Nintendo Wants Wii U To Be "The Console That Every Developer Wants To Publish On"

Well people do need to pick up wonderful 101. But third party developers don't seem to be biting.

I know I wouldn't publish on a nintendo console if I wasn't absolutely sure my game was incredibly good. Nintendo fans just have a high quality threshold. Good for us

this holiday season will be crucial...otherwise another "gamecube era"...dont care tough as long as we get Ninty gems!

I do love my wiiu,my problem is if the system did push marketing that little bit more and did secure big games like gta v, tomb raider, final fantasy etc then I would not feel the need to buy a ps4. Whether the lack of suport is nintendos or third parties fault is as always debatable. But nintendo really should understand if they do get more suport,i think fewer people would be buying ps4's and xbones and taking sales away from them

Bring on the holiday season!

I don't think I want every developers games

I think the holiday line up is solid, and Super Mario 3D World should be the game that finally makes it worth buying for a lot of people. I've been hugely critical of Nintendo's output for the console in the first year, but it would not surprise me if the Wii U is the highest selling console this Christmas.

PS3 and 360 have peaked, and I don't think we'll see the usual trend (PS1/PS2) of selling 30-50 million units after their successor is out, just because this gen has lasted so long and most people that wanted those consoles will have one. Usually the 2nd place console gets 20-40 million sales but they have 80 million each, so I think they're done.

I'm sure the new consoles will sell out, but as always stock will be limited. Once they sell out, that's the end of their sales, but if Mario captures people's attention like I think it will, Nintendo won't have the same stock limitation holding them back. Then next year, there's Donkey Kong and Mario Kart, while the other two consoles won't really hit their stride until next Christmas.

"Can the Wii U be the system everyone wants to work on, like the Wii once was?" I'm sorry but i can't read that without laughing.

This holiday season should be a good one for Nintendo. The 3DS will keep chugging along without the help of ads (hell pokemon pretty much guarantees that) so time to pull your finger out Nintendo and start advertise that great Wii U you have. At least here in Australia, the PS4 is already sold out till January I've heard from stores like JBHIFI, and lets face it no one wants a Xbone, so its the perfect time to assault the general public with ads.

Coincidently, I want that too because I don't want to buy any other home console for a very long time.

Nintendo CAN be that console that everyone wants to develop on. They (Nintendo) have succumbed to a big marketing plunder this go round. The software is coming. People just needs to know that it exists. This really has nothing to do with the other consoles. They aren't the reason why Nintendo, more specifically the Wii U, isn't selling. Nintendo is. I hope they realize that the consumer needs to know what's out there. Let's get these ads and commercials out like the old days. Start pushing this system to where it needs to go. It's extremely capable and shouldn't be chalked up to failure by any means.

It will definitely be a great console with lots of great games in its lifetime. But for every developer to want to make a game on it, is simply wishful thinking, not that that's a bad thing. It's certainly a good goal for you to strive for, Nintendo.

There's a bright future ahead for Wii U, I just know it!

I love my Wii U and I'm one of the few not planning to buy a second console this gen. I just don't have the time for gaming that I used to, so I'm satisfied with a few less third party offerings and I'm used to it on Nintendo consoles anyway. But I don't want this doom and gloom scenario so many are predicting to come true. We all know what Nintendo needs to put out...Smash Bros., new Zelda (not just a re-make), new Metroid Prime. I love Mario and I'll be picking up SM3DW on day 1, but he's not the console seller he once was. 2014 is too late for Smash Bros. given its mass appeal; had it been a launch title, we might not have seen such low console sales. I adore Wind Waker but personally think it would've been better as a 3DS remake, with OOT being remade on Wii U, if they're going to do a re-make. That's a game in need of a true HD remake and up there with Link to the Past as the most beloved Zelda game. As a remake, that could have been a system seller. I do think third parties are to blame as well, for putting out little more than ports at launch and not utilizing or emphasizing Wii U-specific features. I'm currently satisfied with my Wii U and I'm looking forward to 2014, but I want to see this system sell to the masses so the third parties don't completely abandon it in the next year or two. Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101 are great games but they don't have the mass appeal this system needs right now. Late 2013 and 2014 should've been 2012 if they wanted any sort of momentum at launch.

I saw this poll on Gamefaqs the other day, and while in no way is it proof that the Wii U is going to do well at Christmas, it does show it's above the Xbox One in terms of popularity in eyes of the people that do the Gamefaqs poll.

That said, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft suffers a similar (or worse) launch than the Wii U did, will 3rd party do the same thing to the Xbox One, and will we see a slight return of 3rd party to the Wii U?

http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/5287

By the end of this year, which of the next-generation consoles do you plan to own?

