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Banned
This is a thread I have been wanting to make a for a while, and since it's the end of the day and the markets have closed in London I have a bit of spare time to do it.
First I will outline the issues faced by Nintendo in the home console market with the Wii U, then move onto short term fixes of specific issues, and finally onto large structural changes I believe will help them move into a healthier position in the medium term.
Problems:
1. The name. It does not convey that it is a new console, this point has been made over and over again by many people before me, there is nothing new I can add to the argument.
2. Price. It does not have a price equivalent to its performance level (PS3/360 performance for $100 more).
3. The differentiator is poor. The U-tablet controller is a poor concept and has not translated into mass market acceptance in the same manner as the Wii remote was and neither has it captured the attention of hardcore gamers who view it as cumbersome or technically deficient in key areas such as having a poor resolution, non-capacitive, and non-multitouch.
4. The information blackout for future titles. I am a relatively hardcore gamer and I couldn't tell you what future titles are coming for the Wii U other than Bayonetta, Smash, Kart and a Zelda title.
5. Information dissemination preaches to the converted. Nintendo Directs are a poor idea as they only attract Nintendo fans and only talk to people who either already have a Wii U or are interested in buying one. They do not speak to the wider public that bought the Wii or are interested in buying a next gen system.
6. It is deficient in terms of hardware power compared to the PS4 and Xbox One. The system power is not close enough to true next gen consoles to warrant cheap or easy ports by third parties once the generation transition is complete and the non-annualised series are no longer released on current gen systems.
7. The advertising has been piss-poor. This is a major point that many like to seize on as being the single most important issue that the Wii U has faced. It is important, but not as important as others. Nintendo's advertising preaches to the converted. The latest SM3DW advert in the UK makes no mention that the Wii U is a completely new system or that it is a HD console like the PS3/360/PS4/XB1. People who know that the Wii U is a new console are not the target market since they have likely made their minds up on whether or not to purchase it.
8. Third party support is basically dead after the release of Watchdogs.
Moving onto short term fixes for these points.
1. Rename the system to the Wii U HD. It keeps the "U" brand that they have been using for their games so far, but it denotes that it is a whole new console that has HD graphics which the Wii did not have so the implication that it is an all new console is there.
2. Nothing can be done here, Nintendo are currently suffering from low volume penalties and poor design choices with their CPU/GPU which do not allow it to move to more modern process nodes. Cutting the price without cutting features will just worsen their losses for little to no gain.
3. For better or worse they are stuck with the tablet controller concept. Redesign the tablet to make it less rounded, have a flush screen surface like the iPad. Make it look like a serious gaming tablet, not a cheap looking chunk of plastic. This may only be a visual point but I think it affects the overall impression the system gives as being kid friendly without a kid-friendly price. A redesign away from the same white plastic as the Wii for the whole system will help differentiate it better.
4. This is a big point for me personally. One that I really don't understand either. In normal times keeping suspense of future titles is a desirable policy. However, the Wii U is not currently in a normal market, it is selling significantly worse than any home console from either Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony or Sega before it. Instead of an information blackout Nintendo need to do the exact opposite and release a future roadmap of software which is coming from their first parties, each title should have regular updates and trailers so potential are kept in the loop on what they are going to miss out on from Nintendo's first party. Sensible people do not buy into an ecosystem that they think will not have a future of solid game releases.
5. Nintendo have gone from speaking to everyone to speaking only to the hardcore. How this happened I don't know, but it has. While they have never really attended TGS or Gamescom, they did used to have a big presence at E3. This year there was nothing buy a ND and some weird event in Best Buy. In the face of superior media/PR operations that Sony and Microsoft have, Nintendo have stupidly retreated and the level of coverage they get from the enthusiast media is appreciably worse, while coverage from mainstream media is non-existent, at least in the UK. They must row back on this strategy and fast. They need to go back to speaking to everyone and getting mainstream coverage. That means building up relationships again and courting the media, not being antagonistic or excluding them from events. Convert the masses, do not just preach to the converted.
6. Too late to do anything. Nintendo must rely on their first party output more than ever. They must look at a big expansion of western/non-Japanese game development.
