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It's 2012 again, you're in charge of Nintendo and just put out the Wii U as is, it still fails. How do you save it?
- Thread starter Hero of Legend
- Start date
1. Ditch the game pad for wireless split controllers and rebrand the system the Wii2
2. Aquire/buy more likeminded independent studios with a goal of increasing consistent content on the system (Team Ninja, Techland, Dontnod, and a few others
3. Actually market NFS Most Wanted U so when the founders of Criterion rage quit EA you can get them to start you a new studio that makes racing games
4. Adopt the Microsoft policy from the 360 era where games must have release date, price and feature parity to be released on your system
5. Ban EA from releasing FIFA on the system if they won't make other games for the platform (they won't) and do a deal with Konomi to make PEZ a Nintendo exclusive franchise
2. Aquire/buy more likeminded independent studios with a goal of increasing consistent content on the system (Team Ninja, Techland, Dontnod, and a few others
3. Actually market NFS Most Wanted U so when the founders of Criterion rage quit EA you can get them to start you a new studio that makes racing games
4. Adopt the Microsoft policy from the 360 era where games must have release date, price and feature parity to be released on your system
5. Ban EA from releasing FIFA on the system if they won't make other games for the platform (they won't) and do a deal with Konomi to make PEZ a Nintendo exclusive franchise
This is basically what they could have done... but was Nintendo in the position to do it?
You needed the tablet controller to access basic settings such as Internet connection. That means they should have withdrawn every single unit from retail, update them to support the Pro Controller, bundle the Pro Controller and re-send them to retail. It would have been quite expensive for them and at this point a 200$ price-drop wouldn't have recouped the cost.
As Scott rightly puts in his video, 3DS was Wii U main competitor. If Nintendo refocused its internal team from Wii U to 3DS and produced some Wii U ports of games like Kid Icarus Uprising or Luigi's Mansion, the 3DS would have been hurt badly. And the 3DS was also struggling at the time (even thought less than Wii U, of course).
Basically there's nothing they could have done. Not only was Wii U a bad product, but Nintendo was no longer in the position to mantain two consoles at the same time. Keeping the 3DS alive and releasing a good game every now and then for the hardcore Wii U audience was the right thing to do, waiting for the Switch.
There was no saving it when third parties didn't want to support it.
Even core Nintendo franchises in that era just werent strong enough. The tablet didnt offer much in the end as was only a precursor to the innovation of the switch. The tablet was, lets be honest it was a bit bulky and cumbersome to hold for extended periods of time.
Where wii u's beauty lies is that it was the precursor to the switch. Nintendo knew they had something with it and rolled with it in the end.
Even core Nintendo franchises in that era just werent strong enough. The tablet didnt offer much in the end as was only a precursor to the innovation of the switch. The tablet was, lets be honest it was a bit bulky and cumbersome to hold for extended periods of time.
Where wii u's beauty lies is that it was the precursor to the switch. Nintendo knew they had something with it and rolled with it in the end.
Would of called the "Nintendo entertainment system" with modern design but some nostalgic ques.
Specs
CPU = 6 bobcat cores @1.2ghz
Gpu = amd 6750
Ram = 4gb gddr5 (512mb reserved for os)
Storage = 250gb HDD
Price = $299
I would get timed 3rd party exclusives, max Payne 3 and resident evil 6 with next gen visuals.
Specs
CPU = 6 bobcat cores @1.2ghz
Gpu = amd 6750
Ram = 4gb gddr5 (512mb reserved for os)
Storage = 250gb HDD
Price = $299
I would get timed 3rd party exclusives, max Payne 3 and resident evil 6 with next gen visuals.
if you look at the WiiU and the switch, outside of asymetrical game play, it's the same design concept. The problem was that everything was fragmented and therefore limited for proper execution, which then put developers in a situation on how much to invest into the system's unique features. You got the game pad, but essentially also needed Wii controllers WITH motion plus, and/or a pro controller to use ALL the features. Add to the GamePad's limited range, and proprietary AC adapter, you really couldn't do the mobile route either.
The Switch taked everything the WiiU was, but packs it into once sleek, cohesive package. Nintendo needed the WiiU. It was a first attempt of bringing all their generations of gaming from control styles to mobile/console gaming into one device. The Switch nails that idea (one could argue not quite due to lack of a proper D-Pad but you know what i mean).
The Switch taked everything the WiiU was, but packs it into once sleek, cohesive package. Nintendo needed the WiiU. It was a first attempt of bringing all their generations of gaming from control styles to mobile/console gaming into one device. The Switch nails that idea (one could argue not quite due to lack of a proper D-Pad but you know what i mean).
