AHC: Save the Wii U

[Deleted member 100251]

The Wii U is infamous for being Nintendo's lowest selling console, and as a result brought them economic harm (later resulting in them creating the Switch). So, I beg the question - how can we save the Wii U? It was already a fine console with some great 1st-party games, but how could we make it bette, how could we make it a success? (Therefore saving it) By success I mean >30 million units sold.

Some ideas:

• Better marketing (rename it to not include the "Wii" aspect, which would prevent some to think it was an add-on to the Wii)
• Better business approach (release titles on time, or around time; don't give BotW a specific release date to stop delay complaints)
• Later release (2013? - polish hardware more, get more 3rd parties on board)

Any others? Of course, this would sadly butterfly the Switch. But, perhaps maybe some ideas from it could be incorporated into this version of the Wii U?

 

[CountDVB]

I reckon the Switch could just be put on hold and still come out on schedule.

The Wii U’s problem was the lack of big projects coming out on the release day and the lack of really using the potential.

Hell, Penny Arcade lampshades this by giving an idea of a DND for the Wii U with the Wii or for the Game Master. I would like to see everyone’s ideas for Wii U games and such.

 

[Cheer]

Don't call it the Wii U. That would fix, like, more than half of its problem. Maybe something like the "Nintendo Zephyr" or something. People just associated it too much with the Wii's gimmicks instead of its own gimmicks, and some were even confused, thinking it was an add-on for the Wii. It wasn't good for marketing.

 

[CountDVB]

Don't call it the Wii U. That would fix, like, more than half of its problem. Maybe something like the "Nintendo Zephyr" or something. People just associated it too much with the Wii's gimmicks instead of its own gimmicks, and some were even confused, thinking it was an add-on for the Wii. It wasn't good for marketing.

So besides just renaming it, just release more and better games for it? Makes sense. What sort of series could've helped the Wii U branch out and such?

I'm thinking a better sequel to Pokemon Battle Revolution that borrowed from the Pokemon Stadium games and then maybe a continuation of Pokemon Colosseum styled story stuff.

 

[SirDoris]

I don't think it would hurt if the third party developers would have had a bit more faith in the Wii U at the time of launch. Maybe make Rayman Legends a launch title and a Wii U exclusive, as was the original plan, and people would potentially pick it up after it gets very strong reviews, encouraging Ubisoft to stick with the console, rather than begin to ignore it after ZombiU failed to sell at launch.

 

[Cl0wn_Dud3]

Don't call it the Wii U. That would fix, like, more than half of its problem. Maybe something like the "Nintendo Zephyr" or something. People just associated it too much with the Wii's gimmicks instead of its own gimmicks, and some were even confused, thinking it was an add-on for the Wii. It wasn't good for marketing.

like that name. Another way to have made the Wii U sell better was to make it have hardware on par with the PS4, have a good sized Hard Drive, and make it easier to code games for it. I would have make the Wii U's game pad just a controller with touch features rather then the big power draining behemoth it was

 

[ImSadCauseImAlone]

From what I know, the main problem with the Wii U was that no one really cared about it's defining feature (the GamePad). I'm not sure it ever could have been completely redeemed, but it's reputation could have improved a bit if more publishers produced games that used the GamePad well.

 

[Alex1guy]

Name it something else.

 

[KuboCaskett]

From what I know, the main problem with the Wii U was that no one really cared about it's defining feature (the GamePad). I'm not sure it ever could have been completely redeemed, but it's reputation could have improved a bit if more publishers produced games that used the GamePad well.

Name it something else.

You know, those two issues are what I was going to address in saving the Wii U; simply a different name and less reliance on the Gamepad, I mean for Pete's sake there are conventional controllers (three of which I own are modeled on the gamecube ones yet are third party) that frankly should be the default devices to use when playing games on the console (though admittedly I find the Wii U controller to be somewhat uninspired looks wise).

 

[CountDVB]

like that name. Another way to have made the Wii U sell better was to make it have hardware on par with the PS4, have a good sized Hard Drive, and make it easier to code games for it. I would have make the Wii U's game pad just a controller with touch features rather then the big power draining behemoth it was

Ugh no. The point of Nintendo is to be original and not be involved in the arms race Sony and Microsoft are having. Power only gets you so much before it becomes pretty meaningless.

The UPad had a fair of potential behind it, but was not utilized right.

 

[The Byronic Hero]

Ugh no. The point of Nintendo is to be original and not be involved in the arms race Sony and Microsoft are having. Power only gets you so much before it becomes pretty meaningless.

The UPad had a fair of potential behind it, but was not utilized right.

That's the Catch-22. If you want third party support, you need sales. If you want sales, you need third party support. Nintendo burnt a lot of bridges starting with the N64 (GameCube likewise didn't inspire) and many companies didn't want to spend money creating for a single system with a unique interface when it's cheaper to just makes ports for PlayStation, XBox, and PC.

