Anyone still think Wii U will "win" "next gen"?

[Rangers]

So, as of now, is there anyone who can still see the Wii U being the best selling console of "next gen" (next gen meaning Wii U, Durango, Orbis)?

Because with recent events:

-Wii U seemingly not selling that great, even without other next gen consoles on the market

-Tons of bad news about the performance, now seems like it is only current gen at best

-Tons of very bad bugs, technical problems, lack of dlc, lack of storage options, missing features, etc.

I'm just curious what possible picture would have to emerge for Wii U to end up triumphant. The alpha scenario was always "touch screen catches on like wildfire" but that already seems unlikely to me after a couple of days.

I mean I guess the only possible scenario(s) where Wii U triumphs I could see is like:



1. Diminishing returns are incredibly real, not only that, but Microsoft and Sony go surprisingly low spec next gen. Leaving Wii U much less outclassed than expected.

2. Nintendo is able to get a good amount of consoles into consumer hands in the first year, and then is able to cut the wii u price drastically (say, $150) when next gen hits, further building a lead.

3. The Wii U has more power hidden in that GPU than expected, and it begins to show up.

4. Touchscreen gaming, while it seems to me impossible to become the star of the show based on what I've seen so far, at least becomes compelling in certain areas.

5. The nebulous "Nintendo first party software". Which I personally ascribe little market value to (as proved by the Gamecube's relative failure) but I guess counts for something.



It's interesting that basically, points 1 and 3 are absolutely necessary in my view for any chance of the Wii U to succeed, while the other points only build on that necessary foundation. Again, in core gaming it always comes back to power to a shocking degree. I cant possibly see the Wii U succeed next gen without a power edge at least over ps3/360, because in that case, I think people would just buy the PS3 and 360 over the Wii U.


So, would some Wii U champion like to paint the picture of a successful Wii U future?

 

[McHuj]

No. I think it's destiny is somewhere around Gamecube levels. I don't think they have a gimmick worthy of grabbing the casuals like Wii did. The poor online infrastructure and specs will make the core gamers hesitant about it. It's a cool system for kids or a secondary one to supplement your 720/PS4 if you care about Nintendo games.

 

[Gitaroo]

yup same here, Nintendo softwares alone won't save it anymore than Gamecube. It will do good in Japan only because the early money hat of MH and DQ and they better how that the momemtum gets carries on for very long time. Also sony is being put in a difficult position, JP devs either has to focus on only domestic market or bite the bullet and do bigger budget titles for PS4 or stick to 3ds forever.

 

[kots]

I don't think it will "win" anything .. i suppose it's a nice machine for those wanting Nintendo games , but not much beyond that.
Personally i'd rather wait for next year to see the 720/ps4 offerings .

 

[oramay]

I can say Wii U belongs to its own generation. Being in a generation of one, wins that generation by default. :smile:

I'm only half joking. Think about it, doesn't it feel strange to lump Wii U with either the PS360 generation or their successors'? You could seriously say Nintendo home console business now has a separate cycle of it's own. The Wii U isn't coming out early, but a bit late with Wii dropping off in the last couple of years. The Nintendo generation Wii should have been ended by the next Nintendo generation a year or more earlier.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I'm only half joking. Think about it, doesn't it feel strange to lump Wii U with either the PS360 generation or their successors'? You could seriously say Nintendo home console business now has a separate cycle of it's own.

Consumers don't work according to any hardware manufacturer's cycles. Wii was in competition with PS3 and XB360 as new devices, or PS2 as an old, cheap device - Joe Public was looking for entertainment and had a choice of all these systems. Likewise, Wii U will be up against XB360, PS3, XB3 and PS4. In terms of release into the market, Wii U is a 'next gen' console that'll be evaluated against PS4 and XB3 in terms of sales.

 

[Arwin]

It's sold at practically a profit ($10, or one game). And the idea that you can take the gamepad and game 'portable' (away from the TV) is actually quite attractive to many - it means that you could play something like Assassin's Creed 3 or Call of Duty multi-player anywhere you like in the house (sort of, you still have to be in range somewhat). It gives a lot of flexibility, and combines with the features you get for games that can use both the gamepad and the Wii U for games. But this feature would have been more successful if the user experience would have covered the PS3 and 360's bases, and Nintendo has some work to do there.

