It's a fucking omnishambles. Don't get me wrong, I own a WiiU, and I think it has potential, especially considering that they ditched motion control, but they've literally just hampered all their own efforts. They didn't open with strong first party support, hell, even now you could argue they're only just getting up to par, they haven't been able to entice third party developers, their hardware is about to be almost a generation behind, they seem to be using the same marketing division that fucked the Virtual Boy up, and they called it the WiiU- that just feels like an iteration, not a new console, although I suppose that too would go under marketing. They've shot themselves in the foot, and it hasn't quite healed properly. I hope it does, though, nothing quite like good, honest competition.
Why is the Wii U not succeeding?
- Thread starter dscross
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Just one question that hasn't seemed to have been asked in many of the discussions regarding this topic:
To what extent has the 3DS been possibly cannibalizing the Wii U's sales?
I have two nieces who both have 3DS handhelds. My sister chose them over getting a Wii or Wii U on account of the fact it was cheaper, portable, had games they both wanted and (the big one): all the other kids in school had them. Thing advertises itself in that way.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if this is the last exclusively 'home' console Nintendo releases. Considering the big draws on any nintendo console aren't exactly graphic intensive, might make sense to just have a more powerful handheld that can also be used with the TV.
Obviously the Wii U's main issues have been listed, but would be an interesting survey to see how many people (particularly in the casual/family demographic) that may have opted for the handheld instead.
To what extent has the 3DS been possibly cannibalizing the Wii U's sales?
I have two nieces who both have 3DS handhelds. My sister chose them over getting a Wii or Wii U on account of the fact it was cheaper, portable, had games they both wanted and (the big one): all the other kids in school had them. Thing advertises itself in that way.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if this is the last exclusively 'home' console Nintendo releases. Considering the big draws on any nintendo console aren't exactly graphic intensive, might make sense to just have a more powerful handheld that can also be used with the TV.
Obviously the Wii U's main issues have been listed, but would be an interesting survey to see how many people (particularly in the casual/family demographic) that may have opted for the handheld instead.
I just wonder why Nintendo, no matter how innovative their hardware or gameplay might be, is always telling the same stories. Why is there no, say, adult-rated Zelda game starring not Link but Zelda? Innovation in gameplay is not everything. And sometimes it might not even be desirable. Call of Duty is hated by many, but its core gameplay would work well for such a wide range of titles - everything with guns in it and a "realistic" feel to it, if you want - without major changes. Hell, I would have loved it if the combat of, say, Mass Effect or Fallout 3 felt more like good old CoD or Battlefield.Mr.Mattress said:
If I had to give a quick and dirty answer, it would be that motion control systems, much like 3d tvs, are gimmicky. The idea is really cool, but generally as far as I know people just want to sit down with a controller. Also in terms of power, it isn't a secret that generally Nintendo products are not par with their competitors. This is important to quite a few people.
It's not so much as them cannibalizing is that the 3DS is at the better deal.ron1n said:
Most people really have money for one handheld/console per few months.
Even though the recent Nintendo Direct showcased a lot of games for the WiiU, a fair amount are also cross platformed for the 3DS, and since most people already see the 3DS as a better Nintendo platform to get, they will opt to get those games on the handheld. Which results in them getting a WiiU later.
I mean. That's kind of a good thing for Nintendo honestly. The sales coming from the 3DS are helping to litigate the losses for the WiiU. However the 3DS is a stuffed turkey compared to the emaciated WiiU. However it is going to get it's fair share of games soon.
I felt compelled to say this as an answer: How does a vacuum cleaner work? It sucks 
Granted.. the only experience I have is what I've seen and Yahtzee. It just seems very gimmicky to me with a low battery life. Why create a new tablet thing when a lot of people already have tablets.. why not just do what BF4 is doing with the commander mode and allow people to use their existing tablets.
Nintendo for me has been stagnating for quite some time and a question of "why isn't X succeeding" is pretty much because (imo) they are all the same thing and lack titles for them.
Granted.. the only experience I have is what I've seen and Yahtzee. It just seems very gimmicky to me with a low battery life. Why create a new tablet thing when a lot of people already have tablets.. why not just do what BF4 is doing with the commander mode and allow people to use their existing tablets.
Nintendo for me has been stagnating for quite some time and a question of "why isn't X succeeding" is pretty much because (imo) they are all the same thing and lack titles for them.
It's a valid question. Many types of Nintendo titles can already be played on the DS and it is portable. I'd say for all of Nintendo's console woes that the handheld market is still very strong for them. The future of phones may have something to say about that (and is saying something now, I'm sure), but for now they're good.ron1n said:
If people are trying to decide between one or the other, they should probably go 3DS. A lot more first and third party support. It's kinda funny. Where Sony appears to be somewhat ignoring their handheld games to pay attention to the console, Nintendo is doing the opposite and honestly it's probably smart of them to do so if they aren't going to start selling software on other systems.
Whether or not this is the last one, I don't know. Nintendo has a ton of cash to try again if they want. I think they may do well to own their casual gaming branding and provide cheap wii-esque consoles for that market.
It's not like Sony and Microsoft have been the pinnacle of creativity the past few years either. Unless you include ways to swindle your money in 50 more ways a stellar example of the creative mind.
The majority of people not owning one but who are interested seem to be hinting on "too few games"
Very few say they won't buy it due to the "lack of power", it is on par with PS3 and Xbox360 but I also think we've come to a level were it doesn't need to get much better (at least concerning graphics, in my opinion).
But as I said, most seem just to wait for the library of games to expand a little.
I can say I am enjoying my WiiU a lot!
Very few say they won't buy it due to the "lack of power", it is on par with PS3 and Xbox360 but I also think we've come to a level were it doesn't need to get much better (at least concerning graphics, in my opinion).
