110°

This Week in the Business: 'The Public Isn't Aware the Wii U Exists."

What's happened in the business of video games this past week .

Sandmano4010d ago

The Casuals dont know but the hardcore do, theres your problem Nintendo...

Mustang300C20124010d ago

Even the so called hardcore are not buying it.

Sandmano4010d ago

Thats my point, the hardcore know but dont want it.

_-EDMIX-_4010d ago

I was in a Best Buy in February returning something and saw the Wii U boxes sitting in the middle of the Isles and completely forgot they existed.

I also think it has to do with the lack of buzz that's going around about it I don't think its just marketing.

SilentNegotiator4010d ago (Edited 4010d ago )

Why should the casuals want it, though? Most of its games are currently on cheaper systems and touchscreens no longer wow people.

That's the problem. It doesn't have a fundamental attraction for the casuals and lacks in what impresses the other end of the spectrum (the hardcore). What can you expect without the support of the masses OR the support of the group that spends the most (per individual)?

CouldHaveYelledUiiW4010d ago (Edited 4010d ago )

HEY!

I am not trying to Flamebait,
-but if you are a Nintendo Fan (& If you Don't Mind)-

Please post something about the WiiU.

Either use it as your Profile Pick on Non-Gamer Social Media or Tweet it or make it your status.

Get the word-out to the Casuals.

PS Spare me the "That's not my job! Nintendo should have done that!"-Talk.
-I said, "(& if you Don't Mind)".

Raccoon4010d ago

I do mind, That's not my job! Nintendo should have done that!

LOL_WUT4010d ago

Why does he need to do it or anyone for that matter? It's Nintendo's responsibility to get the message across. ;)

WildArmed4010d ago

I think it'll gain more track once the other two big HD consoles are out.

People will begin to realise there is a nintendo counterpart for the upcoming gen.

With time it'll happen, esp. when people start talking about the games Wii U offers (and you build a game catalog over time, so it'll get there).

Mustang300C20124010d ago (Edited 4010d ago )

This makes no sense. Honestly ths sounds just like the same excuses said about Vita. If people want a Wii U they would get the Wii U. No one knows or cares for the system. No commercials. No shelve space in Best Buy and 3rd party not taking a chance to invest. I am sure price drops will help but if you are relying on a price drop to help your brand new console move in less than a year than you already lost. Along with appeal for games in addition to negativity towards the tablet controller getting a gimmicky vibe. People can hype and talk about impressions but they are not translating into sales

Games alone are not the solution. The initial impressions and lack of consumer knowledge it even exist is the issue. Just like the Vita.

_-EDMIX-_4010d ago

agreed a price drop pretty much means your system is not worth the money you're trying to charge for it. mind you the Wii U is pretty cheap compared to what PlayStation 4 and Xbox are going to cost

at this rate it's only going to get much more worse.

CouldHaveYelledUiiW4010d ago

LOL

I meant what I said.
But Raccoon and LOL_Wut still made me laugh.

@WildArmed I think you may be right.
But I am going to do my part still.
I just want to get this dumb branding crap-out of the way so that it does not dampen my future WiiU investment.

Sony makes great games with movie like sensibilities, Microsoft has great Online, But Nintendo Rules Gameplay- I need All of these companies for the Industry to go where I want it to go.

@Mustang & -EDMix
Slow your horses there brohams. Aren't you forgetting something?

A: The PS4 and the XB720 have no quantifiable sales data as of yet. Using your logic the WiiU is 3.5 Million Units in the lead,

But we will see if that remains or if either Microsoft or Sony has a ruff start.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4010d ago
BullyMangler4010d ago

nice im lovin this . the wiiU is so underground rite now . sweeet!

LOL_WUT4010d ago

And how is that a positive thing? ;)

BullyMangler4010d ago

because only a select few know about the wiiU, the rest will find out about its presence when it is time.

Hicken4010d ago

Anything to not acknowledge the negative, huh?

It's not like it's doomed or anything, but at least admit the damned thing needs a marketing push.

fairyblaster4010d ago

Why don't you understand what the mangler just said? Pay close attention to the words he uses.
Confused you are lol.

Jek_Porkins4010d ago

Hope it doesn't become to hipster to own one, eventually those types of people are going to own one and I'll have to distance myself...lol

Seriously though, if this is true, maybe it'd be better if they stop making the standard Wii altogether? I think they can do a better job at advertising the Wii U, maybe rebrand it or something?

Not sure how the Wii and Wii U are confusing, but Xbox/Xbox 360 and PS1, PS2 and PS3 aren't? I think those all might be confusing to some.

rainslacker4010d ago (Edited 4010d ago )

I mentioned before launch that the U really had no context to it being the next Nintendo system. New names made sense in the old days when it was just gamers who brought this stuff(Genesis, Saturn, etc). Sony's 1/2/3 is a natural incremental increase that is universally understood to be a way to denote successors, and 360 made sense because it had some standing within the nature of gaming(3D works in a 360 degree world).

