Do Nintendo still have what it takes to produce hardware?

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

Stop making things up. You're just embarrassing yourself now with this behaviour. You slag off the console yourself then have the audacity to level these questions to me? Get the hell out.

 

WTF are you on about? What am I making up?

[Sheikah]

My supposed opinion that all games on the Wii U 'are essentially shit'. Which makes no sense. That's right, I buy a console because I think every game on it is or will be essentially shit.

 

Christ. Just read what you are typing before posting!

 

You also said I would buy SSB. Which is also a complete fabrication of your mind- I lost interest around Brawl.

 

You're basically making stuff up to create an argument or to annoy.

[khilafah]

Thats the thing - I've always leaned more on the side of negativity with Nintendo's actions. That expression came at a point from when I had a new Wii U last year as a Xmas gift from 2012, and all I was playing on it was Nintendoland, Sonic Racing and AC3.

 

I sold it.

 

But from someone who recently purchased a Wii U in 2014 - its harder to see why so many are so furiously disgruntled, pretty much everyday, with the calibre of U games that have come out since then, with MK8 2 weeks down the line and an E3 in 4.

 

I have been looking for more reasons to buy a PS4, but can't really justify it against what the Wii U currently offers. So there.

 

Er.. I dunno, maybe because for the past six months we have had DKC:TF and then had to wait months on end for Mario kart 8. Oh and then we have no solid release dates for anything else so it will be another few months before we can buy anything else.

 

It's pretty damn easy to see why many of us are disgruntled.

[Grazza]

One thing that bothers me about Nintendo's current philosophy of every console needing a differentiating factor (or gimmick, if you prefer), is the issue of legacy. Up to and including the GameCube, the controller was carefully updated every generation, adding useful features - it always absorbed the last one. Now though, the GC, Wii and Wii U have all used completely different controllers. What if Zelda Wii U turns out to be brilliant, but you can't play it next generation due to it needing a GamePad? It's making Nintendo's consoles seem like one-off products rather than a continuous system.

 

Also, I don't quite understand the idea that Nintendo can't compete with the others. They don't have to win, they just have to make a profit. Profit is obviously when your income is greater than your expenditure, but I don't see what that has to do with specs. As we are now seeing, fancy controllers can make you lose money just as easily as high specs.

[Ville]

Yep, I do want to see Nintendo succeed, and that holds even if they're doing something a little different than what I'm asking for myself. Like the Wii: it had it's strengths and weaknesses, but it still sold and most importantly I had a lot of fun with it regardless of its limitations. The problem with the Wii U is that it's not selling so well. If it did, I wouldn't have that much of a problem with it, because after all Nintendo are a business and they've gotta do what they've gotta do to succeed. If it's a casual strategy and it works, fine; if it's a hardcore strategy and it works, same thing. But if it's mixup of this and that and it's not even selling well, everyone loses basically...

 

In the end, it's their company, their vision. Whatever it is, I hope they do succeed with it...

[dazzybee]

The third parties are abandoning Nintendo's systems. No FIFA support may not mean much to you, but it's absolutely huge in the grand scheme of things. They're not coming to the system for a multitude of reasons, and one of those reasons is that the hardware just isn't good enough. It isn't future proof..

 

But is this true though? Cod and FIFA always came to the Wii and that was even lower specced relatively. It's simply success. If the Wii u sold loads, FIFA would be there!

 

Now in the grand scheme, yeah, the spaces do matter, but not in this example...

 

My brother and my nephews wouldn't pay over £300 for a console and pay a monthly subscription. I'm sure many families are the same. This Christmas Wii u will be at a great price and have mario kart, Nintendoland, Wii party, karaoke, just dance, smash, mario 3d etc it'll be incredibly attractive sub £200. The other consoles won't be able to offer close to this. Is it not good there is this option in the market place?

[liger05]

But is this true though? Cod and FIFA always came to the Wii and that was even lower specced relatively. It's simply success. If the Wii u sold loads, FIFA would be there!

 

Now in the grand scheme, yeah, the spaces do matter, but not in this example...

