Iwata Remains Positive on the Future of the Wii U and 3DS Systems

Keep on chugging along nintendo. Stay classy.

Iwata needs to stop clinging to this 'one magic game will make it alright again' belief of his.

The past? They're hoping for a "Pokemon" = Lightning in the bottle moment for Wii U? Stuck in the past as this proves.

Dearie me.

I love my WiiU and 3ds. That's all that matters to me. Thank you Nintendo!

As long as the Wii U and 3DS turn in a profit, then I'm sure that that should be good enough for Nintendo. Just remember, Software, 9 times out of 10, sells Hardware...

@shigulicious Agreed.

The "sticking to traditional principles" line is just a nice way of saying this company is stuck in the past, too conservative and backwards for their own good.

They built themselves into a technology and entertainment company, and living in the past is not how you innovate or advance in technology--or entertainment.

Also, when he's referencing that the Game Boy had a lengthy survival due in part to Pokemon, he's overlooking that the Game Boy wasn't failing due to perceived consumer irrelevance--it was dying off only because it was time for it to do so. Nintendo--under far different leadership no less--merely gave the popular but waning system an adrenalin shot that worked better than they could have imagined.

The Wii U needs more than just a quick adrenalin shot. The Game Boy was merely fading out at a time when it should have been expected to. The Wii U has been limping to an early grave since launch.

So long they keep on releasing great games they will have my money

@shigulicious I agree with you 100%...

@Takerkaneanite6

History conflicts hard with both parts of your statement. For one thing, merely profiting was not enough for Nintendo with the ill-fated GameCube. Which was an unsuccessful console, but still turned a general profit. So they took drastic measures with the Wii which gave them short-term profits, but further damaged their image and standing in the industry.

The other part of this is that great games do not always sell consoles. The Dreamcast is infamous for a strong library, and it still didn't sell. The same is true of the GameCube. To that--Nintendo all too regularly runs to remakes and obvious titles--Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon specifically. These do not sell consoles to anyone other than current Nintendo fans.

For that matter, the Wii sold with a largely lackluster library--at best, the only game that really sold that system was Wii Sports, and maybe Mario Kart. Ultimately, it sold because of a gimmick, and that gimmick tarnished Nintendo's image in the industry.

Nintendo fans like to pretend that Mario and Zelda are system sellers, when sales data and other gamers demonstrate quite clearly that this isn't true.

For instance, Wind Waker on the GC sold just over 3 million copies. Twilight Princess on Wii, just shy of 6 million and Skyward Sword back to around 3 million again. This data indicates that, generally, regardless of hardware sales, Zelda games hover around the same level, and TP sold better largely due to it being a launch title and for the console itself having slightly higher sales, and then Skyward Sword returned to the mean. Zelda is not a system seller. The people who want it, buy the system regardless--generally expecting the games to arrive.

Some of you don't see a problem with Nintendo only ever selling to an ever-decreasing dedicated fanbase, but the reality is that you dedicated people cannot support an entire corporation alone. Nintendo needs to appeal to non-Nintendo gamers, in a sense, as they did with the Wii, if they want the revenue to keep the company strong instead of "merely surviving." But the Wii was to a fleeting, fickle, casual audience. Nintendo needs to win back the dedicated gamer that supports MS and Sony--and it may be too late.

If only nintendo could market their wii u better. The best thing going for them is that their first party exclusives games are making the wii u a must have in comparison to the Ps4 and Xbox first party exclusives, which are coming off as underwhelming or mediocre. Wii U may have it's strongest year if Sony and Microsoft continue to release games that can't live up to the next gen hype. I would expect this to change this year as more games come out, but at the moment it hasn't and that favors nintendo. Nintendo is winning the gameplay battle.

@shigulicious
Agree also!

@Spectator

It's woefully unfair to compare the 2nd year of one console to the first year of almost any other. After all, looking at the the first year of the Wii U, it was largely identical to the first year of the PS4 and XBO with lots of ports, delays, and lackluster launches. With the notable exception that the PS4 and XBO were selling better.

To that end, the PS4 has just over 70 exclusives lined up for 2015. That's a console with more exclusives than the Wii U has games.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/02/12/2015-video-game-release-schedule.aspx

Do a CTRL+F and search "(PS4)" compared to just doing a search for "Wii U". That's currently 71 exclusives compared to 35 games in general. That does not make the Wii U look like a "must-have."

The only thing that can "save" the Wii U is better marketing. The twins wouldn't be selling as great as they have been without their great marketing schemes because their libraries haven't justified their sales yet. The 3DS's struggles are more to do with Nintendo not realizing the handheld market was degrading in the west (tablets are cool, game devices are for kids and weirdos).

@Quorthon Is your self-esteem so low that you have somehow tied the successes of the PS4 and X-One to your self worth?

That's the best thing I've heard/read from him in quite a while.

@BieberBlows

That makes absolutely no sense.

@Quorthon How many games does one need? Of the 70 or so PS4 exclusives you cite, how many are ports of games like Limbo where they're not really exclusives? For me personally, with work and family, and with movies, shows, books, and sports I want to follow, even saying I could buy and play 12 new games in a year would be a stretch. Mileage may vary by person. What good is 70 games if 65 of them are sub-par?

It's as simple as this. Nintendo offers games you can't get on other systems, and while those games will be less frequent, you can rest assured that when the new Zelda launches, it's not going to need a Day 1, 20 GB download so it functions at an adequate level. If you want a complete gaming experience, you're going to need to buy the Nintendo systems and one of the other options (XBO, PS4, or PC). Xbox and PS4 are at this point the exact same thing, and neither has enough content to justify a purchase. Everything on them is a slightly prettier version of what is on the previous generation or a port. Right now the game that is selling best is GTA V. Frankly, I'm not sure what anyone is playing on them right now.

@Quorthon "The other part of this is that great games do not always sell consoles. The Dreamcast is infamous for a strong library, and it still didn't sell. The same is true of the GameCube. To that--Nintendo all too regularly runs to remakes and obvious titles--Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon specifically. These do not sell consoles to anyone other than current Nintendo fans."

