anexanhume
Veteran
With the playstation meeting coming up, it's possible something could be announced to give the vita a bump past the Wii U next month :O This is what no software library gets you.
It only potentially solves it in terms of core gamers, as I think the big perception issue the Wii U has right now is that it doesn't appear that it can be graphically competitive long term. They of course have much bigger ecosystem issues such as the complete disconnection of their multiple digital storefronts and the "hardware is the owner" model for purchases. Thats going to take much longer to sort through and improve.
The Wii U is stuck because they didn't bump the processing power enough, so they can't get the hardcore because of the graphics, and their attempt at bridging tablet and console gaming has completely failed with the people who lined up for the first console built for motion gaming. They either need to go back to a serious gaming console and try to compete head to head with Sony, MS or they need to come up with the next big idea. I wondered why they seemed to abandon the motion gaming that made them so much money. I thought they'd try to do a Kinect clone + wiimote idea, or something like that.
Edit:
Maybe Nintendo should have made a tablet with a docking station. Could be used as either a tablet for portable games or as a console with a gamepad if you dock it to your tv.
anexanhume
Veteran
I don't think that's their problem. Wii was lackluster and not even HD and did fine. Their problem is that they launched with too few high quality 1st party (and 3rd party for that matter) titles and at too high a price for anything but a strict core gamer. Their ecosystem issues is the third, although less important issue at the moment in my opinion. I also think forcing the tablet and not boxing in a wiimote or pro controller was a mistake.
I think their issue is trying to sell a portable console. Honestly, I think the portable console market is dead. Tablets and smartphones have eaten that up.
this is on the mark
The 3ds isn't doing that bad since the price cut.
What I can't figure about the wii:u is how the hardware is not profitable. If that controller costs $50 to make they are doing something seriously wrong. If wiiu was $279 I think it would do a lot better although I still don't see the appeal of the tablet. People were saying Nintendo would find great things to do with a tablet before it released, and we're still waiting for that.
If WiiU can't at least break even with a price cut then that just shows Nintendo's incompetence when it comes to designing hardware. They intentionally crippled the thing to save a few bucks and in the end it doesn't help them.
This is also telling that Nintendo's business strategy isn't going to work out for them this generation. Trying to be innovative and super conservative at the same time isn't mixing well for them these days. I'm not surprised to wee the console selling so poorly given Nintendo's strategy of competing by not competing. And the arrogance of the company is astounding. There should have been a brand new Zelda and 3d Mario game from the beginning. Nintendo needs to understand the value of their brands and how that could sell millions of units in the launch months and instead lets next gen hype take over like a dark and ominous cloud. I'm not going to call it a Dreamcast scenario just yet, but it's beginning to look more and more like it.
This is also telling that Nintendo's business strategy isn't going to work out for them this generation. Trying to be innovative and super conservative at the same time isn't mixing well for them these days. I'm not surprised to wee the console selling so poorly given Nintendo's strategy of competing by not competing. And the arrogance of the company is astounding. There should have been a brand new Zelda and 3d Mario game from the beginning. Nintendo needs to understand the value of their brands and how that could sell millions of units in the launch months and instead lets next gen hype take over like a dark and ominous cloud. I'm not going to call it a Dreamcast scenario just yet, but it's beginning to look more and more like it.
They wanted to, but the license fees for my Grand Vision of the Future were just too exorbitant for them.
They wanted to, but the license fees for my Grand Vision of the Future were just too exorbitant for them.
They should have made a tablet that docks into a station that includes a BluRay drive. Downloadable games on the go, with disc-based games and motion control in the living room. You could have been rich.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Hell, if the entire console was housed in the tablet, they could have a made a whole line of docking stations with varying capabilities. One that was just a BluRay player. Perhaps one that combines that with DVR functionality. Etc.
Regards,
SB
They have 10 billion dollars in cash and short term investments ( bonds)...
One thing where WiiU has failed miserably has been the marketing. When the console launched here in Finland, there were no ads, no TV commercials, nothing. Only the gaming magazines wrote something about it. It's like Nintendo gave up before the launch or they don't know how to do the marketing.
Lot of Tv ad in France on greats audiences shows, like for all Nintendo products.
Is not a Ad problem.
Lot of the persons Nintendo convinced to buy a Wii (kids aside) were pretty old adults with no gaming experience. They have reasonable buying power and did not care for 250$ and a game every once in a while. Nintendo kind of let them down no refreshing fast enough the games that were the system seller for this crowd. THouh I don't think they have grudge they moved forward.
Now they have tablet, lot of games are free (at least to try), tablet allows a lot of stuffs allows a lot of "stuffs": browsing, media consumption, game consumption, but also Skipe, checking email, etc.
The wiiU doesn't touch the functionality a tablet provides.
It is too bad that since the WiiU announcement the tablet have finally take off as far as sales are concerned, devices like Nexus7, kindle line have made Nintendo a lot of arm.
So I think for the super casual adults the WiiU brings nothing, they could be more interesting if an amazing game is released for the Wii they have in the cupboard now.
That let others users, I think Kids are attracted more to iPad/tablet than to the WiiU, kids love the touch interface, for them I would assert that the single touch screen in the WiiU is something "weird" at this point in history...
Kids are the same as the old casuals, they may be more interested in crazy good game using wiimote than the tablet controller. I said it before but Nintendo should have come with a stronger line-up and speciffically games which focus on wiimotes for those two demographic target.
