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Should Nintendo have dropped the gamepad back in 2013 to reduce console price?

How to shitpost when adults are discussing game mechanics 101. Please tell me what you have contributed to this discussion besides talking about playing Advance Wars on your iPhone?

Made quite a few other posts before that regarding the actual topic. I could link your posts of you getting heated and stating your rank over and over, but what's the point? You set the tone once you started rank dropping as if that excused your inability to use the touchscreen during a splatoon match. Get real man.
 

greg400

Banned
Made quite a few other posts before that regarding the actual topic. I could link your posts simply of you getting heated and stating your rank over and over, but what's the point?
Lol "getting heated"

I haven't mentioned my rank in over 10 replies but here you are continuing to bring it up. Get over it, it served its purpose against the accusations.

You set the tone once you started rank dropping as if that excused your inability to use the touchscreen during a splatoon match.
I never once mentioned my supposed "inability" to use the GamePad, I said that there are better ways to handle the map in game that would make the functionality of even having a map in the first place more useful.
 
What's up with Wii U threads in past few hours?

"Hey guys, I found one little trick to save the Wii U! Why is Nintendo so retarded? They should have asked NeoGAF!"

Oh, and now it's just a thread of shitposting and hatred.
 

RibMan

Member
The short answer is no, because the Wii U's problems (in 2013) extended beyond the product's price. There was a similar thread from Chubigans that discussed the viability of a GamePad-less Wii U -- there were some very interesting arguments in that thread from both sides of the fence.

It's critical to note that the Wii U's failure really wasn't due to it's price-point. I kind of dislike using the four marketing P's because marketing is significantly more complicated than four concepts, however, I'll use them here to give a brief explanation of why the console failed.

Product - The Wii U's technical capabilities are poor, and in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox 360, the value proposition was way off. Nintendo were asking people to go out and spend hundreds of dollars for a product that didn't offer a significant leap over current products. The Wii U's GamePad was also a technically limited product. It could not match or exceed what tablets were doing at the time, thus the value of owning one was very low. For developers, making games for the Wii U wasn't exciting due to the limitations and outdated technology in the product. For publishers, adding a Wii U SKU was an investment not worth taking, as a) The product wasn't doing anything technically compelling that could create a 'wow' factor for a game and b) The non-existent marketshare guaranteed a financial loss. The Wii U is a poorly designed product, and this is ultimately the biggest reason why the console failed.

Price - The Wii U was priced at $299.99 and $349.99. The Wii U launched as a technically weak product with a low-value feature along with an extremely small game library, and it was being priced higher than the immediate competitors (360 at $199.99, PS3 at $249.99). If you were a parent looking at what console to buy for your child, the Wii U wasn't an appealing product. There goes the casual gaming audience.

Promotion - The Wii U launch ads were horrific. The messaging was so confusing that you had and still have people who think the Wii U is a new controller for the original Wii. 90%+ of the press shots featured the controller in front of the console, 90%+ of the ads focused on the controller and not the console, 90%+ of the ads also showed the Wiimote, 90%+ of the store displays had the Gamepad as the hero and not the console, 90%+ of the media tours (e.g. Jimmy Fallon appearance) featured a Nintendo representative talking about the controller and not the console, the list goes on. I feel confident in saying the promotion of the Wii U did as much damage as the actual design of the console. Remember the brilliance of the "Wii would like to play" ads? None of that was present with the Wii U. I've said this before, but if Nintendo doesn't realize how bad their Wii U promotion was, then the NX is going to meet the same fate. I guarantee it.

Place - The Wii U was an HD console launching 7 years after HD consoles had become 'a thing'. In hindsight, Michael Pachter was 100% correct in saying that a Wii HD should have launched years before the Wii U. The Wii U also launched months before the shiny new PS4 and Xbox One were unveiled. It absolutely had a head start, but that head start was short lived due to the public realizing how technically weak the Wii U was in comparison to the PS4. Nintendo couldn't rely on "Most powerful console" as a selling point, so Nintendo had no chance with hardcore gamers -- who also happen to be the early adopters of any console.

