Gaming Nintendo Confirms Wii U Has Flopped, Slashes Sales Forecast By ~70%

[Foxi4]

Let me make things this way:
If you could go back in time, assume as Nintendo CEO and had the option to release DS is, or more powerful the way you, as a consumer wanted,
what would you do? Since DS made such huge success and had plenty third party support, it can be said it was right to release it the way it is,
from the point of view of marketing. You can keep criticizing DS for been underpowered as long as you want, but I doubt you would have done defferent,
only a fool would trade the certain success of DS for having a somewhat better system.

Just because something was successful does not mean that it couldn't have been even better, I don't see how this is an unfathomable prospect. The system was very well-designed, it was well-marketed and the dual screen combination sold it well. That said, I think that with more horsepower under the hood, it would be able to accomodate even better games. Again, I'm not criticizing the system from a commercial standpoint - it sold very well and it made massive profits since the hardware wasn't all that elaborate and I can imagine that the profit margin was substantial - what I'm saying is that it could've been a much better gaming system, which is an entirely different matter.

Having experienced both the DS and the PSP I often used to say that "if the DS and the PSP had a baby, it would probably be the best handheld in the universe" and I maintain that statement. The DS was lacking in a variety of areas - it came with no web browser, online store, multimedia features, camera or external storage until the DSi line came along, no analog stick, rather poor hardware specs (4MB Shared RAM? Really?) and it wasn't wide screen, which was a bit of a shame.

As most things in life, hardware is all about striking a balance. In the case of consoles, it's the balance between specs/features and the overall price tag. In my opinion, neither the DS nor the PSP really struck that balance. The PSP was the "over-engineered, expensive handheld" and the DS was the "under-engineered, affordable" - the former was met with moderate success, the latter spread like wildfire, but I maintain that something in-between of those two would've been ideal.

 

[slingblade1170]

It is a time will tell situation with the Wii U at this moment. No one here knows the future of what the system will have in store for it. There is a reason Nintendo is still around, the N64 didn't do great financially, then the GC but they survived and then took the win with an underpowered system which was the Wii. I remember having similar conversations about the DS, 3DS and Wii that Nintendo is trying to promote a "gimmick" or "fad" and the the systems were "underpowered", also that Nintendo has released their "dreamcast system". Anyone saying those things were very wrong with time but one could see where they were coming from my Nintendo strange business tactics and lack of marketing. Today, those systems have been great systems and are about 80% of the conversations on this very site is about those consoles/handhelds.

As for Nintendo's first party titles, its obvious they won't make the system the top seller but most of you speak as if it doesn't help at all to release them, even though Nintendo has some of the biggest titles and franchises. With time i'm sure we can all agree Nintendo themselves will be fine and the Wii U will pick up even though no one knows how much.

 

[FAST6191]

Holy crap, I'll explain it again. Nintendo games + third party is objectively better than just Nintendo games because it covers a wider spectrum, it's better overall, it provides variety with absolutely no losses on first-party titles, it's a better choice for the customer, damn. Not rocket science.

I will have to take issue with that. In theory perhaps, it is certainly my working logic for the NES and SNES, but it can lead to people seeing how the other half 90% live. Raise the bar for good if you will.
I fear it may also have been the ones of the things that led to Sonic Adventure syndrome* and "N64 was an unsung classic" syndrome.

*there were some DC games, not so many sonic ones though.

 

[osirisjem]

It is a time will tell situation with the Wii U at this moment.

Time will tell what ?
Nintendo's stated goal of the Wii U appealing to Hard Core gamers failed. Massively.
The system is designed around something that people don't want (the gamepad).
Third party developers have deserted the Wii U in droves.
Nintendo is concentrating on games for the 3DS.
Retailers are even taking a pass at the Wii U.
Nintendo.com is trying to sell refurb'd Wii Us.

Time has already shown what the Wii U is: a flop.
It's all over but the crying.

I would love to see the Wii U do well ... but .. really .. other than a few Japanese kids .. who is going to buy it ?
First time console buyers for their 6 year olds ? YES. Anyone else ? No.

