles at the launch of a hardware system and as a result suffers a drop in new games for quite some time after launch, and for the Wii U launch, we are being very careful not to let it happen," Iwata told investors. "Fortunately, third-party publishers overseas are launching many titles for us this time, and we were able to push back the release of some of the titles that we had originally intended to release as launch titles until next year."
"Nintendo tends to release too many titles at the launch of a hardware system..."
Satoru Iwata
However, Iwata believes third-party publishers will step in to help address the need for high-quality software in the interim.
"I think that the ratio between first-party titles and third-party titles this time will be drastically different from then," Iwata said. "The first-party ratio was very high at first for both the Nintendo DS and Wii systems, and this trend has continued until now for Wii in Japan. For Nintendo DS worldwide and Wii overseas, the third-party ratio gradually increased as time went by. I expect that it will be high at a relatively early stage for Wii U."
Iwata also addressed the company's growing digital business, saying he expects revenues from full-game downloads to be "totally different" from when they were limited to Virtual Console and WiiWare sales, and added that Nintendo should disclose an outlook for digital sales so investors can recognize it as a growth area for the company. Continuing on the topic of digital revenues, Iwata said Nintendo is being selective with how it rolls out downloadable content into its games. While New Super Mario Bros. 2's new levels have received a good response according to Iwata, he said the company will only pursue DLC for games where it will help build long-term relationships with its consumers.
"For example, some might say that it would be unbelievably profitable to provide paid add-on content for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but we were concerned that a game in which you enjoy yourself more by the power of money would not be suitable, and we decided to avoid such a feature after an intensive discussion with the development team," Iwata said.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ties-for-wii-u ...by Published on October 28th, 2012 01:00- Categories:
- Wii U News
It isn't unprecedented, exactly, but the announcement made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata earlier this week concerning the Wii U's pricing was momentous nonetheless. "Rather than determining a price based on its manufacturing cost, we selected one that consumers could consider to be reasonable," he stated during the firm's latest financial briefing - or, in short, Nintendo is set to launch its new console at a price lower than its cost of manufacturing.
"Today's market, flooded with smartphones, tablets and other perfectly game-capable devices, simply won't support a profit-making, high cost console"
This is a compelling sign of just how difficult market conditions have become for Nintendo. For years, the company has been pulling off a pretty remarkable trick - competing with bigger rivals like Microsoft and Sony, and even beating them, all while refusing to be drawn into the business model of selling hardware below cost. Other hardware manufacturers routinely launch their hardware at loss-making price points, recouping investment through software sales and betting that manufacturing costs will fall faster than price cuts (not a bet that always pays off, at least not at first). Nintendo does no such thing. It makes a profit when you buy a console, and makes more profit every time you buy a game.
Or at least, that's how things used to be. The first big crack to appear in Nintendo's dam came with the price cut to the 3DS in early 2011, which brought the system's price tag below its cost of manufacture only a matter of a few months after launch. By all accounts, Nintendo's high unit sales and talent for dropping manufacturing costs has now reined this situation in, with the 3DS back at or below break-even, but a precedent had been set. Now the Wii U will break with Nintendo's traditional business model entirely, launching from the outset at a loss-making price point.
I have no doubt that such a move was debated hotly in Nintendo's Kyoto boardrooms, but in the end, it's reality that has won out. Today's market, flooded with smartphones, tablets and other perfectly game-capable devices, simply won't support a profit-making, high cost console - and some of Nintendo's critics would do well to recall that Sony and Microsoft will also be announcing deeply loss-making next generation hardware in due course. This is how consoles are sold; the wonder, in some ways, is that Nintendo has held on to its ability to sell at above cost for such a long time.
"People have been buying up the Yen in bulk, driving up value relative to other currencies, and making life very hard for export-driven companies like Nintendo and Sony"
It's worth thinking about the factors which have driven Nintendo's decision - which have, in effect, backed the company into such a corner. The wider market picture is definitely a part of it; this Christmas, Nintendo will not just be competing with rival game systems, but also with iOS, Android and Windows Phone / Windows 8 devices aplenty. Christmas lists (and birthday lists, and shopping lists of all kinds throughout the whole year) only have space for so many devices. Nintendo has always had a wide view of its competition; many years ago, it already understood that it wasn't necessarily competing with Sony so much as it was competing with "watching TV" or "playing board games" or "going out". Now it understands that it must jostle for mindshare with devices like the iPad, the Nexus 7 or the Galaxy Note. They don't do the same things as a Wii U, of course, but Nintendo of all companies can see that they're still powerful competition. Moreover, since Nintendo's software prices remain very high compared to the low-cost or free-to-play business models which dominate on phones and tablets, device pricing is a vital weapon in this battle.
