Gamerace said:
Being first is irrelevant is it doesn't grab people's attention. There were smartphones before iPhone, there were tablets before iPad but in both cases it was Apple that almost single-handedly created those markets. There were MMOs before WoW but WoW is the only one that was truly mattered (scription model).
Wii worked because Wii Sports wowed people - gamers and non-gamers alike. Nintendogs and Brain Training grabbed people's attention and largely drove DS sales to an expanded audience.
WiiU - so far at least - is not creating the same kind of draw. And unlike Wii which enjoyed 4 years without direct competition, WiiU has competition immediately out of the gate - Smartglass/Vita on one hand, tablets on the other. More kids 6-12 want an iPad than a WiiU and that percentage difference increases with age. Next year (or two) MS/Sony will release their own next gen systems. If WiiU's tablet gaming is where it's at, they'll launch with an answer to WiiU's gamepad. There won't be any four year grace like Wii got.
If they come out with better online social network (probable), better 2nd screen options (possible) and better graphics (without question) then WiiU becomes nearly irrelavent in a year. Moreover IF MS (or Sony) out-innovate Nintendo, WiiU will be quickly forgotten. Nintendo played this round too safe.
However, the real threat is from Apple/Android not MS/Sony. Apple is a master disruptor. They totally disrupted and then dominated the music industry, Disrupted and then dominated the cell phone industry and now tablets have disrupted the games industry. If Jobs hadn't passed on, I'd say it was fait accompli but Apple minus Jobs isn't the same. Still, Nintendo/MS/Sony have their next gen systems to try to turn the tide that's already begun.
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Being first may not always be the winning aspect of a business, but in some cases it will matter... a lot.
Move, as i mentioned, was better than the Wii remote plus, yet it didn`t do a single thing for Sony. Why, since it was a better product? Because to the mass market Wii was the hot thing to buy, the great way to play.
The market doesn`t work on a question of better product = more sales than the rest of the competition. If a product grabs people`s attention (and this is putting it in a very simplistic way) than it doesn`t matter to them if there is a better alternative.
You`ll probably find better products than Apple, yet Apple`s products will outsell them like there´s no tomorrow because the market "loves" that product. Pure and simple.
You are right, Wii U hasn`t so far done what DS and Wii have done. Wii and DS proposed something that was unique yet simple to use. I admit that it will be tough for Nintendo to sell Wii U on those factors.
But at the same time, Wii U`s gamepad does look like a tablet and kids love tablets... And nowdays most people are used to them, so, if Nintendo can capitalize on that it has a chance to simplify it`s proposition: Wii U.
The problem with Vita and Smartglass is that it`s not part of the package. You don`t get them with the console and they aren`t prepared to do it the way the gamepad is. The gamepad was built with that in mind.
Xbox was probably better than PS2 in every way: graphics, online play, whatever. Look at the outcome. More, all you need to do is take a look at past generations and you will see how better doesn`t put you in front of the competition.
Being better than your competition isn`t enough. Doing what your competition does but better is not enough, because the original premise has already been sold to the market. And they associate that premise with whom sold it.
