Weapons, Maps, Vehicles, and gamemodes.

I´d put more HDD space. 32 GB is just too little. at least 256 Gb would be Ok.

1 - Change the name, I'd abandon the Wii brand if we couldn't come up with anything better then Wii 2 and go with some like "Who" or "Where/Warez" or something along those lines. Keep it one word, if the brand is changing from Wii to something else.

2 - If specs can be changed, up the memory RAM to no less then 4 GBs is a must. Who thought that 2 GBs would be alright when half of it goes to the OS of the system is being both foolish and far too cheap.

3 - The Gamepad is the standard controller but there will also be a redesigned Wii remote/nunchuk that works exclusive for the Wii U. The original Wii controller still works on some games similar to how the Gamecube worked with some Wii games but the new remote/nunchuk will have a slightly different look even if it the same tech inside of a Wii Remote+. The illusion of change is better then having no change at all.

4 - Build the system from the ground up prepped to handle 2 Gamepads at the same time. Gamepads would be sold by Nintendo separately at $100 (no more then $120) each, the first system a gamepad is activated on is the gamepad's home system so Mii's can only be created on it, although friends can still share. Heck, the gamepad itself will probably need to be souped up so that it stores at least 3 Mii profiles on the device itself and can be used when playing on another Wii U system and allows both players to access the Miiverse separately. One if not more of the launch titles (Mario Bros U especially) will have two Gamepads multiplayer as a prominent but not mandatory feature. Two Gamepads locally means no online multiplayer at that time, although Miiverse would still be available.

5 - The 32 GB hard drive is the basic version sold at $325 to $350, it would have a pack in game (Nintendoland) or at least a demo and both the Gamepad and the new Wii U remote/nunchuk.

6 - Not really a launch move, but if I was Nintendo, I'd also eventually announce (after Sony and Microsoft release info on their systems) that a updated Power Glove would be released with certain games in mind... like Wii Fit U (or whatever it becomes) partially because I figure it will cause the older fandom to jizz at possibily finally being able to realize its potential.

Edit: Just realized the Power Glove was made by Mattel, so if the trademark covers ALL possible viable game related glove controllers, enter into a limited partnership where the device is literally meant for a limited run and not necessary for the games it works on.

http://wiiudaily.com/2013/02/wii-u-gamepad-costs-around-140-to-replace/

You may say that is retail price and Nintendo is profiting, but even if we assume it costs $100, that is still enough to bridge the gap to your proposed $50 price drop.

And to the second part of your argument, there aren't many games out yet, and the install base is very low.  It would not be too harmful to make changes now.

I would take the 33 watt power requirement that Nintendo seemed very fixated on and just toss it out the window. It just doesn't help Nintendo move systems in any way, and power consumption is something that can be dropped over time.

I'd have gone with a more off-the-shelf GPU to save R&D costs and get better horsepower bang for the buck, like a modified 7750 AMD GPU which Nintendo probably could've gotten for like $85/part or less (it's $110 retail).

The system would have to be bigger too with it's casing, but as long it was about the size of an NES ... is it really that big of a deal? Again hardware can be shrunk over time. Too much time/effort on Nintendo's part was spent making the system so small and energy efficient, that they likely ended up paying a lot for a highly customized chipset part. Not worth it.

Also aesthetically ... the system looks awkward. The controller looks too bulky and a bit like a child's tablet, I'd go back to the drawing board on that for sure and make it look sleeker.

First and foremost I would do away with the flash memory storage, its fast and all, won't have the problems of an HDD, but people do not know the difference, they see a number and do not care, I would have created a slot for a hard drive, and sold expensive Nintendo branded hard drives because that is what people think they want, while also allowing regular usb hard drives as exists today.

With the flash memory no longer as storage, I would use it to augment system memory, similar to windows ready boost, but since this is internal the memory would be faster.