Wii U just tacks a letter onto the Wii name(notice not the Nintendo name), using the same nomenclature of every Wii accessory released for it's predecessor(WiiMote, Wii Fit, etc). On top of that, no one knows what the U stands for at all. Just some random speculation, which unfortunately doesn't light up the masses interest like the name Wii did.

Other than that, I do think people know about the Wii U, and know that it isn't the Wii. I've seen people I wouldn't consider gamers be able to talk about it. Realistically though looking at it now it just seems to be something that not many want. If it becomes hipster, then at least it can gain a better install base...for better or worse. I'm sure it'll find it's legs at some point in the future, but the waiting for games is become rather frustrating.

Jek_Porkins4010d ago

The thing that gets me is that Nintendo never focused on the console itself, it really isn't a console with a lot of personality in my opinion.

Nintendo focused on the tablet controller and that is all well and good, but when you unveil a new console, you should show the console! That would probably help people to understand that it is a new console, the Wii U looks like a slightly bigger Wii, but uses blocks to stand up, the Wii was actually much more aesthetically pleasing.

rainslacker4010d ago

Honestly other than the Wii being bigger, they look almost exactly the same outside of some of the angles used.

One thing that I think struck a chord with the consumer on the Wii was that they showed it being used in a family setting where everyone was having fun. Even the name "Wii" implied a group of people.

Wii U is simply negating that group feeling that drew in the casual crowd of the Wii. Showing that one lone person off in their own little world while others are having fun seems to make the whole notion of a tablet counter-intuitive to what made the Wii so successful.

On top of that, there is nothing about the tech itself which is really exciting. Motion controls were exciting(for many) on the Wii's launch as controllers were a barrier to many in gaming. Tablets have been around long enough and are so commonplace, it does nothing to really boost the appeal of the system.

I don't mind the tablet myself, I see potential in it, but it seems Nintendo would be better off making some must have games for the casual and hardcore to get it to sell. Stop worrying about the gimmick and leave that up to the devs to figure out, and instead push the system as a game machine instead of trying to make it into the next fad that was the Wii.

Grimhammer004010d ago

I think many casuals know that Nintendo does something for that system they bought before tablets and cell phones really took off.

They realize that other system that was so hot really had no games worth a damn. Maybe a dozen in its entire marketed lifespan?

This new system that Ninny is not really trying to sell...isn't much of anything to really be excited for. Old ips rehashed ad nauseum. (Yes that applies to the other consoles too. )

If Ninny wants to get attention...lets see some modern ips that aren't family oriented.

Basicly....lets see Nintendo grow up. Even if only a little.

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130°

70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability

With so many games fighting for players' attention and interest losing out over time, time sink games are at risk of eventually losing steam.

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
thorstein2d ago

It was worrisome to begin with.

It's a niche genre with only a handful of hits that can stand the test of time.

Cacabunga1d 11h ago

I like the sound of that!! I will for sure never support these gaas games.
Sony must be shocked at gamer's reaction, making them cancel a few of these and hopefully go back to the good heavy hitters they had us used to..
now bring on that PSPro reveal and show us some SP 1st party awesomeness.

CrimsonWing692d ago

What’s to be unsure of!? Look at the ratio of success to failure!

DarXyde1d 14h ago

It's pretty ridiculous.

Imagine having a breadth of data at your disposal to see the statistically low success rate of these games, only to be laser focused on the exceptional case studies.

shinoff21832d ago

Yes. Stop all the live service bs.

jznrpg2d ago

Only a few will catch on. You need a perfect storm to be successful in GaaS and a bit of luck on top of that. But a potential cash cow will keep them trying and some will go out of business because of it.

MIDGETonSTILTS172d ago

Helldivers 2 manages just fine…

Keep production costs low… don’t just make custscenes until the mechanics and enemies are perfected first.

Make so much content that you can drip extra content for years, and the game already feels complete without them.

Most importantly: make weapons, enemies, levels, and mechanics that will stand the test of 1000 hours. This might require more devs embracing procedurally generated leveled, which I think separates Helldivers 2 from Destiny’s repetitiveness.

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60°

The Battle Pass Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Modern Gaming

Nameer from eXputer: "Some exceptions aside, I don't think the battle pass is a net positive for gaming with how they're implemented in most live service titles."

got_dam2d ago

Battle passes AND meta gaming both.

DivineHand1252d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I like the way Helldivers 2 does battle passes. It allows you to make purchases on each level of the battle pass and gives you the option of choosing which item to unlock first. The more purchases you make using medals the further you progress. There is no timer and you can earn medals towards purchasing stuff via personal orders and Major orders.