Then you the average gamer, the system is expansive, word on the street is that it is no better than the system they already own... The tablet controller whereas I think is a great idea is not a game changer. You need solid hardware to realize its potential. Solid hardware attract proper gamers.
Nintendo failed to attract pretty much everybody but their fan, I think the system is a miss, for the old casual, to the kids and to average and core gamers. It is a waste of a great idea, I won't change my pov on the matter the WiiUmote concept is great and was a potential game changer for some type of games (but core games...), was of great convenience.
Anyway I think that Nintendo can swallow the bullet, though let hope they deal with it nicely and reconsider their overall approach to hardware altogether.
I think the system won't sell outside of their fans, their fans seem pretty forgiving (buying all the update for the DS, 3DS, etc.). If they want to enter the home console market again they need hardware, potent hardware, if I were them I would wait till 22nm process are available and interposer more commonly used. Though when that is available it means that it would be pretty easy for other (bigger) actors to enter the market with a potent and reasonably priced system, in which case competing might be wrong idea. The same applies to SOny and MSFT, if Apple or Google decides to enter the living room with a potent do it all device and a different business model thinking that Sony and MSFT would not suffer is a misunderstanding of the market dynamic.
I do not completely agrees with what the former XBOX creator stated about Apple being in position to kill traditional consoles if they decide to, but at least I acknowledge that they could do massive damages to their profitability lines. Not too mention if Apple goes expect Google to follow.
EDIT
An article that conveniently packs "historical data" (US only).
Now they have tablet, lot of games are free (at least to try), tablet allows a lot of stuffs allows a lot of "stuffs": browsing, media consumption, game consumption, but also Skipe, checking email, etc.
The wiiU doesn't touch the functionality a tablet provides.
It is too bad that since the WiiU announcement the tablet have finally take off as far as sales are concerned, devices like Nexus7, kindle line have made Nintendo a lot of arm.
So I think for the super casual adults the WiiU brings nothing, they could be more interesting if an amazing game is released for the Wii they have in the cupboard now.
That let others users, I think Kids are attracted more to iPad/tablet than to the WiiU, kids love the touch interface, for them I would assert that the single touch screen in the WiiU is something "weird" at this point in history...
Kids are the same as the old casuals, they may be more interested in crazy good game using wiimote than the tablet controller. I said it before but Nintendo should have come with a stronger line-up and speciffically games which focus on wiimotes for those two demographic target.
Then you the average gamer, the system is expansive, word on the street is that it is no better than the system they already own... The tablet controller whereas I think is a great idea is not a game changer. You need solid hardware to realize its potential. Solid hardware attract proper gamers.
Nintendo failed to attract pretty much everybody but their fan, I think the system is a miss, for the old casual, to the kids and to average and core gamers. It is a waste of a great idea, I won't change my pov on the matter the WiiUmote concept is great and was a potential game changer for some type of games (but core games...), was of great convenience.
Anyway I think that Nintendo can swallow the bullet, though let hope they deal with it nicely and reconsider their overall approach to hardware altogether.
I think the system won't sell outside of their fans, their fans seem pretty forgiving (buying all the update for the DS, 3DS, etc.). If they want to enter the home console market again they need hardware, potent hardware, if I were them I would wait till 22nm process are available and interposer more commonly used. Though when that is available it means that it would be pretty easy for other (bigger) actors to enter the market with a potent and reasonably priced system, in which case competing might be wrong idea. The same applies to SOny and MSFT, if Apple or Google decides to enter the living room with a potent do it all device and a different business model thinking that Sony and MSFT would not suffer is a misunderstanding of the market dynamic.
I do not completely agrees with what the former XBOX creator stated about Apple being in position to kill traditional consoles if they decide to, but at least I acknowledge that they could do massive damages to their profitability lines. Not too mention if Apple goes expect Google to follow.
EDIT
An article that conveniently packs "historical data" (US only).
Last edited by a moderator:
Duck Dodgers
Newcomer
Interesting numbers but do you really think ps4 and Xbox 720 are really going to do all that much better than their predecessors? I think the Wii U is the canary in the mineshaft here. Sony and Microsoft realising having hardware symmetry to make cross platform development as easy as possible to counter the disruption is kinda cute, and will lead to fading duopoly of sorts.
We now have entertainment in our pockets and its becoming some sort of crack,
with 60% of reach stats being purely about gaming. With predictions like desktop power coming to mobiles in 7 years, the biggest mistake all of the big three have made is not going mobile and not throwing that neolithic hardware refresh cycle out the window.
A hybrid controller won't cut it. It's a nod to the disruption but nothing more. The clincher here that people are mobile and gaming an awful lot, so unless Sony and Microsoft figure out a way of increasing people's appetites for what they're serving up in the living room, some prettier polygons just won't do.
We now have entertainment in our pockets and its becoming some sort of crack,
with 60% of reach stats being purely about gaming. With predictions like desktop power coming to mobiles in 7 years, the biggest mistake all of the big three have made is not going mobile and not throwing that neolithic hardware refresh cycle out the window.
A hybrid controller won't cut it. It's a nod to the disruption but nothing more. The clincher here that people are mobile and gaming an awful lot, so unless Sony and Microsoft figure out a way of increasing people's appetites for what they're serving up in the living room, some prettier polygons just won't do.
Who is predicting that? Because it's not going to happen, unless they mean desktops from 2005 7 years from now.
