What recent console launch hasn't had a half-cooked state of software? I still found Mario U, Zombiu, Tekken Tag 2 and Nintendo Land were all pretty fun games that were released as launch. Every launch system is gonna have games that are rushed out the door and not anyway comparable to the titles the system gets later. I mean I found Killzone alright and Knack fun, but you are still able to tell they were rushed out Launch games just as the launch games of the Wii U. Plus the Wii U launch wasn't all too bad, it was the one time 3rd parties actually released a few games for the system too, even if they were late ports, it doesn't automatically turn AC3, Mass Effect 3, and Call of Duty into straight horrible games.
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Nintendo full year financial results [23.2B yen loss, 3.6M Wii U/12M 3DS forecast]
- Thread starter zomgbbqftw
- Start date
What recent console launch hasn't had a half-cooked state of software? I still found Mario U, Zombiu, Tekken Tag 2 and Nintendo Land were all pretty fun games that were released as launch. Every launch system is gonna have games that are rushed out the door and not anyway comparable to the titles the system gets later. I mean I found Killzone alright and Knack fun, but you are still able to tell they were rushed out Launch games just as the launch games of the Wii U. Plus the Wii U launch wasn't all too bad, it was the one time 3rd parties actually released a few games for the system too, even if they were late ports, it doesn't automatically turn AC3, Mass Effect 3, and Call of Duty into straight horrible games.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Dude... At first I thought "that's a dumb idea."
But now my mind is thinking, "wait, that's a dumb idea that could be really successful if marketed correctly." And yes I know that Nintendo and solid marketing are no longer that compatible, but I would LOVE to have a cheap, functionally limited smartphone option in the future, for my kid, so he doesn't feel like a huge dork for not having one. (of course he'll be mocked for having the starter smart phone, but its better than nothing).
I currently have no plan to buy my kid a smart phone before he/she is 13, but having a "Babby's first smartphone" option would really push me to invest, to ease the little stinker into the market, while keeping him safe.
twothunder
Member
I was hoping to see Fire Emblem selling over a million could be confirmed. Oh well.
Anyway. Sad to see such low sales for wii-u ,but not too surprising.
Hope nintendo can at least make their WII-U and 3DS forecast for next year.
Graphics Horse
Member
That mirrors how I thought about it when writing it :lol
shinra-bansho
Member
The US hardware market is growing again for systems with software primarily targeting the 15-35 market.
Or a tablet. They can call it the LeapPad, maybe. If the name's not taken already for some completely unrelated device.
Fattony12000
Member
Yeah, no shit.
They should release Super Mario Bros. 4 on the Nintendo Entertainment System 2 on October 17, 2015.
Mysterious
Banned
How long until:
Thank you for your understanding.
Stone Ocean
Member
With how parents can be paranoic, you could probably sell this idea hard with correct marketing.
Wii U is such a mess, too much emphasis on the expensive controller to a point where it affected the actual consoles specs and now they can't even lower the price otherwise they'll be making an even bigger loss on it. If they wanted to create a filler console they should have just made another Gamecube which was powerful and cheap, the the Wii U is expensive and weak.
MikeE21286
Member
WOW
3.6M for next fiscal
Those are end-of-life sales.
Wii U successor out Fall 2015 announced by TGS this year
3.6M for next fiscal
Those are end-of-life sales.
Wii U successor out Fall 2015 announced by TGS this year
You are gonna want to wait till a month or two after e3, remember last time they said "no we are not launching a new 3ds", then announced 3dsxl a week after e3? many gaffers posted they had just bought a 3ds before the announcement
dreamer3kx
Member
Nintendo is in a tricky spot, do they come out with something to compete against Sony and MS, a $350-$400 next gen console or go the cheap route, I say they compete, they need to go in harder then ever, get a next gen console out there, get the third party support w/ their great Nintendo games and market the shit out of it.
cyberheater
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Hopefully soon.
Scratch that. In reality. I don't want anyone to fired. Even Iwata.
Fbh
Member
Wow, that's a big loss.
Sadly, and I say this as a happy WiiU owner, I don't think there is much they can do for the WiiU.
They might get some better sales when Mario Kart 8, Smash and Zelda are released but it still won't make much of a difference.
