190°

The State of Nintendo

While it’s awesome to get games like Darksiders 2 and the newest Call of Duty on the Wii U, gamers who already own Xbox 360s or PlayStations won’t have a reason to invest in a new piece of hardware. Nintendo’s tagline for its last console was “Wii would like to play”. Yes, Nintendo, we would; just give us something we can play.

Read Full Story >>
avwproductions.com
potedude4025d ago

I think the announcement of the PS4 has taken much of the wind out of the WiiU's sales.

Who wants to buy a next gen console when a better next gen console is coming out in a few months? With some pretty impressive specs.

That, plus the majority of Wii owners are most likely casual gamers who don't even know a new Wii is out, let alone wanting to rush out and buy one, means Nintendo have lost both the 'hardcore' gamers and the casual market.

Quite an impressive feat...

Shnazzyone4025d ago

Eh, until the nintendo exclusives finally hit and ps4's price is actually announced... On the positive side. MH3 U is totally gonna hold me over until that happens.

R00bot4024d ago

@Miyamoto

Today I actually saw a Wii U going for cheaper than an Xbox 360. Granted, it was an Xbox bundle with two games, but it's still pretty absurd.
And the PS4 will probably be way more.

MurDocINC4025d ago

Alot of sales come from parents, what they are going to look at is price. PS4 and 720 are rumored to be $500+, while Wii U might be $300 at their release. Wii U will have more kid friendly games. Also old wii games and soilless can be used with it. I think alot of parents will steer to wii u.

MurDocINC4025d ago

Stupid iphone, wii motes*

miyamoto4025d ago (Edited 4025d ago )

"Alot of sales come from parents, what they are going to look at is price."

Finally an intelligent comment on N4G. A very good observation, MurDocINC.

Parents are the unsung force and majority behind the success of the Wii and DS.

Parents,
kids
low prices
family friendly casual
non violent games

BUT...

all these changed with the Wii U

the Wii U is expensive compared to PS3 and 360 and come PS4 PS3 will definitely drop to $200.00 price point.

Iwata in his desire to capitalize on the PS3 market brought hardcore and violent gaming into the mix
but parents who patronized the Wii and DS for casual, family friendly non-violent games did not like this move and are not buying

Nintendo should have stayed true to the image and stuff that people liked about the Wii and the DS.

I knew Nintendo's image will be tainted when they tried to get the best of both worlds.

Well you can't win 'em all,bub.

Now I understand why Sony can not be arsed to make casual and Nintendo like kind of games on their system.

khowat4025d ago

oh i get it sales and sails

you sir are very clever

potedude4022d ago

Some may think I did it on purpose, but its the inner comedian trying to get out...

GamingAngelGabriel4025d ago

You make some good points. As I mention in the piece, Nintendo has to lead with a LOT of exclusives to counteract this.

guitarded774025d ago

That's the obvious, but what Nintendo needs to go with the exclusives are social tools... trophies/achievements, Facebook/twitter integration with Miiverse, etc. People want to share their experiences with their friends in the real world. It's cool to post a screenshot on Miiverse, but if you post it to Facebook, it's FREE ADVERTISING when friends of the poster see it and think "That looks fun", or something of that nature. Such simple things to implement, but Nintendo is sitting on their hands.

CYCLEGAMER4025d ago

Its amazing to me that such a well known company can screw this up so bad. Why wouldn't you release this system with a Mario, Zelda, or some sort of classic Nintendo game. Even when I go to best buy or gamestop, I am barely able to play any of the demo's, its like they are still trying to keep the system a secret

yugovega4025d ago

they did release a Mario and people still complained more of the same. why? because people want to hate without actually playing the system

CYCLEGAMER4025d ago (Edited 4025d ago )

No I mean a full blown Mario 64 type Mario. Not a 2d/3d side scrolling one. Mario U is cool and all but I want to see a next gen Mario game. Mario u could have been a downloadable game. Where is Metroid, Zelda, Starfox, Donkey Kong,Super Smash Bros etc?

