The Wii U Stumbles in Japan (But Don't Count Nintendo Out)

If Japan is anything to go by, the Wii U hasn't proven to be the smash hit Nintendo hoped it would be. Granted, hardware launches are tough. The 3DS had a difficult time getting off the ground. Now, it's doing gangbusters. In Japan, the Wii U, however, is having a hard time lately.

To put things into perspective, let's compare how the Wii U stacks up to the Wii's first six weeks on sale in Japan (data courtesy of 4Gamer and Media Create):

First Week
? Wii: 371,936 units sold
? Wii U: 308,570

Second Week
? Wii: 109,068
? Wii U: 130,653

Third Week
? Wii: 101,956
? Wii U: 122,356

Fourth Week
? Wii: 284,648
? Wii U: 76,760

Fifth Week
? Wii: 121,510
? Wii U: 70,662

Sixth Week
? Wii: 146,553?
? Wii U: 20,715

Online in Japan, people are pointing out that there's reason for being concerned?namely that the Wii U is now posting GameCube's sales numbers.

Nintendo will say that the Wii launched during the height of Nintendo DS mania. That's correct. It did. However, the Wii U started out strong, but it's been running out of gas. There are not enough games to lure people who might be sitting on the fence about the Wii U. If Nintendo did not make games, I'd say this is cause for concern. There isn't. Yet.

In case you missed it, here's Kotaku's review of the Wii U.

WiiU?????6???????????????PS3??????????????????????????? [?????]

---

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5976674/the-wii-u-stumbles-in-japan-but-dont-count-nintendo-out

usher James Holmes Minka Kelly sex tape Colorado shooting Colorado shooting victims aurora Angie Everhart