Elephant in the room... Wii U

[JoSilver]

With all the Crap News and figures that came out on the System recently, I was wonder what any one around here's opinion was on the subject.

As a person who's just bought one like a month ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it since, (Pikmin 3 is AWSOME! ) It's certainly hard to hear the my $300 investment might be in jeopardy. I doubt Nintendo will abandon the Wii U but it's certainly a possibility, business men tend to make poor choices regarding their loyal customers in favor of a bigger slice of pie.

I'm sure they can get out of this mess, but it's gonna take pretty big shift in paradigm to convince everybody.

[Bobbybroccoli]

You're going to get two types of responses in here. The doomsday people and the optimistic people. No in between.

I fall in the latter camp. My arguments include the 3DS and how it completely turned itself around, the fact that Nintendo has too much pride to give up. Also they have billions of dollars they could spend on anything they want.

Plus, there is the fact that although many people won't consider a Wii U as a primary system, once first part games start coming out at a faster rate they will start buying the system as a secondary.

[Atlas]

I have a Wii U and it's wonderful. I share it with my brother who mainly plays Wonderful 101 on it but when I get the chance to play it, it is truly great!

[Th-e]

At 1/19/14 06:56 PM, Bobbybroccoli wrote: You're going to get two types of responses in here. The doomsday people and the optimistic people. No in between.

I am pessimistic about the future of the Wii U. Of course, I am a pessimist in general, so I don't like any outlook.

Changes need to be made to get more people to the Wii U. Maybe the Virtual Console should actually add new games and not just re-release stuff with added features (how many "new" VC games are there now? Sounds like only Earthbound is fresh.) Put Gamecube games on the VC.

Maybe Nintendo should make New Super Mario Creator, which includes a remake of Super Mario World but focuses on being an "official rom-hack" game and includes the ability to use custom music, ASM, etc.

Let's bring a new Starfox game. You know, in the style of the classic flying games. And let's revive StarFox 2.

Let's remake Mario Paint. And provide the Super Game Boy/Game Boy Player on the Wii U, so we can play portable games on the big screen.

Now...how do we get third parties back on board...?

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I got my Wii U just last Christmas. And I would hate to see it die. At the same time, why is it selling so horribly? I know it wouldn't be as successful as the Wii, but to do this badly??? It's like even the hardcore Nintendo fanboys are avoiding the Wii U. Did one Nintendo fanboy buy an Xbox One?

Wii U deserves better.

[orangebomb]

They're not going to abandon the Wii U, but they're quickly falling behind Sony and Microsoft in terms of sales and quality games, and I don't think they can catch up unless they come up with something big in the next couple of months or so. They can't rely on the same market that made the Wii a smashing success again, because they generally aren't going to spend that much money on another console. Not to mention the lack of third party support that the Wii U has, which means they're forced to fall back on their first party games, which is pretty bad business.

[Th-e]

At 1/19/14 08:09 PM, orangebomb wrote: They're not going to abandon the Wii U, but they're quickly falling behind Sony and Microsoft in terms of sales and quality games, and I don't think they can catch up unless they come up with something big in the next couple of months or so.

At this point, I am not as concerned about them challenging Sony and Microsoft as I am the console being successful on its own. And so far, it hasn't been successful on its own.

Not to mention the lack of third party support that the Wii U has, which means they're forced to fall back on their first party games, which is pretty bad business.

It seems like third parties turned against it the moment it was announced. The console was being badmouthed well before it was released.

To start 2013, do you know how many Wii U games were released (retail, not including downloads) in January and February? NONE. That was only two months after launch!

Apparently, the Wii U never got a fair chance to begin with.

[Painbringer]

The Wii U would have had some success last year had GTA V been released for it.

I mean, Wii U's hardware is very similar to that of PS3 and Xbox 360.

[Gremlin]

I've got a Wii U and I feel pretty bad for Nintendo and the console. I also start feeling bad when someone tries to flame me for wasting my money on a piece of shit, it's not very nice, I like the U.

But like someone already pointed out, it seems that Wii U was never given a chance to start properly.

I do believe that it's not game over for Wii U, but I doubt that it will gain any of the Wii's success, still, Mariokart, Smash bros and few other titles are yet to come, but I doubt they can turn the table around as much as required, the console doesn't have too great reputation, so it's going to be a tricky situation.

