Just Cause devs: Wii U dev kits “collecting dust,” no plans to develop for the console

Just Cause devs: Wii U dev kits “collecting dust,” no plans to develop for the console

[sherimae2413]

oh no.......-_-

[Neavan]

not gonna change anything

[socks]

It turns the WiiU into the Gamecube both 3rd party support and sales wise.

I think thats a big change from the blockbuster Wii. You dont?

[dedicatedtogamers]

EA's lack of support killed another console. SEGA made it. It was the first console launched in its generation. Sound familiar?

[loulou]

dedicatedtogamers

very true. everyone else will follow suit if ea have refused to support the wii u.

this gen is going to be tough for nintendo

[ShinMaster]

When you say that Wii U was
"the first console launched in its generation"
don't you really mean
"the last console launched in the current generation?"

It's currently competing with the PS3 and 360 since it plays games of the same level found on PS3 and 360.
I think that's why it's not doing so well, because it's competing at the PS3/360 level, not at the PS4/Nextbox level, which is what a lot of people are waiting for later this year. That, along with its price and lack of first party games.

[BattleAxe]

Nintendo fanboys are straight up foolish. You have all kinds of developers saying that they will not be developing games for the WiiU, the sales numbers are poor, Iwata takes control of Nintendo of America out of desperation, and Nintendo is not having a big E3 conference this year.

If you people don't see that the writing is on the wall, then I guess its going to take Nintendo dropping out of the home console market for you guys to understand the gravity of the situation. I think Nintendo could pull out of home consoles within 2 years.

[Lior]

It only has 1GB of ram that is actually a joke when it was released in 2012, I would tell nintendo to get lost

[subtenko]

Well part of it is because of half of Nintendos fan base. The one that secretly wants things to change but when they talk with sony and M$ fans they are ok with playing the same games mostly with nothing new.

The other half doesnt care what nintendo pulls ok (mostly the kids and the casual adults who bought a wii) and just buy anything.

I kinda feel sorry for Nintendo tho, if you were in their shoes you would be sweating O_o but not me cause I like Sonys take on things more.

Sony makes great 1st party and keeps new things coming. Nintendo used to be 2nd for me but I'll make that PC gaming (again) now.

[badz149]

The Wii pretty much took the baton and sprinted while 360 was in the lead and the PS3 was practically jogging. the momentum was huge for the Wii and due to it being an SD console, games are coming from left and right non-stop although the momentum is pretty much dead now but it doesn't really matter anymore as they've sold almost 100 million of it!

the problem is, Wii U has none of the momentum left by the Wii and casual gaming has almost left the console scene for smartphones and tablets. Nintendo is not going to succeed aiming for that market thus making the core gaming experience the battleground for now and being just slightly better than the aging 360 and PS3 is really killing its chance to shine. 3rd parties are not showing enough support and even the "king of porting games" - EA is taking their hands off it and THAT is HUGE problem for Nintendo! I can't see anything other than price drop can save the Wii U now if at all and they better do it sooner rather than later as the launch of the PS4 and the next XBOX will not be very forgiving.

[thechosenone]

This is messed up.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

*Sigh.. its simple. The more Nintendo loses out on third party, the more the Wii U will...

[HammadTheBeast]

I'm surprised people still think this is fine.

The Wii U being released early was the only thing it had going for it, but Nintendo hasn't done **** to take advantage of this lead. I don't know what they're thinking, maybe people will go for Wii U when PS4 and Nextbox release?

[fr0sty]

Third parties never really supported Wii all that well either. Sure, it got some casual games here and there, or the occasional crappy port (Far Cry anyone?), but most of the blockbuster games didn't see a worthy port come to Wii. This only continues that trend. Developers do not want to have to scale down their games so a weak system can play them also. That costs them money in order to pay their programmers and artists to do these things, and when the Wii U has a Wiik install base, they is not a risk that is worth taking to them.

I called this 2 E3's ago when they announced Wii U.

[kupomogli]

"Wiik."

I see what you did there.

[princejb134]

Idk what your talking about
Wii had a bunch of great games that were released exclusive to the wiiLike the tales of symphonic game or xenoblade
There were a few other third party games that were released exclusive to wii that had poor sales but the game were excellent in quality

[showtimefolks]

in a way i am happy that Nintendo is being treated like this. They have been the Royal child of the gaming Industry who could do nothing wrong and get away with making the same gaming franchises that Nintendo fans get so excited for but when MS or Sony make one too many sequels its milking their IP's

so its ok for one company to make countless sequels and prequels but not for another to make 4 games into a series

all the core nintendo fana who are so happy with Gamepad now is the time to admit that it was a huge mistake. Nintendo wanted to Target core fans with its HD console but wanted the Mobile crowd with gamepad which resembled Ipad but in the end they get both wrong

people who have Ipads don't buy $50-60 dollar games their range is $5-10. and core fans like me are not buying wiiu because its not next gen console. go ahead disagree all you want all the major new engines don't support wiiu

all the R&D that went into making the gamepad should have gone towards making the actual system specs better and more next gen. Wiiu specs are on par with current systems and i don't know if Nintendo knows but people are tired of this gen and ready to move on

