Wii-U thoughts so far

[SpaceBooger]

I got a WiiU for of a couple reasons:

1. Small children love Nintendo - My kids play the Genesis and the Wii thats it. They love the Wii and Sonic2. They are not interested in any games I have for any of my PS systems. They can play their Wii games I can play the more PS3/360 like WiiU games.

2. With my limited time playing games nowadays, the Big N's games are always going to be quality and I hate to say it but lack of library means less games I backlog. I've purchased so many games for my PS3 because you guys (not complaining) have raved about them that I have never played.

3a. My backlog of PS3 games will hold me until I can afford/want a PS4. In the past Sony has a better record of price drops on their console than Nintendo does, so a price drop for the PS4 I'm guessing will be a larger % than (if) the price drop of a WiiU.

3b. My backlog of PS3 games will hold me until I can afford a STEAM Machine. Most of the games I have wanted/have for my PS3 are all on STEAM. Many times I have debated on buying the PC or Console version. I would rather play on a console, but I know some games may not be played until after the PS3 is retired. As each day passes I find myself wanting a STEAM Machine more than a PS4/Xbone and as of now I don't ever see Nintendo's games being released on PC/STEAM.

[dsheinem]

I think first-party Nintendo games are so strong that the Wii U would still be worth owning if that was what the entire library consisted of.

That's fine and perfectly defensible. It isn't what I care about nor, apparently many other gamers. I liked the Wii for all the Nintendo IPs AND all the third party nods to older franchises (light gun games, exclusive compilations, stuff like TvC or Last Story, etc.). Those games existed becasue of a critical mass of owners. The Wii U doesn't have that critical mass or that stuff.

Plus, there are some great non-Nintendo games currently available and upcoming: Darksiders II, DuckTales Remastered, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sonic: Lost World, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Bayonetta 2... I certainly don't see it as "just a Nintendo console."

Only two of those are exclusives? Lost World got lukewarm reviews even amongst Sonic fans here on the board and Bayonetta 2 isn't out yet. The rest, I think, are accessible on cheaper platforms/PC/etc.

[dsheinem]

I got a WiiU for of a couple reasons

Those reasons all make sense for you and that's fine. My point isn't that there is no audience for the Wii U, it is that there isn't one that is large enough to sustain the console and keep it competitive. It needs something drastic - a much lower "impulse buy" price, a deluge of third party exclusives, or some killer game that will attract people who don't just want to play another Nintendo IP. They need a "hook" to get that large install base and thus a more diverse library and they haven't found it.

[Hazerd]

3b. My backlog of PS3 games will hold me until I can afford a STEAM Machine. Most of the games I have wanted/have for my PS3 are all on STEAM. Many times I have debated on buying the PC or Console version. I would rather play on a console, but I know some games may not be played until after the PS3 is retired. As each day passes I find myself wanting a STEAM Machine more than a PS4/Xbone and as of now I don't ever see Nintendo's games being released on PC/STEAM.

While i despise this whole "steam machine" thing and think people should just build a PC, it looks like your going to have a large selection to choose from.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s ... 0-6416942/

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-s ... n=homepage

[wclem]

I got a WiiU for of a couple reasons

Those reasons all make sense for you and that's fine. My point isn't that there is no audience for the Wii U, it is that there isn't one that is large enough to sustain the console and keep it competitive. It needs something drastic - a much lower "impulse buy" price, a deluge of third party exclusives, or some killer game that will attract people who don't just want to play another Nintendo IP. They need a "hook" to get that large install base and thus a more diverse library and they haven't found it.

Just add Mario Kart, Smash Brothers and probably an Animal Crossing game, I think with those it will begin to sell much better. I think there is more interest in those than there is in good old straight Mario games.

I remember the DS touch screen being an under used gimmick on an under powered handheld. Look at where the DS is now. It is just way too early for anyone to say it is gonna fail or is even on rough waters. Nintendo will right its course, not like they have not been here in the past.

What they need is damn better selection to spend those Nintendo points. Pissing me off that I missed out on Luigi. They need to add Earthbound as a redeemable game damn it!!!!

[SpaceBooger]

The rest, I think, are accessible on cheaper platforms/PC/etc.

I think that lies the problem. There are not too many IPs that are exclusive anymore. The PC will (I think) always be the more powerful, so with that argument all multi-platform games should be played a PC. If you would rather a console it almost boils down to IPs in the end. Most hardcore gamers who care about power will have multiple consoles/PC.