 

[slingblade1170]

Time will tell what ?
Nintendo's stated goal of the Wii U appealing to Hard Core gamers failed. Massively.
The system is designed around something that people don't want (the gamepad).
Third party developers have deserted the Wii U in droves.
Nintendo is concentrating on games for the 3DS.
Retailers are even taking a pass at the Wii U.
Nintendo.com is trying to sell refurb'd Wii Us.

Time has already shown what the Wii U is: a flop.
It's all over but the crying.

I would love to see the Wii U do well ... but .. really .. other than a few Japanese kids .. who is going to buy it ?
First time console buyers for their 6 year olds ? YES. Anyone else ? No.

I don't know even know why I'm replying to this message because this was obviously said to start another argument but its only been a little over a year with a console having a 5-8 year life span there is plenty of time for Nintendo to pick up and do fine with the Wii U. I'm not saying it will pick up and become the greatest system ever but i'm sure they will survive. I bet you were laying into the 3DS a few years ago too osirisjem for the first year, but the 3DS has done quite well just took some time to get going.

 

[osirisjem]

but i'm sure they will survive.

Define survival.
Does survival = release another home console to compete with PS5 ?
I'm increasingly skeptical ... but it's hard to predict.

I made no predictions about the 3DS. I think the 3DS is a great device and I like Mario Kart + Luigi's mansion.

Time won't heal any wounds for the Wii U.

 

[slingblade1170]

Define survival.
Does survival = release another home console to compete with PS5 ?
I'm increasingly skeptical ... but it's hard to predict.

I made no predictions about the 3DS. I think the 3DS is a great device and I like Mario Kart + Luigi's mansion.

Time won't heal any wounds for the Wii U.

What are you saying exactly, Nintendo is done for and never recovering? The Wii U is crippled severely yes and it may stay that way, my point is Nintendo will still be around to release a new system when time comes and life will go on in the gaming industry. If some things change the Wii U may bounce back and one day become profitable but no one can know at this point.

There really is no reason to bash Nintendo for the Wii U and no I'm not one of those people that will hate you just because you do and I actually play and purchase more for Xbox and other systems so I'm not just some crazed, pissed off Nintendo fanboy. I do have a Wii U and to be honest I love the system itself although the online infrastructure is a bit embarrassing and the 3rd party is almost non existent. Those things don't stop me from enjoying the first party games that Nintendo provides on the system and I do hope to see more out of the Wii U even though that seems doubtful at the moment. As for the gamepad, I hate it, but thats not Nintendo's fault. They built the gamepad in hopes of developers creating games that use the potential of 2 screens, touch screen, mic, camera, etc. So far, almost every developer has just used it as a map screen which is nice sometimes but destroys any use of the gamepad so I prefer to play with the pro controller.

I've had arguments on this very thread over the same subjects when in reality i'm agreeing to 90% of what is being debated against me. I just don't think Nintendo should be seen as a complete failure with nothing to contribute to gamers, especially so early in its life. If the Wii U does in fact turn out to flop completely then fine I will have the games worth playing on the Wii U and we will see how their next system pans out in the future.

 

[FAST6191]

What are you saying exactly, Nintendo is done for and never recovering? The Wii U is crippled severely yes and it may stay that way, my point is Nintendo will still be around to release a new system when time comes and life will go on in the gaming industry. If some things change the Wii U may bounce back and one day become profitable but no one can know at this point.

There really is no reason to bash Nintendo for the Wii U and no I'm not one of those people that will hate you just because you do and I actually play and purchase more for Xbox and other systems so I'm not just some crazed, pissed off Nintendo fanboy. I do have a Wii U and to be honest I love the system itself although the online infrastructure is a bit embarrassing and the 3rd party is almost non existent. Those things don't stop me from enjoying the first party games that Nintendo provides on the system and I do hope to see more out of the Wii U even though that seems doubtful at the moment. As for the gamepad, I hate it, but thats not Nintendo's fault. They built the gamepad in hopes of developers creating games that use the potential of 2 screens, touch screen, mic, camera, etc. So far, almost every developer has just used it as a map screen which is nice sometimes but destroys any use of the gamepad so I prefer to play with the pro controller.

