RolStoppable said:
Did you even read what I wrote? Nintendo sees those titles as token games nowadays. They only make some of them, because they feel that they are obligated to make them, but their overall software and hardware strategy is going into a completely different direction where they went as far as putting "U" into the Wii U's name to emphasize their dedication to the hardcore gamer. And no, the 3DS isn't selling "reasonably alright" when you put it up against the DS. A fact of which you remind us constantly, so you of all people should know. Also, those casual gamers you speak of played free browser games on the PC before the Wii came out. They bought Wiis, because it was a console made for them (and anyone else who enjoyed video games). The things that mattered were emphasized while the bullshit was removed, hence why the Wii sold faster than any other console before it. The Wii U does the opposite, that's why it tanks in sales. Something like Wii Sports is not available on the PC, tablets and smartphones, therefore those devices can't act as substitutes for Nintendo products and thus they aren't cannibalizing Nintendo's market. Instead, Nintendo is destroying their market on their own by stopping to do what made them successful. |
So what do you want them to do? Make Wii Sports 3 and everything will be OK? The 3DS has Brain Training and Nintendogs and Style Savvy too ... so why is it not selling like the original DS?
You think casuals really want to play the same type of thing they were playing seven years ago? You think they really give two craps about whether or not that experience is now in HD? $50 for Wii Fit U + paying another $300 for a new box so I can play a few new mini-games on my Wii Fit board that's buried under a pound of dust? Who's doing backflips in excitement over that idea?
The challenge with that market is coming up with the NEXT new thing. Once you find it you have a few years to mine that goldmine, but once it goes dry ... it's dry.
And finding that NEXT new thing is extremely difficult. It's like walking up to J.K. Rowling and saying "well just create another franchise with wizards and stuff in it, it'll be just as successful as Harry Potter. Simple." Things don't work like that. If it was that easy everyone would do it.
There's nothing special about having an intuitive interface today either ... I mean so what? A 3 year old can use an iPad, it's no big deal any longer that the Wiimote is easier to use than a 15 button Dual Shock. Hell, Microsoft even offering games with zero buttons if that's what floats your boat. "Bullshit removed" gaming is not a selling point any more. Every modern gaming platform has an assortment of "motion/touch" based gaming for those who can't deal with complex game pads.
Sony is actually probably the only smart one in understanding that they can't compete with Apple for the casual crowd, so they didn't bother to weigh their console down with a $100 control input like Nintendo/MS have done. As a result the PS4 probably is going to sell far better out of the gates than any recent game machine. They know the core gamer is where they need to make hay and wisely have opted to make a console for that audience and kept costs reasonable by sticking with a regular ol' controller and not trying to shoe horn in some expensive gimmick that most games won't even use.
