Topic: Should Nintendo bring out a next gen console sooner or later?

The difference with the GBA is that the GBA was seriously holding back what they could do. Any complaints fans might have had were quickly forgotten when Mario Kart went 3D and online, Super Mario 64 was portable and their Mum picked one up for Brain Training. The fact that portable consoles are a much smaller investment and the system had full backwards compatibility also helped.

I just don't see what Nintendo would be able to do on a higher powered system in the next year that'd be worth it. They have decent enough hardware that they can push out their ideas without many restrictions. And I say this as someone who thought getting a high-ish end PC was worth it. If they stretched it out two two years from now they could go for a high-end machine and push for 4K I guess. I'm not sure how much that'd actually be worth it though. How many people are picking up 4K sets? How many people really care about games like Mario in 4K? With the Wii it was immediately obvious to me that the hardware was holding them back, I don't feel that with the Wii U.

I can however see a proper successor to the 3DS. They've already shown how much even a half step would be worth it and they're already pushing it to its limits with games like Pokemon and Smash. Imagine a 3DS successor in early 2016 that had the automatically adjusting 3D, 3x the vertical screen resolution with power of a two year old flagship smartphone driving it. All at a decent price and with traditional gaming controls we love. Throw a new Mario on it or a port of something like Twilight Princess? Sign me up, when can I get it?

4K probably isn't going to add much, especially not gameplay wise. I doubt Nintendo is even considering it, it probably wouldn't be worth their efforts.

I don't think the Wii U's power is holding them back, but I do think the Gamepad is holding them back.

Nintendo went into the Gamepad without much thought of what NEW ideas it could bring in multiplayer. It seems like it's mostly being used in the same way either the DS or Wii were. I'd love for Nintendo to move forward and explore new and more viable innovations. And IMO, they can't do that without a new system, as they need confidence that enough people have the necessary hardware.

I have a PC that if I stretched it, gave up on 60fps, dropped the graphical settings and gave up on AA I could do 4K with all but a few titles. I reckon by mid-2016 the machine I have could be the sort of power a console manufacturer could push it too at the prices they aim for. The problem with that is that I agree with you, I have this machine already and I have absolutely zero desire to go for 4K. If anything I mostly enjoy this level of power purely because I can run most games at 1080p, 60fps with good enough details and not have my GPU scream

They can't do what without a new system? If you want to argue that they need to kill the Wii U early so they can push out new game ideas it'd be nice if you could at least articulate what it is they can't do. Unless you want to turn this into another "the Wii U needs a GamePad-less SKU" thread again. In which case I'm not even going to bother, that topic has been done to death and I see no reason to open that can of worms again.

I just think it's generally stupid to be killing of the Wii U in order to leap-frog the PS4/XBOne when not even they have really explained why they need to exist yet. Other than the obvious problem of their previous platforms getting a bit long in the tooth. If they have some crazy new idea then I'm all for it but I think there's plenty of life left in the Wii U before then.

Okay, I'm on a phone, so I apologize for not trimming the quote.

Anyway, new ideas like a next gen motion controller, VR/headtracking, or any crazy ideas they are cooking up in the hardware lab that require a physical hardware element really need a new console to see success. Peripherals don't sell, and on the rare occasion they do, they don't get support, as they have a fraction of the install base of the main system.

That said, they should wait till Winter 2016 at the earliest. They need to maintain confidence in their products. I just think 4 years is enough.

Well for a start I think if VR is on the cards for the next generation of consoles it'll be as a thing that's supported not a thing that comes in the box. Going all in on VR for your primary platform especially given the added cost of the tech right now would be suicide. I'm willing to wager that their next platform will still be built around the idea that it lives on your TV, especially given the type of games that Nintendo does well (i.e. Smash and Kart).

As for the other bit I think you have a bit of a double standard going on there. You're very quick to argue that the GamePad should go but for some reason think that some other crazy experiment and nothing else is all that they need. If you hadn't noticed the Kinect on XBOne bombed, PSMove was a failure and even the novelty of the Wii ground to a halt towards the end of the Wii's life. Don't get me wrong, I do think that Nintendo will probably shake things up again because that's what they do. I just don't think they'll do it that quickly given how much more the Wii U has to offer.

