I've seen it referenced multiple times, but this is my first time reading through this feature from Eurogamer:
The Secret Developers: Wii U - the inside story
If you haven't taken the time to read this article, you definitely should. It details, with sobriety and transparency, just what made the Wii U so difficult to develop for (for third party publishers).
I'm wondering how many of these issues we think will be alleviated with what Nintendo has decided to do with the Switch. I gleaned three major problems from the article, and I'm wondering if all three have been, and will be, addressed.
1.
The Wii U had pretty extreme CPU limitations. I'm not the most tech-savvy person, but it doesn't seem like there has been too much negative talk about the CPUs inside of the Switch. Though they be clocked very modestly, it sounds like it will still be a capable current-gen machine. Of course we won't know for sure until we see the games, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong here.
2.
Nintendo was slow to communicate with and help developers. Apparently any time there was a problem or developers had questions or issues with the hardware, they would have to send their questions to Japan and wait for those questions, and answers, to be translated and returned. I'm hoping that now, since Nintendo is partnered with Nvidia, that Nvidia itself will have dedicated teams and representatives to help developers as they optimize and build their games for the Switch. We'll have experts intimately familiar with this custom GPU and system as a whole to aid publishers when they need it, and even when they don't.
3.
Launch sales were anemic. Time will tell, of course, but I feel like the Switch will enjoy a great launch. Assuming the price is right, I feel like most enthusiasts and casual gamers are already planning to pick one up. That's the vibe I get, anyway. If nothing else, Nintendo has marketed the Switch MUCH better than it did the Wii U. People actually know what it is; they know why it's called the Switch; they know what makes it different from the PS4 and Xbox One, besides having Nintendo games.
Are there any other major issues that the Wii U faced, as discussed in that article, that Nintendo hasn't addressed with the Switch?