All three of them 1.7%

676
PS4 and Wii U 9.85%

3913
PS4 and Xbox One 1.53%

608
Wii U and Xbox One 0.97%

386
Just a PlayStation 4 21.63%

8592
Just a Wii U 15.47%

6147
Just an Xbox One 3.38%

1341
None of them 45.47%

18061
TOTAL VOTES 39724

I'm sure when Nintendo says '3rd party' they mean the indie scene and not those other developers that make boring glitchfest interactive movies and try to sell them off as games

Its nice to want things, Nintendo but if you don't try well then you'll never reach your goal.

Also, I'm sure there were reasons for it, but delaying DKC:TF until 2014 was a mistake. Mario, DKC, and Zelda could've been the triple threat for the system this holiday season. All of them the have mass appeal the system needs. I personally anticipated DKC the most.

@Luke8400 I can see why they chose to delay DKC from a sales perspective though... We have too many platformers clumped together for Xmas that there will be some that will get overshadowed by Rayman, Mario and Sonic... It is within Nintendos best interest that people buy the 3rd party games and not just the 1st party offerings

"we know that current Wii U owners are very happy with their purchases"

Don't put words into my mouth Mr Moffit as this Wii U owner is Not very happy with his purchase... In fact I you could say I am rather unhappy with it so far...

"At a time when some people clamour for new intellectual properties, these could be viewed as new forms of gaming."

Wft has this guy been smoking?

@Peach64 Totally agree!!
Can't wait for the new mario game, Me0w :3

@MrGawain That sure is intersting, i do think xbox one will do pretty badly

I think that most 3rds just fear that they have to make their game bugfree and all, as Nintendo goes for quality, not for making a hype out of nothing.

@ScorpionMG That is the way I perceive it to be, too. Playstation 4 seems a very strong contender for the 1st place, Wii U could easily achieve the 2nd spot or even go toe-to-toe with PS4 depending on how hard Nintendo is willing to play ball, but the Xbox One doesn't spark any interest in me nor anyone I know. One may sellout to the most loyal fans this year, but after that, unless more compelling mainstream exclusives show up, it's set up for a nose dive. I don't have a crystal ball, so this generation will stills gives us some surprises, tough.

The best way to get developers to want to be on your system is to sell more systems, which you haven't been doing.

I am holding out hope though that Nintendo is about to get w/ the program and push the Wii U marketing.

Right now is all about X + Y and 2DS. Somebody stole my Sunday paper so I missed most of the ads but Target has a 1/2 page for those 2 combined.

I saw a tv commercial recently for Sribblenauts: Unlimited, so that's good.

And the official Nintendo Wii U website looks like a good Wii U ad campaign in the making. Notice the big letter U w/ the TM next to it rather than that small superscript ugly U thing they used to use.

http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu

It's time for Wii U™
Family fun, unbeatable value
Now just $299.99

If you look further down the page at the Wii U Spotlight all the U are big now, the little ugly u thing is further down the page under "show me games that are...".

Maybe NL should do a post on this?

I know Nintendo needs to try to make its console sound good but really saying that they have strong relationships with third parties when everybody knows third party support for the Wii U is pathetic makes then sound ridiculous

@Peach64

And X

"We have strong relationships with third parties" i as a person that has ps3, xbox360 & Wii U ( which i count as current gen sorry ) can confirm that this statement is false & ridiculous. FACT! not saying about 3DS tho i love my 3DS! it's just untill i get my bayonetta 2, i will feel that i wasted 350€ on the Wii U for nothing!

The big mistake is they assumed that they could replicate the Wii era, which was little advertising and mostly word of mouth. Investors got stingy and agreed. The problem is they abandoned marketing and ended up doing damage to the brand. Anyone who owns a Wii U (w the exception of a few trolls) loves it, but their commercial value is bland. Recently I saw another Wii U commercial and I'm embarassed. They need to re-evaluate who they have and perhaps consider notable outside resources. Sony's system is underrated and really brings nothing new to gaming, but it's in a shiny new box and the commercials are excellent.

@rjejr That's not correct.
In the spotlight topics the U is just normal text, so logically they didn't use the superscript there, since that is only for the logo and that is still there on ALL boxes. And it's hardly ugly...

@Dogpigfish

You're right about riding the coattails of last generation, but Wii had a huge marketing campaign that was everywhere, while Wii U and 3DS did not.

My problem with 3rd party games on Wii U is so many games lack the content that other versions do making them the inferior versions. Devs and Pubs need to give there all if they expect their games to do good.

so get to more advertisement dammit -_- W101 is epic ppl should be hearing more and more about it and getting more ads for it

@TheRealThanos - "And it's hardly ugly..."

