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What was the biggest mistake Nintendo made with the Wii U?

What was the biggest mistake Nintendo made with the Wii U?

  • Poor Online and Services

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    88
The Wii U was not a successful venture for Nintendo, a ton of mistakes and bad decisions had cratered it from early in its life.

However what do you think was the BIGGEST contributor to the Wii U's failure to take off at the start, and have a very poor finish?

Could it be the name? Wii U? The Wii fad was already over and it's reputation among gamers was low, it also may have been confusing to the casuals.

Could it be the Tablet Controller? Sis the market not see the value of the gamepad for game design like they reacted to the Wii Mote 6 years earlier?

Could it be sub-par online? Not only bad only for gaming with many common features missing, but lack of services and apps as well.

Could it be it was under-powered? Behind the XBO/PS4, and only a marginal jump from the top 360/PS3 games at the time. That puts the Wii U in a pretty bad position for the wow factor.

There are many mistakes that were made around the world with the Wii U, some Nintendo was reluctant to fix, and in some cases, never fixed. It basically caused the fusion of Nintendos handheld and console sectors with the Switch. However, what do you think was the mistake that nobody could turn a blind eye to the most?
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Dude give it a rest with all these polls.

I’m starting to think you work for a marketing firm and are just trying to gather data.
 

Vawn

Banned
Is your self identity wrapped up with how many video game polls you can puke out in a day?
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Not making it Wii Too (2) advancing both the system power and the nunchuck/remote setup to have better form factor and increased tracking capabilities and input arrangements like modern VR controllers.
oculus-touch-controllmnfd4.jpg

I really feel it would be way more successful even if no longer a "blue ocean" attempt and for the same cost offer better technology without all the GamePad screen and streaming stuff included. It could have true successors to the likes of Wii Sports Resort with far more intuitive and advanced tracking that never messed up, it could realize the fantasies Skyward Sword and Red Steel 2 (to a lesser extent) faltered in due to the lacking technology of the motion plus, while having no problem with traditional games either. And they'd have the know how to make the eventual 2020 successor VR capable with an HMD added.

They'd have made a killing then and Switch would have resulted in, well, not Switch, just a purely portable successor to the 3DS as they'd no longer need to use it as a crutch for TV system gaming on top tbh.

I'm not saying it would have reached the peaks of the original Wii but it would have lost less people and be far more attractive with having more core differences to the PS4/Xbox One, yet potentially less trouble with ports, to the level of Switch or less, if they could have bumped the specs a little based on not having the costly GamePad (though the motion controllers would reintroduce some/most of the cost).

Dude give it a rest with all these polls.

I’m starting to think you work for a marketing firm and are just trying to gather data.
I'd fire him, they're horrible for that and in general so that can't be the reason, haha.
 
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GenericUser

Member
Everything, I don't even know to begin with.

Everybody and their mom had PS3/360 at home and wiiU was basically just a 360 with the option to continue playing while taking a shit.
 

-MD-

Member
The fact that it exists.

Edit: Can we make it so users can only create like 2 polls per week or something?
 
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Too expensive. Always wanted one. Wanted to buy and play with the amiibo, wanted all of the Wii U games, and wanted to try the tablet, couldn't afford it. I think that's why Wii U ported games are doing well with the switch, people just have money now.
 

Fbh

Member
It's hard to just point at one thing.
Marketing was terrible, sure, but so was the entire concept of the console. It was built around a gimmick not even they were sure how to use and they were pushing the idea of "it's as powerful as a Ps3/360 and can run the same games" at a time when no one gave a shit about that anymore and everyone was looking towards next gen.

Everything, I don't even know to begin with.

Everybody and their mom had PS3/360 at home and wiiU was basically just a 360 with the option to continue playing while taking a shit.

Not even that. The range of the gamepad was terrible. I can't imagine too many people were able to play this while taking a shit unless their bathroom was right next to the TV
 

Petrae

Member
The WiiU had a TON of problems— lack of identity, expensive, poor pack-in game selection, inexplicably low on-board data storage, poor/ineffective marketing, weak third-party support that got worse quickly, and more.

I picked the marketing/advertising option because questions about WiiU actually was lingered for almost a year before eventually subsiding. There was surprisingly little marketing for a new platform, and there was consequently little hype propelling the WiiU’s release when it came out. The overall plan for WiiU was terrible... from the confusing initial E3 reveal in 2012, to the tepid pre-launch E3 reveal a year later, to the multi-SKU rollout.

