Nintendo made a big mistake this generation by building a console that has no defined audience. When they built the Wii, they had a goal, a strategy. Do not go after the same market as the Xbox 360 and PS3. Expand gaming to people who had never experienced gaming before. How did they do this? By removing one of the biggest, most intimidating, obstacles. All those buttons. Motion controls are what brought in the masses. Add to that a weird new name that everyone talked about, and instant publicity and name recognition.
For this go around, Nintendo could not decide what to do. The first, and biggest mistake was the name. I am willing to bet that most casual gamers do not even realize there is a new Nintendo console on the market. Since Nintendo put the word Wii in front of everything last generation, Wii U does not sound like a new console. It sounds like an add on. For those casuals that discover that Wii U is a new console, they find out that it now requires a new tablet like controller (only controller on the box) that is confusing and not at all like the Wii remote they loved. What happened to those easy, fun, motion controls? To keep the casual audience, they should have named it Super Wii, and made the tablet an add on to be purchased separately, thus keeping the price point low and appealing.
If Nintendo wanted to go head to head with the Xbox and PS brands, they would have needed specs that were greatly enhanced, because that audience is all about the numbers, but more than that, they would have needed to give Xbox/PS gamers a reason to switch to Nintendo. Simply matching, or slightly exceeding, the specs of the competition would not be enough. What would have done it? I would like to hear your ideas.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, always assume you have the upper hand.
NNID = RangerOne
Switch = SW-2393-3671-6907