OK, ugly was a bad choice of word. But after looking at the Nintnedo website, and then looking at the Deluxe bundle box, it really doens't look like a "U". Of course everybody here knows it's a U b/c we watched E3 in 2011 2 years ago, but a soccer mom walking down the aisle at Walmart might see that box and think it's just an asterisk or something. Unless you know it's a U it doesn't jump out at you as a U, it looks like a Wii box, which all the soccer moms know.

http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/buynow/

I think if the box had a capital U in the same gray color as the Wii it would be more self-evident that it's a Wii U, Having the superscrpt - artsy but not ugly - "u" in blue, like the box, doesn't help.

After the current "u" a plain big capital U in the same font and color as the Wii may look like a giant step backwards but it might help shoppers wandering the aisles notice it's not a Wii.

Overall you're probably right though, no new box art. Oh well.

If Nintendo wanted Wii U to be a console every dev wants to make games for, they sure have lost touch with what devs like in consoles. What devs like: powerful specs, good install base, install base who will actually buy their games, hardware that is easy to use. What 3rd party devs dont like: underpowered hardware, low install base, gimmicky input controllers they have to work around, install bases (like most Wii U owners) who wont actually buy their games.

Seems to me like Ninty just wants 3rd parties to conform to the way Ninty likes to make games instead of making Wii U a console that devs want to use. If Nintendo really wanted this, they'd have made something closer to the PS4 than what Wii U is. 90% of third parties couldnt care less about the gamepad features, and like with EA ans S-E, the Wii U's hardware is annoyingly difficult for their current dev engines to get running on. Wii U was made by Nintendo FOR Nintendo, because only they like to make games for it.

I'm not hating on Wii U, i own one and generally like its features, but i'm not just gonna sit here and blame 3rd parties for Wii U's lack of success. Its Ninty's fault that Wii U is a console that only Ninty fans want, and its their fault that stuff like Final Fantasy XV, Madden 25, Kingdom Hearts 3, Dragon Age 3, Star Wars Battlefront 3, Destiny, FIFA 14. Etc arent coming to Wii U.

Stop lying to me about 3rd parties, Ninty. Either make a console they want to make games for, or admit you dont care because you just want to do things your way. You cant have both anymore.

The console wars are gonna be interesting. Every new generation has shown vast improvements over the previous but the difference will be less noticeable this time around. I think 3rd parties will produce for PS3 and 360 much longer because of the user base & sales of PS4 & XB1 will not be much better then WiiU in the beginning. I think, if Nintendo is aggressive, they may draw back some 3rd party support but they need to start pursuing them now so when PS4/XB1 hit the after launch lull, Nintendo has the base and games to prove profitability to the developers

Well, I'm pretty sure most of us are aware that no, not "everyone wanted to develop for the Wii" at one point in time, which is why it got so much damned shovelware into it's library. But I realize that like any popular console, the Wii has it's gem games. And that's good. :B

Nintendo doesn't have that third-party favor. As big a fan as I am of theirs, even I can see that. But I am confident that they'll make their fledgling console take a boundy leap this holiday season. They can do it. They proved it with the 3DS, and they'll prove it again with the Wii U.

Go Nintendo. :B

I think nintendo needs to secure some big 3rd party franchises to get the wii u off the ground, if that means paying to get gta, fifa, madden etc then just bite the bullet and do it.

I wish nintendo would just buy capcom.

Ok guys, I've been a gamer since pong, and the wii u is the first nintendo hardware I've bought brand new, and not 10 years after it came out. I bought it because I played it in store on the demo kiosk, and it seemed different than my Xbox and playstation. I see almost no advertising for it on tv, and when I went to 4 different stores in the last week, the kiosks were in the corner, unplugged, and covered in dust. If they don't advertise, and the stores have given up marketing the console, then it's already dead. Which is sad, because I love it! If you guys have one, tell your friends and neighbors how much fun it is before we lose it all together!

@bizcuthammer I think you are very accurate in your comment but Nintendo does want 3rd party support but only because it helps push additional hardware. They only need enough additional software support to supplement what they produce. I think that is why they don't spend millions trying to appease the 3rd party developers. Microsoft on the other hand spends a small fortune to ensure they have the support because they have no real software of their own. Because of this, Microsoft suffers from a lack of profits off of it's gaming company. At some point a CEO will sell the Xbox name to hit his bonus. Nintendo could very well sell off parts of it's business as well but they seem to have a better long term outlook because gaming is all they do, and they have software to offset the hardware losses. From a financial aspect, the current gaming market is fascinating

@bizcuthammer Dude, there's no reason any of those games can't run on Wii U hardware, with or without making use of the Gamepad. Bottom line is, there are devs who are happier to be identified with PS and XBOX than they are with Wii U, while other devs (the lesser of the two groups) don't care and make things for Wii U.

@erv I absolutely agree with Nintendo that the Wonderful 101 is one of the most interesting new IPs and basically what everybody has been asking for... But I am very worried about it because there seems to only be a handful of fans. I really don't think it will be on many people's christmas wish-list, unfortunately.

bizcuthammer speaks the truth

Nintendo's First Party games are so good it make most of the 3rd party games look like Kaka!