What? Pokémon and some Mario games sell consoles. But mostly Pokémon

@Quorthon

You are correct the shear number of exclusive coming out for XBO and PS4 looks great. That being said because Wii U is a year ahead in quality first party exclusives that have actually lived up to the hype, this has benefited Nintendo as a competitive system at the moment. I'm not implying that Sony and Xbo won't overtake Nintendo with knock out punches when it comes to games in the long term, I'm saying at this moment the games that have come out exclusively from these next gen systems have not lived up to the hype. I could continue to play Ps3 and Xbox 360 because I'm not given a software reason, not a hardware reason, but a software reason to buy these new systems because I'm still waiting for ......greatness from these game devs. People have bought these systems in hopes of what to expect, they are just waiting for the delivered goods.

Hopeully games like Bloodborn and so on will actually be as good as advertised, but when you factor possible delays and hyped games coming up short it just keeps Nintendo hanging around because Nintendo track record guarantees their game won't suck most of the time. The real question is what will Nintendo do when they run out of game ideas and have come up with something new after this year.
.

I really don't see why it wouldn't be possible for Nintendo to win back a chunck of the casual- and Xbox/PS-crowd. They deliver good games that are simply fun or awesome to play, while having really good controlls and more than enough content to justify their price.
Anybody saying the WiiU isn't worth it didn't look into it's library, there are games for nearly everybody on the system and so many of them are really good!
If they would just unify their NNID (WiiU/3DS) system and add crossbuy/play and a Trophy-system I for one would be more than pleased with the "non-gaming" features of the WiiU. Gamingwise I can only see one complant ... which is the lack of multiplayer in some games that could really benifit from it ... that's basicaly it.
So winning people over would be a question of marketing and I really hope that Nintendo steps upt their game in this segment .... They don't have to blow huge ammounts of money on marketing, they just need to advertise their system and games smart and in a way the consumer dosn't forget them and knows what it is and why it would be a great purchase.

@Quorthon Please enlighten me. At what point in my comment did I say that all Software sells Hardware. Reply ONLY when you find the specific point that I said that...

So long they keep on releasing great games they will have my money!!!!

@Quorthon What makes no sense? My opinions about the Wii U and 3DS's struggles?

_{This is all you had to say -Lz}

@shigulicious I agree wholeheartedly

@BieberBlows ... that was a bit harsh don't you think? He has a point though, comparing the second year of one console to the first year of another isn't a fair comparison and the PS4/Xone will get a huge ammount of games after the first half of this year. . . which dosn't mean that all those games will be good, just like not every game coming to WiiU isnt good (the Letter).
I really don't know why he comes across as he is really invested in PS4/Xone having more/better games than WiiU when it is only partly true, but I digress.

There's nothing wrong with being traditional, I just think they need to find that right balance between that and keeping with the times. They're so slow at it detriment to their image. That said, I'm glad they are not jumping into the mobile bandwagon, but at the same time a game like Pokémon Shuffle, probably would have made a killing if released as an iOS/Android app. I kind of think that's what they're scared of. If a game of theirs makes it big in that platform, people will call for more, investors and the lot will add additional pressure to release more for mobile, as their claims would be validated.

Concerning the Wii U's woes, the damage is done on that front. There's no need in me recapping well documented issues. All they can do at this point is ride it out, market the heck out of their key titles and mend the bridges with third parties ahead of their next system launch.

Personally as gamer and not a "Nintendo fanboy" I enjoy the heck out of my Wii U... I'm not sure why people can't think that without being labeled as such...

The problem no matter how anyone wants to spin it is that at the end of the day, Nintendo is now defined by what it doesn't get and not by what it actually has. We are in the twilight of the last generation, yet they are still getting new games that are not being bothered to be put on Nintendo's console. it is the starvation of these games that hurts the Wii U more than anything. Unless Nintendo can find some new third party developers to invest in the console in a meaningful way, the Wii U will become increasingly marginalized.

As for finding an audience, that is a more difficult battle. Why invest in a console that may offer a game or two in your choice genre when you can invest in a console that will offer many games that cater to your tastes? The value of the investment is just not there for most. It doesn't matter how many excellent games in total is there, just how many a potential buyer is interested in.

That doesn't concern me as I have a limited budget and prefer a wide variety of genres, but for any hardcore genre fan, outside of platforming, the Wii U is not the console they are looking for.

They need a cross platform account system
also use some ip'S hey have not used in a long time
make a system that is easy to make games for 3rd parties also that has great extras like dvd blue ray also more ideas like that are for all regions the ps4 is the model fo that perfect for japan and us
region free consoles
a handheld that will also market to all ages and in all regions and with home console power

@BieberBlows

Your blatant and strikingly irresponsible assumption that I tie my self-worth to pieces of technology. Perhaps you do this, which is possibly the only reason you could make some sort of bizarre, nonsensical assumption about others, but I do have a life outside of electronics. It makes about as much sense as if I tried to tell you that you tied your self-worth to the Samsung television sales. What sense could that possibly make? How could anyone even make that utterly absurd analogy?

I'm not sure of the name of this fallacy, but this seriously appears to be a case of "this is how I define my life, therefore it is how he defines his life." As I cannot fathom any other way you could make such a woefully illogical statement.

@Darknyht

"Why invest in a console that may offer a game or two in your choice genre when you can invest in a console that will offer many games that cater to your tastes?"

True, but what would be better: The console with one or two games that are actually finished and actually care about gameplay, or the console with the many games that have been rushed out, broken, full of DLC, horrible single player, and a very underwhelming experience?

@Josaku one thing that is really annoying on what he does no matter what even if Nintendo turns in profits for its hardware its not enough yet when the other tow are he seems to give credit to them mostly. I try to explain to others that its not about how much products you sold what matters is if you are turning in a profit. My business teacher emphasized this every day in class over and over again. Nintendo is making a profit has long has they are they will be fine. They don't have a debt to pay nor made a stupid decision on making a deep price cut and lose money even though you sold lots of consoles. He wants Nintendo to be all this mumbo jumbo crap the other tow are doing. Also when we mention the troubles of MS and Sony he defends it he is giving them a free pass.

Of course Quorthon would start a flamewar just to start a flamewar. sigh Can we just have a normal comment section from time to time? Anyway I digress, just keep having amazing help developing amazing games Iwata. Just let the train roll.

@Josaku

I'm invested in nothing (well, my personal interests and family I suppose, but I don't think that's the focus here) and enjoy gaming news and studying this industry from every angle. Gaming is endlessly fascinating.

