Hero-of-Time Posted July 18, 2013 Author Posted July 18, 2013 Just to be clear, I freaking LOVE the gamepad but the fact that not even Nintendo don't know what to do with it is a huge problem. I remember an 8-4 podcast episode I was listening to earlier in the year and they summed up the gamepad perfectly: It's a solution to a problem that didn't exist.
Serebii Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Agree on the first point. The Gamepad is my favourite controller ever other than the GC one but come on, it's not getting used for anything outside of off screen play and that is a HUGE problem. It may as well have been a peripheral a few years down the line of Nintendo launching a cheap next gen console. I understand what Rummy is saying in that if they ditched the Gamepad, what would be the point of the Wii U, but is anyone seriously buying the console for the gamepad? Are the people who will buy it for another Mario Kart, Smash or Wii Fit buying it for the gamepad? I seriously doubt it. Just to be clear, I freaking LOVE the gamepad but the fact that not even Nintendo don't know what to do with it is a huge problem. I can't help wishing they launched a £150-200 console HD console and stuck with motion controls at this point. I really do doubt the gamepad is an incentive for people to buy the console as its not being used for anything amazing outside of Nintendo and Zombie U. I dunno, having much of the HUD including maps and so forth onto the GamePad may seem like "oh that's such a lame use", but it's so helpful. Compare Arkham City and Assassin's Creed. On the Wii U, you can just look down and spot stuff. On the 360/PS3, you're just constantly pausing doing it. It streamlines the gaming process. Even when it's not used for something miraculously awesome, it does have its uses, even if they are lame. I tried playing Arkham City on my friend's PS3 after finishing it on the Wii U, and it just felt so cumbersome. I honestly don't get how people could enjoy it without the GamePad Do we know how much Nintendo are losing on each console sale at this moment? I know they sell it at a loss, but its been on sale now for nearly a year and one would assume that the overall production cost has reduced slightly. I don't know for sure, but I believe components have come to the point where they're breaking even on it now It's over. A price drop at this stage won't help. 3rd parties are either gone and are never coming back or they soon will be in the case of Ubisoft by the end of the year. Nintendo made every single mistake possible with the Wii U. We all know what they are and to list would take too long. Look at Capcom, they've given us 2 ports and have nothing else announced. The fact that they can't get Japanese developer support speaks volumes to the scale of the problem. Deja Vu Edited July 18, 2013 by Serebii
Hero-of-Time Posted July 18, 2013 Author Posted July 18, 2013 I dunno, having much of the HUD including maps and so forth onto the GamePad may seem like "oh that's such a lame use", but it's so helpful. Compare Arkham City and Assassin's Creed. On the Wii U, you can just look down and spot stuff. On the 360/PS3, you're just constantly pausing doing it. It streamlines the gaming process. Even when it's not used for something miraculously awesome, it does have its uses, even if they are lame. I tried playing Arkham City on my friend's PS3 after finishing it on the Wii U, and it just felt so cumbersome. I honestly don't get how people could enjoy it without the GamePad I'm on the other side where I think focusing on the screen in front of me and pausing is far more comfortable than having to keep looking down to check something and then up again at the TV screen. Of course I played AC3 pretty much all the way though with off TV Play so what do I know?
Serebii Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 I'm on the other side where I think focusing on the screen in front of me and pausing is far more comfortable than having to keep looking down to check something and then up again at the TV screen. Of course I played AC3 pretty much all the way though with off TV Play so what do I know? That's fair enough, but I feel that it is really useful. It saves time, especially as the pause screens on AC3 take a few seconds to load up the map etc. Plus I like decluttering the main screen. It's these simple features that made me fall in love with the GamePad, not anything that changes gaming as a whole.
Rowan Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Arkham City was fine on the PS3. I'm not that much of a superheroes fan in general but I really enjoyed the story, setting and combat; having to pause the game to see the map was only a minor inconvenience. No different than having to pause Wind Waker to see your inventory or map. As for actual sales, it'll be really interesting to see how much the 360 and PS3 hold up against the new consoles. I wouldn't be surprised to see the X1 do fairly well against the PS4 but at the expense of the 360 significantly lowering its hold.
liger05 Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 I think the Wii U is the perfect example of a USP that no one asked for, needed or knows what to do with. It may appear to be innovative - and people are much more ready to make this assumption just because it is Nintendo - but it's really all smoke and mirrors to distract you from the fact that when it comes down to it, Nintendo rarely push the boundaries of the medium. What the Wii U really signifies is Nintendo's utter lack of imagination; as if Disney never moved on from Mickey Mouse. Not sure about that. The Wii U was a mistake but Nintendo for a long time were trend setters. Whether it was the Wavebird, the Rumble pack, the DS, motion controls. Nintendo set trends other followed. This company has plenty creativity it just needs to get out of this bubble it now operates in where it ignores the market trends and what people want.
