Sad news for those wanting to buy Wii's, it's going to stop
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/21/nintendo-has-ended-wii-production-in-japan
Nintendo stops manufacturing Wii
This topic is locked from further discussion.
It had an outstanding run. The third best selling console of all time. R.I.P. What's even more interesting is how stong this generation was. The ps3 and 360 are at 80 million each. They'll probably finish close to 90 million. That's quite outstanding, and in reality everyone won this generation, when looking at it.
@CoquiNegro said:
It had an outstanding run. The third best selling console of all time. R.I.P. What's even more interesting is how stong this generation was. The ps3 and 360 are at 80 million each. They'll probably finish close to 90 million. That's quite outstanding, and in reality everyone won this generation, when looking at it.
that is true
Crazy how they pretty much stopped supporting wii 18 months prior to wii-u's launch and decide to kill it shortly after. Guess even Nintendo realizes nobody is going to buy a system with no support from them or 3rd parties. I think I saw that ps1 sold 20 million units after ps2 released and ps2 sold 50 million after ps3 launched. Seems like they money left on the table, but it sure was a crazy couple of years for wii.
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
360 though only sold 5million as the 75million was spent on RRR.
@Jag85 said:
The Wii was only 2.5 million units away from beating the PS1... They could have waited a bit.
i am thinking the same thing
Funny, I was thinking of finally picking up a Wii at Black Friday if there were any good sales.
In retrospect, easily the worst console of the last gen. It's decision to forego HD was stupid because within a year of it's release in 2006 prices of HDTVs crashed, SDTV stock was eliminated at all major retailers, and suddenly Wii looked like ass on everyone's TV. So it actually ended up looking like a downgrade to most people as opposed to simply not being much of an upgrade. The motion controls never stuck either. They were neat in a few games like Prime Trilogy, but on the whole, they changed not a damn thing about how we play games. So in that regard, the system was an abject failure.
However, looking back on the complete catalog now, it does have a library of fairly good games, most of which though, are good in spite of the wiimote, rather than because of it.
@CarnageHeart said:
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
The 3DS is not selling worse than the DS, but the 3DS is, in fact, selling even better than the DS did at this point of its lifespan. It looks like the presence of smartphones and tablets has not negatively affected 3DS sales much at all. If anything, it's the more smartphone-like PS Vita that has been negatively affected, as it is indeed selling worse than its predecessor. The 3DS's success shows that a smartphone or tablet is no substitute for a true gaming handheld device, at least not yet.
Also, the Nintendo today is not the same company as it was in the past. Nintendo in the Yamauchi era (up to GameCube & GBA) and Nintendo in the Iwata era (DS & Wii onwards) are very different. Yamauchi-era Nintendo was a more traditional gaming company, focusing on traditional core gaming, powerful console hardware, and ruled with an iron fist (not surprising given Yamauchi's dark shady past). The Iwata-era Nintendo became more focused on creating a new casual gaming market, eschewed powerful console hardware, and now has a friendlier management. It's not really the same company anymore.
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
The 3DS is not selling worse than the DS, but the 3DS is, in fact, selling even better than the DS did at this point of its lifespan. It looks like the presence of smartphones and tablets has not negatively affected 3DS sales much at all. If anything, it's the more smartphone-like PS Vita that has been negatively affected, as it is indeed selling worse than its predecessor. The 3DS's success shows that a smartphone or tablet is no substitute for a true gaming handheld device, at least not yet.
Also, the Nintendo today is not the same company as it was in the past. Nintendo in the Yamauchi era (up to GameCube & GBA) and Nintendo in the Iwata era (DS & Wii onwards) are very different. Yamauchi-era Nintendo was a more traditional gaming company, focusing on traditional core gaming, powerful console hardware, and ruled with an iron fist (not surprising given Yamauchi's dark shady past). The Iwata-era Nintendo became more focused on creating a new casual gaming market, eschewed powerful console hardware, and now has a friendlier management. It's not really the same company anymore.
