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[Meesh]

So.. finitely better?

I am intensely curious about what Nintendo does next. It's going to be make or break for their public perception. The runaway success of the Wii bought them time but the Wii U is a flaming train wreck of sales failure. I am assuming they will double down on something portable but who knows.

Sadly...I'm expecting some kinda new, well, gimmick. Lol but I'm a little jaded I think...I'd totally go for the unified console hybrid though if it meant larger catalog/library of games and studios willing to support it. I'm curious as well, like passing by a car wreck on the side of the highway curious to see if they can turn it around next gen before there's a bigger mess.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

I'm not really sure they can break that threshold again OP. The original Wii Sports tapped into a market that I don't personally believe cares about moving on. Even to this day with PS4's and Wii U's, I still see companies setting up the original Wiis and playing the highly inaccurate sports.

It's obviously not about the graphics or accuracy for these types, and is there anything more universal than sports?

 

[okaygeraldo]

Shouldn't you be busy managing Zynga?

More than anything, Nintendo needs to foster better relations with third party developers. That's been the albatross around their neck since the N64.

I don't have the qualifications. But honestly, I would turn that company around, so please PM me if you know how I can get the gig.

It's clear that third parties aren't interested in making games for Nintendo consoles right?

 

[spekkeh]

The more important thing is that the next Nintendo should launch with a game with hardcore appeal (though the pack-in title with universal appeal is necessary for the double tap, but NintendoLand could've functioned as such). Wii didn't become an actual runaway success until its second year. Initially most people bought a Wii to play the next gen Zelda, with sword controls, Wii Sports was just a curious bonus that the faithful then used to convince others. It was Zelda that set Nintendo fans' imagination on fire.

2D Mario U conversely set absolutely noone's imagination on fire, it's the same game they've been playing for 25 years.

So Nintendo needs, just like the other console manufacturers, something that makes gamers think it's the next best thing to have. The casuals subsequently flock to what is popular.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo is saving up Metroid for exactly that--it's going to be the launch title for the next Nintendo console that nearly everyone of GAF will want to have.

 

[jorgejjvr]

I think some of the most creative, artistic, gorgeous games (Not to mention games that work, with great gameplay) are on wii u. Oh and the gamepad is a great feature, I don't want them to ditch it. At least backwards compatible

 

[Illucio]

Really Nintendo needs to stop using old brand names for their new consoles. Naming it the WII U didn't help matters.

They should had just called it the Nintendo U.

 

[Skelter]

Nah. The obvious name from the marketing geniuses at Nintendo would be "New Wii U."

Sony had the real geniuses. Playstation 1,2,3,4 etc. They never have to come up with anything! A bigger number means it will always be easy to market to parents who have no idea which is the latest model.

Nintendo should just name their next console Nintendo 7 or some shit.

 

[Trago]

Sony had the real geniuses. Playstation 1,2,3,4 etc. They never have to come up with anything! A bigger number means it will always be easy to market to parents who have no idea which is the latest model.

Nintendo should just name their next console Nintendo 7 or some shit.

I think this would conflict with their handheld and console synergy plans. I personally liked the Nintendo Fusion name, but they wont use that.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

The more important thing is that the next Nintendo should launch with a game with hardcore appeal (though the pack-in title with universal appeal is necessary for the double tap, but NintendoLand could've functioned as such). Wii didn't become an actual runaway success until its second year. Initially most people bought a Wii to play the next gen Zelda, with sword controls, Wii Sports was just a curious bonus that the faithful then used to convince others. It was Zelda that set Nintendo fans' imagination on fire.

2D Mario U conversely set absolutely noone's imagination on fire, it's the same game they've been playing for 25 years.

So Nintendo needs, just like the other console manufacturers, something that makes gamers think it's the next best thing to have. The casuals subsequently flock to what is popular.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo is saving up Metroid for exactly that--it's going to be the launch title for the next Nintendo console that nearly everyone of GAF will want to have.

There's a careful line you have to walk, but I think you're right that the casual market isn't necessarily the ones you should be appealing to. Unless of course, Nintendo has something like Wii Sports that'll intrigue casuals. Appealing to the hardcore early is probably more important because as a result of them being "hardcore," they're also the most likely to spread the word about your console. Nintendo needs both crowds really.

 

[Gucci Messiah]

This makes no sense...

Nintendo was the only who "didn't use old names for new consoles most of the time after SEGA dropped out. I was shocked when they kept the name Wii in the Wii U because it was not how they usually did things(and was really bad decision in my personal opinion).