But than again Nintendo systems haven't gotten 3rd party support since NES so maybe people will buy wii-u just to play the nintendo exclusives

lets make as many mario or zelda games as we want but oh god if there is another halo or uncharted ttan its milking the IP's stop with this hypocrisy

[linkofrs]

The Wii U's hardware capabilities are not on par with the generation of consoles that started in 2006. It has around 1.5-2X the capabilities then our current consoles and yet people down play that and condemn it to a dark corner. It may not be nearly as impressive in terms of computing power as the systems microsoft and sony have yet to release, but a console is only as good as it's software. All of these next gen consoles will have unique software due to their unique hardware, they just need time to develop it. As far as the game pad goes anyone could make some really interesting applications for it if they put their mind to it, just as anyone could make interesting software for other consoles. We need to wait for quality software to show up before we can judge anything, heck Sony and Microsoft both haven't even released their consoles yet.

[linkofrs]

Also anyone who disagrees with me should check out the alpha footage for Shadow of the Eternals

[showtimefolks]

Linkofrs

Issue is my friend 3rd party games on Nintendo home consoles don't sell. So why would a big publisher risk developing a big gaming using wiiu to its max when end result most likely means they won't make that money back

Also no matter how you or anyone else spin it games on ps4 and next Xbox will look a lot better an more detailed than current systems and that means wiiu

When most next gen engines aren't compatible with wiiu that should tell you all you need to know. Also you said anyone can make cool applications for gamepad but is that why people need to buy a wiiu or any console for that matter to play a cool application? Also keep word being if and who will be funding that BIG IF?

Nintendo is in a lot more trouble than people think. I am about to be 30 been playing games since I was 6, this isn't gonna pan out for Nintendo.

We can say whatever we want about patcher but one thing he was rig about was WIIHD should have happened in 2010. Now Nintendo is stuck in the middle again and publishers will have consoles which are designed to take advantage of their engines and have proven track records when it comes to selling 3rd part games along with established networks

[linkofrs]

I'm sorry if seem a bit too aggressive in my wording. There is no doubt that Nintendo will have a tough time with this generation. I'm merely saying that people shouldn't count their chickens before they hatch. Anyway, this upcoming generation of consoles should be able to support any of the upcoming game engines. The game engines currently being developed will most likely be very scalable. It is also very true that the next playstation and xbox will have more visually appealing games. In the end the biggest challenge for nintendo will be attracting 3rd party developers and they do have a very high likely hood of not being able to do that. I'm merely just trying to say that the wii u still has potential untapped. Most people are dismissive of it because there has been a major lack of software. Nintendo will probably be showing some good looking software as soon as the other developers show theirs( I hope). It does take a while to get used to new hardware which is why Sony and Microsoft haven't shown much yet. Anyway again I'm sorry if it seems like I'm singling you out, I'm just trying to ask people to be patient. =]

[Neonridr]

That's understandable, they don't feel the install base is big enough. Wait until after the holidays when Nintendo has released some of their larger 1st party games. You will see the install base quickly escalate and I think a lot of 3rd party developers will be reconsidering their plans with the Wii U.

[excaliburps]

I hope that's true for Wii U owner's sake. It's either that or the PS4 and Xbox 720 will make it obsolete...even in the eyes of devs and publishers.

[Minato-Namikaze]

The wii had a large install base but that didnt seem to help 3rd party devs much. Nintendo fans seem to be locked into buying nintendo 1st party games and very little else.

[Neonridr]

somewhat true, but that is because in this day and age it isn't uncommon to see someone with multiple gaming systems. I had a Wii for all the first party games, but usually did all my multiplayer gaming on my 360 due to the larger userbase of Xbox Live.

[jcnba28]

That was only because the Wii wasn't a HD console.

[Talamak]

I don't see Nintendo's holiday season doing so abundantly well with the next gen Playstation and XBox driving potential purchasers away...hell, with last holiday season, Wii U sales have not fared well against current systems, so what's going to change?

[ceedubya9]

I'm sure that some of Nintendo's upcoming 1st party games will help. Heck, I've been holding off buying one for a couple of reasons, one being that most of the games that I want to play for it are yet to be released.

It also needs a serious price drop. It is difficult justify buying a console that seems to be only marginally better than other HD platforms that are out right now, and it looks to be completely outmatched by Sony and Microsoft's new consoles that should be releasing by year's end.

