Motley Fool: Nintendo Might Discontinue Wii U Next Year

wii-u-japan

So says Sam Mattera of the Motley Fool investment website. Now before you decry his opinion, let’s see Mattera’s arguments in short form:

  • The Wii U has been a total failure.
  • Microsoft will steal Nintendo’s core market.
  • Unlike Sony, Nintendo can’t afford to support a failing console.
  • This holiday season will be crucial for Nintendo.
  • Got iPad?

Okay, now you may decry his opinion. I’ll start. First, the Wii U hasn’t been a total failure; that honor goes to the Sega Nomad. Haven’t heard of it? There’s a good reason for that. Second, I am curious to see if the Xbox One, a $500 console, will steal Nintendo’s core market. I doubt it.  Expect to see people playing games on more devices not fewer, as Nielsen found in a 2012 survey.

I actually agree with the third and fourth points — to an extent.  3DS has done phenomenal, making up for  languishing Wii U sales. But this holiday season will be critical to Wii U’s success.  Last, but certainly not least — Got iPad? No, I don’t. But a lot of people do apparently. As people become platform agnostic, competition will become keener than ever.  The company that finds its niche will succeed. Nintendo has that down. The Wii U’s problem — other than its name — is that its biggest competitor is a Nintendo product. That’s right. 3DS is a big reason Wii U hasn’t taken off. Also, those Wii U ads.

Well, those are my thoughts. What do you think? Is Wii U doom to fail? Will it rise to the top of the NPD’s charts? Sound off in the comments.

Source: Daily Finance

Rakim Reid is many things -- a blogger, husband, student -- but video games have been in his life longer than any of them. He has written about the video game industry over the years in his spare time and has plans to expand into the e-book realm. He is a avid Nintendo fan and continues to play the company's latest games. You can find him curled up next to his 3DS in his downtime.