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Nintendo: Wii U has "lost momentum" due to release schedule and miscommunication
- Thread starter ULTROS!
- Start date
Based on how quiet they were with about the Wii U at this meeting, I doubt they're going to "bring it". Unless they have some serious shit for E3, the Wii U is in for a world of hurt.
Thank you..I feel the same, I'm not sure what the hell else people expect. I feel sorry for him..I know the damn machine is underperforming severely but it can't be fun for anyone to be in a position to have to explain for and apologize for something like that. All the man can do is the best job he can and hope they can turn the Wii U around. I hope so, it's a great machine with a lot of potential but they have GOT to communicate better that it's a whole new system. I'm seeing way too much "it's an add on for my Wii!!!" Out there. If they're gonna fix this they've gotta start there. If they can't or won't do that then they'll have to shift completely to 3DS for a while and maybe try again. I'm still hopeful it won't get that bad but they haven't got a lot of time to turn this around. If anyone can do it, it's Iwata. I'm putting my confidence in him and think he's a good bet.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=478684
I said it would be a problem months before the Wii U released but some people thought I was pushing an agenda and just trying to bash Nintendo.
TheNatural
My Member!
Saying lost momentum pretends there was any momentum in the first place. The launch itself was mediocre at best.
Anticitizen One
Banned
at this point I won't be satisfied until he steps down
dreamer3kx
Member
Why cant they just rename it, just do rename it to Wii 2 now, Im sure it will help.
outunderthestars
Banned
Looking back at last E3, they REALLY thought that Nintendoland was going to be a huge hit for them. I think they assumed that the combination of it and a new 2D mario game would ensure high demand through the Spring, allowing them to line up software to fill in the rest of the year.
When that didn't happen they were fucked.
Their entire marketing plan, down to mimicking the Wii packaging and iconography was a huge mistake as well. How could they have focus tested the name/design/packaging without noticing a substantial amount of consumer confusion?
When that didn't happen they were fucked.
Their entire marketing plan, down to mimicking the Wii packaging and iconography was a huge mistake as well. How could they have focus tested the name/design/packaging without noticing a substantial amount of consumer confusion?
Zombie James
Banned
My point still stands from that thread: Talk more about the system, less about the controller. The controller is an important part of that system but it shouldn't be 100% of the focus because that's where all the confusion is coming from.
specialguy
Banned
nintendp is like a broken record. they already said before launch they needed timely software to make wii u succeed and were planning to accomplish such.
Thanks.
I think if anything i'm just tired of every thread turning into fanboy shitting/calling out all the time. It's just getting old hearing "Fanboys said this" and "Fanboys said that" and "Fanboys didn't want to believe this." I'll just take my leave from this thread now and be sure to stay away from other similar threads in the future.
aparisi2274
Member
No shit asshole!!
When a late night tv host intros your new machine as an add-on to the Wii, you know you've done something wrong.
When most people who buy games for kids are parents, and they think its just a Wii Add-on, you've failed!
Your entire marketing dept should be fired and replaced. The launch commercial was a disaster and did nothing to get the point across.
swirlyglasses
Member
I love Pikmin, but its gonna take more than that to make me buy a Wii U. The combination of Smash Bros, 3D Mario and Zelda would get me.
What gets me is that there is nothing until July. That's a couple of months of shitty sales with the hope that maybe the game released then would spur sales. There aren't any HUGE Wii U games coming (either from them or anyone else) until maybe the end of the year. So if they're going to be trying to build momentum, they're in for a huge undertaking. Considering these are the same guys who thought that NSMB U and and Nintendoland were going to serve them for months, I don't have much faith.
The next couple of months are going to be brutal. Especially in Japan.
TheUnsunghero26
Member
Glad he's at least acknowledging what needs to be fixed. can't wait to see what they have at E3.
Heh, I see what you mean. It's that time of year though.
