Topic: A newer model of the Wii U later in its lifespan

So I'm seeing all the controversy about the Wii Mini, and how some people thought the exact opposite where it would be completely online with no disc slot...

That would seem a bit too extreme for the Wii because their big titles were ALWAYS in disc form (Wii Sports, Brawl, Mario Kart, etc.) whereas VC games and lesser known WiiWare games were all that were available online, but with Nintendo's new retail downloads policy it would seem like a perfect fit for the Wii U. They would I guess be going the way of the netbook or the Mac Mini with it, but it would lower the price by a ton because of not as many moving parts and maybe make the U more accessible down the road.

Obviously it couldn't happen right now because the Wii U just came out, but does this seem like a good idea? Should I charge Nintendo royalties for thinking of it first? jk anyways, discuss

Not happening.

I'm going to pretend I didn't read this

Not going to happened the fact being that some people like me prefer hard copies to download content. If they were to go download only they would lose alot of customers will equal a loss of money. I know I dont speak for all but if games went download only well than I would give up video games.

How is that a good thing? The fact that you dont own the item even though you pay for it is a bad thing. At least with a hard copy I own it. With a digital copy you only have it till the company says so. Just look at some of the games on VC or XBLA for example.

Ah lol no worries I am tired too and I read that wrong. Personally I think just going digital only is a bad business choice cause like I said you will alienate people who like hard copies. What they should do is like the Wii U offer both hard and a digital version so everyone is happy.

Yeah but as I said I am sure they would lose even more money due to retail sales. I mean some people even if they want the get a digital copy might not have the choice due to poor or no internet connection so they have to get a hard copy. Imagine all the money from those people that they would lose out on.

Even if internet doesn't work optimal in some places, I'm sure you could pay a retailer to load a game for you off of their server. That would also be a way to bring retailers into the digital market, besides DLC codes to bring home. Just lije when you could bring your Xbox 360 or GCN memory card to a store and get extra stuff at the kiosks.

As for Wii U mini, we probably shouldn't think of that now, but since you brought it up... All digital, but not needing internet, and being able to go to a retailer to get content digitally. It shpuld be as smalle as the Wii mini, but have wireless HDMI, solar power, and internet still possible. Wii Menu would be cut out, but there would be 2 TB inside. IDK...

I think Wii U is selling fine how it is and don't really expect a new model.
Plus, as @Tasuki was saying, that would lose lots of customers since people like to own copies of games.

You wouldn't have to buy it guys it's just a potential for a different sku. I think there's a reasonably good chance of it especially as storage prices drop. Could easily see an online only, diskless Wii U Mini launch in 2020 that's the size of a couple of DS game cases with 1TB of ridiculously fast flash storage. By that stage we'd be looking at the next thing anyway and the vast majority of people would be on significantly faster internet connections so... why not?

Cheaper huh? So why was the PSP Go so much more expensive, hmm?

@Pikminsi
Ya, people do like to own physical copies, but if you buy New Super Mario Bros. U for $60 on the eShop, you get $6 back, and that's already more than selling the disc once you open it and it's still brand new. Just opening it makes people want to buy it for $20 cheaper immediately it seems, and it's only losing value after that. If Earthbound would have been downloadable, we wouldn't be dealing with everyone wanting a copy there's only so many of.

I'd be ok with that as long as they find a way to make hard wii copies to digital form at no extra cost and merge wii shop with eShop and allow play on the system itself it could also get rid of the SD card slot if it transports the VC data to the system account itself

I hope not. the Wii U looks great and does not need pointless de-sizing in the near future...

Plus the internet that runs on lasers isn't even out yet, but it does exist. There would only be one internet speed available, the speed of light. You could dl uncountable numbers just by clicking on whatever. Especially if we do end up going to other planets, which I think is inevitable, we would have lag again going through space, even when using laser internet.

@LZBirdboi
PSPGo had 16GB of flash in 2009 (equivalent to the cost of ~64GB now) while the PSP had virtually none. Wii U has 8/32GB which costs the same now as 256GB/1TB will before 2020. Reasonable to expect them to be able to cut the cost of the system by removing the bulky optical drive, which doesn't really drop in cost, and improving manufacturing before the end of the console's life.

I saw the internet episode on PBS around 6-7 years ago, which was a while ago, so I expect progress. Haha.

ugh

Optical tech works on lazers and delivers speeds of 300Mbps to houses in many areas already. It's not common but it's moving along reasonably well, we can expect that sort of speed to be available to a fair chunk of the console market before the end of the Wii U's life. It's not an "in the lab" thing it's widely used and is what has been connecting the countries together via undersea cables for decades.

Saying that the fact it runs at "the speed of light" is a point of difference is nonsense though. All networking technologies, DSL/Mobile/Fibre/Sats, run at the "speed of light". They just do. The thing is light is a speed in m/s (or km/h, mph or whatever) not Mbps which is the important spec and ontop of that not all links are the same length. Comparing 'net speed is more like comparing the rate at which people are moved on a motorbike vs a train vs an airbus if they all travelled at the same speed.

Well. Ok, but I think they should just make internet that can go to other planets at the speen we currently get being wired on the world. Also, an atmospheric Wi-fi hotspot that any device can use without paying, or be part of taxes or whatever to pay for it...