I know that I still want one, but unless I come upon some extra cash that I just don't need, then I can't see myself getting one anytime in the immediate future with PS4/New Xbox on the horizon. The Wii U is a good idea that really should have happened years ago.

[cleft5]

Yeah they can wait until the install base is much bigger and no one cares about a game from them.

[jony_dols]

@Neonridr: Do you actually believe that?
2013 was supposed to be the year for Wii U to clear up in sales. They were the only 'next-gen' console on the market & since the initial success at launch, sales have been pretty abysmal.

This was a massive year for 3rd parties; games like Bioshock, GTA, Tomb Raider, Crysis & MGS, all deciding to pass on the U. Even it's biggest 3rd party publisher, Ubisoft, have started to edge away from the console.

Unless Ninty pulls something serious out of the bag before Sony & MS's unveilings at E3, then it won't recoverable come 2014...

[gta2800]

Expect a huge price drop this holiday season. It's the only way Nintendo can really compete when the PS4 and 720 drop.

[NYC_Gamer]

Wii U can't catch any breaks

[Blackdeath_663]

so true, so many negative remarks and snubs from devs and consumers alike. i don't think the release of the ps4 will help either and after that the next xbox it will be sometime before nintendo can start to make amends keeping in mind they won't show up at E3.

[Kamikaze135]

I bought my Wii U for first party titles. I knew it wouldn't get much third party support.

[socks]

Then you really bought the next gen Gamecube. just 6 years late. Pretend the Wii never happened and my metaphor holds.

Edit - *Waiting for Xenoblade2, badly.

[MEsoJD]

If all it's good for is 1st party, than why should Nintendo continue to make home consoles? Seems like it would be better if they'd go third party.

[Kamikaze135]

Because their consoles and handhelds sell like crack after they release a few titles. They do get third party support, but very little of it compared to the other consoles and PC.

[MEsoJD]

@Kamikaze135

But, third party support, hardware(power) play a major role in longevity/support, and services. Nintendo isn't doing well in these areas compared to the competition. I like their games, but I can really live without the hardware.

[truechainz]

because it will never happen. Not because it isnt logical, but because of pride, and especially specific cultural differences in their business. It would be a sad day for gaming, but if nintendo went third party I would buy their games all the same because I already buy all consoles. However I think an important thing to watch is the joining of the console and handheld departments. Nintendo knows they were unprepared in a number of areas where they should have been prepared and are paying for it now. However they are taking steps to make a change, and I can only hope that they are taking notes to learn from things they did wrong. I don't mean they are gonna drop the wii u cuz that would make things worse. They are putting better focus and preparation in the next console though so we will see if it pays off

[izumo_lee]

Ummm Wow...that's pretty up front about that. So the Wii & Wii U are actually the same no matter what Nintendo says. They both have little to no 3rd party support.

It is kinda sad. Sometimes Nintendo living in your own little bubble is not good for you, coming out of it once in awhile will actually do some good.

[MilkMan]

I'm confused.
Some devs love it, others cant be bothered. Some say its under powered, some say its very capable IF you take time to understand its mechanics.
Crytek said the WiiU cant handle its engine, but Shadow of the Eternals which uses the Crytek engine will be available for WiiU.

EA ain't releasing jack sh!t for the WiiU (or 3DS) but they have strong ties with them.

So WTF is going on here?!
Even Iwata said the kit was capable to run any new games.

Nintendo needs to clarify things and stay on top of this.

[Neonridr]

Crytek never said that the Wii U couldn't handle it's engine. They said they had Crysis 3 up and running on the system, but due to EA, they had no plans of releasing it.

http://www.computerandvideo...

EA claims that Frostbite 3 won't work on the Wii U, but yet somehow it will run on the 360 and PS3. Personally I think it's developers being lazy and not taking the time to understand the hardware, plus the install base is so low at this point that there's no real benefit for a company to release a Wii U game unless they know for sure it will be a smash success.

[MilkMan]

You're right about Crytek.
and I have said before if they took the time to understand the tech any game could work on the WiiU. This is frustrating as hell.

[ziratul]

What you don't understand??? They are not lazy, they just don't like throwing money through window for fun.

Developing Wii U Games is now much harder and expensive than nextgen ps4/xbox720 and it's almost impossible to earn $$$ on Wii U games.

[a_bro]

"Personally I think it's developers being lazy and not taking the time to understand the hardware"

i find that impossible, seeing that the thing is simple to develop for.

[brave27heart]

Until the install base hits 10m plus, developers arent going to risk spending money on porting a game to a system where sales are going to be hard to come by. It needs three solid first party games to get the install base up to a point where developers will take those risks, but it'll never be a console that keeps pace sales wise with the next gen consoles. Just too many poor decisions at the design stage.