I wasn't doing it in an "a-ha" fashion -- was just saying that if you don't think the Wii U's current marketing is a problem at this point even though Nintendo themselves say that it is then I don't know what to say to you.
outunderthestars
Banned
I think they looked at the low demand, decided to basically "relaunch" the Wii U this fall. That is why they delayed Pikmin 3, a game that has to be done by now, in order to create a more consistent release schedule going into Fall/Holiday 2013.
how do you talk up the hardware itself when it is rather unremarkable in terms of its performance against its competitors?
ProfessorMoran
Member
It's not that the consumers didn't understand the product, it's that the consumers do not want the product. This is what Iwata does not understand.
Uno Venova
Banned
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
They shouldn't be talking up either. They should be talking up games. Games sell systems
Super Wii
I don't know about that. Plus, Wii U was such a dumb name that it obviously was going to confuse people (among other things).
I'm pretty sure that many wouldn't want something that they felt was nothing but an add-on to a console that they stopped playing years ago.
Good news for you, then! Game and Wario is also coming.
But even then, it's not like they're changing anything about the hardware, so what good is a "relaunch"? What would that even mean? In my mind, "relaunch" means new packaging, new options, new advertising, and new games. The only thing this "relaunch" seems to be is just releasing more games. Well, they can do that now. No need to wait until July. Especially for a game like Pikmin.
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
Shitwata sayin shit everyone realised at da E3 2011 reveal. They really don't listen if they're just figuring it out now.
.......this company....
.......this company....
outunderthestars
Banned
It has been almost two years since the Wii U was unveiled. Has Nintendo shown a "must have" game or one that clearly justifies the controller?
Two years.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
The controller is the only gimmick they have. You might as well buy a 360 or PS3 otherwise.
shinra-bansho
Member
When they stop being bewildered imbeciles and realise that its a new console though, then what, why exactly should they want it?
They don't just have a communication issue, they have a demand issue regardless. And nothing from Nintendo's investor relations meetings suggests they realise or acknowledge such issues whatsoever.
Zombie James
Banned
That's for Nintendo to figure out. If they want people to stop thinking the controller is an add-on to an old system, try talking about the new system.
megarockexe
Member
At this point, they could go back to doing "okay" with the Wii U. What boggles the mind even more is that we knew about this at E3 2011, saw it again at E32012 with Pikmin, and yet, here in 2013, Pikmin is coming out AFTER E3. It's like Nintendo can't react fast enough to stay relevant longer. I mean, they launched with a pre-beta of the OS and no Virtual Console? Did they not learn from launching the 3DS without a shop? And I'm sure they'll continue with their slow VC support as well which turns out to be 1 or 2 big games every 3 months with almost nothing in between, being sold at premium prices with no accounts.
I really don't think they didn't do aggressive focus testing, I think they didn't realize the different experience offered by the WiiU is not as obvious as the Wii, but I'm sure after lots of focus testing people ended up enjoying the thing.
My anecdotal experience was of total confusion at the concept, trying it on kiosks also didn't do the trick, only after buying it and actively using it I saw the potential and I now really love it, but it's a really hard sell, when I try to explain why I like it to my friends I just can't, they had to play it to get it too.
That is Nintendo biggest problem and biggest challenge, and I honestly have no idea how to communicate that to consumers. I do think Nintendo should had packed in a wii remote though, or make it clear why it is so awesome to not have to buy new controllers while at the same time making it clear this is a new console and not an add-on.
Skiesofwonder
Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
My point still stands from that very thread:
If the WiiU was a compelling enough product providing compelling enough software, the confusion over the system would not have mattered. People would have still bought the system in droves just like they did with Kinect, even though many consumers were very confused about the motion controller accessory requiring a 360 to play. Nintendo just failed to make the WiiU compelling through apps/games/hardware/etc.
Besides, at the time of creation that thread was a bit premature considering Nintendo wasn't even close to starting their advertising campaign. Too bad that stunk too.
decoyplatypus
Member
I don't want to jump on the Iwata-bashing bandwagon because I like the guy (and anyway the bandwagon has got to be about full by now), but some of these problems were both predictable and avoidable. The Wii/Wii U misunderstandings, for example, follow a problem they had just experienced with the 3DS. Iwata made a note of it then, everyone pointed out the same thing could plague the Wii U, yet Nintendo stubbornly refused to rebrand.
