The Wii U is dead in its current form, admits Nintendo. But what now?

[desura]

Like what, you mean link to the WiiU? It would be exactly like the Vita then.

Yeah.

And it would entice completionists since you could have like little easter eggs on the...3rd screen.

The biggest problem with the gamepad is that it is over $100 and is completely dependent on the wii u. It should either be cheaper or it should do more.

 

[Lil Frier]

Yeah, I've suggested that they just dump the tablet and let the 3DS replace it before. They just need to get a similar hardware and software setup for the next iterations of the home and mobile consoles, and they'd probably have something worth buying. Of course, that would include getting them working together over an online gaming platform, and they still haven't done much of anything on that front.

 

[preslove]

Yeah, Nintendo's main mistake was making a worthless tablet game pad instead of just making a new version of the 3ds that could link to the wii u as a gamepad. They could have reduced the price by at least $50 (maybe more) and then had a reason for another version of the ds.

 

[poofyhairguy]

If the Wii U had the same amount of power, the same current library, but I could run my old Wii games at 1080p ala Dolphin I would have bought one day one.

I mean the Wii was Nintendo's all time most successful non-portable console, and the only way the new system really leverages that is the name. The Wii's big flaw was the graphics, so fix that and move on. Don't break new things.

Sure the Wii had a ton of shovelware, but many good games too. Lack of Wii U games would have mattered less if I could play the best Wii games and not have them look like shit on my big TV.

 

[Newell Steamer]

I am hoping we can get a Zelda and Metroid game before they officially kill it,...

 

[shortylickens]

I would too, but the average young gamer of today wouldn't pay more than $25-30 for it. However it would sell so many systems to people like us.

I dont even know what modern gamers like.
Seems as though you can release 5 pokemon titles that are exactly the same and people will buy all of them.

 

[Dumac]

I dont even know what modern gamers like.
Seems as though you can release 5 pokemon titles that are exactly the same and people will buy all of them.

They aren't exactly the same. They have more deviation than a lot of other series, despite the bad rap they get.

 

[exar333]

Like what, you mean link to the WiiU? It would be exactly like the Vita then.

Because the integration between the GC and the GBA was so good. Oh wait, it sucked and literally ruined some of the games that required it...

 

[cmdrdredd]

Because the integration between the GC and the GBA was so good. Oh wait, it sucked and literally ruined some of the games that required it...

I never used it so I wouldn't know anything about that.

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah, I've suggested that they just dump the tablet and let the 3DS replace it before. They just need to get a similar hardware and software setup for the next iterations of the home and mobile consoles, and they'd probably have something worth buying. Of course, that would include getting them working together over an online gaming platform, and they still haven't done much of anything on that front.

I thought this very thing since the first WiiU confirmations happened.

Nintendo NEEDS to exist in this market.

Think about it, a tablet-less WiiU could have hit even $129-$149 before long and still be profitable with SoC design. 3DS support via a 20 cent Wifi chip (or even part of the SoC) could enable that support, and devs would be easy to implement it due to the huge numbers of 3DS numbers out there.

I still think the WiiU can be a very vibrant 3rd place, but they're going to have to seriously cut costs and lower the price with a revised model. The games are STILL not there, and the WiiU has been out how long? However, we do have Smash, Zelda (the real one), Kart, and some other good stuff coming down the pike. Even with that lineup, I think $249 is the max price for the system that makes any sense at all.

$249 + SM3DW pack-in + the usual franchises filled in, the sales will be truly solid. Hell, as a PC gamer who already has a 3DS, WiiU will almost certainly get me before PS4/XB1 ever do. There's not enough on the PS4/XB1 to make $399 (or even $299) worth it to me personally yet, or in the next year or two. If I didn't already have a PC, then I'd probably go PS4, then WiiU. In none of the potential universes that exist in string theory would I buy both a PS4 AND XB1 though. If 90% of the games that come to this gen hit both systems, and most of those games play/look better on one of them, then why would I ever get both.

This is the 2nd part of WiiU's limited but solid successful trajectory : getting to the right price (ideally $199) by this fall WITH the lineup necessary to be the de-facto 'companion' system.

The combination of idiotic price + lack of games + PS4/XB1 launches was devastating to any success the U could have had to this point.