For the people who still believe that price (due to the GamePad cost) was the Wii U's Achilles heel, ask yourself the following. How many people who could buy the original Wii at $249.99 can't afford a Wii U at $299.99? Furthermore, given the sales figures of the PS4 -- a $399.99 product -- isn't the 'it was the price that killed it' argument essentially baseless? Let's take it a step further. Given that the Gamecube failed to sell well even after a price cut to $99.99, would Nintendo want to invest millions of dollars into figuring out another control scheme (i.e. So as to reduce the console's price) only to not make those millions back?
 
The short answer is no, because the Wii U's problems (in 2013) extended beyond the product's price. There was a similar thread from Chubigans that discussed the viability of a GamePad-less Wii U -- there were some very interesting arguments in that thread from both sides of the fence.

It's critical to note that the Wii U's failure really wasn't due to it's price-point. I kind of dislike using the four marketing P's because marketing is significantly more complicated than four concepts, however, I'll use them here to give a brief explanation of why the console failed.

Product - The Wii U's technical capabilities are poor, and in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox 360, the value proposition was way off. Nintendo were asking people to go out and spend hundreds of dollars for a product that didn't offer a significant leap over current products. The Wii U's GamePad was also a technically limited product. It could not match or exceed what tablets were doing at the time, thus the value of owning one was very low. For developers, making games for the Wii U wasn't exciting due to the limitations and outdated technology in the product. For publishers, adding a Wii U SKU was an investment not worth taking, as a) The product wasn't doing anything technically compelling that could create a 'wow' factor for a game and b) The non-existent marketshare guaranteed a financial loss. The Wii U is a poorly designed product, and this is ultimately the biggest reason why the console failed.

Price - The Wii U was priced at $299.99 and $349.99. The Wii U launched as a technically weak product with a low-value feature along with an extremely small game library, and it was being priced higher than the immediate competitors (360 at $199.99, PS3 at $249.99). If you were a parent looking at what console to buy for your child, the Wii U wasn't an appealing product. There goes the casual gaming audience.

Promotion - The Wii U launch ads were horrific. The messaging was so confusing that you had and still have people who think the Wii U is a new controller for the original Wii. 90%+ of the press shots featured the controller in front of the console, 90%+ of the ads focused on the controller and not the console, 90%+ of the ads also showed the Wiimote, 90%+ of the store displays had the Gamepad as the hero and not the console, 90%+ of the media tours (e.g. Jimmy Fallon appearance) featured a Nintendo representative talking about the controller and not the console, the list goes on. I feel confident in saying the promotion of the Wii U did as much damage as the actual design of the console. Remember the brilliance of the "Wii would like to play" ads? None of that was present with the Wii U. I've said this before, but if Nintendo doesn't realize how bad their Wii U promotion was, then the NX is going to meet the same fate. I guarantee it.

Place - The Wii U was an HD console launching 7 years after HD consoles had become 'a thing'. In hindsight, Michael Pachter was 100% correct in saying that a Wii HD should have launched years before the Wii U. The Wii U also launched months before the shiny new PS4 and Xbox One were unveiled. It absolutely had a head start, but that head start was short lived due to the public realizing how technically weak the Wii U was in comparison to the PS4. Nintendo couldn't rely on "Most powerful console" as a selling point, so Nintendo had no chance with hardcore gamers -- who also happen to be the early adopters of any console.

For the people who still believe that price (due to the GamePad cost) was the Wii U's Achilles heel, ask yourself the following. How many people who could buy the original Wii at $249.99 can't afford a Wii U at $299.99? Furthermore, given the sales figures of the PS4 -- a $399.99 product -- isn't the 'it was the price that killed it' argument essentially baseless? Let's take it a step further. Given that the Gamecube failed to sell well even after a price cut to $99.99, would Nintendo want to invest millions of dollars into figuring out another control scheme (i.e. So as to reduce the console's price) only to not make those millions back?

Pretty much spot-on. The console was weak in comparison to the competition and the software library was severely lacking. As I said before, if you put out a product that offers what some may consider "the best experience", then people are going to buy it. Nintendo's strange cycle of console releases doesn't help either. They release and are on par or slightly above grade, then they next gen of consoles beat whatever they've got out.

