• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Wii U message confusing - Nintendo ( Gamespot)

onQ123

onQ123

Member
Wii U message confusing - Nintendo


Marketing exec Scott Moffitt acknowledges challenge of Nintendo's new console, gives "the bad answer" when asked about power compared to Xbox 360 and PS3.

One of the challenges Nintendo faces with the Wii U will be simply getting people to understand what the system is. Speaking with GameSpot at this month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo of America vice president of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt said the messaging of the Wii U is "confusing" compared to that of the Wii. Moffitt also addressed a handful of other concerns about the system, from its power relative to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to third-party support, practices to thwart used game sales, ease of connecting with friends online, appealing to the core market, and more.

Nintendo had a very big presence at this year's E3. What was the strategy behind that?

There were two things we realized going into E3: one, that we had too much content and info to share in one press event; second, we know that Wii U is a more complicated story and it takes some explaining to do to have consumers fully embrace it. Lastly, we knew some of our third-party partners wanted to unveil some games and show the Wii U in action in their shows on Monday, which necessitated our video on Sunday. We wanted to unveil the controller and the hardware ourselves and the social stuff before they did. Hopefully we didn't overwhelm!

"Our focus is to talk about what it can do for gameplay and how it can revolutionize entertainment, rather than focus on tech specs."--On Wii U's power compared to current-gen competitors.

How are you planning to communicate to consumers that the Wii U is an entirely new system?

Well, it's confusing relative to the Wii. With motion control gaming, when you saw Mr. Iwata and Reggie stand up and swing a motion controller, it brought it to life immediately. With a second screen controller, you need to see what's on the second screen, so by nature it's a more complex system. It's less visually easy to understand. As for how we're planning to make it clear that it's a new system: well, we want to get it in people's hands. That's what E3 is all about and from now until launch. We want consumers to experience it for themselves, whether it's in a store, at a gaming event, or at a press event. Once they do that, I think people will really start to understand how the GamePad changes the way you can connect with games and other players.

Last year you said the Wii U was about core gaming. This year, you followed up on that. Are you requiring third-party publishers to incorporate GamePad features when they bring older games like Mass Effect 3 and Batman to the Wii U?

We think publishers are experiencing what the system can do with their dev kits and are imagining ways to bring their biggest franchises to life on the Wii U and leverage the powers of the GamePad and Miiverse. I don’t know I'd use the word "require"--we showcased the games at E3 that we think show how developers are reimagining their franchises. The experience of playing these titles on the Xbox 360 and PS3 are relatively similar; what we showed is how you can re-imagine game elements like maps and scanning features and bring them to life on the GamePad and make it a completely different experience to what it was on competing systems.
Click to expand...



Before E3, a few third-party developers came out to say the Wii U hardware was better than the Xbox 360 and PS3. Can you share any insight into the console's hardware specifications?

Unfortunately I have to give you the bad answer. It just comes back to a company philosophy that we believe the experiences and the gameplay are more important than facts and figures. Once the system is available no doubt people will reverse engineer it and take it apart and that info will become known. Our focus is to talk about what it can do for gameplay and how it can revolutionize entertainment, rather than focus on tech specs.
Click to expand...



Nintendo first-party titles: 720p resolution or 1080p?

"We haven't incorporated any features that will discourage used game sales at this point. We're not trying to circumvent that."--On blocking second-hand games.
I think it's 1080p.
Click to expand...


what? lol
 
Well, if Nintendo's the only console not putting in system level used/rented games blockage, I'll definitely buy the WiiU.
 
I'm not exactly sure how Moffitt got to where he is, but he isn't great at what he does now.

Bad press conference, giving 'bad answers'...

Nintendo's marketing needs a shot in the arm.
 
"We haven't incorporated any features that will discourage used game sales at this point. We're not trying to circumvent that."--On blocking second-hand games.

jimcarreywhoareyoutalkingto.gif

I think it's 1080p.


Think??
 
OnPoint said:
I'm not exactly sure how Moffitt got to where he is, but he isn't great at what he does now.

Bad press conference, giving 'bad answers'...

Nintendo's marketing needs a shot in the arm.
Click to expand...
Haha

At least he's been honest

"Yeah I know our shit's kind of fucked up"

Wario64 said:
"We haven't incorporated any features that will discourage used game sales at this point. We're not trying to circumvent that."--On blocking second-hand games.

jimcarreywhoareyoutalkingto.gif
Click to expand...
If you're referring to why he said that after being asked about 720/1080P, I think that's just GameSpot's bizarro editing. Like they inserted certain quotes into the body of the interview at random intervals.
 
The bit about the message "relatively confusing" compared to Wii

How are you planning to communicate to consumers that the Wii U is an entirely new system?