I've had arguments on this very thread over the same subjects when in reality i'm agreeing to 90% of what is being debated against me. I just don't think Nintendo should be seen as a complete failure with nothing to contribute to gamers, especially so early in its life. If the Wii U does in fact turn out to flop completely then fine I will have the games worth playing on the Wii U and we will see how their next system pans out in the future.

On the bold part. There are several things within that.
On the new system. I hate to think what R and D costs will be for making a competitive system for release in say 4 years time will be, though the option of "rebadge Android and/or the PC" might be cheaper. Equally if polishing up the powerpc was pushing things to breaking this time around then next time will be outright taking the piss -- such a shift tends not to be the cheapest. Of course I can already emulate the Wii well enough so that might be an option, that might also allow them to align themselves with industry standards.
Now they could go Sega's route and go software only, such a move I can see no real downside in either. I hope they would also exit handhelds at the same time but they might just be able to eek out another generation there.

On the rest.
No reason to bash Nintendo... back in the real world we have a rule that runs something like "as long as you are not at risk of serious injury then we laugh at all self inflicted bumps and bruises, doubly so if they are stupidity caused", as Nintendo is a company it is mainly investors and maybe governments where they provide nice jobs/taxes that should care. To that end Nintendo's mistakes, and there are so very many, are perfectly free game to laugh at.
Gamepad not Nintendo's fault? They designed it, they costed it and considered it a worthwhile investment, they ultimately built it and they failed to support it/push it as well as they might. I might be more inclined to be charitable if Nintendo had some outstanding tech examples, so far the only amusement most people have got out of it was watching the stupidity that was e3 preshows and marketing wank words along the lines of "asymmetric play".

Nintendo so early in life? Assuming you did not mean the Wii U then this is past their 20th year as a leading light in computer games, maybe approaching that depending upon how you want to view NES launches and arcades: legends have been born, flourished and died multiple times during that time, even to the point where previous legends were little more than a memory.
On nothing to contribute. Everybody has something to contribute, especially as game design is not such a well refined art/science at this point, but I am increasingly unconvinced Nintendo should be afforded any real kind of better odds in the bet which people a notable shift will come from.

 

[osirisjem]

Nintendo is done for and never recovering? The Wii U is crippled severely yes and it may stay that way, my point is Nintendo will still be around to release a new system when time comes and life will go on in the gaming industry.

I like your optimism.
Maybe Nintendo will release merge the 3DS and the Wii U into one division that will only release one hardware.
It will have to be portable. It will be "the new 3DS" but they will call it a home console too.
But anything you carry around won't be powerful enough to be a true Home Console, by my definition.

I would make Nintendo IP for the Portable system and also for Sony and Microsoft consoles.

 

[blaisedinsd]

I think my main disagreement with Foxi is just that he is criticizing Nintendo essentially for not being Sony or Microsoft. They are not adopting industry standards (online services, movie playback, hard drives, standard controllers) and not making a machine with enough power to keep up and they are not getting enough 3rd party content released on the system.

I personally don't think a more powerful standardized Wii U with a standard controller (pro controller with analog triggers?) and no gamepad would be doing much better at this point simply because of the effects of the brand. Sony and Microsoft are the cool powerful gaming consoles while Nintendo is more kiddy. If the Wii U was simply the same as PS4 and Xbone (which are basically the same) Foxi may think that they would be doing better but I don't think it would make much difference. The Sony and MS fan are not going to jump on Nintendo just because the machine as powerful and it has more 3rd party games than it currently does IMO. Maybe I am wrong and with everything else being equal the Nintendo exclusives would propel Nintendo to a console war victory but the reality I see is that Nintendo looks at the business of Sony and MS in gaming and wants not part of that....they are more profitable the way they have been doing things (see DS and Wii last gen and 3DS going pretty strong too).