What price is "cheaper"? They are readily available at $200, and have been even lower before.


Maybe it's perception due to a lack of large sales like with xbone or ps4? I swear it feels like Xbox has some deal every week for x amount of games and gift card as well. Suckers my mates in every time.
 

atr0cious

Member
I said that there are better ways to handle the map in game that would make the functionality of even having a map in the first place more useful.
I think everyone else is arguing that your ways certainly aren't those ways. Everyone is laughing at you talking about your rank, because you sound like you play with an rg and never even bother to check on your team on the gamepad. You sound like the player everyone is baffled is in their rank, not like a- is much, I barely play ranked and I'm A-, and I'm sure most of these others are S's. If you want you can check my twitch backlog(in my profile), I actually have a camera on my gamepad and actually give hot takes on this very subject. Also come join splatgaf and test those theories.
 

greg400

Banned
I think everyone else is arguing that your ways certainly aren't those ways. Everyone is laughing at you talking about your rank, because you sound like you play with an rg and never even bother to check on your team on the gamepad. You sound like the player everyone is baffled is in their rank, not like a- is much, I barely play ranked and I'm A-, and I'm sure most of these others are S's. If you want you can check my twitch backlog(in my profile), I actually have a camera on my gamepad and actually give hot takes on this very subject. Also come join splatgaf and test those theories.
I use the Splattershot, please keep making more assumptions. Only a matter of time until RichiRamjag and jholmes come in here again to "laugh at me" because I'm responding to accusations.

I also never said that I don't check the GamePad, I said that in order to check the map you need to ensure that you are in a safe position or you will get killed, which is true. This is in contrast to a mini-map that you would be able to easily glance at without this issue.

Also I don't play that much either, I got to an A- with little play time, as I already stated if I wanted to be an S rank it would just be a matter of devoting enough time.
 

cireza

Member
Yes. Gamepad should have been an accessory. Maybe that it will become one for NX.

Not many games use it. All games I play can be played with a controller, except for Splatoon. But it is barely justified for this game.
 

atr0cious

Member
I use the Splattershot, please keep making more assumptions. Only a matter of time until RichiRamjag comes in here again to "laugh at me", because I'm responding to accusations.

I also never said that I don't check the GamePad, I said that in order to check the map you need to ensure that you are in a safe position or you will get killed, which is true. This is in contrast to a mini-map that you would be able to easily glance at without this issue.

Also I don't play that much either, I got to an A- with little play time, as I already stated if I wanted to be an S rank it would just be a matter of devoting enough time.

Yes, a mini-map, which would be just a little section around your squid. Underestimating the importance of being able to view the entire map and every move your opponent makes is kind of weird when it's the main part of the game. If you've ever played group ranked, you'd know that you'd be able to tell the difference between a team that looks at their pad, and ones who don't. Not only do you see your enemies ink, you also see their beacons. You keep saying loooking down is a weakness, when actually its a strength. A quick look on reload or after a quick area kill could be the difference in a game, especially if you're not watching which way to ink during the last 15 seconds.

Here's a turn around win because of a teammate's knowledge of map use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMyJHR21K4k

And here's me using the map to make sure my team takes a win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTx_1ZiCwwg

I wish I had saved my earlier games, because I do have a build built around beaconing around the map. It was actually a fad in splatgaf for a bit when the octobrush came out. It's hard to show hard proof of gamepad usage, but it's not hard to see the overall effect when a concerted team with map awareness takes on those who don't.
 

greg400

Banned
Yes, a mini-map, which would be just a little section around your squid. Underestimating the importance of being able to view the entire map and every move your opponent makes is kind of weird when it's the main part of the game. If you've ever played group ranked, you'd know that you'd be able to tell the difference between a team that looks at their pad, and ones who don't. Not only do you see your enemies ink, you also see their beacons. You keep saying loooking down is a weakness, when actually its a strength. A quick look on reload or after a quick area kill could be the difference in a game, especially if you're not watching which way to ink during the last 15 seconds.