I've been saying this, too. This way they can go with the "new system" angle and once they get it they'll realize the screen is pretty cool for things that need it. Everyone wins. It costs them a little more, but at the end of the day they could drop the original Wii altogether and focus everything on the Wii U.
It's not even keeping all of the core fans satisfied, as evident by the number of Luigi hats being displeased with Nintendo recently. Me among them.
outunderthestars
Banned
Watching the original unveiling is interesting now that we can look back at the failed launch.
Reggie introduced the hardware by saying "This is the new controller for Wii.........U" Then they cut to a video of someone playing a game that (at first glance) looks just like a wii game, with a system that looks just like a Wii in the corner of the shot. You then see a Wii mote and the message "switch from the tv to the new controller." Then you see Wii Sports, and Wii Fit. Hell, just watching it now for a moment I honestly forgot that they were promoting a whole new console.
The entire unveiling uses the consistent message of "use the new controller" while never really mentioning the system itself.
From the very start the messaging of the system has been a mess. The conceptualization and execution of every aspect of the Wii U has been mishandled.
Reggie introduced the hardware by saying "This is the new controller for Wii.........U" Then they cut to a video of someone playing a game that (at first glance) looks just like a wii game, with a system that looks just like a Wii in the corner of the shot. You then see a Wii mote and the message "switch from the tv to the new controller." Then you see Wii Sports, and Wii Fit. Hell, just watching it now for a moment I honestly forgot that they were promoting a whole new console.
The entire unveiling uses the consistent message of "use the new controller" while never really mentioning the system itself.
From the very start the messaging of the system has been a mess. The conceptualization and execution of every aspect of the Wii U has been mishandled.
swirlyglasses
Member
It will be called 'New Super Wii U. 2! With Extra Gamepad and Cheese! On Da House Edition'
I think they were put to rest after the good performance of the 3DS.
They dont have to go into detail. Just a 2 second blip in the commercial with a kid exclaiming 'Oh wow look at the graphics!!"
And there you go, people think its new more powerful hardware.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
Wow what a clusterfuck the wii u has been. Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong.
-no 3rd parties
-ps4/720 are monsters spec wise with all the 3rd parties supporting them
-no 1st party games because of delays
-buggy and slow os
-shitty marketing
-shitty online service
-1 year headstart completely wasted
How does Iwata have a job again lol
-no 3rd parties
-ps4/720 are monsters spec wise with all the 3rd parties supporting them
-no 1st party games because of delays
-buggy and slow os
-shitty marketing
-shitty online service
-1 year headstart completely wasted
How does Iwata have a job again lol
outunderthestars
Banned
Didn't the 3DS miss its already lowered sales forecasts?
He puts on goofy hats in internet videos so he gets a free pass.
most importantly it had a game (Mario 64) that both showed a clear difference between itself and the games of the previous console.
Anticitizen One
Banned
The n64, the system everyone complains didn't have very many games, already had several AAA (Super Mario 64, Pilotwings, Waverace, Blast Corps) titles and memorable 3rd party games (Crusn'n USA, Shadows of the Empire) at this point in its lifetime. So did the Gamecube.
It missed sales expectations though. Whether that's due to overly optimistic expectations or not, investors could still view Nintendo as failing to capitalize on what could be an extremely profitable market (for some) or at least an outlet to hook people on Nintendo products.
Personally I think it would be wise for Nintendo to release software for iOS and Android that complements its other products.
Rhazer Fusion
Member
To me it seems like Nintendo sort of forgot about or losing their enthusiasm for the Wii U. When was the last time they aired a commercial for it? December/November 2012 or something? One of the problems is, it doesn't seem to be offering too much that can't be obtained on the PS3 or X360 which it's much larger library of games. Imo, releasing a console with comparable power to 7 or 8 year old technology was a terrible mistake. They could still bounce back, but I am wondering what will happen when PS4 and Durango surface and the current generation console drop even further in price.
Poetic.Injustice
Member
They finally realised this? When people were screaming about it in 2011 they didn't give a crap about miscommunication.
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