In the end much will depend on when the 360 and PS3 successors actually come out, how good those are, and how expensive.

I don't know that the system is in as good a position as the Wii was when that launched - while the Wii U is less likely to be sold to elderly people's homes or sports centra, for example, it still supports everything the Wii did, with an added touch interface/display. And the latter means it shares a decent amount of real-estate and mindset with the 3DS. That's something it may be able to capitalise on. For the kids generation, it's primary competitor still seems to be more the iPad than anything Microsoft or Sony offer.

So the only thing I am sure of when it comes to a GameCube comparison, is that I think the Wii U will likely make money for Nintendo regardless of whether it will win the generation.

I don't see it as getting nearly the same initial hype that the Wii did though. That kind of thing will be hard to replicate. But it still offers a unique experience to the family, and it is still backwards compatible with all the Wii hardware and software all the way, and with people who have several Wii motes and a balance board already, that may count for a lot.

 

[almighty]

You have to think that by this time next time the machine could in theory be half the price and a good £2-300 cheap then the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

Cheapness is the reason that Wii did so well, especially if you're a parent and want to buy your child there first console, do you spend £100-150 in a Nintendo machine or 2-3x that on a Sony or Microsoft one?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You have to think that by this time next time the machine could in theory be half the price and a good £2-300 cheap then the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

So will PS3 and XB360, with far bigger software libraries, loads of old discount software, alternative functionality like BRD playback. Wii U won't have the cheap market to itself at all.

Cheapness is the reason that Wii did so well, especially if you're a parent and want to buy your child there first console, do you spend £100-150 in a Nintendo machine or 2-3x that on a Sony or Microsoft one?

Not just cheapness. PS2 offered far better value in that regard. Wii had the Wiimote though, so the experience was the principal draw for consumers away from PS2 - right product at right price. If Wii U's tablet doesn't excite in the same way, Wii U won't have that distinction versus PS360.

 

[almighty]

So will PS3 and XB360, with far bigger software libraries, loads of old discount software, alternative functionality like BRD playback. Wii U won't have the cheap market to itself at all.
Not just cheapness. PS2 offered far better value in that regard. Wii had the Wiimote though, so the experience was the principal draw for consumers away from PS2 - right product at right price. If Wii U's tablet doesn't excite in the same way, Wii U won't have that distinction versus PS360.

Problem is that kids won't want each respective 'old' console..

Wii U will be Nintendo's latest but while a 360/PS3 might be a better choice they'll be 'old' in the eyes of kids, and kids don't like old things.

 

[Mize]

Nah. Wii U is going to make Virtual boy look like a success.

 

[Rangers]

You have to think that by this time next time the machine could in theory be half the price and a good £2-300 cheap then the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

Cheapness is the reason that Wii did so well, especially if you're a parent and want to buy your child there first console, do you spend £100-150 in a Nintendo machine or 2-3x that on a Sony or Microsoft one?

Dont agree, Wii was $249 during it's heyday. IMO a fairly stiff price. It sold for $400 on ebay for probably, years.

Wii demand was very price inelastic. each price cut it had did very little to boost it's sales (or, stem it's rapid decline at that point). It was a fad, people either wanted it or they didn't, and it didn't matter within reason what the price was, up or down. The price was nice and tidy and surely helped, but I wouldn't say it propelled Wii success.

 

[MDX]

Im not sure if Microsoft is even making a gaming console for WiiU to compete with:

Microsoft's VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business, Phil Harrison, has acknowledged that the company's internal development studios are no longer competing with just traditional console manufacturers, but web and tech companies including Google and Apple.

"We are now really a multiplatform studio," he told the audience. "We are not just building games for Xbox 360, we're building experiences for smart glass, we're building dedicated games for Windows Phone 8 and for Windows 8."