At this point the third party support for it is basically dead. It will forever stay a Nintendo First party machine. It will keep getting great nintendo games but that's not enough to get more sales.
I guess at this point the best they can hope for is trying to make the WiiU sell as much as they can. And then start next gen with a new, more focused, sytstem along ps5 and X4.
They could try to make the 3DS and WiiU to be more connected somehow. Try to convince some of the, much larger, 3DS crowd to get a WiiU
Which basically describes most recent Nintendo Consoles.
Same can be said about the 3DS. If you compare it to the Vita it has dated hardware, slow interface and relies on a gimmick 3D effect that most users seem to dislike.
But it has awesome software which makes it a nice console
And sell like crap because the amazingly well selling Ps4 and X1 will have almost 2 years of advantage, all the big names and third party brands are already going to be on them, and A LOT of people will already have 1 or more friends with a Ps4/X1 (so they will also want one to play online, exchange games, etc).
Not to mention that would loose the trust of a lot of fans and current WiiU owners.
"Why should I get the new Nintendo console if they might just abandon it 2 and a half years later)
Sadly, and I say this as a happy WiiU owner, I don't think there is much they can do for the WiiU.
They might get some better sales when Mario Kart 8, Smash and Zelda are released but it still won't make much of a difference.
At this point the third party support for it is basically dead. It will forever stay a Nintendo First party machine. It will keep getting great nintendo games but that's not enough to get more sales.
I guess at this point the best they can hope for is trying to make the WiiU sell as much as they can. And then start next gen with a new, more focused, sytstem along ps5 and X4.
They could try to make the 3DS and WiiU to be more connected somehow. Try to convince some of the, much larger, 3DS crowd to get a WiiU
Which basically describes most recent Nintendo Consoles.
Same can be said about the 3DS. If you compare it to the Vita it has dated hardware, slow interface and relies on a gimmick 3D effect that most users seem to dislike.
But it has awesome software which makes it a nice console
And sell like crap because the amazingly well selling Ps4 and X1 will have almost 2 years of advantage, all the big names and third party brands are already going to be on them, and A LOT of people will already have 1 or more friends with a Ps4/X1 (so they will also want one to play online, exchange games, etc).
Not to mention that would loose the trust of a lot of fans and current WiiU owners.
"Why should I get the new Nintendo console if they might just abandon it 2 and a half years later)
they won't have the software or hardware ready. the new nintendo console is late 2016 at the earliest, with stuff like zelda, smt x fe, and fatal frame probably to fill in the release schedule between 2015 and then.
Fried Food
Banned
Iwata is not being very responsible as CEO. He needs to step down.
Always-honest
Banned
They made a great effort to lure non gamers into playing games with the Wii. I think they must have thought that they would all become regular gamers feom that point on and faithfull to Nintendo. But most of them played Wii sports, a karaoke game and two levels of a Mario game and they went back to watching reallife soaps. Also,... They did 't exactly market this thing right. I even see young gaming people not knowing what the WiiU exactly is. And some gphaven't even heard from it.
Maybe a powerful console with a pro-controller would have been better this time... Who knows.
I guess it will be really hard for them to decide what to do next.
Maybe a powerful console with a pro-controller would have been better this time... Who knows.
I guess it will be really hard for them to decide what to do next.
And this. Handheld's market will be dead soon enough and there's no way Nintendo can compete with Apple, Samsung and all the others in the smartphone hardware business.
I never thought I would say this one day, but I think it's time (in some years) for Nintendo to move on the smartphone market by releasing their IPs on Apple Store/Google Play. Most of the games are utter shit right now anyways, so it would be good timing to lead with quality there. They could release some gaming devices too.
And Wii U never had a direction or a specific audience. I'm not even sure Nintendo really know what they're doing.
Grok4Spock
Member
House of Hanafuda Cards...
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Exactly. I'm not even a father yet, and I can feel my paranoid tendencies kick in with the thought of my child with an iphone. A kid-friendly alternative (that's fully gaming compatible) would go a long way of making me feel like a caring parent, both in terms of security and keeping him as up-to date as possible.
