Wii U Won't Play Blu-rays Or DVDs

[AzrealMaximillion]

Even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while. When Nintendo recreates the Wii's success on another platform I will believe that that success was a result of anything Nintendo knowingly did as opposed to just getting lucky and being in the right place at the right time. Seeing that the 3DS is pulling subpar numbers right now I'm more inclined to continue my belief that Wii's success was more or less the result of a passing fad and the WiiU will likely wallow in mediocrity being too much for the casuals and too little too late for the core audience.

As for the numbers, Gamecube sold only 21.74 Million vs 150 Million PS2 units. Nintendo 64 sold 32.9 Million vs 102 Million PSX units.

It occurs to me that the DS was successful. With regards to the 3DS, that was a software failure, which they are working to remedy. The 3DS will likely be just as successful as the DS in the future.

The DS was successful because Nintendo had a monopoly on the handheld gaming market for 20 years, if you look at the games that are on the DS there's nothing spectacular on it. Another reason the DS is so successful is because it carried on previously successful franchises (Pokemon, etc.)

The 3DS just costs way too much for what it does. And to be quite honest when the best software you have in the foreseeable future is remakes, (LoZ OoT &MGS3) then the supposed "better quality 3rd party support" may not be what it's cracked up to be.

There are plenty of quality DS titles, including Lux-Pain (despite horrible localization), Phoenix Wright, and The World Ends With You, to name a few.
I don't know what you're referring to with "better quality 3rd party support," but it seems like the 3rd parties are coming through for the WiiU, and I'm sure they'll come through for the 3DS.

When I talk about "better 3rd party support", I'm talking about Nintendo marketing their product so that something other than a casual game or a 1st party title can sell well. Look at the majority of DS titles though. They don't sell. One reason is because a lot of 3rd party devs pile on shovelware, another reason is that Nintendo's rigorous marketing to the casual market made it so that if a 3rd party devs game doesn't fall into the family demographic, it flops. Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell. Look at MadWorld and House of the Dead Overkill on the Wii, same problem. I can tell you that the MGS3 remake for the 3DS will get hurt in sales because of this(combined with the lagging sales of the 3DS itself). And look at the upcoming 3DS games. Anything that isn`t a 1st party title is either a port, or not worth buying. 3rd party titles have never "come through" for Nintendo's console. Can you really remember a time where a 3rd party game sold a Nintendo console?

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while. When Nintendo recreates the Wii's success on another platform I will believe that that success was a result of anything Nintendo knowingly did as opposed to just getting lucky and being in the right place at the right time. Seeing that the 3DS is pulling subpar numbers right now I'm more inclined to continue my belief that Wii's success was more or less the result of a passing fad and the WiiU will likely wallow in mediocrity being too much for the casuals and too little too late for the core audience.

As for the numbers, Gamecube sold only 21.74 Million vs 150 Million PS2 units. Nintendo 64 sold 32.9 Million vs 102 Million PSX units.

It occurs to me that the DS was successful. With regards to the 3DS, that was a software failure, which they are working to remedy. The 3DS will likely be just as successful as the DS in the future.

I can't see the 3DS being as successful as the DS. The DS was successful because Nintendo had a 20+ year monopoly on handheld gaming and the PSP came a year late to the party in the PAL and Japan. The fact is the line up Nintendo has for the 3DS this year is garbage with the exception of 3 remakes. LoZ 3D, Star Fox 3D, and MGS Snake Eater 3D. The PS Vita and the 3DS are the same price but the Vita actually has features worth the extra money.

Remember the DS was $50 cheaper than the PSP.

It's not just software that is hurting the 3DS. It's what you're getting for the price in terms of what you get. The device actually caused me a headache while I demo'd it in 3D mode and I know I'm not the only person as that's a decently common complaint. That and the extremely short battery life doesn't help. What really hurt the 3DS' sales is the fact that it was unmarketable, and to a very large degree still is unless they plant 3DS' with demos of every game that relies on the 3D effect.

 

[Koios]

It's not just software that is hurting the 3DS. It's what you're getting for the price in terms of what you get. The device actually caused me a headache while I demo'd it in 3D mode and I know I'm not the only person as that's a decently common complaint. That and the extremely short battery life doesn't help. What really hurt the 3DS' sales is the fact that it was unmarketable, and to a very large degree still is unless they plant 3DS' with demos of every game that relies on the 3D effect.

I've heard people complain about the 3; I can't say anything on the matter because I appear to b immune. The battery life, however, has never been an issue for me. With regards to it being unmarketable, I don't think that's the issue- I think it was the failure to launch with a good amount of software. From what I've heard, there were few titles available when it launched, and the rest of the announced titles are taking time to get released.

