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[Cornbread78]

OK, for historical perspective...

Sales on Wii:

Mario Kart Wii- 34.26 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii- 27.88 million (also bundled)
Super Mario Galaxy- 11.72 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl- 11.49 million
Mario Party 8- 7.6 million
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games- 7.09 million
Super Mario Galaxy 2- 6.36 million
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess- 5.82 million
Donkey Kong Country Returns- 4.96 million


Will Zelda and Donkey Kong save them? Super Mario 3D on 3DS sold almost 9 million already, but that is a handheld, Mario 64 sold about 12 million units total in a different era of gaming...

 

[Seeds]

You mean the handheld Wii U? I think it makes sense. From a business perspective. The 3DS is nearing its twilight era, and unless Nintendo want sales to fall off a cliff (like what happened with the Wii), then they'll be looking into its successor. A Wii U portable makes perfect sense, and could be introduced into the market 2015. Nintendo don't kill off the Wii U, and adapt the console to handheld needs.

Nintendo should hire me. I'd be the M Cerny of Nintendo - without the technical prowess of course

So I've been wasting my time with a joke character...

If you really think a WiiU portable could be released in 2015 you trully have no idea how the industry works.

And then I'm ignoring your argument that 3ds sales will fall of a cliff while vita shows potential.

 

[prankster101]

Why compare it to Tomb raider of all things?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...3-4-million-copies-failed-to-hit-expectations

"Fellow Square Enix title Hitman Absolution sold 3.6 million units since its launch in November last year, while Sleeping Dogs sold 1.75 million since last August.

There's no mention of what the company's internal sales expectations were for the trio, just that all three missed their respective marks."

 

[prankster101]

So I've been wasting my time with a joke character...

If you really think a WiiU portable could be released in 2015 you trully have no idea how the industry works.

And then I'm ignoring your argument that 3ds sales will fall of a cliff while vita shows potential.

By 2015, the Wii U will be on life support. The 3DS will also be ailing hardware.

It makes sense for Nintendo to "reconfigure" the Wii U towards handheld markets, like how they are slowly (but surely) jettisoning 3D for 2D with the 2DS.

At that point, Nintendo will need a successor for both. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, converge the markets, and release a Wii U mini that also is in line with the DS family.

I hope I have planted some "seeds" for you to ponder over

 

[Jonm1010]

OK, for historical perspective...

Sales on Wii:

Mario Kart Wii- 34.26 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii- 27.88 million (also bundled)
Super Mario Galaxy- 11.72 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl- 11.49 million
Mario Party 8- 7.6 million
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games- 7.09 million
Super Mario Galaxy 2- 6.36 million
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess- 5.82 million
Donkey Kong Country Returns- 4.96 million


Will Zelda and Donkey Kong save them? Super Mario 3D on 3DS sold almost 9 million already, but that is a handheld, Mario 64 sold about 12 million units total in a different era of gaming...

....and wiiU's install base is around 4 million. Tracking far below even the gamecube in hardware sales. You're nuts if you think Nintendo will even scratch those numbers.

 

[Cornbread78]

....and wiiU's install base is around 4 million. Tracking far below even the gamecube in hardware sales. You're nuts if you think Nintendo will even scratch those numbers.

Oh, I'm not stating they will even come close to those numbers. If I had the time, I'd love to put together a line chart that shows each Ninty console sales nummbers accross their first two years. This is jsut the total software side...

 

[Jonm1010]

Oh, I'm not stating they will even come close to those numbers. If I had the time, I'd love to put together a line chart that shows each Ninty console sales nummbers accross their first two years. This is jsut the total software side...

Then I'm not sure the point. Or the point of your chart?

 

[dakeedskee]

"Breakout" as in "catastrophe"? Sure.

 

[That1BlackGuy]

I wouldn't exactly say "breakout" however I do feel that it will do respectable numbers (I wouldn't even know what would count as respectable in this situation but I'll wing it anyways) worldwide over the holidays with a potential hard drop thereafter. I just feel like there is way too much competition for consumer dollars over the holidays when you got new consoles, current consoles (including 3DS/2DS/XL), tablets, phones and other gadgets in that space with no prior momentum or interest heading in for the WiiU.

 

[Seeds]

By 2015, the Wii U will be on life support. The 3DS will also be ailing hardware.

It makes sense for Nintendo to "reconfigure" the Wii U towards handheld markets, like how they are slowly (but surely) jettisoning 3D for 2D with the 2DS.