I think the gamecube proves foxi wrong. I do not think the lack of DVD playback or online play or smaller storage discs are what relatively doomed the gamecube. First it was the late start, and second it was the brand (which has to do with the kiddy impression of the console as a lunch box and the controller as funny looking). In reality the gamecube was basically just as powerful as the Xbox which were both more powerful than PS2 and used optical discs, memory cards, etc. just like the competition and almost all multi-platform games were coming out on all 3 consoles during this time. The only thing that stood out for the gamecube was the power of Nintendo's exclusive games and Nintendo fans are largely the people who bought the console (I never bought it). Perhaps online gaming hurt it later in it's life but PS2 had no online capabilites till later in it's life either.

The handheld gaming side benefits from the kiddy Nintendo image. Handhelds are still disproportionately largely for kids because parents like to keep the kids occupied (and even today a 3DS is much cheaper to trust a kid with than a phone or tablet) when they are doing tedious things. The console side I think is hurt by the kiddie image because these days adults are buying console games mostly.

Nintendo struck gold with the Wii and DS which used their new gimmics to make a big impression and expand the gaming audience leading to huge sales. Not good enough for Foxi who I guess thinks if the Wii was more like the Xbox and PS3 and the DS was more like the PSP that they would have been more successful. If that is in fact what he thinks than....well to be nice I will just say I strongly disagree.

They tried again with the gimmics of 3D and second screen console gaming. Both gimmics have largely been failures but the 3DS is going strong based on games and the Nintendo brand has a stellar reputation on the handheld gaming side. The Wii U is feeling this failure of its gimmic much harder because the home consoles do not have a good reputation (admittedly for some of the things that Foxi talks about). The gamepad from what I have seen increases the cost of the console by 33% and it has been selling at $300 for a loss since launch. I think some people are not interested in the console simply because of the gamepad whether they actively hate it or are just confused by it.

All that being said I still do not think that being more like xbone of PS4 would have Wii U doing much better. Yes the gamepad gimmic is a failure and the cost of it basically you figure had to hurt the potential power they could have put in to the console. But I think they should simply embrace their kiddy image for now and just like last gen compete as the low cost family friendly alternative console. To do this they need to lower the price and I think they can easily sell a cheaper version of the console with no gamepad.

For me personally I think the console is just fine and have had enough gaming on it to make it well worth it. It is by far the most played console in my house. I can acknowledge that game releases are not as frequent as you would want on a healthy main stream console but I am simply saying that people who have bought it so far did so for Nintendo games which have come out with more on the way. The merit of the Wii U is and always will be what Nintendo can put on the machine (so yeah we are going back to an N64 type of console most likely)

 

[Foxi4]

I think my main disagreement with Foxi is just that he is criticizing Nintendo essentially for not being Sony or Microsoft. They are not adopting industry standards (online services, movie playback, hard drives, standard controllers) and not making a machine with enough power to keep up and they are not getting enough 3rd party content released on the system.

(...)

Nintendo struck gold with the Wii and DS which used their new gimmics to make a big impression and expand the gaming audience leading to huge sales. Not good enough for Foxi who I guess thinks if the Wii was more like the Xbox and PS3 and the DS was more like the PSP that they would have been more successful. If that is in fact what he thinks than....well to be nice I will just say I strongly disagree.

(...)

They tried again with the gimmics of 3D and second screen console gaming. Both gimmics have largely been failures but the 3DS is going strong based on games and the Nintendo brand has a stellar reputation on the handheld gaming side. The Wii U is feeling this failure of its gimmic much harder because the home consoles do not have a good reputation (admittedly for some of the things that Foxi talks about). The gamepad from what I have seen increases the cost of the console by 33% and it has been selling at $300 for a loss since launch. I think some people are not interested in the console simply because of the gamepad whether they actively hate it or are just confused by it.

I hold the belief that developers should be given as much freedom as possible within a given generation - higher specs allow developers to spread their creative wings and code what they want to code without having to worry about system limitations. This shortens optimization time and puts more focus on the creative process instead of the process of "getting things to work with the amount of resources you have". As such, I think that hardware developers should attempt to provide optimal hardware builds, happy marriages between performance and price point, which are attractive to developers and customers alike.

