It seems that everywhere you turn, there is nothing but negative news surrounding the Wii U. Honestly, other than Infendo.com and a few other Nintendo centric websites, I cannot find anyone that has reported on the good aspects of the console. Instead they tell us about how horrible it is compared to two unreleased consoles (that incidentally we know very little about.). Could this stem from Jealousy, maybe they are scared of what the Wii U offers, maybe they know something we don’t know?
I cannot say that I know the true motives behind the negative press, but I can guess that it is nothing more than a scare tactic. I would guess that the two other next Gen consoles will not come close to the Wii U launch pricing, so scaring fans into thinking that their beloved Wii U will be obsolete shortly after E3 seems a perfect way to coerce fans to come on over to their camp. I would also guess that they fear the Wii U’s future success. I mean, we saw everyone write off the 3DS. Sony released a fantastic alternative, but failed to gain momentum in the market (Could there be fears that the PS4 will react the same?). Microsoft did not release anything to combat the 3DS, maybe they feel that their mobile tablets and phones are en0ugh to fight against the 3DS, but I doubt it. Nintendo took the time to nurture the 3DS and then BAM…it became the super successful console/handheld that it is. I have a feeling that Nintendo is taking the same route with the Wii U.
Since its launch, we have seen multiple updates, with many more to come. All, arguably, have been for the better. I think this has been part of Nintendo’s master plan all along. Sure, we might have been used as guinea pigs, but Nintendo has kept us up to date on the progress of the updates via Nintendo Directs and other communications. By the time the other two consoles release, Nintendo should have all of the bugs worked out. However, the other two will just begin to experience the real life issues that come with a new console, issues that cannot be found in a controlled testing environment. I wonder if the same people that are complaining now, will complain about the issues that the next PlayStation and Xbox will have? What about lack of launch titles? Will both consoles have hundreds of titles at launch. Will they release a few quality games, or bombard us with fillers?
Speaking of quality, are the best graphics, fastest processors, most powerful machines really that important? I, for one, play for the story. A game could have the most beautiful environments, surreal music, and amazing characters, but if the story is horrible is it worth playing? I think that graphics and power have become an unnecessary definition of what makes a console great. It is sad that power has come to measure a consoles success even before it is launched, and we have experienced actual gameplay. That is what has me concerned about the PS4 announcement. We saw some amazing demos, my jaw was on the floor the entire time. But was it all smoke and mirrors? WE did not see any actual gameplay, and from what we learned for Aliens: Colonial Marines, demo and gameplay are not always the same. Not to mention we did not even see a console. I feel that they rushed to make the announcement and showed us what we wanted to see, not what they actual had ready, As for Microsoft, nothing has been confirmed and the fans are already declaring victory. I only hope that tomorrow’s announcement shows us more that the PS4.
What about the developers? It has been confirmed that one time arch nemesis of Nintendo, SEGA, has joined forces and become an ally. I can see great things coming from this partnership, and truly believe that the addition of Sonic (I know a lot of people dislike him) and possibly other Sega IPs will only add to Nintendo’s success. However, there are still those developers, such as EA, that I believe are digging their own grave by trashing Nintendo. Most of EA’s games are easily duplicated, especially the sports games and First Person Shooters. A smart developer, preferably an Indie, could approach Nintendo with a plan to create something new that could blow the cookie cutter genre out of the water. Now, I don’t have anything against EA’s games, just their attitude (As seen in the twitter conversation below). They are trashing Nintendo publicly, and that is bad business. Some things are best kept behind closed doors, instead they have chosen to bring their fanbase into this.
What are your thoughts about the negative publicity that Nintendo is receiving? Is it unjustified and unfair? Will Wii U rise up like a Phoenix just as the 3DS did? Hmmmm….maybe the next Nintendo console could be called the Phoenix!
Share your thoughts below.