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Analyst: Nintendo needs good Wii U demo game; retailers don't grasp console
- Thread starter Cornbread78
- Start date
The WiiU's very concept is a disaster. It's just a gimmick for the sake of a gimmick.
Nintendo couldn't get others excited about it because they weren't excited for it and continue to show the system nothing but apathy.
*wipes tears from eyes*
So..., much...., genius....,
Nintendo couldn't get others excited about it because they weren't excited for it and continue to show the system nothing but apathy.
*wipes tears from eyes*
So..., much...., genius....,
Awwww
As a paramedic, this makes me laugh at least.
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
Bullshit rumors doesn't deserve its own thread.If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
Speak for yourself, I've sold the console to more than a couple of people, all they need to play is NintendoLand, others have said the same thing in the thread.
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
omg lol, this wouldn't be surprising to be honest, but if they WiiU wasn't in such a bad position this couldn't be achievable, at all.
It seems this is the norm. What?!?
Cornbread78
Member
Yeah, I highly doubt this being true, way too many PR issues..
Mithos
Member
Now see, that would have been a better name then Wii U, but there are better one too pick from.
How about you shut your pie hole, which you stuff with pies on a regular basis for sustenance.
This is not Nintendo's fault.
They released the follow up to one of the most successful consoles of all time (which was in no way a fad even though sales tanked like 3 years ago and the Xbox 360 has reigned in the number 1 spot uncontested) with nearly an identical looking console with a nearly identical name and with practically no launch titles or any major support for nearly a year. This thing was a shoe-in to skyrocket to the top of the sales charts again. But instead it suffers due to
Ignorance of retail sales associates
Third party conspiracy against Nintendo preventing AAA games from being developed
Global heat waves
Unfortunately Nintendo has to fight a battle on a nearly daily basis to raise awareness due to people not being exposed to their message. That this is the follow up to their beloved Wii consoles and will eventually be filled to the brim with Nintendo games!
Nintendo is in no way to be blamed.
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
Not that different from NintendoLife and the article that is posted here. The theme seems to be the same: blame others for Wii U's lack of success. Either its the consumers not getting the name, or Sony sabotaging the console etc.
Personally i think the best course of action is to identify the real problems and hope Nintendo sees them, instead of going full blown Alex Jones + FOX News and just start making things up
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
True or false, this stuff happens all the time.
SuperAndroid17
Member
I blame the name
Wii U is horrible. Why not Super Wii? Fuck
Wii U is horrible. Why not Super Wii? Fuck
nhlducks35
Member
Yup, when you have a lot of products that have Wii in the name it starts to get a bit confusing for the customer.
Wii Fit
Wii
Wii Motion +
Wii Remote
Wii U
Wii Speak
Wii Nunchuk
Wii Wheel
etc.
electroshockwave
Member
The worst part about the whole Wii U name confusion is that it started way back in E3 2011 when it was first unveiled and some outlets announced the Wii U as an add-on. They had a whole year to respond to this, to think of a different name or adjust their marketing, but they just went full steam ahead. The head honchos at Nintendo are out of touch with reality.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
People can blame the retail situation all they want but the fact is Nintendo released a console that looks exactly like the one they dropped like a bag of shit years back, with little to no fanfare and barely any games worth bothering with for most of their first year (squandered) head start. I enjoy mine and the off-TV concept behind it but to say they dropped the ball on launching this thing would be an understatement. Completely out of touch with reality. At least 3d World and Kart might breathe some life into it, but I'm still skeptical. I'm still waiting on a game that actually makes genuine use of the second - and by all accounts costly - screen beyond novelty factor.
I can only speak anecdotally for my gamer friends - and I have a few - but every single one that owned a Wii, which was most of them, either traded it for a PS3/Xbox years ago or gave it away with no intention of upgrading to the Wii U after the OG Wii being abandoned. The more casual ones are having their needs met by iOS - even my Mario and Pikmin-obsessed friend wouldn't dream of dropping the cash on one of these, I'm lending it to her when I go home for a month soon - and the more dedicated gamers are all preordering PS4's.
I can only speak anecdotally for my gamer friends - and I have a few - but every single one that owned a Wii, which was most of them, either traded it for a PS3/Xbox years ago or gave it away with no intention of upgrading to the Wii U after the OG Wii being abandoned. The more casual ones are having their needs met by iOS - even my Mario and Pikmin-obsessed friend wouldn't dream of dropping the cash on one of these, I'm lending it to her when I go home for a month soon - and the more dedicated gamers are all preordering PS4's.
While I don't disagree that the general public can be pretty uninformed with this stuff, I think if you need your customers to explain something you're trying to sell you already failed.
I'm not following you.