This holiday season, many gamers will already have either a PS4 or XB1 (and some dedicated folks will already have both), so I expect a good number of those folks who were clearly already willing to drop $399, $449, or $499 + online fees for consoles with tiny libraries would easily be happy to spend $249 for a system with a handful of outstanding titles.

Fast forward to fall 2015. WiiU is $199 or less. There is :

Super Mario 3D World
Zelda (the real sequel)
Kart
Smash
DK
Pokemon
Bravely Default
Bayonetta 2
Xenoblade ('X', details still thin here, but a new Monolith large-scale RPG exclusive)
Various smaller titles (Mario Party, maybe a Sunshine/Galaxy/Paper title or two)
Metroid (I expect news on this at E3 for reasons I won't disclose here)

At that point, there will be quite a number of people who already have a next-gen system that will want to jump on the U for a bargain price. And I'll be right there with them.

As for why I don't want Nintendo to succumb and just become a software maker : SEGA.

Look at how crap Sega has become, with terrible modernized versions of older classics, franchises left to rot in the dust, and just a complete lack of excitement when anything Sega comes down the line. Being a generic 3rd-party company that sells to the highest bidder with zero QC, you just get crap for results.

I can only imagine the awful mario derivatives that would get made on PS4/XB1 and the offensively terrible tablet/phone games that would emerge, complete with microtransactions (oops, mario is out of energy for the day, buy 10 more jumps for $1.99!, oops, Zelda can't do that with the wooden sword, upgrade your sword for $3.99 to continue!).

 

[Aikouka]

(and some dedicated folks will already have both)

Dedicated... I like that a lot more than what people usually call it: foolish! :biggrin:

Look at how crap Sega has become, with terrible modernized versions of older classics, franchises left to rot in the dust, and just a complete lack of excitement when anything Sega comes down the line.

What about Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed? In my opinion, it's a better kart racer than Mario Kart! Of course, that was actually made by Sumo Digital, but :whiste:.

 

[Arkaign]

Dedicated... I like that a lot more than what people usually call it: foolish! :biggrin:



What about Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed? In my opinion, it's a better kart racer than Mario Kart! Of course, that was actually made by Sumo Digital, but :whiste:.

lol @ the first, yes definitely.

The 2nd, perhaps it's the exception to prove the rule. All I ask is compare Sega-logo titles from post-DC to today to Nintendo-logo titles. I would bring up metacritic but that would belabor the point. It is my fear that a post-hardware Nintendo would, without VERY strong leadership (or with typical corporate profit-mongering at the expense of a long view) .. become yet another sad 2nd rate game maker just stamping their branded franchise on whomever brings them a bag of cash, regardless of how terrible it is.

 

[Arkaign]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/01/sonic-the-hedgehog-review-2

 

[Lil Frier]

In none of the potential universes that exist in string theory would I buy both a PS4 AND XB1 though.

Yeah, this is what I've said from the start.

If you're going to get ONE console, the Wii U is option #3, because of how weak the third-party support is, in my opinion. If oyu want to be able to play the big-ticket items and play online, the Wii U won't get you there.

However, if you're going to get TWO consoles, the Wii U is the only for-sure purchase. Too much of the Xbox One and PS4 libraries are shared third-party releases. For me, Sony offers only The Show (and even then, that's only because 2K stopped making baseball games). Neither console offers varied-enough set of exclusives to make owning both more than a rich kid's fantasy.

Even if you want to say that the Xbox and PlayStation have a decent QUANTITY of exclusives, they pretty much both check the same boxes. They have their obligatory FPSs (Killzone/Titanfall), racers (Gran Turismo/Forza), third-person shooter (Gears of War/maybe The Order 1886 I don't really know too much about it yet), and whatever else they throw into the RPG realm. The majority of their sales will be Call of Duty, Battlefield, Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, and whichever third-party titles make the grade. Not to say that any or all of those games are bad, it's jsut that it's a lot of sameness between the two.

 

[Lil Frier]

Fast forward to fall 2015. WiiU is $199 or less. There is :

Super Mario 3D World
Zelda (the real sequel)
Kart
Smash
DK
Pokemon
Bravely Default
Bayonetta 2
Xenoblade ('X', details still thin here, but a new Monolith large-scale RPG exclusive)
Various smaller titles (Mario Party, maybe a Sunshine/Galaxy/Paper title or two)
Metroid (I expect news on this at E3 for reasons I won't disclose here)

At that point, there will be quite a number of people who already have a next-gen system that will want to jump on the U for a bargain price. And I'll be right there with them.

