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[Oersted]

It's a 50/50 chance. The next cutting edge Nintendo console could blow all doors and become the next PS2 seller.

And even if things don't go well at least we'll be treated to Nintendo games looking like this.

Totally worth the risk.

I love the visual imagination Epic puts into their demo videos.

 

[Neiteio]

I'm not impressed by those GIFs. But then I'm not expecting next-gen to be impressive visually. I think the benefits of next-gen tech will be more evident in creating bigger worlds that run more smoothly and have more going on without straining the hardware.

 

[EMT0]

I'm going to be frank. If not Iwata, then who? Miyamoto, who's even more out of touch? I hate the direction Nintendo took from the Wii onwards, but let's face the music. Since Iwata took over, we have had:

-The Wii, Nintendo's runaway success story
-The DS, Nintendo's second runaway success story
-A steady trickle of new IPs, whether you like em or care for them is besides the point, but I'd argue that there's stuff that's been made for both old Nintendo fans and newer ones
-Nintendo's transition from the admittedly awkward Gamecube era(who's basis was set up by his predecessor) to what it is at the moment, which I'd say is the right direction.

Have you SEEN what he's dangled in front of us in the last Nintendo Direct? Have you FORGOTTEN what he's promised for E3? Hell, have you also forgotten that there will be TWO more directs soon, one for the 3DS, and one focusing on third party support?

Not to mention the restructuring he's carrying out, which appears to be aimed at adapting Nintendo to HD development before it can become an issue?

Shit all over Nintendo's hardware; I agree entirely. I didn't like the Wii, I don't like the Wii U, hardware-wise, and to an extent, the Wii's software library disappointed me. But I can see the horizon, and to say that Iwata's at fault is bull, the man's doing great with the hand he's been dealt.

Yes, Nintendo dropped the ball with the 3DS pricing. Yes, the Wii U's lineup in the first quarter of 2013 is more barren than the Mojave. But comparing Nintendo's screw ups with Microsoft and Sony, in terms of console releases? Nintendo's my fucking golden boy here.

 

[Raist]

If you think the board at Nintendo would someone in charge of the company who isn't Japanese, you've got another thing coming.

Well maybe they could drop their old fashioned ways. But at the very least he'd be a massive improvement over Reggie.

 

[Out of Working Order]

I'd like Iwata to be able to follow his plans through - surely a change in leadership now is more likely to screw with some development that's already well underway?

I do agree that Nintendo needs to start fostering new IP that appeals to western gamers. In the meantime, Pikmin ought to be with us by June, and I am sure Mario Kart will be big for them at the end of the year. Perhaps 3D Mario for the Spring/Summer next year. By that point they need to have some great western-developed stuff coming in between their Wii Fit U/Wii Sports U's.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 might be a good exclusive to get on-board, although I am not sure it's the sort of game that will be an all-out hit here in the west. Like Bayonetta, it has a niche audience.

 

[Freezie KO]

You need new eyes bro. This is what PS3 games actually look like:

The difference is night and day.

You're hand-selecting a PS3 still image at full size (who knows how it was captured?). And you're comparing it to moving images that were hand-selected to look good with the best possible angles and with not much happening on screen.

A demo of single monster swinging a single weapon in the dark versus a gameplay still? And the demo gif is tiny in comparison, so we can't see the flaws.

That still certainly isn't what's shown when PS3 devs want to show off, in motion, what their games could look like. Compare the demo images to the Demon's Soul's gifs that I've seen on this forum (of the knight guy attacking or the infamous "Nope!" gif). Or compare it to the Motorstorm Apocalypse gifs. Those fit right in.

 

[BocoDragon]

If you think the board at Nintendo would someone in charge of the company who isn't Japanese, you've got another thing coming.

Sony put a European in charge for a few years.

 

[JordanN]

You're hand-selecting a PS3 still image at full size (who knows how it was captured?). And you're comparing it to moving images that were hand-selected to look good with the best possible angles and with not much happening on screen.

A demo of single monster swinging a single weapon in the dark versus a gameplay still? And the demo gif is tiny in comparison, so we can't see the flaws.

