Wii U General Discussion

[Serebii]

Absolutely.

Plus he's clearly clued-up when it comes to game development, due to his background. And even though a lot of his ideas aren't popular, I appreciate the direction that he's trying to take. His heart is very much in the right place I reckon.

His approach to game release is also very beneficial for the industry. Sure, Nintendo has lacked a bit of variety on the Wii U (about to change ), but the fact is that he is fine with delaying a game even if it damages the overall business, just to make sure it's a solid product. This is such a rare thing in the industry.

 

More companies should have CEOs like Iwata so we no longer get travesties like Battlefield 4 and games that aim for running the best rather than looking the best at expense of frame rate/smoothness.

[Cube]

Do you think they will announce any new bundles soon?

 

It would be insanity if Nintendo didn't release a sub-£250 Mario Kart 8 bundle at the end of May. Mario Kart 8 is a console-pusher, at the right price, and Nintendo need to push consoles.

 

but the fact is that he is fine with delaying a game even if it damages the overall business, just to make sure it's a solid product. This is such a rare thing in the industry.

 

Ubisoft and even EA have both recently shown that they can either delay a game for extra work (Watch Dogs) or give a team plenty of development time so they can focus on making it great instead of rushing it (Dragon Age Inquisition and Star Wars Battlefront, which was due months after the new film until the film was delayed).

 

Also, while Nintendo have done stuff nowhere as bad as EA with Battlefield 4 or Lucasarts with Knights of the Old Republic 2 (which is by far the biggest victim of a stupid release schedule, as it's still manages to be brilliant game despite being horribly broken and obviously unfinished), a couple of their games have suffered due to release deadlines - Wind Waker could have been an even better game if they had time to finish the few extra dungeons, and they had to rush out some turds like Pilotwings Resort so the 3DS had something at launch (oddly, Nintendo never thought of delaying the 3DS or Wii U until a big hitter was ready).

 

They're better than most, but they still aren't perfect in that regards.

[Serebii]

It would be insanity if Nintendo didn't release a sub-£250 Mario Kart 8 bundle at the end of May. Mario Kart 8 is a console-pusher, at the right price, and Nintendo need to push consoles.

 

 

 

Ubisoft and even EA have both recently shown that they can either delay a game for extra work (Watch Dogs) or give a team plenty of development time so they can focus on making it great instead of rushing it (Dragon Age Inquisition and Star Wars Battlefront, which was due months after the new film until the film was delayed).

 

Also, while Nintendo have done stuff nowhere as bad as EA with Battlefield 4 or Lucasarts with Knights of the Old Republic 2 (which is by far the biggest victim of a stupid release schedule, as it's still manages to be brilliant game despite being horribly broken and obviously unfinished), a couple of their games have suffered due to release deadlines - Wind Waker could have been an even better game if they had time to finish the few extra dungeons, and they had to rush out some turds like Pilotwings Resort so the 3DS had something at launch (oddly, Nintendo never thought of delaying the 3DS or Wii U until a big hitter was ready).

 

They're better than most, but they still aren't perfect in that regards.

This is true, but those examples you list are increasingly becoming the exception as opposed to the norm.

 

There's a really bad growing feeling that, due to patches, publishers feel they can push out an incomplete, unpolished game and just fix it with patches.

 

Yes, Wind Waker had more content planned, but it really wasn't necessary. If I hadn't have been told that there were two further dungeons intended, I'd have never suspected. As for Pilotwings Resort, that's a quality question, not a polish issue. Pilotwings, although it wasn't the best game, was a well crafted game, technically speaking.

[Retro_Link]

Pilotwings 3DS was bloody brilliant! All it was missing was DLC.

[dazzybee]

It would be insanity if Nintendo didn't release a sub-£250 Mario Kart 8 bundle at the end of May. Mario Kart 8 is a console-pusher, at the right price, and Nintendo need to push consoles.

 

 

That's why I don't think they do need to do that. Mario kart will sell consoles, people will buy the game and the console to play it on. Why sell it cheaper when I doubt they'll need to.

 

What will be better is to wait til Christmas, release a new bundle which will appeal to families and such, plus get the extra publicity of it and such.

[Guy]

They need to release a Mario Kart Premium bundle for £250 with a download code for a choice of first party titles. It would make sense for them in their current predicament.

