Hardware What I hope Nintendo is doing to be successful

[shinkodachi]

Hey,

I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm very biased on certain topics. There are hundreds of opinion pieces about Nintendo right now and what it should do to "save" the Wii U. I put that in quotation marks because I don't think the Wii U or Nintendo needs saving. What it needs is to focus.

Here's what I'm hoping Nintendo is doing to be successful:

1. Release a "myNintendo" and Miiverse app for iPhone, Android, etc.

I think this is self-explanatory and may be worked on already. What I'd like to see is something similar to the PlayStation app that Sony is currently offering: it gives you a quick view of your personal account, shows the latest gaming news tailored to you, and allows you to buy games directly from within the app. That last bit is essential and I'm hoping Nintendo is bringing the eShop to smartphones through such an app. Let me buy a game on my iPhone and have the game downloaded automatically on my Wii U, so when I'm home I can just start playing.

Additionally it should give me information about my NNID, connected devices (Wii U and/or 3DS), and recommendations based on my tastes. Throw in lots of videos on currently released games and teaser material for upcoming games and it's perfect. All this should be in a single app. The other app would be just for accessing Miiverse, preferably with push notifications. Right now I can access Miiverse on my iPhone through the browser, but unless I check Miiverse separately I can't know if there are any new messages for me. Have the Miiverse app notify me even when I'm not using Miiverse, that'd certainly increase my engagement in the Miiverse community.

2. Push Virtual Console harder.

This also is self-explanatory. Bring the GBA, GC, etc. games. And DS games. Release a bunch of games weekly. Make it so that when I open eShop there's a huge banner for new Virtual Console arrivals. Make me want to buy VC titles, so price them accordingly. If Sega can put full games on iPhone and Android for a few dollars, why can't Nintendo release VC titles on the cheap on their platform? Because then I might actually skip playing Sonic games on a touch screen if I can play many other retro games with actual buttons on the Wii U GamePad and not feel ripped off.

3. Work on a 3DS Player peripheral, or a way to connect the 3DS to the Wii U.

Perhaps far-fetched, but the hardware at hand is just too perfect for this use. In the fashion of the GameBoy player for the GameCube, I'd like to see a 3DS Player for the Wii U. It could be a stripped down 3DS with just the cartridge reader and a USB connection to the Wii U. Make it cost $99 MSRP, so it won't eat much into 3DS sales. We already have a touch screen and all applicable buttons on the Wii U GamePad, enough to even simulate the Circle Pad peripheral for games that support it. Connected with a TV that's two screens. I don't see why a 3DS Player hasn't been made before! Lots of 3DS owners would surely love playing their games on a TV. It would also expand the library of games available for the Wii U.

Alternatively, release a cable and applicable software for the Wii U to connect to an existing 3DS and have the game displayed on the TV and Wii U GamePad. That would make the Wii U enticing to 3DS owners as a "peripheral" to play their games on a TV. It would also make Wii U owners more likely to go out and purchase a 3DS. Having DS games on Virtual Console is not enough, 3DS games are readily available and on the shelves of almost every electronics store or supermarket. There's so much both gamers and retailers could benefit from.

4. Keep making Nintendo Directs. Keep an open conversation with your customer base.

What makes Nintendo different is the way they handle their public presence compared to other companies. Sony and Microsoft do not have a "Direct", so Nintendo should do their everything to keep their customers in the know of upcoming and current developments. Perhaps a bi-weekly schedule. Let us know what's going on inside Nintendo. Drop small tisbits of great things at are coming. That's a great way to keep the media's attention and the perfect way to create free additional marketing as people will share the videos on social networking sites. The myNintendo app I mentioned above should even notify you on your smartphone that there's a new Nintendo Direct and let you watch it right there.

Make Nintendo Direct a way for customers to voice their opinion and have their concerns addressed. Something like a brief "Ask Iwata" section at the end of a Nintendo Direct where Iwata answers fans' queries in the video. It'd create a huge boost in media presence. Let people comment on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, what they want to know. And let one lucky fan get a direct response to his/her question in the next Nintendo Direct.