Well, that was said about the botton screen on DS and Wii remote, along with graphics, too. Those were easier to grasp than Wii U, but it is still basically the same scenario Nintendo has gone into since after the GameCube days.

The GamePad gets software they couldn't have otherwise, period. Anyone with a touch game would be out of the console market if Wii U hadn't made a console like this. That is why I criticise PS Vita for not being utilized as much for PS4, or even Move with the camera, for that matter. Wii U and the PC screens are the only gadgets that do what they do, because of the buttons.

The GamePad can push them forward, but if it isn't intelligently implemented, then it's just a controller with a screen, and I think that's usually where the discussions go. I'm fine with having just a few options, a map, or some motion controls on it, unlike many others. I understand it can be better implemented, so I don't criticise it and accept it the way it is.

Having it be an option in something as simple as Pikmin 3, Art of Balance, Color Zen, Bayonetta 2, or even for drawing in the Art Academy app is basically enough to justify having it, otherwise you'd be missing out on software (options) like that.

Gameplay wise it seems like they're playing around with an expanded platform, with things like a merged environment, the QoL, unified accounts, etc. Not really sure what that can do gameplay wise but at this point it's probably a better avenue for innovation than more motion control gimmicks.

They could always put those kinds of games on the 3DS though, that doesn't really prove the Gamepad's usefulness. The problem is that it doesn't really do much that the Wii or DS couldn't do, it's an innovation that isn't really innovative.

Wii U's hardware is alot more capable than the portable 3DS, so not really. It's the same reason why Chromecast and Apple TV fail to match it, along with not having physical buttons.

3DS can offer similar games, but more graphic and process intensive games aren't going to run on it. That's like saying the PS Vita is useless, because PS4, which people seem to think, actually, but that's not the point.

Graphics are near meaningless at this point, it basically amounts to making games look prettier.

That's why I said processes and computation, as well. Comparing 3DS to Wii U would be like comparing PS1 to PS2. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 was a piece of garbage of PS1, compared to the PS2 version, and that's besides graphics.

That's why they try to offer different games on portables, than consoles, because the console version will basically dominate.

That was kinda the point I was making earlier. If you look at it separate from the rest of the console the GamePad doesn't add that much. The same was true of the WiiMote, the four controller support on the N64 and the touch screen on the original DS. It was however those things combined with the extra horsepower, more connectivity options and so on that warranted the hardware upgrade.

The GamePad does allow them to do things that they couldn't have done without it and despite all the whine it doesn't limit what they can do at all. The Wii U can have everything from Bayonetta to Captain Toad so unless someone can point to a game that couldn't possibly exist on the Wii U for technical reasons... there isn't much of a reason to even theorise.

Four controller yeah, and the WiiMote too if you count the EyeToy. But the DS touch screen? When did touch screen gaming exist before the DS?

What things they couldn't do without it? There's very little that the Gamepad does that they couldn't have done on other consoles, the concept just isn't unique enough. An innovation is something that open up new possibilities, and the Gamepad is not that. Second screen was already done with the DS line, gyroscopic movement is just a continuation of the Wii's motion controls, and Off TV Play doesn't offer any new gaming possibilities.There's nothing going on with the Wii U that makes me think it's the next big thing in gaming.

They wouldn't be able to have touch screen games. I already said that. It also has NFC. It just makes it that much easier to support more features, which I said already, also.

3DS having gyroscope and a second screen isn't going to detract from Wii U. Do we seriously have to discuss things the Wii U can do that 3DS can't, which I also already said? That's why 3DS or any device really doesn't detract, because it's a different console. We might as well say Android phones having touch screens are pointless, because iPhone has them, so it isn't unique.

The GamePad opens up possibilities that already existed, and applying them to another machine, which is Wii U. This goes further than just comparing to 3DS, because things like Chromecast and Airplay exist.