I don't criticize Nintendo for "not being Sony or Microsoft", I criticize Nintendo for gradually becoming detached from the industry wheras before they were its pioneers who strived in breaking new grounds in technology. I'm happy that they have their own unique identity and I sincerely hope that they'll never lose focus of it, but I also hope that they will step up and start observing industry trends so that they offer contemporary machines for contemporary developers rather than sit in the comfort zone and pander to their own development houses without much consideration to everybody else around them.

They struck gold with the "gimmicks" of the DS and the Wii, which doesn't necessarily mean that by proxy they couldn't have struck gold in other areas at the same time, creating more wholesome and well-rounded systems.

 

[osirisjem]

I personally don't think a more powerful standardized Wii U with a standard controller (pro controller with analog triggers?) and no gamepad would be doing much better at this point

Well ... the Wii U may have been doomed from the get go.
But the nail in the coffin is third party developers are giving the Wii U a pass. 3rd party developers are making games for xB1 + PS4 ... and can't be bothered with the Wii U.
Surely it's odd architecture + underpowered nature is not impressing xB1/PS4 game developers.

But adding $150 to the cost of Wii U with the non-portable, unpopular Gamepad controller is just stupid.

Other massive failures:
The Wii U wasn't ready for launch. Buggy, super slow menus, etc.
Crappy online (again) options in the era of increasing connectivity = failure.

Nintendo's plan with the Wii U was to go after PS4 + xB1 type gamers.
But they were not able to convince 3rd parties to make games for the Wii U.
Thus their plan failed.

Any company that would produce the Wii U and think it was going to do well .... needs major help.

 

[blaisedinsd]

The Wii U was said to be an attempt to get "hard core" gamers back on Nintendo. The problem as I see it was they were going for the current PS3 and 360 gamers by offering a procontroller that was basically a standard controller and initially gathering support for launch titles of games those other systems had. It's as if the strategy was hatched pretending there would not be a xbone or PS4 in the near future.

I personally like having the standard type of controller available along side a plethora of still working and still supported Wii controllers and accessories.

Foxi, your last post is basically about how powerful the consoles are. I just don't see the need for Nintendo to be releasing consoles at the sweet spot between processing power that allows developer creativity and price to the consumer. We already have 2 companies doing that. Nintendo I don't think wants any part of that. Maybe they are just greedier and more about making money on hardware while the other 2 are simply trying to make gaming better (doubtful). I think it is a strategy born out of there handhelds where the primitive gameboy crushed several more powerful challengers while the N64 and gamecube who were powerful machines when launched did not do as well. Console power is only one part of many factors that determines how well a console does. Nintendo is basically out of the console power wars.

The home console needs to pursue the market the Wii did so well in. Not casuals....the motion control craze was only a big factor in the first few years and Wii did well for a long time being the lower cost, alternative, more family friendly console. I think they should stay there, at least that is the Wii U's best hope. Drop the price and keep giving us games that appeal to families. The Wii U just costs too much to be doing well in this area especially with the 360 and PS3 being pretty low cost options right now.

It's no mystery what will help the Wii U. Lower prices and more great games.

 

[Foxi4]

The Wii U was said to be an attempt to get "hard core" gamers back on Nintendo. The problem as I see it was they were going for the current PS3 and 360 gamers by offering a procontroller that was basically a standard controller and initially gathering support for launch titles of games those other systems had. It's as if the strategy was hatched pretending there would not be a xbone or PS4 in the near future.

I personally like having the standard type of controller available along side a plethora of still working and still supported Wii controllers and accessories.

Foxi, your last post is basically about how powerful the consoles are. I just don't see the need for Nintendo to be releasing consoles at the sweet spot between processing power that allows developer creativity and price to the consumer. We already have 2 companies doing that. Nintendo I don't think wants any part of that. Maybe they are just greedier and more about making money on hardware while the other 2 are simply trying to make gaming better (doubtful). I think it is a strategy born out of there handhelds where the primitive gameboy crushed several more powerful challengers while the N64 and gamecube who were powerful machines when launched did not do as well. Console power is only one part of many factors that determines how well a console does. Nintendo is basically out of the console power wars.