5. Finally, focus less on the Wii U GamePad. Make Wii U the console that support every style of play.

Thus far Nintendo hasn't IMO demonstrated the true potential of the Wii U GamePad. Perhaps we will never see a "killer app" for it. Nintendo Land is perhaps the best exhibition of the capabilities of the Wii U GamePad, but it still falls short in the "must have" factor if you ask me. And that's perfectly fine. Seeing that there are many other input options for the Wii U (e.g. Wiimote, Wiimote + Nunchuk, Wii U Pro Controller), promote that instead. They already have the best motion gaming in the industry (in terms of games and accessibility), they pack in the Wii U GamePad with every Wii U, and they have a very good traditional controller (Wii U Pro Controller) available, so let people know there are many different ways to enjoy the Wii U. It is the most diverse console as far as input options go, so make the games reflect that diversity. I don't mind that DK: Tropical Freeze doesn't use the Wii U GamePad. It's a traditional 2D platformer, so focus on making it a great game instead of wasting effort on a forced integration with the Wii U GamePad. And when there's a game that could really benefit from the Wii U GamePad, utilize every inch of it. Right now I think the only true killer app for the Wii U GamePad would be the 3DS Player I mentioned above. Apart from Off TV Play there's really no "must have" reason to play with the Wii U GamePad IMO.

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So that's it. Sorry for the long post, feel free to criticize and comment!

 

[tbgtbg]

Re: #3, YES YES YES

Unfortunately, I bet if they ever do bring 3DS support it would be some sort of VC version where you'd have to rebuy your games. Just seems how these companies (not just N) roll these days.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Why do we keep wanting a 3DS player peripheral? Honestly it's an awful idea. No one wants to buy a Wii U to play 3DS games.

 

[shinkodachi]

Why do we keep wanting a 3DS player peripheral? Honestly it's an awful idea. No one wants to buy a Wii U to play 3DS games.

Like I said the idea may be far-fetched. The perfect scenario would be a link between an actual 3DS handheld, not just a cartridge reader, as that would entice Wii U and 3DS users alike to check out the other platform. The competition is going a bit in that direction now anyway, with Sony promoting Remote Play on Vita as a feature to entice PS4 (and PS3) owners to buy a Vita. And Sony also has the Vita TV that takes the "handheld games on TV" idea almost exactly in the way as I'd like for the 3DS to happen in the form of a 3DS Player.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

#3 - Hell yeah!

I'd love for an NES, SNES, N64, NGC, GB, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS game reader device for the Wii U I'd buy that for sure.

Edit: NES & SNES also cover Famicom and Super Famicom.

 

[Gahars]

6) Writing Gahars a big ol' nasty check for $11 billion dollars.

I don't know about you guys, but that's a success in my book.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

6) Writing Gahars a big ol' nasty check for $11 billion dollars.

I don't know about you guys, but that's a success in my book.

I'm guessing you could afford to buy Nintendo World Championships cartridge by then.

 

[Bladexdsl]

1. what good would this do?
2. for the last time ds game ARE coming...
3. said it b4 and i'll say it again NOT GOWNA HAPPEN!
4. they do that already...
5. only thing i agree with

 

[Saturosias]

Excluding a multitude of other reasons, #3 would also not work 'cause DS flashcards. Consumers would be baffled why a 3DS cartridge player would not also play DS games, which are the same size.

 

[Bladexdsl]

their not going to make a damn 3ds player for the wii-u because they want you to BUY the damn 3ds!

 

[MarioFanatic64]

their not going to make a damn 3ds player for the wii-u because they want you to BUY the damn 3ds!

That didn't stop Nintendo from making the Super Game Boy for SNES and the Game Boy Player for the Gamecube. Considering the 3DS is Nintendo's most successful handheld I'd wager that 3DS sales aren't going to drop because of a new peripheral.