Well, it's confusing relative to the Wii. With motion control gaming, when you saw Mr. Iwata and Reggie stand up and swing a motion controller, it brought it to life immediately. With a second screen controller, you need to see what's on the second screen, so by nature it's a more complex system. It's less visually easy to understand. As for how we're planning to make it clear that it's a new system: well, we want to get it in people's hands. That's what E3 is all about and from now until launch. We want consumers to experience it for themselves, whether it's in a store, at a gaming event, or at a press event. Once they do that, I think people will really start to understand how the GamePad changes the way you can connect with games and other players.
Click to expand...

It's nothing for which anyone can start the doom and gloom, it's just an assertion, guys.
 
1080p means fuck all from a marketing perspective so to be fair hes not concentrating on this. Still doesn't excuse the other stuff Nintendo is coming out with atm.

Nothing as bad as 2011 though, so not sure why so many 'Sup Nintendo' threads atm, but ack well.
 
Unfortunately I have to give you the bad answer. It just comes back to a company philosophy that we believe the experiences and the gameplay are more important than facts and figures. Once the system is available no doubt people will reverse engineer it and take it apart and that info will become known. Our focus is to talk about what it can do for gameplay and how it can revolutionize entertainment, rather than focus on tech specs.
Click to expand...

Sounds great to me. I really hope Nintendo continues down this road so that we have a choice between cinematic games and actual fun games.
 
grimshawish said:
1080p means fuck all from a marketing perspective so to be fair hes not concentrating on this. Still doesn't excuse the other stuff Nintendo is coming out with atm.

Nothing as bad as 2011 though, so not sure why so many 'Sup Nintendo' threads atm, but ack well.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's because Nintendo are launching a new console soon?
 
As for how we're planning to make it clear that it's a new system: well, we want to get it in people's hands.
Click to expand...

Spending all of your time talking about the controller instead of the new system is what's causing all this confusion (at least among the mainstream). Talk about the system.
 
Nintendo hurts itself in its confusion.

Zombie James said:
Spending all of your time talking about the controller instead of the new system is what's causing all this confusion (at least among the mainstream). Talk about the system.
Click to expand...

They didn't sell people on the Wii with the white box and they certainly won't sell the Wii U on a rounder, bigger white box.
 
Beyond every bad things about the WiiU, i swear this is the worse:

The fact that the whole media sphere is putting the WiiU in a power and support fight against the PS3 and 360, which are dying consoles.

Nintendo has to convince people that WiiU will be able to compete with the last gen when the next gen isn't even out ? really ? That's a giant trap right there ...

Noticed how we don't even talk about how the WiiU could have, or not next gen multi titles. Now it's about "will it have ports from the last batch of big titles from this gen..." It's exactly what i was afraid of. It's simply sinking with the ship, while the other guys already left on lifeboat...
 
This didn't just start recently. Nintendo's message has been confusing since around the time of the Motion + announcement, through the 3DS launch and then up until now.

Nintendo was so on point back in 2005-2006 but they're a hot mess now.
Kaijima said:
Nintendo: Our Shit's Fucked Up So We Got to Spin/Obfuscate Wii U: It's 1080p I Think
Click to expand...
I think we just found the title for our launch thread.
 
orioto said:
Noticed how we don't even talk about how the WiiU could have, or not next gen multi titles. Now it's about "will it have ports from the last batch of big titles from this gen..." It's exactly what i was afraid of. It's simply sinking with the ship, while the other guys already left on lifeboat...
Click to expand...

That's two different things. No current ports is more about "no 3rd party support."

No next gen down ports is more about console power. There was some discussion about the scalable ue4 not too lon gago...
 
OnPoint said:
I'm not exactly sure how Moffitt got to where he is, but he isn't great at what he does now.

Bad press conference, giving 'bad answers'...
Click to expand...
At least he is allowed to give answers making him more powerful than the president on Nintendo UK...David "I can't comment on that" Yarnton.
 
udivision said:
That's two different things. No current ports is more about "no 3rd party support."

No next gen down ports is more about console power. There was some discussion about the scalable ue4 not too lon gago...
Click to expand...

Those two things are linked i guess. If it's struggling to have current gen ports for political reasons, what will it be when they have to downgrade their games...
 
What are you planning for Friend Codes? Will they go away completely?

Friend codes won't be going away completely. I can only say that we haven't announced exactly how they will be used. Wii U will be an account-based system and it enables up to 12 accounts in a household to exist on the system. Up to 12 members of the family and friends can have individual accounts each with its own preferences and settings that the system will recognize and when you power it up it will recognize your own user ID and it will formulate the content you've chosen and shaped. That's when you can incorporate parental settings, etc, and manage your own gaming behavior.
Click to expand...

When you power it up it will recognize your own user ID? So, how? You will have to choose your Mii at boot up?
 