 

My brother and my nephews wouldn't pay over £300 for a console and pay a monthly subscription. I'm sure many families are the same. This Christmas Wii u will be at a great price and have mario kart, Nintendoland, Wii party, karaoke, just dance, smash, mario 3d etc it'll be incredibly attractive sub £200. The other consoles won't be able to offer close to this. Is it not good there is this option in the market place?

 

Doesn't the ps4 and XB1 sales say the complete opposite and people or families are prepared to pay well over £300 for a console as well as the online requirement. People will pay for whatever they believe offers them value. Just like when the recession was in full swing people were still buying expensive ipads.

 

The wii u at £299 never sold well and even with plenty reduced prices it still hasn't sold well so being the lowest priced out of the three means very very little if people think the product offers no value.

[Ashley]

But is this true though? Cod and FIFA always came to the Wii and that was even lower specced relatively. It's simply success. If the Wii u sold loads, FIFA would be there!

 

Now in the grand scheme, yeah, the spaces do matter, but not in this example...

 

My brother and my nephews wouldn't pay over £300 for a console and pay a monthly subscription. I'm sure many families are the same. This Christmas Wii u will be at a great price and have mario kart, Nintendoland, Wii party, karaoke, just dance, smash, mario 3d etc it'll be incredibly attractive sub £200. The other consoles won't be able to offer close to this. Is it not good there is this option in the market place?

 

Wasn't one of the Fifa games on the Wii the exact same one as the previous year but with updated team members? Genuinely can't remember if I imagined that...

[Esequiel]

I recently traded in my Wii U. I wasn't sure weather to or not but the kids didn't play it and were not bothered about any games coming out in the near future. I enjoyed Zombi U and Pikmin. Monster hunters was great for a while. Didn't enjoy Mario 3D, and the only game i didn't get that i fancied was that 101 game. Simply put, for me, there wasn't enough to keep me there. I got bored of games like Mario kart back on cube/wii BUT the main reason i wont get another one is because i cant re-download software iv already purchased.

 

IM a console hopper, i rarely have more than 1 current gen machine so i switch around as i fancy. I had an xbox 360 then uncharted came out. I got a PS3, downloaded loads for it! Switched back to a 360, all my downloads were ties to my gamer tag and i could redownload everything free of charge.

 

I recently got a Xbone (which broke 3 times) and was returned to the shop where i got a PS4. My PSN still had money on it from 2011. If Nintendo let me download stuff iv already paid for i might pick up a Wii U again but without that i just wont bother.

[Retro_Link]

My brother and my nephews wouldn't pay over £300 for a console and pay a monthly subscription. I'm sure many families are the same. This Christmas Wii u will be at a great price and have mario kart, Nintendoland, Wii party, karaoke, just dance, smash, mario 3d etc it'll be incredibly attractive sub £200. The other consoles won't be able to offer close to this. Is it not good there is this option in the market place?

... It's not sub £200 and bundling in games out of choice! you make it sound part of Nintendo's competitive plan/to offer choice. Edited May 11, 2014 by Retro_Link

[Goron_3]

... It's not sub £200 and bundling in games out of choice! you make it sound part of Nintendo's competitive plan/to offer choice.

 

Yeah I can't see sub £200 happening for some time, especially with a game.

[dazzybee]

Wasn't one of the Fifa games on the Wii the exact same one as the previous year but with updated team members? Genuinely can't remember if I imagined that...

 

That did happen in the final year yeah. But I'd take that now for the Wii u

 

Doesn't the ps4 and XB1 sales say the complete opposite and people or families are prepared to pay well over £300 for a console as well as the online requirement. People will pay for whatever they believe offers them value. Just like when the recession was in full swing people were still buying expensive ipads.

 

The wii u at £299 never sold well and even with plenty reduced prices it still hasn't sold well so being the lowest priced out of the three means very very little if people think the product offers no value.

 

No it doesn't at all. Xbox hasn't sold as many Wii u, you know that right. Also, it's GAMERS who are buying them, not families... And if you don't think the Wii u being under £200 you're insane , let's see what happens this Christmas then shall we!