That still certainly isn't what's shown when PS3 devs want to show off, in motion, what their games could look like. Compare the demo images to the Demon's Soul's gifs that I've seen on this forum (of the knight guy attacking or the infamous "Nope!" gif). Or compare it to the Motorstorm Apocalypse gifs. Those fit right in.

If it makes you happy, you can freeze frame the gif and compare them that way.

But the point still stands, there isn't a single frame from a PS3 game that compares to a frame of Epic's Elemental demo.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Pixar has great artstyle too. But I don't think their movies would be as well received if they looked like cheap PS1 games.

Artstyle and tech go hand in hand with each other.

I haven't seen anything that looks cheap PS1 on Wii U either. Point is, something like Epic Yarn or Galaxy already looked really good on Wii, people praise the Wind Waker looks to heaven to this day (though I personally don't like them) and these kind of games might just look as good as they can with the Wii U anyway, since even more ,,realistic'' games shown in these tech demo gifs fail to impress with any striking looks outside of side by side comparisons perhaps.

 

[TreasureHunterG]

I honestly think Nintendo black listed CD technology from their hardware altogether out of spite of Sony. When they did move to disc media, they went to Panasonic to co-develop everything. The original GameCube never used CD media or DVD media, it was their own proprietary mini disc format. The Wii avoided DVD playback altogether and the Wii-U isn't really classified as a Bly-Ray disc even though it shares similarities to that format. Nor does it support Blu-Ray movie playback. They really did avoid Sony's direct involvement when it came to Disc media. That's how bad the fallout from the SNES Playstation add on was.

That's interesting. This never came into my mind before.

I'm a big fan of Miyamoto but one man should not have that much influence on an entire company's game development.

It's because of Miyamoto actually that Nintendo has somewhat of a grudge with Rockstar because he didn't approved Body Harvest to be published by Nintendo.

 

[Data West]

Can Iwata be president of NoA?

 

[JordanN]

I haven't seen anything that looks cheap PS1 on Wii U either. Point is, something like Epic Yarn or Galaxy already looked really good on Wii, people praise the Wind Waker looks to heaven to this day (though I personally don't like them) and these kind of games might just look as good as they can with the Wii U anyway, since even more ,,realistic'' games shown in these tech demo gifs fail to impress with any striking looks outside of side by side comparisons perhaps.

PS1 was just an example as to show a big difference from what Pixar has always been doing.

For the hardware they were on, of course it was "good" but in general they could still look far better.

 

[Mr Touchdown]

Super Metroid. One of the greatest games ever made.

Since then we had nothing for nearly 10 years and then the series got absolutely raped senseless with 2 GBA games that lacked the great level design and 3 cookie cutter western FPS games in quick succession. Completely ruining the special aura that Metroid had.

They can never take Super Metroid from me but they've really tarnished the Series, much like Square has with Final Fantasy!

The less said with farming it out to Team Ninja the better!

Shameful treatment of a legendary series.

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU ON ABOUT!?

 

[brochiller]

Sony put a European in charge for a few years.

True, but I feel Nintendo is even more stubborn than Sony when it comes to that sort of thing. Hell, Iwata is the first CEO of the company to not be from Kyoto!

 

[AntMurda]

Sony put a European in charge for a few years.

SONY has so many levels though. I don't know who you are referring to.

SONY CEO?
SONY Computer Entertainment Inc. CEO?
SONY Computer Entertainment World Wide Studios CEO?
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan CEO?
Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO?
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO?

SONY is much more globalized and level driven management than Nintendo.

 

[The Horror the horror]

Well, the strength of Nintendo in relation to Sony and Microsoft is in their philosophical mobility. They're a smaller company, with minimal red tape and business burden outside of video games, and thus can undergo a relatively quick 180 at a moment's notice.

1.) I am not convinced Reggie is to blame for any of this. NoA has, historically, been handcuffed by NoJ.

