But according to multiple developers that have worked under Nintendo since the WiiU launched (from indies to guys like Platinum) working with Nintendo has actually been really good and in some cases, have helped improved their games. Most developers who aren't working with them and vocalizing that fact are EA (who was burned by Nintendo basically not being Origin exclusive) and Ubisoft (the less I say about them the better). I'm not saying their infallible, but to assume they aren't making a concerted effort to appeal to other developers to work with them (especially when they're typically paying the costs of these games to be made for the console unlike the Microsoft) accusing them of not trying to appeal to developers is inaccurate at best. As for the casual vs. hardcore groups they are or aren't marketing for, that doesn't matter. If the console has good appealing games, then people will buy the console (noted that sales boosted when Mario Kart 8 was released and will likely do so again when Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors, and Smash Bros are released). Not to mention many reviews are saying that WiiU versions of games are, in a number of ways, better than on other versions for more functionality (from Shovel Knight to COD:BLOPS2).Vivi22 said:Thing is, the Wii U absolutely was a blunder, and the biggest reason why is because it was Nintendo's attempt to court the hardcore crowd again. Except that didn't work because most of those folks are either too intent on having the latest and greatest console tech, or they can recognize an under-powered console with a gimmicky tablet controller when they see it. So Nintendo has failed to recapture the hardcore fans, still hasn't managed to revive third party support because third parties have been burned enough and anything but last gen ports is either impossible (you'll never see a dedicated next-gen game ported to it), or doesn't make financial sense because it's sales have been in the toilet since launch. And on top of that they've lost the casual crowd that made the Wii a runaway success because smartphones and tablets are the in thing for those people now.SilverUchiha said:I wouldn't call the WiiU a blunder or, to say the least, not the biggest blunder. It tripped out the door because it didn't have it's shoes tied and was trying to race out before the PS4 and Xbone had finished getting dressed. This left it with a few features not ready at launch (none of which, aside from Virtual Console, were really detrimental to enjoying the WiiU). And it's lack of games is soon to change with the second half of 2014 and a good chunk of 2015 being full of new unique titles that all look fun.
I think the controller has found ways to justify its existence with a small handful of games that have managed to make use of it thus far. Granted, I would like to see more that take use of it, but it's not like it being used significantly is a deal breaker or not. I'm also fucking tired of developers making the excuse of "we'd develop for the WiiU, but we don't know how to incorporate the controller." I don't know what the normal contracts are to work with Nintendo, but I find it hard to believe that they would forcibly make developers use the controller if they didn't feel it would improve the experience of a game and they could just use the buttons on the pad or the pro controller if it really was that big a fucking deal to them. In fact, most games (the good ones) give options of using different controllers to fit your playstyle. That's awesome in comparison to other consoles where I'm shoehorned into one controller and that's it. Only thing the WiiU is missing is a mouse/keyboard option and I'd be perfectly content with it.So we're left with a console that went after two specific markets, failed to get either of them, and has a controller that's yet to justify it's own existence and is still sitting firmly in gimmick territory. So the only hope they're really left with is the die hard Nintendo crowd. And history tells us they only buy systems when a new Nintendo release hits, and we can expect the Wii U to sell probably 20 million units. 25-30 if it's really lucky. In between Nintendo releases, sales will flat line just like they have so far and always have for their previous machines.
Well of course it won't kill it. Playstation survived despite the insane loses from the PS3's cost vs. the multiple price cuts it got before people were willing to touch the damn thing. And I really don't think this is that big a deal considering how much money they made selling the Wii (in the end, it'll likely balance out). Plus considering the fact that the game sales will mitigate the console losses, this isn't as bad a financial flop as many are making it out to be (and continue to do so without any substantial evidence at this point.And as if being caught out in no man's land weren't bad enough, Nintendo broke their golden rule of not selling consoles for a loss this generation (technically they did it twice: once with the Wii U, and once when the 3DS had it's first price cut). I doubt any of this will be enough to kill Nintendo, but it will absolutely be enough to hurt them. So far the Wii U has been a sales failure, and a financial failure for them, and they aren't doing anything that I can see turning it around yet.
According to wikipedia (if someone has more reliable numbers to work with, please let me know, but these don't seem inaccurate from anything else I've found): Right now, the PS4 is sitting atop a console with 7 million units sold (numbers as of 4/6/14). At the same time (or close to it) the Xbone was sitting at 5 million units "SHIPPED TO RETAILERS" which doesn't translate directly into sales numbers, but that's the closest we've got as of (4/17). Meanwhile, the WiiU has sold 6.17 million units as of 3/31/14 (well before Mario Kart 8 launched). Yes, it had an extra year to make those numbers, but it is still comparable with the other two (better than one, possibly) where saying it's a huge failure doesn't really work at this point and will likely be less the case by the end of the year with the bigger titles finally coming out this year.