 

... It's not sub £200 and bundling in games out of choice! you make it sound part of Nintendo's competitive plan/to offer choice.

 

I wasn't saying that. I'm saying £200 with mario kar at Christmas. Also available the rest of those games which would appeal to families!

 

BUT the main reason i wont get another one is because i cant re-download software iv already purchased.

 

I thought you could now do that? Maybe not. But thought you could.

[Retro_Link]

Xbox hasn't sold as many Wii u, you know that right.

... in 6 months.

 

The wait for E3 has never been so excruciating!

[liger05]

No it doesn't at all. Xbox hasn't sold as many Wii u, you know that right. Also, it's GAMERS who are buying them, not families... And if you don't think the Wii u being under £200 you're insane , let's see what happens this Christmas then shall we!

 

The XB1 isn't that far behind and easily outsells the wii u on the monthly basis. I think it's quite safe to say the XB1 will outsell the wii u comfortably when all is said and done.

 

I would say targeting the core first is the smart thing to do. Nintendo need to get away from being so focused on families at the expense of the core. The casual audience will come if your product has good word of mouth among the early adopters and core audience.

 

The next piece of hardware should look attracting gamers first and foremost and later on down the line look at families and casuals.

[nekunando]

Do Nintendo still have what it takes to produce hardware?

 

Yes, absolutely.. but, as has always been the case, the appeal is unlikely to be universal

 

Northern Ireland, ever since I can remember, has never really been a Nintendo territory. I had a SNES, N64 and Gamecube growing up but during my school years, I was basically on my own or, at best, part of a very small minority. Everyone seemed to have a Sega Mega Drive, followed by a PS1 and PS2 in subsequent generations, and I was the only one that seemed to appreciate the exceptional games that Nintendo produce.

 

The 'kiddy' image that Nintendo had has been replaced with 'casual', but whatever opinion anyone else has had of them over the years, I've known that they're the only ones to provide me with the games that I desire. This extends to their hardware, which I have always found welcoming, and their controllers that have fitted my hands like a glove

 

The Classic Controller, and the Pro variant, on Wii was basically the first time that one of Nintendo's controllers hasn't been entirely satisfactory. Unfortunately, this has carried over a little to the Wii U as the first time I held a Wii U Gamepad in HMV, it felt wrong I eventually grew to like it when I got it home that Christmas, but I still feel much happier with something like the awesome Wii Remote and Nunchuk. I'm left wondering what to play Mario Kart 8 with

 

Anyway, there has been understandable complaints for years about Nintendo constantly leaving features out of their hardware, whether it be Voice Chat, Online or whatever else, but I've never been particularly affected personally. I'm not saying that these things don't matter, because they obviously do to millions of people, but it's not decisive in whether I buy Nintendo hardware or not. I really like the Wii U. It's far from perfect and it's easy to complain about areas that could and should be better, but I enjoy the platform and am content with the interface. I hate the XMB of the PS3, for example, but find the channels on Wii, Wii U and 3DS to be considerably more appealing.

 

Sony have apparently been doing everything right to make the PS4 attractive to developers and gamers, but it has been out for months now and I still find myself having zero interest in even trying it out. I certainly wouldn't call myself ignorant, or like to be seen that way, but I've been a gamer long enough to know what I want and what excites me. Neither the PS4 or XBOX One scream out to me, but that's largely down to the games. Great Nintendo games are what I crave, particularly on consoles that I feel comfortable with

 

I can see why it would be preferable for a lot of people to have Nintendo content on other platforms as that's where they play the majority of their games and only maybe want to get their hands on a couple of Nintendo's killer titles. I'm the opposite, really. Nintendo cover the majority of my needs and only feel like I miss out on a few things each generation, be it Metal Gear Solid or Pro Evolution Soccer, but even then I believe Metal Gear Solid peaked with the PS1 original, and Pro Evolution Soccer was actually superior on Wii compared to what was seen on rival platforms! Also, I hardly own any EA games, so they'll never be seen as a loss to me personally

 

As what seems to be happening in most threads these days, the meaning of this post is getting sidetracked by a larger debate, one that often has me looking back up to the top of the screen to even see what thread I'm actually in

 

Basically, Nintendo still has what it takes to produce hardware for me, but they may need to be more successful in carving out a more substantial niche for themselves with producing the right hardware for the right audience.

