Jesus, this thread... Nintendo WILL bounce back, it's amazing how much people underestimate the power of smash bros and mario kart.
Somehow, I don't think that Mario Kart and Smash Bros will sell the 6 million more consoles they thought they were gonna sell by the end of Q1.
As for my take on it, I pretty much agree with the major criticisms of the Wii U which have been stated thus far. It is a vastly underpowered console compared with the Xbox One and PS4, and it has a controller which is super unique, which is both a strength and weakness of the console. While it could potentially offer unique and rich new gaming experiences, third party developers who want to develop games for multiple platforms, thus maximizing their potential profits, most likely see too much work to develop for that controller relative to their potential gain. Also, since the hardware specs are clearly inferior to the other two major consoles, developers may feel restrained by hardware limitations which are simply not present on those other consoles.
I believe Nintendo's most significant problem thus far is their marketing, or lack thereof, of this console. I still see parents who think the Wii U is just an expansion to the Wii, i.e. the controller is the "U". Making games which rely more on the gamepad is necessary, but they need to make sure consumers understand that this is a separate piece of hardware from the Wii. Maybe renaming the console would do the trick, but I'm not sure how viable of an option that is this far into its life cycle.
The problem I see with the games isn't a lack of quality titles, as so many people point out. From what I can tell, there are plenty of great games currently released for or coming to the Wii U. The problem I see is a lack of innovation/change. Even games developed by Nintendo don't make particularly great use of the gamepad (which I understand they said they are going to address from here on out). Also, to me, many of Nintendo's flagship series feel too iterative at this point. While I love Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, etc., I would like to see something fresh from Nintendo. I'm talking about new IP, not another Metroid/Zelda (though that would be welcome as well). I think licensing out their major franchises is a great move, provided they seek companies who will do them justice and can generate interest in developers. With their flagship franchises being worked on by other companies, Nintendo's first/second party studios can possibly work on developing wholly original franchises/games. I'm not looking for something which will revolutionize gaming as we know it; I just want something fresh and original. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that, while I love Nintendo games, I'm not willing to drop $250 to buy a box for the sole purpose of playing the next Zelda, Mario Kart, or Smash Bros, especially considering that I have experiences with all those franchises and others on the 3DS.
Can Nintendo turn the Wii U around? Possibly, but I think it's not very likely. From where I'm sitting, it looks like Nintendo's problems this generation stem from being too rooted in tradition. As much as Iwata and Nintendo's other big names have done, it may be time for some of them to move aside for younger people who understand the current market better and may be more willing to make the radical changes Nintendo may need to keep up with a constantly changing market. I'm not trying to make light of their contributions to gaming, but at some point, change is necessary. Nintendo should have had these problems last generation, but they got lucky by being, as Jeff said, the right console in the right place at the right time. I have a feeling that Nintendo thought that lightning was going to strike twice and "casual" gamers would jump on the Wii U out of loyalty to the Wii, but clearly that didn't happen.
Personally, I don't understand what everyone's problem is with the possibility of Nintendo going third party. People don't buy Nintendo's hardware because it's state-of-the-art or "unique" or has the greatest online infrastructure in the world; they buy them to play Nintendo's exclusives (or out of nostalgia/loyalty, but neither one of those things is logical, so I'm not going to address those reasons). What would be the problem with Zelda or Mario appearing on PS4/Xbox One, both of which will undoubtedly have larger install bases than the Wii U if things don't change? Why does it matter what box you play a great game on so long as you're playing that great game and having fun? Just because the worst happened to SEGA doesn't mean that the same thing would necessarily happen to Nintendo. And the 3DS is fine anyway, so if you really wanted Nintendo hardware, I'm sure they'd stay in the portable business as well. The way I see it, Nintendo going third party, which I am by no means saying is an inevitability, could only serve to distribute their games to wider audiences.
I love some Nintendo games. I really do. But I think they made/will make too many mistakes with the Wii U for it to be saved. If they make another console, hopefully they learn from their mistakes with this one. I think all the "Nintendo is doomed" stuff is complete nonsense, but I think the Wii U being a failure for Nintendo is absolutely in the realm of possibility. Here's hoping for a good 2014 for them, but I have my doubts.
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