With the exception of a few notable games (most platforms that are considered failures have notable games, including the 3DO, CD-i, NEO GEO, and Virtual Boy), the WiiU was a gigantic crater— and one that Nintendo has had to work hard to fill since.
 
The name is part of the confusing marketing and advertising. By naming the console Wii again they wanted to repeat the previous success not realizing that most of that audience was a one-time consumer. For the "traditional" gamer it didn't add any value either as they thought it would be another itireation of the original Wii.

And it's somehow a shame for the controller is truly good with games that take advantage of it and the miiverse and online was vastly superior to what Switch has TODAY. They could have made some online environment very similar to Steam as a very interesting differentiation from other consoles.

One of the biggest fails in the industry, definitely.
 
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Hulk_Smash

Banned
It's hard to just point at one thing.
Marketing was terrible, sure, but so was the entire concept of the console. It was built around a gimmick not even they were sure how to use and they were pushing the idea of "it's as powerful as a Ps3/360 and can run the same games" at a time when no one gave a shit about that anymore and everyone was looking towards next gen.



Not even that. The range of the gamepad was terrible. I can't imagine too many people were able to play this while taking a shit unless their bathroom was right next to the TV

Being able to pick up the controller sitting next to me on the couch and while my wife watched hgtv play right away was amazing. So were the few games that had asymmetrical gameplay elements (something the switch can’t do).
 
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The gamepad cost about 100 bucks to make and it wasn't a great idea.

Save that money, call it the wii 2 with improved motion, then bump the hardware up as much as possible.

Boom.
 
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It was the name and only the name, the marketing issues were a result of the name.
I think that contributed to slow launch sales but eventually people understood it was a new machine, and they just didn't care.

Soccer moms probably continued being confused but its a secondary issue ; the gamepad just didn't have mass appeal.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I picked "other". I just think it was released too soon and on the back of the Wii. They captured the casual audience once. However it's a casual audience...they aren't spending hundreds of dollars for a new version of what they already have when they barely used the original Wii. A large amount of people who bought the Wii barely played it.
 

Zog

Banned
Probably the marketing. While people like us knew exactly what it was I think that alot of people may have thought it was just a very expensive add on. the way the box showed the Gamepad first and foremost and then in the back was a console that looked very similar to the Wii just wasn't clear enough for people who don't follow gaming news.
 
I think that contributed to slow launch sales but eventually people understood it was a new machine, and they just didn't care.

Soccer moms probably continued being confused but its a secondary issue ; the gamepad just didn't have mass appeal.
The core understood, no one else did.
 

Aurelian

my friends call me "Cunty"
Hate to say it, but: the basic concept.

This was Nintendo rather awkwardly trying to shoehorn two ideas together: it wanted a more conventional console experience, but it still wanted to capitalize on the Wii craze. So you ended up with a device that wasn't particularly ideal for either scenario. Nintendo should have either done a straight-up Wii 2 or a more complete break. The Switch in many ways what the company ought to have made, if the hardware had allowed for it back then.

And yes, the Wii U name played a part in it. Some people thought it was just an upgraded Wii, or even a Wii add-on. And Wii U didn't really describe what it did even if you didn't think it was confusing. The Switch name, meanwhile, is great: it's simple, upbeat without being cutesy and tells you exactly what the console's central feature is.
 
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Pejo

Member
The name and marketing are the same for me, but that's the biggest downfall I think on a massive scale. All of the problems kinda created that perfect storm though, so it's hard to pick a main reason.

+The system idea was fun, and it had a ton of great first party software support. That's what it had going for it.

-The tablet controller, while a cool idea, was held back by being bulky/awkward to hold for long sessions and having the wrong type of touch screen.
-3rd party support dropped off the face off the earth, very few games actually used the gamepad in interesting ways, which is really unfortunate.
-The name and confusion around what it was (2nd screen for a Wii?) really killed its potential for the casual audience that the Wii captured.
-The lesser hardware and 3rd party support killed it for the more hardcore crowd.

Conversely, the Switch still has most of those problems (a little better 3rd party support, a little worse 1st party, still underpowered, poor online, etc), but it was named and Marketed well, and it's succeeding. It's also kinda telling that a lot of the biggest games are ports of WiiU games.
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
The name tarnished the console from the start, was it the Sega CD/32X of the Wii? No it was a new system and casuals could not tell the difference. I mean it isn't the ONLY problem but it was the biggest thing to shake the system at the start of its life and condemned it from there onward.
 