At that point, Nintendo will need a successor for both. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, converge the markets, and release a Wii U mini that also is in line with the DS family.

I hope I have planted some "seeds" for you to ponder over

To give you an idea of how long it takes a company to release a new console, they usually start working on a successor as soon as their current console is released.

So no, a 2015 release is literally impossible.

 

[prankster101]

To give you an idea of how long it takes a company to release a new console, they usually start working on a successor as soon as their current console is released.

So no, a 2015 release is literally impossible.

2016 then. With the reveal being 2015.

Edit: why can't Nintendo be more like Apple and Samsung, and have new models come out sooner? I want shiny stuff.

 

[Cornbread78]

Then I'm not sure the point. Or the point of your chart?

It was in reference to an earlier point on lifetime software sales for Wii. I couldn't find the post I read from my phone, so I just posted the list, lol.

 

[Kageshinzo]

Edit: why can't Nintendo be more like Apple and Samsung, and have new models come out sooner? I want shiny stuff.

... You really have no idea how this industry works. I have to reiterate what another member asked you in this thread: exactly how old are you and when exactly did you start gaming?

 

[TDLink]

Sorry. 30 November in UK.

The 3DS will most likely have another 2 years ahead of it. It is entering its twilight ear though. Mobiles and Vita will see to it that sales (rapidly) fall off a cliff sometime soon.

3DS will have another year. Maybe another 1.5 years. But it'll start going downhill after. Which makes way for the 3DS successor in the form of the Wii U mini.

2015. By which point, the Wii U will be dead. And like the Vita/Vita TV situation, will need a handheld equivalent to give it some much needed life support.

By 2015, the Wii U will be on life support. The 3DS will also be ailing hardware.

It makes sense for Nintendo to "reconfigure" the Wii U towards handheld markets, like how they are slowly (but surely) jettisoning 3D for 2D with the 2DS.

At that point, Nintendo will need a successor for both. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, converge the markets, and release a Wii U mini that also is in line with the DS family.

I hope I have planted some "seeds" for you to ponder over

With all of the potentially big games coming out it over the next year it is truly hard to say where the Wii U will be in 2015.

I don't really understand where you are getting the perception that the 3DS is ailing. That thing is pure profit for Nintendo right now and sales are almost certainly skyrocketing again with last week's release of Pokemon. The 3DS system family shows no signs of peaking yet so in what world could it ever be considered ailing? That system is going to last at least until 2017 in my opinion.

The 2DS isn't a replacement for the 3DS either, it's a value option for parents so they can get their kids Pokemon without spending 200 dollars on the system and without worrying about what damaging effects the system *may* do to their eyes. Their next big title on the platform, the new Zelda, as a concept revolves entirely around the 3D effect.

2016 then. With the reveal being 2015.

Edit: why can't Nintendo be more like Apple and Samsung, and have new models come out sooner? I want shiny stuff.

They do. That is what stuff like the 3 different Wiis and 3 different 3DSes (well, one is a 2DS) are.

 

[Azih]

I think the PS3 and the 360 and the Deees are better positioned to be the cheaper alternative to the high end Bones and PS4s than the WiiU.

 

[What The Forest Taught Me]

I think the PS3 and the 360 and the Deees are better positioned to be the cheaper alternative to the high end Bones and PS4s than the WiiU.

I agree with you three times over.

 

[prankster101]

With all of the potentially big games coming out it over the next year it is truly hard to say where the Wii U will be in 2015.

I don't really understand where you are getting the perception that the 3DS is ailing. That thing is pure profit for Nintendo right now and sales are almost certainly skyrocketing again with last week's release of Pokemon. The 3DS system family shows no signs of peaking yet so in what world could it ever be considered ailing? That system is going to last at least until 2017 in my opinion.

The 2DS isn't a replacement for the 3DS either, it's a value option for parents so they can get their kids Pokemon without spending 200 dollars on the system and without worrying about what damaging effects the system *may* do to their eyes. Their next big title on the platform, the new Zelda, as a concept revolves entirely around the 3D effect.

There is a possibility that the 3DS will ail come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

There is a possibility that the Wii U will be dead come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

Edit: as Hugh Jackman says in Prisoners: Hope for the Best. Prepare for the worst.

 

[TDLink]

There is a possibility that the 3DS will ail come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

There is a possibility that the Wii U will be dead come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

Edit: as Hugh Jackman says in Prisoners: Hope for the Best. Prepare for the worst.

There is no trend currently to indicate that the 3DS will fall off a cliff and start doing horribly in 2015. You have some sort of deranged fantasy that you are trying to make the facts conform to, but they can't, as that just factually isn't the case.

