Nintendo Wii U production tipped to end this year
Nintendo will stop production of the Wii U by the end of this year, sources say. Such a business move will mark the end of Nintendo's lackluster console, and will reportedly be joined by the announcement of a new game console, though details are sparse at this time. Poor sales are cited as the cause, and the Nintendo NX is most likely the rumored replacement.
The information comes from Japanese publication Nikkei, which says sluggish sales spurred Nintendo to kill off the Wii U. Some time this year, the company reportedly will announced a new console to take its place, the nature of which — as well as timing and cost — isn't known. The console will probably be the Nintendo NX.
According to rumor, the Nintendo NX will be a hybrid handheld/mobile console of some sort, and it may work with PCs and smartphones, and maybe even competing gaming consoles like the PS4. You'll likely also be able to connect it to your TV despite its (rumored and unofficial) mobile/portable form factor. As of late last year, rumor had it we'd be seeing an official launch in 2016 — something the Nikkei report seemingly confirms, though it makes no mention of the 'NX' specifically.
Speculation is all over the place right now. Nintendo's previous teasing about having some big change of pace in the pipeline — coupled with its DeNA partnership announced last year — has left fans guessing about what the company is up to. Mobile games are a popular guess, and veering far out on the speculation spectrum is hope that Nintendo's getting into the VR market.
After all these months, we're still left with precious few details. If the Wii U is indeed being killed later on this year, though, it likely won't be long before we get an official announcement.
SOURCE: Nikkei