Why Nintendo Must Launch A New Console In 2014

Don Reisinger:

The gaming industry is ready yet again for a major change. Every five years or so, gamers are asked to toss away their old hardware and buy the new stuff. The cost, of course, is high, and the effort to actually get a new console is somewhat ridiculous in the beginning, but like good, trusting gamers, we oblige.

The so-called “next generation” is starting now. Nintendo has launched its Wii U, and that device delivers HD graphics and a vastly improved experience compared to the company’s previous console, the Wii. For now, the console is sold out and likely will remain so for the next few months.

[SynGamer]

This would be absolutely the worst thing Nintendo could do, no only to the fans, but to themselves. It would all but guarantee developers drop support for either the Wii U or the Wii U 2 as you called this sequel.

Nintendo has made their bed, so to speak, and must live with the consequences. By launching a year early, they have given themselves that much more time to develop their next gaming box, but I don't see a release happening until at least 2016/2017, not for a true sequel/upgrade.

Realistically, the Wii U will be no different than the current generation. They'll have their first-party games that sell well. The games will be in 1080p and will eventually look better like all console generations do as time goes on. But the PS4 and Xbox 720 (tentatively named) will easily out-power the Wii U when they are released (hopefully next year).

[Hatsune-Miku]

Nintendo needs to launch a new console in 2013 that is at least 5 times as powerful as a Wii u. The Wii u is rubbish and weak

Why is it seen as "trolling" when someone expresses a logical opinion on a product that is lacking a lot of things. I was a big Nintendo gamer as others were and due to the release of the Wii a lot of NES fans thought nintendo Wii was lacking a lot of things where it wasn't able to compete with the hd consoles ps3 and xbox 360. The controller is inaccurate and it requires Wii motion plus for more accuracy and even then its still inaccurate.

The Wii u again Nintendo released a weak console where they abandoned the rubbish controller as the default controller and went for a design akin to the layout of the best controller design ever DS3 or xbox controller. The Wii is rubbish with a gimmick controller and now the Wii u is rubbish with a gimmick controller. Third party devs will barely support the Wii u like the Wii, GameCube, and ultra nes. It's Nintendos fault that the Wii u is rubbish along with NES fanatics. Buying rubbish will only make Nintendo see that there is a market for rubbish Nintendo products.

I can't wait for ps4 and 720

[Relientk77]

A new Nintendo console for 2013, is even less plausible then 2014.

[aquamala]

If wii u is rubbish and weak, then so are ps3 and 360. Want to game on a powerful machine? Get a gaming pc.

[ChickeyCantor]

" Why is it seen as "trolling" when someone expresses a logical opinion "

You mean to say "rational" but even then you are just a lunatic.

It's your arrogance to think you're always right. You aren't. People call you a troll because you bash the Wii U but seem to praise 2 consols that are't even out yet.

" The Wii u again Nintendo released a weak console where they abandoned the rubbish controller as the default controller and went for a design akin to the layout of the best controller design ever DS3 or xbox controller."

And because you say stupid stuff like this.
They didn't abandon. They gave developers choice.

You're not "logical". You're just trapped in your OWN rational thinking. You're not good at discussions whatsoever.

You're just giant baby who want things his way. You can have your opinion. But when you say " logical opinion " Your self indulged mental-narcissism is showing,

[stragomccloud]

It's okay Hatsune Miku. I know you're secretly a Nintendo fanboy. You're secret's safe with me. Opps, I guess the secret's out! Sorry!

[chadboban]

If this article is to be believed Sony should have launched the PS2 in 1997 and launched the PS3 in 2004, and Nintendo should have launched the Wii U in 2008, the 3DS in 2006. And considering this writer's logic the 4DS should have launched by now if I'm not mistaken.

Seriously guys. Given the way history has gone I think the Wii U is gonna be just fine. PS4 and Nextbox are going to be fine as well. Why can't we just enjoy video games and put petty fanboyism aside.

[1upgamer99]

Rubbish, and weak? Do you have one? Do you even know what you are talking about? No, I think you are just a dork. If you think Wii U is Rubbish and weak, what console are you playing RIGHT NOW? It matters not what is coming in a year or greater dude. You clearly have nothing better to do with your time than BASH a console that you don't even own...Yes I will get a PS4, BUT for now Nintendo Wii U is giving people MORE POWER than PS3 and 360, with a freaking gamepad, that makes gameplay that much better. From the size of your Anti-Nintendo posts, you have nothing better to do than BASH. Go play in your sandbox please.

[MegaLagann]

"Nintendo needs to launch a new console in 2013"
You and logic don't mix well.

[BlackWolf]

You really are nuts...

[JayBlue]

All I hear from Hatsume is the same over-used word: rubbish, rubbish, rubbish, and rubbish again... don't you know any other one?

It may be that, in some remote possibility, you are right, yet that doesn't grants you the right to come around and bash a console simply because their graphics or the controller weren't what you expected.

Like most of the users around here, I doubt you even touched the console, yet the box it's packed in.

Could it be that you wanted a new Nintendo console to fit your "hardcore dream" so bad, that you got angered when the Wii U was released and it wasn't what you wanted to have?

Please, do us a favor and grow up a bit.

[Kingthrash360]

@ chadboban your absolutely right if the wii can BEAT the ps3 and 360 then why would this be a problem? Or if the 360 can survive the red ring saga or playstation getting hacked then the wiiU will be ok.
How's bout we just play games? Enjoy them and let the people who gets paid for selling the wiiU or 360 or ps3 worry about sales. It's not like we're making money.

[Mounce]

5 times....as powerful as the Wii U?

Daaaamn....

Yous a special kinda stupid arentcha? :3

[jmc8888]

Well if they launched one 5x as powerful as the Wii U, then it might be 4x as powerful as the PS4 or 720. Maybe less. Maybe more.

I have no clue how much more powerful you expect the PS4 or 720 can be than the Wii U. Are you saying 5x to compete with or equal the others you expect to come out?

People do realize the Wii (which I never owned) beat in sales the PS3 and 360 in sales. So why you would disregard them as competitors given this recent history is pretty illogical. While history isn't future, surely you can't automatically discount the Wii which sold the most, had a huge hardware disadvantage, and that the Wii U to it's competitors would be a much smaller hardware gap.

5x the Wii U might be the equivalent of two GTX 690's. Odds are a GTX 660 will have a good amount more raw power than what will be inside any of the next gen consoles. Now once all the advantages or tricks of the new consoles are realized, I could see it equaling the GTX 660 or so. But I could also see the Wii U approaching an 5870. Thus while one may be 'better' it's really more like a notch lower in PC settings then a real difference. Will that be worth an extra $100-200 for the console? If not you, then parents buying it for their children?

I'm not even sure if 5x the Wii U is possible with on the highest end of PC tech. Either way, it would be up there, and nowhere close to up there will the PS4 or 720 be. I.E. A medium end 2012 PC gaming rig should throttle a PS4/720.

An i7 chip from 2008 should be vastly more powerful than anything the PS4 or 720 would have in it. Even if I'm wrong, there's no way in hell it would be beat. They don't have the watts, $$$$, or cooling to achieve 5x the Wii U.

I'd say more like 30-150 percent faster than the Wii U. Or in other words in today's games. A notch in the PC settings. Maybe a higher level of AA/AF. Slightly more intense tessellation.

But these are all guesses. What we easily know is....they don't create the tech, they license it from the creators at IBM, ATI/AMD or Nvidia, etc. It won't run high powered 300 watt individual parts...the whole console probably won't suck up 300 watts for everything.

They aren't going to SLI things. They aren't going to price it high or sell it at a or much of a loss. They don't want it to be unreliable (heat is a byproduct of increased wattage).

Also remember that a GTX 670 (that's the 3rd place in Nvidia's line...meaning two videocards faster and more expensive than it) costs $50 bucks or so MORE than the entire PREMIUM Wii U console... and you can have 2-3 of them in a pc.

Thus we won't have a 600 watt console, basically doubling the watts used by a 360. If anything we'll have less being used by a 720 than a 360 used when it launched, and maybe by 20-40 percent. Afterall, it did cost MS over a billion dollars just to address some of the faults with repairs due to a RROD. I had one, as well as other faults with the console.

If you can't wait for a PS4 or a 720, you could of gamed like them a year ago or so with a PC. Why wait? You can always pick up a 720 or a PS4 when they come out to. You're only waiting because you want to wait. (or maybe afford it).

I have a GTX 670 and bought a Wii U. I like my gfx card, but in a couple of years I'll probably upgrade it again. Either way, the PS4 and 720 I buy I don't expect to be as good as my GTX 670. They'll still be good systems, just like the Wii U is shaping up to be.

Nintendo has provided a capable, forward thinking system first and affordable. Why would they think of pulling the plug in under two years?

[vallencer]

Where's your girlfriend mika??

[N4g_null]

It's trolling when you constantly do it. People that don't like stuff don't wait around waiting to talk about it.

[BlaqMagiq24]

Stop with the damn "Wii U is rubbish" and "I can't wait for the ps4" comments on every damn Nintendo article. It makes you look stupid as hell.

[BattleAxe]

I hate to say it, but I think that Nintendo's home console business is done for. Nintendo will become strictly a handheld console developer, and possibly a 3rd party developer for Sony. Its like I've been saying all along, WiiU is the Dreamcast 2.

[tehpees3]

Nintendo's IPs are strong enough to carry them over. They have arguably the strongest names in gaming.

Their games will carry them to profit like they always do.

[corrus]

As always you're right but cos NES fanatics how you called them not like the truth by the way i called them Nintendo monsters i think is better anyway i remember before to come out Wii U their dreams was that is 50% more powerful than PS3/360 after that was 20% more powerful their dreams even was that is gonna be powerful as high end PC Nintendo had lie you again and you're so blind trust them

[AsimLeonheart]

I dont know why Nintendo fans and defenders do not understand the problem with Wii U. Everybody knows its weak. It can barely pump graphics equal to PS360. In a year it may be pumping graphics a little bit superior than PS360 BUT the MAIN POINT is that it is NOT competing with PS360. It is going to compete with the upcoming PS4 and XBOX 720. It is common sense that a product has to be at least somewhat equal to the offering of the competitors. The Wii was a FLUKE. I repeat it was a fluke, pure luck and it is not going to happen again. All the soccer moms, casuals and grannies are on the mobile gaming bandwagon now. Nintendo needs to compete on equal terms now with its competitors. The whole purpose of releasing a new console is upgrading hardware to the current technology so that developers can make better games otherwise we would still have been playing the Atari.Graphics and power is a core competency of a videogame console. It is the area in which one console competes with the other. The developers will not bother with making a watered down port for Wii U every time they make a AAA title. Nintendo had the money and the resources to make a powerful console but they opted to bet their future on a tablet controller that is not even capacitative touch screen. Being first to the market also does not always helps. It may have helped the 360 but it did not help the Dreamcast.
I am not bashing the Wii U and merely criticising a decision by a company that looks questionable at the moment. Nintendo fans may love every console Nintendo releases and wish for it to succeed but the business world does not runs on wishes alone. It runs on offering a quality and competitive product or service that can convince a significant amount of customers to purchase it while preventing them from opting for the competitors offering. I do not see Wii U doing that especially once the PS4 and XBOX 720 releases.

