Why is the Wii U not succeeding?

[Random Argument Man]

Obviously it's because we friend zoned Nintendo. Don't try to deny it! It's been treating you nicely and you decided to chase Sony and Microsoft because you thought that you would have more excitement and that maybe...just maybe...you'll be the one to change them. Bad news, they treated you badly and you've been complaining on how you wish that you just had a gaming company that treated you nicely. Too bad for you. Now Nintendo will go hit the gym, become someone better and find someone else in its life.

Okay okay, in all seriousness... It's probably because of lacking in marketing and mostly lack of interesting games.

But then...That whole Bayonetta 2 fiasco which everyone complained about even though Nintendo was probably the only company willing to save the franchise...Just shows some people ask for something and then become hypocrites when they get it.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I still don't trust Nintendo because of Nintendo of America's unwillingness to release Xenoblade, Last Story and Pandora's Tower. On top of that I worry that we'll get dull 4kidsized versions of titles like Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem because Nintendo of America is so focused on being 100% Family Friendly...

This. A lot of us also still feel the sting of when Nintendo bit us on the ass when switching over from the Gamecube to the Wii. The gamecube had great titles and even Nintendo exclusives that weren't family friendly like Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Resident Evil 4 (before it went multiplatform), and the first 2 Metroid Prime games, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes and others and it still got some ports of 3rd party titles like Second Sight and Blood Omen 2. That was completely thrown out the window with the Wii where they wouldn't release a game unless it was clean enough to play in front of your grandma while also completely alienating 3rd parties so we would never see some of this gen's classic titles on the console unless they were completely gimped cause the Wii was just a gamecube with an overclocked graphics card. Yay for ninty keep back-compat. It must have been so hard with them selling us the same console again but with motion controls and wifi. Yes, I'm still a little bitter

Edit: I also forgot things like Nintendo refusing to release certain games like the ambassador titles for the 3DS and just now releasing earthbound

 

[funkyjiveturkey]

old hardware, gimmicky controls, lack of adequate storage capacity, nintedo's frequent problem's with third party developers (also that most third party developers have stated they want nothing to do with Wii-U anyway), bad price point, crap games library, and a fanbase that has dwindled due to previous failures with the Wii and 3DS.

and yes, the dreamcast comparison is very apt because i consider this nintendo's last run before they're forced to pull a sega and go strictly software-only.

 

[Roxas1359]

The WiiU is failing because Nintendo are competing with themselves.
They are losing and winning at their own game.

On the one hand, the 3DS is really picking up.
On the other hand, they made the 3DS so good that Nintendo fans have no reason to get a WiiU.

I agree with this. They've been putting some much more time and effort it seems into the 3DS, and while at first it needed it the 3DS can definitely handle itself just fine. They need to just start focusing on the Wii U itself like how they did for the 3DS. Like I said, the Wii U is Nintendo's PS3, it'll sell eventually, but they'll be taking huge hits before it starts taking off.

What about Shin Megami Tensei IV? I don't see much in that game for kiddies...

That was localized by Atlus USA which is why it really wasn't censored at all. Heck as other people have said Nintendo's reluctance to publish Xenoblade Chronicles was a real kick in the pisser, especially because you couldn't simply just import it since the Wii and Wii U are region locked. My whole thing is that at least allow your customers to import your games so that they can play them. Hell I'm still upset that the US will most likely never see the new Unlimited Cruise game on the 3DS, and because I can't simply just import it and play it I'm locked out of the game. Part of the blame goes to Bandi-Namco and their localization, other part goes to Nintendo for implementing a region locking feature that screws over us people who actually know Japanese. >.>

 

[Jack Joe Tip Toe]

I'm going to sound like a broken record but there is nothing on the Wii U that I want to play. If Nintendo wants me to get anymore of their consoles they would stop showing me familiar faces and show me newer ones. I know they have some new IP's, but even those games don't look that great to me. I need something that will leave me speechless looking at it. Something truly amazing. Something that will show me that they still have some magic left.