Here's a turn around win because of a teammate's knowledge of map use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMyJHR21K4k

And here's me using the map to make sure my team takes a win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTx_1ZiCwwg

I wish I had saved my earlier games, because I do have a build built around beaconing around the map. It was actually a fad in splatgaf for a bit when the octobrush came out. It's hard to show hard proof of gamepad usage, but it's not hard to see the overall effect when a concerted team with map awareness takes on those who don't.

I'm done wasting my time responding to people like you who insist on making accusations. If you actually read the thread you would realize by what I meant when I just said "mini-map", literally go back and see the image on the last page.

Qtu6IiI.png
 

atr0cious

Member
I'm done wasting my time responding to people like you who insist on making accusations. If you actually read the thread you would realize by what I meant when I just said "mini-map", literally go back and see the image on the last page.

I read that, but that's a hiedeous design that would never be implemented. There is no way you're putting a live active 854x480 map on a 1280x720 screen. They're better off making a completely different game then. And are you gonna get hung up on the specifics of just that or gonna address the rest of my post? You're asking for archaic design to be shoved back into a game which had a system and a way to efficiently handle everything the game was built around.
 

greg400

Banned
I read that, but that's a hiedeous design that would never be implemented. There is no way you're putting a live active 854x480 map on a 1280x720 screen. They're better off making a completely different game then. And are you gonna get hung up on the specifics of just that or gonna address the rest of my post? You're asking for archaic design to be shoved back into a game which had a system and a way to efficiently handle everything the game was built around.

.

And no I'm not going to address the rest of your post because the vast majority of it is you claiming that I meant something that I didn't.
 

greg400

Banned
Now you're just arguing in bad faith. How is that at all like what Splatoon offers?

"I read that, but that's a hiedeous design that would never be implemented. There is no way you're putting a live active 854x480 map on a 1280x720 screen."

> Mario Kart 8 GamePad screen
mbEZq2B.jpg
 

atr0cious

Member
"I read that, but that's a hiedeous design that would never be implemented. There is no way you're putting a live active 854x480 map on a 1280x720 screen."

> Mario Kart 8 GamePad screen
mbEZq2B.jpg

My setup is literally what you want, and it's suboptimal because I'm playing on a 1440p monitor.

Nevermind, you're gonna continue to act like the MK map offers everything Splatoon does, I'm done. Shouldn't have started its super late as it is.
 

FyreWulff

Member
No.

Developers would never trust using a Nintendo peripheral again.


I still think it was a mistake for MS to drop the Kinect as standard for the One. They're never going to have major support for any unique feature of their console for a long while because of that.

Also, the fact that the Wii U was firesaled to 40$ at one point and they still couldn't sell them seems to prove the price point is not the reason for the Wii U's install base.
 

greg400

Banned
My setup is literally what you want, and it's suboptimal because I'm playing on a 1440p monitor.

Nevermind, you're gonna continue to act like the MK map offers everything Splatoon does, I'm done. Shouldn't have started its super late as it is.

Where did I ever say that the MK map offers everything Splatoon does? It doesn't, but this claim: "There is no way you're putting a live active 854x480 map on a 1280x720 screen."

Is so wrong it's baffling.
 
No, Nintendo shouldn't have done that:
1. A price drop would have made little difference back then (great summary in post #254)
2. There would have been costs for changing a lot of (system) features and games already released/in development
3. They were probably already sitting on a lot of unsold stock at the time anyways (and retailers were selling off the console at a much lower price)
4. I disagree that it's an uncomfortable controller, and whenever I had friends trying it, they never had any problems with it. Subjective.
5. While it's usage is often minimal, I do like many of the implications. The control options in Pikmin 3, Splatoons Gyro Aiming and Map overview, lot's of Indie games, off-TV play - I used all those features heavily. I also hate having to write on my Xboxes. The Gamepad is just super convenient for things like that. Again a subjective matter and a lot of small but nice details, but all together I think it does a lot more good than people give it credit for. In the end a subjective matter and people need to be aware of that.

So trading off one of the WiiU's only defining features which the entire console was built around for what was likely going to be a marginal increase in sales and coming with extra efforts to make the system and games work without it? I'm glad they didn't.
 
In my opinion the Gamepad doesn't add much to the Wii U experience, it's often rather irritating. So yeah, I'm actually surprised that they didn't release a (low-cost) version that comes with a Pro Controller.
 