[megamanX2]

"Why is it seen as "trolling" when someone expresses a logical opinion on a product that is lacking a lot of things."

Maybe because you are trolling you idiot. Thats like saying your xbox you've been playing on for the past couple years is rubbish.

"Even if they drop the price, they're still in BIG trouble when the 720/PS4 launch."

lol yeah just like the wii, and somehow it ended up in first place. You people have no idea what your talking about or what nextgen really is. Ok wii last gen the bran new wii u current gen got it.

[JayBlue]

ok, with this reply I may sound like what you call nintendo fanboy, specially since I'm new here, but let's get some facts clarified.

@BattleAxe
Nintendo won't become "strictly a handheld console developer".
Nintendo's IP have enough strength to hold the platform. They are, most of them, by far, the most profitable IPs in the gaming industry. This will sound like cliche, but almost all gamers at some early age, even if it was once, played and had fun with a Mario game.
And there is no way, if Nintendo ever gets to fail, it will become a "3rd party developer for Sony". You really think Nintendo would give their best selling IP to a competing company? Not even to MS. If they stop making console hardware, they will stop producing software too.

@corrus
The report you are referring to is the one made by Arvind Bhatia, an analist from Sterne Agee. Nintendo never said the console was going to have such specs as mentioned in that report. In the part were Bhatia was quoted, he said: “Some of the developers we spoke to indicated to us that the console will have 50% more processing power compared to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.”
It was never a Nintendo statement.

@AsimLeonheart
How to explain it to you? Wii U defenders are aware that the console isn't as powerful as it was expected to be (you can send your gratitude to the rumors around the web). But they aren't defending its power, but it's potential. It may sound pedantic, but Nintendo's strenght isn't focused on graphics, but the gaming experience that their consoles can offer. This is why the Wii was the best sold console of its generation, what you call a fluke (not mentioning handhelds, we all know who's the winner there...). Well, last time I checked, the only consoles that still offers a multiplayer experience without relying too much in Online functions are Nintendo's. Most of the multiplayer games designed for Sony and MS consoles doesn't support even a 2 player-split-screen gameplay. Yes, online is fantastic, but casual gamers that want to enjoy some time with friends on the same living room, are mostly inclined to get a Wii or Wii U, at least that you consider the offerings from Sony or MS, which are really good indeed, but don't have that much wanted replay value.
Graphic-wise, yes, the Wii U is falls short in front of the current generation consoles, and with the PS4 & Xbox 720, it will be hard to catch up, graphic-wise. Indeed, developers have decided to skip the Wii U for this reason.
As i said on a previous comment on another discussion, yes, graphics makes games look better, but that doesn't means a game is actually better. For example, talking about handhelds a for a bit, the Nintendo DS was said to fail before the PSP, but its, without a doubt, the best sold handeld between them. The reason? umm talking about money, it was cheaper, but what impulsed the console were it's games, fun, attractive, entertaining games, and they didn't relied on amazing graphics or the most advanced tech to sell (honestly, the PSP is the winner in tech).
Again, as many said, the Wii U gamepad doesn't needs a capacitive touchscreen because its not meant to use gestures or have features were you need multi-touch imput. Capacitive is a better technology, yes, but could you consider that all of Nintendo picks could be in pro that you have a cheaper console? An affordable console?
Being honest, the Wii U may have a hard time selling to the "hardcore" segment of the market, but that doesn't means its not going to sell or that is going to fail. I myself, criticized the Wii U when it came out(im mostly a pc gamer), but one does have to see the product from all the possible perspectives.
And please, just give the console some time, it just came out.

[MizTv]

I played it for the first time last week and was not impressed at all

[madcowz64]

It's not that it's "weak" it's just that it was expected to be stronger than the ps3 and 360 and it isn't.

[chronoforce]

Release a new console only a year apart, sounds familiar. I'm looking at you Sega.

[LOGICWINS]

I feel that Nintendo has backed themselves into a corner with the Wii U. It'll be interesting to see how long they can keep up the smoke and mirrors.

[dark-hollow]

Smoke and mirrors?

[LOGICWINS]

Yes, smoke and mirrors that they're using to convince people that the Wii U is ACTUALLY a viable next-gen gaming platform for hardcore gamers.

Even if they drop the price, they're still in BIG trouble when the 720/PS4 launch.

[lilbroRx]

No, they aren't. You are lost in delusions of hate.

The only problem with the Wii U now is that it there are so few games coming out soon. I support Nintendo but I don't have a Wii U because there isn't anything enough to buy it out yet.

That will change when Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3 and game that Monolith Soft is developing come out.

Pure specs don't mean much of anything anyumore. Trine 2(the only Wii U port with effort put into it) has already demonstrated that the Wii U is technically superior to the last gen consoles and that is enough.

I have a gaming PC for when I want more than that, and I'm not looking forward to Sony and Microsofts consoles stifling the PC gaming market with their ports "again".

[LOGICWINS]

It's not hate, I WANTED to like the Wii U.

However the content that has been announced for the future is not enough to justify the price tag unless your the hardest of the hardcore of Nintendo fans.

[darthv72]

they have hit a do over moment in their company history. meaning that they have come full circle to where the wii could be the rebirth of console gaming for them. ALA the original NES.

Gaming has been pretty rocky for the last several years and the success and popularity of the WII is very much like when the NES was released in the US. It was a runaway hit.

So the natural progression of going from the Wii to the Wii-U would be akin to the transition from the NES to the SNES. Games were better, it offers more value in the sense that it is superior to the previous platform but also maintains that ability to play your entire library of wii, wii-ware games in addition to the growing library of wii-u games.

Something the SNES didnt really have when it came to the NES (officially anyway).

What I find most troubling is the insistent comparatives of what is current tech to future tech to old tech when the reality of it is the tech that drives any of these platforms is all progressive. Each one capitalizes on the strength of the previous one to progress up that evolutionary ladder we have been climbing since pong.

Its one thing to have a distaste for a particular company. But dont hate the game. you can hate the players (Nintendo, Sony, MS) but their contributions to this entertainment outlet are all genuine and each one really believes they are trying to offer something unique to the next.

[WiigotU]

If logic wins yours is truely flawed.
Allow me to explain my thoughts. if the ps4 is to be successful sony can't afford to take a loss on the system like it did with the last generation. Also Sony is struggling in japan and it has taken them a long time to barely sell 70 mil. That's not a failure by any means but they barely started making a prophet. Sorry to say if you think sony is making exclusives because they love there fans then your wrong.

They appreciate there fans but know in order to keep interest in the system they have to attract new fans but the fans that have a xbox aren't running out to buy a ps3.

Now lets look at price point. The wii u is set at a perfect price point and all nintendo has to do is release somewhat of a game changer in the near future but not only that release 3 .

So the ones who should be worried is sony vs microsoft as those two consoles will be looking to compete with each other and that steam box system.

Times is rough and I work two jobs and can only afford one other system to compliment my wii u. If reports are correct the x box and playstation will be so similar that the only thing that will support the tww will be there control imput.

Now the question is who will immitate nintendo first or who will be original.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I tend to find LOGICWINS to be one of the more level headed commenters, but I still disagree with him/her here. Undoubtedly the Wii U will be less powerful than the PS4 and 720 but I don't think that's their big problem. Nintendo systems have a stigma that only Nintendo games sell well on them. It's been that way since the N64. Having 3rd party support is the No. 1 most important aspect of having a popular system. People seem to forget that the ill-fated Dreamcast (and GC and xbox) was more powerful than the immensely popular PS2, which became the best selling console of all time thanks to 3rd parties. I'm not lying about the Dreamcast being that powerful, btw, feel free to double check me on that.

I don't know if the Wii U will do well, but I think it depends on where the 3rd parties go and not what the clock speed of the processor is.

[NBT91]

Visually sure i thought the same thing but I bought a Wii U the other day and the difference between playing Bayonetta 2 on wii u versus any other console will be that the wii u lets me sit downstairs with my mum and sister and play it while only the console is on upstairs.

That is what is great about the wii u and yeah the vita can do it but remote play is half assed in comparrison.

Without owning one its tricky to imagine why you would want a Wii U but they really are different to the other consoles, the nextbox and ps4 will dwarf it but they wont be able to offer the same experiences and that is why the WiiU will be fine I think.

[Bigpappy]

That article needs a "/s" and ":)" at the end. They just spent all their profits from the wii, making wii u. Now you expect them to replace that console in one year and ask their fans to shell out another 300 bones?... Must be written by a Madden or COD fan.

[EddieNX]

This article is a true JOKE lol. WHo cares so much about power ? PS vita VS 3DS . One is considerably more powerfull and is horribly failing.

Do you really think Nintendo is interested in selling super powerfull consoles at a company threatening loss ? HELL NO.

There is nothing wrong with the wiiu's graphics. Sit down and Play Nano Assault Neo and the Rayman Legends demo and Trine 2 directors cut and you can see the console has potential graphically and we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Not everything is a horsepower race *sigh* I actually think people in the future are going to be A LOT more wary about power consumption on ALL appliances. So if the wiiu uses a fraction of the power the 720 and ps4 do , then that's a huge selling point.

The wiiu will be here until 2018 , Whether you ''hardcore gamers'' like it or not. I am gunna love mine along side my other 8th generation consoles. I actually see Sony going bust rather soon...

[WiigotU]

@ Wenaldy He was making a comparison so calm down he is able to have an oppinion right? Why you so salty?

[ElectricKaibutsu]

"So if the wiiu uses a fraction of the power the 720 and ps4 do , then that's a huge selling point."