Clearly out of all of us, it is @Dexter2015 who makes the most intellectual view on this topic's conversation.

If Nintendo could get Skylanders and Disney Infinity on board with their Gamepad's NFC capabilities, that would probably be a strong boost to sales.

Let the Wii U sales skyrocket.

Haha yeaaaah. Getting PS3 before WiiU.

Regardless, I mean, meh. They say they have a strong relationship with third-party devs? Okay, okay, and games are coming. But do they interest people? They need COD, Battlefield, GTA, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Mega Man, Resident Evil, and while some of these games are on WiiU, they're not nearly enough.

Loads of games on the 3Ds which are not coming to the Wii U like Tales of.... and Kingdoms Heart. That's why I still need a PS4 because I can play the Tales games, KH and FF on it.

I'll believe it when I see it Nintendo. I don't want PR, I want results.

If you have such a good relationship with third party developers, where are the games?

Nintendo always have an amazing first party line up, so it's a shame that I always have to look elsewhere for third party support.

I have full confidence in Nintendo.

I want them to work on Wii U for the right reasons. Not to make unattractive games that sell to consumers that don't know any better.

@Senario But at some point, Nintendo does deserve some of the blame of this as well. Nintendo's willingness to go in their own direction with their hardware is admrible and a strongpoint, but it also serves as their greatest Achilles heel. By always fighting against the standards of the industry, they always set themselves up to get poor third-party support.

This has been a major problem with Nintendo's home consoles since the N64, and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Nintendo is too stubborn to back off their current approach, and third-parties have no incentive to work on hardware that is different from PCs and other consoles especially if the payoff is not there.

Now, let me make one thing clear. I'm not saying Nintendo should ditch their unquie approach to hardware, but there has got to be a middle ground.

Not to mention, they are often slow when it comes to adopting market standards. It is 2013, and they still do not have an account system on their systems! I just bought another PS3 and all I had to do was activate my new system and I could access all my content on both my PS3s. Why can't I do the same if I buy another 3DS or WIi U? And I'm not talking about a transfer tool, I'm talking about being able to access my VC and download games on two 3Ds using a single account.

That is what I'm talking about. Nintendo is an innovative company, but they also drop the ball in other ways when it comes to hardware. For years, they refused to accept discs, online play, and a unified online network until they were standard on other platforms.

I'm not letting third-parties off the hook here, but its not all their fault. Why should a third-party be expected to spend resources to develop a game for a platform that is different from the other hardware that they are working on, and that has a lower fanbase of people who will buy their games?

And yes, I do agree that third-parties should put more effort into their Wii U versions of games. The PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 have gotten all the download packs for Black Ops II. Why is the Wii U left out?

But like I said before, Nintendo does deserve some of the blame on this. Their approach for hardware helps them make great games that work on that hardware, but is a nightmare for third-parties that use different standards.

This is more than the big bad third-party developers picking on Nintendo for the fun of it. To some degree, the hardware has to be taken into consideration as well. Why does everyone thing Square Soft left Nintendo during the 5th generation? Because Nintendo stubbornly refused to accept CDs as the future of gaming media, and it bit them in the behind hard.

The Wii U is an impressive piece of hardware, but I've seen it missing things like account systems and other stuff that have been standard on the PS3 and Xbox 360 for years. Nintendo has made some great strides in recent years, but they have a good ways to go.

But then, so do third-parties.

Of coooourse you do, Nintendo.

Oh REALLY, Nintendo?
If you actually wanted this then you'd make it a little bit easier to get into.

If you wanted this then you might respond to the people who fill in the developer application form on your website (you know - the ones who haven't already had successful releases on other platforms).

If you wanted this then you might actually release some tools to let people easily develop for the Wii U.

With the XB360 I can download XNA framework for free from Microsoft and start making games.

Why can't I download Wii U dev tools from Nintendo?
Why can't I write my code, use a freely-downloadable tool from Nintendo to package that code, pop it on an SD card, and test it on my Wii U?
(It could have a signature in it that would only let in run on my personal Wii U - to help counter any risk of code that's not Nintendo-verified running 'in the wild')

Nintendo need to lower the barrier to entry for indie developers even further.
Yes it was easier to Microsoft to release a stripped-down version of a product they already had developed (Visual Studio) to open up XB360 development.
But Nintendo don't have to release a development environment, just the libraries and decent documentation.

"If you build it they will come" (completely unnecessary and over-used quote from a mediocre film)

Except they don't do what is necessary to make it happen. That Bethesda guy who said that Microsoft and Sony come to developers first, to show them what they have in mind for the console and to gauge their opinion. Nintendo just makes the box and says "make games for it". That clearly is not what devs want to hear.

''We have strong relationships with third parties.'' LMAO!

