Nintendo has posted a $500 million loss due to slow Wii U sales

[ProfessorProfessorson]

IKR?

[Digi.k]

I think they should unify the 3DS and Wii U platforms into one.... A portable that has a home base/hub connected to your TV for big screen play / extra features etc...  Or just give me a 3ds with a proper tv out

The wii u and 3DS already do that to some extent..

I don't think any of 3 console giants are making much money this gen..

[munchiaz]

The game industry as a whole isn't doing so hot right now. The PS4 has sold over 7 million units, yet Sony is still reporting huge loses.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/14/sony-financials-reveal-huge-loss-with-more-expected

 We know microsoft is losing out as well. Nintendo is obviously doing the worst right now. I do think in time the Wii U will become profitable for them, but its not going to be on the level that the Wii was. You also have to remember, the Wii came out in 2007, a lot of people still didn't have smartphones or tablets, so the Wii had a strong hold on the casual market. But now that almost everyone has a smartphone and or a tablet, the casuals have moved on to those games.

I think Nintendo needs to realize that power comes first, and innovation needs to come second.

[Emerald Rocker]

Sony's situation is actually a lot worse than Nintendo's.  Sony is flailing as a corporation -- even if their game division starts doing better, they're still a sinking ship because they have so much other dead weight.  The PS4 is selling well, but that's offset by declining PS3 sales (which is understandable and predictable) plus the dead-in-the-water Vita (an actual failure).  And that's their most promising division!  Their other products are doing much, much worse.  Plus, Sony's bonds are already classified at junk-level status.

Nintendo actually has more onhand capital than Sony does.  Nintendo can easily weather some lean years with the mountain of cash they're sitting on.

Microsoft's amount of onhand capital dwarfs everyone else.  Like, 30 times more than Nintendo (which has more than Sony).  It doesn't even matter if they "win" -- Microsoft can just release whatever the hell they want without worrying, as long as it doesn't give the overall company a bad name.

[esadajr]

Nintendo in their arrogance thought everyone who bought a Wii would get the "upgrade". That and the stigma of being a kiddy platform.

But even then, what's the point in selling a 100 million consoles if they will end up collecting dust, without consuming content. In that regard, the N64 or the GC were (way) more successful.

Anyways, for those of us who got the WiiU, I don't expect tons of games, but I do expect good quality ones and I do expect the 3DS to be succesful enough to keep help it afloat, just like the GBA did with the GC and the GBC did with the N64.