Nintendo's Wii U: sales plummet as Asda drops the console

Nintendo's console sold just 160,000 units between April and June.

Japanese video game designer Eiji Aonuma demonstrates his latest production "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD" during the Wii U Software Showcase at E3 in Los Angeles, California June 11, 2013. REUTERS/Gus Ruelas

Nintendo’s Wii U continues to sink further into oblivion, following the news that Asda, the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain, is removing the console from its shelves.

The latest financial reports from the company continue the bad news, showing that sales of the Wii U are down 51% over the last three months, selling just 160,000 units between April and June. This makes a total of 3.61 million units sold so far.

Nintendo say that new games that have been produced in-house and featuring recognisable characters will help boost sales, but critics are still sceptical that the Wii U’s second-screen system will ever move beyond its niche appeal.

The original Wii sold just fewer than 100 million units and attracted new demographics to the console market with its intuitive control system and titles such as Wii Fit and Wii Sports.

However, the Wii U’s re-introduction of traditional controls disappointed the same customers, especially as the casual gaming market became more enamoured by mobile devices. Nintendo’s handheld consoles are suffering for the same reason, despite respectable sales for the 3DS.

With Microsoft and Sony's rival consoles expected out in the next couple of months, it's uncertain what could salvage the Wii U's sales.