When I talk about "better 3rd party support", I'm talking about Nintendo marketing their product so that something other than a casual game or a 1st party title can sell well. Look at the majority of DS titles though. They don't sell. One reason is because a lot of 3rd party devs pile on shovelware, another reason is that Nintendo's rigorous marketing to the casual market made it so that if a 3rd party devs game doesn't fall into the family demographic, it flops. Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell. Look at MadWorld and House of the Dead Overkill on the Wii, same problem. I can tell you that the MGS3 remake for the 3DS will get hurt in sales because of this(combined with the lagging sales of the 3DS itself). And look at the upcoming 3DS games. Anything that isn`t a 1st party title is either a port, or not worth buying. 3rd party titles have never "come through" for Nintendo's console. Can you really remember a time where a 3rd party game sold a Nintendo console?

I, perhaps naively, see it as the responsibility of the 3rd party to see to the advertising; I have no idea if that is possible though. I played GTA Chinatown Wars, and I remember quite a bit of advertising from Gamestop and other sources prior to its launch. I must say, I found the game fun, but my save file deleted itself and I haven't played since. I also think that piracy devices such as M3s and R4s have probably hurt the sales figures for quite a few DS games. Lastly, I'm not sure if this was a 3rd party title, but I'm fairly sure Goldeneye 007 for the N64 did quite well.

 

[FamoFunk]

I'm with Nintendo on this one. Christ, I'm looking at 3 DVD players now (Laptop, PS3 and DVD player)

I don't wanna to pay more just to have another one (in this room) that I'll never use. Mainly because I buy Blu-Ray, and if not, I have other options already.

 

[Balobo]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

 

[Epona]

I agree with this. I would only use my game consoles as a media player as a last resort. You can get a cheap Blu-Ray player for around $100 and DVD players are practically free, lol.

As for people saying DS games like GTA didn't sell well. Well, think about it, why play GTA on the DS when you can play it on the X360, PS3 or the PC? Why choose the inferior experience? This is especially true when they release a game (the same game) on all the consoles, PC and on DS. Why would you choose to play the exact same game on the DS over an HD, giant TV experience? Wanna play Lego SW 3 on the X360 or the DS?

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Phoenix Wright. Just pointing out that games that don't fall in Nintendo's marketing demographic don't sell.

 

[Balobo]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Phoenix Wright. Just pointing out that games that don't fall in Nintendo's marketing demographic don't sell.

But Phoenix Wright wasn't trying to appeal to Nintendo's casual demographic. If it was, it would have sold much better. If it was, more casual gamers would be aware of it.

If anything, casuals will be more aware of GTA.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Phoenix Wright. Just pointing out that games that don't fall in Nintendo's marketing demographic don't sell.

But Phoenix Wright wasn't trying to appeal to Nintendo's casual demographic. If it was, it would have sold much better. If it was, more casual gamers would be aware of it.

If anything, casuals will be more aware of GTA.

Problem is most people who own a DS are under 18. Phoenix Wright fell into the casual family demographic quite well. It's a puzzle title that everyone can play. GTA is an M-Rated game. Most people who own DSs can't legally buy that game because they're not old enough. Phoenix Wright sold a hell of a lot better than most 3rd party DS games. GTA CW straight up flopped.

 

[Con Carne]

Originally the Wii wasn't netflix capable. Nintendo changed their minds. The new Wii won't be able to play dvds. Once enough people ***** about the lack of dvd compatibility, guess what? Nintendo will probably release an updated Wii that can play dvds. Give it a year or so.

 

[Balobo]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Phoenix Wright. Just pointing out that games that don't fall in Nintendo's marketing demographic don't sell.

But Phoenix Wright wasn't trying to appeal to Nintendo's casual demographic. If it was, it would have sold much better. If it was, more casual gamers would be aware of it.

If anything, casuals will be more aware of GTA.

Problem is most people who own a DS are under 18. Phoenix Wright fell into the casual family demographic quite well. It's a puzzle title that everyone can play. GTA is an M-Rated game. Most people who own DSs can't legally buy that game because they're not old enough. Phoenix Wright sold a hell of a lot better than most 3rd party DS games. GTA CW straight up flopped.

Do the ratings really ever stop anybody from buying games? Fine, if we're going to judge a game on whether or not it fits into the "casual" demographic using ratings then I will bring up 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 doors, a game that was an apparent success (at least more so than GTA: CW was). It was an M rated game. Does that appeal to the "casual" demographic?

