It was announced the Wii U sold 600k in December, and the 3DS, 360, PS3 all sold better than the Wii U did. Come January the Wii U sold 57k, and everything except the Vita outsold it. The 360 sold over 200k units, which for a console on its last legs is great. Part of the Wii U’s high sale numbers in December might have been people purchasing it as a Xmas gift or trying to cash in on the success of a console’s launch by selling them on eBay. IGN has an interesting article pointing out that the Wii moved 600,000 units in the first few weeks and the 360 in 2006 sold 26,00 units in the first 2 weeks and the PS3 sold 197,000 in 2007. So the Wii U sales in the first month aren’t that bad.

It is the next month that should be concerning to gamers. Which brings up the point, where is the killer app, the must have game? Why isn’t Mario or Zelda already out? If Nintendo is waiting until the fall or next year to release their popular games it may be too late as gamers may go and purchase a PS4 or Xbox 720 instead. Even without a must have game, the software list for the Wii U is small. There are some stand out gems in the small launch library. ZombiU is fun and New Super Mario Bros. U is also entertaining. When Lego City Undercover comes out it looks to be fun for gamers of all ages.

The rest of 2013 has the WiiU receiving releases the other consoles receive or it is getting ports of other games. The reviews have not been kind to the ports. Why buy another version of Darksiders II or Batman AC when gamers probably already have the game on their 360/PC/PS3? When the next 360 and PS4 are released will fans of the Wii U have to deal with more ports of games? This is one of the biggest hurdles the Wii U will have to overcome in the future. How to make the console appeal to gamers who may be expecting the gaming experience of the PS4/Xbox 720? The Wii U might not be able to survive this generation on Nintendo’s signature games this time.

Is there anything Nintendo could do to move more consoles right now? They could push a powerful marketing plan and showcase what the gamepad could do with the media features on the console. Although a price drop is unlikely, it could be beneficial if the system was priced at $250. Gamers might be more inclined to pick up the Wii U and take a chance. The only other idea I can think of is to release the next Mario/Zelda/Samus. Nintendo needs to do something before 2013 reaches the peak of game releases. I wouldn't give up on the Wii U yet, but there are a lot of concerns for the system as it struggles early on.