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Topic: Wii U in review...what went wrong?

Posts 1 to 20 of 37

blaisedinsd

I suggest that the two major things that determine the success of a video game system are price and software.

I think Wii U failed on both these fronts. It has always been too expensive and that got it off to a slow start.

The reason it was too expensive- The Game pad

The gamepad failed to be a hook to lure in consumers. They were not interested in it. Nintendo did a few fun things with it but could not developed a killer app. It's number one function is off TV play to the point where plenty of people play their Wii U primarily with out a TV. It is part of the eco system where graphics and sound are not very important so you don't lose anything playing on the small screen. This is opposite of what the competition's eco system of placing a premium on graphics and sound. Upgrades to graphic and sound have always been what drives the upgrade cycle in consoles outside of the Wii. The Wii was an aberration, motion control and Wii sports were a smash hit that drove too a huge install base. They should have known that the draw of the Wii was not something easily replicated with a new gimmick. Nintendo would have been wise to figure out how Wii U could make Wii games look prettier and use that as marketing, really hammer home that they were coming to HD and that you should upgrade.

Software- Nintendo has had a software problem since they lost mainline third party support with the N64. The gamecube however showed us that if you make it easy for developers to port their titles to your machine they will do it even though this is when Nintendo got the reputation of having lesser versions of titles. Even though gamecube wasn't super successful it was a well loved system by its' fans and it was profitable. Wii U failed to get software due to a huge install base the way the Wii did and it failed to get software due to easily ported mainline third party support the way the gamecube did. Even n64 had a killer app in Mario 64 that got it off to a decent start. The Wii U basically had New SMBU and Nintendoland.

They should have made the gamepad optional to decrease cost and focused on upgraded HD graphics and ease of portability for third parties

Now the really bad news....I fail to see how switch is addressing these issues. Rumours have me thinking price might be OK but that also makes me worry about quality based on what is promised. Software they are trying to convince us will be better but I don't think this is going to be able to run most PS4 and Xbone games just due to storage concerns let alone battery, connectivity, and processing power issues.

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shaneoh

blaisedinsd wrote:

They should have made the gamepad optional to decrease cost

At which point you end up with a Kinect/PS Move situation

blaisedinsd wrote:

focused on upgraded HD graphics and ease of portability for third parties

The Wii U did have HD graphics, it just couldn't hit the level of the competitor's systems, which isn't a big deal.

No, I think marketing and branding were the issue.

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Malakai

It has to do with awareness. So many people still think that it is a "add on". I mean ask random people do they know that an Xbox One and Playstation 4 is. Then ask them do they know about a Wii U?

Malakai

OorWullie

Wii U review - Great little console despite its many flaws - 8/10

What went wrong? - Quite a lot!

Edited on by OorWullie

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Tasuki

What didn't go wrong??

The big problems were no third party support and of course the name.

With no third party support there's only so much consumer base you can get a hold of with Mario, Smash, and Mario Kart. If you look at any top 10 multiplatform game list the last 5 years you will see stuff on it like Skyrim, GTA, Fallout, CoD, Madden, which the Wii U never got. Because of that Nintendo missed out on those demographics causing those players to chose Microsoft or Sony.

The name again by calling it the Wii U you are confusing people who don't keep up with Nintendo. Calling it the Wii U makes it sound like an add on to the Wii or an upgrade like a PS4 pro. Everytime they have similar sounding systems it confuses non Nintendo people. Can I play NES games on a Super NES. Why doesn't my Gameboy Color Games work on a normal Gameboy, I can't find DsiWare on my DS Lite. You'd think they would have learned.

In the end what honestly went wrong was that they tried to target hardcore Nintendo Fans instead of everyone. What's funny is that their name doesn't hold up anymore like it did a few years ago. Mostly cause most young adults now didn't grow up with Nintendo I am noticing. Alot of people 20 and younger grew up on Playstation and Xbox so they have more of an Infinity with them then they do Nintendo. Nintendo needs to open themselves up more to gamers in general not just "Nintendo" gamers. Hopefully they will realize that with the Switch.

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JohnBlackstar

Some people already shared the same, but there were two major issues:

1. The Wii U tried to target the Wii audience. That audience was now playing cell phone and tablet games. That casual demographic left and went to Apple. Instead of correcting the ship with their misfire, Nintendo decided to double down and blow up the whole system in year 1.