 

[lastjustice]

I have no desire to buy the Nintendo Pronoun heh.

 

[MetalDooley]

One thing about Xenoblades. Nintendo made a deal with GAMESTOP. Gamestop also made it so that the only way you could get the game new was to pre-order the game. You wanna know why that game did terrible in sales? There were no other places selling Xenoblades. Not a single walmart, best buy, or even a mom and pop gamestore had them in stock. So basically xenoblades was pinched on both ends.

Also the games were already translated and localized already so there wasn't any sort of cost increase aside from replication and shipping.

Gamestop has 4,434 stores in the US so it's not like Xenoblade was only available in a half dozen locations.Also doesn't change the fact that the other two games sold piss poorly.Pandora's Tower only sold about 60,000 copies.Given how poorly previous "hardcore" titles sold on Wii you can understand their reluctance

They don't count, they were localized in Europe and brought over to North America by companies other than Nintendo (Xseed for Last Story, and Pandoras Tower and Gamestop of all people for Xenoblade).

Ok wasn't aware of that.I assumed Nintendo published all 3 like they did in Europe

My case would be Fire Emblem: Awakening got a little bit of censoring in its North American release to cut down on some more "risque" bits and maintain Nintendo of America's family friendly image.

And was that little bit of censorship enough to make it a dull 4kidsized version as you previously claimed?

 

[Flatfrog]

For me it's definitely the controller above everything. It just feels like a solution in need of a problem, and everything I've seen that uses it looks stupid. I hated the WiiMote enough as it is (I surely can't be the only one who finds it impossible to play any game using it in the sideways mode without accidentally pressing the reset button every five minutes), and the pad is a completely pointless device.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I think there's still some confusion about what the Wii U is to people who don't follow what's happening when it comes to gaming. Some of you are likely too young to remember the transition from NES to SNES (I am too) but Nintendo don't seem to be doing enough to show that the Wii U is its own, new console. The TV Spots I've seen for it show off a kid or, family using the game-pad but the console itself isn't often shown on-screen.

And then there are things like this:

This ran in this week's Target ad in the US and if you own a Wii or Wii U (or know what they both look like) than you'll be able to spot the problem; namely that the console has been confused with the offer. If you're the kind of person who memories sale ads instead of E3 announcements, you're going to remember that not too long ago you could buy Wii consoles on sale for as low as $99...now suddenly the price has more than doubled! Well at least they've added a new tablet thing...maybe it's an e-reader (thinks the ill-informed consumer)

---

As for everyone else it's games. Pikmin 3 is great but aside from that there are few true exclusives out at the moment. In the next few months as Zelda, Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong etc release more units will sell. By the time Smash is out that will also boost units. Whether it's enough to save the system is unclear but hey, if Nintendo keeps making millions off of microgames for the handheld that it's already making millions off of then maybe they can afford to keep the U on the market long enough to make it at least somewhat profitable.

 

[Talvrae]

I think, and it's my personal opinion here, that's partelly because the majority of the success of the Wii was on the casual scene, it didnt get much sucess on the so called "hardcore" crowd of gamers and well the Wii got to sit on a shelves not being played in a lot of cases. Thuse poeple who have a buy a Wii and play it maybe once or twice a year at party are probably not ready to spend money on a new console they arent sure they will play when the wii still fit theyr needs.

 

[False Nobility]

I honestly think its as simple as 'no games'. And maybe people are finally jaded as to how bad consoles are in their first two years. We've had quite a few examples in the last few gens. How many original Xbox games were successful that had nothing do with Halo? All the playstations had slow starts, the Gamecube and Wii as well.