Serebii Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Arkham City was fine on the PS3. I'm not that much of a superheroes fan in general but I really enjoyed the story, setting and combat; having to pause the game to see the map was only a minor inconvenience. No different than having to pause Wind Waker to see your inventory or map. As for actual sales, it'll be really interesting to see how much the 360 and PS3 hold up against the new consoles. I wouldn't be surprised to see the X1 do fairly well against the PS4 but at the expense of the 360 significantly lowering its hold. Yeah, I know it's just a minor inconvenience, but the GamePad removes that and that's what I like. It's something so inanely simple but it works so well
Daft Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Not sure about that. The Wii U was a mistake but Nintendo for a long time were trend setters. Whether it was the Wavebird, the Rumble pack, the DS, motion controls. Nintendo set trends other followed. This company has plenty creativity it just needs to get out of this bubble it now operates in where it ignores the market trends and what people want. Maybe when it comes to hardware - and even then it is hit and miss (and that risk is commendable) - but in terms of games? Nintendo don't take risks. Not really. Any time they approach something that may be risky, they slap an existing IP on it, just in case.
Serebii Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Not sure about that. The Wii U was a mistake but Nintendo for a long time were trend setters. Whether it was the Wavebird, the Rumble pack, the DS, motion controls. Nintendo set trends other followed. This company has plenty creativity it just needs to get out of this bubble it now operates in where it ignores the market trends and what people want. Nintendo set a trend with this, too. Look at E3. How many games utilised companion apps for features that were clearly inspired by the Wii U? Almost all the big ones were. Sony are duplicating the off-tv play as a mandate on all their games. Microsoft is pushing Smartglass like crazy.
Daft Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Yeah, I can see how you could think that if you only looked at the games industry but the rise in multiscreen usage has been a rising trend for the past few years across a whole host of industries, including *vomit* marketing. Hell, that's pretty much exactly what apps are except for the few exceptions like Instagram and Vine, which position the app first. Inspired by the Wii U? Actually hilariously narrow view of who tech industries work.
Serebii Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Yeah, I can see how you could think that if you only looked at the games industry but the rise in multiscreen usage has been a rising trend for the past few years across a whole host of industries, including *vomit* marketing. Hell, that's pretty much exactly what apps are except for the few exceptions like Instagram and Vine, which position the app first. Inspired by the Wii U? Actually hilariously narrow view of who tech industries work. Just a coincidence that Smartglass was revealed a year after the Wii U then? Anyway, Nintendo has been pushing 2 screens since like 2002 too
Daft Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Correlation does not imply causation. I struggle more and more to believe you are a journalist.
liger05 Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Yeah, I can see how you could think that if you only looked at the games industry but the rise in multiscreen usage has been a rising trend for the past few years across a whole host of industries, including *vomit* marketing. Hell, that's pretty much exactly what apps are except for the few exceptions like Instagram and Vine, which position the app first. Inspired by the Wii U? Actually hilariously narrow view of who tech industries work. I would agree with this. Companion apps were always on the cards with the rise of popularity of tablets. I dont think the Wii u had much to do with that. No more than the PS2/PSP remote play feature had anything to do with the wii u offering off tv play. NPD for June NPD Group's U.S. Games Industry Sales (New Physical Sales Channel*) - June 2013 5-week month; Reporting Period 6/2/13 through 7/6/13 Overall Retail sales declined 15% year over year. Software (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC) 1. The Last Of Us (PS3)** Sony (Corp) 2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS) Nintendo 3. Minecraft (360) Microsoft (Corp) 4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, PC, NWU)** Activision Blizzard (Corp) 5. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, WII, NWU, PSP, PC)** Take 2 Interactive (Corp) 6. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, NWU)** Warner Bros. Interactive 7. Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS, WII) Nintendo 8. Deadpool (360, PS3) Activision Blizzard (Corp) 9. Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)** Electronic Arts 10. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) Nintendo **(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware) Retail + Digital Nintendo Sales: -Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 505K -Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 115K (LTD: 750K) -Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - 108K Hardware Nintendo 3DS: 225K (45.2%) Xbox 360: 140K (-45.5%) Nintendo PR Nintendo 3DS sold nearly 225,000 units of hardware in June and finished as the best-selling video game system in the U.S. for the second consecutive month. A strong launch for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and the continued strength of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon helped sales of Nintendo 3DS hardware and software increase by more than 40 percent and nearly 105 percent, respectively, over the same time last year. Highlights for the month include: Through the first six months of 2013, Nintendo has sold nearly 3.6 million combined physical and digital units of first-party Nintendo 3DS software, an increase of more than 85 percent over the same time frame last year. Animal Crossing: New Leaf sold more than 505,000 combined physical and digital units in June. More than 20 percent of these sales were through the Nintendo eShop, the second-highest ratio behind only Fire Emblem Awakening. Nintendo’s internal trackers show that sales of the game continue to be strong in July as well, indicating that Animal Crossing: New Leaf is poised to be one of the biggest games of the summer. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D sold more than 108,000 combined units in its second month and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon added nearly 115,000 combined units in its fourth month on the market, bringing its lifetime total to more than 750,000 combined units. Nintendo had three of the top five best-selling software SKUs for the month. Very good month for the 3DS. I thought maybe the PS3 would outsell the 360 this month but even with The last of Us doing so well it didnt. 360 just owns America. Luigi's Mansion doing 115k in its 4th month is pretty unbelievable. Edited July 18, 2013 by liger05
lostmario Posted July 19, 2013 Posted July 19, 2013 Nintendo doing a great job with the 3DS at the moment in Japan, America & Europe. Pokemon X & Y will keep sales up while they focus on resurrecting the Wii U.