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=44605277&postcount=1

 

[ninzel]

Depends on how well 3rd parties embrace it and with what kind of software.
I do think that in terms of visuals just the step up to HD helps to blur the perception between it and it's competitors and will be more than enough for a lot of people.
The gaming audience is much bigger and more diverse than what's represented on this board but we all have one thing in common, we want lot's of good games.
Price cuts without great games will do next to nothing.
Edit:And Nintendo needs to step up it's own first party output. Having one big Zelda game per console life cycle is pathetic.
Three big Zelda,Mario 2d and 3d, Metroid etc per console life cycle.
They need to pump out at least 2-3 AAA quality games from each I.P. to begin with. They also need to start giving more creative control over to NA devs to create new I.P.

 

[(((interference)))]

Im not sure if Microsoft is even making a gaming console for WiiU to compete with:



http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=44605277&postcount=1

Yeah, they just spent a lot of money sending out devkits to developers for no reason whatsoever...

 

[Exophase]

I'm even less tuned in to the console market as I was when this last gen kicked off, but it seems like whatever Nintendo had that made them so successful for a while (with Wii) wore off years ago. The new interface designs aren't winning nearly the buzz Wii won with its motion controls, which is not surprising since tablets have been doing it for a couple years now, and Wii U's feels like a weak imitation.

I wouldn't underestimate the sales Nintendo can generate from their first party stuff, though. The biggest thing that'd be hurting Wii U's first party sales are probably those of 3DS; look at the DS games sales numbers, they're absolutely staggering. Maybe said software is more handheld friendly these days..

 

[JasonLD]

I think it is too early to tell. Wii U seems to have great chance at capturing Japanese Market(although that market is far less important than it was before). Have to look at what Sony and MS will offer before making any Assumptions.
Noone expected Wii to sell almost 100m anyways lol.
Wii U's spec does concern me though..will it be enough to carry the console for next 5 years?

 

[Jedi2016]

WiiU isn't early to the next-gen, it's six years late to current-gen.

That said, it probably won't matter in the long run. People said the same thing about the Wii, and it held up rather well. It won't be able to hold a candle next to the new Xbox and Playstation, but it won't have to.

 

[(((interference)))]

The crucial difference between the Wii and the Wii U is that there's no indications that the tablet controller will end up being the same kind of fad as motion controls were for the Wii.

There just hasn't been the same kind of prerelease interest shown in the tablet controller compared to the Wii remote, which even the general media were commenting on prior to launch.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

WiiU isn't early to the next-gen, it's six years late to current-gen.

I wouldn't say that. I'd say it's 2 years, maybe 3 years at most. If it were launched 2 years ago, I think it'd be launching with a lot more fanfare.

As far as it not mattering for the Wii and not mattering for the WiiU (being underpowered), the Wii had hugely positive press when it launched. Even prior to its launch. I was a non-believer, I couldn't believe that people would be suckered into buying a Gamecube 1.5 with an inaccurate and ridiculous gimmick of a controller.

I was wrong.

But I was correct in seeing that the Wii clearly had no legs. Now, it still had longer legs than I believed was possible, but the Wii ended its dominance how many years ago?

Now compare that to the press of the WiiU which is overwhelmingly negative. Pretty much the most positive thing that is being said about it is "Wait and see... uhhh, maybe they'll figure out how to incorporate the tablet controller better and maybe Nintendo will release some 1st party games that will entice people to buy."

You have to ask yourself.. with all the launch issues, (firmware updates, TViii not ready, etc), WHY was the WiiU launched NOW?

The answer to that is very obvious to me. It's because in another year, if not six months, the NextBox will be giving demos (I don't know where the PS4 is, they seem to be keeping it more under wraps than MS) and nobody would buy the WiiU.

I haven't read any reviews that say how amazing the tablet controller is. At most they say there are some circumstances where it works rather well, others where it is cumbersome and "tacked on" and essentially more of a pain than just having a traditional system. That's a far cry from the reviews about the Wii.

Of course, this was before people realized you didn't really need to "swing" the controller around and you could just sit on the couch and small flicks of the wrist would accomplish the same result because the controller was so horribly inaccurate it didn't matter.

No, the WiiU is dead on arrival and it's pretty clear from the reviews that the only thing that will save this console is what Rangers mentioned above. 1) Price cut and 2) Unique IP... they've got to get out their real Zelda and Mario games.

<edit: and Interference said it in drastically fewer sentences than I.>