I also vastly prefer facing reality than spinning tales to grasp comforting lies or misinformation. The reality is that Nintendo is not doing well, and MS and Sony are. Well, the PS4 is--Sony as a whole still has a lot of work to do. Samsung has been doing particularly heavy damage to many places where Sony once ruled, and completely overtook them in others (particularly phones) before Sony even seemed to have a chance.

What about this isn't fascinating? Samsung is the new Sony.

Lol @ people thinking nintendo is in a bad shape. If you sell historically bad in a personal business dip and break even or even make a profit, you're doing well.

By the way, the competition has no healthy gaming business whatsoever. They stay afloat by employing catalysts through other businesses. Hence nintendo expanding into quality of life.

It's not that difficult to understand so what is all the fuzz about? Is there a new luigi's mansion coming out?

@reasonnotwhine "True, but what would be better: The console with one or two games that are actually finished and actually care about gameplay, or the console with the many games that have been rushed out, broken, full of DLC, horrible single player, and a very underwhelming experience?"

Sales data show that gamers are apparently quite tolerant of those things as they keep returning to the publishers/developers that create them and buy sequels, prequels and other projects from them. I mean just look at all those people who buy essentially a $60 DLC roster update to Madden and FIFA every year.

@Spectator

Eh, I don't know about the year lead in quality. The argument could easily be made that they're actually a full generation behind given the hardware inside the Wii U. I mean, I was shocked that it took them as long as it did to get Mario Kart 8 out.

I suppose that may be relative.

@Chaozrush21 of course the best way to avoid a flamewar is not throw gasoline on it. There are some things I agree with him on. Others that I think he's off the mark. The important thing is that if you (generalizing you... Not meaning you, personally) can't handle it it's best to not even respond. Or make your argument and move on. Perhaps an intelligent dialogue will come out it.

Nintendo's not going to survive by sticking to its guns (or at best, remain niche), they don't seem to realize that the market is shifting away from them.

@Quorthon I came to my conclusion because you spend an abnormal amount of time spreading pro PS4 and X-One talk on a site called nintendolife. Why do you waste your time doing this? Why do you care what close minded Nintendo fans think so much? It makes no sense to me unless somehow it got tangled up into your self-worth. That'd be like me going onto some teen pop website and spouting how much their music sucks and how awesome 90s alternative is. You're not achieving anything wasting your time here.

It's amazing how many times a broken record can be played

@Bolt_Strike oh OK so being profitable is not important then but what is important is how much you sell. Oh OK gotcha.

@Quorthon Max solidarity to you.... you are trying to bring some common sense and an interesting point of view in a land dominated by blind fanboysm.... as the evolution of the discussion clearly shows....

So why have they not released Pokemon on Wii U yet? are they stupid? I don't know why they are so damn stubburn about releasing games on a platform. People are crying for Metroid, pokeman, whatever...I love Nintendo, My Wii U is amazing but they need to freaking listen sometimes. People want F-Zero, metroid, pokeman, Earthbound.... They will buy them on wii U or get a Wii U for them

@erv That is what I have been trying to explain to some of these people but they don't seem to get it.

@erv sony gaming division is probably the only healty brand of the entire corporation, u are wrong, i am sorry

@Nintendobro They can't profit without a decent level of sales though. They even had profitability problems because the Wii U wasn't selling well, so something has to change. What they're doing isn't sustainable.

@garthvader they simply don t have the manpower to do so.... and they are too greedy to outsource some franchises to third parties

They should outsource some of them. Last time F-zero was outsourced it was amazing. Earthbound to Monolith??? I could only dream.

@Chaozrush21 seriously he calls everyone that disagrees with him a Nintendo fanboy. I don't understand why he defends some of the mistakes the other tow have done and have been doing. Another point is when Nintendo is turning in profits its not enough yet when Sony is its all good. Not to mention he defends all that crap that third parties have been doing. Hearing Nintendo turning in profits is good news which means they are doing fine.

@garthvader the lack of football game hurts them in europe.... why don t outsurce another mario striker? The wii one was amazing... i would buy it day 1

Yea I heard that was awesome. I never bought it myself but I always wanted to try it. I'm sure it would help Europe sales, but they also need something to recoup Japan sales and Pokeman would help that or why not the new 3ds RPG everyone is going crazy over. I think it was a Level 5 game.

@Bolt_Strike seriously I swear its like trying to explain someone why cars can't fly and they don't get it no matter what. Again my business teacher emphasized every class day even if I made some profit its a good thing as long as my business isn't in any debt which Nintendo isn't. Its like when we mention the troubles of the rest its like its not a problem yet with Nintendo it is a problem even if they are making money for it and we get criticism for it.

@arnoldlayne83 so everything seems to be fine and dandy over there at Sony Corp right?

@Punished_Boss_84

Not at all. I just think what he's saying is nothing is ever written in stone. And that all it takes sometimes is one game to turn an entire generation around. Which is very true, as we've seen many times before.

I don't think they're hoping for "lightning in a bottle", what he's saying is they're going to continue to support their platforms with great game after great game, because all it takes sometimes is one great game to turn things around, so obviously the more great games they support their platform with the better.

@shigulicious I agree, there is only 1 or 2 games on Xbox/PS that I would like but not enough to make me pull the trigger on buying one.

I appreciate that Nintendo doesn't ship broken games that need huge day 1 patches. Thanks Nintendo, now announce a a new Metroid U & 3ds game already.

It's come to a point where a vast majority of gamers are Xbox and Playstation fans, mainly due to the Xbox 360 and PS3 being "hardcore". They now believe anything Nintendo is "kiddie". Look at any nintendo game video review. You'll find people who say stuff like this, "Wii U gets Kirby and we get The Order, PS4 where the adults play."

It's come to the point where the graphics and brand are the only things that people care about. Nintendo can't get away from this until people wake up and find that they've missed out on one of the greatest sequels ever(Bayo2), best RPG(Xenoblade Chronicles X), and the most playfully crafted art styles to come out of the past decade(Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Yoshi's Woolly World) because of blind fanboyism.

It's sickening.

