Mummelmann said:
5: This is a tough one. It seems that Nintendo are hoping and thinking that they'll be able to go toe-to toe with the 720 and PS4 as far as 3rd parties are concerned and that this will magically lure the more dedicated gamers back to their platform. I don't think they can achieve this. What they need to do is focus more on aquiring talent in the form of 1st and 2nd party developers and also show some breadth and depth and produce 1st party fare outside of the standard Nintendo franchises which aren't about waggling about in poorly rendered sports, cooking, quizes, petting dogs or any other trivial activity.
Now, to your main, overarching, point; am I worried about the future of the Wii U?
Yes and no. I think it could be great but also think Nintendo need to focus on one direction and commit fully, they're branching off and trying to do something that could prove costly by trying to build a hybrid platform which will entice equal parts casuals and core gamers, the whole shebang could very well end up alienating both.
I honestly believe that it will do well, I do, but not exceptionally well. It won't move nearly as much software as the Wii, not even 1st party titles and it will end up selling a lot less than the Wii, perhaps a little over half in lifetime total. Furthermore; it will write history by becoming the first direct sequel to a market leader that didn't win it's generation.
History does not repeat itself, this generation should be living proof of that and the gaming market has become a fast-moving rollercoaster that you can't command but simply need to cling on to.
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I think the move towards appeasing the core is more defensive than offensive. What you had this generation was a lot of multi-console ownership, and that was often by necessity for many households. If, in a household of 4, three demanded the types of games the Wii had to offer (expanded audience such and such) but one needed his/her Call of Duty fix (real CoD fix), or wanted GTA or whatnot, then they had to get a 360 or a PS3 to go along with that. What Nintendo's trying isn't to bull their way into Sony and Microsoft's core demographics and steal them out from under their noses, but rather to prevent a Wii U household from becoming a Wii U/Durango/Orbis household, as well as the more straightforward benefits of having a healthier and more well-rounded software environment on their platform (royalties and such)
Of course, such a strategy depends on snagging the mass-market appeal first, which, once again, is the critical question for Nintendo.
