14 DAY TRIAL // Analysis firm HIS Screen Digest suggests that the upcoming launch of the Wii U home console from Nintendo will manage to sell more than 3.5 million units all over the world before the end of 2012, but its pace will then slow down below that of the original Wii.
Piers Harding-Rolls, the senior principal analyst at HIS, is quoted by GamesIndustry.biz saying that, “This time around, Wii U’s pure innovation, coupled with a limited volume of high-quality Nintendo software, will not be enough to drive the ongoing sales momentum we witnessed with the Wii console, especially at a higher price point.”
“Long-term success depends on ongoing consumer engagement delivered through the constant release of high-quality content from both first and third parties, a competitive non-games entertainment proposition and a sound digital and online strategy to go along with such innovation,” he added.
During the four years on the market, IHIS believes that the Wii U will move 53.2 million units, which is just under 70 percent of what the initial console managed during the same period.
Nintendo has created the bestselling home console of the current generation and it hopes that it will re-create some of its magic with the Wii U, despite lower forecasts from analysts.
The most important innovation of the new hardware platform is the new GamePad controller, which includes a touch screen and allows developers to create a number of new and innovative gameplay experiences.
Nintendo and others companies also claim that the Wii U will deliver more raw computing power than the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 and that the console has long-term potential for innovation and optimization.
The Wii U is set to be launched on the North American market on November 18, on November 30 in Europe and eight days later in Japan.