Plus in order to play 3DS games on Wii U, people have to buy a Wii U (and the 3DS player peripheral) to do it, which would be far more expensive than simply buying a 3DS. Not only would that make more profit for Nintendo but it would boost sales for the Wii U, and that's something it desperately needs.

 

[Bladexdsl]

they only made them at the end of the gameboy and gamecubes life cycles. and they have never made them ever since. 3ds games on the wiiu not gowna happen. by thankful DS are coming...

 

[shinkodachi]

their not going to make a damn 3ds player for the wii-u because they want you to BUY the damn 3ds!

Exactly my point: either make a 3DS Player OR make a link between a 3DS and the Wii U that allows "On TV Play" (for lack of imagination).

1. what good would this do?
2. for the last time ds game ARE coming...
3. said it b4 and i'll say it again NOT GOWNA HAPPEN!
4. they do that already...
5. only thing i agree with

1. I don't know about you, but I'm on my smartphone 99% of the day. If a Nintendo app notified me there's a new Wii U game released that I should check out, I'm 100% more likely to look it up on my phone before I even get to a computer and read the usual suspects of Nintendo news sites that I follow. And that's just my case, there are probably millions of users out there who may own a Wii U, but don't follow tech sites. I'd wager the majority of Nintendo's target group don't. But that same target group more than likely has an iPhone, Android, etc. This is just one more way to market their products to their customers. Even better, it allows tailored marketing not possible in TV commercials.

2. Well, if you read carefully I didn't take issue with that. My issue is that the games are expensive for what they are. Sega sells Sonic 1 and 2 ports with enhanced and new content for $1.99 on App Store and Google Play. Then you have EarthBound on Virtual Console for $9.99. I drew the comparison because VC is competing with smartphones. And Nintendo hasn't changed anything in the games, they are just ROMs in a Wii U compatible format. If Sega can make their retro games available for $1.99 with changes and new content, why can't Nintendo at least push down the prices for VC games sold exclusively on their platform?

3. See above reply

4. No they aren't. When was the last Direct? There seems to be no fixed schedule, months may go by without a new Direct. My idea is to have them regularly, e.g. bi-weekly to promote the Nintendo brand and image.

5.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

How many people actually bought and used a Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player?

The 3DS player won't do anything good for the Wii U, at most it's another dumb peripheral to join the junk pile like the Wii Speak and Circle Pad Pro.

I don't see 3DS owners going "Wow, I like my 3DS, now I want to pay an extra $200+ for a Wii U and a 3DS player peripheral so I can play them horribly stretched on a big screen! Yeah!" It also accomplishes taking the two things out of the 3DS it had going for it: portability and 3D.

 

[PolloDiablo]

I want a Vectrex Player for the Wii U

 

[WiiCube_2013]

IGN and others have suggested Mario games on iPhone but have they/you thought about it seriously? Platformers are about accuracy and touchscreens completely lack it.

Sure you could say "but we can buy a controller to play it with" but the majority will just use their shitty iPhone touchscreen buttons and then instead of blaming themselves it'll be the game.

I don't know why people even keep using iPhones that piece of crap is overly priced with outdated hardware, you could get better smartphones for less.

 

[shinkodachi]

IGN and others have suggested Mario games on iPhone but have they/you thought about it seriously? Platformers are about accuracy and touchscreens completely lack it.

Sure you could say "but we can buy a controller to play it with" but the majority will just use their shitty iPhone touchscreen buttons and then instead of blaming themselves it'll be the game.

I don't know why people even keep using iPhones that piece of crap is overly priced with outdated hardware, you could get better smartphones for less.

Uh, what? At what point was I wishing for Mario on iPhone? I never said that. Besides I've had lots of fun playing Sonic 2 on my iPhone and I know many others in my circles who've downloaded the game and said the same. That's everyone playing on a touch screen without accuracy as you put it.

Oh, and iPhone 5s is the first smartphone with 64-bit ARMv8 architecture. For the hardware you get the pricing is actually good. It's not outdated. Nice try, though.