Companies downplaying the competitors and even being aggressive about it really shouldn't shock anyone, all I'm saying is that is not the problem with the WiiU right now.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
It's not the 80s anymore.
The name might be an issue but "Super Wii" would have done jackshit.
So it'd be the same situation.
shinra-bansho
Member
I don't think people look at failing products as an opportunity for a company to reflect and create a better product in the long term - although you're right in that it should be. People prefer the error be in the messaging and advertising of a product because it's easier to remedy in the short term.
That the core product is fundamentally unappealing to the uninitiated can't be easily remedied.
That the core product lacks a significant sizable market can't really be changed.
Software support isn't likely to get any better for a failing product either.
But if it's the advertising, or lack thereof that is often cited, then they can splash out on a big campaign. If it's awareness that's the culprit, well they can make people aware.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
Doesn't matter who the fans hold responsible. It matters who Nintendo hold responsible for the failures you mentioned. So far Nintendo are only admitting to one of those (no games) and either ignoring or denying the others.
There is still time for them to rename and relaunch the system as the Wii 2 but it would require a massive climb down from senior level management.
There is still time to cut costs on the tablet and make it smaller, but that would require a serious climb down from senior level management.
There is still time to implement a proper account based purchase system, but that would require a serious climb down from senior level management.
So you see, it's not that the fans aren't blaming Nintendo, it's that Nintendo aren't blaming Nintendo. The reason being that senior management don't want admit they got it wrong because that would result in their resignations being tendered to the board. Iwata is fucking over the company to save his job, this much has been clear for quite a while now and he needs to be moved on.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
Yeah, Nintendo has to bear the blame because it's their product but you can't understate how stupid and lazy most regular consumers are.
They don't even try.
Being competitive is one thing, even moneyhatting but signing a contract to sabotage the competitor is just ridiculous.
Is it also the norm to go into a contract with Activision to tell them to make make the graphics and frame rate worst for the PS4 than the Xbone? Would you go "oh well it happens".
I am afraid of the answer.
And see, that's another issue Nintendo does not want to recognize. Their brand is irrelevant now. IF someone must have Nintendo games, then by golly, the 3DS is all they need. Most casuals have moved on to IOS. Only 1 device is going to be in people's pockets and its smartphones.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
Yeah. I think people forget how suddenly and unceremoniously they abandoned the Wii - I'll agree that the brand in the home console space at least has become close to irrelevant. All the 'core' (I do hate that word) gamers moved onto 360 and PS3 and the rest don't need a console anymore! The sooner they create some kind of handheld that can output to a TV the better - they clearly can't support two machines properly. That said even then they'd be struggling to shed the 'kiddy handheld' image and transition to something more appealing to the tech/older crowd.
Schnozberry
Member
There are a lot of things that didn't go right for Wii U. Nintendo failed to output significant first party software that generally drives sales for their hardware. They didn't deliver a competent development environment until after the thing launched, and even now documentation is still poor. They named it poorly, and the advertising didn't distinguish it enough from it's competition and other Nintendo Products, plus you had a poor anticipation of the exodus from the console market by a lot of casual gamers.
There are still a lot of opportunities for Nintendo to release quality software and improve the overall console experience. I think they'll probably turn a profit on the Wii U eventually, but they'll need to do it by investing in new IP and releasing quality iterations of their well known products. They can probably gain back some of the casuals by releasing a better mousetrap, which it appears they are trying to do with Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club, but time will tell whether they can find another mass market product that will wake up the iDevice crowd.
What it boils down to is that Nintendo employs a lot of smart people that thought they had a deep well of consumers to go back to with the Wii brand, but they were too late to market and weren't aggressive enough with marketing and software development. They aren't dead yet, though, and they might make the Wii U a respectable product in the long run with the right software output. It will make a very good second console for a lot of people, and a good first one for certain demographics.
There are still a lot of opportunities for Nintendo to release quality software and improve the overall console experience. I think they'll probably turn a profit on the Wii U eventually, but they'll need to do it by investing in new IP and releasing quality iterations of their well known products. They can probably gain back some of the casuals by releasing a better mousetrap, which it appears they are trying to do with Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club, but time will tell whether they can find another mass market product that will wake up the iDevice crowd.
What it boils down to is that Nintendo employs a lot of smart people that thought they had a deep well of consumers to go back to with the Wii brand, but they were too late to market and weren't aggressive enough with marketing and software development. They aren't dead yet, though, and they might make the Wii U a respectable product in the long run with the right software output. It will make a very good second console for a lot of people, and a good first one for certain demographics.