2. With the thought that they would not lose even a penny on hardware sales, Nintendo kept the price point high and alienated their next best audience: Parents purchasing the console for their kids. They quickly bought the cheaper model the aisle over and never glanced back.

I fear that Nintendo has learned nothing from the experience. They kept all the same management (except Iwata - God bless him), and now are looking for the next big misfire. I sure hope I am wrong, and in my opinion the Wii U was an amazing console and I would buy it all over again. It has been one of my favorite consoles since the Dreamcast.

JohnBlackstar

skywake

1. Branding and messaging. I'm not just talking about the fact that they called it the Wii U. That wouldn't have been so much of an issue if they had explained better what was different. And they needed to explain it with software. As it was their launch games were Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros U. Both which used features of the Wii U but neither were amazing or easily explainable. They needed a launch game like Wii Sports, for the Wii U that game would have been Super Mario Maker.

2. The early software lineup. The Wii U does have a great library of games but most of the really big hitters came too late. If I was to list the most important games on the Wii U I wouldn't be saying many games that launched in the first 12 months. It just took way too long to get rolling and by the time it did projects were being shifted over to the Switch.

3. The market just wasn't interested in that sort of console. Probably the biggest reason the Wii U didn't do well IMO. When the Wii and DS launched people were tired of spec wars. When Sony at E3 2006 announced the price of the PS3 there was a backlash not unlike the backlash against the XBOne. The Wii was something new and different. Compare that to the Wii U at launch when, in general, nobody really cared much. The Wii U was seen as more of a late response to the PS3/360 than a new console. If it had launched in a different market (i.e. against different competitors) it would have been a different story.

As it is they're starting again with the Switch. A console that appears to be taking all the best bits of the Wii U and starting again. If you think the Wii U was a failed concept in every aspect? Well, I don't think Nintendo agrees with you. Because they're doubling down on some parts of the Wii U concept.

Edited on by skywake

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Octane

Tasuki wrote:

In the end what honestly went wrong was that they tried to target hardcore Nintendo Fans instead of everyone. What's funny is that their name doesn't hold up anymore like it did a few years ago. Mostly cause most young adults now didn't grow up with Nintendo I am noticing. Alot of people 20 and younger grew up on Playstation and Xbox so they have more of an Infinity with them then they do Nintendo. Nintendo needs to open themselves up more to gamers in general not just "Nintendo" gamers. Hopefully they will realize that with the Switch.

That's what I've been saying too. When GTA V reached the milestone of 70 million copies sold earlier this month (vs 80 million total software sales for the Wii U!), I find it difficult to argue that Nintendo doesn't need third party support, some people still persist they don't though. And that's not even talking about loyalty fees the console manufacturers get. Anyway, their brand awareness isn't what it used to be anymore, when people think of ''gaming'', most don't even think of Nintendo anymore. It's a pretty big issue when you're a gaming company and you're not really associated with gaming anymore.

Octane

Grumblevolcano

While it didn't affect me because I have an XB1 for 3rd parties and Microsoft titles, 3rd party support is the biggest one. Nintendo could create new games for Switch and them being the best games they've ever created since creating video games in the first place. It wouldn't mean anything though if your key 3rd party titles like Minecraft, FIFA and GTA weren't on the system or appeared very late in the console cycle, that's just the way the gaming climate is currently.

Grumblevolcano

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Octane

@Grumblevolcano And that's the way it will be from here on. Multiplat games weren't really a thing 20-30 years ago, because all the consoles had different architectures and porting them over was often difficult job (and let's not forget Nintendo's policies regarding third party exclusives in the NES/SNES era). Hardware has advanced over the years and times are different now. Consoles are build upon PC architectures, and that makes sense. If your consoles works the same as a PC, it means that people can easily port PC games to your console, that equals more games and that's always a positive thing. So in a way, console manufactures have less freedom in regards to the actual hardware itself. Do something different and you will miss out on a lot of games.

Now here's where third party games come into play. Since the PS4, Xbox One and PC all work in a similar manner, it's no surprise that third party games often appear on all three platforms. Because it's easy to port them over and the result is even more sales. Multiplat games get more exposure than other games, because they are available on more platforms and more people get a chance to play them. So they'll sell more in return. It's a vicious cycle in a way. As a dev you'd be stupid to limit your game to one console, unless you get paid for exclusivity that is. Therefore, it makes sense that multiplat games like GTA and FIFA are as popular as they are today, and that's the reason why it's important to have them om your system. If they were a PS4 exclusive for example, I doubt they would be anywhere near as popular as they are now.