As for why I don't want Nintendo to succumb and just become a software maker : SEGA.

Look at how crap Sega has become, with terrible modernized versions of older classics, franchises left to rot in the dust, and just a complete lack of excitement when anything Sega comes down the line. Being a generic 3rd-party company that sells to the highest bidder with zero QC, you just get crap for results.

On the Sega comparison, I guess it depends on what you thought of Sega. For me, it was Sonic, but not much else. I never had a Genesis, and what I played on my Game Gear was pretty much Sonic, then third-party stuff like Power Rangers and VR Troopers. However, I think that Nintendo has a MUCH deeper catalog to choose from.

The Wii U catalog stuff, I'm not too crazy on. I never cared for Zelda or Metroid (admittedly never tried either extensively), and the rest is as redundant as people complain that Call of Duty is, maybe more so. I don't care about ANOTHER New Super Mario Bros. I don't care for another Donkey Kong (A.K.A. Super Mario Bros. with monkey), and Mario Kart is probably the third-best racing franchise from the N64 (after Snowboard Kids for sure, and maybe after Diddy Kong Racing), so it's hard to get excited for it. They've also been neglecting the Pokemon franchise on home consoles, even though home consoles SCREAM at the opportunity for a massive Pokemon title with 24 badges across 3 continents.

Pokemon rant: Go look at PokeMMO. If Nintendo had HALF of a brain, they'd have released that years ago. They should have a decent network infrastructure and have that going, with cross-platform play between their handhelds and home consoles. Instead, they're too busy being stupid to do the good and obvious things.

 

[HeXen]

On the Sega comparison, I guess it depends on what you thought of Sega. For me, it was Sonic, but not much else. I never had a Genesis.

For most people it's their arcade classics like ThunderBlade, Altered Beast...etc. However they did do remakes of Altered Beast and Shinobi, Outrun..etc but converting the old Arcade gameplay into modern 3D just doesn't translate well without making it completely different which would piss off the fans just the same.
OutRun 2 I thought was pretty well done and close to the style and gameplay of the original brought into modern times however I guess it just didn't sell too well. Plus competing with NFS series didn't help. Other more modern titles like SHenmue just didn't sell well enough either, they even tried porting the sequel to Xbox and it died right there. Can't blame them for not getting too excited about doing remakes.

Sometimes games just don't come out at the right time and sometimes you just can't recapture nostalgia when it's been modernized regardless.

 

[desura]

well, tbf, the one thing the gamepad has over a 3ds is good buttons and analog sticks. A big raised stick isn't really portable.

But I'd be willing to forgive that.

Or they could have an analog stick docking station.

It's so obvious that if the next wii doesn't have this feature it's time to short the stock

 

[poofyhairguy]

Mario Kart is probably the third-best racing franchise from the N64 (after Snowboard Kids for sure, and maybe after Diddy Kong Racing), so it's hard to get excited for it.

Great points otherwise, but I have to point out that Super Mario Kart started with a SNES release. I only say that because it is my favorite game of all time and Guinness's all time best game.

The Gamecube Double Dash also rocks, especially at 1080p.

 

[Aikouka]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/01/sonic-the-hedgehog-review-2

I meet your abysmal Sonic game with one that's far better:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/10/28/sonic-generations-review

On the Sega comparison, I guess it depends on what you thought of Sega. For me, it was Sonic, but not much else. I never had a Genesis, and what I played on my Game Gear was pretty much Sonic, then third-party stuff like Power Rangers and VR Troopers. However, I think that Nintendo has a MUCH deeper catalog to choose from.

What's odd is that even though I had a Genesis, Game Gear, and even the Nomad, all I played was Sonic (and the spin-offs including Sonic Spinball) and maybe another random game or two. Even though I played far more Super Nintendo games, I still loved Sonic as a kid. I even read the Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog series!

I never cared for Zelda or Metroid (admittedly never tried either extensively)

You really ought to play Super Metroid. That game was my introduction to the MetroidVania style game, and I still love it to this day.

 

[poofyhairguy]

You really ought to play Super Metroid. That game was my introduction to the MetroidVania style game, and I still love it to this day.

Agreed. That is an amazing game, one is the SNES's best. I think only SOTN beats it in that genre, 16 bit or not.

