As I was browsing the internet this morning, as I am wont to do, I came across a briefing of the NPD’s from May of this year. The headline of the article was about the continued dominance of the PlayStation 4 console. These stats didn’t surprise me too much, given Sony’s strong presence at E3 last year, and constant positive PR before the console came out. These things, combined with a lower price tag, have caused Sony to surge ahead of the previously dominant Microsoft and their console, the Xbox One.

These stats notwithstanding, there was a data point that I found to be far more interesting. Nintendo’s console, the Wii U, had a HUGE surge in the month of May as well. Due to the extreme interest and praise of Mario Kart 8, the Wii U jumped 85% in sales, despite Mario Kart 8 only being available for the last two days of May. What does this tell me? Several things. First off, consumers, and this includes me, were far too hard and judgmental on the Wii U when the console launched. In our defense, they had several things working against them. They released a “next-gen” console that was no more powerful than an Xbox 360, which launched in 2005. Also, the game selection was poor, to say the least. They had a couple of solid titles, including ZombiU and Nintendoland, but that was about it. There was a very slow trickle of games beyond that, including Pikmin 3. Now, with the release of Mario Kart 8, and Nintendo’s dominance at E3 this year, I can easily see Nintendo bouncing back from the initially poor sales of the Wii U.

Everywhere I turn (on the internet), it seems like everyone is jumping on the Wii U train. The amount of people buying Wii U solely to play the new Mario Kart is staggering, and the numbers prove that. On top of that, with the imminent release of a new Super Smash Bros., which includes the ability to play with a classic Gamecube controller, Nintendo is set up to dominate the holiday season. THAT, is the power of a strong, and long lasting first party. I, myself, plan to buy Wii U within the next six months. How about you?