As for the touch screen tablet, all consoles come with a tablet, but instead of worrying about the Wii U duplicating this and that, and streaming because the Wii U does all the processing I would off the bat provide secondary tablet controllers, however many people wanted, this would be accomplished by having a more expensive tablet as an accessory, this extra tablet controller that people could buy would have processing and graphic capabilities onboard, freeing the Wii U from having to do much extra work, perhaps limiting its only job to keeping timings and syncing correct.

So now the system has a greater well of memory, and processing capability, I would bundle different games with the system, unlike Wii Sports, Nintendo Land can not be a for life of the system bundle, keep changing the game and getting different groups of people in there.

eShop game ownership needs to be account based, so if someone has a second system they can have all digital purchases available on x number of consoles, similarly the same thing should occur with the 3ds.

Price wise the existing deluxe bundle should be $50 cheaper, excluding the digital deluxe promotion (%10 back on every eshop purchase), release more expensive bundles with more games and/or as coming with eshop credit to get people making digital purchases.

I do like the tablet controller, but it's just not strong enough of an idea to justify building an entire console around it. It would be like if Nintendo made an entire console around the Wii Fit Balance Board and it added like $80 to the cost of the console as a result ... not enough games use it in a compelling enough way to justify it.

Dump the 33 watt power requirement. Use a more off the shelf GPU part (cheaper R&D cost) but just tweak it.

AMD 1TFLOP custom GPU (something in between a 7750 and 7770 GPU stripped of GDDR5 RAM and made more power efficient and more game-centric). Far more powerful than 360 or PS3. $85 hardware cost.

Quad-Core IBM CPU - $40 hardware cost

Disc Drive - $20 hardware cost

Motherboard I/O (USB 3.0 slots, WiFi, HDMI out) - $35 cost

4GB DDR3 RAM - $20 cost

32GB flash RAM - $15 cost

Power supply unit - $20 cost

Wiimote + Pro Controller - $16 cost (controllers are massively marked up)

Packaging - $5

Plastic hardware casing - $7

Misc costs - $10

Total manufacturing cost = approx $270, $299.99 retail cost.


I'd go ahead with the tablet controller idea + Nintendo Land, but just have a seperate bundle for it.

Nintendo Land w/tablet controller - $89.99 (similar to Wii Fit w/Balance Board)
Nintendo Land w/tablet controller Wii 2 hardware bundle - $359.99 US.

And I'd make sure I greenlight at least 1 or 2 games that take full advantage of the hardware and really push the chipset and I'd also kick the NSMB team in the ass and tell them to really push the hardware more with the art style, music, presentation of the new Mario game.

They have yet to prove the tavblet controller is really necessary in any game...so from what I've seen so far I'd say: make it less expansive. Drop the tablet controller and the flash drive. Make a 249$ bundle with a 250GB HDD and Mario U.

ok, yeah.  That kinda stuff is awesome, and expected.  Real quick; why can't that stuff go on an external hard drive?

But it would be nonsensical and pointless. Trying to suddenly make the Wiimote and nunchuck setup the "MAIN" controller for Wii U NOW, would be a huge step back, not forwards. Motion controls are not the future of gaming. They were a neat side thing, but most gamers prefer buttons and dpads and analog sticks. Not flailing their arms around like idiots. The GamePad, techwise, and function-wise, is a MUCH more advanced and much better controller than the Wiimote ever was. Yes the Wiimote was/is simple, but the best thing it ever had going for it was the IR pointer, for direct interaction with menus, shooter game aiming, etc. But menues are more easily navigated by a simple touch of the GamePad screen. And that's why the system still HAS Wiimote backwards compatibility, so that you can use it for FPS and other shooter games if you want.

But no, from the stance you're suggesting, the Wii U would not suddenly explode in popularity and sales just because Nintendo made blundering idiots of themselves and said "HEY EVERYBODY, WE GOOFED, JUST KIDDING, HERE'S FREE WIIMOTES!!!". That isn't going to "save" the system. The only thing that is going to SAVE the system, is games, GOOD games, and LOTS of them. Period.