[Fierce_LiNk]

But is this true though? Cod and FIFA always came to the Wii and that was even lower specced relatively. It's simply success. If the Wii u sold loads, FIFA would be there!

 

Now in the grand scheme, yeah, the spaces do matter, but not in this example...

 

My brother and my nephews wouldn't pay over £300 for a console and pay a monthly subscription. I'm sure many families are the same. This Christmas Wii u will be at a great price and have mario kart, Nintendoland, Wii party, karaoke, just dance, smash, mario 3d etc it'll be incredibly attractive sub £200. The other consoles won't be able to offer close to this. Is it not good there is this option in the market place?

 

They had the PS2 version to borrow from. The differences between FIFA on the PS2 and Wii were negligible, it was very easy to port over. If the Wii U sold more, FIFA might be there. Maybe. The relationships between Nintendo and third parties is deteriorating, though. That is another reason why the games aren't coming.

 

The Wii U will be more attractive at a lower price, but so much of the damage has already been done that I'm not sure how salvageable it is. The price point was too high to start with and I don't see the third parties coming/coming back.

 

I've already seen deals for the PS4 at around the £320 mark, sometimes even lower. Pretty sure there were deals at 299 on HotDeals the other day. When you look at what both consoles offer, is there that much value for money in the Wii U?

 

This is where Nintendo worry me and this is why they need to plan things properly next time around when they create their new system. When you think about what the current systems offer in terms of functionality, it's obscene the Wii U can't even do basic things like play a DVD. When you factor that in, the PS4 does look better value for money in terms of functionality. I think I pointed this out before.

 

 

The next piece of hardware should look attracting gamers first and foremost and later on down the line look at families and casuals.

 

The gamers are the ones who will invest in the system religiously and they are the ones who will pick up the exclusives, the online games, etc. Families and casuals are too relaxed in terms of purchases. They may dip in every now and then, but they won't buy a game a month or a week for example.

[Dcubed]

One thing that bothers me about Nintendo's current philosophy of every console needing a differentiating factor (or gimmick, if you prefer), is the issue of legacy. Up to and including the GameCube, the controller was carefully updated every generation, adding useful features - it always absorbed the last one. Now though, the GC, Wii and Wii U have all used completely different controllers. What if Zelda Wii U turns out to be brilliant, but you can't play it next generation due to it needing a GamePad? It's making Nintendo's consoles seem like one-off products rather than a continuous system.

 

Also, I don't quite understand the idea that Nintendo can't compete with the others. They don't have to win, they just have to make a profit. Profit is obviously when your income is greater than your expenditure, but I don't see what that has to do with specs. As we are now seeing, fancy controllers can make you lose money just as easily as high specs.

 

We have standardised wireless technology now. Adding in compatibility for past controllers (and making further use of them in games from future generations) is trivial now.

 

It wouldn't matter if the next console didn't include a Gamepad (or even a similar new controller that absorbed all of the functionality of the existing Gamepad) because they can just reuse the existing one and continue to sell it separately for those future games that would make use of it.

[khilafah]

That did happen in the final year yeah. But I'd take that now for the Wii u

 

 

 

No it doesn't at all. Xbox hasn't sold as many Wii u, you know that right. Also, it's GAMERS who are buying them, not families... And if you don't think the Wii u being under £200 you're insane , let's see what happens this Christmas then shall we!

 

 

 

I wasn't saying that. I'm saying £200 with mario kar at Christmas. Also available the rest of those games which would appeal to families!

 

 

 

I thought you could now do that? Maybe not. But thought you could.

 

Not if you buy a new console you cant.

 

pretty embarrassing that in this day and age, Nintendo still haven't got a clue whats going on around them.

 

I have no confidence that nintendo will offer accounts like everybody else does come the next console releases.