 

[axisofweevils]

Judging from my Twitter timeline, the Watch_Dogs delay seems like it will help Wii U this holiday. Many people seem to be holding off getting a PS4 until later and buying a Wii U because of it.

This is not to say that the Wii U will ever do anywhere near Wii numbers and it will almost certainly end up third place this gen, but once the Big Nintendo titles start coming (3DW is the first), I can see things substantially improving from where they are now.

 

[prankster101]

There is no trend currently to indicate that the 3DS will fall off a cliff and start doing horribly in 2015. You have some sort of deranged fantasy that you are trying to make the facts conform to, but they can't, as that just factually isn't the case.

But the decline might start. Hell, it might even start next year...

Anyone remember Blackberry?

 

[Kageshinzo]

There is a possibility that the 3DS will ail come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

There is a possibility that the Wii U will be dead come 2015. Nintendo need to be ready for that scenario.

Edit: as Hugh Jackman says in Prisoners: Hope for the Best. Prepare for the worst.

And there's also the possibility that, you know, Nintendo can turn the Wii U fiasco around. The problem with you is that you're only looking at the negative side. But then again, you're the one who has a raging hard-on for the console to fail so there really is no point debating with you, is there?

 

[prankster101]

Judging from my Twitter timeline, the Watch_Dogs delay seems like it will help Wii U this holiday. Many people seem to be holding off getting a PS4 until later and buying a Wii U because of it.

This is not to say that the Wii U will ever do anywhere near Wii numbers and it will almost certainly end up third place this gen, but once the Big Nintendo titles start coming (3DW is the first), I can see things substantially improving from where they are now.

The Watch Dogs delay will help the Wii U situation. And if Nintendo have the business acumen to capitalise on the situation (which their track record suggests that they don't), then the Wii U could have a comparatively healthy Xmas.

 

[kharma45]

But the decline might start. Hell, it might even start next year...

Anyone remember Blackberry?

haha so throw out a load of guess work and hope one is right? Quality stuff.

 

[TDLink]

But the decline might start. Hell, it might even start next year...

Anyone remember Blackberry?

Sure anything can possibly happen. My point is it is extremely unlikely. There is no trend at all to indicate that the 3DS is going downhill. With the recent release of Pokemon the system hasn't even peaked yet. Your entire point is based on the premise that the 3DS will fail in 2015, which is completely unreasonable looking at where it currently is in the market.

 

[prankster101]

And there's also the possibility that, you know, Nintendo can turn the Wii U fiasco around. The problem with you is that you're only looking at the negative side. But then again, you're the one who has a raging hard-on for the console to fail so there really is no point debating with you, is there?

I'm waiting until MK8. And to see how the situation pans out following a price drop.

You might think I have a "hard on" for the console to fail, but I really don't. I just hate substandard products. The Wii U is a substandard product that is being sold for over-inflated prices, and which offers very poor value for the average (read: average) gamer out there. No third party support etc confirms this.

I also don't "get" the Wii U gamepad. I mean, wtf is that thing? Is it a "thing"?

 

[GuitarAtomik]

I'd put it at the empty shelves to cause a stir. True most people will want the 2 big guns coming out, but with all the rumored shortages or stock post launch. Also will parents "settle" for the WiiU to give their kids as an upgrade to their Wii? Getting these causuals to buy a Wii-U could be key for their success, but that also means they would have to market their product this fall successfully, which they have yet to do..

I'm curious if this technique works at the $200+ electronics level. I have a hard time believing someone would walk in to a store with the intention of buying an iPad, but ends up buying a $100-$200 cheaper Android tablet just because they were sold out. Even during the holidays as a gift. Same thing with consoles especially if you're aware certain games only play on certain systems (I realize that's not the case a lot of the time). I think once you hit that price point, people are researching stuff and are mostly going to get what they set out to get.

I don't know. Maybe someone with a lot more experience with retail electronics can clarify.

 

[Chojin]

Wow that sounds rough. I work in the semiconductor industry and 90% of my coworkers couldn't care less about the gaming industry. It is strange,

I work in HR. Aparrently for kicks I was place right between a Sony fan and an Xbox fan. They're go on about how hardcore they are with the Sony fan essentially only playing Fifa and the Xbox fan a COD guy. They don't really talk about other games.

I always just grin anyway, its fun to see perspectives of casuals and their viewpoint on being the hardest of core gamers

 

[Herne]

Which is why Nintendo going third party is the best way to serve their fanbase...

