Topic: Does the Kinect-less Xbox One mean anything for the Wii U?

It is not a terrible idea anymore than X1 selling the system with no Kinect.

You stubborn people still can not wrap your head around the idea. The 360 "core" and "arcade" systems were not popular but they did provide a lower price of entry to software (where the money is). The 2DS did not replace the 3DS it just offered a lower price of entry to software.

Offering a core system is not killing the gamepad or removing anything. It doesn't matter if it frees up system resources and it doesn't mean you have to build consoles that do not support gamepads. We are not killing the gamepad. You want someone who buys a core system to be able to seemlessly add a gamepad to their system if the want it. Perhaps a killer gamepad app convinces them to buy one in the future.

Also early games seem to not do anything when the gamepad is not connected while later games don't care. I can play Wind Waker HD or Super Mario 3D world with no gamepad right now......hmmmmmm. There is a hidden clue here possibly.......

People who have held off on the Wii U so far might change their mind because....? Because of Nintendo games OF COURSE! THE GAMEPAD HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. If you offer a cheaper "core" system you are giving people a lower cost of entry to Mario, Zelda, Kart, Smash, Pikmin....you know the games that people would buy the system for (as long as it doesn't cost too much)

@blaisedinsd
The explanation is valid. We are not the ones being stubborn. Let Nintendo do their job. The Xbox 360 SKUs were memory based choices, which is a component that can actually vary.

Meanwhile you ignore Iwata's quote that he still wants to make software to use the Gamepad.

If you want a Wii U for $200, go buy one off of the Nintendo website. You get everything for $200.

I already did. It was my second Wii U that I have bought. Those are refurbished units however.....

Also I love the gamepad.

Nintendo is not doing it's job. They are losing money. The Wii U is currently failing. I don't get all that sentiment.

Focusing on making the gamepad compelling is a good thing to pursue. You can do that and it doesn't mean a core system is a bad idea.

A game pad less Wii U is not a Wii U. It's a terrible idea period. There's nothing core about a game pad less Wii U.

@blaisedinsd
They aren't losing money on the hardware, anymore:
http://mynintendonews.com/2014/05/08/nintendo-apparently-wont...

Talk about a self-defeating argument... /thread

Nintendo has some exciting and unique properties, and these are powerful enough to move even the Wii U past its hurdles. Honestly if there is anything Nintendo needs to work on it would be the notion of perceived value which has nothing to do with the actual price tag.

Better software (than any publisher, I would argue) is the strongest tool in Nintendo's bag; with Mario Kart 8 nearly here and Smash Brothers in the wings, I feel they are approaching a critical mass of titles to persuade new buyers. Hopefully these titles can arrive with fanfare rather than the dull thud of earlier efforts, simply because these are multiplayer titles and finally offer online.

That may be your opinion and could very well be Nintendos postion too. It's sad to me to be so stubborn and close minded while you Wii U business is struggling.

Heck Xbone has been doing better than Wii U and M$ still felt they needed to take some action to stimulate business.

It is also sad that people who are interested in Nintendo games but think $300 is too much are going to have to miss out on some great titles, titles that can be enjoyed with out a gamepad.

But they can't really. Wii U stands for that second screen, that's U. So off-tv play is integral to the idea of Wii U, even without other uses, which Nintendo also likes to use plenty like in Nintendo Land, Wii Fit U, Wii Party U... they are into it exactly as they were with motion controls (Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Party...)

@OptometristLime

I agree perceived value has nothing to do with the actual price tag. But in order to sell something you need it's perceived value to be more than or equal too it's actual price tag. Don't you agree?

Lowering actual price tag helps sales. Increasing perceived value also helps sales.

So you can not sell a Wii U to play games on a television because being able to play them with out the television is what the console is about.

Do you hear yourself?

I agree that Off TV play is the number one greatest feature of the gamepad, but for someone who hooks their console up to a television they share with no one else Off tv play (as well as asymmetic gameplay) are totally meaningless. So why does that person need to buy a gamepad to enjoy the games on the system?

Did anyone buy their Wii for Zelda Mario and Metroid etc. that didn't give a rip (or even actively hated) motion controls or Wii Sports? I have heard this sentiment from many Nintendo fans who actively hate the Wii.

While I agree with you that Nintendo has the ability to produce better software than their competition, I don't believe they have done a very good job showcasing it over the last year and a half. It seems like we get platformer after platformer after platformer and it's getting tiring. Mario Kart and Smash Bros is gonna be a nice change but I wanna see some better story telling games coming out of Nintendo. Metroid? Galaxy 3?

Another thing Nintendo is failing to do is marketing their games and consoles better outside of Japan. You see all these billboards for the Xbox One and Ps4, advertising for their games on buses and all over TV and yet the only time I see anything related to Nintendo it's when I actually go to Gamestop to pick up a Wii U game lol

That's exactly the point. Despite that, Nintendo never dropped motion controls from the Wii.
They could have easily dropped the motion control ability from the Wii.
Eventually they dropped online capability in Wii Mini, but they never dropped motion controls - it is what defined the console for Nintendo.
And again, they won't do it here either, it's the core of the console for them, and rightfully so - Nintendo didn't want to sell the public a Game Cube 2 or a machine comparable to the PS3/360. They wanted something different.

1. The wii was a smashing success
2. Motion controls were not a significant added cost to the system (maybe RandD)
3. The classic controller was basically an alternative method that didn't use motion controls (it was undersupported because motion control was all the rage intitially)

For the Wii U
1. It is struggling.
2. The gamepad is a significant cost to the systme (1/3 of the cost of it's BOM is massive)
3. The majority of the software for the system ignores the unique features of the gamepad or does not require it. Gyros, touch, mic, etc. are not a major part of hardly any software and they certainly are not revolutionary. The gamepad is mainly used as a controller with sticks and buttons.

Again, we are not talking about dropping the gamepad . We are not talking about killing the gamepad. A budget SKU for cheap/poor gamers who want access to Nintendo games is not going to affect you or me other than we probably get some better functionality out of our consoles with a software update.

If they can make it work, I wouldn't care, you're right. Some games (Nintendo Land, Wii Fit U, Zombi U, Lego City Undercover...) will not be playable though. Even Super Mario 3D world for those levels... they will have to update each game even if a small part only uses the game pad. That will be really difficult.

Did anybody actually enjoying blowing on to their GamePad for certain levels Super Mario 3D World?

Thank You. You are right, you shouldn't care.

People were freaking out about dropping 3D as well and saying what a horrible idea it was. Then the 2DS happened, people freaked out for a short minute, then they realized it didn't affect them.

If they get some more sales out of a budget SKU they absolutely should do it but I think it is less and less likely. We will see what happens when they release the next big software update....

@blaisedinsd
We get it. A cheaper Wii U would be attractive to consumers, but if they have to sacrifice something that is already tied to the console on a hardware, financial, and conceptual point of view, they might as well have not released it in the first place. Even if it's optional, other issues will arise, which takes us back to point A, which is exactly why it's contradictory.

If you're so concerned about Wii U, go get a job at Nintendo. Let us know how it goes.

Until then, people can buy the refurbished Wii Us if they so please.

I really actually did. It's the small things that make the experience truly amazing. I still can't get over how Phantom Hourglass used the DS's clamshell as part of an actual puzzle.

Also, blowing on the GamePad and seeing the in-game characters, coins, and trees react to it is great. Anyone who doesn't enjoy that...well...I dunno.