Warner Bros and Disney are probably not strong third parties. Ubisoft and Sega are better.

I just want to point out, that the only 3rd party games we have missed are still 7th gen ports, besides games like Destiny, BF4, FIFA, etc.

Ya, that's more than 0, but I don't really think we can blame Nintendo. They're making improvements, and it's freaking Nintendo.

Who the hell doubts Nintendo? Seriously. They'll figure something out. We already know the Wii U can run the 8th gen games it's missing out on. Does anyone remember the BattleField 4 and FIFA announcement that EA backed out on? That's enough information to know that EA is actually the one twiddling their thumbs.

The install base will probably increase by at least 2 million this holiday, and the games will come.
As much as people like to blame Nintendo, it just as, if not more of 3rd partys' fault.

said no publisher ever.

@SCAR392

That's precisely what is pathetic, that it is a supposed next gen console that have trouble even getting ports of 7 gen games and the ones it gets are usually worst versions than what is available on 7 gen consoles......

I have been a naysayer of Wii U since day one, but I did expect that it would get enhanced versions of 7 gen games and the first wave of 8 gen games until games that really 8 gen power started coming and it was left in the dust like the Wii was.... But no its even worst than my already negative expectations... Honestly I don't think even the biggest Nintendo haters could have predicted the thing would not be a able to get even a poopsiedoodledoggiedoo port of fifa
_{Watch the profanity please — TBD}

Even if Nintendo does build an install base, third-parties will look for another excuse not to publish their games on Nintendo's platform. The Wii had the largest install base last generation yet third-parties didn't release key titles on it, other than stuff like Just Dance etc. Their excuse was that they didn't want to spend money or time scaling down their projects for that console, so why would that be any different now?

Third-parties don't want to release their games on Nintendo's platforms because Nintendo's own first-party games outshine theirs, making their games look mediocre and not worth the money. So most longtime Nintendo customers don't bother buying their games because they're used to a higher quality standard.

@ferthepoet
It's kind of pathetic to think that way, though. You honestly can't say that the Wii U deserves such treatment without any reason.

Wii U is an 8th gen console. The only company that doesn't look like a joke is Nintendo, because they're actually supporting the console. Obviously, it's there own, but 3rd parties are factually the ones at fault here. Not Nintendo.

If you think Nintendo is the one to blame here, you're pointing fingers at the wrong group of people. EA isn't putting FIFA on Wii U because of whatever reason. Nintendo has nothing to do with EA's lack of support.

@SCAR392 How are 3rd parties at fault? Nintendo don't have the necessary demographic or sales for 3rd parties to be successful on the console so waste money for something that won't be helpful to anyone?

@PokeTune
It's 3rd partys' fault, because there is a system that can run and sell their games. The demographic has nothing to do with it. 3rd party absence on the Wii U makes 3rd parties look foolish, not Nintendo.

If FIFA, Mirror's Edge, etc. came to Wii U, the whole "demographic" argument becomes void, because the games are actually available at that point.

You can't say Wii U owners don't buy("mature") 3rd party games if they aren't available. You can't buy something that's not there.

@SCAR392 But Wii U owners already had the chance to prove they will buy mature 3rd party games at launch with ZombiU, Batman, Assassin's Creed, CoD,etc. and all of them sold poorly(ZombiU was the only one to break half a million).

@PokeTune
Also, sales isn't a reason. The Wii U will have more sales when Xbox One and PS4 come out. Ya, Wii U has been out for a year earlier and had gained sales from that. It doesn't matter how Wii U got more consoles into peoples' homes. The point is that they have.

Also, tons of people have bought games on Wii U. Since many of them are ports, they didn't need to sell as well as a full out Wii U only game like ZombiU. Even with 100,000 or sales of every game available on Wii U, it all goes back that every Wii U owner has about 3-4 games on their Wii U. I have 7 3rd party(excluding eShop only games) games on my Wii U, and I know plenty of other people have bought alot of 3rd party games as well, considering that the Wii U has about 4 million consoles and every game has a reasonable amount of sales in this specific situation.

@SCAR392 I see where you are coming from but honestly sales do matter. If a 3rd party saw that games like ZombiU or Batman sold a lot higher than they did then they would probably put their games on Wii U as they would be able to make a profit but since that's not the case, they won't make any games for Wii U.