The only problem, if we, on a small video gaming forum have already arrived at this conclusion, you can bet your ass that a company like Samsung is already heavily researching this, with prototypes likely already being developed.
cyberheater
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
It was great idea of Nintendo to appeal directly to the most unloyal demography on the planet. Good going Nintendo.
part of the wii u's expenses were also its backwards compatability, which does make some degree of sense, coming off the wii. also, the gamecube was inexpensive partially due to nintendo sitting on tech for a year. it was a 2000 system in 2001 (versus something like the xbox which was a 2001 system in 2001).
but generally i agree. the gamepad was a wholly unnecessary addition to console gaming and while there's probably a small market out there that is interested in using their own touch devices with console games (vita, smartglass), it was a really dumb idea to build an entire system around.
well that's not true. they appealed directly to mostly no demographic.
MikeE21286
Member
They should be working furiously to move all that software to the new platform. There is no advantage to releasing it on the WiiU
Nintendo can't compete in the traditional home consoles business.
They either bet the whole farm on a casual gimmick resonating well with casuals and taking off like happened with Wii or they will end up like the GC or Wii U. That is too risky.
Third party support is a major issue for them, the fact they didn't invest at the right time in online gaming and developing online services is an other huge thing that is biting them back.
Losing time and resources developing an other traditional home console would be an other major mistake due to stubborness and pride.
Majukun
Member
they actually were too friendly towards a market (the non-gamers) who was already gone.
didn't you heard the interview of that developer talking about that time when the nintendo rep. came to their studio to present them the wii u?
all of that presentation was focused on how small,low power consuming the console was and how moms would have loved to have it in their living room.
Iwata was focused exactly on the same demographic the wii harvested,but what he didn't understand was that the wii U was basically a wii without what made the wii successfull..the gamepad is not an innovation because nowadays everyone and their grandma have a tablet or a smartphone in their houses,so the pad didn't spark any interest..also most of the non-gamer crowd migrated on smartphone and tablets playing free to play games.
What they should have done was trying to appeal to the gamer crowd,proposing a powerful hardware and a good third party line up,even better if with some exclusives from third party studios.they had the time advantage,and usually it works pretty well.
maybe they wouldn't have won the gen,but they would have got better numbers to show then what they have now.
D.Lo
Member
Last gen hardware got them record sales with the Wii.
Yep.
It's truly insane that they didn't release something called 'Wii 2' with an upgraded Wii-mote and PS3.5 level power for $250 with Wii Sports 2 bundled in. That's what the SNES was - a NES 2 with so-so specs (compared to arcades and PCs) and an upgraded controller.
Always-honest
Banned
It was their hope that they would view gaming as an alternative to tv, reading, etc. Some probably did, but they are still playing the Wii
.because selling what they have in the works and in stock is less expensive than not releasing it at all.
Would watch. Iwata turns to the camera, breaks the 4th wall and says:
Please understand
gigantor21
Member
Well, it's nice to see that they're not putting up a bullshit WiiU projection to act brave this time. Not that they had any room to after selling less in the full year than they did at the console's launch.
I highly, highly doubt they'll hit those 3DS numbers, though, unless they have another price cut and/or revision on hand. And even that might not be enough considering how they can't match 2013's output two years in a row.
Now that I own both, I fully agree with this assessment. The 3DS's software support and SD card usage + the Vita's hardware and features would make for an absolutely incredibly handheld. Both are plenty enjoyable on their own, mind you.
I highly, highly doubt they'll hit those 3DS numbers, though, unless they have another price cut and/or revision on hand. And even that might not be enough considering how they can't match 2013's output two years in a row.
Now that I own both, I fully agree with this assessment. The 3DS's software support and SD card usage + the Vita's hardware and features would make for an absolutely incredibly handheld. Both are plenty enjoyable on their own, mind you.
Interceptor
Banned
Yeah me too.
The games are just not fun anymore and half of the lineup just vanished after these numbers. Such a dissapointment.Stone Ocean
Member
Both routes are extremely risky IMO. Like you said they have no guarantee that the current gen market will accept them, specially if they get in the race what, two years in by the time this thing would reach the market? For the shot of either maybe getting nice sales or crashing and burning like the Wii U?
