Will The PS4 and Next Xbox cause the Wii U to become Obsolete?

If you listen to the gaming media than you would believe that Nintendo is on it’s way to becoming the next Sega. With the PS4 and Next Xbox just around the corner, sites like Game Trailers and IGN seem convinced that the Wii U is destined to go out like the Dreamcast. Is it possible?

[PopRocks359]

I assume this is a power based question? Just because more powerful hardware comes out doesn't necessarily render the weakest machine obsolete or irrelevant. The PS1, PS2, DS, 3DS and Wii are all proof of this. If anything, history has shown exactly the opposite.

[LOGICWINS]

Correct. Power doesn't ensure success. How that power is implemented is MUCH more important.

[Gazondaily]

Precisely.

Just look at the sheer genius behind Ocarina of Time, one of the best games of all time, or Super Mario Galaxy and others. Only Nintendo can create such amazingly unique and engrossing games and with the Wii U, who knows how they'll utilise the gamepad.

I think they have more than enough power with the Wii U. Lets see what they can do with it.

The Wii U will deliver its own unique experience that doesn't necessarily conflict with those owning a PS4 or 720.

[darthv72]

no.

They can coexist in my entertainment center just fine.

[OmegaSlayer]

The big factor this time is...timing and economic crisis.
So yes, new Sony/Microsoft platforms will make WiiU more obsolete and useless than how it already looks

[jmc8888]

Economic crisis is a great depression. Actually it's worse than the one in the 1930's. Nothing has been done, everything is still collapsing, we ain't see nothing yet.

Now wouldn't that make you think that a cheaper console should pick up a few sales and the more expensive ones lose a few sales?

PS4 1.8 TFlops
720 1.2 TFlops
Wii U 0.576 TFlops

Thus PS4 is 3x a Wii U, and 720 is 2x a Wii U.

In other words, not much difference. It may SOUND like a huge difference, but it isn't.

Far less of gap than last generation. Plus PS4/720 are coming in far more underpowered to PC's then they did last time. Last time they were very close to high end PC's. Now they'll be slightly below mid range 2011 PC's with 2008 CPU's.

You can get video cards in the $2XX range that are more powerful than a PS4 in the store right now. Hell you could have bought them LAST YEAR.

720 is the equivalent of a GTX 560ti, and a PS4 a GTX 580OC. Oh and the 7XX series will be out. Meaning a $399 graphics card should get you ~2.5-3x the power of a PS4 and probably 4x a 720 in a PC before those even launch.

I don't know about you, but if all three plus PC play many of the same games. (basically all that aren't exclusives or poor dev/publisher situations)

So if you are saying a Wii U will be obsolete because a 720 is double it or a PS4 is triple it, then what will the PS4 be when a PC triples it and quadruples a 720....at launch?????

The point being, 'next gen' scales well and will be able to have games that look good to great within these ranges. Many features use a lot of power to display marginal changes. It takes a bigger gap to make something obsolete.

That's why Wii U won't be obsolete. It can run the same games as the others. It can do this because it can run the same engines as the others. The others will be better looking versions, but not by a huge margin. This isn't a Wii port versus a 360/PS3 game. That's not happening this generation.

[iNathan]

Leave Alone Ps4 and Durango.

[PopRocks359]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Yes, it's so obsolete that it produced a port that looks better than its PS3/360 counterparts, closer to the PC version in fact.

[DA_SHREDDER]

from a tech standpoint the wiiU is already out lol

[Old McGroin]

Yeah, just like the Wii was obsolete compared to the PS3 and 360 and that's why the Wii didn't sell well. Oh wait. The least powerful of the 3 consoles outsold the more powerful consoles by several thousand country miles.

lol

[ThePsychoGamer]

Wasn't it the power difference that drove developers away from the Wii, leaving it with very few worthwhile third party games?

[wiiumad]

you really think wii u is obsolete compared to 360 ps3? i find that hard to believe. Its a fact that the wii u specs are better. period. Now games have not reflected this yet. And they need to. fast. wii u has shown alot of potential but at some point potential has to turn into something that we can play.

[Prodigy-X]

Yes

[jmc8888]

So when a midrange PC with a five year old CPU can have the same gap between the PS4 and the Wii U, does that mean the PS4 is obsolete?

I mean afterall if PS4 is 3x a Wii U, then if a MIDRANGE PC is 3x a PS4....then shouldn't the same thing apply? If not, then neither are obsolete.

By your own measure you will buy an obsolete machine.

Hell it'll (PS4) be 1/7th or 1/9th the power of an uber PC when the PS4 launches.

[Prodigy-X]

LMFAO!!!!!!!!! You Mad Bro? Or are you about to cry but anyways PC really doesn't matter since majority of people play on consoles. The Wii U will be come Obsolete because it won't be as powerful nor will it have the multiplats that the PS4 & Xbox 720 will have to be able to compete. Watch the PS meeting and then comeback and tell me if those games can run on it. Even EA doesn't won't to support it.

[wiiumad]

so you guys think if nintendo brings a massive line up of AAA first party titles over the next few years it would do little to stop sony and Microsoft if their consoles are visually far superior?

[PirateThom]

To a degree.

Nintendo's big titles will sell, for sure, but I don't think this is entirely a graphics issue or even a games issue, it's more of a price and percieved value issue. The PS4 is rumoured to be £20 more expensive than the premium Wii U and just does a lot more for the money, specs aside, if it supports Blu-ray movie playback and all the apps the PS3 currently has.

The Wii U doesn't have the advantage the Wii had, cheap price and casual market appeal.