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
I wouldnt be suprised if the big 3 did this to each other. But yeah no sane person is going to blame this as the cause of all WiiU problems.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
Yeah. I think people forget how suddenly and unceremoniously they abandoned the Wii - I'll agree that the brand in the home console space at least has become close to irrelevant. All the 'core' (I do hate that word) gamers moved onto 360 and PS3 and the rest don't need a console anymore! The sooner they create some kind of handheld that can output to a TV the better. They clearly can't support two machines properly. That said even then they'd be struggling to shed the 'kiddy handheld' image and transition to something more appealing to the tech/older crowd.
If they did want a 3DS, here in AU at least they're still looking at close to 300 bucks for the system + game. It's ludricrously expensive.
Oop, double post.
bleachrude
Banned
Needs to be said...Props to you for this.
Now..where the hell where the store employees while you were doing their job?
The Wii U's gamepad was an attempt to either stave off the casual's exodus to smart devices or to woo them back somewhat. They did not anticipate they all left and would not be coming back. Now, that's not to say the gamepad was the best idea, but I don't think any gimmicks are left that could recreate the conditions of the original Wii's success. To compete in the console arena you simply must embrace the western adult market which MS and Sony has been cultivating for years with absolutely no intervention from Nintendo.
So now they're left completely out in the cold.
So now they're left completely out in the cold.
Well I hope such things don't happen but you can expect anything in this modern capitalist world.
And this case isn't really that bad, I mean it's just fight for kiosk space and attention, with misinformation about your competition, it happens all the time in any market, not just videogames, Nintendo is the one dropping the ball for not being more aggressive about avoiding that misinformation.
Helbreath Omniscient
Neo Member
I don't ever see the features in a game enabled by use of the Gamepad to ever really break through the issues. Yeah you could make like a few games that make revolutionary use but the entry fee is far too large for most people to care about it. Off-TV play is a great feature though which can apply to all games and is easily useful for anyone who likes to play and go to the bathroom. But is that worth the purchase of the console? The games need to come first.
All the other issues are important but still secondary to the whole purpose of the device: games. Fact is, even for some of the most 'hardcore' Nintendo fans, the launch of games was severely lacking.
What really sucks is the wait it takes to turn this thing around is in range of 1-2 years, like the 3DS. I wish I had a time machine..
All the other issues are important but still secondary to the whole purpose of the device: games. Fact is, even for some of the most 'hardcore' Nintendo fans, the launch of games was severely lacking.
What really sucks is the wait it takes to turn this thing around is in range of 1-2 years, like the 3DS. I wish I had a time machine..
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
I appreciate the idea behind the Gamepad - I've got a lot of use out of it as an off-TV device... but so many of the games they release as the heavy hitters seem so at odds with the entire idea of it.
They push the Off-TV stuff then show off multiplayer-centric games like 3d World and Mario Kart and Smash Bros that are 'traditional' games in the sense that they are played by up to 4 people sitting on a couch and can all work on a single screen. While it worked with Nintendoland and a few others, for most the Gamepad just ends up seeming completely superfluous.
Given all their talk of wooing third parties and getting unprecedented support etc etc in the lead-up to release, with the benefit of hindsight it seems they would have been better releasing a more 'traditional' console and really pushing access to a thorough back catalogue along with new exclusive stuff. Still, shoulda, coulda, woulda....
They push the Off-TV stuff then show off multiplayer-centric games like 3d World and Mario Kart and Smash Bros that are 'traditional' games in the sense that they are played by up to 4 people sitting on a couch and can all work on a single screen. While it worked with Nintendoland and a few others, for most the Gamepad just ends up seeming completely superfluous.
Given all their talk of wooing third parties and getting unprecedented support etc etc in the lead-up to release, with the benefit of hindsight it seems they would have been better releasing a more 'traditional' console and really pushing access to a thorough back catalogue along with new exclusive stuff. Still, shoulda, coulda, woulda....
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
Hahahahaha, these tweets are Crackberry levels of delusion.
I really think the Wii U will be a common study in business/marketing classes for years to come.
Not only is the name bad, even if the Wii was selling well leading up to Wii U's release. You'd still have an identification problem.
What boggles my mind is that Nintendo basically abandons the Wii during the later part of its life yet they STILL thought the word "Wii" carries strong branding. If anything the word Wii carried a negative stigma of a casual fad that most of their audience had long stopped caring about.
Not only is the name bad, even if the Wii was selling well leading up to Wii U's release. You'd still have an identification problem.
What boggles my mind is that Nintendo basically abandons the Wii during the later part of its life yet they STILL thought the word "Wii" carries strong branding. If anything the word Wii carried a negative stigma of a casual fad that most of their audience had long stopped caring about.
then why don't they demo nintendoland in stores?
Kazuma Kiryu
Member
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
Gotta love folks like him.
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
If I didn't hear it before you would have gotten an 8, maybe a 9
Damn it, since no one took the bait, here it is. Please don't ban me.
The Wii U would have to sell before Sony would see it as a threat.