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Soundwave on 13 September 2013
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RolStoppable said:
Soundwave said:

So what do you want them to do? Make Wii Sports 3 and everything will be OK?

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.

It's like nothing gets through to you. There isn't really any fix for the Wii U, because that ship had sailed by E3 2012. It was a done deal before the system even launched. Now it's just a matter of riding it out with the least amount of damage to the Nintendo brand as a whole. A humble Nintendo that makes games that people want to buy would certainly be better than an arrogant Nintendo that tries to push their initial strategy through. Get the system to sell 30-40m units in its lifetime, then for the next generation come out with hardware that the market won't reject.

Casual gamers play the same type of thing over and over again. Just look at FIFA, Madden and CoD sales. Nintendo isn't close to a yearly rhythm with their IPs, so releasing sequels wouldn't be an issue. At no point did I say that HD graphics would excite Wii owners. Likewise, at no point did I say that Nintendo should have made a $300 console. Rather those things are among the reasons why I was against the Wii U from the start. I am not like you who thought the system had a good chance to succeed and is now blaming the casuals because it didn't. The failure was long in the making, because Nintendo turned their back on Wii owners and designed an anti-Wii that was supposed to bring back hardcore gamers.

Removing bullshit isn't a simple equation of adding motion or touch based controls. Removing bullshit means a pure gaming machine without hassles like paying for useless hardware (whether that is a controller or processing power that is overkill), mandatory installs for software or anything else that makes the console more like a PC. When consoles become as annoying as PCs, you might as well put up with a PC. Online multiplayer behind a paywall is bullshit too.

So why aren't casual players ponying up for Nintendogs (30 million sold on DS) and Brain Training (20 million+) on the 3DS?

*crickets*

What's the barrier there? The 3DS is basically the exact same design as the DS, just with the added novelty of a 3D screen that can be shut off at any time.

Also FIFA/Madden/COD and Wii Sports/Wii Fit/Nintendogs are completely different audiences, lol. How many grandmas and soccer moms are lining up for the new Madden?

Just because the COD/Madden fanbase are "jocks" instead of "nerds" who don't give two poops about things like Zelda or Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're not hardcore players.

When Wii Sports came out there was *nothing* like it on any other platform. Even a lot of PS3/360 fans bought a Wii too to have something around for family/friend gatherings/parties. But today? There's a Wii Sports equivalent on every system and about a 100 different third party knock-offs of the mini-game idea.

It's not easy to create a phenomenon, making a "new" Wii that's just as successful as the first is far harder than making the next Playstation 2. Timing has to be on your side, the audience has to be hungry for what you're offering, and competitiors can't be offering the same type of experience. That's far more difficult.

The Wii U isn't designed for hardcore gamers either ... the only game that Nintendo's released for Wii U in a year that's expressly aimed at the hardcore player is Ninja Gaiden 3, which is a port of a crap PS3/360 game. Nintendo Land, NSMBU, Sing Party, Game & Wario are all aimed at the casual play/"get Uncle Jack off the couch and playing!" audience.