People buy games. Not hardware.

It would take some catastrophic disaster for NIntendo to be forced out of making hardware and the Wii U, selling as low as it is, is nowhere near the scale of what would be needed for them to do that. They have billions in the bank, their handhelds always sell and if their home consoles fail, the handhelds pick up the slack and keep them going.

I can't find the quote now, it's from over a decade back, but I paraphrase Howard Lincoln when he was asked about the possibility of Nintendo going third-party -

We will never let that happen. We will not allow Sony to become the de-facto standard.

That may be a quote from a man who has not been involved in Nintendo since then, but you ask any Nintendo employee about turning third-party and you would only succeed in shocking them. It is not going to happen.

 

[equippedwithtowel]

Sorry. 30 November in UK.

The 3DS will most likely have another 2 years ahead of it. It is entering its twilight ear though. Mobiles and Vita will see to it that sales (rapidly) fall off a cliff sometime soon.

3DS will have another year. Maybe another 1.5 years. But it'll start going downhill after. Which makes way for the 3DS successor in the form of the Wii U mini.

2015. By which point, the Wii U will be dead. And like the Vita/Vita TV situation, will need a handheld equivalent to give it some much needed life support.

Vita isn't making shit fall off shit.

It can't even get a single post launch million selling game.

Mobiles have already taken their toll on the 3DS, but there's a niche for dedicated handhelds and the 3DS has it on lockdown. Pokemon X and Y will outsell the Vita WW by the end of the month.

 

[RobFox64tm]

But the decline might start. Hell, it might even start next year...

Anyone remember Blackberry?

Umm, you do realize Pokemon just released on the 3DS, right? That was what, 5 days ago? It has already sold over 4 million copies in that time, and you are trying to convince people the 3DS is headed for a fall? Let me lay it out for you; Wii U, PS4, Xbone... whatever one you THINK will take the crown this holiday, you're already wrong. 3DS is primed to have it's best sales spike ever, and it will almost certainly school the whole lot of em with it's software selection and various skus. Please stop and think about what you're saying in here, because you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Flying Toaster]

OK, for historical perspective...

Sales on Wii:

Mario Kart Wii- 34.26 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii- 27.88 million (also bundled)
Super Mario Galaxy- 11.72 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl- 11.49 million
Mario Party 8- 7.6 million
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games- 7.09 million
Super Mario Galaxy 2- 6.36 million
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess- 5.82 million
Donkey Kong Country Returns- 4.96 million


Will Zelda and Donkey Kong save them? Super Mario 3D on 3DS sold almost 9 million already, but that is a handheld, Mario 64 sold about 12 million units total in a different era of gaming...

As great as that would be if these titles actually saved the WiiU and brought it into Game Cube territory I highly doubt they will and definitely not this holiday season. The system needs another price reduction and perhaps a Super Mario 3D World bundle before there is going to be a major (and I mean major) change in sales.

I hate to say that because I am now a WiiU owner but honestly I don't see much changing the already doom and gloom atmosphere of the console.

 

[RobFox64tm]

As great as that would be if these titles actually saved the WiiU and brought it into Game Cube territory I highly doubt they will and definitely not this holiday season. The system needs another price reduction and perhaps a Super Mario 3D World bundle before there is going to be a major (and I mean major) change in sales.

I hate to say that because I am now a WiiU owner but honestly I don't see much changing the already doom and gloom atmosphere of the console.

Not sure why you (and a great number of other GAF members out there) think this way. Wii U had a terrible first year, no argument there, but it also had very few notable releases in that time. If a 3D Mario, Zelda remake, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Smash Bros., etc can't even propell the Wii U to at least around Gamecube numbers, I'd be genuinely shocked. Until those titles have come and gone though, I think it's short sighted to assume Wii U will just continue on the same path it's had. Games sell systems, and the Wii U just hitting its stride in that area. The next few months will be a much better indicator than the past 11 have been.

 

[prankster101]

It would take some catastrophic disaster for NIntendo to be forced out of making hardware and the Wii U, selling as low as it is, is nowhere near the scale of what would be needed for them to do that. They have billions in the bank, their handhelds always sell and if their home consoles fail, the handhelds pick up the slack and keep them going.

I can't find the quote now, it's from over a decade back, but I paraphrase Howard Lincoln when he was asked about the possibility of Nintendo going third-party -

We will never let that happen. We will not allow Sony to become the de-facto standard.

