By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Soundwave on 30 October 2013
Edit Thread
TheLastStarFighter said:
Soundwave said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
Nintendo needs a product that can do everything - to some extent - if they want to expand their business.  The primary reason Wii did not have as long a life span as PS360 is the lack of technical grunt (HD) and 3rd party support.  They made a system that is significantly closer to their competitors than Wii was, while still offering a new and different experience.  Wii had the TV remote-like Wii Remote.  Wii U has the Smartphone-like Gamepad, both were designed to appeal to those not used to a dual analogue controller.  And I think both are a good idea and similar even if many can't see it.  They just haven't done a good idea of marketing it, or of making a game or two that captures the imagination of new and old gamers the way that Wii Sports and Zelda TP did.


This is kind of like saying just because a musician had a hit no.1 song, every song they make should be no.1 as long as its marketed properly and has a catchy tune. 

All things are not created equal, the Wiimote really was a lighting rod that came out at the exact right time and went perfectly for Nintendo for the first few years. 

Replicating that with a new idea was always going to be nigh on impossible. 

Nintendo Land, Game & Wario, Wii Party U, Zombi U, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Rayman Origins, Wonderful 101, Batman: Arkham City, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Just Dance 4, *do* demo the functionality of the Wii U controller, the general public is just not responding. 

In the smartphone world, what the Wii U does simply isn't all that interesting relative to the hundreds of other choices people have nowadays trying to get their attention. 

It's not like saying that at all. I'm saying the approach was the same.  The concept behind Wii wasn't motion controls, it was an interface that non-gamers would find familiar.  The Wii Remote was designed like a TV remote.  The Gamepad, similarily, was designed like a tablet.  Some people say Nintendo got away from what worked, I'm saying they didn't.  I don't know if they will have great success, but I don't think the idea was necesarily a bad one, and so far I think the execution (marketing, key games) has been sub-par compared to Wii.

I'm sorry but the Wiimote and Wii U tablet are very, very (verrrrrry) different devices. I think you're reaching by trying to equate them as being similar. 

The Wii had tremendous buzz for it even before TV commercials and the main marketing kicked in. I remember having female friends who never would buy a game console in a million years coming up to me and asking me about it before a single TV ad had aired. On launch day, even before there were a ton of TV spots for it, there were line ups around the store for them. 

The Wii didn't succeed because of marketing, it succeeded because the idea was so incredibly mind blowing to a lot of people at the time and the word of mouth from people using spread like wild fire. Wii U tablet is just another video game controller. It's fun, but no one's dying to tell their friends about it over the water cooler during lunch break at work.

The Wiimote was a very, very rare type of occurance. Nintendo can run TV ads all day and they'll never get the same response, not to mention functionally they are very different devices. The whole point of the Wii Remote was to get you off the couch and up on your feet, moving around. The Wii U tablet brings it back to the sitting on the couch and has like 50 buttons on it. 

In the year 2013, a game controller with a low resolution 6 inch touch panel isn't very interesting at all. It's kind of predictable actually.