@Josaku That's why I think that the Wii U is mostly a failure of marketing than the system itself. I am the dreaded casual gamer- I didn't even really get into the Wii. Haven't owned a console since the SNES (tho I did get a GBA). I've had a blast with the Wii U. It's a shame that for whatever reason, more people don't see how cool this system is. And what sold me? The gamepad. I haven't been disappointed in a Nintendo exclusive yet. In fact- I've had so much fun with them, that i'm even planning on buying all of the upcoming releases. I just got Kirby and love it- never been a fan of the series but have had a blast playing it.

"No plans to overhaul anything just yet..." Didn't they just get done overhauling the 3DS?

@Nintendobro I get what you're saying about profitability being more important than sales. But Nintendo wasn't profitable in the first few years of the Wii U. And with the way the industry is trending now, things are only going to get worse. Not a lot of gamers don't want what Nintendo is offering, they're going to have to change if they want to remain profitable.

@Bolt_Strike yeah I understand what you are saying which is why I hope they learn from all of this and do something about it which they are trying to do right now. And I apologize for lashing out the way I did its just some peoples business logic doesn't make any sense.

@JakeOfAllTrades by seeing selling numbers it seems the firsts that missed an amazing game like bayo2 have been the wiiu owners themselves...

the wiiU has no third party games to attract nonNintendo fans and a lot of Nintendo fans that don t give a damn about great nonNintendo games (see zombieU, W101, Bayonetta2) on the console

Ps: speaking of art style, i can assure you, it is full of amazing crafted games outside Nintendo too.... and little big planet is an example of it (speaking of wooly/textile world)....

At the end of the day, all I can hope, as a gamer, is that Nintendo keeps on doing exactly what they're doing, at least from a hardware/software standpoint. Cause from a gamer's perspective- someone who owns all systems and plays all games, Nintendo provides more quality entertainment each year than the rest of the collective industry combined. And I don't ever want that to change. Wii U and 3DS is really the only systems I spend time on any more, and there's a reason for that. With Nintendo, less is more. I get more out of 3 solid Nintendo games than I do with 30 of the best games the AAA industry has to offer. And that's really special.

I got The Order 1886 and Kirby Rainbow Curse in the mail the other day. Popped in The Order, and in less than an hour I was insufferably bored with it. Threw in Kirby, been smiling ever since. And that's how it usually goes, time after time after time again. That's why I love Nintendo. That's why I buy their systems day one, no questions asked. Because I know that almost every single game they release is going to be worthy of my time, and most will leave lasting impressions as some of the finest games I've ever experienced. I'm all for Nintendo doing what is necessary to improve their bottom line, but as far as their product is concerned, they've nailed it and I hope they don't change a thing.

@Quorthon, I'm fairly new to this site, but find it quite funny that even in a short amount of time, every time I read an article now, I scroll through the comments first looking for your name and what stupid negative thing you've got to say this time. Then I laugh your passive troll attempt and what must be a pretty sad life. Seriously, why the negativity and backhanded slaps every time you feel the need to add your 2cents to a Nintendo fansite? Who do you work for? Sony? Microsoft? EA? Activision? Definitely someone with an axe to grind. For me, your comments have become meaningless propaganda against Nintendo. It's quite obvious your not a Nintendo fan, so just piss off from this site..... Troll, troll, troll and on and on

@garthvader (slow clap) couldn't agree with you more

Lets burn the heretics!

Still living in the past Iwata?Nice!I hope that doesn't burn this company to the ground.It's pathetic they still think games doesn't need online features,thinking that your home console will succeed with only exclusives and you know damn well you need third party games to help you out with droughts and such.But okay Iwata keep living in that amazing past of yours while Nintendo will always be third in the console race.And Nintendo fans will always accept what you guys do,so yeah don't change or anything!Ugh

Iwata, Iwata, he's our man. If he can't do it no one can.

@JaxonH I regularly have the except same experience you've described in your second paragraph and I share your sentiments on this.

@Bolt_Strike nintendo have recorded a profit of several hundred million dollars this year, and have over 9 billion dollars in the bank. Which part of what they're doing isn't sustainable, you loon?

How many more times does Nintendo have to say they aren't making games for smart phone devices before people actually get it through their heads that it's not going to happen!?

Nintendo just needs to market their products better. Also they need to stop giving their consoles these terrible names! Who in the world thought that the "New 3DS" was actually a good idea? Who was the genius that came up with the name Wii U?

Seriously what in the world happened to Nintendo's marketing? It's horrific compared to what they did in the last generation.

I read this comment section as I play Bayonetta 2. Quite simply one of the best action games ever made. What are you doing people? Play this game now! It also looks ridiculously good.

@midnafanboy hey at least they acknowledge that they need to move towards that yes they are slow with that but I rather that they take time on those and than just shoot it out the door.

@garthvader agree.... bayonetta 2 is true gem that every wiiU owner should own....

@garthvader pfft Oh please they are so busy fighting than playing games. They don't care.

they can fight between crotch flashes. She does it enough and it makes me laugh every time. Game has completely unfiltered humor. she's like a female witch version of James Bond but more crass.

@luke88

Exactly- the games are perfection. And really makes me question why I bother owning other consoles in the first place.

We need leadership change at Nintendo

@Punished_Boss_84
Or they have something up their sleeves, it could be read either way

@shigulicious Absolutely! I'm with you! We don't need Smart devices or PS4s or Bones. . .we just need our Nintendo stuff and we are happy!

@Quorthon nintendo 'Sticking to it's principles' is the ideology that I would like to follow. In contrast 'Nintendo NOT sticking to it's principles' would mean no fantastic alternative place to go - it would mean fading into the commercial world that is smart device games and/or generic PS4/Xbone style AAA titles which is not something that we need in our Nintendo world - if we need that , we can step over the imaginary line and furnish ourselves with other consoles. .
I admire Nintendo sticking to it's principles rather than push for a quick profit. . . .

If Nintendo would do Virtual Console on Android and iOS they would make a bundle if they released the right games. But they could tick off Nintendo faithful in doing so especially if they released games on Android and iOS that were not on its own systems Virtual Console. They should seriously consider it though. Really it should be the first move onto smart phones and tablets.

@Quorthon That is news to me. Are you really saying Pokemon don't sell consoles?

@Quorthon umm Nintendo is doing great. The 3DS is the number 1 selling system in the world and doesn't look to get knocked off anytime soon. The Wii-U seems to drag them down a bit. But they are fine with 3DS alone.