That may be a quote from a man who has not been involved in Nintendo since then, but you ask any Nintendo employee about turning third-party and you would only succeed in shocking them. It is not going to happen.

Sony are the defacto standard.

Vita isn't making shit fall off shit.

It can't even get a single post launch million selling game.

Mobiles have already taken their toll on the 3DS, but there's a niche for dedicated handhelds and the 3DS has it on lockdown. Pokemon X and Y will outsell the Vita WW by the end of the month.

People thought the same thing with the Wii when the XBox/PS4 were still struggling, and look what happened. Is it so wrong to prepare for the worst? The 3DS isn't going to be a "thing" forever. And what comes next?

Umm, you do realize Pokemon just released on the 3DS, right? That was what, 5 days ago? It has already sold over 4 million copies in that time, and you are trying to convince people the 3DS is headed for a fall? Let me lay it out for you; Wii U, PS4, Xbone... whatever one you THINK will take the crown this holiday, you're already wrong. 3DS is primed to have it's best sales spike ever, and it will almost certainly school the whole lot of em with it's software selection and various skus. Please stop and think about what you're saying in here, because you have no idea what you're talking about.

The 3DS might be primed to take the top spot, but the Wii U is its Achilles heel.

Nintendo's strength may lie in handheld, but when it comes to consoles, they are ridiculously weak.

Tbh: I really don't understand as to why people are so against Nintendo becoming third party. Whatever advantage Nintendo do have with some hardware accessory is quickly adopted and subsumed by the competition. Nintendo should just stick to making accessories, and not console systems.

And all this talk about how Nintendo games will come off worse if they go third party is just nonsense. Jesus, have you heard yourselves? "Yesh, I want to spend £300 on a hunk of junk, because you know, we'd rather spend that money on useless plastic than on games".

So you're trying to tell me that every other publisher/developer is actually worse than Nintendo because they don't make games for their own proprietary hardware. Maybe you should look in the mirror, and then look at screenshots of GTA V, and then remind yourself that you're talking bollocks.

Nintendo fans should wake up and smell the coffee. The company makes shit hardware that doesn't have any industry support, sells shit, is shit, and yet expects people to still stand by it and buy its outdated, shit tech.

When are people going to start calling a spade a spade, and also realise that you can't polish a turd?

Rant about the Wii U: Over.

As for the 3DS: man, that machine is beginning to look mighty long in the tooth. It might have done well with Pokemon etc, but Nintendo have made similar mistakes before when they held out on the Snes and Wii - both of which were doing phenomenally well until some young upstart entered the field.

I have nothing against the 3DS. I concede that the 3DS/handheld market is something that Nintendo have nailed. But the Wii U? Pah!

 

[Flying Toaster]

Many view the Wii U as shit hardware like the above poster. Honestly I could give a rats ass about the capability of the hardware. I am in it for the games, does the system have the games that I happen to be interested in.

You do not buy consoles for hardware specs... that is what PC's are for. Many people substitute a console with their PC as a way to play some games that just will never ever make it onto the PC.

I play Nintendo games specifically for the types of games the platform has. Does it have the support of third parties? No. Is that bad? Yes. But honestly if Nintendo keeps coming out with the types of games I am looking for that just happen to not be on the PC I will continue to support them with whatever console happens to be the one out at the time.

 

[prankster101]

Many view the Wii U as shit hardware like the above poster. Honestly I could give a rats ass about the capability of the hardware. I am in it for the games, does the system have the games that I happen to be interested in.

You do not buy consoles for hardware specs... that is what PC's are for. Many people substitute a console with their PC as a way to play some games that just will never ever make it onto the PC.

I play Nintendo games specifically for the types of games the platform has. Does it have the support of third parties? No. Is that bad? Yes. But honestly if Nintendo keeps coming out with the types of games I am looking for that just happen to not be on the PC I will continue to support them with whatever console happens to be the one out at the time.

That seems like a rational comment, in that you seem to accept that you would buy Nintendo games regardless of hardware. Many people don't share your point of view. Which is absurd.

If the Wii U was doing numbers similar to PS3 etc, or even if it was trailing a close third, I'd support the notion that maybe my assumptions are out. But all this talk about how Nintendo would be worse if they went 3rd party seems a little absurd.

The company is different to what it was in Howard Lincoln's day. The industry is different. We have new ways of playing now. And is 2D Mario still the king of platformers, when a lot of people are arguing that Rayman Legends is actually the better game (even if it lacks the necessary heritage)?