2.) I'm perplexed as to why Nintendo has refused to more aggressively penetrate the first-person shooter or sandbox genre. I mean, what is that? Both genres blew up in the console market 2 generations ago, and Nintendo has done very little since in trying to set their own, unique mark there. No one is suggesting that Nintendo goes all western, but who thought it was a good idea to green-light fucking Pikmin 3 as a launch-window game, as opposed to something fresh or more appealing? This is a series whose games barely broke 1 million worldwide individually, and somehow it's expected to move Wii U units? Pikmin 1, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 1 Wii, Pikmin 2 Wii....someone tell Miyamoto to SHUT UP and take his pet project to the handheld.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Well, the strength of Nintendo in relation to Sony and Microsoft is in their philosophical mobility. They're a smaller company, with minimal red tape and business burden outside of video games, and thus can undergo a relatively quick 180 at a moment's notice.

1.) I am not convinced Reggie is to blame for any of this. NoA has, historically, been handcuffed by NoJ.

2.) I'm perplexed as to why Nintendo has refused to more aggressively penetrate the first-person shooter or sandbox genre. I mean, what is that? Both genres blew up in the console market 2 generations ago, and Nintendo has done very little since in trying to set their own, unique mark there. No one is suggesting that Nintendo goes all western, but who thought it was a good idea to green-light fucking Pikmin 3 as a launch-window game, as opposed to something fresh or more appealing? This is a series whose games barely broke 1 million worldwide individually, and somehow it's expected to move Wii U units? Pikmin 1, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 1 Wii, Pikmin 2 Wii....someone tell Miyamoto to SHUT UP and take his pet project to the handheld.

While I won't disagree, I think NSMB:U was hyped much much more than Pikmin 3 has been. Additionally, please keep in mind that people have been asking for Pikmin for quite awhile now.

To the FPS/Sandbox question, it's a good one. I think both of those are genres with a heavy western footprint, however. Maybe this is what Retro is working on.

 

[mattiewheels]

The Wii's success is so fascinating to me. For a while I couldn't tell whether it was a healthy mix of 'normal people' and gamers that were buying the systems, but now that we have the hindsight of how poorly everything except Wii Sports/Fit and NSMB sold, it's seems obvious that they went in the wrong direction with Wii U, and should've pushed even harder into the casual market since that is absolutely the destiny of their company. They seemed to want their cake and eat it by catering to both crowds, but other than GAF, they're spinning their wheels if they are trying to compete in the gamer market again.

More wiisports, and akin experiences are how they stay relevant to their own success. Now they're just getting back into the lane with MS/Sony and I'm not sure they belong anymore.

 

[Tuck]

I'm not really sure where I stand on this.

On one hand, I like Iwata. He seems like a down to earth kind of guy. When he messes up, he admits it. He seems to care deeply about the quality of the games that he releases, and he ensures that games like Mario Kart and Smash are a once a generation release. He led Nintendo through the Wii/DS years, where it was more successful than it had been in a very long time. Nintendo could have just followed Sony and Microsoft, but they chose to do their own thing with the Wii and it paid off.

But Iwata is also responsible for a ridiculous amount of things Nintendo has done wrong. The fact that Nintendo is still struggling in the online space was a huge mistake. The fact that Wii U and 3DS both had poor launches is absolutely his fault. Both systems were clearly rushed, with many games unfinished and features missing from the OS. How is that possible? Did they really think the Wii steam would last forever? They did not plan ahead properly, and now they are paying the price for it. Iwata is responsible for two failed launches. However, it is important to note that 3DS is on a rebound, and has some truly incredible games (With this week's release of Fire Emblem seemingly being the newest edition to the lineup). I believe they can bounce back on the Wii U as well, despite a changed marketplace. Even so, the fact that Iwata lacked so much foresight is deeply concerning. I like the guy, but I'm not sure if he truly is able to lead Nintendo where it needs to go. At the very least, his staunch no iOS/Android game development beliefs have my full support.

EDIT: Not sure why people are blaming Reggie. Pretty sure he has very minimal power. Wii U / 3DS's poor marketing in the US is certainly on him, but not much else. People like to hate on him because of the spotty localization record, but it was a business call, like it or not.