 

[exdeath]

My Wii U and PS4 library are duking it out:

(disclaimer: some of the crappier games are there only because I got them at incredible steals).

Recent additions include ME3 and Arkham City for $12 each brand new. All my Wii U games are either Wii U exclusive or have console exclusive features for Wii U asymetric play with the tablet. Mario Kart, Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade, and Smash Bros are absolutely getting added day one. Hopefully a new Zelda and Metroid before they kill it.

Reminds me still need Rayman Wii U.

I will be a missing persons for approximately 3 weeks or however much vacation time I have recovered when Xenoblade Wii U comes out.

And yes I bought a damn CoD game... it was $29.99 and I'm going to take the PS4 and it's complete library to my 11 year old nephew's video game birthday party sleep over for him to enjoy and he loves CoD as much as I hate that he does. At least I got him playing Ni no Kuni and Uncharted

 

[Arkaign]

On the Sega comparison, I guess it depends on what you thought of Sega. For me, it was Sonic, but not much else. I never had a Genesis, and what I played on my Game Gear was pretty much Sonic, then third-party stuff like Power Rangers and VR Troopers. However, I think that Nintendo has a MUCH deeper catalog to choose from.

The Wii U catalog stuff, I'm not too crazy on. I never cared for Zelda or Metroid (admittedly never tried either extensively), and the rest is as redundant as people complain that Call of Duty is, maybe more so. I don't care about ANOTHER New Super Mario Bros. I don't care for another Donkey Kong (A.K.A. Super Mario Bros. with monkey), and Mario Kart is probably the third-best racing franchise from the N64 (after Snowboard Kids for sure, and maybe after Diddy Kong Racing), so it's hard to get excited for it. They've also been neglecting the Pokemon franchise on home consoles, even though home consoles SCREAM at the opportunity for a massive Pokemon title with 24 badges across 3 continents.

Pokemon rant: Go look at PokeMMO. If Nintendo had HALF of a brain, they'd have released that years ago. They should have a decent network infrastructure and have that going, with cross-platform play between their handhelds and home consoles. Instead, they're too busy being stupid to do the good and obvious things.

Agree on them missing the opportunity for major Pokemon releases on the home consoles.

I can understand not liking something that's popular (I have many popular series that I would pay money NOT to play if someone tried to force me). However, the popularity of Zelda/Smash/Kart is absolutely insane. We're not talking millions sold, or tens of millions. Between the various releases, we're talking HUNDREDS of millions sold, which is pretty wild.

I guarantee that if they get those out, the sales will pick up a good bit for a profitable 3rd place.

A redesign with newer, better, and less expensive components will also go a long way towards getting them back towards profitability. As we've seen with each successive 360/PS3 remake (as well as the PS2/PS1 and a few others), they can greatly consolidate things that start life with very complex PCBs and tons of separate processors/components. Display tech has also moved pretty quickly, so if they can source an improved replacement for 20-30% less BoM cost, that will also help a good bit.

But yeah, they need to get the games out there. What they have already officially announced should help them turn the corner.

The massive killer app would be an epic Pokemon game though. That series is popular beyond belief. I have never spent much of any time with them, but good god that stuff sells. So much so that ancient Gameboy carts sell for hefty bucks despite being some of the most common games ever made.

Nintendo E3 Announces Major WiiU Pokemon RPG/online trading game? BOOOOOOM.

Why they don't do this, I have NO idea. Maybe crack is a big problem in Japan? Only way I can explain the $349 launch price and silly tablet thing.

 

[exdeath]

Someone say Gameboy and Pokemon?

:awe:

Sigh...

Wake up Nintendo.

 

[Arkaign]

Someone say Gameboy and Pokemon?

:awe:

Sigh...

Wake up Nintendo.

Hahaha no kidding. In November I sold a CIB set, and it went for more than $550 + some trade gear. Only thing missing was the manual for Gold. I still have a sealed Yellow and Red, which I thought about getting VGA graded, but then I decided that would just be a waste of money.

 

[Lil Frier]

Great points otherwise, but I have to point out that Super Mario Kart started with a SNES release. I only say that because it is my favorite game of all time and Guinness's all time best game.

The Gamecube Double Dash also rocks, especially at 1080p.

No, I know that Mario Kart came before the N64 (though I learned that fairly recently), I just meant that of all of the cartoony battle racers on the console, it wasn't my favorite. I LOOOOOVED Snowboard Kids.