Hero-of-Time Posted July 19, 2013 Author Posted July 19, 2013 Nintendo doing a great job with the 3DS at the moment in Japan, America & Europe. Pokemon X & Y will keep sales up while they focus on resurrecting the Wii U. Don't forget Monster Hunter 4 in Japan. The one-two combo of those games will keep Japan locked up tight for the rest of the year.
lostmario Posted July 19, 2013 Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Don't forget Monster Hunter 4 in Japan. The one-two combo of those games will keep Japan locked up tight for the rest of the year. They are being released in Japan so close together as well, September 14th for MH4 & October 12th for Pokemon X & Y. No wonder they delayed the release of Zelda Link to the Past 2 to next year (in Japan) Edited July 19, 2013 by lostmario
liger05 Posted July 19, 2013 Posted July 19, 2013 Nintendo doing a great job with the 3DS at the moment in Japan, America & Europe. Pokemon X & Y will keep sales up while they focus on resurrecting the Wii U. I actually think the 3DS with these games unfortuantly will hurt the wii u in holiday season. Its another device competing for peoples wallets. Still not much Nintendo can do about that.
Happenstance Posted July 19, 2013 Posted July 19, 2013 It seems like Nintendo should try and somehow make the Wii U and 3DS relevant to eachother, similar to how Sony is promoting how the Vita will almost become an add on to the PS4. Obviously we have no idea yet how well that will actually do but it seems that somehow linking your high selling system with your failing one could help (or drag the 3DS down with it lol)
Helmsly Posted July 20, 2013 Posted July 20, 2013 Are there any figures for the Wii U from the June NPD's yet?
liger05 Posted July 21, 2013 Posted July 21, 2013 Are there any figures for the Wii U from the June NPD's yet? 42k Awful as per usual.
Serebii Posted July 21, 2013 Posted July 21, 2013 A friend is in Japan and went to a huge shopping mall today. Apparently there were huge queues there and people were either getting Mario & Luigi or a Wii U. Fairly anecdotal, but interesting. He did note that it's the first weekend of the summer holidays there, so I think a boost is possible
Hero-of-Time Posted July 22, 2013 Author Posted July 22, 2013 Fairly anecdotal, but interesting. He did note that it's the first weekend of the summer holidays there, so I think a boost is possible I think these boosts will happen a few times over in Japan when various titles get released. This happens with every console and handheld. What needs to happen though is for the Wii U to get to a good number in terms of sales and then keep it that way. Personally all I can see it doing is spiking and then dropping. Rinse and repeat when all of the 1st party titles get released. In other news, here's a comparison of the Pikmin sales series. (2001) Pikmin – First week: 90,000 (54.9%) | Total sales: 549,000 (2004) Pikmin 2 – First week: 160,000 (48.4%) | Total sales: 484,000 (2013) Pikmin 3 – First week: 92,720 (48.45%) It will be interesting to see if Pikmin 3 has legs. I mean it's never been a strong seller and the low user base may hurt it in the long run. Nintendo Co. (7974) rose to its highest level in almost two years in Tokyo trading on speculation new video game titles are boosting overseas revenue and the shares may join the Nikkei 225 Stock Average.The world’s largest video-game console maker jumped 4 percent to 14,050 yen, the highest close since July 2011. Games including “Animal Crossing: New Leaf,” released in the U.S. last month, helped Nintendo’s 3DS handheld player maintain its position as the best-selling game platform in the country, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc. The stock may be included in the Nikkei index following the merger of exchanges in Tokyo and Osaka while a report that a ban on consoles may be lifted in China is also boosting the shares, said Takashi Oba, a senior strategist at Okasan Securities Co. “The stock is up from mixing all these factors,” said Oba. “The stock is in a upward trend. There may be some investors who are forced to buy back the shares.” Nintendo is trying to revive sales by adding new titles for the 3DS and Wii U home consoles. The Kyoto, Japan-based company said last week it had sold 225,000 of its 3DS handheld consoles in the U.S., the world’s biggest video-game market. This month’s merger of the cash-equity trading platforms of Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange saw Nintendo’s primary listing transferred to Tokyo making it eligible for inclusion in the Nikkei. “The integration fueled speculation that Nintendo will be included,” said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Securities Co. in Tokyo. Mizuho Financial Group Inc. (8411) last week raised its price target for the console maker to 14,000 yen from 12,000, citing higher 3DS sales. New titles may also increase sales for Nintendo, Mizuho said. China may end its 13-year ban on the sale of video-game consoles, the South China Morning Post reported July 10.
Serebii Posted July 22, 2013 Posted July 22, 2013 Great news, too The Wii U has had a turnaround. We have no idea how long it'll last, but it's a turnaround It's great to see some positive press for Nintendo for once
Daft Posted July 22, 2013 Posted July 22, 2013 UK chart: The Last of Us top for sixth consecutive week Sweetness.
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