[Serebii]

They need to release a Mario Kart Premium bundle for £250 with a download code for a choice of first party titles. It would make sense for them in their current predicament.

To lose more money? I disagree.

[Guy]

To lose more money? I disagree.

 

I think at this point they should be doing whatever they can to install systems in homes, even if it means losing some (more) cash. They won't sell a person any games if they don't have the system to begin with.

[Rowan]

Bundle or no bundle Nintendo will need to give the game primetime advertising and marketing. Put an ad at half time of the FA Cup final, world cup matches, Britain's Got Talent etc. Double down on the work they did at shopping malls for 3D World with ads at train stations, city centre high streets and anywhere else with high footfall.

[Serebii]

I think at this point they should be doing whatever they can to install systems in homes, even if it means losing some (more) cash. They won't sell a person any games if they don't have the system to begin with.

But, with very few third party titles coming, the money lost would not be easy to make back

[Ashley]

But you keep saying they have loads of cash. They can survive :p

[Serebii]

But you keep saying they have loads of cash. They can survive :p

Yeah but they won't if they do stupid crap like that.

 

It's like the people on GAF saying it should be $99-$149...less than the PS3 and 360 are new. It'd destroy Nintendo if it takes off at that price. That's a large part of why they did a loss in FY3/2012, because the 3DS took off while being sold at a decent sized loss.

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

Step down, brah :p

 

...Sorry just random comic mischief from the earlier argument. "you better step down, bro" - lool [/random]

[Ashley]

Yeah but they won't if they do stupid crap like that.

 

It's like the people on GAF saying it should be $99-$149...less than the PS3 and 360 are new. It'd destroy Nintendo if it takes off at that price. That's a large part of why they did a loss in FY3/2012, because the 3DS took off while being sold at a decent sized loss.

 

With all due respect, you're not in a position to be able to say that with any sense of certainty. You can make an educated guess, sure, and I'm not doubting it could be true, but you simply can't say how a decision like that would affect their wider finances.

 

And again, this isn't GAF. It was not what I said and it has no relevance to what we were discussing.

[liger05]

That's why I don't think they do need to do that. Mario kart will sell consoles, people will buy the game and the console to play it on. Why sell it cheaper when I doubt they'll need to.

 

What will be better is to wait til Christmas, release a new bundle which will appeal to families and such, plus get the extra publicity of it and such.

 

My son is 5 in November and by then I fully expect a MK8 bundle for £250. Would be shocked if there wasnt by then.

[Serebii]

With all due respect, you're not in a position to be able to say that with any sense of certainty. You can make an educated guess, sure, and I'm not doubting it could be true, but you simply can't say how a decision like that would affect their wider finances.

 

And again, this isn't GAF. It was not what I said and it has no relevance to what we were discussing.

Perhaps, but if there's one thing I know, it's mathematics.

 

They're at a loss per unit now. Add a further loss on the platform and include one of the pieces of software that's to drive sales of the unit and that'd result in them not getting the money for the sale of that game.

 

Now imagine it'd take off. It's simple mathematics.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I don't think you've been trolling either. You'd be one of the last people I could accuse of doing that. And yeah, like I mentioned, in this case I don't have a problem this discussion... Except maybe with the repeated "Nintendo/NES remix aren't original"...

 

I don't think 3rd parties are coming, we need to accept that I feel. The best thing Nintendo can do is have partnerships with 3rd parties, like Hyrule warriors and an co etc with the hope, they return the favour, build up the audience, and hopefully 3rd parties will maybe start whacking some games in the system.

 

Yeah, it's just a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. I honestly thought Nintendo would have nailed it this time, but I guess they haven't. I can live with the lack of third parties as long as the first party stuff is stellar.

 

As for Mario Kart: I'm really concerned that people STILL don't know what the Wii U actually is. Speaking to my brothers this weekend:

 

Him: "Do you have any new consoles? PS4? Xbox?"

Me: "Yeah, I've got a Wii U now."

*both brothers look at each other, with some uncertainty*

*brothers start to laugh, again with uncertainty. Nervous laughter.*

Him: "A...A What?"

Me: "A Wii U."

*brothers laugh a lot*

Him: "You winding us up now?"

Me: "No...it's the next Wii."

Him: "hahaha...oh, you're serious?"

Me: "yeah..."

Him: "Ha..hmmm."

