PSP has been the moneymaker this past gen in Japan for Sony and looking at the desperate actionism on Sonys part with a PSV revision (PSV2000) and PSV TV both of which won´t be released in the West this year, it´s quit obvious what they are trying to do. Focus everything to save their handheld business in Japan launching a new console besides PSV2000 and PSV TV wouldn´t help their handheld business over there. They simply think that PS4 won´t have any problems because WiiU didn´t sell well so far.
So basically XBones and Nintendo's marketing failure will give the PS4 free reign this Christmas?
We'll see just how many core gamers are interested in upgrading so soon after last gen, when quite a few of them started last gen with one console and finished with another.
“When we make some new announcement and if there is no positive initial reaction from the market, I try to think of it as a good sign because that can be interpreted as people reacting to something groundbreaking. ...if the employees were always minding themselves to do whatever the market is requiring at any moment, and if they were always focusing on something we can sell right now for the short term, it would be very limiting. We are trying to think outside the box.” - Satoru Iwata - This is why corporate multinationals will never truly understand, or risk doing, what Nintendo does.
"I had a Wii, and I was one of the many who loved Mario Kart, NSMB, and Brawl. There are no new games for my Wii, and I want a new console. Which one should I buy?
Exactly. And also this: There will be no confusion between Wii and WiiU purchases this holiday. Why? Cause Wii most likely wont be available in any capacity. You want quality time with your family? I'd guess you'd be crazy not to go with WiiU. Its going to sell. And its going to sell A LOT this holiday.
Nintendo isn't going after the "casual" market. Its going after the family market this holiday, and their doing it in a big way.
The Wii certainly will be available. There is a big market that are interested in a cheap console for the holidays. Aside from that though, you're correct. "Hardcore" gamers usually can't see outside themselves. The Wii U is a product that's going to offer experiences that no other company will offer. If I' a parent of an 8 year old, what am I going to buy? A PS4 for Knack, or a Wii U with Wii Party U and New Super Mario Bros inside, plus Donkey Kong, Mario 3D World, and Wii Sports Club. If I'm looking for something to play with my girlfriend, am I going to buy an XBox One with ummmmm... I dunno, Zumba, or a Wii U with Wii Fit U (if she mentions she wants it... otherwise dangerous waters), Super Mario 3D World, Wii Party U, Nintendo Land, and so on.
I love what Nintendo is doing. Not that I'd complain about extre graphical power (although that's a business concern), but the Wii U offers something that I can't get on my Wii, I can't get on my 360, and I won't get on a PS4 or XBox One. That's what it's all about.
As for Nintendo having success this holiday... I dunno. I like the moves Nintendo has been making. The free trial for Wii Fit U, the bundled controller with Wii Party, the holiday bundles, Wii Sports Club, the overall lineup, it's all great stuff. The question is how it's going to be marketed. If the marketing matches up with the products, the Wii U can easily outsell both next gen systems by a big margin. If the marketing isn't there, you can have the best lineup in the history of gaming, and it won't mean jack. Look at games like Wonderful 101 and Puppeteer. Great games, poor marketing= flop.
vfguy said: I really hope that Nintendo gets its act together, but I think it may be too late for the Wii U.
It should have launched Xmas of 2010. It should have had games released in the first year, and not just a handful, it shouldn't have been called Wii U (Wii 2, Wii HD, or something else), it shouldn't have looked so similar to the original Wii, it should have had a multitouch screen, etc. The mistakes are legion.
Since it is trailing the GameCube by a mile in weekly and monthly sales and that system had lots of games, next-gen graphics parity, and a $199 price tag at launch (and a $149 price tag at this point in its life), I am not hopeful.
While I agree that an earlier release wouldn´t have been a bad idea and earlier rumors hinted an spring 2012 launch, which explains games ("late ports") like Ninja Gaiden 3, Batman and Darksiders2 for WiiU. But we have to take into account the situation the 3DS was in 2011 which probably lead to the delay. Also I don´t think 2 new systems launches in the same timeframe would have been a great idea either.