Octane

Shinion

Stuff went wrong. Lots and lots of stuff, that range from it being overpriced, undesirable to the mass market and uncompetitive compared to the competition. Add in a lack of a concerted push by the company as they focused on their much more successful handheld and it's hard to see how this system could've done better even with hindsight.

Some great games tho.

Edited on by Shinion

Shinion

JaxonH

1 Price
It was too high. It's still too high. Had Wii U launched at $249.99 and dropped to $199.99 later in the generation, I suspect that alone would have doubled its sales, putting it around 25 million (GameCube/Xbox level)

2 Dated Features/Policies
The UI was sluggish. I remember when it launched, it could take 30 seconds to get into system settings or close out of an app/game. That's insane! Not to mention the gamepad screen was sub-HD, and no analog triggers. Combine that with region locking and accounts still tied to hardware, and you have a situation where the entire system itself just feels dated and restrictive. Each of these factors on their own might not be that damaging but when combined, they add up to be quite off-putting.

3 Aesthetic Appeal
This is something most people don't talk about, but it's a key piece of the puzzle imo. The Wii U didn't look sleek or sexy at all. Well, the console itself wasn't bad, but the gamepad just looked.... more like a toy than a high tech piece of kit. And while Wii U owners understand it was indeed comfortable and worked well, at a glance it's just not sexy. It's not sleek. Switch is sexy and sleek. I'm glad they've come to realize how important it is to have a modern looking device now (even if it's not cutting edge, looking the part is half the battle).

4 Lack of Multiplatform Titles
While I disagree that any Nintendo system's fate lies in securing 3rd party multiplatform games (3DS being a great example of an entire gaming ecosystem devoid of any major 3rd party multiplats), it at least needed enough to plug the gaps and draw in the masses. It doesn't take getting every single multiplat in existence, but it definitely needed some. And it needed them on-time... same release date as other consoles. And it needed to be advertised so that people knew Wii U was a 3rd option. Of the multiplats Wii U did receive, hardly any were advertised alongside the other versions. They were black sheep releases, and that just doesn't cut it. If no one knows Wii U versions exist, those games may as well not even release on the system at all.

Final Thoughts
I'm hearing Switch is region free, and I can only assume they're moving to NNID based online accounts (they'd be fools not to). The screen is actually HD and the device looks modern and sexy. I'm fairly confident the UI will be much more responsive as well- PS4 has really set the standard now when it comes to consumer expectations, and Nintendo would be putting themselves in jeopardy if they didn't ensure the OS was quick and responsive. The rumored price is definitely right at $249.99, and from what we're hearing, the system will allow for easy ports- it was high time they ditch the GameCube based architecture. Just look at Apple and the incredible jump seen when they finally ditched PowerPC. Having a modern architecture isn't just a plus... it's a necessity for Nintendo.

It seems like they're addressing as many of these issues as possible, which is reassuring. They may not address 100% of all the issues, and maybe they still end up lacking in the third-party games department (relatively speaking compared to PS/Xbox), but if they can at least fix most of these issues I think it will be enough.

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Tasuki

@Octane Exactally. Most young adults now don't even bat an eye when a new Zelda is announce (Yeah there is occasionally the Zelda fan or Nintendo fan) but when a new Elder Scrolls is announced, or Fallout or even a Call of Duty (be it negative or possitive) that all they a talk about. A few months ago I was talking to a group of younger people ranging from 25 to 20 at work just about games in general. I mentioned the new Zelda and we chatted about it a bit but then another one came in and mentioned that Mods are coming to Fallout 4 on PS4 and the conversation about Zelda was dead. Now 25 years ago if that happened it would have been the other way around.