As an adult who pays for my own electrical bill, I can agree with this. Having a lower power console that you use often could save you over 100 bucks a year. That's two games right there! Also the Wii U uses less power than the PS3 and 360, but they're old tech, before going green caught on so I'm not bashing them for it. I'm sure all the next gen systems will be energy conscious.

[MikeMyers]

Gaming is about having fun, not which is the most powerful. If people really wanted to support the best by design it would be the PC but hundreds of millions don't for whatever reason.

Nintendo has said they are not making any money currently on the hardware and the price is $300-$350. After all the flack the PS3 got for its high price why would Nintendo release a system that is higher than that?

I'm not sure where all this entitlement attitude comes from but each generation it seems to get worse. They want everything but don't want to pay for it. The Wii U is the first system to have a tablet controller included with the hardware. How much is a Vita/PS3 combo? The Wii U also has no lag between the controller and the system. It is designed from the get go to work in tandem.

Gaming is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby but it seems like people would rather bitch and moan all day long instead. Constantly saying things like 'Vita is doomed, the Wii U sucks, Microsoft are evil, Call of Duty gamers are noobs.'

Is this really why some people come to the forums, to fester and portray negativity all day long? Nintendo isn't going to release a new console in 2 years. They may have a new revision of the existing Wii U or a new handheld but not a whole new console.

[showtimefolks]

Lol no. Nintendo came to the party late. They should have launched wii HD which is now wii-u in 2010. That way by 2015 they could have launched their next system

I know Nintendo fanboys will click disagree but understand this a lot of big 3rd arty games in 2013 are not slated to come out for 2013, so in the long history of Nintendo they haven't gotten great 3rd party support since NES and now wii-u is in a loosing position.

I hope it changes but 3rd party big games and Nintendo home consoles don't go together. Also Nintendo has to do whatever it takes to get GTA5 on wii-u. Whatever they have to do because that will be making a statement.

Not saying wii-u will fail but if we gonna compare it with next Xbox and ps4 than I don't see it succeeding . But I am excited to play Nintendo's 1st party games in HD

[Jazz4108]

This article read like it was written from a spoiled child.

[avengers1978]

Releasing another new console right away would certainly doom Nintendo, what they will most likely do is release games like Zelda, Mario, and metroid and lower there price when ps4 and nextbox come out...
they might be out matched in terms of power, but they will have the year lead. The main thing will be If third party devs continue to make games people want for it.

[N4g_null]

The proof is in the games not the tech. To believe consoles are high end is a mistake and a lie. Pc are high end not consoles. The highest believed spec of last gen was the ps3. It use lots of 5-7 year old tech with one main feature that was new blu ray. The cell was new but poorly executed. The wiiu has the tech to do Hd gaming justice now. That is what really matters. You can over shoot the console market in the middle of a resession while carrying a huge debt if you want to. That is how companies die and get disrupted.

Look around many hd gamers are feed up with last gen Hd gaming because it was mostly a lie. Many of these gamers are going pc now. A cheap amd fx CPU and a good CPU.

What stopped the wii was compatibility with Hd tvs and hd content. Also programming will be making the switch to gpgpu support of some sort so intel and amd can keep advancing their tech.

All of this is great but the life blood of gaming is gaming, you know game play. Story, graphics, tech, are distractions that turn almost infinit replay into limited replay like movies. True some of this could add to game play but I have seen a project like that green lit in a long long while.

So it's looking like ms and nintendo will be left. Sony can not possibly win tech wise and their ips don't have the replay of nintendos at the moment. We all know talent from Sony will go to nintendo or ms. Heck nintendo is already hiring Sony talent.

So we can talk about the ground of a race track or the cars, you know the things that make racers winners. These journalist really do not understand this media and the agenda of artist wanting gaming to be some thing it never was will cause companies to close.

This is about gaming and we can guess what nintendo hand is and they have a lot of aces that have been crushing diversion since the 486 intel chips. If you actually witness the wii on a dlp HDTV or the dolphin emulator then you can see why this isn't even going to be fair.

Once the games start to get announced we will get to see. When you base your games on challenge then people will get hook. When you based them only on story then please understand books and DVDs do not cost $60 dollars. If we need all this tech then where are the Floyd dynamic and potiential synthesis games?

[MultiConsoleGamer]

You don't get more "trolling for hits" than this.

[stragomccloud]

I don't know why people don't just ignore this one. This one is clearly just out to ruffle some feathers. Anyway, who outrightly hates a company, and completely ignores its' great games, or potential for great games, is not a gamer. They are a "bandwagon player."

[Relientk77]

Designing and creating a video game console takes time and money. If Nintendo just released a new console in November 2012, even if they wanted to, making a new console for 2014 would be extremely difficult. They would have to work on all the aspects of a console, and improve on the Wii U, and make more features. They would need to give gamers even more reasons to purchase it. The Wii U may have a hard time competing with the Xbox 720, and PS4, arguably with visuals/graphics most will say; and even 3rd party games. However, this has yet to be seen, those consoles have not been released yet. If Nintendo wanted to release a new console in 2014, they would have to be working on it right now. Nintendo also has to support the Wii U though and put games on it gamers want. Nintendo releasing a new console a meer 2 years after a new console, is EXTREMELY unlikely.

[Blues Cowboy]

I'd prefer a new version of the Gamepad with a capacitive touchscreen that supports multi-touch. Personally I feel that the Gamepad gives the Wii U scope to deliver truly revolutionary games, but they'll need to make the most of their second most important innovation.

The first, of course, being MiiVerse - which is probably the most forward-thinking console innovation I've seen in years.

[Ck1x]

I have a question, what has capacitive touch screens brought to gaming that can't be done with analogue sticks and buttons? Everyone seems to keep throwing out there that the screen isn't capacitive and multi-touch. But what game besides a casual Pet Sim or pinch and zoom on the web browser would you use muti-touch for?

[ElectricKaibutsu]

Capacitive screens are so cheap now that I couldn't imagine Nintendo going with a resistive screen just to save money. If I had to guess I'd say Nintendo decided based on resistive screens being more durable and more accurate. As other people mentioned, I can't think of an advantage a capacitive screen has over resistive that isn't easily solved by the buttons and joysticks.

[TongkatAli]

This article is bull

[BitbyDeath]

Jumping the gun i think.
It is possible that they may need to do this but how bout we see how it sales first?

[EddieNX]

Yeh. it's selling terribly. Even after once its done a month each in all three BIG regions it will be on about 2-3 Million consoles sold.

The wiiu is gunna sell huge , whether people want it to or not.

Does anyone remember the articles saying the 3DS is too weak and that it's a stop gap and another handheld will be released in 2013 LOL.

People just don't understand Nintendo. You either love them or hate them it seems.
But please don't question their ability to make money and be successfull. They're the best in the industry at that...

[evilhasitsway]

i dont think that would be the best idea for them to put out another console not even a year later. yeah they will be behind because of steam box,720 and ps4. but if they dont give the wiiu a chance for at least a year or two they will go under look at sega with the sega saturn and then they pushed dreamcaste. thats why they went under and sold.

[Ben_Grimm]

If I remember correctly Sega did the same thing for the Saturn/Dreamcast which in one of the main reasons Sega has to resort to software only.

There is no way Nintendo should even consider doing this.

[mcstorm]

You are right. The dc imo was an amazing console but did not get tbe big 3rd party support. The one thing Nintendo have going for them is there own ips. They always sell alot of mario, mario kart, zelda and metroid games. If they can also get the 3rd party games selling well on them too then it could be ms and dony playing catchup next gen.

People keep going on about cod not selling well on the wiiu well it was never going to as. Most people who play cod games already have a 360 or ps3 so they are not going to buy a new console just for this game.

I give the wiiu 12 months just like the 3ds and it will be selli g very well as it will have some big 3rd party games as well as some of the big nintendo names too.

[DivineAssault]

Ya, thats NOT going to happen.. Its ok to wish n dream at times but thats ridiculous to even consider happening.. wii u isnt even 6 months old & will only be 2-3 yrs old if this would happen so thats out of the question.. Wii u has some decent power under the hood & these launch titles havent even pushed the console at all yet.. I know it wont hang with PS4/720 for core gaming but the games wont look ugly since its HD now..

[AznGaara]

Umm... what?

[GraveLord]

HaHaHaHa!

[kirbyu]

Why does everyone think graphics is all that matters?

[LOGICWINS]

When your spending $300+ on a console, high end graphics/production values MATTER. They aren't ALL that matters, but they DO matter.

Having games that people want to play also matters.

The Wii U currently lacks both. The PS3 was in a similar situation in 2006, but has improved tenfold due the talented first party studios under Sony's belt and an online service that rivals if not topples XBL.

Nintendo doesn't have these same tools to lift them up from the ashes.

[OneAboveAll]

LOGICWINS... apparently it doesn't in your case.

The Wii U currently lacks both because it JUST CAME OUT. Just like you said, the PS3 was in a similar situation. So you would be eating your words when a year or two down the line the Wii U pull's a PS3 and has a crap ton of exclusives and games.

As a matter of fact, I know it will. Nintendo has a lot of first party titles you can't get on either PS3 or the 360.

Nintendo's in house games alone wreak of higher quality than anything Sony can put out and has games and characters people LOVE.

So shut your mouth and enjoy your Playstaton All-Stars Smash Bros. clone Captain Derpherp.

[LOGICWINS]

"LOGICWINS... apparently it doesn't in your case."

Starting a reply with an insult...I'm definitely going to read your comment and take it seriously.

/s

[LOGICWINS]

"So you would be eating your words when a year or two down the line the Wii U pull's a PS3 and has a crap ton of exclusives and games."

Just like the Wii pumped out all those AMAZING exclusives right?

[kirbyu]

Yes, I know good games matter. That's the point I was trying to get across.

Now even though M-soft and Sony will have better graphics, the Wii U's are fine.

And the Wii U does too have good games. Game & Wario, Scribblenauts, Madden, NBA 2K 13, Nintendo Land, Tekken Wii U Edition, Mario, Pikmin 3 in a few months, enough said.

I know some of those aren't exclusives, but they have Wii U exclusive features.

Also, the Wii did pump out great exclusives.

Twilight Princess, Brawl, Skyward Sword, Super Mario Galaxy, Galaxy 2, Mario Party 8 & 9, Wii Party, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Play, I mean come on. And all the great games from GameCube and Virtual Console are on it, so, there's that. Sony & Microsoft still don't even have backwards compatibility. Sure, they're always ahead on online play and duel analog sticks, but they still don't have something that matters Nintendo does have, backwards compatibilty.

