| Cat Thing said: Hm. |
Let's assume that the Wii U gets blown out of the water in terms of "power", which results in third-party developers skipping it the same way they did the Wii. If we also assume that the Wii U doesn't go viral with the casuals, which is likely, what would be the result?
I think the Wii U will be OK in that it will still sell to Nintendo fans but would that be a wake-up call for Nintendo themselves? Would they feel the need to adjust their philosophy and build more robust hardware? Or would they be fine with continuing to gamble on hardware that might or might-not be a viral homerun? Are they fine with another Game Cube? If not, is the Wii U destined for a short lifespan?
Would Nintendo fans WANT the Wii U to have a short lifespan if it doesn't get third-party support? Or would they be satisfied with a Mario box in a niche market? Would any current Nintendo fans consider jumping ship? Or picking up a 720/PS4 in addition to a Wii U?
Personally, I thought the Wii U's only real chance at third-party support was by coming out strong during their headstart period and building up a sizable installed base that publishers couldn't ignore, but now I'm not so sure that's going to happen. Nintendo seems to want to pit their big guns directly against the launching of the 720/PS4 instead of before they release. I'm really not so sure that's the best strategy.
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