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[vagabondarts]

If Mario Kart, Mario 3D World, and the rest of the games coming out soon can't turn WiiU around then it's done forever.

If people won't buy it to play those games then there will be nothing that can save it.

Panic Mode Nintendo will soon arrive to save gaming one more time.

 

[thehypocrite]

Still in denial. Keep it up and you'll be out of the job really soon.

 

[scitek]

Honestly, I think it's a wonderful feature. The main problems to me are that it probably added too much to the cost in terms of its utility for mainstream consumers, it (like the rest of the platform) has been marketed poorly, and finally it conflicts with really targeting dual screen interfaces. Other than that, I'm not sure if it was the right call as a focal point of the platform, but I do think some of the criticism it gets as a useless feature in light of multi-television owning households to be unwarranted.

It's one thing to say that it's a feature you don't personally desire/aren't willing to pay a premium for. But to suggest that it's pointless I think really demonstrates an inability to think about how other consumers might want to use such an entertainment product.

Off-TV play is my favorite thing about the system aside from the number of control options it allows for. I actually just bought BlOps 2 due to the enjoyment I got out of just lying in my bed and playing MP with headphones on. I'm also hoping someone manages to hack the Upad and get streaming working with PC games a la the Shield.

Strategically, I do think the Wii U came out too late, and I think they're going to have trouble getting any third-parties on board unless they're able to gain mindshare as the "other" console gamers should want to own by way of indie titles with exclusive features and their own first-party offerings.

Edit: Another thing I should mention about the Gamepad is that, in the age of flat-screen TVs, it's the first time I've played a console multiplayer game without input lag in years. Feels good man.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Iwata, you forgot to mention that the audience for some types of games just isn't on Nintendo platforms (as it wasn't during Wii, in which case you as Nintendo should have stepped up and prepared for). Stop feeding in shitty reasons for the failure of this console.

 

[metalslimer]

Considering the only software that will sell well this holiday is Nintendo's own I doubt they become any less pessimistic.

 

[oatmeal]

They kept the name Wii, that's about it.

Added a U to it instead of something like a 2.

So they fucked that up, too.

 

[The Horror the horror]

Why does he insist on speaking to the media?

He needs to hustle his ass off and make new contacts in the industry, network with new developers, scout new talent, brainstorm new gaming ideas...

This dude has been talking a lot lately.

 

[Vermillion]

They kept the name Wii, that's about it.

I think that was a terrible idea if what they wanted was to appeal to traditional and casual gamers.

 

[Shiggy]

Why does he insist on speaking to the media?

He needs to hustle his ass off and make new contacts in the industry, network with new developers, scout new talent, brainstorm new gaming ideas...

This dude has been talking a lot lately.

He's talking to investors here. Doesn't help too much that he cannot provide good answers.

 

[metalslimer]

Why does he insist on speaking to the media?

He needs to hustle his ass off and make new contacts in the industry, network with new developers, scout new talent, brainstorm new gaming ideas...

This dude has been talking a lot lately.

They have other people that should be working on that. I don't think Sony sent Kaz or Ballmer to seek out 3rd party support.

 

[Alienous]

They need to admit that they didn't realize lightning doesn't strike the same place twice.

They practically forfeited this generation. Of course that doesn't mean the death of Nintendo, but I can't imagine the Wii U having a great future.

Of course Pikmin 3 will sell, as will Mario Kart, 3D World and SSB4. The people who want those games desperately probably have, or soon will be getting, a Wii U. I can't see the sale of Mario Kart convincing EA that they need to support the platform. That would require the commercial success of a title like Wonderful 101, or Bayonetta 2, and that seems unlikely.

I can't really see past the doom and gloom. Pessimism at the prospects of the Wii U is the right attitude to take.

 

[Jarsonot]

I've been shaking my head at Nintendo's decisions since the N64.

I've rationalized and apologized to friends about Nintendo, have "stood behind them" and have given them the benefit of the doubt multiple times. I LIKE Nintendo games, and I like the fact that Nintendo is willing to try new crazy shit...

But every generation I have to have at least one other console - can't go just nintendo. Third party support is shit.

With the talk of Nintendo getting out of the hardware business ramping up lately it's got me thinking about it, and I'm on board. I'd save money by not having to buy Nintendo's console for Nintendo games, but I'd still get to play Nintendo games - pretty much the only reason I buy their console.