 

[Branduil]

None of the next-gen systems are going to be able to run that Final Fantasy demo at that quality so I'm not sure why people are arguing about that.

Whether Iwata goes or stays, Nintendo needs to either invest the resources necessary into the home console business or get out of it.

 

[TreasureHunterG]

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA. Hold up, son.

The stamper brothers decided to sell their majority stake in Rare to Microsoft, so Nintendo had to sell. That's Iwata's fault?

It was because if he REALLY wanted to buy the full company, he could. Say whatever you want about Rare after it joined the MS ranks, but before the deal it was a very talented studio being made some years before the deal games like Banjo Tooie, Perfect Dark and Conker's.

Factor 5 shuttered and closed their doors and went out of business. That's Iwata's fault?

Factor 5 only shuttered down after the Lair fiasco on the PS3. They were Nintendo second-party and handled one of the best looking games of it's generation: Rogue Squadron II and III. It was never clear on why Factor 5 left Nintendo, but Iwata never shown any interest in keeping them at all.

Silicon Knights CHOSE to do their own thing with Too Human, bombed abysmally, and are barely getting by on scraps despite the cash the Canadian Government peddled to them. That's Iwata's fault?

Silicon Knights left because they felt their gaming philosophy and Nintendo's didn't mesh, even after their partnership brought ED and MGS TTS to light.

Left Field Productions decided to buy back their stake from Nintendo and do their own thing. That's Iwata's fault?

Left Field bought their stakes back because there was a very bad vibe between them and Nintendo after Iwata took the office.

Saying that Iwata "dismissed" these studios as if they were some diseased mushrooms is simplistic at best.

He had major influence for them to leave. Iwata seems to have a disdain for western games, hence Nintendo struggles to get support from them.

 

[I'M FINISHED!]

Why does this thread make it look like Iwata scribbled a suicide note in blood on his bathroom mirror?

I don't see where he implies he will step down, he is just taking one for the team.

 

[InsaneZero]

Iwata is the goddamn Illuminati

Holy fuck, don't strain a ligament with that.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

Why does this thread make it look like Iwata scribbled a suicide note in blood on his bathroom mirror?

Because:

 

[AntMurda]

Iwata and the board need to stop servicing new and casual gamers exclusively with the system features. Miiverse? What does it really do differently? It's a darn message board attached to the game. It's not even as constructive to the game as something like online functions such as leaderboards which Nintendo has ignored. The company just needs to stop being stubborn, and accept good ideas accepted by the masses even if they do no stem from them.

Ultimately, Nintendo has to ask if they want to be the market leader. If they do, then they have to appeal too ALL GAMERS. If gamers want something, give it to them. Nothing is beyond their power. If Nintendo doesn't want to be the market leader, and just a niche publisher that thrives off Japan, then keep doing what they are doing.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Iwata and the board need to stop servicing new and casual gamers exclusively with the system features. Miiverse? What does it really do differently? It's a darn message board attached to the game. It's not even as constructive to the game as something like online functions such as leaderboards which Nintendo has ignored. The company just needs to stop being stubborn, and accept good ideas accepted by the masses even if they do no stem from them.

Ultimately, Nintendo has to ask if they want to be the market leader. If they do, then they have to appeal too ALL GAMERS. If gamers want something, give it to them. Nothing is beyond their power. If Nintendo doesn't want to be the market leader, and just a niche publisher that thrives off Japan, then keep doing what they are doing.

Damn, and here I was thinking there were other things involved, like attempting to foster relationships between the console developer and third parties (without moneyhats), budgets, resources, and all those other pesky things that come with running a business.

Maybe if Iwata resigns, they should hire you to run Nintendo, since you have all the answers?

 

[Freezie KO]

who thought it was a good idea to green-light fucking Pikmin 3 as a launch-window game, as opposed to something fresh or more appealing? This is a series whose games barely broke 1 million worldwide individually, and somehow it's expected to move Wii U units? Pikmin 1, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 1 Wii, Pikmin 2 Wii....someone tell Miyamoto to SHUT UP and take his pet project to the handheld.

...