[chillhomie]

@LOGICWINS Play your games and chill out dude. Every time I see you commenting your complaining or moaning.

Back on topic: it would Be absurd and foolish to release a system within 36 months of its predecessor. Its bad business. Look no further than Sega and what happened with dreamcast. One of the basic practices of business is to emulate success, not failures.

"Just like the Wii pumped out those AMAZING exclusives right?"

Yes, yes it did. I'm really starting to question if we have true passionate gamers out there who simply enjoy playing great games or do we have more whiners/bro gamers/haters out there. If your not into Nintendo games then that's fine, but there's amazing games on wii you just have to be open-minded and mature about it. If you hold on to a childish malicious view towards it then you'll never enjoy it as intended.

[jmc8888]

What you're forgetting is $300+ on a console is cheap.

PS3 clocked in at $600, before the dollar lost 2/3 of it's value since.

It DOES offer good graphics. Not ultra graphics, but that's where bigger, costlier, more powerful PC's come in.

The Wii U at a bare minimum has same graphics with better lighting of the standard PS3 and 360's graphics are.

Games people want to play does matter, which is why BY FAR the biggest selling games that came out in the 360/PS3/Wii era were ALL on the Wii.

Here's something you might have missed....add up all the copies of Halo ever sold on 360, xbox, and PC. Made by Bungie or 343.....

....and the singular title Mario Kart Wii sold more than that.

Nintendo has a business because of it's IP's. So for you to say they don't have the same tools to life them from the ashes is overlooking the fact that their 'tools' called their ip's have made them profitable almost constantly since they entered the video game market.

People just don't understand that Mario Kart Wii greatly outsells Call of Duty.

What the console can do is just beginning and there will be plenty of games coming out for the system in due time.

Again the Wii had six games sell more than 20 million units. The 360? Zero. The PS3? Zero. Me? I didn't buy a single Wii game since I didn't have one. I bought the Halo's, the CoD's, the Resistance fall of man's, etc.

[younghavok]

So people dont want to play Call of Duty? Or Assassins Creed? Or Mario? Or Mass Effect? Or NBA 2k13? These are games that people dont want to play? If thats the case, what games do people want to play on the other consoles?

[N4g_null]

What is the main excuse for not like wii exclusives. They where not hd...

Pc for example are and will stay more powerful than consoles. Yet why do we mostly get gimped ports on more powerful tech?

We are currently in a sweet spot area price, ability and execution wise for creating games. Tech only matters if you can not port down.

So tech is going to be some what on a level playing field unless you really want to pay laptop prices. $300 doesn't even get you a good gpu on pc builds. Sure it is better than a console and that illustrates my point. Cost is a huge factor when justifying profit.

I'm curious who would want to spend $200 million and not multiply their profit? Lots of these games are visually nice but they are not that high end in structure where we need crazy power to make the games that the majority wants.

Consoles have always had a few things over pc gaming. Arcade graphics and game play, more imaginative, less stuffy or serious, lots of reply with out the Internet and every one could afford it so your pool of possible gamers is way bigger.

[Kos-Mos]

Your fanboyism have reached a level unreachable. Did you use a game-genie?

[iamnsuperman]

It is preformance as well. Wii u does have an issue with load times and on ports frame rate issues. Graphics really only matter when Sony and Microsoft are involved. If the release better and more powerful machines third party will drop like it did for the Wii.

[Theyellowflash30]

Thats the problem, their rushed ports. When developers have more time with the system and games you wont see those framerate issues.

Many PS3 games had framerate problems when ported from the 360. You got to spend more time with the system. Plus new hardware. GPGPU, gotta learn to use the GPU to help out the CPU. All the ports just turned over the code without using the GPU to assign tasks the CPU usually does.

[Npugz7]

Nintendo screwed themselves with there weak hardware and are gonna see the results from it when the big guys showup next year!

[deletingthis34675334]

Just like how Nintendo screwed themselves with their weak hardware 3DS when the PSVita released...

[PopRocks359]

You could argue for a number of console generations, actually.

Playstation was weaker than the 64. Number one seller.

Playstation 2 was weaker than the GCN and Xbox. Number one seller.

Wii and DS were weaker than their competition and those were number one sellers.

3DS is also currently outselling the Vita, particularly in Japan.

[Hicken]

The Wii U is aimed at the same demographic as the next two systems likely will be. Not so with the 3DS versus the Vita.

That said, I don't think it makes any sense to come out with a new system, nor do I believe it'll be necessary.

[SuperShyGuy]

Well considering they are focused on getting this console settled in, and to get a console out by 2014 they'd have to start on it RIGHT NOW.

Investing in R&D, which they did last year going into losses for the foreseeable future, this is never going to happen.

[Neko_Mega]

Wii U 250GB model, they seem to need to come out with a Wii U with more hard drive space.

Other then that, theirs no need for a new console. Plus thats a dumb idea because it would cost them alot of money to make a new system.

[lilbroRx]

The Wii U has no hard drive and it was made with the intention of you using an external drive...

[mrbojingles]

Go to Best Buy, Amazon, New Egg, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc

Buy a 500GB to 1TB USB Hard Drive for $50 to $80, varying prices.

Plug it into your Wii U, format it and you're good.

Problem solved and it is likely cheaper than shipping the Wii U with an actual hard drive.

[aquamala]

since Wii U can just use external hard drives as storage, there's no need to get a model with big drive like you do for PS3/360.

[lilbroRx]

Why do people flock to trashy news like this?+

This is the exact same stupid argument people were making with the Wii when they were saying "Nintendo must release a WiiHD!!! or their DOOOMED" all those years ago.

Bad articles like this aren't even worth discussing.

[PopRocks359]

Trolls and haters. People love to hate things on this site.

[stage88]

Wii U is fine now but when the PS4 and 720 hit next year the wii u will be left in the dust. I believe it will get no-where near the number of sales as the original wii.

[lilbroRx]

And I believe that will be even more the case for the Orbis/Durango in comparison with the sales of the PS3 and 360.

I'm kind of lost on how the PS4/720 release correlates with having sales like the Wii though. Last I checked, the weakest console always had the most sales and that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon.

I wish beating "myself" was my greatest challenge. That'd just consolidate that I'm at the top. I assure you that Nintendo is feeling no pressure from Sony or Microsoft, or as Iwata said "We do no care what kind of 'more beef' console our competitors make."

[aquamala]

just how powerful do people think the next ps/xbox are going to be? me and my i5 + Radeon 7950 are ready to laugh at the specs

yeah I can't wait til the specs are revealed, the fanboys will be saying to PC gamers that specs are not important, it's all about the games lol.

[kirbyu]

And why is that? Because of the other consoles' games, or the other consoles' graphics. If both, which reason would you say is more important?

[Ck1x]

The PC has much better graphics than either PS3 or 360 and that didn't stop those consoles from selling. Vita is a much more powerful system over the 3ds but that system isn't doomed because the Vita launched! Truth is if Sony and Microsoft launched these systems tomorrow, most of you probably couldn't afford to even buy one. Sony and Microsoft have an even bigger problem, the sales of the current gen of their hardware is still high... So how does one release new hardware when the demand hasn't died yet for the old yet? They will have a harder time competing with themselves let alone whatever Nintendo does in its arena.

[KonaBro]

Nintendo isn't going to release a new console anytime soon but you can believe that this will affect them going forward with developers already saying that the Wii U will be outclassed by the PS4/720 when they come out. It's pretty telling when several major multiplats coming out next year don't even have a Wii U version coming out beside them. If you are a Nintendo fan looking for 3rd party support, Wii U isn't going to cut it.

[MegaLagann]

"It's pretty telling when several major multiplats coming out next year don't even have a Wii U version coming out beside them"

Ever stop to wonder that maybe those games were in development prior to the devs getting Wii U dev kits and decided it wouldn't be a good idea to add another platform to develop for so late in the game's development cycle that it might cause the game to be delayed? You didn't, well, what a "surprise".

[KonaBro]

Wii U was known about by developers for quite some time. If Wii U could have Assassin's Creed III and Ninja Gaiden 3 at launch, there's no excuse for not having future games added into a game's release. Those were in development before Wii U devkits came out before so what's your excuse?

Oh, you don't have one and neither does Nintendo. Next!

[iamnsuperman]

That is partly true but it is a little bit of a concern considering developing for the Wii U is easy and it isn't that costly to port it either. Doesn't take much to port a game. One way or another Nintendo really need to start securing these games

[NBT91]

True but how is that a problem for the Wii U? Nobody is going to buy one to play games that are already available on two other consoles, it's for all the experiences that are available on no other console, of which the Wii U has so many of those I wouldn't even know where to begin listing them.

So what if I can only play assasins creed 8 on my 720 or PS4? I can't play F Zero, super smash bros, Mario, Mario Kart, MarioParty, Warioware, Pikmin, Zelda or Starfox and many others (Mertorid?) on either of those consoles. And as for the controllers, if either Sony or Microsoft have a controller that in any way resembles a tablet or even has a screen on it then it will prove once again that Nintendo got it right first.

Wii u is an excellent addition to any gamers library because of how different it is not because it's powerful or is the lead platform for call of duty black ops modern warfare in space 6

[ISNeko]

No they don't. The console is great the way it is now. Everyone is just being a huge cry baby out graphic fidelity. The games look good and play great. I for one, switched to the Wii U for Black Ops 2 because my PS3 version freezes ALL THE DAMN TIME.

Nintendo will probably come out with pads with better multitouch screens, support for more than one, and bigger hardrive. As long as they keep up their great digital store, I'm sticking around. I plugged a spare 2TB I had and the Wii U formatted it for use in like 15 seconds.

[aquamala]

yep I will be getting multi plat console games on Wii U from now, the games at launch already look at least as good as PS3/360, it will only get better from here as devs learn to program the console, games on PS3/360 haven't looked better since 2009.

[mrbojingles]

Good lord that's a terrible article.

[CRASHBASHUK]

maybe the next DS?

[JasonKCK]

they just released a new console. good or bad it will be at least another 5 years. i dont even see whats wrong with it. its an upgrade 2 current gen.