Aided by a massive pricecut, Nintendo killing the Wii (and neglecting the Wii U) and buying temporary Monster Hunter exclusivity the 3DS has done almost as well as the DS at retail, but it hasn't done as well. Even Nintendo admits as much (the first statement is from January 2013, the second is front August 2013).
http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3ds-sales-have-now-slipped-behind-ds-still-second-fastest-selling-system-ever/
Though we’ve often heard it touted that sales of Nintendo 3DS have “kept pace” with Nintendo DS, it turns out that in recent months, its lead has diminished and fallen behind. Satoru Iwata confirmed this in a financial results presentation following Nintendo’s earnings release, where he explained Nintendo’s stance on their current performance. Nonetheless, 3DS still stands as the second fastest-selling system ever in Japan, ahead of the Game Boy Advance, Wii, and PlayStation 2.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-27-nintendo-aims-for-5-million-japanese-3ds-sales-this-year
"There are more and more media reports suggesting that things aren't going very well for the dedicated gaming hardware business," Iwata said. "But that's not true, at least for the 3DS in Japan."
Iwata noted that the 3DS sold 5.5 million systems in Japan last year. While this year's target of 5 million would represent a decline, the 2012 tally was spurred in part by the debut of the 3DSXL hardware refresh. Iwata noted that the only other system to top 5 million units sold in Japan in a year was the Nintendo DS.
Worldwide, Nintendo is forecasting 3DS sales of 18 million, up significantly from the prior year's 13.95 million. Heading into the holiday season, the 3DS has a number of big releases working in its favor, including Pokemon X & Y, Monster Hunter 4, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and a new Mario Party.
What's really interesting is absence of commercially successful casual games (both Brain Training and Nintendogs and Cats were severe commercial disappointments). Nintendo doesn't seem to be doing or making anything which might draw in casuals (besides making a cheaper 2DS devoid of a gimmick casuals don't care about). As of the time of this writing friendly Nintendo is reliant on the same old core franchises as unfriendly Nintendo. Of the three companies making dedicated gaming systems, all evidence points to MS laying claim to the most casuals at this point in time.
@dvader654 said:
Carnage you could have said the same thing about Nintendo during the GC era, then they went out and won the hardware war the next gen. Nintendo will do something else in the future to be a successful hardware maker.
In an infinite universe all things are possible, but between the Wiimote Plus, the 3DS and the Wii U Nintendo has failed to capture the interests of casuals three times in a row.
If you're saying that there is another blue ocean out there for Nintendo to find and wallow in for a few years before the competition hits, I just don't see it.
I'm surprised they were still producing them TBH.....
@MFDOOM1983 said:
Crazy how they pretty much stopped supporting wii 18 months prior to wii-u's launch and decide to kill it shortly after. Guess even Nintendo realizes nobody is going to buy a system with no support from them or 3rd parties. I think I saw that ps1 sold 20 million units after ps2 released and ps2 sold 50 million after ps3 launched. Seems like they money left on the table, but it sure was a crazy couple of years for wii.
Nintendo's always been quick to stop supporting their consoles once a new one's on the horizon. Happened with the GameCube and the Nintendo 64 as well. A few third-party games kept those systems going a little while longer, but Nintendo's own software dried up quickly. Same will happen with the Wii U when it's time comes as well, I'm sure.
@CarnageHeart said:
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
The 3DS is not selling worse than the DS, but the 3DS is, in fact, selling even better than the DS did at this point of its lifespan. It looks like the presence of smartphones and tablets has not negatively affected 3DS sales much at all. If anything, it's the more smartphone-like PS Vita that has been negatively affected, as it is indeed selling worse than its predecessor. The 3DS's success shows that a smartphone or tablet is no substitute for a true gaming handheld device, at least not yet.
Also, the Nintendo today is not the same company as it was in the past. Nintendo in the Yamauchi era (up to GameCube & GBA) and Nintendo in the Iwata era (DS & Wii onwards) are very different. Yamauchi-era Nintendo was a more traditional gaming company, focusing on traditional core gaming, powerful console hardware, and ruled with an iron fist (not surprising given Yamauchi's dark shady past). The Iwata-era Nintendo became more focused on creating a new casual gaming market, eschewed powerful console hardware, and now has a friendlier management. It's not really the same company anymore.