They went from th Super Famicom/NES, to Ultra 64(just 64 in the west), to the Gamecube, to the Wii.

Sony went from Playstation to Playstation to Playstation to Playstation.

Microsoft went from Xbox to Xbox to Xbox

You need to reevaluate that statement.

It does make sense. He's saying that they need to drop the Wii branding which is correct; it's pretty toxic at this point and I say this as a guy who just bought a Wii U on friday. Nintendo rolled the dice, hoping to rope in all the casuals who impulsively purchased a Wii and had a software attach rate of 3 or less. They thought they could ride the 'Wii' name to sustained success but this backfired because of terrible marketing and foolish pricing. Most people who don't read neogaf thought the console was simply a $350 tablet add-on for Wii and balked. Others didn't see the point in upgrading because they don't play games on a regular basis. Nintendo tried once again to reel in the mass market casual audience but switched gears once they realized Wii U was only selling to their hardcore fans. It sucks that Wii U is selling so poorly but hey, at least Nintendo is killing it with their 1st party software.

 

[jts]

I think this would conflict with their handheld and console synergy plans. I personally liked the Nintendo Fusion name, but they wont use that.

NES 7 and Gameboy 7.

The number is the link.

 

[DizzyCrow]

No, it must have a launch lineup with universal appeal.

 

[Adam Tyner]

You need to reevaluate that statement.

I'd argue that your stance is not apples-to-apples.

How many Xbox games / peripherals had "Xbox" in their names? How many PlayStation games / peripherals had "PlayStation" in their names?

Meanwhile, let's play "one of these things is not like the other":

Wii Chess
Wii Fit
Wii Fit Plus
Wiimote
Wii Motion Plus
Wii Music
Wii Party
Wii Play
Wii Play Motion
Wii Sports
Wii Sports Resort
Wii U

That's in addition to the stacks of other games with "Wii" in the title somewhere (like Mario Kart Wii or New Super Mario Bros. Wii).

If you're marketing a console that's visually a dead ringer for a Wii, a logo that looks exactly like the Wii's (the "U" looks like a power button icon or something), a bunch of Wiimotes, and what looks like a tablet peripheral for a console that had already seen 8,000 different peripherals, the confusion is pretty understandable. Nintendo's underfunded marketing campaign barely announced that the console even existed.

The Wii name had lost a lot of its value by 2012. Nintendo had all but abandoned the Wii for its last couple of years...even worse, without a killer slate of Wii U launch software to show for it too. It was hard to read a gaming message board post, gaming site, or game-centric blog without seeing "time to dust off your Wii" every time a major new title would be announced. The Wii was a colossal seller by any standard, but it didn't have a lot of momentum going into the next generation.

 

[YoYo Switch]

Maybe you forget, but I think the GC sold infinitely better than WiiU at this stage...just saying. Not gangbusters, but better, and obviously better third party games, not even the laughing stock the WiiU is.

People in Japan used to buy consoles. The console situation is extremely different than the height it was at in the PS2 era.

Barring the PS4's incredible success in NA of course.

 

[krizzx]

I'd argue that your stance is not apples-to-apples.

How many Xbox games / peripherals had "Xbox" in their names? How many PlayStation games / peripherals had "PlayStation" in their names?

Meanwhile, let's play "one of these things is not like the other":

Wii Chess
Wii Fit
Wii Fit Plus
Wiimote
Wii Motion Plus
Wii Music
Wii Party
Wii Play
Wii Play Motion
Wii Sports
Wii Sports Resort
Wii U

That's in addition to the stacks of other games with "Wii" in the title somewhere (like Mario Kart Wii or New Super Mario Bros. Wii).

If you're marketing a console that's visually a dead ringer for a Wii, a logo that looks exactly like the Wii's (the "U" looks like a power button icon or something), a bunch of Wiimotes, and what looks like a tablet peripheral for a console that had already seen 8,000 different peripherals, the confusion is pretty understandable. Nintendo's underfunded marketing campaign barely announced that the console even existed.

The Wii name had lost a lot of its value by 2012. Nintendo had all but abandoned the Wii for its last couple of years...even worse, without a killer slate of Wii U launch software to show for it too. It was hard to read a gaming message board post, gaming site, or game-centric blog without seeing "time to dust off your Wii" every time a major new title would be announced. The Wii was a colossal seller by any standard, but it didn't have a lot of momentum going into the next generation.

The issue here is hardware. Software titles are irrelevant. I believe what you are doing is what could be descried as moving the goalpost. A common defense mechanism or method of stacking negativity against something by changing the rules of evaluation.