After three years in the market, Nintendo's Wii U has finally sold its 10 millionth unit. It has been a very slow climb for the gaming company, which began with only roughly 400,000 units sold on the first quarter of its release. The device has gone on to nab a disappointing 510,000 units in the same quarter last year. The gaming device has reached 10 million in June 30, according to a CNet report.
Nintendo has been nabbing the third place in the gaming hardware business, years after it peaked and finished on top. Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One have been garnering the top plums in sales, selling the same 10 million units in about a year since their respective release dates. Wii U reaching 10 million units marks a 21 percent increase on Nintendo's revenue. While this is a positive sign for the company, it still has to work its way up against competition in the harware gaming field and the surge of smartphones.
Nintendo's Wii has been the leading console a few years back and the company has hoped for the same results from the Wii U, launched in 2012. The popularity of smartphones and tablets hit nintendo hard, as game developers enjoy high sales from making their products available to the other devices. Users similarly prefer phones and tablets, which readily crops up notifications and functions for work and play.
Nintendo is still reeling from the loss of its late chief executive, Satoru Iwata. The 55-year-old Iwata passed away on July 11. He pioneered Nintendo's unique line of gaming devices that are interactive and promote active participation from players. He integrated body movements for the widely popular Wii that were sold out from 2006 to 2009. The company's landmark device, the Nintendo DS, was a first among its kind.
Iwata had been the company's president for twelve years, working to establish it as a pioneer for gaming. He was also behind some popular Nintendo games and characters, like Kirby, the pink, round and blue-eyed creature easily recognized and loved by gamers. Iwata admitted that Nintendo needed change to get back on track and was reportedly working on a new hardware when he died.
Under the direction of a new executive, the future for Nintendo is still hard to tell. Another milestone coming from its future products may hopefully help the company get back to its feet.
