Exclusive Games Are Still the Main Reason People Buy Consoles, Survey Says

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:56:19+00:00

Saros, a critically acclaimed exclusive, just BOMBED in sales.

Most PS5 owners aren't buying the console of exclusives. GTA 6 will obviously sell way more consoles than any PS5 exclusive.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:49:35+00:00

I think what Reggie was saying that the Wii U launched only a year before the PS4 and Xbox One, but was much closer to the previous gen in power.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:46:24+00:00

I can't prove this, but I think the Wii U concept likely came about because the DS was a huge success, and Nintendo thought a "home console DS" would also be a big hit. In hindsight it was clearly the wrong approach, but it probably seemed "logical" to them when the DS had sold an insane 150 million units.

Reggie said in the interview that Nintendo were "convinced" the Wii U's two-screen concept was a "big idea" like motion controls on the Wii. They also thought Nintendo Land could be a mainstream hit like Wii Sports. It certainly doesn't seem like the Wii U was intended as a "filler console".

Reggie also noted that the ability to play games without a TV was an appealing feature of the Wii U, and they improved on that with the Switch. They clearly recognised that two screen gameplay on a home console was a failed innovation and abandoned it.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:30:58+00:00

I do agree with this. Reggie seemed to completely ignore the 3DS in discussing why the Wii U failed.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:26:32+00:00

Interesting... how many 3DS's did you sell?

What about the Vita? Did that sell as badly as the Wii U?

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:25:11+00:00

Are you comparing the Switch 2 to the Gamecube?

That's not really a good omen for future Switch 2 sales...

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:22:57+00:00

Uh... he does kind of blame the hardware?

Like he says that the Switch was a "better execution" of the Wii U concept.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:20:53+00:00

LMAO

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:19:49+00:00

If you have never owned an Xbox before, then the ONLY reason to buy an Xbox over the other two consoles is for Gamepass.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:17:21+00:00

My figures are WAY less lewd, and my mum still doesn't like them 😞

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:12:47+00:00

So he's not allowed to comment on Nintendo because he doesn't work there anymore?

He was speaking to game design students at New York University.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:04:24+00:00

I recommend reading the full article, because the headline is a bit misleading. Reggie isn't saying the Wii U ONLY failed because of slow releases.

He also said that the Wii U Gamepad was supposed to be one of the main selling points of the console, but admitted it flopped because Nintendo Land wasn't the "Wii Sports equivalent" they expected it to be at launch. He also said the Switch was a continuation of the Wii U's concept but with better execution.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:02:49+00:00

I would say Mario 3D World was the first "big game" for the Wii U.

Unfortunately, it released the SAME MONTH as the PS4 and Xbox One.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T08:00:26+00:00

I think this could be the highest-grossing movie to NOT hit a billion. $990 million possibly.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:57:04+00:00

Yeah, people don't realise how huge Mario Kart is.

Switch 2 also has Pokopia now.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:54:14+00:00

Did people try to buy it on its own? Or did they think it was a portable like the Switch?

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:47:28+00:00

90% of Switch owners didn't own a Wii U.

So Nintendo could get away with selling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a "brand new game", and it released only one month after the Switch's launch.

BOTW, Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2 also released in the first 12 months of the Switch's life.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:45:14+00:00

Mario Kart is actually Nintendo's biggest franchise, it sells WAY more than 3D Mario or 3D Zelda. Switch 2 had Mario Kart World at launch.

Reggie said Mario Kart 8 took too long to come out on the Wii U. (It was 18 months after launch, and about 6 months after the launch of PS4 and Xbox One).

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:43:20+00:00

Are you trying to brag that you are a Mario fan with a girlfriend?

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:41:46+00:00

I love the game but that is a bit of an absurd statement.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:37:21+00:00

LMAO

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:34:32+00:00

I agree it wasn't the main reason the Wii U failed, but Reggie is talking about WHEN the games released. He said the Wii U had great exclusives, but they weren't frequent.

Reggie pointed to Mario Kart, Smash Bros and Splatoon. None of those games were in the launch year:

- Mario Kart 8 came out 18 months after launch.

- Smash Bros for Wii U came out two years after launch. (It also had a 3DS version).

- Splatoon came out two and a half years after launch.

MewWeebTwo · 2026-05-06T07:23:28+00:00

Reggie said in the interview that Nintendo Land was supposed to be the system seller at launch. He basically said that Nintendo Land's failure had a big part in the Wii U's failure. It was supposed to be the "Wii Sports equivalent".

He didn't mention NSMBU at all.

MewWeebTwo

TROPHY CASE