[kmau]

It's hilarious how nearly everyone is overreacting to this. Sony has a longer history of writing red numbers, especially during the PS3 launch.

Plus never judge a console before it's gen is over.

[Mismo]

There's nothing wrong the Wii U itself. It's just that nintendo is in the habit of rehashing old game series which is okay to some extent, but to some of that and it will get tedious. So some new characters to Nintendo rooster would be nice, and not just some new kid friendly for the whole family character but something a little more "grown-up" to get the attention of the more "serious" gamers.

But that's not the only problem of course since they also need some third party developers to get in on the action. But for some reason other developers and publishers don't seem to want to. Don't know why but there's a lot of potential going to waste and if only other developers and publishers would see that they might change their minds.

[Trambamboline]

It's less of an elephant in the room and more like the corpse in the ditch. I'll eventually buy one I'm sure, but at the moment it'd just be a WonderBox. Not worth the money I'd have to spend.

I'll probably cave when Smash comes out, 'cause I'm weak.

[Lionelion]

When I first heard that news, I was honestly surprised. Still am really. Since the WiiU has had such success in the past couple years, seems kinda off that it would suddenly start doing terribly. Im sure Nintendo will get out of this slump soon

[orangebomb]

I've already mentioned the casual market and lack of third party support that is going against Nintendo, but another thing that I forgot to mention is their reliance on gimmicks like motion control. Other than the Wii itself, motion control games and devices are largely unsuccessful in their own right, and basically only target a casual audience that usually don't spend a lot of money on games in the first place.

The hilarious counter argument that Nintendo fanboys and idiots in general make is that the Wii U actually has games. Guess what, so does the PS4 and Xbox One, who can also do far more than just play games as well. The technological gap between Nintendo and the rest of the major consoles has only grown the last 10 years or so, and that's got to eventually eat away at Nintendo's profits from the hardcore gamer market, and pretty much shows that they seem to be behind the times.

I like Nintendo, I really do, but it's getting harder and harder to defend their practices and their lack of quality games outside of what they make themselves, and remakes of the best games from last generation. It's something that isn't that sustainable in the long term.

[darkjam]

It's a great console with some amazing games and amazing upcoming games, my guess is that this will be the 6th generation repeated, an underrated console that is predicted to make Nintendo go under but they don't.

[II2none]

SMH...I'm not saying the wiiu is a dead console but Nintendo is treating like a fucking joke. They're still stuck in that 07 mentality where they can gimmick out their console and everyone and their grandma is going to grab their console. But this ain't 07 and the casual market has moved on to mobile/tablet games. Also the consoles debut was terrible all around weak launch titles (oh boy the same Mario game with a new coat of paint.) This is what KILLS me the most about Nintendo they were not prepared at all for launching the wiiu their block buster hits should've been out this past holiday but ya know were talking about Nintendo here, who's been the top dogs of videogames they're above sensible market strategies and actually trying to increase their fan base. Remember the wholesome third party support they were supposed to obtain. Well sorry Nintendo home consoles are still victims of insultingly lazy porting. Also for a company that many considers standing out from typical triple A titles they really don't like taking chances when it comes to IPs . Look you may get by with regurgitating 10 Mario clones a year but its evident people are getting tired of it. You have so many other blockbuster IPs you barely throw a bone at. And then when they do focus on one of their old ips its some old shit that hasn't been relevant since before I was born. When I ask friends at work why they won't get the wiiu it's almost always the console looks like its for little kids. Well when Nintendo has one of there very few commercials full of kids talking about "family gaming" it's easy to see why no one takes it seriously. You guys are so out of focus it's like y'all forgot your a gaming company the corporation is the senile old man of the three using "back in my day" business strategies meanwhile getting out sold in two months by its competitors while wiiu had to a whole year to obtain. Despite my ranting the wiiu will be fine but it can no longer rely on the casual market and doing terrible job appealing to anyone accept die hard fan boys. If Nintendo had more respect for its co sole then maybe the rest of the world will follow suit. Nintendo. Get. Your. Shit. Together .

[Nithael]

Why do people continue to insist that the WiiU is trying to compete with the PS4 and Xbox one when its aimed at a completely diffrent audience?

[JoSilver]

At 1/20/14 02:53 PM, Nithael wrote: Why do people continue to insist that the WiiU is trying to compete with the PS4 and Xbox one when its aimed at a completely diffrent audience?