Also, are there really more children buying Phoenix Wright than there are children buying GTA on other platforms?

 

[azurine]

oh, good, that means my family won't kick me off to watch some boring movie when I'm in the middle of playing a game.

seriously, I don't care for movies.

 

[Epona]

Originally the Wii wasn't netflix capable. Nintendo changed their minds. The new Wii won't be able to play dvds. Once enough people ***** about the lack of dvd compatibility, guess what? Nintendo will probably release an updated Wii that can play dvds. Give it a year or so.

No, the Wii is capable of playing DVD's but Nintendo hasn't released an update. Nintendo doesn't want to pay license fees for using the DVD-Video format and I don't think they will change their mind. Netflix either doesn't charge fees or the fees are much lower.

When I think about this idea that game consoles should play movies, I wonder how ridiculous it would have been to have the SNES play VHS. Luckily, most people then realized that they didn't need a game console to watch movies.

 

[DasDestroyer]

Why is the first thing I thought of when I read this title "Y U WONT PLAY BLURAYS OR DVD???"?

OT: Well, looks like if I ever get a Wii U, I'll still have to keep my Blu-Ray player. meh.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Yeah Phoenix Wright sells well but a franchise like GTA (a franchise that has broken records based on sales) can't hope to sell.

What's wrong with Phoenix Wright?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Phoenix Wright. Just pointing out that games that don't fall in Nintendo's marketing demographic don't sell.

But Phoenix Wright wasn't trying to appeal to Nintendo's casual demographic. If it was, it would have sold much better. If it was, more casual gamers would be aware of it.

If anything, casuals will be more aware of GTA.

Problem is most people who own a DS are under 18. Phoenix Wright fell into the casual family demographic quite well. It's a puzzle title that everyone can play. GTA is an M-Rated game. Most people who own DSs can't legally buy that game because they're not old enough. Phoenix Wright sold a hell of a lot better than most 3rd party DS games. GTA CW straight up flopped.

Do the ratings really ever stop anybody from buying games? Fine, if we're going to judge a game on whether or not it fits into the "casual" demographic using ratings then I will bring up 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 doors, a game that was an apparent success (at least more so than GTA: CW was). It was an M rated game. Does that appeal to the "casual" demographic?

Also, are there really more children buying Phoenix Wright than there are children buying GTA on other platforms?

First of all yes ratings can stop a game from selling well on certain consoles. Even the market games have been catered too have resulted on failures on the Wii. There's a list of companies that openly announced that they wouldn't support the Wii with M rated games for specifically this reason.

Sega said it after the double flops of House of the Dead Overkill and MadWorld
Capcom is lowering support after the flop sales of REarkside Chronicles as well as the "core" orientated Zack and Wiki flopping.
EA slowed down support for the Wii due to low sales and they don't even make a lot of "M" Rated games.

And I looked up 999's sales. They were barely a success at 170,000 after 1.25 years.

GTA Chinatown Wars sold 1.3 million of the DS only because they slashed the price %50 after the abysmal first two weeks it had. Rockstar made no money off of GTA:CW.
And keep in mind that the guys who made 999 (Aksys) are a pretty small company so 170,000 is a lot to them but nowhere near impressive. 170,000 people equates to under 1 percent of all DS users. Not the best example to use in this arguement.

Demon's Souls selling over 1 million units on just the PS3 based on purely word of mouth is impressive.

And there are clearly more children buying Phoenix Wright than GTA. There've been sequels and spin-offs of Phoenix Wright. Seeing as how kids can't buy GTA itself legally, and GTA has been blasted in the news for over a decade due to non-child friendly content :S

 

[Greatjusticeman]

Who is actually going to get this?

 

[Balobo]

First of all yes ratings can stop a game from selling well on certain consoles. Even the market games have been catered too have resulted on failures on the Wii. There's a list of companies that openly announced that they wouldn't support the Wii with M rated games for specifically this reason.

Sega said it after the double flops of House of the Dead Overkill and MadWorld
Capcom is lowering support after the flop sales of REarkside Chronicles as well as the "core" orientated Zack and Wiki flopping.
EA slowed down support for the Wii due to low sales and they don't even make a lot of "M" Rated games.

And I looked up 999's sales. They were barely a success at 170,000 after 1.25 years.

GTA Chinatown Wars sold 1.3 million of the DS only because they slashed the price %50 after the abysmal first two weeks it had. Rockstar made no money off of GTA:CW.
And keep in mind that the guys who made 999 (Aksys) are a pretty small company so 170,000 is a lot to them but nowhere near impressive. 170,000 people equates to under 1 percent of all DS users. Not the best example to use in this arguement.