What we showed is how you can re-imagine game elements like maps and scanning features and bring them to life on the GamePad and make it a completely different experience to what it was on competing systems.
Click to expand...

So you're saying ME3 planet scanning will be better because it's on the touch screen?

Spin baby, spin.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
what kind of answer is this?
Click to expand...

It's explained later, it's a logical thing from a marketing point of view. I just don't understand all the doom and gloom again from a pretty normal statement, not a doomed statement. It's in a context of how to market the platform, and he just says it'd be more difficult compared to Wii due to the tablet controller being in theory not as innovative / immediate as the Wiimote. I'm expecting another 20+ pages thread based on a stupid overreaction AGAIN.
 
Theyre really not going to give the system specs again until it ships and people rip it apart? Really? This is somehow adult business behaviour? Absolute madness.
 
Coolwhip said:
Spin it? As far as I know I don't work for Nintendo and I don't have any Nintendo stock.
Click to expand...

YOu can put emphasis on state of the art tech and hardware and still put out "fun" games, and yes, some of these games can also be cinematic. And some don't have to. Look at all the stuff on XBLA/PSN this gen. You might not be spinning but Nintendo certainly is and you are eating it up.
 
Mpl90 said:
It's explained later, it's a logical thing from a marketing point of view. I just don't understand all the doom and gloom again from a pretty normal statement, not a doomed statement. It's in a context of how to market the platform, and he just says it'd be more difficult compared to Wii due to the tablet controller being in theory not as innovative / immediate as the Wiimote. I'm expecting another 20+ pages thread based on a stupid overreaction AGAIN.
Click to expand...


It's only hard because Nintendo makes it hard.

Call it Wii2, show the tablet, BAM, instant success. Apple does it easily....
 
GrayFoxPL said:
Have we ever cared about PR, guys?

Game lineup is kinda our shit.
Click to expand...
Neogaf loves ripping PR guys a new asshole though.

A little off topic, but everyone hated Cammie because of her lackluster stage presence and boring, seemingly lack of experience and knowledge in the game industry, but I remember a few interviews where she was fucking awesome at her job; giving honest answers and decent info. I honestly, truly think that if Nintendo made Cammie to speak to a more hardcore gamer audience she would have kicked ass at it.
 
Pie and Beans said:
Theyre really not going to give the system specs again until it ships and people rip it apart? Really? This is somehow adult business behaviour? Absolute madness.
Click to expand...

It's Nintendo's philosophy: surprise who plays with what he actually sees, not with a bunch of numbers he could not understand. For us who want so much to know how much it's powerful, it's bad and creates speculation over speculation, but it's not something "not mature".
 
Ninja Scooter said:
YOu can put emphasis on state of the art tech and hardware and still put out "fun" games, and yes, some of these games can also be cinematic. And some don't have to. Look at all the stuff on XBLA/PSN this gen. You might not be spinning but Nintendo certainly is and you are eating it up.
Click to expand...

Play Kid Icarus Uprising. It's really cinematic.
 
Pie and Beans said:
Theyre really not going to give the system specs again until it ships and people rip it apart? Really? This is somehow adult business behaviour? Absolute madness.
Click to expand...

This is the way Nintendo has behaved since at least the Gamecube. They've shied away from ever advertising specs and specifics of hardware so as not to be seen as trying to compete in a marketing war over 'power'. Instead they try to sell the concept or what's unique about the product.

It seems this has allowed them to gradually decouple themselves from considering competition in the arena of raw spec numbers a valid direction for Nintendo. I'd assume that from their perspective, this is a wise course of action, to focus on ideas rather than merely cramming more power into a new box and shipping it.

Of course, the problem seems to be that they're trying to behave in a somewhat Apple-esque way but don't quite get it. Companies that push the lifestyle or dream like Apple do promote hardware; whether it's really the best or not at the moment they present it as a selling point and frame it sexily to cover that base.

Nintendo doesn't want to do this and they're digging their heels in to prevent it at all costs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

[LONG POST] Nintendo's Corporate Insecurity phase (Late Wii and Wii U, 2011 to 2016)
Opinion Analysis Retro 
0
181
Jubenhimer replied
  • Poll
Which Nintendo comeback was more impressive? (GameCube to Wii vs Wii U to Switch)
2 3
109
2K
Heimdall_Xtreme replied
GameSpot: How Nintendo Won The Console War
Opinion Trailer Game Dev  2 3 4 5
221
3K
Topher replied
Wii U: Better than you remember - Game Sack
2 3
136
3K
ResurrectedContrarian replied
Nintendo Switch 2 has now outsold Wii U, Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation Vita in the UK (NielsenIQ data)
45
1K
Panajev2001a replied
Top Bottom