Wii's Virtual Console sales declining
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Apr 28th 2007 at 7:50PM }
There was a lot of information packed into Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's speech yesterday. Beyond announcing over a hundred games in "development" for the Wii and DS, he also said they expect to sell 14 million Wii units by March 2008 and there was another little tidbit of information in there about Virtual Console sales. As Chris Kohler of Game|Life points out, the sales of VC games are actually declining. The VC has sold 3.3 million games. 1.5 million games in the first two months of the console and 1.8 in the last three, which means people aren't delving into the retro library like they were last year even as the user base of the system continues to increase dramatically.What does this mean to Nintendo? Probably nothing. The VC is a basic digital distribution center of games that take up almost no space. Given initial sales of the titles, the cost of development for the VC's infrastructure in all probability is already paid off. There's hardly any conversion or work that goes into making these titles for the VC. It's ancient code being sold for $5 to $10 and it all goes straight into Nintendo's rainy day fund. Nintendo made their money off these games, in some cases, over two decades ago. This is just another run around the track for these games to pick up extra cash. And they're performing their task quite admirably with hardly any promotion or marketing pushing them on consumers.
[via WiiFanboy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Damian G. @ Apr 28th 2007 7:58PM
The main reason the sales are declining is because people are running out of memory and can't be bothered to back up their games on SD cards.
(Hint, hint. Detatchable hard drive or firmware update, Nintendo.)
Bill McCracken @ Jul 20th 2007 6:18AM
As soon as they put GOOD games on the VC like Mario Kart for the SNES, Star Fox for the SNES, Mario Partys 1-3, Mario Tennis, DK 64, Super Mario RPG, Super Metroid and Super Smash Bros., I'll start buying. Until then...
zombiejesus @ Apr 28th 2007 8:00PM
maybe if they acutally put good games into the virtual console library every month and not these horrible shit fest games they keep throwing in there. then there sales wouldn't be declining so much. i mean seriously the virtual console is nothing but a crappy bargin bin at a walmart with games u either never heard of or would have never paid to play
TheH2s @ Apr 28th 2007 8:01PM
The reason I haven't bought anything from VC is that the prices are wayyyyy too much. Bring the prices down some and I'm sure more will take the plunge and buy.
Grant @ Apr 28th 2007 8:04PM
i think it's simply because he novelty is wearing off, and you realize that those games are better off being a nostalgic memory.
Everyone already has the games the love, and if they wanted to still play them so badly, they would, on the original system. Now they realize that a good amount of these games arn't worth the cart they were on.
Sounds like if the big N wants to keep sales up there gonna have to get more of the great games on there, less of the filler. The only games that pushed me to buy were Zelda:link to the past, because my original cart died :-(, and SMB, and that was more of a "just to see what VC games are like".
Grant @ Apr 28th 2007 8:07PM
oh, and i don't think i stand alone when i say Super Mario RPG FTW!!!
the day that goes live, i poop my pants, and download it ASAP.
SID SPACE @ Apr 28th 2007 8:08PM
I'm sure it's due to the novelty wearing off. I bought 3 VC games as soon as I was able to connect.
Now, I'm choosing my purchases more carefully. Besides I already own a majority of the good games they've uploaded.
And on a side note: WHERE ARE THE N64 GAMES? Seriously, 4 choices?
el tonot @ Apr 28th 2007 8:09PM
@1 firmware update...
What does a firmware update have to do with storage capacity?
samfish @ Apr 28th 2007 8:12PM
The prices are just too high on the games. If Nintendo knocked two bucks off the price of those things across the board, and allowed online play on multiplayer titles, you'd probably see sales explode.
I kinda get the impression that online VC games are up to the original publisher, though, going on past interviews.
Personally, I think Nintendo should just release newer Wii's with 2-4GBs of flash memory and allow a firmware update to hook up external hard drives and then go crazy with the VC games.
Keif @ Apr 28th 2007 8:12PM
@ #1 uh wrong, while the system does have a very small amount of space, its well enough for a bunch of vc downloads.
I dont really think there is enough data yet to say a decline. if it continually goes down, then yea its a decline.
you need to have good amounts of data to actual form a theory. thats like when people said ps3 was a failure after its starting sales in stores
samfish @ Apr 28th 2007 8:14PM
Oh yeah, and they should totally compress it and put NiGHTS on the VC. And other Saturn games, too. That would rock.
