| AnthonyW86 said: If they hade named it the Wii HD and launched it two years earlier it would have sold much better, especially at around $300 without the gamepad. Then maybe launch the tablet controller in 2012, Wii Fit showed that add on hardware can sell really well. |
I disagree. The console was launched in the right timeframe for Nintendo. People would have been just as confused with Wii HD and it would have failed due to the fact it was exactly like the Wii without that gamepad. Wii sales heavily dropped off at the end of the generation, they didn't pull a Sony and gain sales. The tablet also would have failed significantly.
The Wii U is the significantly more powerful successor to the Wii. I like to think of the Wii U as a step from high school to University. Once Nintendo is done there, not only will they know their market they will create a system that appeals to hardcore and casuals, creating what I would like to call the "Master system" in which either Sony or MS will be forced out of the console market. But a lot of this is all opinion
The Name
I found the name to be fine, the fact that Nintendo Wii U rolls off the tongue like the Nintendo Wii did, the same way PS4 does (4 is the bad luck number in Japan). If the console was marketed better it wouldn't have been in this mess.
The "gamepad" argument
Everyone assumes the console would work without it, while it's true for some things, that's not true for all. It plays a big role in every major function of the console, not only as text entry, but eShop and Miiverse navigation and various other apps, netflix can't even be used without it. How well the gamepad is integrated with the console not only shows Nintendo's dedication but their innovations towards design. It offers assymetric gameplay, not just symetric like the Ps4 + Vita, which most developers lack the creative intent to make games designed for the gamepad. They say they have these ideas, but when it comes to put money where their mouth is, they're nowhere to be seen.
The marketing fallicies
If any console needed marketing it was the Wii U, the fact here is that Nintendo's marketing team should be fired, not Iwata, not Reggie, the damn marketing team. The lack, there of marketing is what is/was hurting the Wii U in a big way. Although it helps that I see more Nintendo commercials than Sony where I am(Seems like Sony likes to fails to market to the other large market in NA). This is turning around but it was a huge problem.
The "Power" argument
People keep saying that Nintendo should release a system, "Just like the other two next-gen" or release a "real next-gen console". Lets all face the realities, the Wii U, for fact, is 8th gen. It is next-gen as much as Sony and MS fanboys want not believe it. Arguably, power is nice, but design and power have to go together like bread and butter. The PS4 is just an eraser and the Xbox One is a VCR, their designs make sense to the power they output. The Wii U's design doesn't make sense, but the games that come from it are beautiful , in glorious native 1080p when available (Although 1080p is childs play when phones can reach it now). The console does everything you can ask it to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Hell as a future developer, I hopefully plan to one day create a game for a Nintendo console that can utilize all the power i can put in to it.
The pricing
At this moment, 250 dollars for a Wii U would be a perfect price point, though preferably with a redesigned and smaller gamepad. 300 is still one hell of a deal for what you get.
Lastly, how I percieve this whole Wii U hate thing is just people making excuses. They see the game, they want the games. but they refuse to put 300 down on a console, opting to upgrade their phones for the same amount or purchasing a PS4 for $450(399 US), or an Xbox One 499 (soon to be 399) when they damn well know the game lineups are pure shit right now. People are cheap and love to find excuses to not purchase something if they don't have to. Well sir or madam if you want to play Pikmin 3 you need to buy a Wii U, if you want to play Mario Kart 8 you need to buy a Wii U (Don't get me started on people who think this game can run on 3DS). The Wii U, like the Wii is a fun social console with lots of appeal, it even plays the Wii games that you enjoy! Why play all the games everyone else enjoys, play the games that U enjoy, that U want, and U will play.