That's the factor we're all going to talk about, inevitably, because Nintendo's newly aggressive stance on pricing matches up with an ongoing industry narrative - the squeezing of dedicated consoles by powerful multifunction devices. However, we should be careful not to overstate that side of the argument, because the fact is that while Nintendo is undoubtedly feeling heat from the changing market, it's only a mild glow of warmth compared to the sweltering, searing heat wave that is the perilous state of the Japanese export economy.
Oh god, you think, this sounds dull. It is - far more dull than an exciting narrative about a former reliable pillar of the industry being felled by advancing technology and market change. It has the benefit, however, of being quantifiable. Nintendo reckons it lost ¥23.2 billion due to Yen exchange rate problems over the past six months - that's about $290 million. That figure only hints, however, at the sheer lack of options which Nintendo has on pricing due to the strong Yen. On its balance sheet, the value of every Euro or Pound the company earns is only about 60 per cent of what it was a few short years ago; the value of every dollar has pretty much halved. Local consumers can't ...by Published on October 28th, 2012 00:58- Categories:
- Wii U News
On face value, a shortage of day one Wii U stock will be frustrating to all retailers and publishers hoping for a smooth launch day and plenty of hardware and software sales.
But the truth is that, managed right, a tighter flow of hardware can avoid any money lost to overstocks or hasty price cuts and bundles.
Do we really want a repeat of the 3DS launch, which overestimated what the launch weekend would offer? While that format has hit its stride now, can anyone in the trade really say they want to relive what happened in March last year?
No, what we want is another ‘Wii moment’, that hard-to-hit sweet spot between supply and demand.
Nintendo’s honesty in the stock situation this week is at least preparing the trade for what we really want to happen: for a new machine to prove popular. It’s a long time, after all, since this industry has had to cope a console shortage.
RETAIL’S X FACTOR
Of course, some people with vested interests want you to think that there will be no such thing as a console shortage.
Apparently, demand has been ruined by tablets and online games, and consoles are on the way out.
They might have a bit of a point. The word ‘Xbox’ being quietly repositioned to mean a broad online offering, not just a physical box is one example in their favour. SingStar transforming into a free offering is another.
And next week, we’re dedicating a huge chunk of the magazine to the free-to-play market and how it is having an impact at the heart of the industry.
But I still can’t help but think the draw of something quirky, or innovative, or simply something you can touch will never lose its appeal.
It’s this lowercase-f X factor that Nintendo always banks on that drove the smartphone boom, and is helping matters closer to home. Skylanders, for instance, had a strong opening weekend last week, with decent sales likely to come. Even video games’ fair-weather profits-first friend
WH Smith is stocking the game’s collectable action figures.
I think the free-to-play set – either unfamiliar, lacking understanding, or being simply uninterested in console and physical goods – fail to understand this. And that will always be a strength that video games and physical retail have, when handled right.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/opini...essing/0105296 ...by Published on October 26th, 2012 01:10- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo's next generation games console is almost certain to sell out immediately in the UK, with retail sources claiming that only 25,000 Wii U systems will be available on day one.
Update:A Nintendo UK rep told CVG, "Wii U stock levels will be tight on day one," before adding, "However we will be providing retailers with regular stock deliveries in the run up to Christmas in order to meet demand as quickly as possible." Update ends.A retail source connected to the matter told CVG that the group does not have enough Wii U units to fulfill pre-orders.
The 25,000 figure they provided was then put to a distribution source working at a separate retailer, who said the number was "in line with our estimates".
However, a third source at another UK retail chain said his team was expecting the UK to receive "anything between 75,000 and 100,000 units during the launch period".
"What we don't know is whether this allocation will arrive on day one or be distributed across a number of weeks," he said.
The company expects to ship 5.5 million units to retail globally before April. Profit forecasts have been slashed and the company's president, Satoru Iwata, told investors on Wednesday that "production capacity, rather than consumer demand, that will place limits on our Wii U prospects for this calendar year".
In August, CVG learnt that manufacturing issues had limited Nintendo's supply options for Wii U on launch day.
Months later, in October, Nintendo was reported to have hit a second supply issue due to afactory fire. The company denied that the incident would impact on its Wii U production plans.
Week one sales of games consoles are largely reflective of supply constraints rather than demand. In 2005, Xbox 360 sold out during its first weekend after some 70,000 units were snatched up by eager consumers. One year later, Wii managed to break new weekend records with 105,000 units sold. PS3 broke new ground several months later, with a huge launch supply of 165,000 units all sold out in during its opening weekend.
Nintendo has confirmed a Wii U release date of November 18 in the US and a Wii U release date of November 30 in Europe. The company has set the US Wii U price at $299 for the basic model, while the UK Wii U price starts at £230.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...oss-uk-retail/ ...by Published on October 25th, 2012 23:52- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo has broken with a company tradition stretching back three decades by admitting that the upcoming Wii U will be sold at a loss at launch.Satoru Iwata revealed the news during an investor briefing following the publication yesterday of the company’s latest financial results, telling those present that Nintendo’s desire to make the system affordable at launch dictated it be sold at a loss....
http://www.edge-online.com/news/wii-...endo-confirms/by Published on October 24th, 2012 21:38- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo has drastically cut its full year profit forecast from £157 million to £47 million ahead of a crucial six months of trading.