[truechainz]

I don't think it is the devs. I think it is the companies that make the call. Most of the things I read from these devs say they like the Wii U, but can't make games for it because the install base is small. I think many devs embrace the challenge of finding uses for the gamepad as well. Any good dev would want their work to reach as many gamers as possible, but when company heads like the ones at EA cockblock that desire due to business relations, that doesn't happen. Gaming will go on regardless, but I would enjoy gaming a lot more if we didn't have bullshit like this happening all the time.

[joeorc]

CPU
IBM Power®-based multi-core microprocessor

IBM has revealed it to be a 45nm chip, with embedded DRAM. Additionally, the CPU is based on the same chip that is used in the Watson supercomputer, implying it is a Power7 model. (Source: Kotaku)
A hacker know as Hector Martin said that the CPU clocks in at about 1.23 GHZ.

Add in : the fact that there is 1 GB to work with when both the next Xbox and PS4 have 8 GB's along with the PC!

RAM
The Wii U has 2GB of RAM. 1GB of RAM is allocated to system functions. Examples of system functions include TVii and Mii-verse. The other 1GB is allocated for games.

http://www.ign.com/wikis/wi...

now that's no slouch of a PROCESSOR, THE PROBLEM IS THE BANDWIDTH!

JUST TO IN AND OUT OF

iO is 17 GB/sec with 11 GB/sec being the middle ground in other word's half of the xbox360's and lower than the PS3's 35 GB/sec to iO.

this is not something you can just up and ignore the game engine may require Much higher Clock data throughput.

thus the WiiU has a very kick @ss GPU but the other part's makes it exceedingly difficult to spend the money required to make use of a game engine built from the ground up to take advantage of the WiiU's robust hardware. this was in effect what happened to the PS3, powerful hardware but all the game engines were not designed for such hardware from the get Go. Thus right off the Bat, Nintendo is using Power PC chipset's while Sony and Also rumored Microsoft is using x86, if indeed Microsoft does use x86 than that would make the Nintendo platform the odd man out with 3rd party Game engine's.

[yewles1]

Wii U CPU is NOT Power7, IBM corrected that assumption.

https://mobile.twitter.com/...

It was discovered to be a triple core version of the Wii and Gamecube's CPU.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

Also, research has led to constant speculation over the Wii U's GPU. IGN's info is incorrect.

[extermin8or]

What I don't get is why nintendo doesn't reveal this info... what is there to hide? other than clearly inferiority to what you could buy dirt cheap for a pc-only thing it has going for it is the gamepad but even that is more gimmick than useful gaming device- and without the games to support it...

[joeorc]

Thanks for the links, it still is a power pc chip. So it still does put 3rd party in the base point that Microsoft and Sony are using x86 while Nintendo is still using
power chipset

http://www-03.ibm.com/press...

See it still is a power chipset. Though as you stated its not power 7 ign needs to change that..lol

[maddfoxx]

And remember, the WiiU also wont be running the Unreal 4 engine. So many developers used the unreal engine this gen, I dont think things will change when next gen consoles are released.

[josephayal]

I think Nintendo needs to launch a new console in 2013

[InTheLab]

Lol. How about a price drop of about $120. It saved the 3DS...

[LordHiggens]

True I'd consider it if it were 199.99

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

150$ is a justifiable price.

[Jek_Porkins]

The title of this article is a bit misleading, basically he's saying the install base right now is too risky for them to release a game for the console at this time, but that they want to at some point.

[Talamak]

What's misleading about the title? Just like peoples Wii's, the Wii U (development kits) are collecting dust....it's a shame honestly but nonetheless the truth for now

[Jek_Porkins]

It's misleading because it isn't collecting dust because they don't like it or don't want to develop for it, there isn't the install base needed for a third party game to be really successful at the moment, and a middle of the pack developer could end up closing up shop if things turned out really bad.

He says he loves the Wii U hardware, and wants to develop for it.

[RFornillos4]

another misleading title to get hits, and flame-bait...

statement from Avalanche founder (rough translation):

"No. Not at the moment. My kids play “Skylanders Giants” on Wii U. It’s pretty much the only dealings I have with the console. We actually had some develop (dev kits) consoles that just collected dust. It’s a little sad, because we were supposed wanted to do something. I think it is a cool platform, but right now it’s not just up to us. We want the game to release an as wide as possible."

there's a difference between "no plans" and "no plans yet ("not at the moment"). they were supposed to do something and clearly their publishers are in control ("... not just up to us").

and yes, the install base issue.