 

[Snotnarok]

I could only say the reasons I personally don't have an interest in the device
Games:
I'm not really interested in the current exclusives on the system and the multiplatform titles are more expensive on the device so I'm less inclined to purchase one (as in Mass Effect Trilogy is 40 right now on everything else, Mass Effect 3 is 40 on WiiU, it makes no sense to invest)

Digital policies:
Their Virtual Console games are fairly pricy, ah-ah no don't tell me the physical cart of a rare game is reason enough, yes some games are cheaper but a lot I like are cheaper elsewhere or in big bundles. The biggest problem is games are locked to the WiiU hardware so they're stuck on that system after paying a lot of money, and if I had invested in a 3DS any games I wanted to play on the go from the VC ..I'd have to buy again, which given Sony allows you to have a single purchase PSOne title on PSP, PSV and PS3 at the same time ON the same time I just can't find any reason to be excited over that.

The device:
The second screen is neat in it's own way but I have handhelds (GBA SP, PSP, PSV, laptop) So I'm not really into the whole idea of gaming in a separate room than your console, because the handhelds can go anywhere and the WiiU controller can't.

So the games don't interest me, their digital market doesn't interest me and the gimmick of the console doesn't interest me because I have better alternatives. So that's why I personally have no interest.

Everyone else? ...Well Smash Brothers isn't out yet, Zelda is a touched up port that didn't need touching up visually.

 

[stroopwafel]

The WiiU has a lack of third party support which isn't compensated with a HD Zelda or Metroid or any other of Nintendo's antiquated franchises. The Wii was a success b/c the casual market picked it up thanks to the cheap gimmicky software. The WiiU doesn't have such a pull on the casual market but b/c of a lack of first party software not on the 'core' market either.

You'd think by now Nintendo would show some awesome trailers or gameplay footage of a true HD zelda(not a re-release of Wind Waker) or something. Anything that would get people excited about the WiiU, or atleast Nintendo fans. But nothing. It's like Nintendo is just passively waiting for the system to die as WiiU's all over the world are collecting dust on store shelves.

 

[krazykidd]

Because despite applauding what it is, what it does, and what it can do, people just aren't buying it.

Don't worry, sales will pick up in the next year or two once it gets some more Mario titles and a Zelda and stuff.

I keep hearing people saying "Oh, the Wii U has no games on it!!!" but for me the Wii U has quite a few games out that I want, and even more upcoming.

I'm currently more excited for upcoming Wii U games than I am by any of the announced XBO or PS4 games.

Up coming games are nice and all , but why would i buy a WiiU now for games that are comming out in 6 month-1 year time? While i'm sure in about 1-2 years the sales are going to multiply , there is little incentive to buy one now . That's the only think preventing me from buying it . When i buy a console i want to be able to play games back to back , not wait 2-3 months for a new tittle . Also the starting line up of games was pretty terrible .

All this is my personal opinion of course

 

[Something Amyss]

That's very backwards and dumb if you ask me when Sony also has their store connect to multiple consoles, but they put a download limit of 2 times for digital product, and you can deactivate one of the products and download it somewhere else if you want to.

The only downside is they make it a right pain in the ASS if one of your consoles/handhelds dies. My PS3 went belly up last year, and the only option to wipe it is apparently wiping all of your consoles/handhelds. This was mostly an annoyance for me, as my PSP had been dead since the same event that damaged my PS3 and I didn't own a Vita yet. For someone who owns multiple units, like a family, that could be quite a problem.

Anyway, the hardware tie is why I won't buy things from the eShop for any of my devices. And Sony's version is better. Just...Still has its flaws.

I'm sure the board members over at Nintendo would've called you crazy if you suggested to leave 'Wii' out of the name.

They probably also would have had you locked up if you suggested that now might not be the right time to launch a new console with few planned "killer apps" to go along with it.

I honestly do think a combination of economic uncertainty and the promise of an entirely new generation that would make the console look like a half-measure were on people's minds as well.

Anyway, Nintendo themselves seems to at least understand both now. I mean, they sent begging messages out to Wii owners promising them that gosh-darnit there was a totally new console out, no foolin'.

Trying to capitalize on the Wii brand has likely instead caused confusion among potential customers whether it's just the same console with a peripheral, like the Wii balance board.

