14 DAY TRIAL // With the Nintendo Wii U now close to launch on the United States market, the biggest for video game products, a number of analysts offer their own predictions about the success of the new home console.
Michael Pachter, the influential industry watcher working for Wedbush Morgan, believes that despite big initial demand for the Wii U the price of the new platform is still too high and that its impact will be felt after the launch period, when cheaper alternatives will eat into its market share.
John Taylor, an analyst for Arcadia, brings up the problem of supply, and tells Gamasutra that ”it’s going to get to be a little more challenging is around the May time frame or when warm weather shows up again. I think Nintendo is going to really need to demonstrate what is truly amazing about this by that time.”
Colin Sebastian, who work for R. W. Baird, says that the Wii U will be a good seller for the first six months and that once they are over its might struggle to attact buyers.
Eric Handler, from MKM Partners, adds, “All of the third-party publishers are being very cautious with the Wii U. We’re not seeing many Wii U specific titles. They’re ports. No one is really pouring a lot of money into it right now.”
Traditionally Nintendo has been the main supplier of hit video games, from Mario to Zelda, for the original Wii and that might mean that the Wii U lacks a solid line-up of games that can attract more hardcore players.
The new Nintendo home console is expected to sell more than 3.5 million units before the end of 2012 and the launch line-up of games in the United States includes NintendoLand, FIFA 13, Darksiders Ii and many others.
European players will get access to the device on November 30 and Japan has a release date of December 8.