Nintendo's next-gen Wii expected to sell out

Nintendo's next-gen Wii expected to sell out

SAN FRANCISCO—The Wii U, the successor to Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s hugely popular motion-based gaming console, is expected to get off to a faster start than its predecessor, but may have trouble matching the original Wii's long-term success, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.

IHS (El Segundo, Calif.) forecasts that Will U will sell more briskly in following its launch Nov. 18 than the original did, largely due to pent-up demand from Wii fans. But over the longer term, Will U will need to overcome a fragmented market for gaming and the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other platforms that support gaming, according to the firm.

Wii was a runaway hit when it was introduced in 2006, providing a less costly alternative to higher priced consoles with more intensive graphics and processing power like Sony's PlayStation 3. The original Wii was also the first gaming system to make major use of MEMS sensor technology to enable motion-based gaming.



TAG:Nintendo Wii U Gaming Console IHS