@JakeOfAllTrades It's probably not a good idea to compare Nintendo games to the very maligned The Order: 1886.

I feel like Iwata may yet become the CEO Nintendo truly needs. His illness tied with the initial failure of Wii U and the voluntary salary cut are something I'm sure he did not take lightly. He looks and sounds wiser from his experiences.

@Quorthon Don't be so silly. Regardless, the Wii U is selling better than this time last year . Once Zelda arriives with a Wii U price drop before Xmas 2015 It will rocket as a family console if Nintendo promote it. You are stressing over nothing.

Gamecube was no failure either, the Playstation brand simply expanded the gaming market 10 fold.

@rockodoodle, I know so many people just like you and me, and one after another starts thinking about getting a WiiU after I bought it with MK8 ...
Seeing that "word of mouth" is still better advertisement for the WiiU than the actual advertisment chosen by Nintendo is a bit sad, because I really think, that it is a damn fine console with really fun and high quality games.
I just hope, that Nintendo gets a hold of themselfes when it comes to marketing Splatoon/XCX/ZeldaU because it would be a shame if these games would fly under the radar, especially Splatoon which looks really good ^^

I don't think we will see a new console for 2 years or more, and no complete 3DS overhaul for a while.

@Danrenfroe2016
No.

@luke88 It's last year that's more worrying, that's when they were actually losing money. And those kinds of losses are going to get worse if they don't improve in things like graphics, power, and internet, the more they ignore those things the more people are going to abandon them.

How bout cranking out some wii u games and fix the virtual console problem?? Maybe that'll help!!

Lets be honest, the wiiu has no future. Its a system on life support. No game will make it a success. That ship has sailed. MK8 and SmashBros were supposed to change everything, and it didnt happen. They made way too many mistakes with this system and for whatever reason decided to do nothing at all to fix any of them and continue to be in denial.

"Nintendo is doomed!" Troll, troll, troll
"They should make games on iOS/PS4/XBone! " troll, troll, troll
"Iwata should step down!" troll, troll, troll

Actually, Dreamcast's main problem was that Sega had already fallen apart by its release, so no matter how much it made Sega, it was already too late.

The worst business decision they could make right now: putting a main series Pokemon game on the Wii U. Would consoles sales increase? Yeah they would. But it would COMPLETELY undermine their handhelds, ruining the franchise's ability to sell Nintendo's handhelds like no other. That would guarantee their eventual demise as a company. Not just hardware, but software as well.

Maybe it's best that Nintendo goes handheld only.

@shigulicious
well said! my favorite nintendo duo

Eh, I like Nintendo the way it is. They make fun games and I enjoy their consoles. They keep it simple in many ways. If they could just translate that to their business decisions and hardware, they could appeal to more people.

I do love them, but I think they need to work on gradually putting less censorship into the Nintendo market. Which they have so far. It's fine to be family friendly, but come on. It's a next gen console. I play mature titles now and then, and I do own a wii U. No PS4 or Xbone. I would LOVE to trade my PC copy of Saints Row 4 for a Wii U one, it would be great on that system.

@StarDust4Ever The N3DS was specified to be targeted at 3DS owners mostly. It's just a ram and processor upgrade with a better screen. Heck, I wish they could have released THAT on its own to put in the device. Like a blockphone.

@starmarx39 So was the DSi.

@IceClimbers How would a console Pokemon title kill the 3DS? Did either Pokemon Stadium release for N64 or Pokemon Colosseum for Game Cube kill the Game Boy? No, it only helped to sell consoles.

Even though I despise the Pokemon franchise in general, I don't see how a Pokemon Stadium U game would hurt 3DS or Wii-U. You could wirelessly transfer Pokemon from X, Y, Alpha Ruby, and Omega Sapphire using a 3DS with a minor software update for the 3DS titles. Print money and convince Pokemon fans to finally buy a Wii-U.

@StarDust4Ever Pokemon Stadium isn't a main series game. Neither is Colosseum. I'm talking about the main RPGs, which are handheld-only for a reason. Releasing one of those on a home console would be the death of them. People will buy the current handheld in droves just for Pokemon. Release a main series Pokemon game on the home console and people will expect it on the home console from there on out, which would ruin the franchise's ability to sell handhelds the way it does.

Just look at Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and the number of people who refuse to buy it until it comes to Wii U.

@arnoldlayne83 it's healthier than most of sony's other business, meaning it's losing money at a less alarming rate than the rest and has future profit potential. It is most certainly, still, a money losing division last I checked. It should have been profitable once they approach the end of the cycle looking back though, which looks realistic for them as last time I saw the graphs they were on an uphill curve.

Sony is bleeding money left, right and center. The playstation business is healthy in the market perception, but not as a business. In that sense, nintendo is the only one who knows how to make some profits in the gaming world even on its downside.

Please, give us better online options Iwata!

@JaxonH @RoomB31
Results, not predictions. Facts, not fantasy. Substance, not hope. It could happen, is nothing but a wish. That Pokemon moment occurred nearly 20 years ago, on a handheld not a console, under different leadership.

The only moment for consoles, was Wii and as Wii U has shown was nothing but a fluke.

I will say the Wii U is worth buying if your looking for older titles as well. It's cheaper to get Earthbound, Demon's Crest, Megaman 7, Megaman X3 as well as other titles than trying to get them off Ebay. The Wii U pretty much pays for itself if you were to try and pick up those titles on the SNES. Even the Wii has a substantial about of Neo Geo games which are also very expensive on Ebay. I'd really like to see them expand the Virtual Console into the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast library.

@Punished_Boss_84
Again, I think what he's saying is not "hey let's get lucky and strike it rich with another Pokemon!". I think that's a gross misunderstanding of his statement. What he is saying is, "we've been in a rough spot before and we've had our backs against the wall before and all it took was one game to put his back IN the game".

It's not just Pokemon or the "fluke" of the Wii. One could even look at the recent turnaround of the 3DS which was largely due to one or two games on the system. Something happens once, happens twice, it happens three times, think it's safe to say that it's no longer a fluke, but rather that his statement has truth to it. It really DOES only take one good game to bring sudden success many times.

