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Let’s not mince words here: the house that Miyamoto built has not been doing incredibly well. It’s not hard to find news spouting doom and gloom for Nintendo, and worries the console’s fate are already sealed, with a few too many unhappy investor meetings to back it all up. It’s easy to forget there are more than six million of these in homes, which is not fantastic given how long it has been on shelves but solid enough to regain a foothold.
Mario Kart 8 has helped things considerably: console sales are up (by a whopping 666% in the UK), and good tidings are in order. But one game does not a successful console make. As much as I enjoy the Wii U, and however great a time I’m having with Mario Kart 8, it’s not enough to bring this console into the black. Public opinion matters most of all, and as one reddit user put it, oftentimes the conversation seems to be hovering around two major points:
1. I want to play these games but I don’t have a Wii U, and
2. I don’t have a Wii U because it doesn’t have any games
The core of the issue is twofold: messaging, and a relative drought of heavy-hitting titles for a console which is already one and a half years old. Messaging-wise, the console has been a nightmare ever since its confused, aimless announcement; it’s not hard to find confused shoppers to this very day unaware that the Wii U is an entirely new console, and Nintendo has done a pretty bad job fixing that. It’s a little too late to rename the console and redo its debut, however, so all Nintendo can do here is show how the Wii U can stand on its own as a strong piece of hardware.
Software-wise, there are some great titles for the console - The Wonderful 101, Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros U, The Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World - which show that the Wii U can handle excellent content but just doesn’t have enough of it. This frustrating conflict leaves the console in a state of limbo, and customers in a state of uncertainty.
E3 2014 is a major battlefield for Nintendo now, even with their presence coming through largely a video instead of a full press conference. With E3, what can Nintendo do to make the Wii U a more viable console? What games do you want to see announced which could pull in a strong response from consumers?
What can Nintendo do to win the world back?
Comments
10 years, 5 months ago
The only way Nintendo has any chance of possibly winning me back is pulling out all the stops on making a REALLY good Zelda game, and I just don't see them having that in them anymore.
10 years, 5 months ago
Honestly they have good games I think the biggest thing is that they don't justify the existence of the pad. I know that if they managed to lower the price to 200 dollars I would have to give in and buy it. My personal problem though is just a lack of faith in it's future library.
10 years, 5 months ago
Personally, I love my WiiU but I don't think they have justified the price I paid for it. I have all the faith in the world in Nintendo and their ability to make good games but I feel like they have been sliding back and forth between fully supporting the system and abandoning it.
I'm really hoping they have a killer showing at E3. It looks like they are poised to announce a new Zelda (rumors say "Unbound King"). For me, it all kind of hinges on whatever this new Zelda ends up being. That franchise has the power to swing the pendulum. They have proven in the past that they can steal the show. I hope this is one of those years.
10 years, 5 months ago
Nintendo can release an amazing Zelda game, but they will also need some good third party games to come out. We have already seen that Nintendo first party titles isn't enough for gamers to have faith in them. Regardless I'm always excited to see what Nintendo has to offer. I believe they just need to show good third party support at E3.
10 years, 5 months ago
Wii U simply needs more third-party support. The exclusives are great, I trust anyone who says that, but the lack of third-party content compared to the PS4 and Xbone is something that makes me not want the Wii U.
10 years, 5 months ago
I kind if caved and bought a Wii U because of the Mario Kart 8 bundle promotion last week, but while it's a very nice console and everything looks very nice through HDMI, I'm starting to have some regrets. Right now I'm stuck between two games and VC games and as a result feeling the experience is a bit lacking. I need a proper Zelda title, a new Metroid or Starfox, and a host of worthy indie titles to get what I feel I deserve out of it.
Heck, I could have settled for WInd Waker HD for a while but it's so darn expensive for what it is (I spent the promotion on Pikmin 3). HD Remakes usually don't come out at full retail price. Look at the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (3 games remastered in 60FPS HD plus two MSX MGS games) $40, the Shadow of the Collossus/ICO HD Collection (60FPS HD) $40, even the Silent Hill HD Collection retailed around that price (though the HD and quality of that collection was shoddy at best). If Wind Waker HD weren't retailing for $60 I might have gotten it already but standing as I already own the game on GCN and it STILL looks good there's no reason to buy another copy of it at full price. Nintendo kind of dropped the ball on that one.
I have a Wii U but I'm still not won over entirely. If Nintendo wants me, they need to pull their act together and start giving the customer base what the actually want. GAMES.
10 years, 5 months ago
I don't see the Wii U winning me over with everything PC has lined up and the fact I can probably hold out for an XB1 or PS4 price drop. The ship has sailed and maybe a really good Zelda reveal and Star Fox announcement would make me salivate and reconsider. Otherwise there needs to be something revolutionary, I just am not dedicated to a console at the moment.