I haven't played much live service games that have battle passes but I remember some games that have battle passes where you progress through it linearly using an exp system. What makes it really bad is that the battle pass will have like 50 or more levels with the cooler stuff being closer to the end. They also have an in-game shop that sells exp boosters so you can reach the end of the pass before it refreshes. Everyone ilse will have to grind their way through.

lucian2292d ago

battle pass in fortnite is perfect; buy one and it buys the rest for every other season as it gives you more money than the first cost. so 8.50 and season ends with you getting 13.00, it pays for the next and you have some pocket change to save up for cash shop. All of which is optional

470°

PS5 Pro specs leak video taken down by Sony

Sony is taking actions as video by Moore’s Law is Dead, has been issued with a copyright claim.

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
andy853d ago

And people say it's all fake because Sony haven't said anything 😂 conveniently forget the PS4 Pro was only announced 2 months before release.

BeHunted3d ago

It's fake. There's no factual evidence other than his own made up specs.

Hereandthere3d ago

What were the specks Sony was afraid of showing?

Shikoku3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Digital foundry put a video out saying what he leaked was exactly what they also knew about the PS5 PRO. So no it's not just stuff he made up

Babadook72d ago (Edited 2d ago )

If it’s fake what copyright does MLID infringe upon?

😂

andy852d ago

Aye because they'd go to the effort of copyright claiming it if it didn't exist 🙃😂 you'd have to be a special kind to be thinking its not a thing by now

Cacabunga2d ago

They need to reveal it with uncharted killzone or a heavy hitter like this

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

U mean the specs that we'll established digital foundry which said these are the actual specs published a video on 2 weeks ago I mean they are only one of most trusted sites for tech information but they just made up a video for the sake of it

Christopher2d ago

I would love for it all to be fake, but lots of people are saying they've seen/heard the same thing. But, man, we 100% don't need mid-gen upgrades when we're failing hard to optimize current hardware.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
Seraphim2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

if I recall Sony lowered sales expectations for PS5 earlier this year. if that is the case we won't hear anything about a Pro until next year or shortly before/when it's dropping. After all, if the Pro was dropping this year/fiscal year they wouldn't have lowered expectations.

As for squashing rumors. Yeah, shit like this prevents potential buyers from adopting now, just like slim rumors in the past. It only makes sense to keep things under wraps from a business perspective. Despite living in a technological age of unfettered access to information we don't need to know whats going on behind closed doors be that at Sony, Nintendo, MS, or amongst any development studios. When the steak is done we shall feast.

JackBNimble2d ago

By the time games are actually made to take advantage of the pro spec's the ps6 will be released or close to it.

jznrpg3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Just announce it already! I want to preorder one asap. But in reality they don’t want to lessen PS5 sales until Pro is ready to launch so I understand the business part of it. September is probably when they announce it with an early November launch like the PS4 Pro

Ironmike2d ago

Pro won't lessen sales sames ps4 pro never and the ps4 pro was more relevant at the time cos move to 4k this not needed

RaidenBlack2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Yea, my brother got his PS4 (coz of a good deal) after the PS4 Pro's release.

darthv722d ago

^^same here. I got a base 4 for only $100 off a guy who bought the Pro. then a few months later I found a guy on craigslist selling a pro for $100 because it was left behind by his former roommate who moved out. That was the beginning of my obsession to buy up the different variants of the PS4 that were released.

As of now I am really only missing the 500m one and the gold slim but otherwise I have pretty much all the other retail ones. https://consolevariations.c...

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Anyone with 4K that appreciates 60fps is gonna disagree about it not being needed.
DLSS is a god send for Nvidia, and there's been nothing like it for AMD...yet ...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2d ago
DeadlyFire2d ago

They will announce it around E3 timeframe about May-June whenever they do a showcase for the year.

neutralgamer19923d ago

Just announce it this thing will sell well

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I don't think it will pll still haven't seen the potential of ps5 yet

Cacabunga2d ago

agreed, but it might sell if they announce some 1st party games to lead the way. if people see the difference with the base version they can move on. for my sake I am still gaming mainly on PS4 (still not finished with RDR2 due to lack of gaming time). I have a huge backlog on PS5 I am hoping to get into.

mark3214uk2d ago

why? game makers havnt even come close to maxing out current spec yet, were getting al lthese new TFlops and game maker are making crappy remakes not worthy of the ps3

Minute Man 7212d ago

The guts of the 5 and X are 5 years old

fr0sty2d ago

People keep saying that, yet we still have games running at near HD resolutions, 30fps, and ray tracing features turned off.

PRIMORDUS2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I would take that video and upload a torrent of it, fuck that copyright bullshit. If your going to do something that has a chance of being taken down, make a torrent first share it. Then Sony or any other company is helpless and you can laugh in their faces, taunting them to try to take it down 🤣

LoveSpuds2d ago

With kind of analysis and advice, you could be a lawyer for Trump!🤣

tronyx122d ago

As much as the PS4 Pro didn't represent a major % in the playerbase, announcing a 'better' model will hinder sales from the 'base' model. They are right, business-wise.

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