[Qrphe]

AAA 1st party titles didn't help the N64 nor GC either (and they had better 1st party games than the Wii imo). 3rd party support is vital for the success of a console (the Wii DID have 3rd party support, not just AAA 3rd party).

[WeAreLegion]

I hate to say it, but yes. It's not about power. It's about games and features. I have a feeling both the PS4 and 720 will outclass the Wii U's features and games.

[Theyellowflash30]

You mean First Person shooters? Then yeah, but JRPGs? No, the Wii U will beat the PS4 and Xbox in that category

[wiiumad]

Its kinda hard to outclass Nintendo titles but if the overall quality of games is higher on sony microsoft consoles due to more power and better features then Nintendo is in trouble. Its not like the Gamecube/Ps2/Xbox era were they were very similar in features. The sky is the limit now in terms of what they can add to consoles these days.

[maxcon]

While there is something to be said about power vs innovation. Sure, Nintendo games can be 100x more fun then some shit game with pretty graphics. That being said, third parties are lazy. They don't want to waste their time trying to make PS4/XBOX 3 games work on Wii U. It happened with Wii, and it will happen again with Wii U. Third parties will leave Wii U behind.

[jacksheen0000]

Wow so many of us here are way too focused on gameplay.

Now there nothing wrong with that.

The problem is most Devs can't crack out enough game play ideas/engines fast enough to satisfy our hunger for different game play experiences.

So Let say, if Nintendo could make games play just as good as Mario galaxy. And then, we have to wait a couple of months for another game hit.

Most of us would loose interest and simply go to another system that can satisfy our gaming needs faster.

What I m trying to say Nintendo is not moving fast enough to keep us entertained. That all!

[RFornillos4]

like the PS3 and Xbox 360 caused the Wii to be obsolete? uh, no.

whether the doomsayers and doom spellers like it or not, as long as Nintendo churns out some of the best 1st and 2nd party titles for it, it will not become obsolete. true in the first few months we've hardly had any new game for the Wii U, but given a few more months and the years to come, more and more games will come. with Nintendo partnering with 3rd parties to work on their 1st party titles like Smash Bros. (with Namco), the quick turnaround of new 1st party titles will improve.

improved support from 3rd parties and indie devs is also a good sign. some may argue that recent delays is a sign that 3rd parties will no support the Wii U, but in its infant stages, these are expected "hiccups" to the Wii U's path which will improve comes the time 3rd party devs get a better grip of the hardware.

[MNGamer-N]

I still don't understand why one has to choose between the systems? Is it against the law to own a PS4 and a Wii U? Because this is my plan. I will be enjoying all the Next gen has to offer. Nintendo included.

[Ck1x]

Yes its against N4G law! You may only pray and worship to one system and one company... Lol

[RFornillos4]

totally agree! why can't we all just... get along?

[Ck1x]

Only Nintendo can make the WiiU succeed or fail! If they don't give it the proper support or marketing, then it will fail. But if Nintendo goes all out and bring new and established IP's to the WiiU. It will find its target audience for certain!

[PygmelionHunter]

Insecure trolls: Unite!

Seriously, some people take this way too seriously, I mean, I plan on getting a PS4 at some point to complete once again my past, successful Nintendo/Sony combination, will I be crucified for that?

[Realplaya]

To all that worry Nintendo through us a bone. They said hey we know what yo guys want and here is what we aim to do about it. Here's what's coming and we will reveal more. Be patient and we shall show you the fruits of our labor.

[Theyellowflash30]

If the PS4 can play Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Fire Emblem X Shin Megami, Xenoblade 2, and the Wonderful 101 then yes... the PS4 will cause the Wii U to be obsolete.

[AKR]

PS1 was weaker- That did good
PS2 was weaker - That left a legacy
DS was weaker - Became the best selling video game console of all time
Wii was weaker - Has now generated almost 100 million sales.

Nintendo left the power-arms race after GC. They realized that power isn't the core of the console. Yes, more console means more tools to create bigger, better games with - but it isn't the entire heart of a console. It's how you operate that power, which matters.

You can have an amazing car. Fast, sleek, sturdy. It can be considered the best there is. But, if you're a terrible driver, then that car will suck.

Same with video game consoles ~ They are only as good as the developers who create the games for them. If they want to be lazy, then that's their fault, not the consoles fault.

Criterion took the extra step with their port of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. They actually decided to work with the console. Not just copy and paste. They sunk their teeth into it, so much so they were able to re-format the PC textures into the Wii U version of the game, and improve the lighting, along with the night-time visuals.

How? - Through hard work and effort.

Even if Wii U may fall under the PS4 and 720 in terms of power - It's not going to be like what we saw with Wii vs. PS360, so don't even go there.

Power aside - The Wii U has some awesome potential going for it. We know Nintendo is going to tap into that potential - but 3rd parties need to follow. If Criterion could do it, others can do it as well.

- I just hope that everyone asking for these powerhouse consoles, are also willing to pay the powerhouse price of the hardware. I'm not saying PS4 and 720 will be crazy expensive; but it sure won't be only $300.

[wiium64]

no, dream on nintendo haters, is this all these morons can do? is write negative stories? don't these people have real lives? nintendo has been around for over 100 years, they are not going any where just because the braindead video game media says so.. nintendo has 10 billion dollars in the bank, they are not losing billions like sony and microsoft are.. they are being judged just on their first 3 months, since when did this start?
sorry haters, nintendo is going to last, i would be more worried about sony and micro soft, who lose billions of dollars every year, before i would nintendo.