Following a strong launch, Wii U sales have fallen sharplyNintendo will overhaul Wii U issues with second system update ...

A second retailer has cut the price of the Wii U to just £149.
MCV reported yesterday that Asda had slashed a further £50 off the console’s price, making the 8GB Basic SKU available for just £149 and the 32GB Premium SKU for £199.
That’s a £100 saving on their respective launch prices.
Now online retailer Amazon has followed suit by cutting the price of the Basic SKU to £149 too. It hasn’t changed its Premium price, however, and is still charging £287.64 for the machine.
All of this harks back to March when Amazon again followed Asda’s lead by slashing £50 of the console’s price.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/d-j-v...to-149/0115091 ...

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Injustice: Gods Among Us is on sale at Toys R Us for a mere $34.99, a whopping $25 off its original price. The deal ends on May 4.

That's it. We're not sure what else you want from us here. You really should just go play the game and prepare yourself for the Lobo DLC that's coming on May 7.

Toys R Us (Xbox 360)

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We speak to analysts about Nintendo's recent fiscal report and the company's move to give Iwata the additional role of North American CEO

Nintendo of America

Nintendo's recent fiscal report revealed shockingly poor sales for the Wii U console, and while the company did turn a profit, it once again failed to hit estimates. On top of that, the company decided to hand over the North American reins to Satoru Iwata, giving him the additional responsibility of Nintendo of America CEO. What does it all mean for Nintendo, and can Wii U bounce back?GamesIndustry International chatted with several leading analysts to get their takes.
"Nintendo of America's performance the past couple years has been a disaster on almost every level. Much of this was due to lack of execution on basic stuff like product marketing," said David Cole of DFC Intelligence. "They forgot Marketing 101 for the Wii U and no product could have done well without basic marketing support. Clearly a change in execution was long overdue. The damage done is enormous but there is the possibility of a turnaround. The fact is that the general public is not really aware the Wii U even exists so it is an opportunity to almost start from scratch."
Indeed, Nintendo need only look to its 3DS strategy as an example of how the company could potentially fix the Wii U, said Asif A. Khan, CFO of Virtue LLC.
"I still believe Wii U will outsell past flops like the Gamecube, and Nintendo's brands will retain their value for decades to come"
Asif A. Khan

"I believe that 3DS offers a perfect template for how Wii U could succeed in the future," he said. "Nintendo had an equally poor 3DS launch lineup as we have seen with the Wii U. One thing that holds true for most systems they have made, software moves the hardware. Nintendoland was not as compelling and groundbreaking as Wii Sports was in 2006. The wow factor of the Wii U is very hard to advertise on television and with no robust third-party exclusives, the system's launch can definitely be characterized as a flop. This does not mean that the company is going to die."
"Nintendo is projecting a huge 674 percent increase in net income year-over-year and the bar is incredibly low going forward with the last two years being some of the worst financial performances in the company's history. What has given life to the 3DS in recent months is the introduction of high quality first party titles and I believe we will see the same process play out for the Wii U," Khan continued.

"Nintendo's biggest problem right now is balancing quality with quantity of games. It takes time to make high quality games, and they clearly don't want to overspend on this console cycle. This painstakingly slow approach to software development is why the company is still standing today after past weak console cycles. I still believe Wii U will outsell past flops like the Gamecube, and Nintendo's brands will retain their value for decades to come."
EEDAR's Jesse Divnich shares Khan's optimism for Nintendo. "Nintendo expects to sell an additional 9 million Wii U units this fiscal year, which is a positive sign for the hardware. While the past quarter numbers have raised eyebrows, Nintendo's confidence in next year does indicate they likely have a few promotional/marketing programs in the pipeline, along with the strong likelihood of stellar content we've yet to see," he said. "We know Nintendo has been in this position before with the 3DS and they were ultimately able to regain consumer confidence and wallet share. We've yet to see the best Nintendo has to offer for the Wii U. I am reserving long-term judgment on the Wii U until we see stronger first party content released. If a new Super Mario, Smash Brothers, Pikmin or Zelda game are unable to revitalize sales, then I'd begin to be concerned."
Clearly, action is needed to turn things around, and with Iwata now helming Nintendo of America as well, it may be easier to push out a more unified global strategy.
"Nintendo's historically central role in gaming could be permanently diminished if it doesn't execute better in the US in the next 12 months"
Lewis Ward

"The shift in structure likely speaks to a desire to bring Nintendo's Japanese and American operations closer, consolidate its strategic efforts and maximize the opportunities available to the company on a global level," said Scott Steinberg, CEO of consulting firm TechSavvy Global. "With one foot in America and one in Japan, Iwata's leadership may be able to better bridge the gap between audiences and markets, and ensure that the company continues to innovate and deliver high-quality content that appeals to all. The key to rebounding is focus, differentiation, and ability to communicate value - hopefully, Iwata will be uniquely poised and able to draw on the best of both worlds to achieve this goal."
IDC Research Manager Lewis Ward added, "I think Mr. Iwata understands that for Nintendo to grow overall in 2013 and 2014 that business has to bounce back in the US in particular. It's been ...

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If you've got games, consoles, and peripherals gathering dust and cluttering up your minimalist entertainment center, today is the today to convert them to credit.

Gamestop has been the de factor black hole for trade-ins for longer than any of us can remember, but in recent years other retailers have jumped in to the fray. The paltry sums the big GS offers for your hard-earned discs have been a frequent lament, and while it's actually very possible to make a killing from Gamestop, the process isn't so transparent, and that's a PSA for another day.

The Amazon deal we're bringing to you today is dead simple. Trade in $20 or more worth of "games, consoles, and accessories," and get a bonus $20 credit. That is a serious deal. Games like the 360 version of Tomb Raider will net you $54 in credit after the bonus is applied, and some titles will actually cross the $60 event horizon. Yes, you'll make money on a game you paid full price for.

Shipping to Amazon is as low impact as possible, and FREE. What you will have to concern yourself with is that obviously, only new-ish titles are going to bring the big bucks. If you're sending in a legacy library, you may have to really stack them up to hit the $20 mark, as anyone who has ever traded at Gamestop knows.

We saved the best but most intensive part of the deal for last. If you're a fast player or the game in question is short, you can buy from Amazon, play, and sell back before the 27th, making money in the process. Naturally, having a Prime account would make this a lot more feasible by making the initial shipping to you faster.

Example: Buy Bioshock: Infinite for $50 with free shipping, play, ship by the 27th, get $56 (up to 36 +20) credit.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1001102761 ...

A few months ago I opined that the Wii U's Virtual Console, with its limited launch lineup, limited platforms, and limited upgrades from the Wii Virtual Console, was less than ideal. A few things have changed since then: some of the games have launched (for 30 cents), we have a solid launch date for the service in earnest, and there's a more detailed launch list. However, none of the basic issues have been fixed; the Virtual Console carries the same inherent flaws it did in January.

But for now, all is forgiven. Because Earthbound.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/22/ea...-virtual-cons/ ...