Hate to say it, but: the basic concept.

This was Nintendo rather awkwardly trying to shoehorn two ideas together: it wanted a more conventional console experience, but it still wanted to capitalize on the Wii craze. So you ended up with a device that wasn't particularly ideal for either scenario. Nintendo should have either done a straight-up Wii 2 or a more complete break. The Switch in many ways what the company ought to have made, if the hardware had allowed for it back then.

And yes, the Wii U name played a part in it. Some people thought it was just an upgraded Wii, or even a Wii add-on. And Wii U didn't really describe what it did even if you didn't think it was confusing. The Switch name, meanwhile, is great: it's simple, upbeat without being cutesy and tells you exactly what the console's central feature is.

The hardware was available in 2012. There were easily chips available as strong and stronger than the 360 in HD at that time and the Switch Concept could have been a thing right there. I think the issue is that the Wii U wasn't aiming for a switch concept, it was it's own thing that brought up the Switch idea later after it released.
 
a few things

the name

bad support. even from first party. they put out a lot of stuff on 3ds. not nearly anything on wii u. they put out like a couple good games at first and then they were like fuck it.

bad advertising

really bad hardware for a late console like that. it was weaker than 360 and ps3 in some situations because of a really weak CPU. idk what the plan was but it wasn't good.
 
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NahaNago

Member
The name and the lack of the big first party games but mostly the name. I had brothers and a sister who had no idea that Nintendo had even released a new console.
 

MilkyJoe

Member
True story, was out with some friends, very late in it's life and friend one asked if it was worth getting one. Friend two, listening to the conversation, chimed in that he thought it was a tablet controller for the wii...
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
True story, was out with some friends, very late in it's life and friend one asked if it was worth getting one. Friend two, listening to the conversation, chimed in that he thought it was a tablet controller for the wii...
True story, friend was complaining she has no money for a PS4, 2nd friend decides to chime in and she goes all, meh, you ain't missing much, PS3 forever!!!!111
 
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It was a combination of the terrible name, the awful marketing, lack of good third-party support, and long delays in between games. Nintendo really screwed themselves with the Wii U by naively believing that because the Wii flew off the shelves, that they could just slap the name again on their next console and expect everyone to just buy it, disregarding the fact that many of those 100 million people who bought the Wii only got it for Wii Sports and then never touched it again. Also, the release of awful games such as Mario Party 10, Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis Aces, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, and of course the infamous Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric didn't help either.
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
i only can pick one?

  • No effort in getting western third-party support
  • Slow to drop in price, expensive
  • Designing it with the original Wii fad in mind (BC, Motion Controls, architecture)
  • Confusing Marketing/advertising
  • Poor Online and Services
  • Region Lock
 

Pimpbaa

Member
My Nintendo fanboy friend thought the Wii U was just a new controller for the Wii when they announced it. I had to tell him the specs of the system before he believed me. Nintendo didn't make it clear (to people who don't visit gaming forums) exactly what it was. They showed off the controller first, the console looked incredibly similar to the Wii, and the name didn't really convey that it was a brand new console.
 
It was a combination of the terrible name, the awful marketing, lack of good third-party support, and long delays in between games. Nintendo really screwed themselves with the Wii U by naively believing that because the Wii flew off the shelves, that they could just slap the name again on their next console and expect everyone to just buy it, disregarding the fact that many of those 100 million people who bought the Wii only got it for Wii Sports and then never touched it again. Also, the release of awful games such as Mario Party 10, Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis Aces, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, and of course the infamous Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric didn't help either.

Meant to type Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. My bad.
 

V4skunk

Banned
The reason why I never got wiiu was purely down to the weak hardware and price of the system considering graphical performance.
 

Kamina

Golden Boy
The name was not the best and the marketing was off. I still don’t get why they didnt want to show the console at the beginning, because everyone thought the Screen Controller was a Wii addon.
 

DiscoJer

Member
The problem is that it took Nintendo's biggest strengths, local multiplayer, and basically took it away by having the tablet as a controller. People likely weren't going to buy another tablet.

