http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/segas-failed-dreamcast-actually-outsold-the-wii-u/
Press Start: Sega’s failed Dreamcast console has actually outsold Nintendo’s Wii U (sort of)
Comparing Sega's ill-fated Dreamcast to Nintendo's struggling Wii U
The Dreamcast and the Wii U actually share striking similarities.PHOTO: HANDOUT
Nintendo has sold slightly less than 6 million Wii U consoles since the system’s launch in November 2012.
A recent Reddit post got me thinking about this from a very sobering perspective. The console is now approximately as old as the Dreamcast was when Sega announced the system’s death (in terms of its North American release date) and has sold just about half as many devices. At this rate, the Wii U isn’t even on pace to outsell Nintendo’s last struggling system, the GameCube.
Sega sold 10.6 million Dreamcast consoles between its November 27, 1998 Japanese launch and when the console was officially discontinued in March 2001. In total it was on the market for two years three months although it was also still sold in certain regions for a few more years. In terms of its U.S. launch – and this is where the sales comparison comes in – the Dreamcast was on the market for one year and six months. This is a life span that’s comparable to the Wii U’s one year and five months.
In total, the Dreamcast sold 2.32 million in Japan. Even if that number is subtracted from the Dreamcast’s total life time worldwide sales, 10.6 million, and the number I’m comparing the Wii U’s 6 million units to, it still outsold Nintendo’s struggling console - 8.28 million Dreamcasts to approximately 6 million Wii U consoles worldwide. Removing the Wii U’s Japanese sales to keep things more fair, paints an even worse picture – just 4.3 million Wii Us sold.
These calculations got a little complicated, but anyway you look at these numbers the Wii U is a sales disaster for Nintendo.
I say it about a lot of Wii U games, but it’s great to see Nintendo’s core franchises finally make the jump to high-definition graphics.
Nintendo is obviously in much better financial shape than Sega was at the time of the Dreamcast’s death and has billions of dollars in the bank and a moderately successful handheld console, the Nintendo 3DS (the DS sold much better than the 3DS). They also didn’t create the disastrous Sega Saturn or any of Sega’s many other ill-fated corporate money bleeding accessories like the 32X, Sega CD or even theNomad (although there was the Virtual Boy…).
Nintendo is coming off the ultra-successful Wii, which is probably part of why the Wii U’s struggling sales continue to be shocking. Still, there are various comparisons that can be drawn between the two consoles.
The Dreamcast failed to compete against the might of Sony and the PlayStation 2′ success, resulting in its death. The Wii U was unable to compete with the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 during roughly its first year on the market and now that the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are on store shelves, the sales situation has become even more grim for Nintendo. T
Both consoles have great games but never ended up getting the console selling title new systems often need to ship units. On the Dreamcast front, the console had Shenmue, Phantasy Star Online, Grandia II and Resident Evil: Code Veronica and a handful of other decent titles. The Wii U has Super Mario 3D World, ZombiU, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and a couple of other titles, but hardly enough to warrant purchasing the system unless you’re a Nintendo fanantic.
ZombiU might not be the kind of game that appeals to everyone, but I definitely had a great time with it.
Even when Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 finally get released, the Wii U’s library will continue to pale in comparison to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, which makes sense because the Wii U hasn’t been out as long as those consoles. But even on the PS4 and Xbox One front, two systems the Wii U is supposed to be directly competing with, the Wii U is getting destroyed and those devices have only been out for a few months.
Unlike Sega at the time of the Dreamcast’s demise though, Nintendo has a rabid fan base and a relatively positive reputation for creating quality games and consoles. Two recently released Wii U games, Super Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, were well received by both critics and fans, but how much longer can Nintendo continue to prop up the Wii U on their own?
Third-party developer support is basically gone at this point (it’s still even unclear if Ubisoft’s Watch_Dogs will get a Wii U release) making the only games worth playing on the system, Nintendo titles. The Dreamcast suffered a similar fate in its twilight years with games like NHL 2K2 (which is still my favourite sports game of all time) and Sonic Adventure 2 rounding out its final days.
Do you know where I can find some sailors?
Another amusing comparison is the Wii U’s Gamepad and the Dreamcasts VMU. Both were used in similar ways, offering up a second screen experience, but only first-party developers – in the Wii U’s case at least so far – figured out how to take advantage of the added screen real estate in a unique way (although Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends is awesome). On a very basic level the concept behind the Dreamcast’s VMU and the Wii U’s Gamepad are very similar.
E3 is a huge opportunity for Nintendo to turn things around, especially in terms of the public’s perspective on the console. Show off a new Zelda title and a new Metroid game and Nintendo faithfuls will probably purchase the console in droves.
That Dreamcast boot screen brings back fond memories.
The Wii U isn’t going anywhere at least for right now and it seems Nintendo is intent on continuing to support the system. Still, it will be interesting to see how the next few years unfold for Nintendo. Right now it looks like the Wii U will end up being another niche device with a handful of great games but still considered a financial and sales failure.
I’m a huge fan of the Wii U and I think the few games worth purchasing on the console are some of the most innovative and inventive Nintendo’s various studios’ have produced in years. I want to see Nintendo turn things around and I still think relaunching the console with a dedicated Netflix-style game streaming model would be a revolutionary and very successful strategy, however unlikely this concept actually is.
Also it would be great if Nintendo somehow found a way to properly inform casual observers the Wii U isn’t a touchscreen accessory for the Wii.
While both companies’ pasts are obviously very different, it’s difficult not to draw comparisons between the Dreamcast and the Wii U. Hopefully Nintendo finds a way to turn things around.
Now excuse me while I go play some ZombiU.
All sales stats were taken from VGChartz.com and NDP.
Follow me on Twitter: @Patrick_ORourke.
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