[metroidfusion2]

Ok why do people assume so many things lol going off of RUMORS the 720 doesn't come out until next year or 2014 angoing off of RUMORS the omni doesn't come out untill 2013 to 2016 and FACTS the 360 and ps3 will be supported until at least 2015 and FACTS nintendos first party LAUNCH TITLES are in native 720p and run at 60fps on the gamepad screen and the tv at the same time and FACTS 3rd party games. Are in native 720p and 60fps or native 1080p and 60fps FACTS as of now that I know since I do something called RESEARCH and know FACTSS FROM OPINIONS AND RUMORS AND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY the wii u has as of now 10 native 1080p and 60fps games POSSIBLY MORE and FACTS there are going to be many surprises for the wii u in games and other things and FACTS GOING OFF OF GAMING HISTORY WITH ALL OR ALMOST ALL OF THE CONSOLES THROUGHOUT TIME HAVE IMPROVED GRAPHICS LATER IN ITS LIFE and that the wii u LAUNCH GAMES look as good or better then games that have been in development on the other consoles for years is definitely next gen and then the gamepad controller and I'm sure more things and people bitch about nintendo not doing this and not doing that then when nintendo ddoes those things and a lot more they still don't get ccredit but I like how nintendo stands out and doesn't follow the dumbass norm aand also GOING OFF OF RUMORS the ps4 and 720 wont be much more powerful tthen the wii u which is expected tthere is only so much consoles can do but I do expect the 720 and ps4 to be doing native 720p and native 1080p and 60fps now everyone knows the first party can push the systems probably to its max and soome 3rd party but will more 3rd party push the systems and also going off of RUMORS THE low end ps4 and 720 are priced right but the higher end models I don't know but just like everyone else I will have to wait and see so the question is how come people don't know fact from rumors and how come people can do research are you retarded or something and can anyone tell me what a wii u game that pushes the system. Built from the ground up looks like no I don't think anyone can but I'm sure nintendos first party usual games will blow everyone away and I can't wait for their 1st party surprises and I also can't wait for the. 3rd party exclusive surprises etc etc and if you don't do research or if you haven't evven played the wii u then shut the fuck up and wait until. E3 so ya dumbasses can learn something shit a bunch of bakas

[OC_MurphysLaw]

A new console? Fat chance... A new sku, different bundles, colors, etc... Highly likely. I would think Nintendo would offer up a new handheld before a new console if they are going to do anything in the "new" hardware space.

[jacksheen0000]

Guys,

Nintendo is not going to release another gaming console until 2016-2017. In terms of Wii U's graphical capabilities being so weak, I think Nintendo was forced to take their new Game pad in account for how much more work would be needed from DEvs to program sub menu/etc to the Wii U's game pad controller.

Though, this of course will definitely be a major problem for Nintendo when Microsoft/ Sony release their Next gen console. multiplat games that are released on all game console(720/PS4 would be heavily priced if 3rd party DEV have to do the extra work.

So I guess that why Nintendo went with a weak console to balance out the workload, so Devs don't have to spend to much time working on the graphics.

My 2 cents...

[Theyellowflash30]

How many developers will have the money to develop on the PS4 and 720? I think the Wii U will have its share of exclusive games cause it is cheaper to develop for and it does have the gamepad.

Your selling the Wii U's graphics short, We haven't seen what it can do yet. Give it some time. Japanese developers have already moved over to the Wii U, Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest, Bayonetta 2 all Wii U exclusives.

[jacksheen0000]

Sure, Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest, Bayonetta 2 are all great Wii U exclusives, but that won't be enough to satisfy all hardcore gamers.

Though, I think Nintendo was completely aware the mistake, and and that if they introduce a tablet game pad for their Next gen console, it would require more cooperation from 3rd party Devs to spend the extra game development time to add sub menu/etc to the Wii's U games. Both for tablet game pad/pro controller's functions would have to be programed and implemented in every game released for the wii U. Thats double the work. Game development time is limited so would make sense to create a weak system such as the wii U. Think about it.

[ceballos77mx]

Thats a good point, some developers (especially newer ones) wont have the budget to make those big AAA games that's most people love on the next systems so probably well be seeing some very fun and unique titles on the wii u.

On topic it'd barely been a month out and they want a new Nintendo system, let it grow its like the vital let the damn system grow and developers learn to use it.

[iamnsuperman]

They wouldn't develop for the consoles then if they can't afford it. They would then do the PC route over the Wii U. Large profits could be gained on the PC market than for one console because they do not have the money for more than one console

[Rubberlegs]

Next-gen games won't have some huge increase in cost, they will be just as expensive are they now. You can already get next-gen versions of games like Far Cry 3 on the PC. Devs have no problem putting in the extra bells and whistles for the PC version and that keeps their engines up to date for next-gen consoles.

[MegaLagann]

So Nintendo should release a new console in 2014, screwing over everyone who bought a Wii U up until that point, essentially pulling a Sega Saturn and Dreamcast. And look how well that worked for Sega.

All this doom and gloom for the Wii U and Vita is getting really fucking old. Look at the 3DS when it came out, everyone thought it was dead and that Nintendo should just drop it to make iPhone games. And now look, the 3DS has a whole slew of games coming out and is selling like hot cakes in Japan and relatively well in North American and Europe. Hell, look at the PS3. No console in history had as much shit thrown at it like the PS3 did in the early years. And now look, PS3 probably has the best library of any of the 7th gen consoles. So people saying how both the Wii U and the Vita are failures and they should just be discontinued should remember the PS3 and 3DS and kindly shut the up.

Also, I love how we're comparing the Wii U to consoles we haven't even seen yet. For one thing, we haven't even see the Wii U's potential, and second, we are literally comparing something to nothing! You have no idea how powerful the new consoles will be yet we're already comparing them to existing consoles!?!? I mean yes the PS4/720 will be more powerful than the Wii U, that's a given, but not by much. Developers like Crytek are already saying how the next gen consoles won't be that big of a leap but it seems like people don't want to hear that. Seriously people, if you truly care about visuals and performance, then get a PC.

[chadboban]

You are one of the few sane people on this site. Thanks for always keeping a level head and for being a true gamer. We should play games, not companies. Converse with each other about games that we love, not constantly attack each other over trivial nonsense.

Wish there were more gamers like you, then this place wouldn't be as the cesspool of hatred and fanboy wars that it is that it is day in and day out.

[chillhomie]

Agree whole-heartedly. One of the Wii U's main selling points to me personally was miiverse, and at first I wasn't sure about it but after doing some research, I found out its basically one big gamer family that is all about the games and sharing thoughts, opinions, and drawings and best of all, its free and positive!

I was almost to the point of giving up on gaming sites and not conversing about videogames via the net because there are so many immature and negative people that ruin the experience and this site is absolutely FULL of them. I don't think a console is something to pledge aligence to, its plastic!!! Haha but people take it too far on here, NEOGAF, gamespot and ESPECIALLY YouTube. Thankfully Miiverse offers a fun creative alternative to make online interaction with other gamers enjoyable again for me

[Dark-vash]

There are a few people like him, they just don't bother comment on something so ridiculous as this! But most of of the people here tend to play the Fanboy role and keep bashing the competition... it's been like this for years!

[Triggytrolls]

I've been there from the start of the 360/ps3 launch and I'm getting a Wii u and the steam console (if it's any good) if it is, I'm done with MS/Sony.

[Drainage]

same

[chadboban]

Oops double post.

[kingmushroom]

nintendo doesn't need to do anything because its nintendo.

[LOL_WUT]

Good read ;)

[PopRocks359]

Not really.

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Stupid article. Wii U just came out, and we have yet to play any of the awesome games to come.

[Tokyo_reject]

No...they dont....end of story

[DarkBlood]

lol *oh your serious let me do that harder* LOL

[jmc8888]

Why doesn't the author realize that it didn't have the power to compete on the same playing field last gen, yet still sold more consoles than any of the others?

Why is it assumed that the Wii U won't be able to 'compete' with 720 and PS4? Past does not equal the future.

The gap between Wii and 360/PS3 is much more than the gap between the Wii U and the 720/PS4.

What you can easily surmise by reality is that more powerful than 'next gen' consoles hardware is and has been readily available on PC's for years. Even if you have inferior tech, you can still best it because you can run two or three older graphics cards at once.

If you base what is possible in home consoles today that doesn't draw 800 watts (hint 360 RROD at 310 watts), and doesn't cost $1000-2000, and yet also has in costly peripherals...see Kinect 2 and hand manipulator, plus a desire not to sell the console at a loss (or at least not much of one), and yet also to keep it a decent bit lower than the PS3 cost when it came out, in a world where the dollar is worth only 1/3rd of what it was worth, then you realize these other consoles cannot be significantly better than a Wii U. Of course significantly better is a relative term. It's not significant unless it's hundreds of percent faster.

If one format plays games in high, and another one very high, and another one ultra...well then, you would have three similar consoles that compete with each other.

If you want the best graphics, it'll be on PC. If you like a console experience, get a console. If you like Nintendo games get a Wii U. If you like all of them, try to buy them all. But if Nintendo was to try to give this a 1-2 year product life cycle, I would have to think alot of people would then rightly be pissed off.

I think Nintendo has shrewdly done exactly what they need to. They got an affordable, innovative, new console to market first. They don't have the $$$ resources the others have to make a monster console with huge risk, and instead are doing business to their strengths, which leaves MS and Sony to put out more expensive gear, late, maybe less innovative, and not for very much of a graphical difference.

They've boxed MS and Sony in because they will lose market share every day until their next consoles come out. Yet, anything the release isn't going to be massively more powerful. If they want it even moderately more powerful, it will come with all the headaches involved. Higher cost. Higher possibility of hardware failures. Less profit.

[Bigkurz85]

lol...you go on and on with the "how do we know which system will be best" but then say:

"The gap between Wii and 360/PS3 is much more than the gap between the Wii U and the 720/PS4. "

How the heck do you know that? Wii U is HARDLY more powerful than the ps3 and 360...why would you think the next-gen systems won't blow it out of the water?

[axisofweevils]

LOL. Another Don Reisinger article.
He's almost as bad as Pachter.

For those that don't know, he hates Nintendo - some of his previous articles:

iPhone 5 will officially kill off the Nintendo 3DS.
Is Nintendo the next SEGA?
Hey Nintendo, get out of portables and put Mario on the iPhone
Why Nintendo won't determine gaming's future
Why Nintendo should sell and Sony should buy it
It's official: the Wii U is in deep, deep trouble.
Does anyone really care about a bigger 3DS?
Why you shouldn't preorder the Wii U yet.

[deafdani]

Uh, all of that actually sounds WORSE than Pachter. Lol.

[ALLWRONG]

Funny thing is THAT reality is completely opposite of everything he writes. eVEN Pachter gets some things right sometimes. Some of those headlines are closer to the Vita than they are 3DS.