The company expects to sell 5.5 million units of its new Wii U console in the year ending March 31 - as forecast by CVG in July - as well as 5 million Wii units.Meanwhile, the company lowered its 3DS sales expectation by one million units, down to 17.5 million for the financial year.
3DS sales have not met the internal projections at Nintendo, the company showed today.
In April it had expected to bring in 230 billion yen (£1.8 billion) from all business but fell short by a tenth of that goal (about £230 million).
Nintendo's bottom line for the six months ending in September was £62 million below expectations, with the group explaining: "Sales of the Nintendo 3DS hardware and software were weaker in overseas markets than expected".
The Kyoto headquartered firm also cited yen appreciation as a major problem.
Overall the company lost £220 million during the six months - a significant hit but nevertheless half of what it lost in the same period last year.
As of September 30, worldwide 3DS sales stand at 22.2 million units. The original DS has surpassed 152 million, with the Wii closing in on its 100 millionth sale.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ales-by-april/ ...by Published on October 23rd, 2012 21:13- Categories:
- Wii U News
Pre-ordering online is not sufficient, then?
There are two main facts to consider here. The first is that there’s a man whose actual name, according to Kotaku, is Isaiah-Triforce Johnson. We presume this gentleman changed his name himself and was not given it by his parents.
Though that is not confirmed.
The second fact to consider is that Isaiah-Triforce Johnson is already queuing outside Manhattan’s Nintendo World Store for his Wii U. Just under a month ahead of its launch in the region on November 18th.
Johnson has apparently “made a name for himself as the first person to buy just about every piece of Nintendo hardware in recent history”.
Our favourite thing about him is that in the picture above he’s wearing a Nintendo Power Glove.
We have a further question – does ITJ know that Nintendo employees, their family members, key partners and select press will actually get their hands on the machine before him without queuing outside for a month?
Still, good luck to him. We hope the weather in New York is better than what we’re getting in the UK. A workman told us this morning that there’s a chance of snow later this week.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/a-man...-wii-u/0105040
...by Published on October 23rd, 2012 21:06- Categories:
- Wii U News
When the Wii U version of Assassin's Creed III arrives in stores next month, there won't be much to distinguish it from its Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC counterparts. As the game's creative director Alex Hutchinson told GamesIndustry International at a launch party last week, that's a good thing.
"I'm super excited whenever we demo the Wii U," Hutchinson said. "It is exactly the same game that's on the other platforms. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's been a long time since I've shipped a game on more than three platforms where you could say it's all the same. It's not like some radically diminished version, so that's exciting."
The Wii U version of the game will use the system's Game Pad to display the in-game map, or allow players to quickly equip different weapons. While Hutchinson didn't mention the Game Pad specifically, he did speak positively about working with the new Nintendo hardware itself.
"It's always a challenge with new hardware, but it's also exciting," Hutchinson said. "I love the smell of new plastic, that day you get home with your new piece of kit. And it's been a long time since we've had a new piece of kit."
Assassin's Creed III debuts on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC October 30. The Wii U version is expected on shelves at the console's launch November 18.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...other-versions ...by Published on October 23rd, 2012 17:41- Categories:
- Wii U News
Digital distribution platform Origin will be mandatory for Wii U users hoping to play EA-published games online, according to an updatedprivacy policy document.
As unearthed by GameSpot, Nintendo account information will be provided to the publishing giant for users to establish an Origin account.
Information to be transferred to EA includes e-mail addresses, Nintendo Network ID, friend list, country, language, date of birth and Mii information.
The new policy states however that personal details obtained does not include credit card or other financial account information.
Similar polices are also in place for PS3 and Xbox Live users.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...EA-Wii-U-games ...by Published on October 22nd, 2012 22:11- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nindie.com has promised independent retailers they will get their ‘fair share’ of Wii U stock as the console’s launch approaches.
Koch Media’s Nintendo supply portal says that Wii U can be delivered direct to consumers on behalf of the retailers. The cost to stores will be the normal trade price plus a £2 handling charge.
“This is particularly useful for the new release of Wii U where a day of launch delivery is imperative,” said Koch Media’s MD Craig McNicol.
“Thus take the money at the till, enter the order on Nindie.com with the consumer’s delivery address, and Koch will deliver with a delivery note with the retailer’s details on.
“Our Nindie.com scheme has strove for six years since its inception to deal with the independent marketplace on a transparent basis with allocations. A lot has changed in the marketplace in that time but for sure one thing that hasn’t is that there is never enough stock of highly demanded lines to satisfy everyone’s wishes.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/koch-...launch/0104968 ...- Search DCEmu
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