@SCAR392

If the PS4 and XBONE do as bad as the Wii U is doing, developers would probably just keep on developing for 7 gen consoles and only release ports with token enhancements to 8 gen consoles.... they are giving the consoles a vote of confidence because they have history on their side and they are also very similar to each other and to the pc reducing the cost of releasing one title for all three, unlike the Wii U which is completely different to the rest which makes porting more expensive

@SCAR392

If the PS4 and XBONE do as bad as the Wii U is doing, developers would probably just keep on developing for 7 gen consoles and only release ports with token enhancements to 8 gen consoles.... they are giving the consoles a vote of confidence because they have history on their side and they are also very similar to each other and to the pc reducing the cost of releasing one title for all three, unlike the Wii U which is completely different to the rest which makes porting more expensive

@PokeTune
They still are putting out games, though. The new Batman is coming. COD Ghosts is happening. I never said sales don't matter. I was trying to point out that a Wii U 7th gen port doesn't need to sell as well as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, because the expectations are literally in the millions less.

http://www.vgchartz.com/platform/47/wii-u/

Any game at .17 or higher isn't losing these companies money, and this isn't includind digital, and I think it's outdated to boot. EDIT: Some games aren't even accounted for, and Capcom is no doubt makin some money from VC.

@Ferthepoet
Ya, history is on Xbox and PS side. That doesn't mean it's ok to automatically assume the Wii U isn't a viable platform. COD Ghosts will probably sell better on Wii U come Nov. 5th in comparison to Xbox One and PS4, because there are already about 4 million consoles in homes vs. 0.

@SCAR392 But why do you assume that Cod will sell better on Wii U this year? Because of the higher userbase? Just because the numbers are higher doens't mean it will sell better. The Wii CoD games are proof of this.

No offense Mr. Iwata but....I would not be bragging about Disney lol.

But really less "promises", more results.

@PokeTune
Ya, Ghosts is supposed to be identical on every platform. The Wii U has free online, too, so anyone that wants free COD online is going to play Wii U.

If numbers don't matter, than the Xbox One and PS4 spec sheet don't mean jack, which is a common argument. The Wii U has updated graphics, so now it can run the games closer to new consoles. The Wii was alot further off than the Wii U is now.

I've already seen a couple games on PS4 and Xbox One that the Wii U would be able to run, yet they're exclusive. Perhaps the resolution would be lower, but it's not that hard to get games running on a slightly lower spec machine. Yes, I understand Wii U has lesser power, but it's most likely only one year less powerful, considering it was released a year earlier.

@PokeTune
A comparison I like to make is a "2012 PC vs. a 2013 PC". It's a given the latest model is better, but the point is that it's not by much, which is the position I believe the Wii U is in, in comparison to the Xbox One and PS4.

@SCAR392 My previous comment wasn't necessarily talking about horsepower of the console.You do however bring up a good point about free online on Wii U but again the userbase might not be accepting of getting this version.

@PokeTune
Why? It's the same exact game + the GamePad, Wii remote, and free online. The version with the most in it is the Wii U version.
By the time DLC is inbound, they'll see it's selling just as well and will support it. There's no way that Xbox One and PS4 can outsell any game that also available on Wii U.

Only very few will throw down $400-500 for a console, then another $300 for online and some games. It takes time to build a game library, even on a hotly anticipated game console.

I also think that even though the FreeFall bonus map won't be free for Wii U, it will probably be paid DLC when the game comes out, because the Wii U version literally and factually will have more control options and Miiverse that will be supported. That's quite a bit of extra stuff, even in comparison to Xbox One and PS4. EDIT: I'm trying to say that extra effort put into the initial software is enough to exclude free DLC as a trade-off.

@SCAR392 Like I stated before there are benefits to getting the Wii U version but you also have to think on the flip-side as well. Most CoD players are either on XBOX or PS and will most likely be buying the console that their friends are getting, they'll be getting a better online service(although they will have to pay) and they'll also have a guarantee of other 3rd party games on their system of choice.

@PokeTune
What better online service are you talking about? Are you talking security, connection stability? The Wii U can use cloud based servers just like the Xbox One and PS4.

I'm not really sure what else to say. It won't be Nintendo's fault that 3rd party games aren't available, if they aren't.

@SCAR392 What I meant in terms of better service was better integration,account systems,party chat,etc but anyway let's not drag this on any longer and just agree to disagree.

@PokeTune
They're working on it.

@SCAR392

"is most likely only one year less powerful, considering it was released a year earlier."

By that logic the Wii was one year more powerful than the 360 because it was released a year later.... The Wii U is much less powerful than ps4 and Xbone, whether the first wave 8 gen games actually require that power is another matter, but the Wii U is not just one year below in Tech, is at least 4 year behinds

Meh, didn't Nintendo already spin this tune when the Wii U was first released, and look at that outcome. i think Nintendo should be focusing on this xmas, because if it doesn't do any better there is no 3rd party support.

It just worries me that their #1 selling game is most likely going to be an HD port of a 10 year old game. Doesn't speak too highly to the current gen audience that the 'must have' games are there.

@ferthepoet
They sacrificed "power" for motion control. The power of motion control is just as relevant.

Based on sales, it was a fair trade-off.

EDIT: Also, the Wii didn't have RROD and/or didn't cost over $300, ever. A system that actually works and is affordable is more "powerful" in this case.