Unfortunately that market doesn't appear to be buying it either. The Wii was targeting a different audience and by now sold a crap ton. Nintendo exclusives are great if we don't see Wii U exclusive, now that's bad. A good chunk of the best exclusive games for Wii were not made by Nintendo but third party developers, and they did so because a lot of people had a Wii even if it would sell as much if they made it for something else.

[II2none]

At 1/20/14 02:53 PM, Nithael wrote: Why do people continue to insist that the WiiU is trying to compete with the PS4 and Xbox one when its aimed at a completely diffrent audience?

probably because its an 8th Gen console even though it may not function like one. its still a gaming console last I checked. By your logic does that mean the Wii wasn't a competitor last and didn't have the most units sold?

[Earfetish]

I wrote a blog about the Wii U for one of my clients.

The Wii U has not had the impact Nintendo had hoped it to have, with the firm posting a 25-billion yen (£146 million) annual loss this year rather than the £587 million profit they had been anticipating. Nintendo has faced strong competition from the handheld mobile gaming market, as well as the Xbox One and the Playstation 4, and although the handheld 3DS was 2013's biggest video games console, the poor performance of the Wii U has shaken the tech giant.
After slashing the sales forecast for the Wii U by 70%, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company is looking into a "new business structure". With the market moving into tablets and smartphones, Nintendo is expected to explore beyond its current hardware business model, with Mr Iwata saying the company will examine how smart devices can "grow the game-player business".
Despite the poor results of the Wii U, owners of these games consoles can expect an exciting year in 2014. Spring will see the release of big names such as Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8 on the embattled console, although the lineup remains somewhat thin.
The Wii U has the potential to be a success – it is substantially cheaper than its rivals at just £220 – and analysts are keenly examining the reasons why the games console has struggled so much. Advertising has been low, with the console barely making an impact in the 'console wars' between Sony and Microsoft over Christmas, and with both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One boasting far greater third-party support. Nintendo has struggled to secure third-party support, with EA pulling out of its support after initially backing the console.

[verycoolguy]

Best thing I think Nintendo can do to get some sales out of the Wii U is to bundle the new Smash Bros. with it. It'll be a two for one deal that would make everyone happy. It'll be a lot easier for everyone to spend just $300 on Wii U and Smash than $360 for Wii U, Smash, and NSMBU, the latter which many will not care for at all.

[Emlfuryoflion]

At 1/23/14 01:46 AM, verycoolguy wrote: Best thing I think Nintendo can do to get some sales out of the Wii U is to bundle the new Smash Bros. with it. It'll be a two for one deal that would make everyone happy. It'll be a lot easier for everyone to spend just $300 on Wii U and Smash than $360 for Wii U, Smash, and NSMBU, the latter which many will not care for at all.

I disagree. I think they need to bundle Mario Kart 8.

Smash will sell consoles without the need to be bundled and so will Mario Kart really but I think Mario Kart will have stronger selling power bundled with a Wii U than Smash Bros will.

[verycoolguy]

At 1/23/14 02:05 AM, Emlfuryoflion wrote: Smash will sell consoles without the need to be bundled

I always read people saying Smash alone will get Wii U sales to increase over 200%, but I also hear from many others I know that buying a $300 system for just one game isn't gonna be happening for them. I for one fall on that camp, considering I'm not as hyped up for SSB4 as I was with Brawl. SSB4 will sell consoles on its own but I heavily doubt it will be a considerable amount. Smash 4 seems to be the main Wii U game people have eyes on so if it's bundled with the best game it can offer then that will attract more sales.

I'm not too sure how much more popular Mario Kart is than Smash so I can't really argue which will be better for bundling. From what I read on the internet and even all of my buds are mostly interested in Smash 4 when it comes to discussing Wii U. Whichever comes first should be bundled perhaps.

[Emlfuryoflion]

At 1/23/14 02:21 AM, verycoolguy wrote:

At 1/23/14 02:05 AM, Emlfuryoflion wrote: Smash will sell consoles without the need to be bundled

I always read people saying Smash alone will get Wii U sales to increase over 200%, but I also hear from many others I know that buying a $300 system for just one game isn't gonna be happening for them. I for one fall on that camp, considering I'm not as hyped up for SSB4 as I was with Brawl. SSB4 will sell consoles on its own but I heavily doubt it will be a considerable amount. Smash 4 seems to be the main Wii U game people have eyes on so if it's bundled with the best game it can offer then that will attract more sales.

