Nintendo is tough.
It has taken a beating from fans, enemies, competitors, and their third party developers. Yet, out favorite console maker, and first party game maker, is fighting on and will continue to do so because they have a passion for the gaming industry that is unmatched by any other. That passion alone will keep their drive alive, and urge them to develop amazing games that we all love and want.
However, there are a few out there that, although they share the gaming passion, would rather see dollar signs before having fun with the games. Sadly, that seems counter intuitive to me, as the fun is what brings the masses to the console, in turn bringing the money. A few of those that seem to be giving up on the console are Target, Best Buy, and Gamestop (It has also been rumored that WalMart is on that list, but I am still looking into it, although Canada is lowering the price to $199 next week), because they are no longer selling the 8GB Basic version of the Wii U. Now, it could be that they are not giving up on the lesser expensive model, and maybe Nintendo is making a stealth move behind the scenes to close out the model to make room for another version this holiday season. Nintendo has been through tough times before, it is part of the business, so I am positive that they have a plan in place to ensure success. (My thoughts on their strategy will appear later)
One thing that Nintendo has in the works to increase revenue, is to allow eShop purchases from PC, Smartphones, and Tablets. This might be a simple plan, but imagine the impact? If you are out with your friends and they are all talking about the newest game, you can pull out your smartphone and purchase it right there, no need to wait until you get home, giving you the opportunity to forget all about it. This plan will increase the impulse buys, no doubt.
”[Users will be able to ] log onto the site and set [purchases] up for download so that once they get home, it’ll be available for them and they can have that at their fingertips whenever they need it.” ~Dan Aldeman
Obviously, there are a ton of other features that Nintendo has in the works, some secret and some are public (Such as various Wii U updates). There are some fantastic game that are scheduled to release, and some that have not yet received release dates (I bet we will hear more about them when the other consoles release). Regardless of what is to come, Nintendo is not clueless, nor are they naive, to their competition. In fact, they are quite the opposite and will be prepared for whatever is thrown their way.
Kit Juckes, global strategist for Société Générale, wrote an open letter to Nintendo with his view on Nintendo, in response to their current financials. One area of focus is the competition of Smartphones and tablets. Nintendo has already stated that they will forgo releasing their IPs on those mobile devices, as it pulls away from the brand value if they do so.
“I have no opinion about Nintendo’s share price. But the Nintendo DS is being beaten into pulp by the fashion for mobile games. The WiiU likewise, and the Wii isn’t competing with Xbox and [PlayStation]. All of this is a shame for those of us who wish our children would stick to cheaper devices. And for those of us who have lost iPads and smartphones to our teens. I approve of Nintendo on grounds of cost, even if it fails on ‘cool’.
The good news is that the yen saves the day!! Profits are up despite falling sales. Dear Mr. Nintendo, please bolster your sales by cutting prices in time for Christmas, and give me some of your weak yen in disinflation, I deserve it! Oh and please use some of your profits to think up other cooler (and cheaper) games that can compete with the leviathans of the mobile gaming and video market. Do I like what the yen has done for the Nikkei? Oh Yes I do! Does Mr. Abe need to keep it up if he wants to avoid wasting the benefit of a weaker currency? Yes he does!”
***Before continuing, please advise that the following is strictly my opinion on the Wii U***
Despite the analyst views, and the doom and gloom of those that mock the Wii U, I feel that Nintendo is in a good place right now. Sure, their financials might say otherwise, but those financials show the past, not the future. Nintendo did not have to be the first to release a next gen console (Despite what some have said, the Wii U IS next gen), but they did so a year earlier than the other two. By doing so, they gave themselves a year to allow users to share their opinions on the console (by users, I mean those that actually own the console and have more than a few minutes of Kiosk gaming experience to base their entire experience on, this also disqualifies those that do not own the system, yet have created an opinion on the console even though they might not have played it yet). During what has passed thus far of that year, Nintendo has given us multiple updates to improve system performance. During that time, we have received a fantastic selection of games to play on the console, including a multitude of eShop and virtual console games that are completely amazing. Sure, we have not received some of the games that we wanted at launch, but so what? We are getting them at a time when Nintendo feels comfortable launching them. Would we rather they launched them at a time the console was glitchy, a time when the game was rushed just to satisfy our hunger for the title, only to be disappointed by the lack of quality? Or, would we rather receive a completed game that exceeds our expectations?