I know it's not going to happen anytime soon, but I'm more and more being converted into thinking that maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

 

[fart town usa]

It's not necessarily a matter of price. In some urban areas (in my country for example) there's been a switch from big homes to small, centrally located apartments.

I have 1 TV because in my 2 bedroom apartment it doesn't make sense to own another, not because they're expensive.

Off play TV is an appealing feature for me and probably other people as well. Too bad the WiiU doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe the PS4 + Vita combo will satisfy my off screen play needs.

Even then, most people, especially bachelors, have a TV in the living room and a TV in the bedroom. It's largely irrelevant though because off TV play is great and all but the general consumer doesn't give a crap about it. They probably already have a tablet or something that solves this "problem." Put you already proved that with your post.

 

[Jarsonot]

Even then, most people, especially bachelors, have a TV in the living room and a TV in the bedroom. It's largely irrelevant though because off TV play is great and all but the general consumer doesn't give a crap about it. They probably already have a tablet or something that solves this "problem." Put you already proved that with your post.

In my household we have multiple TVs, but I like to sit on the couch with my wife instead of heading to another room. It may sound silly, but even though we're focused on different activities we're still "together" instead of in different rooms.

I have an iPad but no way do I get to game on the big screen while she watches something on the iPad. Enter the Wii U.

Not saying this is the case for a majority of people, just saying that multiple TVs and iPads don't necessarily relegate the Wii U's controller as a useless redundancy.

 

[lwilliams3]

This information is one of Iwata's answer during the investor's Q&A at E3. People have been splitting off his answers into separate articles, so that is why it appears that Iwata and/or Miyamoto have been talking alot recently.

I'm not him, but just in general, I'll state that some people want to be in the same room as their family or significant other. For instance, if my wife wants to watch something on TV, while I'm in the middle of playing something, she can have the TV and I can play on the GamePad. In other instances, it may be even more of a necessity. I have an almost-two year old. As tempting as it may be to plop him down in his room and put on something like Thomas & Friends to babysit him as I go to the living room to play something on the big screen, that really isn't an option. But, I can attempt to put that on the living room TV while I attempt to play something on a handheld device.

I understand this. As a dad with a 18 month-old child, the Wii U has been a very nice addition to the living room.

 

[Row]

How iwata still has his job is beyond me

 

[thehypocrite]

How iwata still has his job is beyond me

He apologizes continuously on Nintendo directs man/gal, please understand!!!!

 

[PhantomR]

Why does he insist on speaking to the media?

He needs to hustle his ass off and make new contacts in the industry, network with new developers, scout new talent, brainstorm new gaming ideas...

This dude has been talking a lot lately.

Are you serious, bro? He was asked a question by an investor at Nintendo's shareholder meeting and he answered it. All of these ridiculous threads you've been seeing on GAF is mostly from that ONE meeting.

 

[lwilliams3]

Are you serious, bro? He was asked a question by an investor at Nintendo's shareholder meeting and he answered it. All of these ridiculous threads you've been seeing on GAF is mostly from that ONE meeting.

Yeah. The media has been posting the news from that meeting in segments, so I suppose its understandable how some may get confused.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I can't see the sale of Mario Kart convincing EA that they need to support the platform. That would require the commercial success of a title like Wonderful 101, or Bayonetta 2, and that seems unlikely.

I can't really see past the doom and gloom. Pessimism at the prospects of the Wii U is the right attitude to take.

The thing is, they could probably make bayonetta 2 a big enough thing to prove that games without a cartoony mascot can succeed on a nintendo console. But, nintendo being Nintendo, they'll never give B2 a significant worldwide advertising budget with prime tv spots and other big advertising moves.

Instead, they'll give it a direct to itself at best, no-one but the enthusiasts will buy it, and Iwata will say "please understand",

 

[The Horror the horror]

They have other people that should be working on that. I don't think Sony sent Kaz or Ballmer to seek out 3rd party support.

Why would Sony send Ballmer?

 

[ASIS]

Do people still want motion controls?

Not in the sense of "OMFG you can use this as a bat!". But improving gaming in general (aiming), yes absolutely.

 

[ElektroDragon]

I will be flamed for this, but if they wanted guaranteed sales and a high attach rate, in my opinion they have should have introduced a new Nintendo trophy or achievement system.