You are aware there is another element that goes into game development right, time!
Money wont make time go faster, nor speed up development.
I would remove the gamepad and do a rebranded relaunch with a new marketing campaign, cheaper price, and new games.
I would also divert efforts towards developing online services for digital content management. An Steam for Nintendo games. Try to incentivize Nintendo brand loyalty across generations. None of the upgrade fee BS. Have to try and get as many core wii gamers to upgrade asap.
It's honestly a tough thing to salvage. It's a system for no one.
I would also divert efforts towards developing online services for digital content management. An Steam for Nintendo games. Try to incentivize Nintendo brand loyalty across generations. None of the upgrade fee BS. Have to try and get as many core wii gamers to upgrade asap.
It's honestly a tough thing to salvage. It's a system for no one.
There are several ways they could have attempted to save it, but exactly none where they would have seen decent ROI.
What they ended up doing was probably the best option: Release all the games currently in development for it and try to serve the userbase as best as possible, while doing all the necessary preparations to ensure the next system's success.
What they ended up doing was probably the best option: Release all the games currently in development for it and try to serve the userbase as best as possible, while doing all the necessary preparations to ensure the next system's success.
There are enough good indie games releasing that time and commissioning exclusives can be circumvented by finding games almost ready to go and buying the exclusive rights to them
the wii u owned. some great software output there and pretty much a proof of concept for their currently super popular switch.
i guess my answer is, continue working on the next Nintendo console?
i guess my answer is, continue working on the next Nintendo console?
Your list just reads like what they should've done to make Resetera happy lol. I think the system was just fundamentally flawed, and I even liked it. But the "hook" for it kept the costs up and if you take it away it's just a worse system than its competition. I don't think spending more money on it would've changed anything, moving on to Switch was the right call.
Go the Microsoft route with the Kinect and just kill the GamePad.
Make it an optional accessory and release a cheaper version of the console without it. No major games made use of its functionality, and the few relevant ones that did (like Super Mario 3D World's Captain Toad levels) could be patched to circumvent the feature.
I literally never used the GamePad except when mandatory.
Make it an optional accessory and release a cheaper version of the console without it. No major games made use of its functionality, and the few relevant ones that did (like Super Mario 3D World's Captain Toad levels) could be patched to circumvent the feature.
I literally never used the GamePad except when mandatory.
Games that then need to be ported to a totally different system (The dev tools for the Wii-u where .. rough),
not alone mentioning that a lot of developers would be like.. "hmm, yeah no", for that exclusive right to publish on a dying console and shitting in the face of people waiting for the game on the platform it was originally announced on. Swiping exclusives is not the best PR move and it lays the shit in the shoes of individual development studios who now have to tell their fan base why their game is suddenly exclusive to the wii-u. Again, wanting something is easy, actually being able to make that happen is hard as hell, and takes time.
Every content creator is doing it. EGS is just doing it blatantly on a historically open platform.
Besides 2012 is a different time and fresh off the GFC companies are looking for stability more then ever before
I wonder what would have happened if Nintendo had funded and heavily promoted a Wii U version of GTA5. The PS3/360 version came out about a year after the Wii U. Nintendo could have promoted it as the most advanced version and thrown in a few fun exclusives, like a Mario Kart to drive.
This is such a bad post, especially given the Switch is also Iwata.
Didn't Yamauchi contribute ideas on the Wii and DS? Or am I remembering that wrong? Either way those platforms lined his pockets rather nicely before he passed.
I agree on Iwata setting Nintendo back and stalling their growth in ways though There's no denying that.
iwata's leadership also produced the wii, ds, and 3ds, and switch, which were all anywhere from reasonably successful to insane breakout hits. and even though the wii u failed, the switch is more or less an evolution of the same hardware concept (except that now the gamepad is the console).
Save it after its already out?
After launch nothing could save it, but it could have better sales if Nintendo ditched gamepad in order to have lower sale price, and changing marketing to focus on Wii U like first HD Nintendo console or like Wii HD console instead of focus on gamepad.
Mentioning games doesn't make too much sense, because they couldn't release those games in Wii Us first year because they were not ready on time, so it doesnt goes with this story "how to save it after launch".
Saying that, if Nintendo managed Wii U different before launch not only after launch, for instance if Wii U in first year and launch had games like Splatoon, Mario Maker 2 and Mario Kart 8, different marketing and name, cheaper price point without gamepad, IMO Wii U would hit at least 30m.
After launch nothing could save it, but it could have better sales if Nintendo ditched gamepad in order to have lower sale price, and changing marketing to focus on Wii U like first HD Nintendo console or like Wii HD console instead of focus on gamepad.
