Topic: Was this E3 the final nail in the coffin for the Wii U?

The fact that Reggie acknowledged the NX was telling enough to me.

Yeah, these are my thoughts too. I'm still holding out hope that Retro's current project makes it to the Wii U as a swansong, even if it's cross gen like Twilight Princess and (presumably) Zelda U. Don't think I'll be crushed if it isn't though. My expectations are pretty much on the floor right now.

They did make a new engine for Wind Waker HD with the intention of bringing more HD remasters to the console, and I imagine they'll get a bit of use out of that in 2016. Then the currently announced stuff and (hopefully) Retro's game. Maybe another sports game. That's it for the Wii U.

I think the Wii U would have been one of the best consoles if it hadn't been for the iPad or tablets. The Wii U had probably been in development before the iPad came out. The only reason why the Wii U has failed so far, I believe is because so many people have iPads and tablets. If these had not existed, lots of people may have bought a Wii U due to it being a console with a tablet or iPad as a controller, and this would have been a new idea (with buttons and dual sticks). This could have meant that Nintendo may have received lots of 3rd party support and all that. It was a great idea from Nintendo, but came too late for it to be a success. Also, if a console is in development, I think it's hard to change parts that have already been made. So, Nintendo probably couldn't change the way the Wii U looks, and the gamepad once the iPad had come out.

Dissapointing compared to last year.

Last year they showed zelda at least and announced a bunch of new games (many that are still not out). I am not a big star fox fan and Starfox was the only really big game they showed and we already knew about it anyway.

Maybe they are saving some bombshells for later directs and don't feel the pressure to reveal stuff at E3 anymore.....at least before they showed upcoming games regardless if they were coming out this year or not just to build hype. This E3 digital event lacked hype.

Wii U needs a new Zelda and a new 3D Mario.....why doesn't it have these games? Why are these games so far away that they don't show them at E3 this year? I have enjoyed my Wii U but feel like I have waited too long for these games and these games are the main reason I bought the console....Nintendo always delivers these for each console gen so what gives?

Just like the GBA and DS , right?

For what it's worth, they've underperformed for a good while now.

There's no push to make the Wii U be much of a success. No price drop and no teases to get anyone excited. This is the one thing where non-Nintendo fans would be likely to tune in.

They're using Amiibo to extrapolate as much money out of their biggest fans as possible, and are banking on NX for future success. Surely you can see the writing on the wall.

The only surprise 2014 had was Splatoon.

They probably finished making the Nintendo NX ages ago, and are currently working on games for the system.

Are companies allowed to do that?

Sure, why not?

But why would GameStop value a traded in Wii U at half the price of a PS4/XB1 ($200)? They can't even sell a used Wii U for $200, so why on earth would they buy one for that price?

That is a very good point.

Also, it looks like a lot of people didn't like the Nintendo E3 Digital Event. Lots of disikes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPDPSezEkcY .

Pretty much confirmed it for me that they've moved the big guns over to NX development. There are some great looking games still to be released, that's for sure, but stuff like Xenoblade and Zelda have been in development for 3 years. There's nothing else big going into development now, and probably hasn't been for quite some time. I'm a little surprised at how glaring it was in the digital event, but writing has been on the wall for sometime. If NX really is a 'Fusion' of handheld and home console and comes out next holiday, then the 3DS will have had a natural life cycle, and the Wii U will have been cut short by a year, which is entirely understandable when you look at what a sales flop it is.

What? I thought the Wii U was already buried shame

The only good thing about this Direct was Star Fox Zero, Yokai Watch, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and Tri-Force Heros.

Everything else were just trailer of games we saw already, and no gameplay or new information, or games no one wanted (Animal Crossing Party?).

But people are overreacting. Someone on Twitter said that there's no Wii U games until December. Did he forget Mario Maker, Yoshi, Rodea, LEGO Marvel, and Star Fox Zero

Actually, though I'm disappointed, I'm more convinced than ever that their direction is wise. 'Doom and gloom' can also be hope for the future. Like Shiva, the destruction Nintendo brings is also creation, namely that of a new platform with a better chance.

Nintendo's studios aren't twiddling their thumbs; they're making games for the NX launch and beyond. This conference didn't kill the Wii U, a combination of poor sales and development troubles did. This digital event was just Nintendo tipping it's hand, saying that 2016 is an off year (like the late Wii era.) It's disappointing, to be sure, but I'm excited to buy an NX day one. We'll just have to be patient for another year and a few months.

Just think what'll be ready in 2016! Retro's game, 3D Zelda, and a new 3D Mario among others. There'll probably be a big multiplayer party game too. We just need to wait...

I see a lot of paranoia that really doesn't have much reasoning behind it. This time last year, people were practically proclaiming the rebirth of Nintendo. Even just a few weeks ago, Splatoon surprised everyone by selling immensely well for a Wii U exclusive, and even driving sales of the console up to first place in its home country.

Nintendo comes out with a mediocre E3 performance today, however, and all of a sudden it is doom and gloom: Nintendo is abandoning its home console platform. They're not going to support the Wii U any longer. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

The only thing I see clearly is that many, many Nintendo fans, if not many gamers in general, are driven primarily by their immediate emotional reactions to situations, and so magnify the significance of everything that pertains to their hobby to an absurd degree.

It's especially ridiculous to act this way about Nintendo, considering how much new content they announce through their Nintendo Directs.

There is no doubt that this E3 showing has hurt Nintendo, and will hurt Wii U sales. There's no doubt that they're gearing up to replace it in in the next few years with a new console. But to act like one bad E3 means the Wii U is dead is... well, stupid.

I will say, though, that NX is definitely a Wii U successor. Nintendo is not going to support multiple platforms at the same time.

I don't think it killed the console. They just completely screwed up their Digital Event. They wanted to focus on 2015, I thought that was a good idea, to prevent delays like Zelda. You know, when games are announced way too early. But I take that back, focus on new stuff, not games that I have seen multiple times already. There was just nothing exciting this year, spin-off games and games we already knew about.

@Jason723 To be fair, we knew about Yokai Watch since 2013.

I think it convinced me that both systems (3DS and Wii U) are on the way out, and with the word that Zelda is still coming to Wii U means it'll probably be that console's swansong. Shame, but I think I predicted years ago that Wii U would last until 2016 and that seems to be the case.

Agreed. I think the focus was TOO immediate. Unless they have some huge first-party juggernaut like Mario or Zelda on the immediate horizon, it's better to just show people what you're working on that they'll actually get excited about.

If we also consider that several Wii U games that we KNOW are coming out soon didn't even make it in to the Direct, it points to the Direct being a poorly organized mess, and little more.

I didn't think they would give up on the Wii U so soon, but it seriously looks like there's nothing in the pipeline beyond fulfilling past promises and finishing off releasing the games they've already been working on.

Fair point. None of the titles shown looked like they'd be further off than the end of the fiscal year. If Nintendo now has titles releasing beyond that, the Digital Event would've benefited from them showing them.