Then all the "hunters" (I will call them that instead of a more deragotory term) would have bought the system just to have a new fresh platform for their hunting. There's a LOT of those people out there despite the bad rap they get, and the despite the fact that all such mention brings up thousands of "I don't care bout achievements, they're stupid" posts.

Additionally, these kinds of systems logically will drive higher game attach rates per console, which is sort of why they were created to begin with.

There's no way I would have bought HUNDREDS of games this generation had it not been for these metascore systems, sad to say.

With that said, I STILL bought a Wii U. But I only bought 4 games for it and don't see myself buying much else other than Nintendo first party titles.

 

[TreasureHunterG]

How iwata still has his job is beyond me

I ask this question myself all day.

 

[Log4Girlz]

I think he's right, and I believe that its probably due to the Wii U being an unmitigated sales disaster.

 

[Omni]

eh wow.

 

[Perkel]

450k units on the top selling 3rd party game.

I fucking wonder why Nintendo.


How can a company be so stupid?

Source ?

Even Vita ACLiberation sold 600k+

 

[xbhaskarx]

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2010/u-s-homes-add-even-more-tv-sets-in-2010.html

From 2010.

The dark blue area at the top is Nintendo's console sales declining by year.

 

[Pie and Beans]

The dark blue area at the top is Nintendo's console sales declining by year.

Needs an apocalyptic event in 07/08 when everyones 2nd and 3rd TV's exploded into dust to represent the Wii anomaly really.

 

[Bill Rizer]

No one will ever choose to buy a WiiU for third party multiplatform games attracted by WiiU's unique 'beneficial features'. Especially when on rival platforms said games will have better graphics. I think off-screen play is utterly ignored by most people.

 

[Version 3.0]

Some developers are pessimistic. Also, the sun is a bit warm.

 

[Hermii]

Why does he insist on speaking to the media?

He needs to hustle his ass off and make new contacts in the industry, network with new developers, scout new talent, brainstorm new gaming ideas...

This dude has been talking a lot lately.

He was talking to investors, the media is just reporting on it.

 

[Foffy]

I think there is truth in this regarding launch. The problem is it's July and Nintendo still hasn't solved it. The fact the main third party launch title has tanked only goes to show the marketing and methods of creating interest in Wii U has been abysmal. This is not surprising when taking in the fact Wii U is currently the worst selling Nintendo console in history.

 

[cyberheater]

I find it laughable that on the same page we have a comment by Iwata saying some devs are pessimistic about WiiU and then the ZombiU dev saying it didn't even break even.

Just laughable.

So glad I bought this turkey of a system...

 

[metalslimer]

Wouldn't the best selling 3rd party Wii U game be MH3U with its sales in Japan plus didn't it almost do 100k just in the US launch month?

 

[JordanN]

Iwata is the man Nintendo deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

I think this is the best way to sum up everything that comes out of Iwata's mouth now. You could say his importance only mattered with the Wii and DS. After 2009, he clearly lost his damn mind and has been making mistake after mistake ever since.

I'm doing my best to not be invested in the downward spiral of the company but I thought this quote finally summed my feelings for him.

 

[Coolwhip]

Iwata is the man Nintendo deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

I think this is the best way to sum up everything that comes out of Iwata's mouth now. You could say his importance only mattered with the Wii and DS. After 2009, he clearly lost his damn mind and has been making mistake after mistake ever since.

I'm doing my best to not be invested in the downward spiral of the company but I thought this quote finally summed my feelings for him.

Nintendo dealt very poorly with the success of the Wii. So I would say way before 2009.

Nintendo should have put in efforts to keep those 100 million interested by timely releasing a Wii 2, by setting up a proper Nintendo account system and digital store and so on.

 

[Tenki]

Are you serious, bro? He was asked a question by an investor at Nintendo's shareholder meeting and he answered it. All of these ridiculous threads you've been seeing on GAF is mostly from that ONE meeting.

Gotta get some clicks.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Well at least we can be relatively sure the next Nintendo hardware will a) probably come early and b) not be named Wii.

 

[fart town usa]

In my household we have multiple TVs, but I like to sit on the couch with my wife instead of heading to another room. It may sound silly, but even though we're focused on different activities we're still "together" instead of in different rooms.

I have an iPad but no way do I get to game on the big screen while she watches something on the iPad. Enter the Wii U.