DS, I think that the reason to buy is more about comfortably right now, and has been since the PS2 vs GameCube days. The lines are starting to get blurred more. I disliked the GameCube because of the controller, so I bought all the games that were released on multiple systems on the less powerful (graphically) PS2. I originally bought a PS2 because I wanted the games, but ended up getting a GC because of Nintendo's IP. In the end I got both... which is what I think many will do at some point. Look at how many people are just now getting into the Wii because they don't want to miss the IPs.

As for STEAM machine, I may just make a gaming PC for my TV, to me they are the same thing no matter what you call it - it will be running STEAM.

[Violent By Design]

Of course all these complaints are about the hardware. The games are still ace and I am buying one way before I get a PS4, but it still buffles me.

You answered your own question I think.

Nintendo doesn't give a fart in high wind what the hardware is, as long as it compliments whatever first-party stuff they have in the pipeline. That first-party stuff is the stuff that the Microsoft's and the Sony's of the world only wish they had. The little sprinkle of magic that makes Nintendo games what they are. Until that magic wears itself out, Nintendo will be just fine no matter what its competitors are up to.

They wish they had Nintendo's brand recognition to help sell software, but in terms of quality? Sony certainly isn't short on that, and if Microsoft really cared they could easily match Nintendo and Sony's first parties.

Not to mention this statement is really wrong. I think you're under a misconception that because Nintendo is producing weak consoles that it doesn't care about hardware, when it is the polar opposite.

The Wii didn't sell a lot because it had Mario and Zelda - N64 and Gamecube had those. The Wii sold a lot because of....its hardware. Yes, its hardware is why it sold so much, its high user base is why its killer ips sold astronomical amounts (hence why the Mario games have insane sales, most of the video market at the time had a Wii - you see the same pattern with the DS). Motion controls is why Nintendo is still selling homeconsoles, not Metroid Prime.

Take away that controller from the Wii, less people buy the Wii than they did the Gamecube (a lot less).


And the Wii-U is no different. Its mainselling point is its controller, which of course is hardware.

The fact of the matter is, the whole Nintendo only cares about games makes them sound honorable (I guess?), but it isn't true. Sony in fact is the company that cares more about selling software, and I would argue - that ever since they entered the console business with the PSX and PS2, securing and dominating software has been their primary objective in the video game industry (and again, I would argue Nintendo focused more on Hardware when they faced the PSX and the PS2). If Nintendo really cared about software as much as people would like to romanticize (I don't know why, because it really doesn't matter in the slightest), it wouldn't chose to alienate its 3rd parties.

[AppleQueso]

Um, what? The sources were a Wii U fan site, a website that linked to another Nintendo fan site, USA Today, The Examiner, and a website that cited VG Chartz. If you want to call me a troll or take me to task for posting bad info, have some fucking evidence.

If anything, I think there's a lot more defensiveness and denial going on by some folks here than "trolling" by me.

VG Chartz is a notoriously bad source that has been known to outright make numbers up.

It's bad enough that NeoGAF outright blocks linking to the site.

That said, The Wii U isn't doing well sales-wise. At all. No arguing about it. There's pretty much no way it's going to be able to catch up and be competitive sales wise with the PS4/One. The best the system can reasonably hope for is to try and remain profitable despite floating in a distant third place. It's not in any way "trollish" to suggest that.

[Violent By Design]

I dont get why people even care that much about the Wii-U not selling much.

I welcome that Nintendo isn't going to be the commercial whore that the Wii will be. I think it will be a Gamecube-esque console with a few games that make good use of its controller. It already has a much stronger library going into its 3rd year than the Wii did during the same time period.

It will get killed by the Playstation, and probably Microsoft as well bar an epic implosion, but it will make a profit and have its own market and audience.

[BoringSupreez]

I dont get why people even care that much about the Wii-U not selling much.

I welcome that Nintendo isn't going to be the commercial whore that the Wii will be. I think it will be a Gamecube-esque console with a few games that make good use of its controller. It already has a much stronger library going into its 3rd year than the Wii did during the same time period.

It will get killed by the Playstation, and probably Microsoft as well bar an epic implosion, but it will make a profit and have its own market and audience.

People care because some, like me, bought it early on expecting it to be great and if it flops we just wasted our money. There's still only 4 or 5 games on the system that look good to me, which is sad considering it's entering the second year.