Damian G. @ Apr 28th 2007 8:19PM
@ everyone disagreeing with me:
A firmware update would allow for playing VC games off of SD cards, not just the Wii's internal flash memory. I have 19 VC games. I have a third of my blocks left. Memory is a concern.
Rabish12 @ Apr 28th 2007 8:20PM
@zombiejesus: This week, they put out one of the Lode Runner games, one of the Wonder Boy games, and Gradius III. Week before that, they put out Bonk's Revenge and Punch-Out!!!. Before that, they put Galaga. Before that, Star Fox 64. Before that, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV. Before that, Beyond Oasis, Splatterhouse, and Excitebike. Before that, Tecmo Bowl. Before that, Super Ghouls & Ghosts. Before that, Ocarina. Before that, Donkey Kong Country. I can't be bothered to keep looking after that, because unless I've missed something that's nine weeks with every one of them having at least one game worth owning.
FrankTheCrank @ Apr 28th 2007 8:22PM
@3
I'm with you. I'm not paying $5 for some old NES game that I can download and play on my PC for free.
I would love to play these old school games on the TV in my living room, and some do with emulators, but $5, $8 and $10 is just ridiculous.
How about 99 cent NES games? How about $1.99 SNES games? They would quadruple their sales overnight.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Wii...but VC pricing needs to be overhauled.
Borat @ Apr 28th 2007 8:24PM
I have bought 2 VC games so far and I can't wait to get Streets of Rage 2 because it's a great multiplayer game.
I haven't bought many because I have already played many of the VC games to death before...I'm waiting for games to show up which I haven't played before (like Super Metroid...yes I never got to play it).
It would be nice to see some Neo-Geo games too, especially since the Wii lacks fighting games. Garou: Mark Of The Wolves (Fatal Fury 4) would be great! It was a very pleasing and balanced fighter.
boo_radley @ Apr 28th 2007 8:27PM
All I know is that the Euro and Japanese releases seem alot better than some of the stuff we got in the US. How about super smash bros for n64 or jackal for nes or half of the international games that we got screwed out of
Kurisu @ Apr 28th 2007 8:30PM
Has nothing to do with pricing. It has everything to do with the lack of good games out.
n2 @ Apr 28th 2007 8:29PM
I have to agree with the novelty wearing off, the costs involved, and also Nintendo releasing too many games too quickly.
It'd cost you a fortune to get them all.
sracer @ Apr 28th 2007 8:34PM
Drop the VC pricing down to $1, $2, $5 levels and watch sales rise and interest in the VC sustained so much that Nintendo will be unable to keep up with demand.
At the current $5, %8, $10 tiers, people are finally realizing that the costs really add up.
They could even end up making more money at the lower pricing levels.
Rabish12 @ Apr 28th 2007 8:40PM
@17: Has nothing to do with pricing OR a lack of good games (see my last comment, they've been doing a good job getting some worthwhile games out the door for quite some time). The problem is that people see pirating the games available on it as a legitimate way to get them (which is isn't, of course, being illegal and all). If it weren't for things like emulation, I can all but guarantee that barely even a fraction of the people complaining about the price would bring it up.
Cassidy @ Apr 28th 2007 8:41PM
Well, for those of us that would rather play legitimate copies of games (whether we own them on older systems or not) and aren't so cheap that $5 apparently is too steep, here's the deal.
Any console, ever, can guage its' success by the quality of the titles in its' library. Quite simply, if you build good games, they will come.
No one has a more rich library of titles than Nintendo. If they were that concerned, all they would have to do is release Metroid, Super Metroid, SMRPG, Chrono Trigger and Actraiser and watch the dough role in.
I'm with you gamers who complain that the offerings as of late have been paltry at best - Punch Out being the only notable title of the last 2 months.
saboola @ Apr 28th 2007 8:42PM
It costs more to buy the games off of VC that it does the actual cart off e-bay. This is why sales are declining. Cost > Value.
Gausser @ Apr 28th 2007 8:43PM
Anyone who complains that there are not enough good games on the VC needs to have their heads examined (see Rabish 12's list above). There are so many games I would love to download, but it doesn't make sense to do so. I've downloaded 7 so far, still trying to finish Baten Kaitos Origins, and playing through The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. I don't have time to play any more. I'm limiting myself to 2 VC games a month. I would love a few more N64 choices though.
jay @ Apr 28th 2007 8:42PM
Har har. VC games expensive. I bought 2 working condition NES games for the same price as 4 VC NES games last year. With the added convenience of them being on demand, instant download rather taking a trip into town.