Pikmin was the best Nintendo franchise on the Gamecube. It's probably a good idea to support the Wii U with quality titles, as that's the biggest criticism right now. Further, I don't see how a sequel that took nine years isn't going to be somewhat fresh.

 

[apana]

They definitely got carried away with this whole innovation high they have been on. Eventhough 3DS is the bigger failure (for now) I am willing to forgive them because it was a genuinely neat idea. Wii U is just too much though. What is wrong with advanced motion controls? Did they reach a dead end with motion plus, was there no room to get better?

 

[Metal Gear?!]

I checked their historical data. Since 1998, the only years they haven't achieved 100 bln yen op. profit were 2001, 2006 and 2012.

I do see a pattern there

So every console launch? It makes sense given how expensive they have gotten.

 

[NateDrake]

They definitely got carried away with this whole innovation high they have been on. Eventhough 3DS is the bigger failure (for now) I am willing to forgive them because it was a genuinely neat idea. Wii U is just too much though. What is wrong with advanced motion controls? Did they reach a dead end with motion plus, was there no room to get better?

I prefer the Wii U GamePad to motion controls.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Is Nintendo going to make Iwata shave his head in order to repent?

 

[JazzmanZ]

Is Nintendo going to make Iwata shave his head in order to repent?

I wonder what a bald iwata would look like...

 

[ChaosXVI]

No question, Iwata has made some mistakes with the company, but he is also responsible for their two greatest successes, the DS and Wii, and the way things are looking, perhaps the 3DS as well.

Its been said a hundred times, Nintendo needs to court 3rd parties, and more importantly, WESTERN 3rd parties. They've taken some great strides with Japanese developers, the most recent and obvious example of course being Platinum, but now western developers deserve the same treatment.

I really don't think Iwata should be removed as head of the company...he is part of what makes Nintendo so (frustratingly at times) unique, and I don't see anyone being able to do any better than him. The ones who definitely could use some shuffling about are the various marketing departments. The Wii U never should have been the name, and the way it was marketed (especially in America) shows how bad a mistake it was.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

gifs of it snowing fire in an Iwata thread???

Man, maybe he really is going to resign.

I hope he's not lurking!!!

 

[NolbertoS]

I'm so sad to hear about Iwata pulling hara-kiri on himself. Fuck it, Nintendo, just enter the tablet/phone race, since Apple and Android are taking a big chunk of there gaming revenue. Nintendo should buy Blackberry, while the stock is cheap and at least they'll have there foot in the door in the Smartphone/Tablet industry and maybe revolutionize the industry itself. Sooner or later, Nintendo will have to battle Apple for games, might as well start buying tech companies.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

If Iwata does resign can Nintendo replace him with someone who has actually used a non-Nintendo consumer electronic device in the last 15 years?

 

[deviljho]

If Iwata does resign can Nintendo replace him with someone who has actually used a non-Nintendo consumer electronic device in the last 15 years?

Shibata's wife?

 

[Catshade]

If Iwata does resign can Nintendo replace him with someone who has actually used a non-Nintendo consumer electronic device in the last 15 years?

Well, Iwata actually pulled out his iPhone during an interview.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Well, Iwata actually pulled out his iPhone during an interview.

Somebody should steal it from him to he can buy a new one, see how easy it is to transfer all his shit, and realize where his life went wrong.

 

[farnham]

The Wii's success is so fascinating to me. For a while I couldn't tell whether it was a healthy mix of 'normal people' and gamers that were buying the systems, but now that we have the hindsight of how poorly everything except Wii Sports/Fit and NSMB sold, it's seems obvious that they went in the wrong direction with Wii U, and should've pushed even harder into the casual market since that is absolutely the destiny of their company. They seemed to want their cake and eat it by catering to both crowds, but other than GAF, they're spinning their wheels if they are trying to compete in the gamer market again.

More wiisports, and akin experiences are how they stay relevant to their own success. Now they're just getting back into the lane with MS/Sony and I'm not sure they belong anymore.

This. Is. Just plain. Wrong

I agree that they should focus on casual gamer, non gamer and so on

 

[perfectchaos007]

Somebody should steal it from him to he can buy a new one, see how easy it is to transfer all his shit, and realize where his life went wrong.