Sinn

Banned
I don't think it would have helped, Nintendo's lack of innovative first party software cost the Wii U. It didn't help that the flagship title was a mini game compilation.
 
I can't find the source for it now, but I remember reading that Nintendo apparently had a contract for like 12 million gamepads from the start of the generation. Assuming I'm not misremembering (which is entirely possible) that would mean there wouldn't really be a point in dropping the gamepad because they already bought them and haven't sold through their initial allotment.

They would never have taken on an obligation to buy 12mil of them. The contract may have been structured with an agreed price for 12mil of them, but there is no chance that they were obliged to buy that many.
 
Then they would have dropped the only thing that differentiates them. Also bye bye to experiences like Splatoon, Mario Maker, Pikmin 3 playstyle, Off-TV play etc.

The gamepad didn't win the crowds over but Nintendo showed it had faith and determination and stuck with it. And I am happy they did.
 
They made the right call to ride it out and focus on NX

Plus the price of WiiU plummeted on its own anyways :/

I honestly expect a large chunk of WiiU content to be carried d over and given a second life on NX
 

geordiemp

Member
no
No
NO!!!!

For fucking fuck fuckity fuck sakes No...stop asking the answer never changes.

Just because people dislike the pad, it's not the reason for the lack of success for the Wii U.

Also, without the pad we wouldn't have Splatoon and Mario Maker

Let it go, drop it so on and so forth.


No.

Obviously existing owners will defend as usual...however...

People need to be asking this question to gamers who did not buy a WiiU console....Then it will make sense...

I did not buy one after a Wii...reasons...
1. crazy stupid controller
2. UK pricing similar to Ps4 / Xb1 for last gen specs
3. Amiibo locked content direction ....Make toys Nintendo, but dont lock content.
 

TI82

Banned
Obviously existing owners will defend as usual...however...

People need to be asking this question to gamers who did not buy a WiiU console....Then it will make sense...

I did not buy one after a Wii...reasons...
1. crazy stupid controller
2. UK pricing similar to Ps4 / Xb1 for last gen specs
3. Amiibo locked content direction ....Make toys Nintendo, but dont lock content.

I wish the amiibo content was unlockable in some other way. Like I'll probably never get to have Ike on fire emblem fates since he still hasn't gotten a reprint.
 
Obviously existing owners will defend as usual...however...

People need to be asking this question to gamers who did not buy a WiiU console....Then it will make sense...

I did not buy one after a Wii...reasons...
1. crazy stupid controller
2. UK pricing similar to Ps4 / Xb1 for last gen specs
3. Amiibo locked content direction ....Make toys Nintendo, but dont lock content.

The price is really the only damaging aspect at this point. The Pad can be avoided in many titles and Amibos only became a thing in 2014 november with the launch of smash. Their games uniformly dont hold any relevant experiences behind amibos. I don't have any for reference.
 

TI82

Banned
The price is really the only damaging aspect at this point. The Pad can be avoided in many titles and Amibos only became a thing in 2014 november with the launch of smash. Their games uniformly dont hold any relevant experiences behind amibos. I don't have any for reference.

Hyrule Warriors spinner weapon behind link is the worst one so far
 

Madao

Member
the well was so poisoned that just removing the gamepad wouldn't have been enough. the name of the console would still be the same and that's one of the biggest problems, if not the biggest one (more than the gamepad itself)
 

Tobor

Member
They should have removed it in the design phase once it became evident there was not going to be a killer app to sell the feature.

It should never have been approved for sale.
 
I'm done wasting my time responding to people like you who insist on making accusations. If you actually read the thread you would realize by what I meant when I just said "mini-map", literally go back and see the image on the last page.

Qtu6IiI.png

That does not work, man.
Having the minimap on a separate screen is a vital game design decision. You're not supposed to be able to see a live updated minimap at all times, this would make it too easy to tell where the enemy is. Having it on a separate screen means you have to look away from the TV, leaving you vulnerable. And that's besides the touchscreen weapons and functions like jumping to beakons on the map.

Basically, having the minimap on the TV screen would drastically change the way the game is played.
 