Aided by a massive pricecut, Nintendo killing the Wii (and neglecting the Wii U) and buying temporary Monster Hunter exclusivity the 3DS has done almost as well as the DS at retail, but it hasn't done as well. Even Nintendo admits as much (the first statement is from January 2013, the second is front August 2013).
http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3ds-sales-have-now-slipped-behind-ds-still-second-fastest-selling-system-ever/
Though we’ve often heard it touted that sales of Nintendo 3DS have “kept pace” with Nintendo DS, it turns out that in recent months, its lead has diminished and fallen behind. Satoru Iwata confirmed this in a financial results presentation following Nintendo’s earnings release, where he explained Nintendo’s stance on their current performance. Nonetheless, 3DS still stands as the second fastest-selling system ever in Japan, ahead of the Game Boy Advance, Wii, and PlayStation 2.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-27-nintendo-aims-for-5-million-japanese-3ds-sales-this-year
"There are more and more media reports suggesting that things aren't going very well for the dedicated gaming hardware business," Iwata said. "But that's not true, at least for the 3DS in Japan."
Iwata noted that the 3DS sold 5.5 million systems in Japan last year. While this year's target of 5 million would represent a decline, the 2012 tally was spurred in part by the debut of the 3DSXL hardware refresh. Iwata noted that the only other system to top 5 million units sold in Japan in a year was the Nintendo DS.
Worldwide, Nintendo is forecasting 3DS sales of 18 million, up significantly from the prior year's 13.95 million. Heading into the holiday season, the 3DS has a number of big releases working in its favor, including Pokemon X & Y, Monster Hunter 4, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and a new Mario Party.
What's really interesting is absence of commercially successful casual games (both Brain Training and Nintendogs and Cats were severe commercial disappointments). Nintendo doesn't seem to be doing or making anything which might draw in casuals (besides making a cheaper 2DS devoid of a gimmick casuals don't care about). As of the time of this writing friendly Nintendo is reliant on the same old core franchises as unfriendly Nintendo. Of the three companies making dedicated gaming systems, all evidence points to MS laying claim to the most casuals at this point in time.
That's in the Japanese market. In the North American market, the 3DS is ahead of where the DS was at this point in its life:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/18/3ds-sales-1-million-ahead-of-ds-record-in-u-s-3639544/
Nintendo of America claims that 3DS sales are now well ahead of the DS at the same point in its life, although it remains cagey about the Wii U’s future.
On the back of yesterday’s string of new game announcements Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed that the 3DS has sold 8 million consoles in the U.S. so far, 1 million more than its predecessor during the same time frame.
And like your own sources point out, the 3DS is also one of the fastest-selling consoles of all time. The 3DS's unexpected success, in spite of its failed "gimmick" and lack of successful casual games, demonstrates that Nintendo can do well mainly catering to core gamers, like with the Game Boy or SNES, rather than having to rely mainly on casual audiences, like with the DS or Wii. This might finally hint to Nintendo that they don't need to depend on casuals so much to remain relevant and/or successful.
@LJS9502_basic said:
I'm surprised they were still producing them TBH.....
Yea same here.
@marcheegsr said:
@LJS9502_basic said:
I'm surprised they were still producing them TBH.....
Yea same here.
But i bet they were stil selling though
Haven't owned a Nintendo console since the Gamecube, but have to say I was surprised at how well the Wii did. Not really a surprise they've stopped making them since the Wii-U is available now, but it is a bit of a shame to see the Wii-U currently flopping after they enjoyed something of a revival, Nintendo have brought a lot a lot to gaming over the years.
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
The 3DS is not selling worse than the DS, but the 3DS is, in fact, selling even better than the DS did at this point of its lifespan. It looks like the presence of smartphones and tablets has not negatively affected 3DS sales much at all. If anything, it's the more smartphone-like PS Vita that has been negatively affected, as it is indeed selling worse than its predecessor. The 3DS's success shows that a smartphone or tablet is no substitute for a true gaming handheld device, at least not yet.
Also, the Nintendo today is not the same company as it was in the past. Nintendo in the Yamauchi era (up to GameCube & GBA) and Nintendo in the Iwata era (DS & Wii onwards) are very different. Yamauchi-era Nintendo was a more traditional gaming company, focusing on traditional core gaming, powerful console hardware, and ruled with an iron fist (not surprising given Yamauchi's dark shady past). The Iwata-era Nintendo became more focused on creating a new casual gaming market, eschewed powerful console hardware, and now has a friendlier management. It's not really the same company anymore.
