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the_dengle on 13 May 2014
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Soundwave said:
the_dengle said:
I think both are making the right call. Microsoft has to be able to compete directly with the PS4, and (as sales have shown) it can't do that while priced $100 higher and bundled with an unpopular peripheral.

The Wii U is already $100 cheaper than the other two systems, and it was already selling poorly long before either of them launched. Its problem is not its price, but its lack of compelling system-selling software. The Wii U is already a misunderstood product. The GamePad itself is the focus of most of the ads for the console. Remove the GamePad from the box and you'll have some confused target customers on your hands.

The Wii U has a better library than the other two systems. 

Wii U's problem is the hardware philosophy in general. No one wants what Nintendo is trying to sell, no one asked for another PS3/360 level console (everyone already owns that), with hand me down third party support, heck to be honest I think most people are "Wii-ed" out in general. They played their fill of Wii Sports/Fit/Mario Kart in 2006-2009 on the Wii and don't want to spend another $300 on that similar type of experience. 

For a lot of people the Wii became their "Netflix player" and not a whole lot in later years and hence there's not a lot of enthusiasm for their brand, nor are people wetting themselves over a new Wii Fit or Wii Sports Club or a new 2D Mario. 

I feel the three bolded statements are where the truth is hiding. The Wii U has a "better" library than the PS4 or XBO at the moment -- higher quality, more variety -- I agree. Yet you say yourself that gamers are not excited for these games, and you're not wrong. In fact, by limiting it to "Wii" titles and perceived "casual" games like 2D Mario, you miss the big picture. It's not just those games. Mario 3D World is outstanding, but it is not exciting to most gamers, even Nintendo fans. Pikmin is not exciting. Wonderful 101 is not an exciting product. Donkey Kong, Wind Waker HD, Lego City -- the list goes on.

Compelling software is not the same thing as high-quality software. The best-selling games of the year are rarely the highest-rated, just as Best Picture-winning films are rarely the highest grossing. The majority of the market prefers to play blockbusters. They want to play Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed and Battlefield and GTA. Nintendo can't win on that front. They cannot convince the Assassin's Creed audience to buy a Wii U if they don't have half of the other games that audience buys every year. Telling these gamers that Mario 3D World has a much higher Metascore won't mean jack shit to them. They don't care about Mario.

These gamers didn't care about the Wii any more than they care now about the Wii U, but they bought one. Nintendo practically tricked them into buying one -- unintentionally, I think. How? Twilight Princess, Brawl, Galaxy. Games that looked "hardcore" that were really no different from your typical Nintendo games when you get right down to it. If Nintendo wants those gamers back, they will have to trick them again. Wonderful 101 is the opposite of this strategy: in no way is that a kids' game, but it sure looks like one. It doesn't get the job done.

Nintendo is free to ignore those gamers, an enormous chunk of the market. But the games I named aren't exciting to Nintendo fans, either. Maybe Mario Kart or Smash Bros can bring the Nintendo faithful aboard the Wii U in earnest. I've certainly seen more excitement for those two than I had for every Wii U release to date combined.