Some have said that we are only being used as guinea pigs to help improve the console. I say, yeah…maybe we are, but does that matter? The Wii U experience was never horrible, but the improvements that it has received have been a great addition to the console. The improvements that are to come will be even better.
In closing, Nintendo did the right thing by releasing the console earlier with a great selection of games, but waiting to release the big titles closer to the launch of the competitors. When the other two launch, Nintendo will have the least inexpensive unit, new releases that are highly anticipated and can battle the other two consoles for sales…even force the decision for those that are on fence about which console to purchase, a system that is not buggy (the other two will just begin to see the bugs in the “real world” gaming environment…not in the controlled environments that they have been tested in), and a console that is ready to compete. Let’s not forget the gamepad. The gamepad, regardless of what some say, is an amazing controller that enhances the experience greatly…so much that the other two are copying it on one way or another. It is extremely comfortable to hold, for all hand sizes (we have five in our household from 12 up, and each of us find it extremely comfortable), easy to use, very responsive, and has NFC built in… and it is included in the box, unlike the other two consoles that will force you to purchase it at an extra cost.
I know that some will disagree with my views, and that is okay because we can all agree to disagree. However, I foresee the Wii U rising to greatness. Maybe not to the pedestal that the Wii did, but it will be successful. The money that it makes in the future, will make up for any shortcomings from the past. Will it surpass sales of the PS4 or Xbox One? Does it really matter? What matters is that Nintendo sticks to their roots, creates quality games (because great games are what makes a console, not the graphics or processors. If that were true, why are the original NES and Super NES still so popular today, as seen by the releases on the virtual console?). In the end, I will always be there for Nintendo, as will I be there for any other console that comes out in the future, be it Xbox One, PS4, the long lasting Neo Geo, etc… I am a gamer, I don’t discriminate against any console, I look at the positives of each, and focus on them instead of the negatives. Since Infendo is a Nintendo Centric site, my focus here is Nintendo and its relevancy in the gaming field.
Share below if you agree, disagree, or maybe you don’t really care. But please, let’s keep the debates civil and mature. When discussing the future of the console, we are all speaking hypothetically, so opinions will vary.
I agree that the Wii U can be a system that contends for a spot in living rooms everywhere, but Nintendo has made quite a few missteps in getting themselves to this juncture. Sure, people can blame slow game releases, and so on, but the actuality is that nearly all console launches go through similar trends. I think part of the problem was some of the games available for Wii U had been out for some time on other consoles.
I think the main issue has really been with Nintendo's marketing. I, along with many other regular gamers, knew the Wii U was a new console. The general population, however, had very mixed ideas of what the Wii U exactly was. Some have not heard of it at all, even after it has been on the market for over 8 months. Nintendo needs to launch an aggressive marketing campaign that details what it is, shows fun games to play on it, and gets people talking positively about it. The games are starting to arrive, but increasing the install base would do the most good in persuading even more developers to bring their games to Wii U.
What baffles me the most is that this is all Nintendo does – they're a gaming company only. And yet they continue to botch launches.
Sony and Microsoft are primarily not gaming companies, yet Nintendo doesn't seem able to exploit that advantage. PS4 is getting a incredible amount of attention right now, and if pre-order sales numbers are accurate, it's going to be huge. Xbox One was looking to be a disaster, but they quickly changed course and pre-orders increased. How are those companies able to learn from mistakes but not Nintendo?
Releasing the 3DS at a high price point with no games was a mistake. So they decided to do the same thing with Wii U??? Does anyone want to be in another Ambassador Program? Heck no.
I still think the perfect match would be Sony and Nintendo. Sony can't seem to get handhelds right, but they make better consoles. Nintendo has an insane amount of IP, while Sony can't seem to get that going either. They'd obviously dominate in Japan, and could leverage that worldwide.
Well written, sir. Well written.
I would really like to see some realistic sports games on the Wii U. Something to bridge the gap between games designed for pre-teens and an older audience. No cartoon characters! The games should be accessible, without the learning curve of the modern era Madden type sports games.