Aided by a massive pricecut, Nintendo killing the Wii (and neglecting the Wii U) and buying temporary Monster Hunter exclusivity the 3DS has done almost as well as the DS at retail, but it hasn't done as well. Even Nintendo admits as much (the first statement is from January 2013, the second is front August 2013).
http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3ds-sales-have-now-slipped-behind-ds-still-second-fastest-selling-system-ever/
Though we’ve often heard it touted that sales of Nintendo 3DS have “kept pace” with Nintendo DS, it turns out that in recent months, its lead has diminished and fallen behind. Satoru Iwata confirmed this in a financial results presentation following Nintendo’s earnings release, where he explained Nintendo’s stance on their current performance. Nonetheless, 3DS still stands as the second fastest-selling system ever in Japan, ahead of the Game Boy Advance, Wii, and PlayStation 2.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-27-nintendo-aims-for-5-million-japanese-3ds-sales-this-year
"There are more and more media reports suggesting that things aren't going very well for the dedicated gaming hardware business," Iwata said. "But that's not true, at least for the 3DS in Japan."
Iwata noted that the 3DS sold 5.5 million systems in Japan last year. While this year's target of 5 million would represent a decline, the 2012 tally was spurred in part by the debut of the 3DSXL hardware refresh. Iwata noted that the only other system to top 5 million units sold in Japan in a year was the Nintendo DS.
Worldwide, Nintendo is forecasting 3DS sales of 18 million, up significantly from the prior year's 13.95 million. Heading into the holiday season, the 3DS has a number of big releases working in its favor, including Pokemon X & Y, Monster Hunter 4, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and a new Mario Party.
What's really interesting is absence of commercially successful casual games (both Brain Training and Nintendogs and Cats were severe commercial disappointments). Nintendo doesn't seem to be doing or making anything which might draw in casuals (besides making a cheaper 2DS devoid of a gimmick casuals don't care about). As of the time of this writing friendly Nintendo is reliant on the same old core franchises as unfriendly Nintendo. Of the three companies making dedicated gaming systems, all evidence points to MS laying claim to the most casuals at this point in time.
That's in the Japanese market. In the North American market, the 3DS is ahead of where the DS was at this point in its life:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/18/3ds-sales-1-million-ahead-of-ds-record-in-u-s-3639544/
Nintendo of America claims that 3DS sales are now well ahead of the DS at the same point in its life, although it remains cagey about the Wii U’s future.
On the back of yesterday’s string of new game announcements Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed that the 3DS has sold 8 million consoles in the U.S. so far, 1 million more than its predecessor during the same time frame.
And like your own sources point out, the 3DS is also one of the fastest-selling consoles of all time. The 3DS's unexpected success, in spite of its failed "gimmick" and lack of successful casual games, demonstrates that Nintendo can do well mainly catering to core gamers, like with the Game Boy or SNES, rather than having to rely mainly on casual audiences, like with the DS or Wii. This might finally hint to Nintendo that they don't need to depend on casuals so much to remain relevant and/or successful.
Iwata's first statement in January 2013 referred to global numbers. Since that statement no Nintendo executive has made the claim that global 3DS sales are ahead of global DS sales. As for the 3DS's sales being good on their own, that is what I said from the start. You are the one who claimed that the 3DS was currently selling faster than the DS did at that point in its life.
In regards to Nintendo's core prospects, Nintendo on handhelds and Nintendo on consoles are two different things. Nintendo's core console fans during the N64/GC/Wii era have become increasingly isolated and increasingly fixated on a handful of franchises (in the N64 era millions of Nintendo fans enjoyed Goldeneye, in the Wii U era the suggestion that Nintendo should publish a shooter is considered blasphemy). Nintendo's core handheld fans have never been isolated and are not affixed to a handful of franchises (quality original core games such as Scribblenauts and Bravely Default sell well) which is why third parties that wouldn't touch Nintendo's consoles with a ten foot pole support Nintendo's handhelds.
For Nintendo to broaden its appeal in the console sector, it would need to overcome its reluctance to create original games and its aversion to dealing with non-Japanese developers/publishers (NOA and NOE seem to be no more than mouthpieces for NoJ) and its tendency to relegate the few Western teams it deals with to working on moldering Japanese franchises under Miyamoto's supervision.
@insanegame377 said:
Haven't owned a Nintendo console since the Gamecube, but have to say I was surprised at how well the Wii did. Not really a surprise they've stopped making them since the Wii-U is available now, but it is a bit of a shame to see the Wii-U currently flopping after they enjoyed something of a revival, Nintendo have brought a lot a lot to gaming over the years.