I think I am more pissed off with Nintendo fans to be honest. A lot of them aren't willing to adapt. And a lot of them appear irresponsible with their money, claiming that they don't mind paying extortionate amounts for Nintendo products, when the truth of the matter is that they are missing out on so many other gaming and life experiences.

I bought 10+ games this month. Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 6, Hotline Miami, Red Steel 2, Dragons Dogma, Drakengard, Opoona, Deadly Creatures, Teleglitch, and a few others. Cost me about £40. Would I trade all those games for a 10 year old (HD) remake? No. Do I think that my gaming tastes/experiences are infinitely more varied than the average Nintendo fan's? Yes.

None of the games which I bought had publishers stating that they thought the best way of delivering their games was via their own prorprietary hardware. And they're not bad developers/publishers either. So all this talk about Nintendo systems being best for Nintendo is delusional talk by ego driven traditionalists who still somehow think that Nintendo are relevant in the console space.

Nintendo haven't been relevant in the console space since the days of the Super Nintendo. Sure, they're minted. But at what cost? Because if it means that they can get by on producing substandard results, while still asking for premium rates, than their "fans" are even more deluded than I am.

The Wii U and Wii would never have happened under the watchful eye of Yamauchi. At least that guy associated himself with high quality goods. Not pass off shit in the hope that people will come to associate it with fool's gold.

Edit: I think I've said everything I've needed to say. No point in repeating myself, or even responding to the cat-callers - who'll mostly nit-pick. The OP asks if the Wii U will "breakout" this year. I think Nintendo's hardware strategy with the Wii U is broken. The only thing that needs to "breakout" is Nintendo's old way of thinking.

 

[Neff]

Sony are the defacto standard.

 

[maverick40]

I work in HR. Aparrently for kicks I was place right between a Sony fan and an Xbox fan. They're go on about how hardcore they are with the Sony fan essentially only playing Fifa and the Xbox fan a COD guy. They don't really talk about other games.

I always just grin anyway, its fun to see perspectives of casuals and their viewpoint on being the hardest of core gamers

Oh god that is my nightmare right there. I would just listen to music instead of listening to a casual explain to my why COD and FIFA are the pinnacle of gaming. Fair play to you though for sticking through it though

 

[StevieP]

That seems like a rational comment, in that you seem to accept that you would buy Nintendo games regardless of hardware. Many people don't share your point of view. Which is absurd.

If the Wii U was doing numbers similar to PS3 etc, or even if it was trailing a close third, I'd support the notion that maybe my assumptions are out. But all this talk about how Nintendo would be worse if they went 3rd party seems a little absurd.

The company is different to what it was in Howard Lincoln's day. The industry is different. We have new ways of playing now. And is 2D Mario still the king of platformers, when a lot of people are arguing that Rayman Legends is actually the better game (even if it lacks the necessary heritage)?

I think I am more pissed off with Nintendo fans to be honest. A lot of them aren't willing to adapt. And a lot of them appear irresponsible with their money, claiming that they don't mind paying extortionate amounts for Nintendo products, when the truth of the matter is that they are missing out on so many other gaming and life experiences.

I bought 10+ games this month. Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 6, Hotline Miami, Red Steel 2, Dragons Dogma, Drakengard, Opoona, Deadly Creatures, Teleglitch, and a few others. Cost me about £40. Would I trade all those games for a 10 year old (HD) remake? No. Do I think that my gaming tastes/experiences are infinitely more varied than the average Nintendo fan's? Yes.

None of the games which I bought had publishers stating that they thought the best way of delivering their games was via their own prorprietary hardware. And they're not bad developers/publishers either. So all this talk about Nintendo systems being best for Nintendo is delusional talk by ego driven traditionalists who still somehow think that Nintendo are relevant in the console space.

Nintendo haven't been relevant in the console space since the days of the Super Nintendo. Sure, they're minted. But at what cost? Because if it means that they can get by on producing substandard results, while still asking for premium rates, than their "fans" are even more deluded than I am.

The Wii U and Wii would never have happened under the watchful eye of Yamauchi. At least that guy associated himself with high quality goods. Not pass off shit in the hope that people will come to associate it with fool's gold.

Edit: I think I've said everything I've needed to say. No point in repeating myself, or even responding to the cat-callers - who'll mostly nit-pick. The OP asks if the Wii U will "breakout" this year. I think Nintendo's hardware strategy with the Wii U is broken. The only thing that needs to "breakout" is Nintendo's old way of thinking.