Oh, and Zelda I goes for £29 in my local Gamestation. It's £2.50 on the VC. Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, Link to the Past, Perfect Dark all go for £15-30. Ocarina of Time? £29. Chrono Trigger? £75. OMGWTF VC IS OVERPRISHED.
I'm not buying because there's nothing to interest me since Dragons Curse. Sonic 2, Mario 3, Streets of Rage 2, Majora's Mask, Super Metroid are instant buys for me. I'll wait with my 3k points, Nintendo.
Rabish12 @ Apr 28th 2007 8:47PM
Oh, another thing holding the VC back (beyond the whole "people pirate the games" bit): the point-buying system. Spending $10 to pick up a $5 game is just plain retarded, and it's bothered me on more than one occasion. Even now, I have 100 points just sitting in my VC account, completely unused and completely unusable.
Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Apr 28th 2007 8:51PM
> They would quadruple their sales overnight.
Stop daydreaming people.
VC exists *solely* for old timers.
Sales are declining because few people were interested in VC games to begin with.
LongshotX @ Apr 28th 2007 9:13PM
Its too expensive, the novelty of playing old games wears off, there are no extra features i.e. online multiplayer, or leaderboards and there is no extra incentive to play hard, like XBL achievements.
Trace @ Apr 28th 2007 9:21PM
Declining or not, the reason I haven't been buying VC games is definitely the selection. Lode Runner, Wonder Boy, and Gradius III, Bonk's Revenge, Galaga, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV, Beyond Oasis, Splatterhouse, Tecmo Bowl, and Super Ghouls & Ghosts are all great games, but they're not best sellers. They were good when I first played them, but they don't hold enough value to merit re-buying them. Super Mario Bros. 3, on the other hand, is one of those games that does. Super Metroid, as well, and Super Mario RPG. I'd buy those in a heartbeat, because, in addition to the nostalgia factor, they were incredible games that are actually worth playing again and again. Super Mario games in particular can be picked-up and played like casual games, and that is what the VC should be for. In-depth RPGs and games with a detailed story are too time-consuming to play, when the Wii could be put to better use. PHEW! That was a lot of text. Thanks for reading :P.
Russell Carroll @ Apr 28th 2007 9:22PM
For comparison, XBLA had 600,000 sales through March of 2006 (about 4 months). The Wii VC numbers are nothing short of amazing. That they are decreasing is negative, but essentially there is a VC game sold for every 2 Wii consoles sold. Since I wouldn't expect connection rates to be above 60% (similar to the 360's connection rates), I believe that the numbers bode quite well for the console. As the games were essentially ports, not created from the ground up, it seems likely that the VC games are netting a ton of money.
Diskoboy @ Apr 28th 2007 9:29PM
I'll put it this way - I'm not buying one more god damn virtual console game until Nintendo gets off their asses and releases both Metroid's.
Super Metroid should've at least been out (in the US) since launch day.
Freakhead @ Apr 28th 2007 9:41PM
INteresting, but need more long term data to draw conclusions. I think prices are a bit high, but then again I bought 7 or so VC games for the price of a Wii game so ....it's not terrible. VC games are very convenient too. No need to mess with a disc.
I do wonder if folks know about the VC. And that they can get a classic controller. Buying a second controller is a bit of a hindrance to sales too.
Also there's more Wii games out now than at launch. And people are interested in using the wiimote.
NIntendo said only 40% of the Wiis are connected to the internet which means ~2.4 million Wiis are connected. And 3.3 million VC games have been sold. ~1.4 VC games per console?
I will be more careful about buying the games though. You can't trade them in and really $50 quickly buys me way more games than I'll have time for anytime soon.
Striderhayasa @ Apr 28th 2007 9:46PM
@Diskoboy
Amen to that brother! Where are the 64 games while we're at it? Where's Bettle Adventure Racing? Can I get Turok? Sin and Punishment? Tetrisphere at least?
--------------------------
I have a few VC games. I tell you, VC is hurting without any leaderboards. I'm about to break some serious high scores in Soldier Blade and STar Soldier but no one is ever going to know because Nintendo still doesn't understand the damn virtues of a leaderboard or ANY kind of online ranking system. Not to mention the price for these games and the limited space...it's a pain in the ass. I popped a 2GB SD card connected to a usb adapter to my PS3..."poof" all game saves backedup in seconds. Why the hell can't I do that on Wii? The PS3 recognized the SD card as a generic storage device so I should have no problems connecting a 150 GB external drive to the "station". Nintendo...what's your problem? You yell about the success of the Wii and the DS but you still find some way to shit on your fanbase. Kudos. That's pure genius there.