Not saying this is the case for a majority of people, just saying that multiple TVs and iPads don't necessarily relegate the Wii U's controller as a useless redundancy.

Youre right, It's not useless, I like the off TV play. I'm just saying most people generally don't care about it and certainly aren't basing their purchase decision on it.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

What are you talking about? There are great and unique experiences with it. Like uh...

And then at E3 they showed...

...

SSSMASSSSSSSH BRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSS

 

[Seanspeed]

I remember on Gametrailers there was an interview with a guy from Naughty Dog who said he wanted Nintendo to go third-party (i.e. scrap the Wii U and just make awesome Nintendo games for Sony/MS/Steam)

I wonder if that sentiment is prevalent among other devs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3mMY-_n3_E

I have no idea what the economic implications would be for Nintendo, but I really hope they do this eventually. Would be really sweet.

 

[SneakyStephan]

100 million people wanted it, it's impossible for all of them to not care about it anymore I think. But it's all guesswork by me. I just think with the motion controls Nintendo could have positioned Wii 2 as the casual,cheaper and kidfriendly alternative to PS4/Xbone.

Nintendo screwed up their long term plan with the Wii, big time. They seem to lack vision.

500 million people wanted a tamagochi then 3 years later noone gave a fuck.

That is how fads go.

 

[Coolwhip]

SSSMASSSSSSSH BRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSS

Would have been better with a Wavebird 2.0 :/

 

[StevieP]

500 million people wanted a tamagochi then 3 years later noone gave a fuck.

That is how fads go.

A console selling 100 million units does not make it a fad. At the end of its life, the Wii will be the second best selling console of all time.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

It has niche appeal. The Wii U is like the anti-Wii in that sense.

 

[Jarsonot]

Youre right, It's not useless, I like the off TV play. I'm just saying most people generally don't care about it and certainly aren't basing their purchase decision on it.

Oh I agree. I bought the Wii U DESPITE the game pad. I got the U for Nintendo's games (of course) and thought the game pad was a waste of money on their part.

I've come around a little - the game pad is actually a pretty great controller. I still think it was a waste of money on Nintendo's part.

"Nobody" cares about the controller, really. It's certainly not a system seller, IMO. Though it has grown on me, again - I certainly didn't get the system because of it.

And it took money away from making a more powerful system, a system that very well may have then attracted more third-party developers.

So no third-party support, so only Nintendo studios will really end up developing for the game pad, and they haven't exactly wowed me thus far...

Not only that, but with how much they enjoy cashing in on older systems' retro games, does this mean that future Nintendo hardware will have to have a controller screen? Otherwise how else will they sell us Wii U games again and again, like they do with older consoles' games?

Bleh. I applaud their innovation and willingness to try new things, but at the same time I'm pulling my hair out at their stupid decisions sometimes. I'm torn between wanting them to succeed because I enjoy their games, and wanting them to fail so they go third party - so I can more cheaply enjoy their games. =)

 

[Beer Monkey]

That's Nintendo's stock for the last five years.

Iwata has brought a lot of shame upon his family. He needs to fall on his sword or get fired ASAP.

 

[spliced]

lol what is he talking about.

Of course if 3rd party games start selling a lot it'll bring more games, but it's not just gonna happen for no reason. If Wii U's start turning anything you put on top of them to gold everyone will buy one.

If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts...

 

[flatearthpandas]

Acknowledgment is good.

Spoecifically, public understated ackknowledgment that third parties put out late ports for Wii U.

I will buy Watch Dogs on Wii U because I'll be fucked if I'm buying PS4 for a Ubisoft game and fuck all else until RPGs arrive. Off-TV is great and I use it for MonHun and Runner 2 quite frequently when the lady is present watching HGTV. I do believe there is value to the Wii U gamepad and I can't wait to settle down with the family, pull out a Wiimote, and enjoy Pikmin 3 with the pad as my TV while sitting on the same couch as my girl and the pets.

As frustrated as I am with Nintendo, I value the potential of my Wii U. Atlus is already making a game for it, Monolithsoft is making a game I will kick others off the TV for, and the rest is gravy. I don't have confidence that third parties will acknowledge the value beyond making Vita and iPad apps, and that is a damn shame.

We'll see how the next year goes, but I am rooting for Nintendo, as a longtime Nintendo fan and as an owner of every console but one (360) for the last two decades.