Why should I not be able to buy killzone shadow fall on my PC? The ps4 is shit hardware in comparison to my PC! And i don't want to pay to play muliplayer! And why can't I install OSX on my PC legally? It's the exact same hardware but 1/3 the price! And I should be able to play halo 4 on vita if I wanted to!

 

[SaviorX]

I think the system will get annihilated but that's just the realist in me.

It would get boosted by Super Mario 3D World but the meteorologists have predicted that there will be a severe snowstorm during the week of release. It will seriously impact consumers who wish to drive to stores or whose hands will be too cold to pay digitally. As an expert in American culture, I've realized that when it comes to going out of their way to purchase a Wii U, consumers will realize they just ain't got time for that.

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

I expect a nice wii U sales bump for those titles, but I don't expect that bump to last very long. Not in the face of two rivals releasing next month.

 

[RobFox64tm]

I think the system will get annihilated but that's just the realist in me.

It would get boosted by Super Mario 3D World but the meteorologists have predicted that there will be a severe snowstorm during the week of release. It will seriously impact consumers who wish to drive to stores or whose hands will be too cold to pay digitally. As an expert in American culture, I've realized that when it comes to going out of their way to purchase a Wii U, consumers will realize they just ain't got time for that.

I see what you did there. Would've been more funny had you responded to a future "Bomba: Super Mario 3D World" thread though. Assuming that'll happen, of course.

 

[Roshin]

I don't see how it can possibly do well when the competition will be worse than it has ever been before.

 

[(mat)]

I'm rooting for you, Wii U! You sure are one nifty console.

 

[TDLink]

Tbh: I really don't understand as to why people are so against Nintendo becoming third party. Whatever advantage Nintendo do have with some hardware accessory is quickly adopted and subsumed by the competition. Nintendo should just stick to making accessories, and not console systems.

And all this talk about how Nintendo games will come off worse if they go third party is just nonsense. Jesus, have you heard yourselves? "Yesh, I want to spend £300 on a hunk of junk, because you know, we'd rather spend that money on useless plastic than on games".

If the console plays their games and we want their games then it isn't a hunk of useless plastic. The Wii U hardware is actually very good, people just aren't buying it. Not a single person I know who has tried it/owns actually dislikes the machine. It isn't technically up to par with XBONE or PS4 but it is still a fine system.

The reason Nintendo would be worse off as a third party is they would have to answer to someone other than themselves, and they would likely only produce games in their biggest franchises (Mario, Zelda, Pokemon), leaving their others in the dust. Most people who care about Nintendo, myself included, care about more than just their top franchises. A Nintendo without Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Kid Icarus, etc. is not a Nintendo I want. It wouldn't be the same.

For an ultimate example of why Nintendo should never go third party look at SEGA. They are a pitiful shadow of their former self.

So you're trying to tell me that every other publisher/developer is actually worse than Nintendo because they don't make games for their own proprietary hardware. Maybe you should look in the mirror, and then look at screenshots of GTA V, and then remind yourself that you're talking bollocks.

Yes. Absolutely. GTA V is a great game but Rockstar only makes one game every few years. Nintendo pumps out ten plus quality games across handheld and console almost every single year. No other company in the industry has their kind of output and the fact that the quality level is maintained at that output is insane. They have very few stinkers.

Nintendo fans should wake up and smell the coffee. The company makes shit hardware that doesn't have any industry support, sells shit, is shit, and yet expects people to still stand by it and buy its outdated, shit tech.

No. They don't make bad hardware. I don't know of a single Nintendo system that has been poorly designed. None have had issues like the 360's infamous RROD. I have never had to replace a Nintendo system I bought. A friend of mine broke the top screen off his DS where it was only hanging on by one side and it still worked perfectly. They make extremely solid hardware.

Now, technically their systems have been underpowered compared to their competition last gen and this gen. However, that does not inherently make their hardware shit.

Third parties are also not avoiding Nintendo due to shit hardware, they avoid them because third party games don't sell on those systems. People do buy Nintendo systems explicitly for Nintendo games. Most people who own a Nintendo console also own a PC or other system they can buy that third party title on, and they do. Third parties haven't been strong on Nintendo consoles since SNES, and that is only because they had a single competitor at the time. Nintendo had a technically superior system with the Gamecube and they still didn't get third parties in droves. Nintendo had the best selling system on the market with the Wii and they still didn't get third parties in droves. Third parties are just never going to be a big thing on Nintendo systems again unless the competition shrinks in number (which is unlikely).