Shogan @ Apr 28th 2007 11:17PM
While I was buying a lot of games early on, I've now run out of space. Literally, if I download anything else I'll have to move something to an SD card... I have 20 blocks open, not enough for the smallest NES download.
This caused me to be a LOT more picky about what I buy. I love the VC, but I want access to ALL my games, and with the limited space and channels, that's just not possible. I won't be able to play just anything on a whim, I'll need to redownload, and that kills a lot of the appeal.
idioteraser @ Apr 28th 2007 11:27PM
God forbid you complainers actually get a damn grip on reality.
They will not lower prices because if they did the third parties would not put their games on the vc. The reason they are that price is because that is what the market shows is an affordable fair price.
They will not do upgrades to the games because guess what that can make these old games cost as much to develop as a brand new game. Why do you think the xbox live arcade has so few games coming out each year?
Also guess what no one frigging cares about your whines about lack of space since you can move the damn vc games you aren't playing anymore to the vc card. Are you honestly going to play every single game six months down the line. Hell no you probably won't replay a number of them after beating them. Move them to the SD card or delete them. Clean out your damn trash. Get rid of the saved games you have of games you no longer have because you traded them into gamestop.
I still have 1500 blocks and guess what I own 15 vc games. Most vc games only take 100 blocks to download for me. That is 150 games.
Also there are many great games you are just too anal about what makes a great game.
You probably have never played a tg-16 game because many that try them out buy more.
Know how long it takes me to find out what games were added to the vc each monday. Less then ten seconds because I know where to look online for the press release.
Also guess what their reviews of the vc games many of them from the days of their release are being put up online.
Get your head out of your butt vc complainer.
The wii vc has had more game purchases then the PS3 PSN and xbox live arcade has had.
PSN and xbox live count trial downloads instead of actual game purchases. Wonder why they feel the need to inflate their statistics.
Dolla Dolla @ Apr 28th 2007 11:39PM
I'm glad the sales declined. Maybe this will open their eyes and ... who knows ... maybe they will lower the prices. Or offer game packs. How awesome would it be if you could pay, say ... 30 bucks, and get 10 NES games of your choice?
It'd be sweet.
TwilightKnight @ Apr 28th 2007 11:50PM
I'm retty certain that a multibillion dollar company has done market research and price analysis on the VC, and the current prices are a result from it. To hear people on the internet bitch 'OH IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE!' know nothing about market trends, profit curves, preceived worth, etc.
As for storage Nintendo has given Wii owners two choices. Back up to SD cards, which from the sound of things here is so hard to do it isn't worth doing. When it did people get so lazy to switch games in and out?
Also that if I recall correctly you can just delete them and if you have an account you can redownload them for free later.
I for one highly enjoy the VC and the games in it that otherwise I would of never of played before. Congrats Nintendo.
gregory mitchell @ Apr 29th 2007 12:48AM
Idioteraser. Shut the fuck up. Not everyone move on the same axis as yourself. And with that "do it like me" attitude im pretty sure your very familiar with being by yourself.
I like my Wii. But ill be damned if Ill let nintendo walk around like its Shit dont stink. No external saving is a big deal. Its not even a year yet and space is getting quickly consumed. I paid for my VC's why the hell should i have to erase them. And it DOES piss me off that they dont have multiplayer on some of these old games. Im not a fan of the 360 but with these problems you do start to appreciate what they are doing. Yea we got the cool games but who cares if they dont bring a lil something new to the table. I really am starting to think that nintendo isnt any better than the other 2. they just think different, but in the end they still say fuck you to their customers
BPM @ Apr 29th 2007 1:09AM
Idioteraser, Nintendo doesn't need to update the individual games, but just the VC emulators. Nearly every homebrew emulator out there can already do netplay, and for free. No reason why Nintendo can't do the same with VC.
mike @ Apr 29th 2007 1:13AM
I can play any of these games on my tv via my modded gamecube, modded xbox, emulator on pc which is connected to my tv through vga, or even my ds (flash card).
Buying VC games is completely pointless. Its just old rom dumps being sold to you when you can get them free on the internet. People who buy these are the same idiots who buy ringtones for their phone instead of just putting one on themselves, for free.