But as I said, most seem just to wait for the library of games to expand a little.
I can say I am enjoying my WiiU a lot!
People have been saying that for many years, but graphics kept improving, and people were happy about it. I doubt that's going to change in the future.Guffe said:
Sony and Microsoft have been relatively MUCH more productive where new IPs are concerned. This is mostly the nature of them being new consoles but Sony in particular has pumped out a lot. Nintendo has put out very few new IPs that I haven't already been playing since the 80's and 90's and it's part of their business model to do it that (aka, it's intentional because existing IPs will make more money and are less risky than new ones).Dragonbums said:
This.GZGoten said:
You can have a mediocre or even shit console, but so long as you have the games people want to play you will do fine. This is the other side of that coin. Decent console but nothing worth playing on it.
The wii U's problem is that the wii already exists and it covers the entirety of the gaming needs of 90% of it's audience (they're not very high needs) so they have no reason to buy a wii u since it wouldn't offer them anything they don't already have.
The old people and housewives who want a toy rather than a videogame system and the little kids are all fine with the wii. Sucks for the few awesome series such as No More Heroes who got stuck on it though.
The old people and housewives who want a toy rather than a videogame system and the little kids are all fine with the wii. Sucks for the few awesome series such as No More Heroes who got stuck on it though.
Its selling well. Nintendo is expecting Wii level sales figures, and thats just not going to happen.
That isn't Sony or Microsoft.Lightknight said:
All those creative IP's have come from studios that are not part of Sony and Microsoft making games for their platforms.
However the games Sony and Microsoft make themselves.(or the very least studios that are bought by them to make games for their consoles) have for the most part been the same old same old.
It's only more noticeable with Nintendo because they don't have the back up of third party support. So they they have to go out there and use their own library to make games. Considering how fans only care about the big three to give them money, don't expect Nintendo to NOT use the big three all the time to make money. Considering how many people even gave a crap about the new IP's Nintendo DID come out with over the past few years, we have just as much to blame for Nintendo rehashing.
Maybe people are starting to get tired of the same old stuff getting released (Mario will always be fun, but I can only do it so many times.)
I still say it's far too early to call time of death on the Wii U though, there are a lot of very interesting games on the horizon and I think it has a lot of potential; I'm certainly more interested in it than either Sony or Microsoft's next-gen offerings.
I still say it's far too early to call time of death on the Wii U though, there are a lot of very interesting games on the horizon and I think it has a lot of potential; I'm certainly more interested in it than either Sony or Microsoft's next-gen offerings.
Because unlike most Video Game Makers, they focus on The Game Part rather then the Video part. A lot of games now and days focus on the Video in Video game, like the Last of Us and The Walking Dead. However, some of the most popular video games of all time keep the Video to a minimum, and the Game to the Maximum, a la the Sims, MineCraft, and Nintendo games.CloudAtlas said:
And in complete honesty, I'd rather more companies focus on the Game aspect of Games then the Video part of it.
The WiiU should have enough killer Apps for it right now, everything coming out next year is a death nail when stores have limited space and need to make way for the Xbone / PS4 aswell as stock 360 and PS3 games.
As it stands the WiiU for this year and next will make a great 2nd console which while enough for me to buy one isn't enough for most folk.
I hope Nintendo can turn it around next year, but they need to slash the RRP (with every retailer) to compete with the PS3/360 and not the PS4/X1, and market it appropriately like turning the fact it lacks western AAA support as a good thing for parents buying the system for their yound kids, it's online system is built to be kiddy friendly, it's totally puzzling as to why Nintendo aren't marketing that fact.
As it stands the WiiU for this year and next will make a great 2nd console which while enough for me to buy one isn't enough for most folk.
I hope Nintendo can turn it around next year, but they need to slash the RRP (with every retailer) to compete with the PS3/360 and not the PS4/X1, and market it appropriately like turning the fact it lacks western AAA support as a good thing for parents buying the system for their yound kids, it's online system is built to be kiddy friendly, it's totally puzzling as to why Nintendo aren't marketing that fact.
All I'm saying is that unoriginal stories is something a lot of people criticize. Just look at this thread. If Nintendo thinks their way of doing it is for their best, maybe it is, what do I know. And I should be the last to criticize them, really: I wouldn't buy the Wii U in any case, so the less successful it is, the larger the sales are on the other platforms, the more development resources for games are spent on these platforms, the better/more the games are for those platforms.Mr.Mattress said:
I remember when the WiiU was first unveiled, and Nintendo proudly announced their "strong" third party support, claiming that Batman: Arkam Asylum would be released on it. It really showed how out of touch Nintendo was with the rest of the gaming community. After all, that game had already been out for about 2 years on other consoles, and the WiiU was still over a year away from being released. Did they really expect gamers to still want to play that title by the time that the console was released?
Also, when they finally announced the console's specs, I couldn't help but feel like they thought the current generation would never end. They needed to make something more powerful than existing consoles, rather than simply blending in with them.
Someone earlier in this thread mentioned having GTAV would have helped out the WiiU. It would have helped, but only if a WiiU version were to come out on the same day as it launches on other consoles. Hell, a timed exclusive would do wonders, but Nintendo doesn't seem willing to commit the funds to secure any popular western franchises.
Also, when they finally announced the console's specs, I couldn't help but feel like they thought the current generation would never end. They needed to make something more powerful than existing consoles, rather than simply blending in with them.
Someone earlier in this thread mentioned having GTAV would have helped out the WiiU. It would have helped, but only if a WiiU version were to come out on the same day as it launches on other consoles. Hell, a timed exclusive would do wonders, but Nintendo doesn't seem willing to commit the funds to secure any popular western franchises.