7. In addition to changing the name to Wii U HD, the advertising strategy must change. Every single Wii U advert must mention that the Wii U is not the Wii. They did it successfully for the 3DS. That they are in the same situation for two successive console releases is lamentable but it can be overcome with good advertising. For now the Nintendo have not shown any new gaming experience that can be had with the tablet controller, but off-screen play is surely the most useful feature. With Sony seemingly making a big play of Remote Play on PS4+Vita there could be an opportunity to showcase a similar feature and make a big deal of the price differential between PS4+Vita vs Wii U ($600 vs $300). People who are interested in off-screen gaming should be steered towards a Wii U instead of PS4+Vita.
8. Saving the biggest issue for last, poor third party support is the single biggest issue Nintendo face with the Wii U. In order to make the Wii U competitive Nintendo must either go grovelling to the major third party publishers and port the games themselves or they must create knock off franchises internally. Third party support is gone and not coming back without a massive amount of effort now. Creating knock off franchises internally puts Nintendo in a strong position going from Wii U to its successor as well since people know they will receive sports games (Football, NFL, NBA, MLB are the major ones), a high quality shooter, RPGs, action titles like AC. It also puts Nintendo in a strong bargaining position for future third party support as they can drop their internal titles in favour of guaranteed third party support for future consoles much like Microsoft's deal with EA over NFL and XBLG.
Finally, moving onto longer term issues for Nintendo that need to be addressed, Mario fatigue has set in, IMO. People seem less and less bothered about the latest Mario title than they used to be. That could be because the generation that played Mario as kids have grown up and they are less interested or because we have had so many mainline Mario titles in the last few years (NSMB, SMG, NSMBWii, SMG2, NSMB2, SM3DL, NSMBU). Whatever it is, they need to rethink their "throw a Mario game at it" strategy. There has been a dearth of internally developed new IP. Part of the attraction of buying Nintendo systems has always been new and different gaming experiences as well as safe fun ones from Mario games. Ever since Nintendo lost Rare the creative new IP has disappeared and they are farming out new IP to lesser developers. That may mean a much larger expansion of internal development than is currently planned so they are ready for next gen and not caught unawares by HD development like they were with the Wii U.
This is not meant to be an attack on Nintendo. I am a long time fan of them, but in recent years they have left me cold and I believe this is true for a lot of other people as well, as evidenced by Wii U sales. I also understand that they are doing okay with their portables division, I have left it out of the OP because it is not relevant.
First I will outline the issues faced by Nintendo in the home console market with the Wii U, then move onto short term fixes of specific issues, and finally onto large structural changes I believe will help them move into a healthier position in the medium term.
Problems:
1. The name. It does not convey that it is a new console, this point has been made over and over again by many people before me, there is nothing new I can add to the argument.
2. Price. It does not have a price equivalent to its performance level (PS3/360 performance for $100 more).
3. The differentiator is poor. The U-tablet controller is a poor concept and has not translated into mass market acceptance in the same manner as the Wii remote was and neither has it captured the attention of hardcore gamers who view it as cumbersome or technically deficient in key areas such as having a poor resolution, non-capacitive, and non-multitouch.
4. The information blackout for future titles. I am a relatively hardcore gamer and I couldn't tell you what future titles are coming for the Wii U other than Bayonetta, Smash, Kart and a Zelda title.
5. Information dissemination preaches to the converted. Nintendo Directs are a poor idea as they only attract Nintendo fans and only talk to people who either already have a Wii U or are interested in buying one. They do not speak to the wider public that bought the Wii or are interested in buying a next gen system.
6. It is deficient in terms of hardware power compared to the PS4 and Xbox One. The system power is not close enough to true next gen consoles to warrant cheap or easy ports by third parties once the generation transition is complete and the non-annualised series are no longer released on current gen systems.
7. The advertising has been piss-poor. This is a major point that many like to seize on as being the single most important issue that the Wii U has faced. It is important, but not as important as others. Nintendo's advertising preaches to the converted. The latest SM3DW advert in the UK makes no mention that the Wii U is a completely new system or that it is a HD console like the PS3/360/PS4/XB1. People who know that the Wii U is a new console are not the target market since they have likely made their minds up on whether or not to purchase it.
8. Third party support is basically dead after the release of Watchdogs.
Moving onto short term fixes for these points.
1. Rename the system to the Wii U HD. It keeps the "U" brand that they have been using for their games so far, but it denotes that it is a whole new console that has HD graphics which the Wii did not have so the implication that it is an all new console is there.
