Analyst not sure if Wii U will garner broad consumer interest
It was nothing but gloom and doom for Nintendo before the Wii launched. The company is finding itself in a similar situation with Wii U.
Colin Sebastian, an analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., believes that the console will not easily attract the attention of mainstream consumers. Sebastian believes that the core Nintendo fanbase will be interested in Wii U and boost sales, but the looming announcements of Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen consoles could have a negative impact.
“We remain concerned that Nintendo is missing an opportunity to build greater mindshare ahead of the [supposed] Wii U launch on November 18. While initial strong sales are likely given the Nintendo fanbase, we believe there may be a narrow window of opportunity to generate broad consumer interest before next-gen Microsoft and Sony platforms are announced in [first half of 2013] and launch in Q4 2013.”
Sebastian also mentioned that he expects Nintendo to announce a Wii U price point in the range of $249-$299. The news will be shared during a press event in New York City on September 13.
