Analyst: Wii U GameStop sales below expectations

Wii U hardware and software sales at GameStop during the holiday season were below expectations, according to an investor note from Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia. The industry watcher said Wii U availability at GameStop continues to be "abundant."

The Wii U made its worldwide debut November 18 in North America and sold 400,000 units during its first week. The console launched in Europe and Australia on November 30, but no specific sales figures for those regions have been announced. The Wii U's December 8 launch in Japan saw first-weekend sales come in at 308,570 units.

Bhatia also revealed that the $350 Wii U Deluxe model is selling at a greater clip than the $300 basic version at GameStop, presumably due to its "better value." The Deluxe model includes 32GB of storage space to the Basic unit's 8GB, as well as a bundled copy of Nintendo Land.

Additionally, Bhatia said the Wii U software attach rate at GameStop is "low," but did not provide a specific rate.

"Our conclusion is the Nintendo Wii U launch has been slightly disappointing," Bhatia said.