And any time we need something fixed we'll have to drive to the nearest Nintendo stores "Brain Age Bar" to get an evaluation? F-That.

So Iwata has until the end of March of 2014 to reach the goal yeah? Hopefully he turns it around.

This. Is. Just plain. Wrong

Given how hard the Wii tanked in the last two years it's easy to forget how successful it was in its first 4 years. Poor revisionist history is expected

 

[Burai]

I'm so sad to hear about Iwata pulling hara-kiri on himself. Fuck it, Nintendo, just enter the tablet/phone race, since Apple and Android are taking a big chunk of there gaming revenue. Nintendo should buy Blackberry, while the stock is cheap and at least they'll have there foot in the door in the Smartphone/Tablet industry and maybe revolutionize the industry itself. Sooner or later, Nintendo will have to battle Apple for games, might as well start buying tech companies.

I don't think Nintendo even need to go there but they do need to learn some lessons from what's going on around them in technology and entertainment. Being stuck in a bubble is doing them no favours.

$10 to download a single SNES game doesn't cut it when the same amount (or less) buys you unlimited movie and TV show streaming from Netflix or a selection of PS3 and Vita games for a month. And that's before you start talking about mobile apps. NES games for $5 look awful, awful value compared to many mobile games. Wrecking Crew or GTA Vice City? Balloon Fight for $3 or Jetpack Joyride for free? Full price for three year old launch games off the 3DS eShop? Really?

Shall we talk about Nintendo's ass-backward online services? Shall we talk about how Nintendo let you download your games to one machine only whereas everyone else lets you download to multiple or use your storage device on a friend's console so long as you log into Live? Shall we talk about how my digital purchases are only protected if I sign up for Nintendo's non-mandatory reward scheme, phone up and beg?

That, most critically, is where Nintendo fall down. They strive to preserve the same pre-digital pricing and practices whilst everyone around them is trying new things and hoovering up their customers. As Steve Jobs said when justifying the iPad to a board terrified it would eat into MacBook sales "If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will come along and do it."

 

[deviljho]

realize where his life went wrong.

 

[Rran]

[Iwata] had a huge misfire as for the Wii U, but his overall record has been very good: Nintendo DS, Wii and 3DS (which is on fire in Japan).

He's given the company a lot of vision and great direction in his tenure, and I think he should be given another chance.

This is pretty much my take on the situation. I imagine making the transition from one console to the next is pretty difficult--but he's succeeded numerous times already in a continually shifting videogame climate (taking the Gamecube failure and shifting their approach into the runaway success of the Wii; evolving an already successful handheld to great new heights, and subsequently crafting its successor into a success (albeit w/ a rocky start)).

I don't know if I can count the guy out just yet. Granted, I haven't been following things as long as most of you, so maybe things look a bit more dire now than the Gamecube/ early-3DS days, but I'm willing to give Iwata the benefit of the doubt w/ regards to his business prowess. Honestly, my biggest concern is that the Big N's Big Titles (Mario, Pokemon, Kart & Smash) all end up a bit rushed in order to meet Big Business deadlines.

 

[Azure J]

I'm not impressed by those GIFs. But then I'm not expecting next-gen to be impressive visually. I think the benefits of next-gen tech will be more evident in creating bigger worlds that run more smoothly and have more going on without straining the hardware.

I agree with the latter point you made, but I definitely think a lot of people are going to be wowed by all 3 consoles when we get deep into them (2 years in).

 

[EDarkness]

I really like Iwata. He's one of the coolest head honchos of the big 3. However, I can't help but think that his days are numbered. No offense to him and his team, but the Wii U seems like they just made some serious mistakes and though they had so much time ahead of everyone they simply refused to build hype. I really can't understand it. But if his days are indeed numbered, I'm sure gamers will remember him in a positive light.

Best of luck to him.

 

[AzaK]

Super Metroid. One of the greatest games ever made.