[Eyeco]

Ive never understood this argument about a low install base, when the 360 was launched it was getting games and support left, right and center by this time in the wii-u lifetime, the 360 already had Ghost Reacon Advanced Warfighter and Oblivion two big AAA titles, with Gears of War and Fight Night nearing release, Similar with the ps3 aswell.

The low install base excuse Is basically devs admitting that the Wii-U is a low priority.

[maddfoxx]

WiiU has record low sales in hardware and software, so I doubt its the devs being biased toward the wiiU. At the beginning of PS3's lifespan Ninja Theory was able to sell 1.5 million copies of Heavenly Sword and it is a independent developer. I think there are only two games that sold over 1 mill on the wiiu and they are first party games. These days, selling over one million copies isn't enough to break even, so I think devs are being smart by staying away from the wiiU until the install base increases. Another difference between the wiiu and ps3/360 is that Microsoft and Sony showed off lots of exclusive content at their launch events. In the early days of the 360 we got crackdown, gears of war, and halo. The ps3 got resistance, motorstorm, and warhawk. It seems that the wiiu libary is mostly filled with ports at the moment. There are exclusives in the making, but nintendo is doing a bad job of marketing them. I still dont know what games are releasing for the system this year. I know they are making a new Zelda, but that news quickly got over shadowed by PS4 and Darango rumors. Just goes to show, that gamers are tired of the same ol' same ol'.

[stragomccloud]

3rd party companies really need to try to build relationships with Nintendo(and vice versa) and work together to create a mutually beneficial business environment.

[leahcim]

so much hate on wiiU

I don´t care.

I will buy it anyway.

XENO 2 ... AM WAITING FOR YOU MY DEAR....!

[brave27heart]

This is Nintendos problem...

"I will buy it..."

"Im still getting it..."

Lots of people saying they'll buy it, but no one actually is. Everyone has their reasons why they havent bought it yet, but the fact is that its been out several months and people dont see it as an essential purchase.

[MaxXAttaxX]

They're not even hating on it. If you actually bothered to read the article or any other article, you're realize that it isn't nonsensical hatred. Just reality.

[Talamak]

By all indications Nintendo are in trouble concerning the Wii U...I haven't seen as much negativity about a console from developers since the initial years after the launch of the PS3, what's different however is that we know the Wii U will not show promise in the future do to it's outdated tech, and with the competition being more advanced Nintendo are in a bad spot from a console manufacturing stand point (NOTE: I am not saying financially because the Big N has the money to compete but just choose not to)

[joeorc]

"what's different however is that we know the Wii U will not show promise in the future do to it's outdated tech"

I respectively disagree, not because your argument is not viable its that what Nintendo has done, with the WiiU is what plagued the PS3. the Game engines made for this generation was made to run on Power PC. the next 3RD PARTY game engines by the looks of it will be based on x86 STANDARD DUE to the fact that right off the bat we know Sony is using x86, and rumor has it Microsoft is also using x86, and we know full well the PC is x86 IS IF MICROSOFT USES X86 than that means Nintendo will be the one out of the Three that have stuck to power for this up coming Generation of systems.

Thus in effect you would need to have two game engines to make your games and most likely multiple teams, unless they are making an exclusive.

it would mainly be for 3rd party really a no real doubt about investment of their resources. this is exactly what happened to the PS3. all 3rd party Game engines though ran on the power based PC processor's that all three were using this generation, only Sony's PS3 required more tailor made tool chains to make effective use of the hardware.

Nintendo is in the same boat it looks like due to the fact:

standard PC+PS4+XBOX70 = ONE SINGLE x86 development platform.

while 3rd party development resources would have to branch for the WiiU.

WiiU = Power PC based chip.

[firelogic]

You buy a WiiU to play Nintendo games, not 3rd party. I really don't know why this is always in the news. It's been the case with the Gamecube (to a lesser extent), definitely for the Wii, DS, 3DS, and now WiiU.

People who buy Nintendo products buy them for first party games. They don't give a crap about 3rd party games because whatever 3rd party titles there are, no one buys them.

[RFornillos4]

except for 3DS. people who have 3DS are enjoying 3rd party titles too.

[Ck1x]

Japanese 3rd party support, which the WiiU doesn't really have a problem with. There really aren't a wide spread of western 3rd party titles on the 3ds either, which shows that there is a disconnect between western developers and the audience of Nintendo gamers!

[deafdani]

Er.... both the DS and 3DS have / had great 3rd party support. ALL Nintendo handhelds always did.

Don't compare Nintendo's handhelds with Nintendo's home consoles, especially in regards to third party content. They couldn't be more different in that area.

[a08andan]

The main problem I have with the Wii U is that for me, the looks has such a non-premium feeling.. Sony and Microsoft always has a premium device, but this time around, Nintendo has really screwed up.