[pratty]

Yes. Nintendo just need to a strategic rethink is all, I don't think Sony or Microsoft are doing anything technially that Nintendo couldn't. And it's not like the X-box and Playstation are perfect sytems, as popular as they are with gamers there's still many aspects that their users complain about that Nintnedo could improve upon.

[Esequiel]

You can only transfer purchases from 1 machine to another. Its really lazy from Nintendo.

[lostmario]

They definitely still have what it takes to bring out a console equivalent in power to the PS4.

 

Only the last 2 consoles have been underpowered, thats 2 out of the 6 home consoles Nintendo have developed.

 

I hope that the Wii U is a wake up call for Nintendo but I have a feeling it won't be and they will continue down the path of underpowered consoles with gimmick controllers.

 

They need to stop obsessing over the size, noise and power consumption of the console itself. I'm sure I read somewhere that the target during development was so that the console wouldn't stand out and would make little noise so not to bother the parents.

 

They clearly paid over the odds to fit everything into the small console shell. You reduce the size of the console a few years down the line when parts are cheaper, not at launch.

[The Peeps]

The only games worth playing on the Wii U are Nintendo's own. This is why people would rather see them go third party than have their next console be a copy of what Microsoft and Sony are doing. We all love to play games here and most of us would say that Nintendo consistently make the best games. The same cannot be said for their hardware. Yes they've made some fantastic consoles but they've also made mistakes (virtual boy comes to mind). Nintendo have a brilliant attitude of wanting to innovate the market but it comes at a great risk of failure. It paid off big time with the Wii and now motion control is a big part of the industry.

 

The Wii U (at least in my opinion) is not bringing any/enough innovation to the table to warrant its own existence. The tablet is completely underused even by Nintendo themselves. The Wii U is nearly 2 years old and we've not seen any stand-out games that use the gamepad. At this stage with the Wii we had a hell of a lot more software and most games used the wii remote in a significant way. Nintendo released Link's Crossbow Training specifically because of the Wii Remote. They delayed Twilight Princess to add motion controls to it. What games do they have that are completely focussed around the gamepad? The Wii changed Zelda, it changed MarioKart, it changed Mario, it changed Metroid, it changed gaming. The Wii U has done nothing of the sort.

 

This is why people are calling out for Nintendo to be more like Sony and Microsoft with their consoles. There's no excuse to be less powerful, to have fewer third party games, to shun online. Who here is impressed at how great MarioKart looks? Who jizzed in their pants at the Zelda tech demo? These are graphics that could've been done years ago if Nintendo would just make a more powerful console. The problem we face is that Nintendo put all of their efforts into gimmicks that may or may not take off. The problem I have is that it feels like the gamepad is a gimmick not even Nintendo know what to do with. Without a significant hook to the console, all that's left to contribute to gamplay is graphics and power which the Wii U lacks compared to the other consoles.

 

Personally I will continue to purchase Nintendo consoles as long as they continue to make quality games although it's frustrating to see them turning their backs on the likes of F-Zero and Starfox as well as other franchises. However, I would love to not have to purchase another console or maintain a high-spec PC to play decent third party software such as Left 4 Dead, Portal, Dark Souls, Tomb Raider, Thief and countless others. If I were able to play Nintendo games on another console, it would eliminate that need for another console and while the Wii U isn't offering anything for gaming like the Wii did, it's hard to remember why we stick with the company. We could justify it with the Wii as we had motion controls. Nintendo were doing something different and it was bringing great games to the table while keeping their core franchises fresh. The Wii U is not doing that.

[Serebii]

There is a pattern I've noticed in regards to Nintendo's control scheme alterations

 

2004/2005

"Everyone's shoehorning touch screen control into everything. They should be more subtle."

 

2006/2007

"Everyone's shoehorning waggle into everything. They should be more subtle."

 

2012/2013/2014

"Nintendo's being too subtle with the GamePad. It should be shoehorned into everything"

[Retro_Link]

Firstly that's not a pattern.

 

And secondly I don't think anyone is suggesting it be shoehorned into everything, just a few meaningful examples would do, like we had with the Wiimote.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Retro_Link

[The Peeps]

I didn't want subtle anything, I wanted gameplay-centric reasons for touch screen and motion control