The PS4 won´t release before Feb 22 anyway, so I don´t really see how it can be too late for WiiU. This really reminds me alot of the early assumptions that 3DS was a flop and that PSV would take the handheld market. Nintendo has a good chance to have a decent holiday season in Japan and there still are options like software releases (Mario Kart) and a price drop next year to turn things around. And to be honest, I don´t think PS4 will be a runaway success in 2014 and games that could make a difference like the SquareEnix games likely won´t be out before 2015.
vfguy said: I really hope that Nintendo gets its act together, but I think it may be too late for the Wii U.
It should have launched Xmas of 2010. It should have had games released in the first year, and not just a handful, it shouldn't have been called Wii U (Wii 2, Wii HD, or something else), it shouldn't have looked so similar to the original Wii, it should have had a multitouch screen, etc. The mistakes are legion.
Since it is trailing the GameCube by a mile in weekly and monthly sales and that system had lots of games, next-gen graphics parity, and a $199 price tag at launch (and a $149 price tag at this point in its life), I am not hopeful.
Your last sentence doesn't work. Why aren't you hopeful? You just listed the reasons the Gamecube is trending ahead of the Wii U (had games and a low price), so the logical conclusion is that once the Wii U has games and a better price things should pick up.
PSP has been the moneymaker this past gen in Japan for Sony and looking at the desperate actionism on Sonys part with a PSV revision (PSV2000) and PSV TV both of which won´t be released in the West this year, it´s quit obvious what they are trying to do. Focus everything to save their handheld business in Japan launching a new console besides PSV2000 and PSV TV wouldn´t help their handheld business over there. They simply think that PS4 won´t have any problems because WiiU didn´t sell well so far.
So basically XBones and Nintendo's marketing failure will give the PS4 free reign this Christmas?
We'll see just how many core gamers are interested in upgrading so soon after last gen, when quite a few of them started last gen with one console and finished with another.
This thread is about Japanese WiiU bundles and therefore I´m refering to the Japanese market and as we know PS4 won´t even launch this year over there. I also think that the adoption rate won´t be as great. They´ll both will have a good start due to fans but who knows what the sales will look like in April-Aug next year. Looking at the sales PS3 sales spiked in the last two year most of them likely won´t be part of the early adopters.
As JWeinCom mentioned, marketing/advertisement will play an important role.
I do hope Nintendo has something special and easy to understand soon.
Adding a wii remote to even the most simple bundle would do a lot to explain to people what`s so great about Wii U`s multiplayer. Actually, that`s one of the problems with NintendoLand: just by owning the package you don`t get access to what Wii U can really offer for more than one player.
So, in that regard, NoJ did a great bundle here. Too bad the rumoured NBMB - NSLU bundle doesn`t include a wii remote aswell.
ryuzaki57 said: Nintendo going 100% casual again. Can't they see that the bubble has exploded? And they slightly raise the price on the top of that! Difficult times ahead...
You hear it here first, the PS3 is 100% casual now!
First thing, this pack doesn't exist anymore, so it's not "now". Second thing : already at that time, PS3 was still heavily focusing on core gamers, which is not the case for WiiU when you consider the future releases.
ryuzaki57 said: Nintendo going 100% casual again. Can't they see that the bubble has exploded? And they slightly raise the price on the top of that! Difficult times ahead...
You hear it here first, the PS3 is 100% casual now!
First thing, this pack doesn't exist anymore, so it's not "now". Second thing : already at that time, PS3 was still heavily focusing on core gamers, which is not the case for WiiU when you consider the future releases.
gee, what does nintendo have that bother people to the point they feel the need to post stuff like this?
ryuzaki57 said: Nintendo going 100% casual again. Can't they see that the bubble has exploded? And they slightly raise the price on the top of that! Difficult times ahead...
You hear it here first, the PS3 is 100% casual now!
First thing, this pack doesn't exist anymore, so it's not "now". Second thing : already at that time, PS3 was still heavily focusing on core gamers, which is not the case for WiiU when you consider the future releases.
Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze are all core games.