Without the gamepad, what else did the Wii U have to differentiate it from xbone/ps4? Take the system as is and add the pro controller, and you've got a system technically a gen behind your competitors, and on the same level as your competitors' 10 year old predecessor consoles? That's not a particularly appealing proposition, either. Neither is releasing a system technically on par with your competitors, but for various reasons without the same level of third party support, cue the Gamecube.

At this point, if Nintendo isn't going to budge on pricing, I'd recommend two bundles:

- Smash Bros bundle with an included Amiibo( one of the mascots like Mario, Link, or Metroid)

- Splatoon bundle with related Amiibo
 

4Tran

Member
The short answer is no, because the Wii U's problems (in 2013) extended beyond the product's price. There was a similar thread from Chubigans that discussed the viability of a GamePad-less Wii U -- there were some very interesting arguments in that thread from both sides of the fence.

It's critical to note that the Wii U's failure really wasn't due to it's price-point. I kind of dislike using the four marketing P's because marketing is significantly more complicated than four concepts, however, I'll use them here to give a brief explanation of why the console failed.
This is a great post that highlights just how bad the Wii U was/is as a product. The gamepad was their only selling point but it doesn't really sell anyone on the console. Anyone competent should have seen all these problems by 2011 and scrapped the entire project in favor of something with promise.
 

greg400

Banned
That does not work, man.
Having the minimap on a separate screen is a vital game design decision. You're not supposed to be able to see a live updated minimap at all times, this would make it too easy to tell where the enemy is. Having it on a separate screen means you have to look away from the TV, leaving you vulnerable. And that's besides the touchscreen weapons and functions like jumping to beakons on the map.

Basically, having the minimap on the TV screen would drastically change the way the game is played.

Yes it does. Their pinpoint location would only be revealed after the echolater is activated. You still wouldn't know the exact location of your enemies. Every defender of this is concept is going to be really upset when Nintendo releases a console with no screen or a screen too small to even have this be useable. This is not going to be a one-off series exclusive to the Wii U, it's going to have to adapt to new hardware schemes and it's entirely possible to make it work without the gamepad.
 
Only gripe is the screen isn't really HD and the game pad is forced, where it should have always been optional and an enthusiast option.l

I'd love to know where this universe is where something like the GamePad would have a better chance as an optional extension than an out-of-the-box capability. And where the software that uses the GamePad would be better software if it were made with the business assumption that not everyone will have access to its capabilities.
 
Splatoon will never exist without it's gamepad exclusive innovations like a separate map screen. It's just not possible. It would be casual garbage. It won't happen. It just won't.
 
Wii U Gamepad is the best thing to come out of this generation. I play more games because of the gamepad's ability to allow me to play games while watching TV.
 
That does not work, man.
Having the minimap on a separate screen is a vital game design decision. You're not supposed to be able to see a live updated minimap at all times, this would make it too easy to tell where the enemy is. Having it on a separate screen means you have to look away from the TV, leaving you vulnerable. And that's besides the touchscreen weapons and functions like jumping to beakons on the map.

Basically, having the minimap on the TV screen would drastically change the way the game is played.

The balance would change but it would still be the same game.
 

carlsojo

Member
I don't like the Gamepad at all but without it there's even less to make it stand out against the competition. So keep it.

Edit: if you took it out and turned it into an accessory it would turn into the Kinect and we'd never see it again.
 

Mael

Member
Obviously existing owners will defend as usual...however...

People need to be asking this question to gamers who did not buy a WiiU console....Then it will make sense...

I did not buy one after a Wii...reasons...
1. crazy stupid controller
2. UK pricing similar to Ps4 / Xb1 for last gen specs
3. Amiibo locked content direction ....Make toys Nintendo, but dont lock content.

Should Nintendo have dropped the gamepad back in 2013 to reduce console price?

You didn't buy a WiiU in 2013 because you knew about their amiibos plans before they known to the public?
Can you tell us more about the NX?
 
No thank you. I love the gamepad. Just playing Monster Hunter HUD free made the gamepad worth it.

My only gripe is that you can't buy a gamepad at the store yet, so I'm super paranoid that mine will break because there is no easy way to replace it.
 
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