Takaki Kawatsu, a 33-year-old real estate agent, says he'll be among Nintendo Co. customers who will pass on the company's next Wii game console.
"I bought the original Wii because it was popular, new and seemed like a great item to have at a party," said Kawatsu, who owned the game console for four years before selling it three months ago. "This time, there is nothing surprising or fresh."
Kawatsu, who now prefers to play games on his Apple Inc. iPhone, illustrates why analysts say the Wii U will probably fail to replicate the original Wii's success. Nintendo, facing mounting competition from mobile games such as "Angry Birds" and "Farmville" on Facebook, has tumbled 13 percent to a five-year low in Osaka trading since it unveiled the new console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this month.