@IceClimbers
I think nearly no0body wants Nintendo/Gamefreak to make a mainseries Pokemon RPG on the WiiU and I think you know this. Pokemon on the WiiU would be the same as a homeconsole pokemon was since the N64, something like Pokemon Stadium/Coloseum or Pokemon Snap. Something that works with the mainseries and brings tons of extra things to the table to get more people to buy pokemon related games/hardware.
I really have to say that a Pokemon Snap or a Pokemon Stadium would be extreamly awesome on WiiU. For a Pokemon Snap which uses the WiiU gamepad as a camera and where you can freely roam multiple areas with different settings and pokemon would be really cool ^^
On the other hand, a Pokemon Stadium on WiiU could greatly increase the conectivity between 3DS and WiiU, just because they finally had a reason to work in it.

I really don't see a reason why there can't be a Pokemon Stadium/Snap on WiiU, they just make too much sense with the actual controller and the conectivity-options of the WiiU.

Nintendo is not doomed.. the Wii U is. Until the day Nintendo gives a financial breakdown of all their products assuming, the Wii U makes money is speculation. Most likely the Gameboy covered the GameCube's rear end the same way the 3DS is covering the Wii U's. The same way MS other products like Office, Surface, patents, etc., covered up the Xbox division losses.

Making a profit is the very base denominator of running a business. Making significant profits is the difference between company A and company B.
Most won't invest in companies that is going to make a basic profit. They try to invest in companies that is going to make huge profits.

@Quorthon
The day you comment on a thread without ever mentioning the MS, Xbox or PS is the day that won't come. And yes, I mentioned MS in this post to get a point across, but rarely ever do.

So yes, there are times when the comparison is necessary, but not every damn time. Are you being paid?

idk to me nintendo seems to be like that episode of spongebob where we go inside spongebob's brain and each part of his brain is trying to do something all at the same time trying to keep up but fails :S

i feel like they just need to stop take a break and focus on what they need to do because they are a mess e. O

@Punished_Boss_84
the DS must of been a fluke too then?
facts only exist when they have happened, we won't know until it does or doesn't happen. Believing that something could happen is not a lost cause, especially since things we don't know are happening all the time.

@DarkNinja9

Thanks to my kid, I have seen that episode.

@Hotfusion

Perhaps if you weren't selective in which of my posts you pay attention to, you'd notice a huge number that don't mention MS or Sony.

However, if mentioning other video games is somehow damaging to you, that really seems like a "you" problem. I recognize that there is more to life than Nintendo (huh, that seems like an ironic thing to say on this site!), and I actually enjoy a broad spectrum of games and gaming options.

@IceClimbers

I've agreed with this for a long time. Leave Pokemon on the handhelds. I'm no fan of that franchise, but recognize that giving exclusive franchises to their portables is what gives them so much strength in a time when the bulk of the industry is ready to bury traditional portable systems.

Unless, of course, they were to come up with a mythical "fusion" console, but even then, I'd think there should be games specific to both in order to give value to both individually.

@Malakai

I'm saying that, for the most part, these games do not sell consoles to non-Nintendo fans. They sell almost exclusively to repeat customers. There are always those that will wait to get the system until the next big Pokemon release comes out (and to be fair, Pokemon has a wider audience than Mario or Zelda), but these do not sell the consoles to anyone who wasn't already going to buy it.

When Pokemon first launched, the quick rise in popularity did sell Game Boys, Colors, and GBAs, but over the years, the games increasingly go to the same audience every time, they don't sell to new audiences. Almost no fence-sitters are going to suddenly decide to get a 3DS for Pokemon X/Y. Same with Mario and Zelda.

Frankly, given the flak Nintendo receives for clinging to the same franchises and same games over and over each and every generation, these games may now have the opposite effect to the wider gamer audience. Instead of seeing Nintendo doing something impressive and new, they see a company beating a dead horse and trying to sell new hardware with old games. Sure, Mario U was technically a new game, but to the gaming public and consumers in general, they just see the same old thing recycled again. And frankly, it just felt like the same old thing recycled again.

It becomes a major marketing problem.

@IceClimbers Which is why I said that Nintendo needs to create more separation between what is the handheld game and what is the console version of the game. Having Super Mario 3D Land/Super Mario 3D World or Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U competing with each other is not good for them. Most people will be satisfied by one and not bother with the other.

They should bring most of their franchises to both consoles, but make some franchises unique to each. And with the ones on both consoles make sure the gameplay/genres are not duplicated.

@NintndoNik @BieberBlows

Mods of NL have made it very clear that that posters who don't tread the traditional Nintendo is great line are welcome here.

What's not are personal attacks. If you have a problem with what's posted, that's fine. Personal slurs are not.

I rather like both systems, the console and the portable. But I do feel as though Nintendo is stuck in an awkward spot in the market. Where they have been an excellent bridge across the entire video game spectrum, the market has fragmented a great deal since the Wii/DS successes. Casuals have gone mobile, since they were going to buy that hardware anyhow, and console gamers expect third-party releases, ones that Nintendo's current architecture are harder to support.

They can win any market back. Sure they can. Technology is transformative like that, where great innovation drives future profits and innovation. What that looks like will be Iwata's greatest challenge.

@k8sMum It's not a slur if it's true. He clearly gains a large amount of satisfaction coming here and trashing people who say anything positive about Nintendo or negative about the twins. He certainly has the right to do it but he is only proving that what I said is correct.

@Quorthon comments like this is why people don't take you seriously. Not everyone has the same mindset as you. You may think a game is the somewhat the same as the previous but things to make it different and calling it trash and old or "recycled" but to the rest they will like it. You may think that chocolate ice cream sucks but someone else they like chocolate ice cream. Quit thinking that your comment is the one that only matters. Seriously people like you is what is dumping gaming as a whole.

@k8sMum The guy does the same thing. He calls everyone a "blind fanboy" to the people that don't agree with him and thinks that he cant be proven wrong that he is always right and others are wrong when in fact that some people on here have got him to have a seat. He seems to pay too much attention to the other too and talks about them all the time like when Nintendo is making profit's to him its not enough yet when someone like Sony is making a modest profit its a success and Nintendo gets rear ended with a fork by him and others. Why can't people just quit it and just talk about what gaming matters which is the games.

@Quorthon
I never said that in every post you mention MS or Sony, I said in every thread.
Regardless of the topic, if you post ten comments at least one.. maybe two..god forbid, even three, would be singing the praises of MS mostly and Sony.