 

[Cl0wn_Dud3]

Ugh no. The point of Nintendo is to be original and not be involved in the arms race Sony and Microsoft are having. Power only gets you so much before it becomes pretty meaningless.

The UPad had a fair of potential behind it, but was not utilized right.

You see Nintendo doing its own thing is fine, but they're doing things like its still the 80s. You have to have a console powerful enough to run the games the other consoles have otherwise developers won't make anything on your console; the Wii only succeeded because of the Motion Controls and that got old fast. What I'm saying is Nintendo needed to stop acting like they're still the king and that they can do whatever they want.

 

[The Byronic Hero]

You see Nintendo doing its own thing is fine, but they're doing things like its still the 80s. You have to have a console powerful enough to run the games the other consoles have otherwise developers won't make anything on your console; the Wii only succeeded because of the Motion Controls and that got old fast. What I'm saying is Nintendo needed to stop acting like they're still the king and that they can do whatever they want.

Exactly. They're touting Switch sales but the real money is in the games/software, not the console. Most of the third party support they're receiving is in games that have been out on other systems for several years. They have also ignored that consoles have evolved into multimedia devices utilizing the net and streaming. They're a flip phone challenging smartphones. Nintendo is stating it's the games, and by extension gamers they are focusing on; you know, the audience they ignored with the Wii and casual gamers. It's telling how Nintendo is using nostalgia (Mini-NES/SNES) to make money as well as finally creating a mobile game.

 

[Enigmajones]

So besides just renaming it, just release more and better games for it? Makes sense. What sort of series could've helped the Wii U branch out and such?

In my opinion I think Nintendo should be making more sports games. The sports game market is huge and I've never seen a game on a Nintendo console that ran as well as say Xbox or the PS. If they made a good sports game without Mario and Friends bundled in I think they could try to compete with EA, a tall task now that Segas out of the race.

 

[CountDVB]

You see Nintendo doing its own thing is fine, but they're doing things like its still the 80s. You have to have a console powerful enough to run the games the other consoles have otherwise developers won't make anything on your console; the Wii only succeeded because of the Motion Controls and that got old fast. What I'm saying is Nintendo needed to stop acting like they're still the king and that they can do whatever they want.

Yet the x-box and PS3 found need to include their own motion controls, so clearly something was working.

And asking Nintendo to do the same as everyone else is pointless.

Furthermore, the gaming market is changing beyond the power struggle given how indie games have been becoming more prevalent, which is another thing the Wii U could’ve used to help them.

 

[FBKampfer]

Up the ante as far as it's processing power. The XBOne and PS4 genuinely could mop the floor with it. It might end up being a brick of a console, but give your next generation console the muscle to punch with the big boys is a huge part of it. Even if you don't end up using it most of the time, it's telling developers "you have no special hardware restrictions" it tells gamers "yes our console has the capability to run your favorite titles if we decide to pick them up", it's a water cooler argument point they consistently take a hit on, and it's a marketing point they deliberately forego.


Second, pull their head out of their ass. Admit they're behind, use data, sales, and feedback from the Wii to figure out what worked FOR THE USER and run with that. Ditch the novelties, take any 3rd party that will work with you, and move forward in a deliberate, premeditated manner.

Use the profits from improved sales to fund your pet projects like the game pad, the switch, and all that weird crap. But standard controller-operated games that everyone else sells will be your bread and butter.


Because until Metroid and Mario start having the hype, marketability, and sales of Halo, or Wolfenstein, until they start dropping AAA games, the games won't sell a console nobody else is running with at the moment.

 

[Deleted member 100251]

Because until Metroid and Mario start having the hype, marketability, and sales of Halo, or Wolfenstein, until they start dropping AAA games, the games won't sell a console nobody else is running with at the moment.

Launch-day Switch would like to have a word with you.

 

[CountDVB]

We should probably stop this before this devolves into a total pi$$ing match, because of opinions clashing.

Point it to improve Wii U and there’s no point if you make it just the same thing as its competitors

 

[Deleted member 100251]

We should probably stop this before this devolves into a total pi$$ing match, because of opinions clashing.

Point it to improve Wii U and there’s no point if you make it just the same thing as its competitors

^
Agreed. So true.
Any other ideas on how to improve the Wii U? Could we somehow integrate more of the Switch's concepts into it?

 

[CountDVB]

^
Agreed. So true.
Any other ideas on how to improve the Wii U? Could we somehow integrate more of the Switch's concepts into it?

We probably shouldn’t. While the Wii U could use a bit more oomph to it, we should focus on what it does have.

After all, games are what make a console. So we give more games to the Wii U, especially in the beginning, to help. That and renaming it.