Meanwhile the casual gimmick could also work, but what if the casuals that left after the Wii don't come back? They're left in basically the same situation.
So yeah, it doesn't look good console-wise.
The Wii wasn't counting on people that cared for hardware.
Judging by the attach rate, a lot of different people bought a lot of Wii software over the course of its lifespan. So someone buying it for Wii Sports and then shoving it in a closet was the exception rather than the rule.
But releasing a successor that's $100 more expensive at launch torpedoes that mainstream appeal right out of the gate.
Graphics Horse
Member
I think they must have pulled the plug on manufacturing, does anyone know if they would be forced to announce that? I know they did with the GC.
You know, it's weird. I'm not even worried about Nintendo. It's the same feeling I had in the past when everyone screamed at the top of their lungs "PC gaming is dead!" I just nod my head and keep playing knowing that unless I'm punched in the face with the official announcement from Nintendo about Nintendo's death, they will always bounce back and find a way.
DrROBschiz
Member
Honestly I thought the Set Top Box(Apple TV, Roku, Ouya, FireTV) option would have been cool for Nintendo.
Make simple Just for games Nintendo Hardware capable of running HD Nintendo games but in a much smaller and cheaper form
Focus on eShop content and Virtual Console. Support everything that came before.
I dunno.
AstroNut325
Member
Let's brush aside the asinine remarks regarding the COD/GTA/FIFA software.
Let's say that a major player in another industry tries to pull what Nintendo is attempting...
Like Samsung/HTC releasing their next device that is just a slightly overclocked Galaxy S2, lacks an app store and only has a rear facing camera in the year 2015. But the Samsung apps for it are the best in their class and they're breaking away from the trend/competition. How well do you think this device will do?
What if Ford releases their next Fusion with a 1.5L 4 cylinder engine, lacks ABS, traction control, but the ride is super smooth and the interior is super quiet. How well do you think this car will do against the Camry, Accord, Altima?
And_Gignac
Member
The 11 billion war chest is eroding. Damn, Nintendo is really close to pull a Sega.
All the board needs to fucking go.
All the board needs to fucking go.
Stone Ocean
Member
The console is done, but since there are still consoles in the market might as well clench your buttcheeks and ride it out.
Plus my guess is that they'd lose way more money by just abandoning the market without something to fill the gap.
zero shift
Banned
This seems far too low, especially for a game that was a pack in.
People seem to forget how bad the Gamecube started bombing. Sure it did fine in the beginning but like the PSP it was limping toward the finish line at the end. This is why Nintendo even did the Wii and blue ocean stuff. The traditional console gaming market of 12-25 year olds abandoned them for edgier games.
There are a few ways to bring an NES 2 to market extremely quickly:
1. New Housing for the Wii U, most casuals won't know it is a repackage. Good way to make sure Wii U at least breaks even by end of life.
2. PS4 is the new NES 2, Sony might want help to solidify their current lead. Letting Nintendo sell a PS4 in a Nes 2 shell would bring in many lapsed gamers or those that sat out for Wii U.
1. New Housing for the Wii U, most casuals won't know it is a repackage. Good way to make sure Wii U at least breaks even by end of life.
2. PS4 is the new NES 2, Sony might want help to solidify their current lead. Letting Nintendo sell a PS4 in a Nes 2 shell would bring in many lapsed gamers or those that sat out for Wii U.
This seems far too low, especially for a game with a pack in.
handheld zelda was never a huge seller. it's fairly normal for the series.
the last isometric 2d zelda didn't even break 2m units sold. poor minish cap.
Always-honest
Banned
They might have bought more games for the kids. But i think the moms and dads didn't play much more.
But yes. A way more powerful sucessor with a wiimote plus or a procontroller for 100$ less would have been better i think.
Okay so Nintendo stops selling it and cancels in development software and/or starts an expensive process to port capable projects to 3DS. This is your scenario. How is the bottom line impacted with less software and less chance to get return on investments as well as additional investment to transition? Do you expect that they pull a new console out of the ether and expect it will be a success out the gate? What's the point to destroying a flagship product if you are essentially going to do nothing instead?
Sectorseven
Member
If their attach rate is so high, why not sell the existing stock at cost?