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Nintendo giving Devs free Wii U kits?

uxSSGcU.png

Most likely to Indie Devs, but maybe Western Devs too? Who knows.
Could this help Nintendo and the Wii U?
Or are they still effectively dooimed?
 

Sendou

Member
So it's like Sony with Vita? I could only see this benefiting to very small indies. I just hope this isn't because Nintendo can't find people to sell them to.
 

gngf123

Member
Great move if true.

However, the WiiU dev kit was already incredibly cheap compared to other dev kits, so I'm not sure this will actually help all that much.
 

Futureman

Member
wouldn't it only make sense for this to be for indie developers? Wouldn't a dev kit be like 0.0005% of the budget of a normal 3rd party title?
 
At this point it's a pretty sensible move if it means more games get made for the Wii U. Does anyone have a solid ballpark estimate on the cost of a Wii U devkit?
 

pswii60

Member
uxSSGcU.png

Most likely to Indie Devs, but maybe Western Devs too? Who knows.
Could this help Nintendo and the Wii U?
Or are they still effectively dooimed?

The biggest worry is that they have to do this at all. Normally devs are jumping over backwards to get devkits, it seems this is the other way around.
 

Meelow

Banned
I think this is for indie devs, which is good since tons of indies can't afford a dev kit.

How does Wii U compare to past Nintendo systems sales? I mean is this one the worst seller so far?

I don't know about that, I do know the Wii U sold about 3 million? Already, While compared to the 360 which sold 6 million in it's first year, so the Wii U might be on the same track as the 360.
 
Yep, getting more indie support and offering eShop incentives makes thinks look worse ......erm what ?

He means it looks like Nintendo are desperate.

But I welcome it! Hell, I WANT ONE! If they're giving them out... and I can't code for shit, I'd just keep one around... maybe that will kick me into learning how to code and maybe finally work towards making games!
 

Nosgoroth

Member
☑ Learn to code
☑ Get the help of a graphical designer
☑ Come up with a game
☑ Make the game (in progress)
☑ Get a secure space for the devkit
☑ Get a devkit (hopefully get it for free!)
☐ Have previous professional game dev experience

:(
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
He means it looks like Nintendo are desperate.

But I welcome it! Hell, I WANT ONE! If they're giving them out... and I can't code for shit, I'd just keep one around... maybe that will kick me into learning how to code and maybe finally work towards making games!
As platform holder it's their job to get content for their hardware, I don't see how it' is desperate.
 
Maybe Team Meat will developer for it now, since they routinely demand publishers give them everything on a silver platter.

They said this is a step in the right direction in getting them onboard.

They'll be even closer to putting a game on the Wii U when Miyamoto watches their pets for them when they go on vacation.
 

Hero

Member
I talked to Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight devs) at PAX East about them being so on board with Nintendo right out of the gates and they told me that Nintendo straight up lent them a Wii U development kit for free. I can see this being true for some developers in similar positions.
 
I'd be surprised if they weren't doing this. Developers already don't want anything to do with the system, why would they pay Nintendo to develop for it?
 
Whether it's an act of desperation or something nintendo would be doing even if they were selling 500K+ a month, it's always good news to get more developers, especially indies, in the mix.
 

Sendou

Member
I'd be surprised if they weren't doing this. Developers already don't want anything to do with the system, why would they pay Nintendo to develop for it?

I don't understand your logic. If they don't see the return for their investment (making games for a platform in this case) then they won't make it even if it was $3000 more profitable for them. This is more like a good gesture than anything.
 

Mudkips

Banned
If I had a Wii U dev kit the first thing I would do is make an application that lets me control my fucking receiver. The current remote and TVii shit is pointless for me unless I can control my receiver to switch between inputs.
 

jay

Member
Because there are no games. Which is why Nintendo is giving out free development kits. Does every positive Nintendo thread need to be plagued with trolling and negativity?

It's probably one of those "no games will change anything because they have missed the market and it's so fundamentally flawed no one could want it" posts. Or he actually doesn't understand software is good at selling hardware.
 

Schnozberry

Member
I talked to Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight devs) at PAX East about them being so on board with Nintendo right out of the gates and they told me that Nintendo straight up lent them a Wii U development kit for free. I can see this being true for some developers in similar positions.

Yeah, it seems that Nintendo is bending over backwards to get smaller developers involved. With all the 3rd party partnerships Iwata keeps talking about, I'm wondering if they are just scouting small devs to see if they can find people they can farm work out to for Nintendo franchises.
 
How does Wii U compare to past Nintendo systems sales? I mean is this one the worst seller so far?
As far as things are going, it's numbers are actually sitting above at least one of the HD twins at a similar LTD and maybe the Wii, as well. That's more to due with the Wii U having a decent launch than its current performance, while the other systems had somewhat weaker launches but sold through better into the launch window and beyond.

There's no question that the Wii U is currently doing very badly, but provided that it can get back on track within the year it'll be fine, more or less. Handing out devkits to increase output is a good solution, even if the offer only extends to indies. Maybe they should be doing the same with select, smaller, third parties, as well.
 
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