[byeldell34]

theres not going to be a ps4 next year im not for sure for the next xbox..and by way some people thank ps4 and 720 going to more power then the wii u..and they are but not by a lot...and not im not a fanboy...for all i know the ps4 may be an add on but anyway we to wait for e3 and see but il put money that we want see a ps4 in 2013. and as for the wii u nintendo is just holding it back for now i don't know why.

[BitbyDeath]

You should read up on the news before you start gambling cause the PS4 dev kits have already gone out.

http://n4g.com/news/1126323...

[byeldell34]

yeah i knew that.but i sill don't thank it be 2013

[oldskool79]

I haven't read the article and don't need to but this is asinine. I think a lot of you guys are going to be disappointed or say let down when the 720/Orbis comes out. The next gen jump will be similar to 8 bit to 16 bit. I have a Wii U and I think its awesome just need s some games. As being a gamer If Nintendo can pull off The Last of Us type Graphics running at 1080p or 720p 60FPS!!!! That should be enough for mass majority of gamers. Graphics is only going go but so far we need some innovation. As a business owner you cant be operating a loss for a decade ummmm SONY!!!! MS you cant charge people for a mediocre service with no Great Exclusive Content!!! Personally I think the Wii U is a low end to mid-range gaming rig which is fine cause neither 360/PS3 can do either one.

[madjedi]

The ps3/360 weren't even good enough to be considered mid range gaming rigs in 2005-2006, the wii u is marginally better than either system specs wise.

" Personally I think the Wii U is a low end to mid-range gaming rig which is fine cause neither 360/PS3 can do either one." Right so 2005-2006 console is supposed to be holding it's own against a system released in 2012. You nintendo guys have very strange logic.

I have looked at midrange graphics cards($200-300), it isn't remotely close to either low or midrange rigs, maybe the cheapest ass end hardware available and that might be the wiiu's graphics.

Seriously the ps3 and 360 are fucking ancient(pc hardware relevancy), surpassing them isn't anything to be beat your chest at to show your pride as a nintendo fan.

Wait till the next gen ms and sony console are released, then you nintendo fans can actually have reasonable competition to compare the wiiu to, instead of boasting how superior the wiiu is to the 7-8 yr old previous gen hardware.

Funny thing i never really hear nintendo fans addressing the ps4 and 720 as the wiiu's direct competition, other than how the wiiu will be more favorable due to lower dev costs.

So why do nintendo fans, think that all 3rd party support for the ps3 and 360 will magically be dropped when the ps4 and 720 release and next gen development costs will be too high.

If that is the case with dev costs, 3rd parties have a 140-160 million install base of potential buyers. If nintendo sells 10 million wiiu's by holiday 2013 they should consider themselves lucky.

But i guess since i am not praising the wii u, i am not a "real gamer/true gamer", which is fine by me since i really don't care what a bunch of elitist asshats think.

Started gaming 27-28 yrs ago, still a gamer regardless of the fact that i don't change my personal opinions or bias to fit with the popular console bandwagon jumping or useless buzzword(innovation) spamming.

I'd rather be an opinionated asshole who plays games, than a "real/true gamer" spouting on about innovation constantly and other meaningless statements.

@article I am not pro nintendo and it's still the stupidest idea i have seen on n4g, change the date to 2016-17 and it would be more appropriate.

[Optical_Matrix]

Like the first commentar said. This just isn't feasible and Nintendo has indeed made their bed. They must now lay in it and suffer the consequences of releasing a system that, given it's specs relative to the technological transition going on in the industry that will ignite fully with the release of PS4 and Xbox 3, just isn't relevant to the majority of developers.

I'd go so far as to say that the Wii U's USP isn't really relevant to the market at wide either. While I enjoy mine, I can't really see where Nintendo is going with it. Given the half baked specs and so far dreadful at best 3rd party support, I don't really understand where the Wii U will fit in.

Of course, you could argue that one only buys Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games but given the declining sales of Mario games, that evergreen strategy Nintendo has employed by milking the franchise dry with a total of 8 titles between November 2011-November 2012, just can't cut it anymore, and Nintendo needs to react.

The issue is that their own hubris has caused them to constantly beat to the sound of their own drum. They build their consoles for themselves, not for the industry at large. As long as it fits their needs, if you (3rd parties) don't like it, then you can jog on, is the mentality I see from Nintendo's hardware decisions.

With that said, you can't really behave like that in market like this anymore. We'll see how that goes for Nintendo over the course of this generation but I genuinely believe the Wii U's success (or lack thereof) will be an incredibly rude awakening for the big N.

@oldskool79, Wrong. Judging by the general ball park of specs that numerous sources have leaked, the technology jump 720/PS4 will bring to console development will be significant enough to create a barrier negating the Wii U's chances of getting any major 3rd party multiplatform support going forward, as if Nintendo relationships with said 3rd parties wasn't a glaring problem.

The system is riddled with oversight after oversight. With that said, some of the exclusives it has lined up in 2013 such as Rayman Legends, Monster Hunter, Pikmin and Bayonetta are enough for me to be excited for it's immediate future, as short lived as that may turn out to be.

[InTheLab]

Just think what would have happened if the Wii would have launched in 2004 a year ahead of the 360. It would be the exact same thing as what they've done with the WiiU. It's a baby step or beginners guide to HD consoles.

[Adolph Fitler]

The friggin Wii launched well after 360, & a short time after PS3, & it was a non-hd, repackaged Gamecube as far as power is concerned, it barely had online functionality & really was an all round rip-off, underpowered, under featured, over priced, dog of a machine with shovelware & mediocrity littered around a few staple Nintendo-esque games (I mean, even Mario was not the mind blowing experience that Mario64 was), yet the masses of sheep lapped it up, because of a ridiculous gimmicky controller that was so bodgy & innacurate that it needed an extra attachment to add 5% to it's 20% accuracy (& thats being generous).
People loved the idea of shaking themselves around like epileptic fit sufferers, even though not one game had decent implementation of the function, to the point that not only could it all be handled on a normal controller, but was also a MUCH better, more accurate & easy way of doing it through said traditional controller methods.
Yet, it was mass consumed & smashed both the much more powerful, functional, capable & better quality game stable riddled PS3 & 360.

I doubted that Wii would sell, at the start & thought it would be a flash in the pan....I mean it really was a flash in the pan, but it lasted a LOT longer than I ever imagined it would. I mean, we all know that any gamer worth there salt, if they had a Wii, it was only a freakshow, sideact that was brought out to amuse friends for a short burst, & the main gig was where it was at with either PS3 or 360, or both. We all know that all those kids that demanded a Wii off Santa for Xmas, (because they had seen masses of ads in between Ben 10, & all there friends were getting one), in those early, naive days, we know that a month, 3 months, or so into the new year, they went around a mates place & saw Gears Of War, COD4, Unchartered 2, Batman:AA, & the like, & then demanded to mommy & daddy that they "needed" a PS3 or 360. We know, like fools like myself, men in there late 20's-late 30's (sadly I'm there), & even late 40's, went out & bought there kids a Wii, on the sole basis of nostalgia & that whole Nintendo = kids idea.......the only problem was & still is, our kids don't hardly ever want to play that damn Wii, instead they wanna play dads PS3 & 360.

Nintendo are greedy, caniving, ruthless, busines 1st & only, & quite frankly they are geniuses in what they do & how they manipulate. And the Wii-U & it's Pop Culture tablet-esque controller is testament to this. The Wii-U will again sell like hotcakes thanks to an even stronger, probably even more useless gimmick than the Nunchucks for Wii. Even this daddy has invested in one for "the kids" off Santa, & I have asked my boss (wife) if Santa can bring me one too, with Zombi-U.....Again, I have always loved everything Zombie & the Nintendo knew that all the pop-culture followers were all Zombie crazy, until the next trend over takes......So, the smart, evil basterds got the tech envious tablet lovers with the Wii-U controller, then they rounded up an even bigger following with an awesome looking Zombie game.

[Pillsbury1]

Haters gon hate

[hkgamer]

nintendo released the wii and it was outdated tech on the day it was released.

this article is plain rubbish

[Rockefellow]

I'm not reading the article. I'm not reading the comments. I don't even support Nintendo like I used to all those years ago...

...but this is easily the stupidest thing I have ever seen on this site, and that says a lot. Could you be more desperate for hits?

[Adolph Fitler]

@ Optical Matrix,
I wasn't aware Mario games were on the decline in sales....I will say I am not surprised, as Mario64 has never been bettered by another Mario, or in fact Nintendo game. Mario Galaxy 1&2 were pretty good games, but truly were over scored in reviews, to the point of laughability for mine, in fact, I much preferred Ratchet & Clank: TOD & ACIT, far more than both those Mario's, and in fact I really was dissapointed with Mario Galaxy after reading these unbelievable reviews & scores, then firing up the game & seeing pretty ordinary, barely above the gen befores graphics, as well as gameplay that was nowhere near as mindblowing as said reviews stated......I mean, I found the Ratchets to be, not only better from 1st sight, due to such beautiful visuals, but also from a gameplay point of view as the pacing, varied gameplay & awesome sense of humour & weapons just blew Mario Galaxy out of the ball park.
And, I would say, given Mario Sunshine being VERY mediocre, & now this mindboggling, unexplainable shift back to 1984 in these new 2D Mario's, that Miyamota is pretty unmotivated & bored with Mario's....I mean the poor guy has been making these damn things for over 30yrs, in comparison, Bungie were exhausted with Halo after 10 or so, hell, not even that, as the Halo's lost it after Halo 2 & even Halo 2 was really only stellar for the multiplayer, whereas Halo 1's gift was the campaign.

Nintendo should give Mario to another team, & let Miyamota & his team loose on a NEW ORIGINAL IP, in any genre of his choosing, with any type of rating he wants....he is obviously past these kiddy friendly games, as he has been the Godfather of them for 30+yrs, so give the poor bloke a hall pass to move on from the red, gay, greek plumber. The guy virtually cracked his neck to get to the Watch Dogs booth at one of the recent game shows, so imagine Miyamota with the creative freedom to make a mature themed, open world, sandbox type game of GTA, Watch Dogs ilk. I would love to see that, & that sh!t would move Wii-U consoles, I guarantee it.

[Bigkurz85]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 surely "bettered" Mario 64. I think you're looking back at Mario 64 with nostalgia-colored glasses. It was a great game, for sure, but I don't know why you're underrating SMG2. It was phenomenal.

