Pachter: Wii U Will Finish a Distant Third in Console Race

Nintendo support isn’t exactly at an all-time high with the Wii U. The console’s sales and lack of software seem to indicate that the Mario maker is in for a long, hard console race, and one that Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter predicts will end with Nintendo at the bottom. 

"Nintendo's in trouble right now," Pachter said in an interview with ABC News. "Nintendo, I think, waited two years too long to launch a competitive console, you know, a high-definition console with the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I think by the time they did launch a console that stacks up really well, the other two guys passed them by."

There are many reasons that Nintendo isn’t finding the same success as the original Wii, including the lack of motion-controlled novelty the company once benefited from. However, it’s a loss of third-party support that Pachter sees as a major issue in the long run.

"The publishers are pretty excited about supporting the Xbox One and the PS4. They really didn't say anything [during E3 2013] about the Wii U,” he continued. “We know EA has no games in development for Wii U," added Pachter. "If others follow suit, I mean if you see Activision pull support, if you see Ubisoft, you see Take-Two  pull support, the Wii U is a Nintendo-only gaming device, which is the way they were back with the NES in 1985.”

Can it survive through the strength of first-party standouts like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong? Yes, but it won’t win any trophies in the process.

“I think [Nintendo] is at the bottom of a huge mountain with a huge uphill climb," Pachter said. "I don't think they're going to get that mojo back. I think these two guys are passing them by. And this PS4, priced $50 more than the Wii U, why would anybody buy a Wii U? Unless they just have to play Nintendo games. I think the way it actually shakes out is anybody who buys a Wii U that really is a hardcore gamer is going to buy an PS4 or an Xbox One in addition, so they can play those third-party titles they love. So I think Nintendo becomes a distant third in this console race."