The home console needs to pursue the market the Wii did so well in. Not casuals....the motion control craze was only a big factor in the first few years and Wii did well for a long time being the lower cost, alternative, more family friendly console. I think they should stay there, at least that is the Wii U's best hope. Drop the price and keep giving us games that appeal to families. The Wii U just costs too much to be doing well in this area especially with the 360 and PS3 being pretty low cost options right now.

It's no mystery what will help the Wii U. Lower prices and more great games.

Well then here's the core of our disagreement. I think that consoles should support the widest spectrum of "gaming" the manufacturer can allow whilst remaining profitable. I understand Nintendo's decision to play it safe after several systems that failed to reach the hights Nintendo expected them to (Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, Gamecube), but after the massive success of the DS and the Wii I expected them to go all-out. They themselves promised Nintendo's return to mainstream gaming and they failed to deliver on that promise in my eyes, which leaves me disappointed. I'll continue to support them to the best of my abilities, but I'll also continue to criticize them for what I think they're doing wrong.

I agree that the Wii was so successful partially because it was a cost-effective, family-friendly alternative system, but that's both its biggest strengths and weaknesses. I applaud the way it utilized motion controls snab dab in the very moment when they were becoming a thing and I applaud the way it was marketed, but I still think that there's no reason why the system couldn't work as both the primary gaming machine in the household and a system that can be used by anyone. I don't think it's a far-off dream, it's entirely within reach.

I completely agree with you that the "low-cost alternative" is the angle Nintendo should take with the Wii U at this point - the Wii U doesn't have the brawn to compete in other categories, but with WiiMote compatibility and the Wii U Gamepad it's perfect for this sort of thing. Nintendo should absolutely zone in on that market once more, even if at this point the numbers of that audience have dwindled.

 

[osirisjem]

It's no mystery what will help the Wii U. (1) Lower prices and (2) more great games.

(1) can't happen to enough of a degree needed until they release a SKU with no Gamepad. (may never happen).
(2) won't happen to any significant degree b/c Nintendo itself will be the only company supporting the Wii U.

Nintendo has already announced it's plans.

Nevermind consoles ... Nintendo is entering the Quality of Life, non-wearable hardware software platform market. (WTF)


More: http://wiiudaily.com/2014/03/qol-platform-analysis/

Spoiler

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-s-plan-to-quietly-kill-the-wii-u/1100-6418177/

Bye Bye Wii U. Hello "QOL".

 

[blaisedinsd]

Well then here's the core of our disagreement. I think that consoles should support the widest spectrum of "gaming" the manufacturer can allow whilst remaining profitable. I understand Nintendo's decision to play it safe after several systems that failed to reach the hights Nintendo expected them to (Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, Gamecube), but after the massive success of the DS and the Wii I expected them to go all-out. They themselves promised Nintendo's return to mainstream gaming and they failed to deliver on that promise in my eyes, which leaves me disappointed. I'll continue to support them to the best of my abilities, but I'll also continue to criticize them for what I think they're doing wrong.

I agree that the Wii was so successful partially because it was a cost-effective, family-friendly alternative system, but that's both its biggest strengths and weaknesses. I applaud the way it utilized motion controls snab dab in the very moment when they were becoming a thing and I applaud the way it was marketed, but I still think that there's no reason why the system couldn't work as both the primary gaming machine in the household and a system that can be used by anyone. I don't think it's a far-off dream, it's entirely within reach.

I completely agree with you that the "low-cost alternative" is the angle Nintendo should take with the Wii U at this point - the Wii U doesn't have the brawn to compete in other categories, but with WiiMote compatibility and the Wii U Gamepad it's perfect for this sort of thing. Nintendo should absolutely zone in on that market once more, even if at this point the numbers of that audience have dwindled.

So basically you are dissapointed that Nintendo did not take the smashing success of DS and Wii and decide they needed to sink a bunch of money in to having top of the line powerful gaming systems that run multi-plats as well as the other consoles. I can understand why you feel that way, basically you wish you only had to buy one console that satisfied all your gaming needs. I guess since you do enjoy Nintendo games it annoys you that you have to buy other consoles to play the games Nintendo has basically ignored by their hardware design. But the reality is that there was no way in hell Nintendo was going to pile expensive tech in to a console to sell at a loss, sinking processing power in to there consoles has not worked in the past since the SNES so why would you think they would do that? How could you be dissapointed? How can you think that is what they should have done?

