Nintendo VP of Sales Says to Buy a Wii U While You Still Can
Nintendo will phase into the NX aggressively, burying the Wii U console.
Nintendo’s Vice President of Sales, Scott Moffitt, had some immediate advice for video-game fans who might not currently own Nintendo’s Wii U console:
“[G]rab a Wii U while you can, because they won’t be around forever.”
Nintendo is gearing up for the release of its next console, the Nintendo NX. While details are still unclear about what exactly this new console is, the NX has been quietly referenced since last year’s surprise announcement. The NX came up again last week when it was revealed at E3 that the new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be released on both the Wii U and NX –though the console itself wasn’t presented at the conference.
The Wii U released in 2012 as a follow-up to the immensely popular Nintendo Wii. Utilizing a unique, dual-screen setup in which the game controller doubled as a second screen, the Wii U is Nintendo’s first proper HD console. Up until then, the company often undercut its hardware specs to offer affordably priced video game consoles to a wider consumer base.
Unfortunately, the Wii U failed to ignite excitement among gamers like the Wii did when it first launched in 2006. The Wii U sold roughly 10 million units worldwide, compared to the nearly 102-million units sold for the Wii. By all metrics, the Wii U was a flop compared to its predecessor.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Wii U is not a viable game console. The system currently boasts a range of exclusive titles that can be considered the best of what modern gaming has to offer. From the latest in the genre defying fighting game, Super Smash Bros. to the two of the best Mario games on any Nintendo system (Super Mario 3D World and Mario Maker), the Wii U had plenty of strong games to make it a serious video game console.
The sales figures, however, paint a bleak picture, and it’s no wonder that Nintendo is preparing a successor only five years after the launch of the Wii U. As Nintendo’s product development transitions to the NX, the Wii U will probably become hard to find, potentially making the system a collector’s item.
