Wii U Basic being discontinued at GameStop

[andrew8798]

Nintendo could be gearing up to discontinue its Wii U Basic SKU after E3 2013, a new report suggests.

Kotaku has posted a report from an anonymous retail source saying that, as of June 18, all GameStop stores will need to return any remaining stock of Wii U Basic consoles.

Nintendo originally launched the Wii U in November 2012 with two models, the 8gb Basic and 32gb Premium, with the latter being bundled with a copy of Nintendo Land.

The Wii U has suffered from slow sales in 2013, and multiple retailers around the world have reduced the price of the console in various sales.

The source says GameStop has contacted its stores with the following message. "Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall - Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stories will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall."

GameSpot has contacted GameStop for comment.

Nintendo will not be hosting its own press conference at E3 2013, but will instead hold its own Nintendo Direct event that will showcase, among other titles, the first look at the new 3D Mario game for Wii U.

www.gamespot.com//news/wii-u-basic-being-discontinued-at-gamestop-report-6409269?

[g1megatronfan]

That's a shame. I have a basic model and it's really a nice system. I have 9 regular games + 6 downloaded games and haven't had one issue with the memory so far. I like the white better because it doesn't collect dust, smears and scratches like the "piano black" models do. Anyways, I hope it's a rumor because it really is a decent buy.

Nintendo does need to concentrate on cranking out more games for it though.

[Deleted]

Hmmm... a good way to solve a problem is by discontinuing the economical model of a console instead of focusing on the real problems, such as a poor library and miserable third-party support.

[amaron]

It's not just Gamestop.

The Basic Wii U isn't even listed on Target's website.

My money is on them releasing a white Wii U Deluxe like they are in Japan.

[andrew8798]

Update on the story

Nintendo has called a previous report suggesting that US retailer GameStop is recalling the Wii U Basic, possibly to discontinue the model, a "misperception" of the situation.

"There is a current misperception about Wii U hardware," said Nintendo senior director of corporate communications Charlie Scibetta to GameSpot.

Nintendo did not deny that it has recalled some stock of its Wii U units across the major US retailer, but instead says its intentions are to "rebalance" the stock of its Wii U SKU's in the marketplace. "Nintendo is working with its retail partners to simply rebalance the stock of the White 8GB and the Black 32GB Wii U models in the market," explained Scibetta.

"Consumers looking for either model will continue to find them available," concluded Scibetta.

Yesterday's anonymous source said that, as of June 18, all GameStop stores will need to return any remaining stock of Wii U Basic consoles.

When Nintendo launched the Wii U in November 2012 it shipped two models, the 8GB Basic and the 32GB Premium.

Nintendo had sold 3.45 million Wii U units globally as of March 31, 2013, with fewer than 400,000 sold in the first three months of 2013.

-Gamespot

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

The current rumor that is gaining steam is Nintendo will phase out the 8GB Basic, announce they are bringing the white 32GB Deluxe unit recently unveiled in Japan to the US, and dropping both colors of the 32GB Wii U to $300.

[xCompackx]

Jun 5, 2013 9:15:09 GMT -5 @jdogindy said:

Hmmm... a good way to solve a problem is by discontinuing the economical model of a console instead of focusing on the real problems, such as a poor library and miserable third-party support.

When you consider buying Nintendo Land separately and the fact most games are the same price as it in stores, the 8GB model didn't really save all that much.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Jun 5, 2013 23:39:44 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

The current rumor that is gaining steam is Nintendo will phase out the 8GB Basic, announce they are bringing the white 32GB Deluxe unit recently unveiled in Japan to the US, and dropping both colors of the 32GB Wii U to $300.

That makes a lot more sense.

But still, the original Wii, for all its limitations in relation to this current console gen, doesn't even feel that old yet. It's gonna take some time and some serious hits in its library before WiiU really reaps benefits for the Mushroom Kingdom. I might have an incentive to buy one down the road, but not as of now.

[Allie Kitsune]

Jun 6, 2013 1:36:22 GMT -5 Clash, Never a Meter Maid said:

Jun 5, 2013 23:39:44 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

The current rumor that is gaining steam is Nintendo will phase out the 8GB Basic, announce they are bringing the white 32GB Deluxe unit recently unveiled in Japan to the US, and dropping both colors of the 32GB Wii U to $300.

That makes a lot more sense.

But still, the original Wii, for all its limitations in relation to this current console gen, doesn't even feel that old yet. It's gonna take some time and some serious hits in its library before WiiU really reaps benefits for the Mushroom Kingdom. I might have an incentive to buy one down the road, but not as of now.

That's mostly because the Wii sort of had its own seperate place 'outside' of the generation, IMO.

And considering what sort of crap Microsoft is pulling with the X-Boner, it looks like the Wii U is going to end up the same way (in its own niche, outside of the "All In One Set Top Device" market that MS and Sony are trying to cultivate).

If they can keep development costs (relatively) low, this will benefit them in a year or two.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2013 23:40:49 GMT -5 xCompackx said:

Jun 5, 2013 9:15:09 GMT -5 @jdogindy said:

Hmmm... a good way to solve a problem is by discontinuing the economical model of a console instead of focusing on the real problems, such as a poor library and miserable third-party support.

When you consider buying Nintendo Land separately and the fact most games are the same price as it in stores, the 8GB model didn't really save all that much.

It is understandable, but the Wii U can be optimized with external data devices, and that unit was designed moreso for the casual gamer.

I'd rather buy the 32GB version, but I'm just pointing out other possible solutions to a main problem.