Do You Have Any Unpopular Gaming Opinions?

[ElkinFencer10]

With regards to the timing of the NX launch, I think Nintendo needs to be very careful about perception and consumer confidence. The Wii U turned a profit almost two years ago (not much of one, but a profit nonetheless), so they're not losing money the longer it's on the market, and they need to learn from Sega's mistakes. They can afford to make some ballsy moves with the 3DS since they're virtually unchallenged in the non-cell phone mobile game market (admittedly, though, that market is rapidly shrinking thanks to mobile game casuals), but they need to play their cards very carefully with home consoles.

Giving the Wii U a roughly 20% shorter lifespan than the norm (NES and Wii had 6 year spans in North America; SNES, N64, and Gamecube had 5 years) runs the risk of damaging consumer confidence in their consoles, and they're not exactly the juggernaut in the home console market anymore as it is. They need to learn from Sega's mistakes; what doomed the Dreamcast almost as much as the ill fates of the Sega CD and 32x was the open admission that Sega had basically given up on the Saturn before the Dreamcast's launch. Even if Nintendo isn't pushing the Wii U hard anymore, it's still getting some pretty big titles - Starfox Zero, Pokken Tournament, the new Zelda, for example. It's not a lot, but it's something. To replace that console after only four years runs the risk of making people worry about how long the console will be relevant. Not only that but the longer they keep it in development, the cheaper they can make it (or the more powerful for the same price). Not only that, but by giving the Wii U the same lifespan that the Super Nintendo and the Nintendo 64 had at least gives the perception that they're keeping the course steady despite rough sailing; it's a matter of saving face. It sounds superficial, and I probably am reading too much into it to a certain extent, but perception and image are both extremely important in business.

As for third party support, I'm not holding my breath. EA, Activision, and Ubisoft said the same shit about the Wii U; look how quickly that dried up and vanished. Talk is cheap.

[Sarge]

I just want them to put it out when it's ready, and not before. I think market confidence is already shaken on the Wii U, anyway. There's no question, though, that if they don't knock it out of the park if they shorten the gen, things will go very poorly. But I'm not entirely sure how poorly, because... well... Wii U.

(I love my Wii U, but I've given up on it ever catching fire, and I'm pretty sure Nintendo has too.)

[ElkinFencer10]

I just want them to put it out when it's ready, and not before. I think market confidence is already shaken on the Wii U, anyway. There's no question, though, that if they don't knock it out of the park if they shorten the gen, things will go very poorly. But I'm not entirely sure how poorly, because... well... Wii U.

(I love my Wii U, but I've given up on it ever catching fire, and I'm pretty sure Nintendo has too.)

That's the biggest reason I say wait. The only time I can think of that a major manufacturer has released two consoles in a single generation was Atari with the 2600 and 5200, and we all know how well that went. I mention that because, from the rumors I've seen (which, admittedly, are completely unconfirmed rumors that may be COMPLETELY off base), it's looking like it will be on par with the Wii U's competition. The Wii U had enough of an edge over the PS3 and the 360 (just like the Wii did over the Xbox) for me to say, confidently, that it was definitely part of the next generation, but unless all of the speculation and leaks I've read about are totally off base, I'm not sure that'll be the case with the NX vs the PS4 and Xbox One. They'll have to release a true 9th gen console for it to really succeed IMO.

[Sarge]

I think the Wii U is just right at 360/PS3 level. It's got a better GPU, but a weaker CPU. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but technically it's a last-gen system.

The rumors on the NX, though, are XB1-level juice. That should be just peachy. And given the way this generation is going, I know that both Sony and Microsoft want a long tail on the console gen, so Nintendo jumping in with a roughly equivalent system should be just fine for several years. Maybe even 4-5.

I don't know that they'll ever retake the market, but the only way they do is outside the box. So I'm really interested to see what interesting feature the new system's going to have, and how portable it's going to be. (I'm very much rooting for that.)

[Tanooki]

Nintendo though isn't part of any generation anymore, they gave that up too with the WiiU going on their own creating their own little dream world of releases. I say bring the NX out next holiday season, but keep the WiiU out there and slowly seed it still for a couple years, like how the SNES saw a slowing trickle of goodies (NES too) for 2 years beyond into the next systems life. Sony does this, look how long it took for them to put the PS1 and PS2 out of their misery (10 years.)

I don't think they could annoy or shake anyone worse than they already have with the WiiU as it drove off many of their consumer supporters, hard core or even just life long as well. And the industry didn't just toss them under the bus, they took the keys and backed over it a few more times for good measure. But the thing is, they're flippant in support, look how strong the Gamecube support was until the last couple years when they got denied sequels despite solid profits still on the first iterations. And if what is being said is on the nose how it's basically repainted Android more or less and blindly easily Unreal Engine 4 capable without pains -- cheap stupid silly ports will be easy from the lowest end stuff you get for free to the high tier stuff you see on the Android Nvidia TV market from major developers. You know they support it because it's cheap and super easy, and that's what supposedly NX is too.

[Sarge]

I think we're going to see more of a late-life Gamecube situation, where once it comes out, the Wii U is going to fall off the planet. It'll probably get a swan song, and it might even be the new Zelda.

[Tanooki]

I have felt that for awhile. They keep talking about quality boosts, and refining things with Zelda Wii U, yet the NX creeps ever closer. It's the internet, go fire up an old set of IGN or Gamespot articles from around 2005-06 and I think you'll see a spooky parallel on the Gamecube version of TP being a must for the GC as a kiss off. Yet then it ends up coming out a month later after the Wii gets it at launch. I would almost consider it a given that it's a NX launch game to blow out the sales and then the already developed project still hits the WiiU so they don't feel slighted.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Nintendo could elect not to release any more games for the Wii U, and I would still have enough physical and digital titles to keep me busy for years.

[BoringSupreez]

I have felt that for awhile. They keep talking about quality boosts, and refining things with Zelda Wii U, yet the NX creeps ever closer. It's the internet, go fire up an old set of IGN or Gamespot articles from around 2005-06 and I think you'll see a spooky parallel on the Gamecube version of TP being a must for the GC as a kiss off. Yet then it ends up coming out a month later after the Wii gets it at launch. I would almost consider it a given that it's a NX launch game to blow out the sales and then the already developed project still hits the WiiU so they don't feel slighted.

I agree. The Wii U right now is giving me quite a lot of late Gamecube deja vu. The difference is that the Wii U's early years were much weaker than the Gamecube's. No Sega and Capcom delivering timeless classics every year this time around.

[Reprise]

When I replayed Wind Waker a couple years back on the Wii U, I couldn't believe how short and rushed it feels, particularly towards the end. You can definitely tell the game was rushed and a dungeon or two were scrapped. It feels like you're in the middle of the game and then, all of a sudden, you approach the final parts of the game.

I still love Wind Waker though and it's still probably the best 3D Zelda game.