Demon's Souls selling over 1 million units on just the PS3 based on purely word of mouth is impressive.

And there are clearly more children buying Phoenix Wright than GTA. There've been sequels and spin-offs of Phoenix Wright. Seeing as how kids can't buy GTA itself legally, and GTA has been blasted in the news for over a decade due to non-child friendly content :S

Right off the bat, I would like to ask you how ratings determine what demographic the game is appealing to? Ace Attorney DOES have adult content, it just doesn't beat you over the head with it. Having you even played it? Not all minors are casual gamers.

Yes, I'm aware that third parties have trouble selling things on the Wii. If they could advertise it a little better then... yeah.

Also, I don't see how Phoenix Wright turning into a full fledged franchise means that a lot of children play it. Yeah, it's successful. A game gaining recognition on DS doesn't necessarily mean that only children have purchased it. GTA has more sequels and spin-offs than Phoenix Wright. Children can legally purchase GTA as well, all they have to do is bring a parent (whom probably took them to the game store in the first place). Why would the rating turn off a significant amount of children?

Games like Professor Layton sold millions based on word of mouth alone. Why are they any different?

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

First of all yes ratings can stop a game from selling well on certain consoles. Even the market games have been catered too have resulted on failures on the Wii. There's a list of companies that openly announced that they wouldn't support the Wii with M rated games for specifically this reason.

Sega said it after the double flops of House of the Dead Overkill and MadWorld
Capcom is lowering support after the flop sales of REarkside Chronicles as well as the "core" orientated Zack and Wiki flopping.
EA slowed down support for the Wii due to low sales and they don't even make a lot of "M" Rated games.

And I looked up 999's sales. They were barely a success at 170,000 after 1.25 years.

GTA Chinatown Wars sold 1.3 million of the DS only because they slashed the price %50 after the abysmal first two weeks it had. Rockstar made no money off of GTA:CW.
And keep in mind that the guys who made 999 (Aksys) are a pretty small company so 170,000 is a lot to them but nowhere near impressive. 170,000 people equates to under 1 percent of all DS users. Not the best example to use in this arguement.

Demon's Souls selling over 1 million units on just the PS3 based on purely word of mouth is impressive.

And there are clearly more children buying Phoenix Wright than GTA. There've been sequels and spin-offs of Phoenix Wright. Seeing as how kids can't buy GTA itself legally, and GTA has been blasted in the news for over a decade due to non-child friendly content :S

Right off the bat, I would like to ask you how ratings determine what demographic the game is appealing to? Ace Attorney DOES have adult content, it just doesn't beat you over the head with it. Having you even played it? Not all minors are casual gamers.

Yes, I'm aware that third parties have trouble selling things on the Wii. If they could advertise it a little better then... yeah.

Also, I don't see how Phoenix Wright turning into a full fledged franchise means that a lot of children play it. Yeah, it's successful. A game gaining recognition on DS doesn't necessarily mean that only children have purchased it. GTA has more sequels and spin-offs than Phoenix Wright. Children can legally purchase GTA as well, all they have to do is bring a parent (whom probably took them to the game store in the first place). Why would the rating turn off a significant amount of children?

Games like Professor Layton sold millions based on word of mouth alone. Why are they any different?

You keep detracting from my original point so I'm not going to bother with this argument anymore. I've answered your questions and you keep trying to bring up specific circumstances with the very few 3rd party DS games that have been successful. Which wasn't my original point. My original point was that games that don't fall into the casual demographic that Nintendo rigorously marketed since the DS and the Wii tend not to sell well. You bringing up Prof. Layton, a casual game, does nothing for your argument as it proves my original point. Trust me there are more parents that look at the rating of a video game than most gamers think. GTA didn't just flop for no reason. It was a mature rated DS game from a notoriously violent series. There's a reason 999 sold under 200,000 as well. "M" rated game on a console that is heavily marketed towards family and casual gaming. You keep taking a broader look at what we're talking about. I'm talking about just Nintendo here. Yes GTA has more spin-offs than Phoenix Wright, but you're neglecting the fact that I'm talking about the DS only when I talk about GTA:CW flopping. You think there will ever be a GTA game on the DS or 3DS after that? No. Unless you're going to go back to my original point there's no point in keeping up this argument. 3rd party games that don't fall into Nintendo's casual gamer/ family orientated demographic for the most part never sell. That's the argument here. And yes I've play Phoenix Wright. There is adult content but it's not presented in a way in which it's graphic.