[bignaz]

The fanboys do know that RSX is based off the Nvidia 7 Series right? And not only is the custom E6670 in the Wii U way faster it also supports much more advanced feature. This is all fact sorry fan boys. Now were com pairing games on a system that's been out for how long com paired to a less then month old systems launch games most are ports and take no advantage of the new technology the GPU can do. It must suck being a fan boy living in that bubble but if I was a fan boy I would to dread the day the GPU gets full use. Also remember some big wigs at SCEA said the next systems graphics might not be as powerfully as the PS3. Looks like your world of folding in on its self's. But keep the fanboy faith alive

[knifefight]

Is it April 1st already?

[sandman224]

I hope the wii u is nintendos last console ever. They do deserve a spot in the race against Sony and Microsoft.

[millzy102]

a race that Nintendo started, also Nintendo is the richest game hardware manufacturer on the planet, they've only posted one year's loss of profits since they began business because they had to write off Wii u loss on last quarter of this year so come April it will be a clean slate. even if the wii u failed they will sit it out like the GameCube, make money of 3ds and still release a new handheld and home console by 2018. they have far less to worry about than Sony and that's the truth, however I wish every console manufacturer the best if luck as we need all of them to keep the industry moving.

[H4all]

if 2014 nitendo launch another console..
wii u buyer feel like they have been trolling...
i don't think nitendo do that..

[Adolph Fitler]

I'm not saying Mario Galaxy 2 is garbage & I'm not looking through nostalgia goggles, as I was a far greater fan of Tomb Raiders awesome new style of play with it's awesome mix of excellent 3D exploration, puzzle solving, gun play, unrivalled beautiful vistas/locales, (that apart from Far Cry 1 & Far Cry 3, & Halo 1's beach scenario as well as all 3 Unchartered's, that wouldn't even be, without the 1st TR), exotic animals to shoot, awesome Indiana Jones inspired storytelling... I was peeved & thought it another game media rip-off & Nintendo favour-ment that Mario64 won all the awards, while Tomb Raider was pretty much shunned, even though it was the far more revolutionary game for the time.
Now, I'm not a Mario hater, & I certainly also enjoyed Mario64.......But, there were games of that era that deserved FAR more credit than they got, & were of an equal quality in terms of gameplay, level design & such as Mario64, & in some areas, betters Mario64 in a huge way.....some eg's would be storyline, level design, artstyle & also seemless gameplay style transitions. Some direct name drops would be Medievil, Syphon Filter, Driver, Wipeout2097, & the list goes on, & even though I'm mentioning games outside of Mario's genre, I am simply mentioning these for overall quality & like Mario64, being the highest in quality for there respective genres.
The fact is, Mario64 stood atop of the heap, & there was plenty of competition within the platformer genre in the PS, Saturn N64 era.
Mario Galaxy 1 & 2, whilst great, is not groundbreaking like Mario64 was for the time.....I couldn't stand to look at Mario64 these days, as it would be uglier than seeing my mother-in-law, laying naked in MY bed, with her thunderous thighs parted, exposing her wild jungle-esque, untamed pubes at me, along with her cave like entance, with her meaty flaps doing gliding movements like a manta ray, & her signalling at me with her pube & mother in-law mickey juice cover index finger to come hether. Ok, maybe Mario64 wouldn't be quite that horrible, but you get the point.
I have learnt that only Galaga, Frogger & Pacman hold up to nostalgia, so Mario64, not even being anywhere near the top of my faves for that gen, holds no favoratism for me.....In fact, I wish Mario Galaxy was as revolutionary as either Mario64, Tomb Raider, Syphon Filter, MGS, Wipeout, Driver & many more were for there time......but fact is, they were nowhere near that level.....and not just because of everyones 1st impression of these games & any, in the visuals, but just in the whole production & package.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

LOL (for real), that comparison was ridiculous :).

Maybe it is nostalgia but Mario 64 was an amazing, groundbreaking game. It showed everyone how 3D should be done. The other games you mentioned were also great but I certainly didn't put as much time into beating them again and again like I did Mario 64. Those games still got plenty of recognition though, as seen from the many sequels most of them had. Tomb Raider even got two Hollywood movies made when Mario just got the one, I say slightly tongue in cheek.

[wiiulee]

why would nintendo need a new system....pretty and shinier pixels is not what matters to them, its about innovation and interaction for them ...so they are all set to usher in the next generation...haters dnt understand that concept so they come up with silly articles like these....

[andreborges73]

I don't have the consele,but i wiss that at least is possibel to play better games, like call of duty, assassin creed, etc.
With wii u is a better consele to compite with xbox and ps3 than wii 1. wii 1 was a good mobile consele, but has lack of graphics and doesn't has a good network sistem, and because of this things nintendo lost repotation, and many new games doesn't come out on wii and for a gamer is a lost of money

[Yodagamer]

I was watching youtube videos of rayman legends, the difference between origins and that game is way big. It looks far better with more lighting effects, texture resolution, etc. The wii u is rendering this twice and looks better than what i consider the prettiest game of this generation. The wii u has alot of power in it. Nintendo did a good job making it efficient like they have done since the gamecube.

[mshope10]

I can't wait for the next PlayStation and Xbox so yinz can see even with better hardware there game will only look a little better then what's out know.

only the most hardcore will notice so Wii U will be fine.

that's why the next Xbox and PlayStation will both have some kind of gimmick.not saying its a bad thing.but sense the only things getting better will be AI and bigger game world's nintendo can relax.the target for Sony and Microsoft is to run games 1080p 60 frames a second for there next machines. so if you think it's going to be a huge difference good for you.

[danitanzo]

If they did that I wouldn't buy another game console ever... from any company because I wouldn't want something like that to happen again

[rapidturtle]

Wii U sold out? I can get it in every store that I have been in the last 2 weeks. Best Buy had stacks of them, and Walmart also had quite a few. This was on a Saturday afternoon.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

In 5 years Nintendo will probably drop a new System- If PS4 and 720 go 8 to 10 years THEN, Nintendo gains a slight advantage.

BUT I am pretty sure Nintendo does not really care about releasing a Graphics-Beast.

Truth is:
I'll be wherever Samus and Link are, even if the Next Nintendo System is 8 bit. (Does not mean I won't buy a used 720 though ;P)

[strigoi814]

i think they would have a hard time to do and introduce a new console..coz they already did spend some money on production of wii-mini and the wii-u..and wii u is not that attractive to 3rd party developers so making a new one would just make developers pissed..

.and i really do believe the wii-mini was really set to release this year to attract more parents but they stopped the production and focus on wii-u..and release the wii-mini Canada exclusive coz they want to sell it out and get rid of it this boxing day..

[Batzi]

This article is pointless. The same could have been said about the Wii when we find out how much more powerful the PS3 and 360 were and yet the Wii outsold both consoles. It's not about the graphics. Gameplay > Graphics anytime.

[landog]

I think it is far too soon to judge the wii u!

People have short memories, remember what games looked like in 2005 for the 360 at launch? Here's one;

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos...

yes, thats a 360 launch title, not much better than ps2 games, and truthfully god of war 2 on ps2 looks better

the wii u, has 4x the ram of ps3/360 and a better gpu, I imagine given time, we will see games on it that far surpass ps3/360 games

that being said i would be lying if i said i was not somewhat disappointed with the look of most wii u games, but i truly believe that within the year we will see some AMAZING games on it

also, ps4 and nextbox will come out in less than a year, and they will be more powerful than the wii u, but not by a ton, if you are totally serious about having the best cutting edge visuals, it may be time to look into a gaming pc!

[KrisButtar]

"the wii u, has 4x the ram of ps3/360 and a better gpu, I imagine given time, we will see games on it that far surpass ps3/360 games"

i agree with that 100%, the thing that worries me about the wii u is if its not the lead platform for the next gen games it will keep getting crappy ports like it is now with last gen games

[RGB]

Way to many people defending the Wii U! I'll buy one eventually, when decent games are released but the console is a complete joke. As us English would say, "A complete shower."

Watch this genuine review by famous YouTuber Ashens;
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

The system is slow, loading takes longer than 6 year old tech and online services are really primitive. :/

Nintendo fans will smashed this comment with disagrees but you can't be ignorant to objective facts! Watch the review! Several times in the video the system completely bogs down to countable frames. Exclusives games do nothing special, do nothing to advert the console as next gen. Games like; Nintendo Land and SMBU could of been done on Wii (minus resolution) and the Wii is simply an over-clocked Gamecube. After seeing ZombiU being played, the game isn't a looker at all and even worse is the 6th generation style animations that would barely pass for PSN/XBLA games today.

Ashens at one point had to update the YouTube app which had taken over 4 minutes to download. The PS3 app is only 22MB and the Vita even less. They didn't take 4 minutes for me to download and my broadband could be classed as ghetto broadband. When he finally downloaded the app, it took over 20 seconds to launch and was embarrassing compared to others versions on other consoles.

Closing games and apps just shows how terrible Nintendo has designed/manufactured this system. The PS3 takes 5-10 seconds to close games and most apps, some apps take seconds. The Vita takes literally a second on everything, just one swipe and you close anything on the device. The Wii U clocked in an average of 25 seconds per game/app closure. That's ridiculous considering the Wii U has 4 times the RAM of the PS3 and 2.5 times the RAM of the Vita. The PS3 is 6 years older and operates quicker with less memory on every essential task.

Nintendo have totally dropped the ball technically and the original Wii should have focused more with online services. It looked just as primitive and as bare as the PSN at PS3 launch and this is 2012 people, nearly 2013! Wii U is going to be even further behind online wise next year when Microsoft and Sony release their next systems.

Disagree all you want; I own a SNES, N64 and NGC. I only gamed on Nintendo until the mid 2000s and *then I realised what I wanted was* new game experiences. The family owns a Wii but it's never played. It's got about 15 hours out of Wii. 1 RPG has got about 20x that on PS3. Approximately 297 hours of gaming time!

*-* indicate edit.

[MasterCratosKong66]

so what games did you play on it?

[brother_zero]

Nintendo will release a new console in 2017. At that point the PS4 and Xbox 3 will be 4 years old and nowhere near replacement, so Nintendo will actually get to have the "best graphics" machine finally for a few years. Until then their fortunes rest entirely on the Wii U for better or worse.

