Mario Kart 8 quadrupled Wii U sales in opening week

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Mario Kart 8 has gotten good buzz, but it has been difficult to tell if it was the elusive system seller the Wii U really needs. The answer, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, appears to be "yes."

Fils-Aime told Polygon that Wii U sales quadrupled the week after the release of Mario Kart, as compared to the week prior. Wii U sales weren't doing all that hot to begin with, of course, but a four-fold increase is still impressive. 18% of Wii U owners purchased a copy of Mario Kart 8 in the first weekend, as compared to a 2-7% adoption rate for previous Mario Karts in their respective opening weekends.

Fils-Aime says he expects the impact of Mario Kart to continue well into the future, given that Nintendo games tend to enjoy steadily consistent sales instead of the sharp drop-off of many triple-A releases.

"It's one of the things I have to do with certain media, remind them, look, for us, the drive toward the holiday began a couple of weeks ago with Mario Kart 8," he said. "And that's off to a fantastic start. For us, on a global basis, and certainly here in the United States, it's driving hardware, which is great to see."

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 16, 2014 7:36 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Mario Kart 8 quadrupled Wii U sales in opening week.

    Mario Kart 8 has gotten good buzz, but it has been difficult to tell if it was the elusive system seller the Wii U really needs. The answer,...

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      June 16, 2014 8:06 AM

      Well sure, when you're selling two a week and it jumps to eight, that's a solid gain right there

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      June 16, 2014 8:27 AM

      Its so good too. And it's really impressive how good the game looks too. The WiiU is an odd duck of a console but when it's on point, it's pretty awesome.

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        June 16, 2014 8:45 AM

        It's all about playing to the hardware's strenghts. Wii U has a slow CPU but a decent GPU. So just keep the physics simple and you're golden.

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        June 16, 2014 9:50 AM

        [deleted]

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        June 16, 2014 10:04 AM

        Yup. If it wasn't $300 I'd totally get one.

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        June 16, 2014 10:05 AM

        [deleted]

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          June 16, 2014 10:16 AM

          The Pro controller is pretty great.

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          June 16, 2014 12:28 PM

          Pro Controller is pretty ace. I prefer it over the fancy gamepad if the game doesn't need it.

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            June 16, 2014 12:33 PM

            yyyup. pro controller for Mario Kart with the Wii U pad right next to me for the map

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              June 16, 2014 7:54 PM

              I've really been liking the pad as a controller. The wide grip with the wonderfully wide trigger buttons seem pretty comfortable to me.

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                June 16, 2014 8:13 PM

                My hand cramps like hell if I use the face buttons and not the right stick for the gas in MK8 when using the Pad.

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                  June 16, 2014 8:28 PM

                  Ah, that sucks. I'll sometimes notice if I'm holding the gas button too hard and my finger gets sore, but that's all it is and ergonomically everything else is fine.

                  I think I like being able to have my hands further apart or something. I think I liked playing stuff like double dash with the nunchuk too.

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          June 16, 2014 8:39 PM

          They are going to sell a gamecube controller adapter for it, so if you still have a wavebird you may be in luck. I do. Though the Pro controller is damn good and you should try that.

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            June 16, 2014 8:50 PM

            So far, the only game compatible with the GC adapter is Smash Bros. It would be awesome if Nintendo patched support into Mario Kart though.

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              June 16, 2014 8:55 PM

              Yeah, I'm aware. But they've been doing that recently - they patched Pro controller support into Mario U, etc.

              But yeah, we'll see.

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        June 16, 2014 12:36 PM

        it's weird to think the last generation of consoles have had more or less had the same power as the wii u for a while now, but most games on either of them never bothered to really try to make visuals that are as pleasant-looking as the stuff you find on the Wii U. kinda makes me wish Nintendo had been doing it since the wii.

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          June 16, 2014 3:23 PM

          I'm pretty sure the Wii U a bit more capable than the PS3/360.

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            June 16, 2014 4:17 PM

            whatever, i was making more a comment about the art direction/style.

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            June 16, 2014 5:38 PM

            CPU-wise it's absolutely not. GPU is marginally better, but not enough to really matter. last gen games that were built specifically for their hardware can easily look that good (ie: The Last of Us)

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              June 16, 2014 6:54 PM

              the main thing the Wii U has over last gen is 2GB memory...

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      June 16, 2014 10:03 AM

      I picked up the game this weekend, got pikman 3 with the deal. Sweet game so far.

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      June 16, 2014 10:12 AM

      I've been seriously considering a Wii U ever since E3. Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Mario 3D World, Pikmin, new Zelda, Yoshi all look like lots of fun.

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        June 16, 2014 10:19 PM

        Do it. It's awesome. The screen remote is very convenient to play games while someone is watching TV.

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        June 16, 2014 10:32 PM

        Its a great system. MK8 + free game is a crazy deal right now.

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      June 16, 2014 3:40 PM

      It was the title that made me get a Wii U. So fun and frustrating all at the same time.

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      June 16, 2014 3:43 PM

      That's good to hear. I want the Wii U to succeed.

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      June 16, 2014 4:11 PM

      It's really fun and looks great even split screen. Glad they didn't cut and run because the games rule and I happen to like the gamepad.

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      June 16, 2014 4:17 PM

      Oh damn it's on sale on amazon for 48. I guess I should get it

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        June 16, 2014 7:51 PM

        Don't forget free Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, etc until 7/31.

    • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      June 16, 2014 4:53 PM

      It's fun but I get absolutely destroyed in multiplayer online. :<

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        June 16, 2014 8:11 PM

        Those inside-drifting bikes (like the Comet) are the way to go. Everyone with 5000+ ratings use them.

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          June 16, 2014 10:18 PM

          Wow I've only seen 1400 ratings but I always pick regional instead of worldwide.

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            June 16, 2014 10:59 PM

            The netcode is really good. I've never experience and lag while playing worldwide. The highest rating I've seen is a German with 8500.

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