The Wii U will probably start to lag behind 1 1/2 years before next gen. We'll worry about that when the time comes. There's no doubt that Wii U is less powerful, but it is yet TBD by how much.

I agree that the Wii was alot less powerful than Xbox 360. Again, motion control was the "power". Xbox 360 and PS3 didn't have that "power" until the end of 2010.

@SCAR392 Yet they were still more powerful than the Wii. Regardless of how you spin it, the Wii faltered in the power department versus the other 2. Still, some incredible games came out of that system.

I saw your other post and I want to comment, but it would be too argumentative. You know how our debates usually go. LOL I do have one question for you, where did you get the info from that the Wii U can support cloud? Only time I've ever heard of the Wii U and "cloud" in the same sentence is when Reggie said that the Nintendo TVii is cloud based. Other than that...nothing.

hahahaha ... we'll see.

@Rafie
Nintendo still beat Microsoft and Sony to the punch regarding motion control. That was powerful enough.

Spotpass is cloud, Streetpass is local cloud, TVii uses cloud, when your 3DS' orange light tells you a friend is online, those are all cloud.

The fact that TVii uses cloud like Reggie said, in fact, confirms that Wii U is capable of cloud based operations. Hell, even Wii had cloud. Wiiconnect24 was cloud. Granted, Wiiconnect24 only accessed the Nintendo network every 30 minutes or so, it still existed.

Cloud is being able to access data while other operations are taking place. It's nothing new. They're just pushing it's function to do more than it has before.

When your Wii U downloads content in standby mode, or while your playing a game, that's cloud.

Xbox 360 and PS3 couldn't even download while full software was running, and PS3 didn't have any standby features. Only the Xbox 360 eventually had a mode where you could shut off the system and it would continue to access servers. Teling you a friend is online is cloud. Now servers are being based off of that so the system has more flexibility in network modes.

I've probably said "cloud" too many times, now. My point is that alot of features already available use cloud, even though it's not quite at utilized as it will be.

@SCAR392 Something to keep in mind is the fact that the HD Twins split the market between themselves, meaning there was not a clear winner between the two. The Wii wins by individual numbers, although the gap is much smaller than previous market leaders like the NES, PS1, and PS2.

But something to keep in mind is the fact that the HD twins combines kill the Wii's sales. This was the first generation where all the competitors were close in terms of sales and numbers.

And this is where the point needs to be made. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 sold over 70 million units each. Therefore, the HD market ended up being much larger than the Wii's market share.

So, the tradeoff backfired to some degree,. Yes, the Wii has stunning sales numbers out of the gate, but they began to fall around 2010-2011. While this was happening, the Xbox 360 built itself up, and the PS3 began a massive resurgence in the marketplace.

The end result is that while the Wii ended up with stagging numbers at the start, its own market was surpassed by the HD twins.

@Caryslan
That's a good point. Nintendo made them themselves different from the rest in 7th gen, and are still going off of that same concept, yet now all the companies have a motion control and touchscreen option.

The Xbox One technically has off-TV, just like Nintendo, except it requires another device to work. Nintendo has a tremendous advantage by supporting all those options straight out of the box.

I completely agree that all these devices have their place, and have all done fairly well in the market over a long period of time. It's just confusing to see people complain about Nintendo for reasons that don't technically exist.

Wii U has a hc-drive, SD card support, Miiverse, cloud functions, memory options, various control options, HD, great games(with more to come), and superb graphics. I honestly can't think of any hardware limitations the Wii U will have until very close to end of this generation.

I understand their OS and online features aren't exactly maxed out, but even the most dedicated of Nintendo fans understand that those sort of improvements are what should happen AT LEAST before Xbox One and PS4 hit the market. I truly believe that "hyped" features of the Xbox One and PS4 will eventually be integrated into the Wii U, and will all be available for free(assuming you actually own a Wii U) in due time.

@SCAR392 I'm so glad you realized the "cloud" term is being passed around like the gravy bowl at Thanksgiving dinner. All of that is basically (from Nintendo's standpoint) is just being on the internet. However, the other 2 are using their cloud service in a different way to enhance gameplay and servers. Not saying Nintendo can't do it, but I haven't heard anything about it. @Carlysan brought up some excellent points, as you have agreed to.

Now I have another question for you, Scar. Please don't think that I'm being condescending or sarcastic with my questions to you. They are very genuine and come from a genuine place. These "hyped" features you think that the Wii U will be getting from the other 2. What exactly are those features?

The online on the Wii U needs to be dramatically upgraded. Yes it's a big step up from the Wii, but it's still slightly unplayable from my perspective. Playing Tekken Tag 2 and Injustice on the Wii U is not even fun at all. The lag is horrendous and to find matches is long and drawn out. Nintendo may need to secure more servers and fix the connection for their online DEFINITELY before MK8 and Smash U comes. Which I'm confident they will. Anyway, not all things can be free my friend. Depending on what services is provided, I can only see the online for Nintendo being free.