I may get a Wii U eventually. I have been missing so many games from Nintendo. I haven't owned a console from Nintendo since N64 if you don't count the 3DS. So i want to catch up on all of the games someday
@Jag85 said:
The Wii was only 2.5 million units away from beating the PS1... They could have waited a bit.
They've only ended production in Japan.
@CarnageHeart said:
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
@Jag85 said:
@CarnageHeart said:
Nintendo essentially stopped supporting the Wii when the 3DS ran into trouble and even before that casuals (the reason the Wii sold 78 million more systems than the GC) were drifting away, so its been irrelevant for some years now.
At its height the Wii made Nintendo a lot of money and a lot of fawning articles in the mainstream media. Nintendo was convinced that it didn't need the wider core market (read: the sorts of core gamers who don't care about the weekly Mario release) so when bored casuals drifted away from the Wii (most of them left console gaming, some went over to the Kinect), Nintendo found itself in well, pretty much the same place it was before the Wii hit (increasingly irrelevant to core gamers, every console selling fewer copies than its predecessor despite the fact that the market was growing larger in absolute terms).
When the Wii was flying off of shelves and Nintendo was making dumptruck loads of money Nintendo should have been investing in new talent (at least some of it Western) and original IP. Instead coming off the Wii Nintendo is largely the same company it was before the success of the Wii (the equivalent of a guy winning the lotto and still driving around in a rusty pick-up truck). They aren't going anywhere because handhelds are still a relatively safe harbor for them (though due to smartphones the successful 3DS isn't nearly as big at the DS was) and they have something like 11 billion dollars in the bank, but under the current leadership, its highly unlikely they will ever again be relevant in the console market.
The 3DS is not selling worse than the DS, but the 3DS is, in fact, selling even better than the DS did at this point of its lifespan. It looks like the presence of smartphones and tablets has not negatively affected 3DS sales much at all. If anything, it's the more smartphone-like PS Vita that has been negatively affected, as it is indeed selling worse than its predecessor. The 3DS's success shows that a smartphone or tablet is no substitute for a true gaming handheld device, at least not yet.
Also, the Nintendo today is not the same company as it was in the past. Nintendo in the Yamauchi era (up to GameCube & GBA) and Nintendo in the Iwata era (DS & Wii onwards) are very different. Yamauchi-era Nintendo was a more traditional gaming company, focusing on traditional core gaming, powerful console hardware, and ruled with an iron fist (not surprising given Yamauchi's dark shady past). The Iwata-era Nintendo became more focused on creating a new casual gaming market, eschewed powerful console hardware, and now has a friendlier management. It's not really the same company anymore.
Aided by a massive pricecut, Nintendo killing the Wii (and neglecting the Wii U) and buying temporary Monster Hunter exclusivity the 3DS has done almost as well as the DS at retail, but it hasn't done as well. Even Nintendo admits as much (the first statement is from January 2013, the second is front August 2013).
http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3ds-sales-have-now-slipped-behind-ds-still-second-fastest-selling-system-ever/
Though we’ve often heard it touted that sales of Nintendo 3DS have “kept pace” with Nintendo DS, it turns out that in recent months, its lead has diminished and fallen behind. Satoru Iwata confirmed this in a financial results presentation following Nintendo’s earnings release, where he explained Nintendo’s stance on their current performance. Nonetheless, 3DS still stands as the second fastest-selling system ever in Japan, ahead of the Game Boy Advance, Wii, and PlayStation 2.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-27-nintendo-aims-for-5-million-japanese-3ds-sales-this-year
"There are more and more media reports suggesting that things aren't going very well for the dedicated gaming hardware business," Iwata said. "But that's not true, at least for the 3DS in Japan."
Iwata noted that the 3DS sold 5.5 million systems in Japan last year. While this year's target of 5 million would represent a decline, the 2012 tally was spurred in part by the debut of the 3DSXL hardware refresh. Iwata noted that the only other system to top 5 million units sold in Japan in a year was the Nintendo DS.
Worldwide, Nintendo is forecasting 3DS sales of 18 million, up significantly from the prior year's 13.95 million. Heading into the holiday season, the 3DS has a number of big releases working in its favor, including Pokemon X & Y, Monster Hunter 4, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and a new Mario Party.