[Orionsangel]

This article is pretty ridiculous. All Nintendo has to is release an impressive Super Mario, Zelda and Metroid game on the Wii U and it'll sell like hot cakes. It's what Nintendo does with every console. Mario and Zelda are their bread and butter.

[Deku-Johnny]

Nintendo must launch a new console in 2014 because some idiots still seem to think power means everything. The Wii U will easily last until 2017.

[SIANSLOW]

Can't believe people get paid to write crap like this, i can't wait for sony to release another extremely expensive console because it will be their last

[Picnic]

The problem with the WiiU is that they didn't call it the Wii2. A lot of people may rightly wonder why Nintendo have, consciously or unconsciously , given the impression of hedging their bets with this name which would technically allow them to announce the Wii2 tomorrow leaving WiiU owners stranded with a dead console overnight.

It could be the first console in console history to jettison a load of potential sales (I reckoned it could have made 60-70 million) with just the choice of name.
It'll still sell more than the Dreamcast of course, it'll probably still sell more than the Gamecube and even the N64 but did they shoot themselves in the foot a bit with a mere name?

[Yangus]

This huge BS.

PsVita more powerful 3DS.

Uncharted Golden Abyss best visuals and best selling game the Vita.
Look sales:
Uncharted Golden Abyss.
0.80
Super Mario 3D Land
7 million.

Little difference. Power not everything! Ps3 best selling exklusive GT5. Ps4=GT6.
End of story.

[megamanX2]

actually resident evil revelations is the best.

[megamanX2]

"Gaming is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby but it seems like people would rather bitch and moan all day long instead. Constantly saying things like 'Vita is doomed, the Wii U sucks, Microsoft are evil, Call of Duty gamers are noobs.'"

umm call of duty gamers are noobs lol that's wht the game is made for dude. If u want a real fps that isn't $60 dlc get a pc.

"Soon as Sony, Microsoft, and Valve launch their consoles the Wii U will be the weakest and games will look like they do now while the real next gen systems move games into the future."

lol you really thing so the games that the wii u has are all ports, and when we wont till the start making games from the ground up for the wiiu.....when they do then you can talk.

[Apex13]

Here we go again.

The title alone was stupid and I for one am sick of bedroom journalists acting like they know what's what.

This convo has come up ever since the Cube flopped and now every time a machine is released that has Nintendo on it it is seen as doom. Lets not forget that they lead the current gen by a big margin even now.

I own all the machines but as a company they clearly did not get to where they are by being idiots.

Frankly I know and hope they do well just like the other companies.

[mamotte]

Basic story:

The underpowered PS1 sold like hotcakes.
The underpowered PS2 sold like hotcakes.
The underpowered Wii sold like hotcakes.
The underpowered DS sold like hotcakes.

so... what's your point again?

[Tzuno]

not gonna happen.

[Fel08]

Dumbest tip ever.

[Raoh]

I almost bought a Wii U yesterday, I have some gamestop credit so it wouldnt be much of a hit.

But I'm not a nintendo games fan. I don't care for Nintendo's core line up of mario games.

I dont care for singing.

I have a PS3 and a PC for gaming so I don't want/need ports.

That leaves me with only Zombi U......

Then what?

As for the people defending the lack of games and playing the "wait and see" game. Did you feel the same way about the PS VITA?

[djslimzz]

...I disagree completely. Nintendo Should NOT release anything before 2015. 2015 they should have a new handheld though...not a console

[peterthomas6]

It's amusing to read the differences between the comments between what's here (a bit more diverse) and what's actually on the article (all Nintendo supporters).

I'd like to preface the next comment with the fact that I love Nintendo, I love their IPs, and I love what they stand for. However I will tell you that I didn't buy a Wii U. Here's why:

As the article states, the Wii U has brought features into their system stating them as new. While yes, some of the hardware is state of the art, the Wii U has only just now caught up to speed with the PS3 and 360. If Sony and Microsoft don't launch another console and stick with these systems, I think Nintendo will be fine, but if a PS4/720 see the light of day, I'm pretty sure that won't mean good news for Nintendo. Not because they'll go under, or because anything bad will happen, but because it MAY force them to reconsider a revision of their console, which will frustrate consumers.

For those who are saying "Hey they should aim for the people who got the Wii!" Yes, the Wii was one of the hottest selling consoles in a while, but you know what? It's going to be a fool me once scenario. How many owners of the Wii are parents or older, bought it because they saw it as a novelty, and now it sits there collecting dust on their shelves. Do you really think they are going to pick up a Wii U when they saw how little use their Wii got? Even for me, after the titles that I wanted were picked up, my library of Wii games are not games I'd imagine small children or adults/grandparents to play, and the majority of the use of my Wii is done through the Virtual Console (which I have verified that most Wii owners don't even know exists, or how to access).

I don't like Microsoft and Sony any more than anyone else. I think that this 'console war' is too business oriented, and less about us as gamers, and there is too much technology forced down our throats (I'm looking at you, Sony). In a perfect world, I want all of the consoles to make it out okay because each of them are advantageous in their own ways. Do I think Nintendo has to be worried? No. Not at all. They've made it through worse times. Do I think they maybe should have thought things through a little more? With a controller that they brag can play games instead of the TV, but has to be in close proximity of the console and only lasts about 2 hours off the charger, I'd say absolutely. I love Nintendo for the innovation, creativity and desire to stay away from where gaming is ultimately heading, but stop giving me stuff I don't need, and start giving me what I want: a gaming console.

[LtFaku]

I don't like it, but I think that the Wii U is going to sell very good, but in the following years, when a new Zelda or a Metroid game come out. The lauching line up was lame, thats all, at least, thats the way I see it.

[JadedXGamer]

Wii U, what a failure of a console. With arguably the worst launch of any ever:

- 1GB day one firmware update via slow servers.
- Individual updates for every single game so they can access Miiverse.
- Slow, laggy operating system menus.
- Almost if not every 360/PS3 port has inferior visuals and/or performance to their current gen counterparts.
- GamePad and pro controllers unusable for character control in NSMBU multiplayer.
- Crashes/freezes.
- User accidentally accesses debug version of main menu.
- Another user accidentally access admin control of Miiverse, reading messages from one of the Miiverse creators/programmers.
- Nintendo IDs tied to systems, no option to transfer yet.
- Audio/video tied to HDMI or component, no option for one on either.
- TV remote control does not work with receivers. Therefore if you wish to use surround sound via HDMI, you have no TV GamePad control.

Most unbelievably mangled console launch in history.

[Smokingunz]

What a dumb article! Really!. Fire this A-hole of a writer

[LAWSON72]

Man, console fanboys make my day. They go on about pc hardware like they know what their talking about.

[TruthbeTold]

What is with these idiotic, garbage articles, and why do they continue to be approved, and become the top story here at N4G? (Rhetorical question of course, but think about it)

Crap needs to end.

[wiiulee]

clowns have idea what they are talking about..wiiu is here to last 5 years plus because no other systems will go beyond 1080p...and wiiu games will look great....should sony have release the playstation2 2 years after releasing ps1 since it was the weaker system...or the playstation 3 two years after ps2.....gaming is about innovation and games and the wiiu delivers that in spades...haters and clowns keep hating.

[arbitor365]

its a little late for that. its not really a realistic option. i dont think that will happen.

Once again, nintendo and their fans are just going to have to deal with an underpowered gimmick console, bereft of third party multiplat support for the next generation. simple as that.

sony, microsoft, and valve dont even see the wii u as competition. they act like it doesnt exist. and so do third party devs, which is why pretty much none of them want to develop for it.

the only people still laboring under the delusion that the wii u is a true next gen console are the die-hard, fanatic nintendo fanboys. thats it. the wii u is a joke. and it becomes more apparent every day.

[TruthbeTold]

Nope.

The people who see the Wii U as a next Generation console are people who deal in reality. The reality that Consoles do not lead the way when it comes to graphics, physics, etc, but do lead the way in unique, in depth gaming experiences.

The people who don't are immature fanboys who could never see themselves buying a console that isn't from their favorite brand, console gamers who can't afford to buy top of the line gaming PC's but still want to act as though they are 'graphics elitists', people too poor to afford all gaming platforms who then feel the need to belittle that which they don't get because it isn't their top choice, and finally, those who take it upon themselves to try and drum up business for their favorite gaming company and dissuade others from buying other products (as if their pathetic, half a drop in a single bucket of water attempts are anything but annoying, disrespectful, and meaningless).

[arbitor365]

prepare yourself for 6 years of disappointment, bitterness, and indignation, waiting for that "next gen" wii u experience.

hell, I bet it will be 2 or 3 years before the wii u gets anything that even looks as good as uncharted 3 or gears 3.

i find this whole debacle quite humorous. people ask me

"are you looking forward to next gen?"

and, as a joke, I tell them with a serious face

"its already here. its called the wii u"

and they laugh, every time. the wii u is a joke.

[slixshot]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH *catches breath* HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH Man, some gaming websites have the worst opinions and articles.

[Phil32]

Articles like this are why Nintendo has basically stopped giving a damn about the Western press and have gone over their heads via Nintendo Direct presentations.

[khowat]

Okay, for everyone who believes that graphics are what makes a console great and that a weak console is "rubbish"; take out your smartphone if you have one. Did you buy it for the graphics? Of course, graphics help us make more powerful applications and help us do get more done but they are not the main reason for buying a phone. Sure a console with better graphics can handle better games and we can do more interesting things with it including social media aspects and user generated content, but the main reason for buying a console is for the games. When people debated over the PS3 and the 360 it wasn't about graphics it was about other things. Yes, graphics are nice but a good game is still a good game no matter what it looks like. It sounds like you all think that the WII U looks like Pong and the future 720 and PS4 look like a gaming rig running an intel core i7 black edition and a nvidia quadro 6000. The difference between the wii u and the PS4, Steambox, 720 whatever will be noticeable but not ground breaking. We buy consoles for the games guys, for the gmes

[Jag-T1000]

Who do you think they are? Apple?

[shuuwai]

Here's my two cent.

1. The games that I want are both on xbox360 and PS3, so why am I buying the Wii U?

2. I'm old school, and holding a tablet for over 2hr+ isn't fun.

PS3/xbox360 Gamepad = 0.66 lb

Wii U Gamepad = 1.1 lb

3. I'm not a funboy, I will buy the Wii U one day. When monster hunter or new a Zelda come out, the wii be 50.00+ less, a smarter buyer.

I have every system, but the wii u. -_-;; I even have an ipad 2. -_-;; I heard ipad 3 weight in about 1.46 lbs, too heavy.