Mentioning games doesn't make too much sense, because they couldn't release those games in Wii Us first year because they were not ready on time, so it doesnt goes with this story "how to save it after launch".
Saying that, if Nintendo managed Wii U different before launch not only after launch, for instance if Wii U in first year and launch had games like Splatoon, Mario Maker 2 and Mario Kart 8, different marketing and name, cheaper price point without gamepad, IMO Wii U would hit at least 30m.
3rd party games are not among biggest reasons why Wii U failed, actually Wii U on its launch and on its first year had solid 3rd party support (much stronger than Switch), and yet Wii U died in its first year.
I agree with the general idea but Wii U software was expensive to produce, probably more expensive relatively than Dreamcast software. a game like XCX had a team of 100+ worker on it for more than 4 years. it was also Nintendo's first time into HD development so they invested a lot to upgrade their tech/assets/animations etc. They also invested a lot on the software with apps like Miiverse which was their own social platform.
Wii U was expensive, it was extremely big failure and did cost them a lot of money, but they had 3DS to keep their brand and their series alive.
I don't really subscribe to the notion that the Wii U's failure was a necessary step in the development and success of the Switch because the Switch is a hybrid of portability (something Nintendo has always done well) and a home console (which they have mostly done well).
The Wii U wasn't a portable system but rather some odd notion of functionality that literally nobody asked for; a bulky, expensive, cumbersome controller that allowed you to play games on it but only within relatively close proximity to the console.
They solved a problem nobody had and worse, they sunk all their money into the controller instead of delivering specs that were in any way a meaningful leap over existing (and dated) competitive hardware.
The Wii U was simply a bad product buoyed by a handful of decent exclusives and fortunately, Nintendo rebounded with their best system since the SNES.
The Wii U wasn't a portable system but rather some odd notion of functionality that literally nobody asked for; a bulky, expensive, cumbersome controller that allowed you to play games on it but only within relatively close proximity to the console.
They solved a problem nobody had and worse, they sunk all their money into the controller instead of delivering specs that were in any way a meaningful leap over existing (and dated) competitive hardware.
The Wii U was simply a bad product buoyed by a handful of decent exclusives and fortunately, Nintendo rebounded with their best system since the SNES.
There was no truly saving it, but it could have done slightly better with Nintendo pulling a full third gen Sega. If they offered to port certain cross gen games to the platform themselves like GTA V, MGS V, or MGR as examples - they'd have a stronger line up and definitely sell more systems.
Of course it would set a bad precedent and would be an expensive agreement in the first place - but not much else could be done if the sole goal was to improve the Wii U's outlook.
Of course it would set a bad precedent and would be an expensive agreement in the first place - but not much else could be done if the sole goal was to improve the Wii U's outlook.
Didn't the Star Fox, Metroid and F-Zero IPs only sell decently(at best) on the GCN which had a bigger install base and higher attachment rate than the Wii U? This point is odd to me.
I don't think the policy that hardware power isn't the be all and end all has been unsuccessful. And also, who are these "core gamers" and why would nintendo want to only pursue a small group of vocal geeks.? Its a business. It makes perfect sense to expand the audience and if you piss off a few people living in their mums spare room, so be it.
- Fire Genyo Takeda on the spot as he, for what i know, is the responsible deciding that Nintendo had to use a frankenstein'ed version of decades old architecture on Wii and WiiU that could trace back to the GameCube and created major problems for developer.
- Pull an Xbone and remove the GamePad from the sold console and make it optional (and cheap if possible) giving freedom to the developers to make games that don't require the gamepad.
- Intensify efforts on online services like Virtual Console making it very complete and release it with a very frequent cadence.
- Publish and Produce a couple of games with a third party like Platinum and/or Capcom.
- Come up with a plan to see if it's feasible to change the outer shell of the console and maybe change its name too to give the console a better image.
- Pull an Xbone and remove the GamePad from the sold console and make it optional (and cheap if possible) giving freedom to the developers to make games that don't require the gamepad.
- Intensify efforts on online services like Virtual Console making it very complete and release it with a very frequent cadence.
- Publish and Produce a couple of games with a third party like Platinum and/or Capcom.
- Come up with a plan to see if it's feasible to change the outer shell of the console and maybe change its name too to give the console a better image.
The WiiU was an inherently flawed concept. Nothing could've saved it. It was needlessly complicated, was confused as to what it should be. It was a WiiHD, and a new way of play, and a social platform and a TV app.
And it did nothing great in the end.
It reeked of a fundamental misunderstanding of what made the Wii great. Instead of clarity of vision, we got shit thrown at a wall to see what sticks.