Mario Kart is a great racing game. It can be challenging and fun for all skills levels. They could do the same for football, basketball, soccer… But they probably won't and if they do they'll insist on using their stable of rehash characters. I'm not throwing a screen pass to Princess.
Nintendo needs to prove that it is serious with online play. Already 3rd parties are screwing Wii U owners on DLC and online play. The miiverse and eShop are great but Nintendo needs to show online multiplayer can thrive on the system. Mario Kart and Smash will have to prove this, but Nintendo has a gold mine in Animal Crossing and Pokemon.
Maybe it's because I am 36 and grew up in a time that online gaming was non-existent, but I personally do not care whether a game has a robust online community in which I can play with/against. Sure, it is fun to play with friends online, maybe even funner to break from the norm and troll others when playing anonymously with others. However, I would much prefer a solid game with an amazing storyline, good gameplay, and replayability. I find that I don't play online much unless. However, I do understand today's need for I, and feel that Nintendo does need to put more focus on it.
I agree with you Essel without those aspects there would be no point in playing the game. I think online communities have the ability to make those aspects even better. Take Mario Kart and Smash, great games with solid gameplay and replayability like no other. Now add leaderboards, tournaments, special challenges, etc. How awesome would a 4v4 team deathmatch between Star Fox and Star Wolf be for the (hopefully) next Star Fox game. And oh my goodness an open world MMO Pokemon game. You could start out in Kanto and if the game was popular enough add expansion packs to the other areas. What potential!
I'm just confused at how everyone is saying Nintendo botched their launch so badly, when it outsold the PS3 and 360 in the same 4 month launch window, and recently sold a million units in Japan faster than the PS3 — the other Japanese console — had by a whole five weeks. And these consoles that it is beating are successful now.
There are, in my opinion, two major problems with the Wii U, though.
One: Half-assed, "gimped" ports. Sniper Elite V2, Batman Arkham Origins, Mass Effect 3, you name it. They may utilize the Gamepad in an efficient manner, but unless -all- the content is on the Wii U, it doesn't bode well. And it sucks that developers are doing this. It honestly feels like there's a secret war against the Wii U or some shit.
For example, Arkham Origins doesn't have multiplayer because the publishers want to focus on consoles that have a larger audience. Of course the other consoles have a larger multiplayer audience! They've been around for 7 years! And what baffles me the most, is that developers and publishers don't want to put in the tiny bit of extra effort to put this content in, and as such, increase the size of an entire other audience that they can also make a profit from, instead of just, basically, ignoring it.
Another problem is ignorance. Sure, an aggressive marketing campaign would have helped a whole bunch. But with the Internet so freely accessible, it's surprising and, if we want to sound a little extreme, inexcusable when people just don't know about it or have never heard of it. But even moreso is the ignorance of all the people who are screaming "IT HAS NO GAMES" when there's far more third party support than they realize. Haters will be haters, but I -hate- uneducated haters that think just because Battlefield 4 or Destiny isn't coming to the Wii U that it's a failure.
@BornFlunky says:
"But with the Internet so freely accessible, it’s surprising and, if we want to sound a little extreme, inexcusable when people just don’t know about it or have never heard of it. "
The problem is that the the amount of the public that looks at video games on the internet is still a small population of the total number of buyers of video game products. The masses out there do not look at the internet for video game information, and Nintendo needs to get the masses to buy their Wii U products. As an example, I've heard some video game podcast where someone was talking about PC gaming taking over the consoles, and someone else retorted very quickly that PC gaming is only 10% of the video game market and still a niche. The video game information and advertisting on the internet is still niche too.
@EsselPrat, You make a great comment about online gaming and I agree that it does not have to be the achilles heel for Nintendo. As an example, take a look at a video game like Skyrim. It is entirely and off-line game and after almost two years, it is still one of the most played games in the world. Another example is Minecraft on xbox 360. Although it offers on-line play, it also offers 4 player off-line splitscreen play and this is how our family plays it.
@Lou, Yes, there is an insane drop off in Wii-U sales, but the same could have been said of the first year of the PS3. There were some months when the PS2 was outselling the PS3. It is not too late for Nintendo to turn this around and make the WiiU successful, but it really needs some killer games and system sellsers, and it needs them soon.