I kind of dislike talking about this topic to gamers because a lot of, if not almost all, gamers are narrow-minded when it comes to games.

They think games should be played a certain way or that "gimmicks" are bad. Games no longer are about having fun and are more of a source of pride for people. PC gamers think they are the superior gamers because they incorrectly think a PC is better than a console and can do anything a console can. This isn't true due to the nature of what sets PCs and consoles apart. Graphics aren't everything. Just being able to use a controller doesn't mean anything. Hooking your PC to a TV doesn't make it a console. More goes into it than that, and when I try to argue my point, PC gamers deny it with just their words, but reality shows otherwise.

What this has to do with the Wii U is that the concept of the Wii U is not a failure, the execution isn't quite a failure but it wasn't as good as it should have been.

The gamepad itself will lend itself to making genres more accessible or making completely new ones. There is more than what a lot of gamers think to what you can do with the gamepad. The fact that it comes with the system means developers don't have to worry about if they don't have one (and the reason other consoles wont do this is because it simply wont sell unless it comes with the device) and I know a lot of gamers just think how it doesn't enhance their ability to play a game. Like how a mouse + keyboard for FPS games is good for gamers because it increases their ability to play, but motion controls are just a gimmick. The thing is that a lot of people enjoy using the motion controls, even if they aren't as precise as the mouse + keyboard. That "gimmick" is a source of fun for people, the true reason for gaming. So I really think gamers have a warped sense of what games should be like.

edit: I should also include that pretty much anyone here is in the minority as well, so I don't think gamers make up most of the market.

Gamers have twisted the term "gimmick" to means "a feature I don't like/my console doesn't have."

Right now execution. I do not believe it is a failure by any means. Sure it has had a rough start but it will pick up. It is a great system and it is worth the price.

Unequivocally: Neither.


Again, for the umpteenth time........it's the LACK OF GAMES in the first half of 2013 that caused slow sales. It's not rocket science, it's mind numbingly simple. People seriously seem to have an inability to hold off on casting final judgement on the system until it's been out for over a year. It hasn't even been out a full year yet, and in that time none of the "Big System Seller" games have hit yet. They're literally right around the corner, with more on the way in 2014.

If you want to make ANY kind of rational, practical, intelligent analysis of how the Wii U is doing, you just might want to wait until about Fall 2014 to get a truly accurate gauge.

Execution...just in terms of NO GAMES.

Conceptually the Wii U offers developers a lot of different options and thus has the potential to offer gamers lots of different kinds of games and experiences. I REFUSE to say the concept is bad because I don't know if I've EVER had more fun with ANY video game than when playing Mario Chase with 5 people. The execution problem there is that the individual games in Nintendo Land aren't nearly as good as the multiplayer ones, and also that Mario Chase and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day (two of the BEST multiplayer minigames EVER in my opinion) don't offer enough courses or variety. Beyond that, the Wii U offers plenty...traditional HD gaming, two-screen gaming, touch screen gaming, asymmetric multiplayer, regular 5-person multiplayer, backwards compatibility, Nintendo's best online network, Nintendo's best online store, Miiverse, and more.

So again, I say execution...mostly just the lack of games until August, and then also that some of the games that ARE already available don't offer as much as they could.

Seriously though, I fully expect a decent turnaround and a solid holiday season for Wii U when there are basically two first-party games coming per month from August through December. And even if that doesn't work, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. will get the Wii U afloat. Just accept it now though, people...Wii U will NEVER repeat the success of the Wii. But that DOESN'T mean it's a failure. Gamecube sold "poorly" and yet Nintendo still made money off it and released some great games for it. Ultimately I'm a fan of Nintendo because they release wonderful, polished games that I love....NOT because the Wii sold 100 million in its lifespan. Stop worrying so much about the console itself and its sales and pay attention to the actual games. They start coming VERY SOON. :D

well considering that the WII u isnt exactly flying off the shelves at all, i dont think its just "gamers" who are not buying into the "gimmick" as for motion controls it works for some games it doesnt work for others, people are smart enough to see which ones dont.

Both, but they are somewhat related.

Concept, because somehow Nintendo decided to ignore their sucess with the Wii, assume that third party support is needed to be sucessful, and then design a system easier for third parties to jump in.

Execution, because when you plan a system release with third party support in mind and it don't show up you get the software drought we're seeing.

Technically wouldnt that be execution? They had a plan to release quality first party titles in the first half of the year but were unable to do so.

I do agree with u tho, if Pikmin, Rayman, W101, Fit U were already released along with NSMBU, Nintendo Land, ZombiU, Lego City then its library would look alot bettet and likely selling better.

Curious how many hands you have? If I have the pad in one hand I only have one other hand left for the touchpad.  Multi touch isnt needed for anything because unlike smart phones it actually has control sticks and buttons. want to zoom in? No need for multi touch zoom, the right analog stick will zoom in and out for you in a snap. The other aspect is whats going to be left on screen for you to watch if you are using both hands on the screen at once? It's only a 6 inch screen, less I know but close enough and I cant remember exactly atm.

You say they didnt think it out but it honestly doesnt sound like you have, not trying to be insulting but it didnt take long to think of reasons why a multi touch screen would be useless or rather pointless given what all it can do

 Can you give an example of something you would need multi touch for that couldnt be done in some other way?

It's a conceptual failure as much as it is a execution one.

The Wii was such a huge success but chasing this dragon again was ill advised. Something like this happens once every 30 years, it's a phenomenon and that's that.

Almost all my friends and several family members bought a Wii. A few of them even spent weeks and weeks trying to find one in 2006-2007.

The thing is of like 20 people I know who own the Wii, pretty much none of them is interested in upgrading outside of 1 person.

Even after I've sat many of them down and explained the concept of Wii U and explained that it's a new system, they're pleasant about it, don't get me wrong, but it never translates to a "wow! I must have that!".

And all the Mario/Zelda games in the world aren't going to change a lot of their minds. They already have a Wii and they got their fun out of it from Wii Sports primarily. Now they feel like they don't really need to upgrade.

I think this is something Nintendo fans don't understand because they figure more Mario will solve all the problems, they don't understand that Mario isn't what made the Wii a phenomenon in the first place, it just piggy backed off its success.