2. Nothing can be done here, Nintendo are currently suffering from low volume penalties and poor design choices with their CPU/GPU which do not allow it to move to more modern process nodes. Cutting the price without cutting features will just worsen their losses for little to no gain.
3. For better or worse they are stuck with the tablet controller concept. Redesign the tablet to make it less rounded, have a flush screen surface like the iPad. Make it look like a serious gaming tablet, not a cheap looking chunk of plastic. This may only be a visual point but I think it affects the overall impression the system gives as being kid friendly without a kid-friendly price. A redesign away from the same white plastic as the Wii for the whole system will help differentiate it better.
4. This is a big point for me personally. One that I really don't understand either. In normal times keeping suspense of future titles is a desirable policy. However, the Wii U is not currently in a normal market, it is selling significantly worse than any home console from either Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony or Sega before it. Instead of an information blackout Nintendo need to do the exact opposite and release a future roadmap of software which is coming from their first parties, each title should have regular updates and trailers so potential are kept in the loop on what they are going to miss out on from Nintendo's first party. Sensible people do not buy into an ecosystem that they think will not have a future of solid game releases.
5. Nintendo have gone from speaking to everyone to speaking only to the hardcore. How this happened I don't know, but it has. While they have never really attended TGS or Gamescom, they did used to have a big presence at E3. This year there was nothing buy a ND and some weird event in Best Buy. In the face of superior media/PR operations that Sony and Microsoft have, Nintendo have stupidly retreated and the level of coverage they get from the enthusiast media is appreciably worse, while coverage from mainstream media is non-existent, at least in the UK. They must row back on this strategy and fast. They need to go back to speaking to everyone and getting mainstream coverage. That means building up relationships again and courting the media, not being antagonistic or excluding them from events. Convert the masses, do not just preach to the converted.
6. Too late to do anything. Nintendo must rely on their first party output more than ever. They must look at a big expansion of western/non-Japanese game development.
7. In addition to changing the name to Wii U HD, the advertising strategy must change. Every single Wii U advert must mention that the Wii U is not the Wii. They did it successfully for the 3DS. That they are in the same situation for two successive console releases is lamentable but it can be overcome with good advertising. For now the Nintendo have not shown any new gaming experience that can be had with the tablet controller, but off-screen play is surely the most useful feature. With Sony seemingly making a big play of Remote Play on PS4+Vita there could be an opportunity to showcase a similar feature and make a big deal of the price differential between PS4+Vita vs Wii U ($600 vs $300). People who are interested in off-screen gaming should be steered towards a Wii U instead of PS4+Vita.
8. Saving the biggest issue for last, poor third party support is the single biggest issue Nintendo face with the Wii U. In order to make the Wii U competitive Nintendo must either go grovelling to the major third party publishers and port the games themselves or they must create knock off franchises internally. Third party support is gone and not coming back without a massive amount of effort now. Creating knock off franchises internally puts Nintendo in a strong position going from Wii U to its successor as well since people know they will receive sports games (Football, NFL, NBA, MLB are the major ones), a high quality shooter, RPGs, action titles like AC. It also puts Nintendo in a strong bargaining position for future third party support as they can drop their internal titles in favour of guaranteed third party support for future consoles much like Microsoft's deal with EA over NFL and XBLG.
Finally, moving onto longer term issues for Nintendo that need to be addressed, Mario fatigue has set in, IMO. People seem less and less bothered about the latest Mario title than they used to be. That could be because the generation that played Mario as kids have grown up and they are less interested or because we have had so many mainline Mario titles in the last few years (NSMB, SMG, NSMBWii, SMG2, NSMB2, SM3DL, NSMBU). Whatever it is, they need to rethink their "throw a Mario game at it" strategy. There has been a dearth of internally developed new IP. Part of the attraction of buying Nintendo systems has always been new and different gaming experiences as well as safe fun ones from Mario games. Ever since Nintendo lost Rare the creative new IP has disappeared and they are farming out new IP to lesser developers. That may mean a much larger expansion of internal development than is currently planned so they are ready for next gen and not caught unawares by HD development like they were with the Wii U.
This is not meant to be an attack on Nintendo. I am a long time fan of them, but in recent years they have left me cold and I believe this is true for a lot of other people as well, as evidenced by Wii U sales. I also understand that they are doing okay with their portables division, I have left it out of the OP because it is not relevant.
