JWeinCom said:
Gamerace said:
JWeinCom said:
I don't think the Gamepad is a problem, and I don't think the Wiimote was really the heart of the Wii's success.
I don't think that the Wii
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"I see your point here but respectfully disagree. The Wiimote was designed to resemble a TV remote and Wii Sports to be played with only needing to use one or two buttons, if any. Nintendo understood that the dual analog controller was a barrier to entry for casuals. And now they've gone back to it only now with a tablet inserted. The tablet does not make it seem simplier, it makes it seem every less attractive to casuals. Where Wii's sold themselves, with WiiU Nintendo must overcome the stigma the gamepad creates. So far they have failed to do so. I've tested the games in stores and when they've had all games available to play at mall demos, and while I didn't get to try ZombiiU, NintendoLand, NSMBU, Rayman Legends, and some other 3rd party games failed to justify the gamepad's existence. It didn't add anything to the games, and from a casual viewpoint were less intuitive to play than a Wii game - or Kinect game - or tablet game."
I haven't seen Zombi U running on a demo unit. Demoing rated M games is a legal problem and I'm pretty sure it's not available. Which Nintendo Land games have you tried? I think Mario Chase, Metroid Blast, Legend of Zelda, and Takamaru's Ninja castles are great uses of the Gamepad that are not exceptionally complex (except Metroid). I haven't done market research, but pretty much everyone whose played Mario Chase got it pretty quickly and enjoyed themselves.
I think that having a complex looking controller is a disadvantage, but that can be countered by a simple looking game. I work at an electronics store, and we have a Wii U display with Mario (among other games on it). In that context, noone is afraid or confused or hesitant. It's Mario. They know it, and they know how to play it. They simply ignore the extra buttons and move on.
I don't think that the precence of a second analog stick itself is really the problem. The problem is that many games on 360 or PS3, even something that would seem to be kid friendly like ratchet and clank, use just about every button on the controller. Appearances matter to an extent, but Nintendo can still, with effective advertising and simpler games, hit their target demographics with the Gamepad.
"This is the fundimental problem. Casuals don't have a choice of Wii or nothing like in 2006, they now have vast choice - Move, Kinect 2, tablets/smartphones, WiiU of which WiiU is currently the least appealing choice due to price, lack of games, cost of games and lack of features. The off TV gameplay is not appealing to casuals who don't want to play with a dual analog set-up. Sure you could play Angry Birds on TV/gamepad but you don't need a WiiU for that. Sure the WiiU has a cool internet browser, but you don't need a WiiU for that - tablet's do it just as well. Yes you can control your TV off your WiiU but this is becoming a feature of tablets/smartphones too. For casuals, who don't want to use dual analog - which is all those Wii Sports / Wii Fit / Just Dance players out there - There is no benefit to owning a WiiU. "
I wouldn't consider the Move or Kinect a viable rival for the Wii. The technology is fine on the Move, but the software support is beyond terrible. The Kinect also suffers from poor support, and is not always very intuitive. It had a hot start, but it's basically a non factor. Sony has shown where their focus for the coming gen is, and it's not on casual gamers. The 720 is a wildcard, but I don't think they have what it takes to compete with Nintendo in that realm.
As for Smart Phones, I think that most people understand and appreciate the difference between a 50 dollar game and a 1.99 game. It isn't like Modern Combat has killed the Call of Duty market, and I don't think Angry Birds is going to kill the Mario market.
As for the "tablets can do it" argument, you can say that about pretty much all of the multimedia functions on any console.
"I concur that making the WiiU the same power as PS4/720 would not have helped them. I agree a WiiHD would do little better than WiiU (unless they had some great new Wii____ ideas but then they could have just kept Wii going with them too. They don't need the most powerful system (one more capable of playing 720/PS4 games would have been better) but they needed to extend that they did with Wii. Take motion controls to a whole new level of immersion and fun. A modified/enhanced Wiimote/Nunchuk with touchscreen(s) added would have been better and the touch screen could have even replaced some buttons or D-pad to make it seem even more natural to use."
I don't really see any place further to go with motion controls. The device you've described really doesn't sound simple to me or like it would add anything to the Wii experience. I'm guessing Nintendo didn't see anywhere further to go either.
"Basically they needed to provide compelling gameplay that other consoles - and now tablets - can't - that appeals to the mass market. Much like Wii did. From the WiiU games I've played, none of them do this. ZombiiU is not appealing to the mass market and I submit, neither is NintendoLand or NSMBU if casuals (think women 30+) are forced to use the dual analog controller to play them."
How many Wii U games have you played? 3? 4? People like to point out how the Wii instantly caught on, but what about the DS? When you played Pac Pix, Mario 64 DS, and Ping Pals, did you think "most successful handheld ever right here"? Nor did the 360 or PS3 have particularly strong launch up. As I mentioned, nobody seems to be deterred from Mario by the Gamepad. NSMB 2 has sold very well on the 3DS, which has all the buttons of the Wii U minus one stick and an invisible set of shoulder buttons.
"Unless they come up with some unforseeable NEW casual hit, the same old games Wii Fit U (again?), Wii Party U (again?) and Mario Kart U will not sell many systems. Casuals want NEW experiences. Mario Galaxy was not a hit with casuals - look at it's sales and especially SMG2's, it's primarily Nintendo Core. NSMB IS a hit with casuals but the combination of dual analog controls/cost and that it's really not much different than NSMBWii all work against NSMBU having the success NSMBWii did. Unless Nintendo really changes them up far more than we've seen thus far - I feel the same will go for the others mentioned here as well. They are not different enough or enticing enough to overcome WiiU's immediate shortcomings."
Mario Galaxy sold 800,000 copies last year. Now, did those copies sell to gamers that were such hardcore Nintendo fans that they waited 5 years to buy the game? That blows a whole right through the "only hardcore Nintendo fans buy Mario Galaxy theory". And yes, I know there was a price cut, but the has sold 800,000 copies or more in every year since it was released. You can't claim the game has no casual appeal. Even galaxy 2 sold 300K last year. Mario Galaxy's sales were on par with Halo sales, and Galaxy 2 sold more than any Uncharted or Gears of War game has. Either Nintendo has a really strong hardcore fanbase (that for some bizarre reason waits for years and years to pick up games), casual gamers are also enjoying these titles, or your view of "casual gamers" is really narrow and you've therefore missed the cause of the Wii's success. Remember, casual gamers are not just grandmothers who scream in terror of anything more complex than a toaster. Casual gamers are also kids, 30 something parents who want games to play with their kids, college students who want something fun for their dorm room, etc.
On the subject of games that keep selling, Wii Fit Plus sold over a million copies last year, and Wii Party sold 800K. Not bad for such old games. This clearly indicates that the brand still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Nintendo will need some new franchises as well to kick things into the next gear, but these games are going to get a lot of Wii owners to upgrade. I'll go on the record with this. By June, pretty much all talk of Wii U dying will be gone.
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