Topic: Wii U....will it ever recover?

Now, I know that these previous weeks have been full of doom and gloom for Nintendo (rightfully earned imo). However, at this point I don't think the doom and gloom is just that anymore, at this point it seems to be a serious consideration. Many people have been saying the Wii U can recover and it just needs a bunch of heavy hitting 1st party games but there's a problem with that saying. Nintendo IP's are always going to sell like hotcakes at a all-you-can-eat buffet. People will say "just wait for Mario Kart or 3D Mario!". Again this statement doesn' hold much wait as both the Gamecube and Nintendo 64 had Nintendo IP's(some of the better one's like Smash Bros. Melee, F-Zero GX, Pikmin 1&2,etc.) and that didn't boost sales tremendously. The general public(`casuals`) don't see a point in buying a Wii U when they have their smartphones or tablets and can have cheap fun for way less and that is what satisfies them. Now, I am not saying Nintendo should make IOS games or anything( to me Nintendo selling out their IP's is one of the worst things that could happen to them) but Nintendo IP's only really appeal to Nintendo gamers and most of the hardcore fans have already bought a Wii U. So, who's there left to buy one anymore? At this point Nintendo really needs to step it up as PS4 seems like a better deal as it will have the 3rd party support Nintendo consoles have been missing for 3 gens straight and it looks like the Wii U will be the 4th. Also with the 720 announcement in 2 days. People will have eyes focused on that and not Nintendo. So at this point what can Nintendo really do to ensure the Wii U isn't another Gamecube or N64?

Sorry, but this is around the fifth thread this past month asking this question.

Perhaps there's a reason for that.

I don't think being another Gamecube is the worst thing in the world, if that were the case. It's pretty sour now, but we really need another year to see I think. Nintendo does seem to be an every other gen hit/miss.

Yes it will,now goodbye

Well when I say another Gamecube I meant it more in terms of sales than games.

The Gamecube was profitable, unlike a lot of consoles post 16-Bit gen. I think it's safe to say another Gamecube wouldn't be a terrible thing. Now the next N64, on the other hand...

"..but Nintendo IP's only really appeal to Nintendo gamers and most of the hardcore fans have already bought a Wii U"

Neither of those statements hold much truth in them. You're aware NSMBW was the fastest title in history to reach the ten million sales mark, right? I'll be damned if the majority of those sales came from "hardcore" Nintendo fans. And frankly there's countless other examples to choose from.

I don't know exactly what your definition of "casuals" is - generally it differs slightly between people - but I have several younger cousins who have never chosen the prospect of an IOS game or any other from of mobile gaming over a go at Mario Kart Wii or NSMBW. And that applies to older people I know too. It's a fact of life that mobile games sells well, but you'll be hard pressed to find someone who would actually chose them over console gaming if not only for the price alone.

Also, I know more Nintendo fans who have yet to buy a Wii U than I know who have done so already. And really, who can blame them? The Wii U IS floundering right now but not to the extent that it's in anyway threatening to the console's life or Nintendo's. It seems they can't lift a finger these days without people envisioning their downfall.

The Wii U CAN recover and I see no reasoning for it not to do so. Also, what exactly do you mean about becoming another Gamecube or N64? People rarely talk down about those systems because of their sales - which were adequate anyway, maybe a little less so for N64 - but instead express disappointment at their third party offerings. Which is a fiar enough argument for the most part. But really Nintendo doesn't even need complete third party support for the Wii U for it to make a recover; they've proven that with the majority of their other systems. But that's not to say it won't have it eventually.

Right now it has fallen upon Nintendo to demonstrate why these companies should be developing for the Wii U. Frankly, e3 couldn't be coming quicker for the company.

Not much difference compared to the PS360, Wii, 3DS & Vita

Probably

You elected to start a new thread instead of posting in the ones already made?

You do hold a good argument but I believe the only real reason that NSMBW sold so well was due to the Wii,s massive userbase and not so much the game itself. Look at NSMBU. It's sales are nowhere near NSMBW.

People don't look through the forums before posting?

It sold well because kids like Mario, and Nintendo marketed it well.

Key word being Marketing. I think if Nintendo did a better job of marketing the console before it was released, I think the Wii U would've done great. Now, they'll have tp wait until we hear more about the PS4 and Durango until they can focus their marketing strategy. I can't say much else since I haven't been keeping up with Nintendo's advertising, but they're obviously doing something wrong right now, and while it's not too late to change things, I think things will be rough for a while. Now that the console's out, games are gonna be the big thing, so Nintendo's gonna have to market the consoles to developers, as CaveDweller pointed out. If they can get more support from top developers and publishers, they can get more games. If they can get more games, regardless of quality, marketing the console to consumers will be much easier, I think.

And again, so long as Nintendo can find a good niche, like they always do, I'm sure they'll do fine enough. Maybe not Wii fine, but enough.

It's fair to say that NSMBW wouldn't have sold just as well had it not been for the Wii's already existing instalbase, but then I ask you; where did this instalbase come from?

The Wii's initial sales were well balanced; existing Nintendo fans were attracted by a Zelda game at launch while others indulged in the novel appeal of Wii Sports. The Wii's life span was peppered with first party games like Twilight Pricress that made the system appealing to Nintendo fans; Mario Galaxy, DKCR, Brawl ect. And there's no denying the seemingly endless stream of titles dubbed "casual" either. The thing with the Wii U now though is that, really, it hasn't got any of those kinds games yet.

Although seen as a far better game in terms of quality, Nintendo Land doesn't carry the same "wow" factor that Wii Sports had. "Hardcore" Nintendo fans don't really have many first party titles to attract them to the system as of yet, and we've heard plenty about the current trickle of third party support that seems to be drying up more each day.

But we know games are on the way. And when the Wii U sales start to rise, third parties will hopefully be more interested in working with the thing.

Back to the topic of NSMBW; I admitted the Wii's existing instal base helped the game - and many others - sell as well as it did. But that wasn't just it. In fact, the Wii sold much more units during the holiday season directly after NSMBW's release than it had ever done since it was launched. Simply put, Nintendo's IPs DO sell. It's just a shame the Wii U isn't hosting many of them just yet.

Yes it will recover. Now please check the forums before making a new thread

there are dozens of these shi* threads, just post what's on your mind in one of them

or just get a ps4 and move on

I think the awful launch has caused permanent damage in the form of games and customers that are irretrievably lost, but that the console can still be a success.

Nope Nintendo is DOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!.

Joking aside the 3DS recovered nicely from its slow launch as well as did a bunch of other consoles. I am sure that the Wii U will be just fine.

Now can we stop with these threads they are getting a little old now.

It will never recover, the PS4 will do massive damage to the WiiU and Nintendo will go bankrupt within the next month.

I'm totes serious.