And Nintendo has not proved that. No game from Nintendo has truly proved its usefulness. Ubisoft has done a better job at that with ZombiU than Nintendo has. Wind Waker HD? Map and inventory - the same thing done in OoT3D. Pikmin 3? Map (though it's very useful there) and touch controls. DKC Tropical Freeze? Doesn't use it at all outside of Off TV Play. Nintendo Land? Ok, I'll give you that one. Smash Bros? Drawing stages/screenshots and NFC (amiibo), both of which the 3DS is more than capable of doing. Fatal Frame? This one uses the GamePad well, but it could have easily been made for 3DS. Mario Kart 8? Gyro controls, displaying the map, horn. Congrats.

Better hope Splatoon and Star Fox prove the GamePad's usefulness.

I think you're missing my point. Super Mario Galaxy could have existed without the WiiMote but it would have been a stretch for the GC hardware. Wii Sports could have worked on the N64 in terms of visuals but it could never have actually been a thing because it relied so heavily on the WiiMote. Mario Kart DS and Pokemon Diamond/Pearl didn't need the second screen on the DS but there's no way they would have been the same on the GBA without the horsepower or online functionality. Brain Training and Rhythm Heaven however could have been a thing right back on the original GameBoy in terms of visuals but those games needed the touch screen.

A lot of these gimmicks weren't necessary for most of the games that made those platforms great. They were needed for some but those games were in the minority. What's more important is that the gimmick allowed experimentation without limiting the console's ability to produce a more traditional game. At the same time the hardware was improved enough that people who weren't interested in the gimmick also got something out of it. The Wii U is no different.

All the things that they could do on the DS that they couldn't do on the GBA and some. The fact that one player can have a different view does allow them to play around with local multi in a different way. Off-TV play is a feature that does matter to people who actually play the thing. And again, there's nothing about the GamePad that detracts from other more traditional games just as was true with the DS. But again, it's not the GamePad that makes the Wii U relevant. When I look at the games I have on the Wii U there isn't much at all that would have worked on the Wii for one reason or another. Equally when I look at the best sellers on other platforms I don't really see much that couldn't work on the Wii U. This will change over time but it's not true now and won't be for quite a while yet.

I'll say this again because for some reason people are getting sidetracked. What would a successor to the Wii U be able to do in 2016 that would warrant the Wii U dying an early death? Point to a game and make the case for me spending another $400 or so on another platform just for Nintendo to also be doing that thing. Do that and you've won the thread. Simply saying "boo hoo, GamePad" etc doesn't sell the case for a successor at all.

Nintendo has not used the GamePad in unique was enough to make the GamePad the new Wiimote, but that doesn't mean the GamePad does not have unique features that make it standout. The problem right now is that a lot of designers are wanting to make more traditional games and when then bring those designs to the Wii U they just throw in GamePad use. The flip side is that if they design a game that uses the GamePad heavily then porting it to other consoles becomes a lot more difficult. So is the GamePad the Wii U's problem? No. The fact that Nintendo hasn't used it to bring us unique and new experiences often (keyword there) is the problem. If Nintendo was able to offer those experiences and draw in both developers and consumers then sales and support would increase. Right now Nintendo has been delivering games that they could have made without the unique features of the GamePad. I hope Nintendo continues with the GamePad but we will see what happens.

Nintendo does not need a new console. The Wii u is excellent quality, it's growing, sales are up year over year, and it's making nintendo a very nice profit.

You don't quit just bc someone else sells more than you. Nintendo is in business to make money for nintendo not sell more units than Sony.

As it stands, Nintenod will make more money than Microsoft and Sony this year, same as it has done every year other than its Wii U launch.

You'll have to pry my gamepad from my cold dead hands. The game pad is the best feature I've ever had in a game system. Add features don't take them away. Dual screen and motion is here to stay. Same as joysticks and buttons, and d pads. Just shake them up to make room for new features.

Well, if you've seen the talk of some new microchip being made for a console due to be released in 2016... there's now at least the chance Nintendo may well have decided the Wii U is doomed and moved ahead without it.

As for the GamePad... it's a neat concept, but I really doubt it was ever a system seller. I think they massively overrated asymmetric multiplayer and its appeal.