The genius of the switch is the two controllers that dock to it. This lets people play together, even on the go. Half the people I work with bring in their switches and they constantly play Mario Kart and now Smash during lunch and breaks. And then sometimes they hook it up to the TV in the training room (as it's never used)
 

octiny

Banned
The name easily, which caused marketing confusion among the mainstream people who bought the original Wii. 8/10 people I knew thought it was an add-on like Wii Fit or something.
 
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Regarding the tablet, it seems relatively few people in here enjoy using it. I guess I'm in the minority, but I always felt it to be very comfortable even for long sessions. Played through BOTW with it (100+ hours) and never noticed any fatigue or other issues. Granted, the screen is pretty underwhelming but as a controller with gyro aiming and for a 2nd screen experience (like Nintendo Land) I thought it was pretty good. I still occasionally use it as a Switch-like device in a 2nd room and it works well (even a floor away) as long as I don't move too far.

I can't vote, but I'd combine the name and marketing into one choice and pick that. Also, it led to atrocious game names (e.g. New Super Luigi Bros U) - I mean, what?
 

Rodolink

Member
The name imo. I always thought it should've been called Super Wii.
Also the stupid decision in marketing to keep making it look family friendly, when all the core gamers where hoping/asking fro a more focused machine.
So in the end could've been completel marketing fault.
Imagine a scenario where it was Super WIi, and no stupid motion control/tablet gimmicks.
Additionally I think the tablet controller was a good decision although badly designed too heavy and not able to connect more than 3 feet away.
 

OldBoyGamer

Banned
I'll always argue that the WiiU was a fantastic console. But Nintendo did make a hash of selling it.

Firstly, the entire marketing and PR was poor. The notion that the super casual Wii demographic didn't realise it was a new console is seriously damaging. Massive mistake that it arguably never recovered from.

Secondly, the games. No console exclusive LoZ and no 3rd person AAA Mario games.

A distant numbered error was the distance at which the pad wouldn't work at.
 

ruvikx

Banned
It was a combination of several errors, with the two most notable being the underpowered console with similar specs to the 360/PS3 at the tail end of that generation which somehow aimed to get that "hardcore" crowd back into Nintendo gaming & a tablet controller not many people asked for. The reveal video at E3 is a one-of-its-kind shit-tier epicness as well, in which the first look at the console features a guy telling people he'd rather watch baseball instead of play Super Mario on the TV:



I'll paraphrase, i.e. "fuck off & play on your shitty little tablet screen whilst I watch sport instead!". Oh & you could apparently "draw" on the tablet as well. Whoop-de-fucking-do. It was a stillborn concept released at the wrong price, with the wrong specs, at the wrong time & with the wrong library (no third party support to speak of, except for stuff like a late port of Mass Effect 3 which made zero sense without the first 2). I'm amazed it even sold as many as it did.
 

MetalSlug

Member
When people who follow all things gaming related are confused about your system reveal, then what hope do casual gamers have.
 
Troublesome HD Development meant that they couldn't quite hit the ground running on many games.

The Gamepad can't really be replaced or unable to buy a second one on top of being the most costly accessory if it were.

The Price was wrong, it was too expensive for what it did and what it offered.

The Library was poor despite getting great games for it. The Third Parties tried on Year 1 and then abandoned it.

The Asymmetrical Gameplay didn't work that well for many games and even Nintendo started to drop that feature late on (except for Star Fox Zero which bombed).

The name was confusing but I think the reveal was really really bad. It looked essentially like an additional accessory. It didn't show the console at all and only displayed the Gamepad.


I think all of these issues built up to make the console so unappealing, however it gave us the Miiverse and some exclusive Virtual Console games and is now seen as a great Homebrew Console now.
 
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Saruhashi

Banned
Marketing. By calling it "Wii U" and by not being clear that the gamepad was not just a peripheral for the Wii.

FFS they had brought out a TON of Wii peripherals Wiimote, Wii-fit, Wii-zapper etc so when "Wii U" shows up it doesn't seem like a new console at all.

A big build up and announcement of "Wii 2" could have worked but realistically they should have dropped the "Wii" name entirely and come up with something new.

Timing and console power. Bringing this out so close to PS3 release was disastrous too. If they were planning to release at the same time as a new Sony console then they ought to have been focused on power.

Fuck it. Kind of sick of going on about Wii U's failings. The console had some amazing games but will always be remembered as a massive flop.

Hopefully Nintendo never screws up this badly ever again.
 
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