As for the 3DS: man, that machine is beginning to look mighty long in the tooth. It might have done well with Pokemon etc, but Nintendo have made similar mistakes before when they held out on the Snes and Wii - both of which were doing phenomenally well until some young upstart entered the field.

I don't even know what you are trying to say here.

I think I am more pissed off with Nintendo fans to be honest. A lot of them aren't willing to adapt. And a lot of them appear irresponsible with their money, claiming that they don't mind paying extortionate amounts for Nintendo products, when the truth of the matter is that they are missing out on so many other gaming and life experiences.

It's not up to you to decide what consumers should and shouldn't spend their money on, other than yourself. I am not really sure why you are getting offended about what people choose to do with their money either. It is not irresponsible to buy a Nintendo system. Honestly, video game systems don't cost that much. They are easily affordable by anyone with a steady job. If you actually think $300 is an "extortionate amount" then I have to assume you are still a child who relies purely on their parents for video games, as that is the only reasonable explanation.

 

[Neff]

I assume you have a Wii U?

Let me know how that thing's holding up in two years.

Edit: I'm just going to go back to GTA V. Maybe you've heard of it... I hear it didn't come to the Wii U.

I think I am more pissed off with Nintendo fans to be honest. A lot of them aren't willing to adapt. And a lot of them appear irresponsible with their money, claiming that they don't mind paying extortionate amounts for Nintendo products, when the truth of the matter is that they are missing out on so many other gaming and life experiences.

I bought 10+ games this month. Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 6, Hotline Miami, Red Steel 2, Dragons Dogma, Drakengard, Opoona, Deadly Creatures, Teleglitch, and a few others. Cost me about £40. Would I trade all those games for a 10 year old (HD) remake? No. Do I think that my gaming tastes/experiences are infinitely more varied than the average Nintendo fan's? Yes.

I'm going to impart a revelation that will blow your tiny little world wide open.

People buy and play more than one console.

 

[Yanikun]

Tbh: I really don't understand as to why people are so against Nintendo becoming third party. Whatever advantage Nintendo do have with some hardware accessory is quickly adopted and subsumed by the competition. Nintendo should just stick to making accessories, and not console systems.

And all this talk about how Nintendo games will come off worse if they go third party is just nonsense. Jesus, have you heard yourselves? "Yesh, I want to spend £300 on a hunk of junk, because you know, we'd rather spend that money on useless plastic than on games".

So you're trying to tell me that every other publisher/developer is actually worse than Nintendo because they don't make games for their own proprietary hardware. Maybe you should look in the mirror, and then look at screenshots of GTA V, and then remind yourself that you're talking bollocks.

Nintendo fans should wake up and smell the coffee. The company makes shit hardware that doesn't have any industry support, sells shit, is shit, and yet expects people to still stand by it and buy its outdated, shit tech.

When are people going to start calling a spade a spade, and also realise that you can't polish a turd?

I see what it is. You don't really want Nintendo to go third party so that they can make games for more powerful systems. You think that's what you want, but what you actually want is to see Nintendo spend $235 million into their games.

 

[something fishy]

Never say never but they must get it on the shelves in the shops and get more people interested.

lower price and bundles can help.

 

[Penryn]

Another thing to consider is that the PS4 and Xbox One are likely going to be above $399 in price for at least 2 years. This gives Nintendo time to get the Wii U price down to 250 and I think that would help a lot. Also consider that the PS2 was cheaper than the Wii and arguably had a much better catalog of games and the Wii still sold well for those who want to compare PS360 to WiiU.

 

[Devilgunman]

Another thing to consider is that the PS4 and Xbox One are likely going to be above $399 in price for at least 2 years. This gives Nintendo time to get the Wii U price down to 250 and I think that would help a lot. b]Also consider that the PS2 was cheaper than the Wii and arguably had a much better catalog of games and the Wii still sold well for those who want to compare PS360 to WiiU.[/b]

Flawed comparison.

The Wii and PS2 attracted totally different groups. The Wii gather casual customers who had never been in gaming and that's how it dominated PS2 and the beginning of this gen. However, those casual customers already moved on to something else (phone + tablet), forcing the WiiU to return to the hardcore crowds, whose PS360 have been owned for the past 7 years. That is the reason WiiU is fucking bomb right now. It can win over neither casuals nor hardcores. No matter how much you want to spin the WiiU will be competing with PS360 until its last breath. And no, price cut won't help either, when there is no game for it. The cheapest PS360 is already at $200 and when Nintendo decide to reduce WiiU price, Sony and MS can cut their price even lower.

 

[Radec]

Did the new Zelda made a bump HW-wise?