What's really interesting is absence of commercially successful casual games (both Brain Training and Nintendogs and Cats were severe commercial disappointments). Nintendo doesn't seem to be doing or making anything which might draw in casuals (besides making a cheaper 2DS devoid of a gimmick casuals don't care about). As of the time of this writing friendly Nintendo is reliant on the same old core franchises as unfriendly Nintendo. Of the three companies making dedicated gaming systems, all evidence points to MS laying claim to the most casuals at this point in time.
That's in the Japanese market. In the North American market, the 3DS is ahead of where the DS was at this point in its life:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/18/3ds-sales-1-million-ahead-of-ds-record-in-u-s-3639544/
Nintendo of America claims that 3DS sales are now well ahead of the DS at the same point in its life, although it remains cagey about the Wii U’s future.
On the back of yesterday’s string of new game announcements Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed that the 3DS has sold 8 million consoles in the U.S. so far, 1 million more than its predecessor during the same time frame.
And like your own sources point out, the 3DS is also one of the fastest-selling consoles of all time. The 3DS's unexpected success, in spite of its failed "gimmick" and lack of successful casual games, demonstrates that Nintendo can do well mainly catering to core gamers, like with the Game Boy or SNES, rather than having to rely mainly on casual audiences, like with the DS or Wii. This might finally hint to Nintendo that they don't need to depend on casuals so much to remain relevant and/or successful.
Iwata's first statement in January 2013 referred to global numbers. Since that statement no Nintendo executive has made the claim that global 3DS sales are ahead of global DS sales. As for the 3DS's sales being good on their own, that is what I said from the start. You are the one who claimed that the 3DS was currently selling faster than the DS did at that point in its life.
In regards to Nintendo's core prospects, Nintendo on handhelds and Nintendo on consoles are two different things. Nintendo's core console fans during the N64/GC/Wii era have become increasingly isolated and increasingly fixated on a handful of franchises (in the N64 era millions of Nintendo fans enjoyed Goldeneye, in the Wii U era the suggestion that Nintendo should publish a shooter is considered blasphemy). Nintendo's core handheld fans have never been isolated and are not affixed to a handful of franchises (quality original core games such as Scribblenauts and Bravely Default sell well) which is why third parties that wouldn't touch Nintendo's consoles with a ten foot pole support Nintendo's handhelds.
For Nintendo to broaden its appeal in the console sector, it would need to overcome its reluctance to create original games and its aversion to dealing with non-Japanese developers/publishers (NOA and NOE seem to be no more than mouthpieces for NoJ) and its tendency to relegate the few Western teams it deals with to working on moldering Japanese franchises under Miyamoto's supervision.
Both your sources are referring to the Japanese market, not the worldwide market. In other words, the 3DS is selling slightly worse than the DS did in Japan, but is selling slightly better than the DS did in North America at this point of its life. I'm not too sure about the European market, or the worldwide market, however.
As for the console market, I think most of us already know that Nintendo is struggling right now in that sector of the industry. Only time will tell whether the Wii U can manage a comeback like the 3DS, or if it gets left behind by the PS4 or X1.
EDIT:
Regarding the 3DS's worldwide sales, it is currently the best-selling console (home and handheld) worldwide:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/11/the-top-10-best-games-on-3ds-from-pokemon-x-and-y-to-resident-evil-4142630/
"The 3DS is currently the top-selling video games console in the world. Considering what a rocky start the system had, with almost no games of note in its entire first year, that’s quite an achievement."
However, I'm still not sure how well it did compared to the DS at this point of its life.
@The_Last_Ride said:
Sad news for those wanting to buy Wii's, it's going to stop
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/21/nintendo-has-ended-wii-production-in-japan
Didn't even know they still made them. Besides if someone really wants a Wii, they can just a Wii-U since it plays all Wii games also(it just doesn't have GC compatibility).
Even though people really give it a hard time I really like the Wii-U(though I did hate the Wii remote(also hated Kinect for that matter)), but it really does need some games. Can't wait till X is released.
@t1striker said:
@The_Last_Ride said:
Sad news for those wanting to buy Wii's, it's going to stop
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/21/nintendo-has-ended-wii-production-in-japan
Didn't even know they still made them. Besides if someone really wants a Wii, they can just a Wii-U since it plays all Wii games also(it just doesn't have GC compatibility).
Even though people really give it a hard time I really like the Wii-U(though I did hate the Wii remote(also hated Kinect for that matter)), but it really does need some games. Can't wait till X is released.
i really want to catch up on Nintendo games, i have missed the two last gens
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