I don't know if it was hubris or just anxiety to follow up the Wii and DS success, but they clearly needed that kick to the teeth to release the Switch.
And it did nothing great in the end.
It reeked of a fundamental misunderstanding of what made the Wii great. Instead of clarity of vision, we got shit thrown at a wall to see what sticks.
I don't know if it was hubris or just anxiety to follow up the Wii and DS success, but they clearly needed that kick to the teeth to release the Switch.
- Don't call it the Wii U
- Hire Doug Browser as head of marketing in 2011
- Launch Price of $250
Just better marketing and a better name would have been a huge boost to initial sales. A cheaper price would have been great too.
I'm trying to avoid the "just make it more powerful trope" .
- Hire Doug Browser as head of marketing in 2011
- Launch Price of $250
Just better marketing and a better name would have been a huge boost to initial sales. A cheaper price would have been great too.
I'm trying to avoid the "just make it more powerful trope" .
- Gamepad less model for $229
- Focus on it being Wii HD
- Release a real Wii Sports sequel
- Get Ubisoft to make Red Steel 3
- Continue the focus on Wii Remote Plus and games that take advantage of it
- Gamepad becomes an accessory with Nintendoland pack-in for $129
- Remaster Skyward Sword in HD
- Remaster Metroid Prime Trilogy in HD and add Gamepad functionality
- MOAR!! Excite Truck 2 announced
they were smart to realize it's not worth saving and they should move on.
even with that, they put out some amazing games on it that they're able to sell to this day, so overall i'd say the whole thing was a net positive.
even with that, they put out some amazing games on it that they're able to sell to this day, so overall i'd say the whole thing was a net positive.
You don't. Public perception of the console was set very early and there was no saving it. In adopting a very unambitious commercial model for the console after launch Nintendo actually managed to (I think) make a profit overall in it. Attempting to "save it" could have cost enough to doom them for all we know.
It's an interesting question because switch exists and that was clearly the right move for the entire company. I've said it before but switch, despite its hybrid gimmick, is probably the least odd Nintendo console since the gamecube.
I've been going back and playing a lot of Nintendo handhelds recently that I missed first time around. I feel like they could have continued improving the 3ds tech and software to a point where whatever followed the Wii u could have benefited from ideas like street pass. The switch lacks some of that surprise and wonder. It seems odd to say it.
I've been going back and playing a lot of Nintendo handhelds recently that I missed first time around. I feel like they could have continued improving the 3ds tech and software to a point where whatever followed the Wii u could have benefited from ideas like street pass. The switch lacks some of that surprise and wonder. It seems odd to say it.
If we're talking about starting with how the Wii U was back when it launched in 2012, there really isn't anything you could've done to change it's fate. Changing the name, even earlier on, likely would've just added to the confusion and, while making the GamePad optional and having a GamePad-less model would've helped, it wouldn't have reversed it's fortunes in the slightest as it doesn't really have a selling point outside of the GamePad, ironically. It's still using very old and dated hardware that would've made it hard to support more modern engines and receive current gen ports, unlike the Switch. It still would've lacked games outside of Nintendo's own, some indie games, and some games they collaborated on, like TMS. I really doubt games like SMM and Splatoon earlier on or more Western-made exclusives, similar to the likes of, say, Uncharted or God of War, would've changed things all that much. The system couldn't even crack 15 million units. Those sorts of games only help to sell platforms that are already appealing, like the Switch and the PS4. Really, I think a PS4/XB1-esque system would've actually been the way to go back in 2012 as, following the Wii's success, 3rd party developers would've been more willing to give a Nintendo system a chance to not potentially leave a big audience behind, like with what we saw for the Wii U's launch. But, oh well, the Wii U came and went and the Switch is benefiting from what the Wii U had to offer
The DS, Wii, and, now, the Switch also say hello. Not to mention, the 3DS did well, considering the climate it released in
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I felt the biggest issue was not having enough software ready for the first two years, by the time the games started to arrive the PS4 was already out and the Wii U was starting to feel dated.
I'd probably have liked to see minimal Wii support continuing for 2 more years until the end of 2013 while HD development was taking place in the background and a more powerful Wii U launching in 2014 with 3D World, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8, Wonderful 101, Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2 and Smash Bros as launch window or first year titles.
Better support for indies and virtual console would also have helped.
I'd probably have liked to see minimal Wii support continuing for 2 more years until the end of 2013 while HD development was taking place in the background and a more powerful Wii U launching in 2014 with 3D World, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8, Wonderful 101, Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2 and Smash Bros as launch window or first year titles.
Better support for indies and virtual console would also have helped.