Perhaps the struggles of the Wii U will lead Nintendo to try this on their next home console and than you can get what you want. But overall I disagree that the Wii U is struggling because it is underpowered...it is struggling I just don't think that is why.

The Wii and DS were pretty much my primary gaming consoles for a long time (I believe you said you thought that was basically impossible). We got our first DS lite back in 2006 and a Wii in spring 2007 and before that we had a dusty PS2 that I had not played hardly at all in a long time. The last big game I got for PS2 was MGS3 and I only put maybe 5 hours in to the game. I played it plenty around launch and used to play Tony Hawk, Final Fantasy, Rayman, and Madden mostly. I never got on board with the online part of PS2 and never got an xbox or gamecube and all the people I knew who were gaming were playing Socom online and stuff and I really was not interested. I was just working full time and going to school full time and had a growing family and there was no time for gaming I think.

The DS was the first Nintendo system I had since the SNES and it was pretty awesome for it's time. I had the original gameboy that I got back in I think 89 but had never had a handheld since than. The Wii was also a blast and Wii Sports, Wario Ware Smooth moves, and Wii play were new exciting experiences that were not possible before. My wife didn't want me to get Zelda, but I got Prime 3 and thought that game was absolutely amazing. It blew my mind and felt very next gen and the graphics and story telling seemed amazing and I enjoyed the controls. Mario Galaxy, Mari Kart Wii, etc. I bought these games and had a blast. Almost everygame I got on Wii was tons of fun and I hadn't had fun gaming in a long time. I think the releases got really light and that is when I discovered how to softmod my Wii and that led to tuns more fun with it but I had also realized games like Madden/COD/Force Unleashed looked like ASS on the Wii. I didn't understand how Prime 3 and Galaxy and Mario Kart could look so good and those games looked bad. My buddy sold me on 360 and playing together online and I got one for Christmas in 2011 I believe. I have had some fun with the 360 too. Then I got a PS3 and a PSP and I have fun with those too. But the Wii still was more fun for me than PS3/360/PSP even while I still have tons of games to play on those systems and there is lots for free/cheap I am still playing my Wii U more than anything else. I guess I am just a fan of Nintendo games more than what is available on the other consoles and maybe that's partly because of nostalgia and my personal situation with a growing family with young kids.

I have tons of games for my PS3 that I bought cheap and through Playstation Plus but I don't play them as much as my Wii and my Wii U and my 3DS. The 360 I prefer not to use but I use it for some exclusives like State of Decay and Shadow Complex.

 

[Ykr1113]

The real sad thing here is that Nintendo has some of the best video game franchises.

 

[blaisedinsd]

(1) can't happen to enough of a degree needed until they release a SKU with no Gamepad. (may never happen).
(2) won't happen to any significant degree b/c Nintendo itself will be the only company supporting the Wii U.

Nintendo has already announced it's plans.

Nevermind consoles ... Nintendo is entering the Quality of Life, non-wearable hardware software platform market. (WTF)


More: http://wiiudaily.com/2014/03/qol-platform-analysis/

Spoiler

View attachment 7454

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-s-plan-to-quietly-kill-the-wii-u/1100-6418177/

Bye Bye Wii U. Hello "QOL".

1) I agree the Wii U is in a tough situation to try and cut the price and that a SKU with no gamepad is the smartest way for them to go about it.
2) I don't know, the best games on Wii are pretty much all coming to Wii U. We won't have the amount of shovelware but it should have a similar number of quality games eventually...I think there is plenty for me right now and I am looking forward to what is coming too.

3) QOL- I don't even comprehend what they are talking about but it doesn't affect gaming I don't think anymore than Sony making TV's or Motion Pictures affects their playstation business.

 

[osirisjem]

More data on the Epic Nature of the Wii U Failure.

Less than GameCube ? Rutroh.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/23/wii-u-sales-tracking-50-less-than-gamecube-one-tenth-of-wii-4706243/

 

[chavosaur]

Please..can we stop fueling the fires of this thread? Just let it die finally...