Edit: Non-premium goes for most games out now. It is 2013, we shouldn't get games at 720p 30 fps anymore.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I don't care what Nintendo fans say...the WiiU IS in trouble.

What made the Wii successful was it was a console that specifically targeted the casual market and its games and marketing supported that.

What would have made the WiiU successful was one of 2 things. Continuing to really hammer on the casual market with simple game play mechanics that were easy to understand from a TV spot (the WiiU pad isnt casual friendly at a glance). OR creating a machine that really was going to be a technical powerhouse with what was under the hood. They did neither.

Casuals see the WiiU pad, the mixed messaging about what the system actually is. And the hardcore gaming market knows the WiiU is just a beefed up PS3/360. Couple that with absolutely NOTHING getting released out on the system week in and week out and there is little incentive for anyone to pick up a WiiU.

I am not even sure at this point price would sway more buyers. I think the biggest problem is the WiiU falls into a slot in the console space that didn't need a console and there is little incentive to make someone consider it.

[MasterCratosKong66]

"What would have made the WiiU successful was one of 2 things. Continuing to really hammer on the casual market with simple game play mechanics that were easy to understand from a TV spot (the WiiU pad isnt casual friendly at a glance). OR creating a machine that really was going to be a technical powerhouse with what was under the hood."

Creating a technical powerhouse does not ensure success. In fact the weakest console seems to continue to be the most successful. Especially in the case of Nintendo because the gamecube was stronger than ps2 and was destroyed in sales. Clearly the key to console success is not to make it as powerful as possible, because if it were then that is what everyone would do. I agree that the wii u is in trouble, but unfortunately I think your suggestions wouldn't help either.

[MuhammadJA]

No future for this console.

[GezForce]

Just wait til E3. Nintendo gonna drop the big bombs... oh wait... :S ... wtf *hears crickets*

[LAZL0-Panaflex]

Ha ha. I guess that's why johnny nintendo flipped out the other day and punched that dude in the face. "We will make a console for the hardcore gamer,...this tablet is your controller."

[RuleofOne343]

That is so straight forward & funny as hell. At least he was honest . ( For some reason this feels so Déjà vu but this time it the developer's speaking )

[Knight_Crawler]

The Wii U is in deep trouble but if Ninty can survive the Game Cube they can survive the Wii U.

I dont feel sorry for Nintendo at all becuse they has the opportunity t release a beast of a next gen console and surprise the hardcore faithfuls who were there since day one but left after the Wii.

[esemce]

They tried to get away with being cheap bastards again, skimping on the hardware tech to maximize profit, their arrogance astounds me.

Up until the Wii Nintendo consoles were quite powerful and they had good 3rd party support until the gamecube.

They should of made a future proof console last year or waited till this year and released with similar specs to the PS4.

I don't think that people are glad that the WiiU is failing but are just annoyed at Ninty for letting us core gamers AND fans down AGAIN!

[My_Name_BTW_Is_Dante]

In that case all consoles are gathering dust to them because they haven't released a game in years (unless they made a downloadable one that I don't know about).

[MasterCornholio]

You know what would be funny?

If they announce a next gen Just Cause just for the PS4, PC and the 720.

Now what would Wii U owners think about them complaining about the size of the Wii Us user base?

Motorola RAZR i

[Legend_Killer]

the moment I saw this on a certain website I knew it'll become a trend on N4G and it surely did

[HarryB]

Wii is like leapfrog. Sucks. Its ugly. Fucking lacking.

[BattleTorn]

Huh, just like my Wii U...

I'm so upset with having bought the Wii U. I really thought it would have some 3rd party support, FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR (2013), and put me over until the PS4/Xbox. But it really hasnt done anything for me, except collect dust.

People suggest games like Monster Hunters 3, which looks like a Wii/3DS game for christ sake, not NEXT GEN! (which I do consider the Wii U part of)
Xeno ain't much to look forward to either, I want some 3rd party stuff!!!

(I know I'll not get that, which is why it's listed for sale on craigslist)

Edit: just saw the Shadow of Eternal trailer, not bad..

[Myst]

Since I paid for mine I've been trying to get as much usage as possible even going so far as to use it for Netflix and Youtube ( despite having a PS3 and PC right by my computer ). One game I can kind of suggest is ZombiU just got it today and didn't know there was a mode of "One character only" mode or rather Survival mode. So far from the little bit I played seems fun.

P.S. at least the main difference for Monster Hunter on WiiU is that you can play online, on the others you cannot. Well at least on the 3DS since the Wii servers are down now I believe?

[BattleTorn]

Yeah, ZombiU was what got me to buy the console initially. It's good fun, but can get repetative.

I don't know why they shipped the game with only one melee weapon, seeing as the combat consists half of melee. How difficult could it have been to add a bat, a hammer, and a crowbar?