I'm not too sure how much more popular Mario Kart is than Smash so I can't really argue which will be better for bundling. From what I read on the internet and even all of my buds are mostly interested in Smash 4 when it comes to discussing Wii U. Whichever comes first should be bundled perhaps.

Me and my friends get in the same discussion over being hyped for smash bros. We never really bring up mario kart but it's something I will definitely get anyway. As for which sells better it's definitely mario kart. It's 2 to 1 in favor of it outselling smash 64 and brawl and only barely losing out to melee during the gamecube era.

http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=mario+kart

http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=super+smash+bros

Another reason smash would be a poor bundle choice is people are going to see that the game is also on the 3DS so they may be more tempted to just buy a 3DS and the game since that would be cheaper than buying the Wii U bundle.

With Mario Kart it's been out for a while on 3DS already and there is a clear name distinction with one being Mario Kart 7 and the newest one being Mario Kart 8. At least in this example people would probably rather buy the newer version in 8 over a 3DS and the older version 7.

Either way though Mario Kart would sell better with the casual crowd than a smash bros bundle would. The hardcore crowd is going to eat up a Wii U and smash bros anyway but if you want to get the casuals to bite too the Mario Kart bundle is the way to go.

[DoctorStrongbad]

At 1/20/14 02:57 AM, kmau wrote: It's hilarious how nearly everyone is overreacting to this. Sony has a longer history of writing red numbers, especially during the PS3 launch.

Plus never judge a console before it's gen is over.

I agree that the Wii U will get more credit as the gen continues.

[sharpnova]

At 1/19/14 06:44 PM, JoSilver wrote: With all the Crap News and figures that came out on the System recently, I was wonder what any one around here's opinion was on the subject.

As a person who's just bought one like a month ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it since, (Pikmin 3 is AWSOME! ) It's certainly hard to hear the my $300 investment might be in jeopardy. I doubt Nintendo will abandon the Wii U but it's certainly a possibility, business men tend to make poor choices regarding their loyal customers in favor of a bigger slice of pie.

I'm sure they can get out of this mess, but it's gonna take pretty big shift in paradigm to convince everybody.

You would feel that way if all you've invested in, gaming-wise to justify your $300 investment is Pikmin 3.

Pikmin 3 is just one of several great Wii U games.

For me it's a matter of how much I value my time.

There are several incredibly must-play (unless you just suck as a gamer) titles on the Wii U with several more on the way.

End of discussion right there. Unless you value your time at something like 1 cent an hour, the Wii U is a success. Even if they release these last titles then call it quits on the console.

But that's just me.. being logical. No one really likes logic on the internet.

[JoSilver]

At 1/26/14 05:42 AM, sharpnova wrote:
You would feel that way if all you've invested in, gaming-wise to justify your $300 investment is Pikmin 3.

Pikmin 3 is just one of several great Wii U games.

For me it's a matter of how much I value my time.

There are several incredibly must-play (unless you just suck as a gamer) titles on the Wii U with several more on the way.

End of discussion right there. Unless you value your time at something like 1 cent an hour, the Wii U is a success. Even if they release these last titles then call it quits on the console.

But that's just me.. being logical. No one really likes logic on the internet.

Wow dude, you act as if that was the only game I bought. I've bought a Number of game with it and I also go the Windwaker Bundle, not to mention a couple of eShop games.

When I said I bought one for Pikmin 3 that doesn't mean I bought it for one game and now I'm done with it... don't be stupid.
I'm a huge fan of Pikmin easily my favorite Nintendo Series, You'll just have to forgive me if I was willing to buy a console for just one game, it's what people do all the time.

Plus it's not like that's the only game I bought, Wii U games are cheap on amazon now, and I also bought a couple eShop games.

[joe9320]

Not enough third party support is a major problem for the Wii U, and I agree with this statement.

The worst case scenario we are having here is that Nintendo will have a repeat of the sales the N64 and the Gamecube has. Best case scenario is that sales generated would be similar to the SNES.

[sharpnova]

At 1/26/14 03:22 PM, JoSilver wrote: ***

What about Super Mario 3D World?