At least with the XBLA and PSN games that are released, they seem to be new small arcade type games, or old games with added bonuses (like online multiplayer). Although im not personally interested in much of that, I can see the value in it. I can't see a dime of value in these VC games. They could make every game available for $.50 and I still would not buy anything.
samfish @ Apr 29th 2007 1:15AM
"They will not do upgrades to the games because guess what that can make these old games cost as much to develop as a brand new game. Why do you think the xbox live arcade has so few games coming out each year?"
Given that an emulator can automatically enable online play, I doubt it takes a lot of effort to get VC games online.
syco @ Apr 29th 2007 1:42AM
I have tons of space left on Wii's flashdrive. I doubt anyone could have possibly run out of space unless they were buying ever N64 game that comes out on VC and renting a bunch of sports games with huge save files.
Spartan 1308 @ Apr 29th 2007 2:20AM
I haven't bought a single VC game. If they want my money, they can do one of two things. They can either cut the prices in half for sales, or they can set it up so you have a $5 per month subscription where you play whatever games you want. Actually they could offer both options. Of course they could also be a bit more innovative and add network play to some games. I'd pay $20 for Goldeneye or Mario Kart 64 w/online multiplayer.
idioteraser @ Apr 29th 2007 2:57AM
"Given that an emulator can automatically enable online play, I doubt it takes a lot of effort to get VC games online."
Amazing that the people who proclaim this have absoletly no fucking idea how the vc works nor how it achieves 100% emulation. Jackass you have to recode the game to add online functions. Why don't you bitch at Microsoft and Sony for not adding online to their games or better yet taking nearly six months to a year to do so. It's not a simple matter if you want it done right.
And besides you own the download right so you can delete the vc games you aren't going to play for months or won't play again or god forbid you can get off your lazy ass and redownload.
Once you purchase the game you can redownload it as much as you want.
They will not do external storage for the vast majority of vc games due to the security issues. Why are people so stupid they cannot see this?
In reality the purchases have not slowed down a lot of people want points cards but cannot find them because they are moronic idiots who don't realize they can order them online.
It is incredibly easy to move a vc game to the sd card and back again. Takes less then 25 seconds.
God you complainers need a huge slap upside the head. I remember when moving a single file took the highest speed comps five minutes. I remember when it took a week to download a game and cost 45 dollars on the isp fees.
BPM @ Apr 29th 2007 3:04AM
Mike, why do people like you fail to understand this:
Downloading ROMs of commercial games is ILLEGAL.
While no game company has gone to the extremes that the RIAA has (suing people who downloaded stuff illegally), they do have every right to.
Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network are LEGAL means of acquiring old games in a pure data form.
Am I saying these methods are perfect? Of course not. Price is a factor. While I don't think they should give the games away for free, the should be made cheaper. Or, perhaps promotions should run to get games for less or for free (i.e. Buy Smash Bros. Brawl, download N64 Smash Bros. for free).
And Nintendo could definitely improve upon their emulation. Netplay, for one, could easily be implemented (as noted before, hombrew PC emulators have been doing this for years). Second, perfect emulation of the games shouldn't be a challenge, either (see: passwords in Kid Icarus, Controller Pak and Rumble Pak emulation for N64 games).
BPM @ Apr 29th 2007 3:10AM
idioteraser:
"They will not do external storage for the vast majority of vc games due to the security issues. Why are people so stupid they cannot see this?"
External storage already is in use: SD cards. You can transfer your VC downloads (and saves) to an SD card. Only problem is, the Wii can't play VC downloads off the SD cards.
A firmware upgrade could possibly fix this, though. That's a huge if.
Tadashi @ Apr 29th 2007 5:03AM
I can't even play my VC games. I bought Zelda and Gunstar Heroes and a few weeks later my component cable finally arrived. Too bad the games aren't even displayed. So before they don't work again, I certainly won't buy VC games just to see that I can't play it anyway.
Dumdum @ Apr 29th 2007 5:35AM
Maybe it would help if you could use usb cable to get internet access...
Miharu @ Apr 29th 2007 5:59AM
I would like to use VC more but as said before many times, the prices are way too high. And also, they're missing stuff like rumble and memory card support for N64 games. Why won't they work when any emulator on PC would support them?
syco @ Apr 29th 2007 6:13AM
No, idiotteaser, you can take a 100% complete, unaltered (even legaly ripped yourself if you're so inclined and have the hardware) ROM of Super Mario Kart, load it with ZSNES, and play it online with someone if you've swapped IP addresses and port info beforehand.
syco @ Apr 29th 2007 6:14AM
...Actually, I looked and they removed that from ZSNES a few years ago. The point it WAS there, so it's techincally possible. It's actually pretty easy.