I dabbled with Survival Mode, it does make the game more intense, but you have to be on your A-game the entire time, and not play tired, cause your almost bound to die (once) if your not playing close attention.

[baguettesmoker]

You could play Monster Hunter Tri online on the original wii. I remember the community there being one of the friendliest I've ever seen in an online game.

Monster Hunter fans are super nice.

[Myst]

Yeah I dabbled in a bit of survival today and well I can definitely see that mode isn't for me until I beat the game. Since enemy locations do not change from what I've noticed. I really wish they would have added another weapon like a bat or something giving some statics to the game of power or speed in terms of the weapons you use. Though being first of it's kind in a way can give it some leeway I just hope they will improve on the second if such a thing will come about.

[2pacalypsenow]

thinks of the " Has The Wii U already won the next gen?" articles and laugh

[wantonGamer]

Wii ? No U

[DivineAssault]

Damn.. Thats pretty blunt.. 3rd party games being plentiful on there is slim to none.. A harsh reality that nintendo fans need to deal with..

[Eyeco]

Its just a waterfall of bad news for this console

[Adnan_rules]

Just be patient....watch Nintendo come back, just like they did with the 3DS

[LOL_WUT]

With a price drop? Let's hope for that because at this point anything would really help out. ;)

[Minato-Namikaze]

Price drop incoming then?

[Qrphe]

Nintendo dominated the handheld market before, during and after the 3DS came out. The Wii U will most likely suffer the fate of the N64/GC/Wii as far as 3rd party support.

[fossilfern]

Ill be picking one up for when the WindWaker remake comes out but Nintendo really need to get these 3rd parties on board but with the PS4 and the next Xbox coming out Its going to be an uphill battle.

[Relientk77]

I'm assuming then, they want to develop for PS4 and Xbox Fusion

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Yeah, I'm starting to believe Nintendo really fucked themselves this time. All lot of recent news saying the Wii U isn't powerful and have no plans to develop games is just bad.

I'm wondering how Nintendo will handle this. They will have to rely on first party games and they got to bring out a lot if there getting less third party support.

[GamerzElite]

Sale figure for Activision's Black ops 2 console wise:
XBox 360 12.09 Millions
PS3 10.08 Millions
WiiU 0.18 Millions

Now who wants to make games for WiiU.

* source vgchartz.com

[Shok]

Two 75 million+ install bases vs. a 3.5 million install base..........

Nice comparison xD

[brave27heart]

PS3 = 70 million consoles sold. 10 million Black ops 2 sold. So 1 in 7 ratio.

WiiU = 3.5 million sold. 200,000 BO2 sold. Ratio 1 in 17.

That make the maths clearer for you?

[BosSSyndrome]

@brave27heart
mm but you gotta factor in Nintendo's reputation compared to Sony's.

[brave27heart]

Agreed but its that very reputation that hurts third party games. Tomb Raider, Bioshock, Battlefield, all skipping WiiU. No Madden, possibly no GTA, the mature games are skipping WiiU. Thats an issue for Nintendo.

BUT...only if their target is a significant slice of the gaming market. Nintendo will always turn a profit, they'll always be able to sell their franchise games, if their happy with that then WiiU wont be a failure. If they were hoping for another Wii then it is. WiiU is essentially gamecube all over again. Its wasnt a huge seller, but it was certainly no flop.

[Knushwood Butt]

Maybe we should compare sales of the Wii U CoD game with the Vita's Black Ops Declassified?

[Tei777]

did anyone actually think the wii U would make a decent 3rd party box? I thought it would have a few big hitter like tomb raider and gta but once the next gen systems arrived... well look at it this way. The ps3/360 have numbers, the ps4/720 have power. the Wii U has neither :(

[Phil32]

I've pretty much surrendered the idea that Nintendo would ever get their third-party situation, especially with the West, in high gear. Nintendo consistently makes the same broken promises ("oh, we'll have third-parties on board", "oh, we won't have a drought", "oh, we won't overprice our system", etc.).

The Wii U constantly gets nothing but bad news. However, somehow I'm still enjoying my system. I know that I will not own a Wii U for third-party titles mainly. That's what a PS4 will be for (plus Sony's first-party delights). The Wii U will be a first-party box first and if a cool third-party game releases on it, I'll look into it.

Also, the person who said the Wii had only two games worth playing... Do you only play dudebro shooters or something? The Wii had great variety of genres and games, and "Nintendo games" does not count as a genre.

[sway_z]

I can't understand why it's surprising to some. Since the Gamecube, Nintendo has repeated the same business model every generation.

Weak third party relations, and solely reliant on their own IP's to sell yesterdays technology to the die hard and curious.