Since then we had nothing for nearly 10 years and then the series got absolutely raped senseless with 2 GBA games that lacked the great level design and 3 cookie cutter western FPS games in quick succession. Completely ruining the special aura that Metroid had.

They can never take Super Metroid from me but they've really tarnished the Series, much like Square has with Final Fantasy!

The less said with farming it out to Team Ninja the better!

Shameful treatment of a legendary series.

I really like Iwata. He's one of the coolest head honchos of the big 3. However, I can't help but think that his days are numbered. No offense to him and his team, but the Wii U seems like they just made some serious mistakes and though they had so much time ahead of everyone they simply refused to build hype. I really can't understand it. But if his days are indeed numbered, I'm sure gamers will remember him in a positive light.

Best of luck to him.

If he can salvage the Wii U he'll be fine cause he's done a lot of good. Thing is, that's a big IF. It just feels like the Wii U is too little too late and a bit out of step where the market has shifted to. And by that I don't mean just the cinegame market, I mean the casual market and that "soccer mum" that loves Wii Fit U etc. Wii captured the family purchaser market (Mums and dads) but I am not convinced Wii U can do it.

 

[Darryl]

I don't think Nintendo even need to go there but they do need to learn some lessons from what's going on around them in technology and entertainment. Being stuck in a bubble is doing them no favours.

$10 to download a single SNES game doesn't cut it when the same amount (or less) buys you unlimited movie and TV show streaming from Netflix or a selection of PS3 and Vita games for a month. And that's before you start talking about mobile apps. NES games for $5 look awful, awful value compared to many mobile games. Wrecking Crew or GTA Vice City? Balloon Fight for $3 or Jetpack Joyride for free? Full price for three year old launch games off the 3DS eShop? Really?

i think they're a step ahead of you here. the value behind nintendo as a company is all in their IPs and brand names. they've done one of the best jobs in the entire entertainment industry at maintaining them. their old titles do not need to be a value item. they've already got a nice selection of first party budget eShop games that are built for this purpose, anyways. Pushmo is fantastic.

If he can salvage the Wii U he'll be fine cause he's done a lot of good. Thing is, that's a big IF. It just feels like the Wii U is too little too late and a bit out of step where the market has shifted to. And by that I don't mean just the cinegame market, I mean the casual market and that "soccer mum" that loves Wii Fit U etc. Wii captured the family purchaser market (Mums and dads) but I am not convinced Wii U can do it.

the family purchaser market are not typically how i imagine the day #1ers to be, so this is a complete unknown as far as i'm concerned. i think it'll be more clear this holiday season.

 

[mclem]

As a fan of Doctor Who, it's just struck me that this discussion reminds me of the "RTD must go!" and lately "Moffat must go!" threads from Outpost Gallifrey.

That's really not a compliment.

Wasn't it Shigeru Miyamoto's insistence on cartridges on the Nintendo 64 that drove the third party publishers away? Once SONY came into the picture, that brief Nintendo exodus created a new userbase away from Nintendo. Things have never been the same since.

I do have to wonder, if Sony had never come into the picture, would they all have gone to the Saturn instead? If the cartridges *were* such a big deal, that's the logical conclusion. I suspect they were a factor, but I don't think they're as big an issue as people believe.

 

[EDarkness]

If he can salvage the Wii U he'll be fine cause he's done a lot of good. Thing is, that's a big IF. It just feels like the Wii U is too little too late and a bit out of step where the market has shifted to. And by that I don't mean just the cinegame market, I mean the casual market and that "soccer mum" that loves Wii Fit U etc. Wii captured the family purchaser market (Mums and dads) but I am not convinced Wii U can do it.

I've been thinking about this recently, and I wonder if a lot of those folks (people who bought a Wii) look at the Wii U as a bit of a step back. It doesn't come with a remote and it's back to dual analog with no real motion controls. I almost wonder if Nintendo should have simply improved the remote and saved the tablet for another day. I've heard about people looking at the Wii Pad and just getting confused, not by the screen, but by how many buttons it has and the overall complicated nature of it.

Don't get me wrong, it's a novel idea, but for people who liked the Wii, why would they go back to playing "the old way"? They can do that already with other systems.