 

That's one.

The second is that one of my good mates started recently talking about Mario Kart coming out soon and how it would be a good thing. That seems fine on first glance...but he doesn't own a Wii U, has recently just acquired a son and I don't think he has a clue what the Wii U is. He seems to be under the impression that it's for the Wii.

 

A new Mario Kart will grab people's attention, but I wonder how many actually realise it's for the Wii U and NOT the Wii. It's rather worrying.

[Ashley]

Perhaps, but if there's one thing I know, it's mathematics.

 

They're at a loss per unit now. Add a further loss on the platform and include one of the pieces of software that's to drive sales of the unit and that'd result in them not getting the money for the sale of that game.

 

Now imagine it'd take off. It's simple mathematics.

 

Well yes, obviously, but that wasn't the point I was making.

 

You don't know about the wider business and how any further losses through a bundle might be balanced by other gains elsewhere.

[Cube]

A new Mario Kart will grab people's attention, but I wonder how many actually realise it's for the Wii U and NOT the Wii. It's rather worrying.

 

Exactly why they need it in a bundle. Makes it much easier to advertise both at the same time.

[nekunando]

..and they had to rush out some turds like Pilotwings Resort..

 

[Serebii]

They really are going all out with licensing now...

 

http://www.japantrendshop.com/super-mario-golf-caddy-bag-p-2308.html

[Pestneb]

Well yes, obviously, but that wasn't the point I was making.

 

You don't know about the wider business and how any further losses through a bundle might be balanced by other gains elsewhere.

 

To be fair, if they reduce the cost by £100, they would need to sell about 3 games at 100% profit in order to break even.

 

As I understand it, retail tend to take 30%, so a £50 game yields £35.

Assuming it cost nothing to physically make the game disc and box, also to assuming physical delivery costs are all absorbed by retailers, it is 3 games to cover costs.

that means the Wii U owner will have 4 games. I believe that the Wii U already currently requires a game to be purchased to cover production costs, taking it up to 5 games to break even.

 

This is of course assuming 1st party titles are exclusively purchased, as I understand it 3rd parties take 70% of all takings? If that is correct a £50 3rd party title would yield about £23. Which would push the titles required to about 6 to break even. I believe the average number of titles per console owner is around 9-10 for a Nintendo console, so Nintendo might earn on average £175 - 100 on each £100 discounted machine.

Of course, over a year into the consoles life cycle it seems unlikely that these gamers will start with the £50 full price new releases when there are good quality games available for well below £20. Which would yield £70-40.

Then there are those who will only buy 2-3 games....

 

I think it is very reasonable to assume that a price drop of £100 is unlikely to make good business sense in the short term with the Wii.

At best I can see that possibly they could attract new fans, but price often reflects perceived value, so many wouldn't want to be associated with the lesser value consumer device.

 

Better for Nintendo to create value for money by creating must have titles on the console.. it is well capable of pushing out fantastic graphics, they just need to push it to those limits.

[Fused King]

It's funny that, when I say I have a WiiU, I know instinctively in my mind that most people will only hear the 'Wii' part and just think the 'U' part is perhaps me asking if they have one as well.

 

As in:

 

I have a Wii, You?

Edited April 14, 2014 by Fused King

[Fierce_LiNk]

It's funny that, when I say I have a WiiU, I know instinctively in my mind that most people will only hear the 'Wii' part and just think the 'U' part is perhaps me asking if they have on as well.

 

As in:

 

I have a Wii, You?

 

Oh My God...I think you nailed it.

 

Hhaahahahahh.

 

Damn.

 

Edit:

 

Most perfect gif for this moment ever.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Fierce_LiNk

[dazzybee]

After seeing shortys link I ended up having a browse in the old old forums (10 years ago). Fascinating stuff.

 

This thread coud have been written yest day - http://web.archive.org/web/20040530115023/http://www.xsorbit1.com/users/cubeeurope/index.cgi?board=gena&action=display&num=1080926257

 

Like I say now, people used to bitch all the time how bad the GameCube was and Nintendo etc. same pattern, but memory is a wonderful thing.

 

Also funny that I definitely speak the most sense in that thread

 

Weird to see that I say I don't play games like I used to. I knew I was falling out of love with gaming that generation... Weirdly I love gaming now more than I ever have! Thanks to sd and Wii to be honest.