 

[zeello]

Nintendo should push off-tv play as much as possible. DS/3DS games on WiiU is a moot feature since it requires the TV. (why not just play those same games on DS/3DS??) But I can see the benefit of doing this, because the next Nintendo handheld might finally drop the two screens in which case it might not have backwards compatibility, giving that feature to the WiiU instead. The next Nintendo handheld might be a 2DS with better hardware and one giant screen.

 

[blaisedinsd]

I think they should give us some sort of cross buy/upgrade pricing linked to NNID.

I can have multiple ID's on my Wii U and only one per 3DS. So I bought Ninja Gaiden on Wii, paid upgrade pricing to get it on Wii U, now if I want it on 3DS I have to pay $5? That's lame, at least offer it me for $1 if I want it on 3DS since I already own it, bought the cart brand new when it was out at Toys R Us with my paper route money, bought the cart used recently, bought it on Wii, and on Wii U.....let me play it on 3DS free or on the cheap.

I also think they should update the software to make the gamepad optional, you should be able to do everything with a TV and pro-controller with out having your gamepad in your hands. Right now even games that let you play with the pro controller will require a gamepad to be connected before they will launch. Requiring the gamepad for text entry is annoying since I can do it just fine with the D-pad and buttons so why do I need to grab my gamepad for this?

I have seen parts breakdowns published that put the gamepad as around 1/3 of the consoles price. If they fix the software to not require the gamepad I think it makes sense for them to sell the Wii U for $200 with out the gamepad. Sure there will be some games you can't play unless you get one, but for someone who is just looking for a one screen experience there is a bunch of games that can work just fine without the gamepad (the entire Off TV play enabled library for example). The big games coming like DK, Kart, and Smash don't need the gamepad so if a $200 console can play these games just fine they will sell more consoles and SW.

I also think they should go ahead and make it useful when they charge you 50 cents to get a minor a NNID. Parents have the option, make the minors have limited access and more protection in place and then give the adults their Swapnote back. Either don't allow minors access or give the parent who registered the minor have the option with the default as blocking access. Then you can register their real birthday and maybe refund that 50 cents when they turn 18 or something.

For their next console they should go ahead and go all out to compete directly with the competition. Launch early to get a head start and take advantage of it by fixing some problems. Use the NNID adult vs minor idea to give robust online support like the competition to adults while giving parents the option and still being able to protect minors. Make it as standard as possible to attract multi-plats. Doing this will give them the best versions of multi-plats while they have their head start. Put all your money in to console power and not a gimmic to ensure this console has the longest life. Mimic the vita/PS4 model to where the new handheld allows off tv play and gamepad type of functionality...still expensive but more people would take advantage because the handhelds are so popular. Once you got great versions of mult-plats hit hard with some great Nintendo Exclusives at launch and while you have the head start. Do all this and you hope for a PS2 type of victory where your console is so popular during it's head start that the competition has no chance to catch up.

 

[shinkodachi]

I also think they should update the software to make the gamepad optional, you should be able to do everything with a TV and pro-controller with out having your gamepad in your hands. Right now even games that let you play with the pro controller will require a gamepad to be connected before they will launch. Requiring the gamepad for text entry is annoying since I can do it just fine with the D-pad and buttons so why do I need to grab my gamepad for this?

I really hope the "quick boot" update that's coming this summer will also allow for what you're describing. My problem with the GamePad is probably bigger than yours, because I just don't get it. And I have Nintendo Land, Wii Party U, etc., games that actually use it and I can't understand why it's forced to be used for even a brief moment.

I play Pikmin 3 and to me, the GamePad as a controller is really bad. I prefer Wiimote + Nunchuk for this game. The problem is, even though I play with the Wiimote + Nunchuk, if I collect an item in the game, the information is displayed on the GamePad and I'll see a message on the TV to look at the GamePad. That really breaks the flow of the game. I already have both hands full (Wiimote + Nunchuk), how am I supposed to comfortably switch to the GamePad just to look at some info quickly and go back into the game? This IMO is a huge misstep in Nintendo's book.