And, I might add, the marketing I've seen kind of fucked that up. I don't have cable, but the ads I've seen online promote it almost as though the Wii U is the name of the tablet. Now, I know better, but I do wonder what I'd think if I saw this with the fresh eyes of the soccer mom they're targeting.

They also should've probably spent more time focusing on how to make HD games when they decided to make an HD console.

At the very least, they should have spent some more time coming up with something better than remakes of two year old games for their new super HD next-gen console. I know they're slightly shinier and have new gimmicks, but they give the wrong impression.

The final thing I'd point out is that the Wii became one of those "it" devices due to something akin to chance. You can't predict fad items, or they wouldn't really end up as fad items. It'd be business as usual. The problem comes in the form of the consumer for the Wii. They're not the tech group who buys into the upgrade cycle. Maybe for their phones, maybe. But if they're still using the Wii, they have what they want: Wii Sports, Wii fit, etc. Attach rates were low compared to other consoles (low enough Nintendo included pack-in titles to bolster their figures to roughly half that of the 360's) because the common purchaser wasn't all that interested in games. And if you're a non-game gamer, what does the Wii U matter, anyway?

I would argue that Nintendo has virtually the perfect storm of bad decisions.

 

[Denamic]

Well, there's no games I'm interested in enough to buy it. Add to that that the console doesn't do anything interesting for me. A good controller is to me one that you don't notice. Having a display on it is in direct opposition to my preference, even more than rumble is. And I hate rumble.

 

[Something Amyss]

Up coming games are nice and all , but why would i buy a WiiU now for games that are comming out in 6 month-1 year time? While i'm sure in about 1-2 years the sales are going to multiply , there is little incentive to buy one now . That's the only think preventing me from buying it . When i buy a console i want to be able to play games back to back , not wait 2-3 months for a new tittle . Also the starting line up of games was pretty terrible .

All this is my personal opinion of course

Indeed. I really don't get the "buy it now for games down the road" idea. Surely, if you're buying it for games, there's not much incentive before there are games.

I mean, I bought a PS3 when it had few games I wanted because I wanted an affordable BD player and if it happened to run games? Ooooh, I'll get Uncharted, too. But in that instance, games were more of an afterthought than a primary reason.

 

[balladbird]

And was that little bit of censorship enough to make it a dull 4kidsized version as you previously claimed?

Oh, of course not, the edits didn't impact the gameplay or story in any meaningful way, but the fact that they happened can still come across as insulting. Nintendo said they wanted to return their attention to core gamers, the majority of whom are adults, but this comes across as disingenuous when they refuse to release a localization of their game until a couple extra inches of tharja's chest are covered with cloth. Adults know what cleavage looks like, after all.

Whether censorship impedes my enjoyment of a game isn't really the issue, the fact that nintendo sees fit to censor their titles at all is. this is the reason why a chill runs up my spine when people say they want Nintendo to buy Atlus and make it a second party company.



As to the question at hand, I can't speak for others, but from me personally, I throw my lot in with the crowd that blames the 3DS. it's the reason I personally have no interest in the Wii-u, since it already suits me perfectly, which couples with my lack of interest in Nintendo's first part ips to make the console unappealing. the only title announced so far that I would want to play is SMT x Fire Emblem.

 

[thebakedpotato]

Another Nintendo console with shit third party and indie support, deliberately low graphics quality, and a quirky gimmick that's hard to design for and will lead to annoying gameplay in many cases?

Sign me the fuck up!

 

[Saltyk]

About a month or two ago, I talked to a guy who didn't even know the Wii U was a new console. He seemed to think it was a controller. And something hit me. I knew what the controller looked like, but was clueless about the console. I honestly had no idea what the console looked like. It was kinda like what happened with the PS4 announcement. I knew there was one, but what it looked like eluded me.

And if one person doesn't even know it's a new console, and I, a gamer, knew it was but couldn't pick it out of a line up to save my life, that is a bad thing. I wouldn't be surprised if that was an issue for a lot of people.