What's funny is that you are telling one of Nintendo's biggest critics...moi, that there is more to life than Nintendo.

Maybe I should buy that 3DS thing, put away my PS4, redundant my X360 and spend more time on my pitifully few Nintendo games and see if this is true.

To be honest I agree with you on a whole lot of things and respect your reasoning in most cases. Sometimes your delivery, however, can be condescending.

@Hotfusion

Well, this being the internet, a lot of perception of delivery is in interpretation on the receiving end.

A lot of posters here seem to be downright terrified to learn that there is gaming outside of Nintendo, so there isn't much talk of other platforms--and I talk about more than just Nintendo. That shouldn't bother anyone, and frankly, I would find it odd that it might. The limited talk here, however, means you are basing your opinion off of marginal information (I have one of the highest post-counts on GameInformer, and that would be a more accurate measure, but they don't talk about enough Nintendo there). Depending on the sites or conversations I've been in, I've been called a Nintendo fanboy, Sony fanboy, Microsoft fanboy, Nintendo hater, Sony hater, and Microsoft hater.

I deal in facts and reality, and should I have incorrect facts, I expect to be given a correction. When some jackass responds with ad hominum attacks to something I write, I see a butthurt little snot who lacks the intelligence to respond or converse rationally, and who lets blind emotion guide his childish actions. It's sad to see this. I know I'm a faceless nobody on the internet, but I still have some self-respect and would find such behavior personally reprehensible.

When I bring up other console makers, it is because I find the reference relevant. Pretending they don't exist is one of Nintendo's biggest problems these days, and it's even worse if their fans want to pretend nothing's wrong or they aren't there. They are competitors, after all, whether Nintendo likes it or not, so comparisons are valid.

Or must I detail my full laundry-list of Microsoft and Sony criticisms in a desperate bid to be accepted by people who choose not to think and just want to hate a perceived enemy and find likewise haters so they can hate together? Because I've already been over those before--against MS and Sony fanboys who, like too many here, want to pretend their gaming logo box of choice is infallible.

I think I may have missed answering your note: Regardless of how often I do or do not mention Sony or Microsoft, or Steam or Android or Apple, or Sega--why does that even matter? Why should that upset you?

@Nintendobro

Actually, I have stated several times that if you can prove me wrong to please supply the evidence. That is all.

I asked this several times of Jaxon concerning his conspiracy theory that GameStop published Xenoblade Chronicles and he consistently supplied zero evidence.

By all means, supply evidence.

I welcome evidence and facts, and was recently corrected on here concerning XCX as I had missed that the developers were calling it a "spiritual successor" with no relation to the original game.

With this, I will go back to ignoring your posts as I had been doing--this was more for anyone misguided enough to think you had content in your words--the lack of which being the reason I generally ignore you.

<yawn>

@RoomB31
The DS isn't a home console, its a handheld. Handhelds are never flukes, Consoles are.

@Punished_Boss_84

I'd say there's some "fluke" elements to the DS (that's one of those words that looks weirder the more you read it) just as there was for the Wii. The Wii hit the market just right to capture a casual audience in that brief moment before mobile completely stole them all away. The DS sat in a similar capacity, and we have some evidence to the "fluke" status in how far removed the 3DS is from the sales heft and padded library of the original DS.

If the DS was not a fluke, and was truly "on to something" so to speak, the 3DS would likely have followed with similar strong sales and a similarly padded library and third party support. This makes the DS look more like a fluke--however, a good case could be made for mobile eating away a huge chunk of the market the 3DS would have otherwise had. But that adds to the fluke element--those that followed the fluke moved onto the next thing.

@Quorthon well why bother since I am already not gonna bother visiting this site anymore because the logic here is insane and doesn't make sense. Believe me I haven't even been here for a good long time. I am gonna go back and basically do what I have done in the past ever since I got into video games which is ignore all of this bull and just play my games even though I will still pay attention to Nintendo news just not here anymore. Too many crazy things happen on here except the people that run this site they have been great.

The Wii U will never pick up steam (Nintendo designed it to recapture the casual audience that brought is so much success with the Wii, and it didn't work because casuals don't give a crap about console games anymore) and the 3DS is woefully outdated hardware wise despite still having good sales.

@Quorthon I'd have to agree with that. The interesting thing with Pokemon though is that while it sells mainly to the same audience every time (and it's a fairly big one too), Game Freak's recent design choices made to attract new people have rather pissed off a lot of Pokemon fans such as @Bolt_Strike.

Basically, with the recent games Game Freak has been convinced that people are too busy nowadays and therefore don't have the time to appreciate things, particularly any sort of challenge. Essentially, they are trying to cater to kids who game on smart devices. This thinking has led them to believe that people don't want any challenge, resulting in them lowering the difficulty and even removing the Battle Frontier feature in ORAS (this pissed off 100% of Pokemon fans in one fell swoop).

This actually brings up an interesting topic of debate,albeit controversial: catering to a wider, "mainstream" audience and it's effect on game development (ignoring the business side). Games like Ninja Gaiden 3 and, arguably, the Resident Evil franchise, show evidence of where catering to the mainstream has been detrimental to game design. With NG3, Team Ninja toned down the violence, difficulty, and gore, (the reasons people buy Ninja Gaiden) and they received massive backlash. NG3: Razor's Edge then came out, which was basically a damage control game that put all of the stuff back in.

@IceClimbers I see no problem with how they handled console Pokemon games in 3rd gen, it's not like you had the same games on both, the console games were a subseries with a different gameplay style. There's little to no cannibalization in that method because you need to buy both if you want to experience both styles.

@Bolt_Strike That could work. I also wouldn't mind seeing a Pokemon Snap sequel. That would make great use of the GamePad.

@Quorthon
"I Regardless of how often I do or do not mention Sony or Microsoft, or Steam or Android or Apple, or Sega--why does that even matter? Why should that upset you?"

It doesn't upset me as much as annoys me. Like the same annoying people that post on my football club's forum about other clubs over and over again.

For example, (if you are an American) say you support the Giants and post on a fans forum but one guy is always going on about the greatness of the Raiders or Bears.

This is a Nintendo specific forum and constantly throwing up the marvels of PS4 and Xbox every two minutes in EVERY argument is something I do find annoying.