I've said this once before and I'll say it again. The next generation consoles (Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One) are all great. When people are basing sales at launch and using launch titles to convey a winner of the 3 is foolhardy at best. We won't see what either of these consoles can do with games for another 2-3 years once devs get acclimated with the systems. Nintendo has already showed supreme promise with their games.

@Rafie
Features like video sharing, chat, etc. The Wii U doesn't even have party chat. I think they'll add common features already existent in Xbox 360 and PS3, then add features that Xbox One and PS4 are using Twitch and such to host online using Miiverse. Nintendo can make alot of what people are talking about being "awesome online sharing" happen through Miiverse.

Miiverse is Nintendo's way to make all those sharing options available to its users without collaborating with Twitch.

As for online, I agree that Tekken Tag 2 has been somewhat laggy, but I think that's because hardly anyone has the game. I honestly have a pretty decent internet connection, and the others do as well, probably. I really don't know what's up with that, but COD Black Ops II seems to work well most of the time, as well as Monster Hunter. Injustice is the onky other game I can think of with noticeable lag, but it's not always.
I'm sure they're working on it. I just figure Nintendo will have the Wii U up and going full force by this holiday. The enhancements in Wii Mode were obviously planned for quite a long time now. They released the Wii U early and didn't utilize the hardware on an OS level, so I think alot of features people want will be added to the OS sooner than later. Nintendo will probably be playing it safe by making sure they have the features peole want before Xbox One and PS4 come out.

@SCAR392 I see what you mean now. Miiverse is absolutely awesome! I think it's one of the best new innovations Nintendo has came up with. Social media without having to be subscribed to anything. Just pure gaming. First of it's kind on a console.

Back to the online business. I have played a few other games online on the Wii U that's been laggy. I might have been jumping the gun to say it's unplayable. That's the Wii's online that's unplayable. LOL If I had to compare the online, I would say that as of right now, the Wii U is where the PS3 was 2 years ago with their laggy online. As you said, this will be fixed and become more stable and enjoyable. I'm really relying on them fixing it up before MK8. Scar you already know that MK8 will have THEE most online traffic on the Wii U. I think it will still have more traffic than Smash U. I personally take heavy interest in Mario Kart and the online is a must. I will be posting matches and such on YouTube. I love Mario Kart that much.

I really do hope Nintendo let's you share vids down the line. You're right...with Miiverse integration it's a win win for Nintendo.

@Rafie
You might not even need YouTube to get your videos online. Mario Kart TV(hosted via Miiverse) shows 1 minute, I think, of "key" scenarios during online matches. That is already proof that Miiverse can support gameplay videos straight from your console onto Nintendo's network.

I don't see why such a feature would be excluded if it becomes popular, although it would still be determined by the developer to implement such a feature.

There are definitely things that need to be improved, but I'm patient. I'm fine with things the way they are, but I won't deny anything better. YouTube could very well be utilized I suppose, if they allow you to save videos directly onto the HDD, then choose whether you want to post to Miiverse OR YouTube. If Nintendo acts accordingly, the YouTube app that already exists could allow you to post from there.

There's a variety of ways it could be done, so I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to figure something out, especially if it's convenient to do so.

Cant rush things i say. People are still confused about the systems i bet. Then the price leap from a wii to a wii u. Then ds-3ds-Xl-2ds these things seem to happen too fast imo rushed..

I just seen a bunch of indie games (IndieCade) on the eShop for wii u and im impressed with more than half of them. So Nintendo is doing something right. They need more promotion , i swear i dont see any commercials for Nintendo anymore could just be me but damn..

The holiday is around the corner again we shall see what the people want this year. All these console wars and bs being said about Nintendo games & Nintendo being left out on so many ends. We got an HD console (which i care the least about) but if having more power and being able to get more devs interested. Yet having the ability to download content and patches im all for that. Nintendo gave what so many wanted , but they did indeed forgot something.. Classic Games ~

@rjejr You've got a point though. I thought ugly was a bit too much, but it could definitely be improved. But I'm no fan of having all the text in gray either, though; it'll look too much like the old Wii and will therefore not make enough of a distinction, and coupled with the current struggle to market the console that wouldn't be too smart. The superscript is a simple trick to make that difference, but I think that a capital 'U' in the same color blue would have achieved the same goal. Then again, it's their console, they've obviously thought this through (even if it's up for debate, considering what most of us here think about it) so we'll probably just have to sit this one out and see how it ends up...

Nintendo Wants Wii U To Be "The Console That Every Developer Wants To Publish On"

Hahahahahahaha..... oh my sides hurt....

You may want that Nintendo but its never going to happen. You've missed the boat by so much its sailing away on the horizon whilst Nintendo have just arrived on the dock!