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Octane

@Tasuki It's something I've noticed too. I don't even have to follow non-Nintendo gaming news, because one of my friends will bring it up eventually, but I've never heard anyone start a conversation about a Nintendo game, Zelda for example (well, unless it's the Wii, a lot of people talked about that console). It's easy to talk about Fallout, Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefield, or whatever major game released in the past couple of years, but mention something like Zelda and the first reaction is often ''Oh, right, Nintendo is still a thing too, right? How's the Wii doing?''. I mean, I admit, they probably wouldn't bat an eye when you mention a game like The Last Guardian, but we're talking about the biggest blockbusters from Nintendo. And yet, me and my friends still play the N64 or GameCube once in a while, nothing beats an evening of good beer and a couple of races in Mario Kart, but the ''current'' Nintendo is very much out of touch with a lot of people, and vice versa.

Octane

Shinion

@Octane I mean, Zelda is releasing next year and all those games you mention have had major releases in the last 12 months, compared to Zelda which had its last proper game in 2011.

Anecdotal stuff is nice and all but doesn't really serve to definitively prove anything. Especially when what we're debating shouldn't surprise anyone with the outcome, of course Fallout is more widespread than Zelda. Don't need to know what some peoples' friends say to work that one out.

And I could mention Pokémon which has proven that it still is by some distance the most widespread and well known videogame series which pretty much everyone played at least one game from that franchise this year but then that would be cheating. Or irrelevant. Or it doesn't count because of some reasons.

Shinion

Tasuki

@Shinion The problem with Pokémon is it most sticks to handheld like 3DS, only spinoffs like Pokén Tournament, Pokémon Snap, Colossum come to the home consoles. But you are right there those same people I mentioned that talked Fallout, Skyrim are excited for Pokémon Sun and Moon. But because it's on a handheld they have no interest in a home console by Nintendo. Hopefully with the Switch being a hybrid it will fix that.

@Octane: Right I and my friends are the same way. We get together every Monday for a multiplayer night. Sometimes it's CoD, sometimes it might be Street Fighter and then it might be a round of GoldenEye and MK64 on the ol N64. And that's who has the biggest Infinity with Nintendo people older who grew up on it. But even them especially after the disaster of the Wii U is having a hard time supporting their new stuff.

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Dezzy

-Lack of clear identity and intended audience.
-Very poor first year which made a lot of third parties lose interest very quickly.
-Mostly useless gamepad stopped them selling it a lot cheaper.

If they'd corrected all 3 of those I think it could've worked out fine.

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Andrzej777

I think this topic had been thoroughly discussed. Still intresting IMHO
Here is my analysis:
X360 and Ps3 were aimed at the hardcore gamers who are interested in high end graphics and discuss specs in the console wars.

Wii was aimed at casual and family gamers and the most die hard fans. Sure it was innovative at the time and copied by the competition but did motion controls really have a lasting impact? Or made traditional gaming more fun? A gimmick had become the main focus.

I think the wii was a failure in retrospect even though it was the most successful console.

The wii u was the successor to the wii, as the name might imply. Mostly abandoning motion controls and introducing an expensive tablet controller which nobody had asked for and which didnt deliver at all IMHO even nintendo failed to deliver meaningful contend. It seemed tacked on and made the console VERY expensive. Casual gamers were not interested in the wii u. They already had had their bowling fix and moved on to tablet or smartphone games. Hardcore gamers were waiting on the ps4 or xbone and ridiculed the low specs of the wii u which IMHO was just a little above the xbox 360 specswise. The lack of killer apps at launch made matters worse and long software droughts didnt promise anything good. The launch of ps4 and xbone with third parties abandoning the wii u were the final nails to the coffin.

Nintendo was Imho too arrogant and very shortsighted. The success of the wii was a longterm failure as it made nintendo believe they could get away with almost anything. This made them careless and too confident in themselves. The believed they would succed in selling a low spec console at a high price with very little content made by themselves. Another NSMB game would do the job.

Back in the day they should have made the wii more powerful added hd gaming. A regular controller should have been the main focus. The wii remote as an additional gimmick included would have been cool. More hardcore gamers would have bought the wii.
All of this would have made nintendo more experienced and the wii u might have been a success.

Edited on by Andrzej777

Andrzej777

LzWinky

Barebones marketing with no simple message

A gimmick that failed to sell the system

Not much potential in the long run

Current games: Everything on Switch

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Rexcalibr

The problem is Nintendo tried to promote a gimmick and then failed to use it to its full potential. They rely too much on gimmicks and make bad decisions when developing their games, most notably for me, Mario Party 10 and Mario Tennis.

Rexcalibr

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