@gammajooki, So I guess Nintendo can do no wrong in your eyes huh? It's obvious that they screwed the release of their new system up by 1 confusing the consumer and 2.) Not having many cool games that people actually want to play (except Mario and Zombi U). The planning on the release has been poor. Nintendo could have came out with 100 games a launch, but if they are not games that people want to play, then its pointless.

yugovega4025d ago

there are tastes of some of those on nintnendoland. if they did release those now people would just say ah nothing new from Nintendo. nin is a lose lose and its sad.

yugovega4025d ago

oh Nintendo does wrong. but people expect too much from them too soon. ps3 launched with 13 games. of those maybe 5 were worth playing and some were ports of 360 games. xb360 launched with maybe 20. and the best title it had was kameo. yet wiiu launchs with a Mario, zombie, cod, ac3, scribblenauts and nintendoland. not a single one is a late port and they are the ones not failing at a launch. xb was out for a year before they got a system seller. ps3 even longer. Nintendo needs it day one?

dark-hollow4025d ago

why didn't the xbox360 launch with halo, gears forza and alan wake or why the ps3 didn't launch with mgs4, god of war 3 or killzone 2?

they are not ready for release and quality takes time and effort.

LOL_WUT4025d ago

And to think that the Wii U is supposedly easy to develop for... Go figure? ;)

yugovega4025d ago

50 games in 6 months and people have nothing to play? seems some people need a life instead of more games if 8 games a month isn't enough.

Zechs344025d ago

I think the thing is that it needs GOOD games. Mine has been collecting dust unless I play MH once in a while. But before that, not much attention. Maybe a NSMBU challenge here and there and I beat Zombie U, and while it was enjoyable, not exactly a console seller.

Outside those, there are not many games in those 50 that warrant defending. Most of them are ports at that. I haven't tried Lego City yet because I have other games to play before it.

IMO, that's what's wrong with the Wii U right now.

yugovega4025d ago

lego undercover is amazing. of those 50 most are good games. look at the list. there is a lot less shovelware then there s good games. all the "late ports" are basically goty editions. every one of them has dlc included. no just a port of what was released 4 months before. its like complaining because red dead redemption got a goty edition with the dlc included. its a great buy.

MNGamer-N4025d ago

You mention you have "other games to play before it"... Then the lack of games right now should not be a concern to you at all, as you don't have time to play them anyway.

Ck1x4025d ago

MNGamer-N caught you there, that absolutely makes no sense! Your WiiU is collecting dust right now. But you haven't tried Lego City yet because you have other games to play before it... Doesn't sound right for some reason, maybe you meant to phrase that a different way or something

MilkMan4025d ago

I'm a WiiU owner and I think the issue with Mario was that it plays exactly the same as if it was for the Wii.

I believe the complaint is that Nintendo failed to capitalize on their own hardware which in all honesty doesn't make sense and its confusing as all hell.

Personally I think that Mario was rushed and Nintendo was banking on Mario's fame to sell it through the roof.

As much as I like Mario games. This was no seller like say Super Mario Galaxy. Thats a fantastic, imaginative game.

Also, between 3DS and Wii and now WiiU. They had a shit-ton of Mario Bro games. Fatigue can also be accredited to this.

The games that shine on the WiiU are the ones that fully embrace the gamepad. This is the new thing for Nintendo and it should be embraced and utilized.

I've been slowly making a transition, buying new games for my WiiU ONLY if they utilize the gamepad in a a creative, fun way.

I plan to buy Deus Ex and Splinter Cell, Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2, and Rayman Legends.

I'm going to wait until E3 to be surprised by Nintendo. Plus the April update will spark new life into my WiiU. Cause those load times are insane.

salva214025d ago

You're wrong for NSMBU, I was thinking the same thing. I was like "Do I really want this? It's just like the Wii one." And I didn't get it, but then my cousins got a Wii U with Mario U, and I had the time of my live. That's a game you need to play before judging.
But everything else you said, I agree.

deafdani4025d ago

Mario Bros U is, in my opinion, the best of the "New" Mario series, by a long shot. And that's coming from someone that's played all four, and I found NSMB2 (the 3DS one) extremely boring.

But the Wii U version is amazing. It has superb level design, it's equally as fun solo or multiplayer (the Wii version was fun only in multiplayer), it's quite challenging and offers a ton of content. I honestly consider it among the best 2D Mario games ever made, up there with Mario Bros 3 and Mario World (which seems to be the favorites among old players, though my personal classic Mario favorite is SMB2).

josephayal4025d ago

The Wii U is struggling right now, Nintendo just does not care about their loyal fans

Show all comments (43)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1016d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref5d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde5d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19725d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville5d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21834d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai5d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref5d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan5d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref5d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde5d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19725d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier5d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto5d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts5d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts4d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel12d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8811d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing11d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS11d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder10d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218310d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.