As I clearly stated, sometimes this is necessary but every fool knows that the Wii U is NOT as successful as the competition because of Nintendo, hardware, third party support, marketing or any such matter relative to any or all of the four. It doesn't need to be repeated every other post in different words.

But man, this is not my site. Do whatever you want, I was just putting that out there.

Carry on doing your job promoting the Xbox, it doesn't annoy THAT much, only in the confines of this forum.

As for SOME fanboys you are wasting your time. If Nintendo put bird poo in a box and said it was the best thing ever SOME fans would support it.
This goes for that peculiar group MS and Sony fanatics too.

Dealing with facts and reality is one thing, dealing with some fans is another.
Does God exist? Is there life on other planets? Republic or Democrat?
These are easier to discuss.

My views on Nintendo: Few years ago they were printing money, now they are collecting loose change (relatively speaking). This is an earthquake of a change.

It doesn't matter how much "fun" Iwata keeps saying he wants in Nintendo games. If only a few people care about them Nintendo will never return to its former glory or financial worth. I personally think there is a much darker side to this QoL.

Just release a new Pokemon game or a remake on the Wii U and boom!

@Hotfusion

Well, you're still being selective and in which posts you pay attention to. I came here to talk of Nintendo. The way you talk, every other post is just me saying "HAY GUYZ MICROSOFT IS AWESOME" with no context, which is quite literally, never the case. Everything is in context and everything is valid.

I'm a rather bland, logic-driven individual, and see no point in empty promotion. If they're being mentioned, there is a point. Your analogy also does not fit precisely because I'm not just sitting here in an "opposing" forum championing someone else.

Frankly, when talking about Nintendo's missteps, who should I compare them to for reference? Samsung? Toyota? Marvel Comics? Why, Microsoft and Sony and Valve are who they are to be compared.

You're allowing yourself to get annoyed by something that isn't even accurate. I'm not meandering into a White Sox forum and saying "YOU GUYS SUCK, MINNESOTA TWINS FOREVER!" For one thing, that would mean I'm going somewhere where I don't belong as I am not a White Sox fan. But I am a Nintendo fan, and have been for longer than most here because, holy crap, am I old these days.

I have criticisms for Nintendo, particularly these days, and many of them make more sense in context and that context sometimes requires a measure against their competition. For instance, talking about how far behind the curve they are in online gaming, or detailing the perception problem they have with the public. On one hand, I can talk about how Nintendo's public perception with the wider gamer audience is piss-poor and they are seen as irrelevant. This point gets a boost when used in context to their competition and how gamers do not have the same perception of them. There is a lot more data there to form a discussion, and the point becomes more detailed and from there, validity can be measured or dismissed.

I really shouldn't have to explain all of this. Be less selective in which posts you read or acknowledge. Would you like me to finally select a colorful avatar to make it easier to find my posts?

Because, frankly, what you're saying I do is flatly incorrect. At no point have I randomly posted anything along the lines of the "BUY SONY INSTEAD!" that you think I'm doing (which may indicate that you aren't actually reading the full posts, outside of doing a CTRL+F for "Microsoft" or "Sony", I don't know).

Yes, there has been an earthquake of change in Nintendo this generation--but take the wider context, that earthquake of change has hit the entire industry. Everything this generation is the opposite of last generation, and that's fascinating. Nintendo went from the top seller with unimpressive hardware to impressive hardware and no sales. Sony went from the worst user interface in the history of gaming and crappiest controller of the generation to the (arguably) the fastest and cleanest user interface and one of the most comfortable controllers ever. Microsoft went from putting indies on the console map, being the best at handling updates and game installs and defining so many new norms to practically giving indies the finger (even fixed, it's still not perfect), being the worst at handling console updates and installs, and being a "me-too" box. Nintendo went from appealing to almost everyone in some form to appealing to almost no one. Sony went from laughing stock to leader. Microsoft went from leader to laughing stock. The PSP and DS were the best-selling portable systems ever (though PSP was below original Game Boy line), and the Vita barely registers a heartbeat and the 3DS is barely a shadow of the DS line and appears to be selling below the GBA. Valve went from redefining PC gaming to wanting to redefine console gaming (and GDC will be their moment to prove this or fail). Mobile went from a joke to a recognized arm of game distribution, despite reports that the "mobile bubble has burst."

That earthquake of change isn't just Nintendo--it's everyone. And we can better understand Nintendo's change by looking at the bigger picture. To not want to talk about the competition in this regard strikes me as fearful fanboyism--the kind where a person does not want to admit just how bad Nintendo is really doing. I don't think that's you. But that's why these references matter.

@IceClimbers

When a franchise has been around as long as Pokemon--or Mario or Zelda or Sonic or Final Fantasy--eventually they all hit a wall. It's a bit like the line in The Dark Knight. You either die the hero, or live long enough to be the villain.

Except for these franchises, they either die young and are fondly remembered, or they last so long that growth potential hits a brick wall and drastic changes will be incorporated to find a new audience or make the franchise feel fresh again.

Zelda games, especially, do not sell consoles to fence-sitters or non-Nintendo fans. I don't know if I'm going to bother with the new one as I'm tired of seeing Zelda games released every year for full-price, retail games, with half of them just being remakes. I'm also of that older crowd that grew up with Zelda and am just tired of the predictable formulas all the games follow. Will the new Zelda be different enough to appeal to the non-Nintendo crowd? If it's too different, it might, but then it might also piss off those core fans that kept the franchise afloat through an endless sea of remakes and ports and predictable formulas.

Pokemon has been around so long that Nintendo and Game Freak may see the franchise hitting a brick wall. They need to find a way to appeal to a new audience again, and this will always upset long-time fans. Just like the DMC revamp or that laughably bad Bomberman: Act Zero which took "reinvention" to an absurd extreme, per my understanding.

From what I've seen, though, these changes will bring in a small new fanbase, but the developers will return to the "old (successful) style" after that to appease the angered core fanbase, and with any luck, some of the new people will stick around while the old waning fanbase will come back with renewed interest.

I'm really, really hoping this is what's going to happen to the Metroid franchise after Nintendo practically destroyed it with Other M. I hope that was their stupid experiment to expand it that will quickly be erased by better games--and ones that treat Samus like the powerful human being she was always meant to be, not the broken little girl with both mommy and daddy issues that defined that piece of crap.