How is it Nintendo are so successful with handhelds, but not with consoles?

[Hypochondria9]

The Wii has the most sales of any console this gen how is that not successful. It also has a lot of good games on it, despite what some people seem to believe.

[AKR]

Why are people freaking out over this?

A.) This is ONE developer.
B.) They said it's because the system "has a small install base." So that means that when the Wii U's sales pick up, then we could see them start developing.
C.) The Wii U already has a nice sleuth of confirmed games coming:

- Rayman Legends
- Project CARS
- The Wonderful 101
- Bayonetta 2
- Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Batman Arkham Origins
- Deus EX: Human Revolution
- Watch_DOGS
- Shadow of the Eternals
- New 3D Mario
- New 3D Mario Kart
- Smash Bros. 4
- Wind Waker HD
- Yarn Yoshi
- . . . (New Announcements)
- A plethora of indie games.

~ Keep calm and wait. It isn't the end of the world.

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

look out for further cancellation of those mentioned 3rd party games

[weekev15]

Theres also
splinter cell
Resident evil
Wii fit u
Wii party
Game and wario
Xenoblade 2
New zelda
Pikmin 3
Disney infinity
Skylanders

Whilst a lot of these are casual titles, they will still help with sales. Also the dev wasnt comaining about wiiu being underpowered or actually giving anh hate, just being sensible in that no point making a wiiu game until the install base is bigger. However if it takes 2 years to make a decent game, the wiiu install base will be fine by the time they release just cause u if they wanna start making it now.

[RockmanII7]

I don't see why this is a surprise, the WiiU is following the same exact path as the Wii except the WiiU has a less interesting gimmick.

[AKR]

I don't see how Wii U is following the path of it's predecessor. In all honesty, it seems to be less casual-friendly than the Wii - which was pretty much the heart of the Wii's success ~ the causal market.

With the Wii U, it seems Nintendo wants to either strike a balance between "hardcore" and "casual" or just go mostly for "hardcore" entirely.

[DomceM]

Nintendo is going after HARDCORE market with old ass hardware and 1 GB of ram?

Lol no.

[Cyfyxtfg]

LOL

[BludoDaSmelly]

I agree with that. Nintendo didn't bother with a hard drive, online is so-so.

[BitbyDeath]

Hopefully Nintendo will learn from this and nextgen compete specwise with the PS5 and Xbox 1080

[CBaoth]

If you look at Nintendo's console cycles in NA, traditionally they'll release a new console either 5 or 6 years depending on the former's success:

NES - Oct/85
SNES - Aug/91
N64 - Sept/96
GC - Nov/01
Wii - Nov/06
WiiU - Nov/12

IMO while we don't know what CAN happen, it looks unlikely the WiiU will sell as much as the Wii & NES did. That will facilitate their next jump in 2017, squarely in the middle of both PS4 and nXbox's lifecycles. I expect the upcoming gen to last as long as this expiring one.

[truechainz]

because that worked out so well for them before...

[Plagasx]

All signs point to another Gamecube.

Just accept it.

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

even worse, gamecube was atleast decent

what a joke Nintendo has become, its irrelevant. They should drop out of home console business, they got no chance

[AKR]

Which is exactly why the Wii ~ which mind you, as MUCH less powerful than it's competition, than the Wii U is with the 720 & PS4, failed right?

Oh yeah . . . that's right.

Let me put it this way, good sir. Nintendo has bucks. Even if the Wii U DOES flop (it's too early to say it has - because if that's the case, 3DS and PS3 shouldn't be where they are now) - Nintendo has enough money to go through at least 2 or 3 more home console flops. It should be SONY you keep an eye on. THEY'RE the ones who are hurting the most, when it comes down to finances. No matter how great the PS4 is - if it doesn't sell well enough, eventually Sony's gaming division will have to cease.

[Hypochondria9]

I could frankly care less about how well the console does in sales it is Nintendo they have so many amazing franchises they can bust out. Mario, Zelda, DK, Kirby, Metroid, Pikmin, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, Yoshi's Island, Punch out, Paper Mario. Also if they made another Xenoblade and Eternal Darkness that would be amazing. I said it years ago, Eternal Darkness with the Wii heart monitor would be the best survival horror game ever. Also Monster Hunter on the Wii U looks amazing.

Seriously the dreamcast failed in sales but can you honestly say it didn't have good games, because it had enough to make it worth the price tag. Same thing with a gamecube, the PS3 also took a long time to get rolling but once it did it probably has the best library of games this gen.

[Hicken]

... if sales tank, you won't be GETTING any of those games. So you need to care at least a LITTLE bit.

The Dreamcast didn't just fail in sales. It failed ENTIRELY in the market. One of my favorite games of all time, Grandia 2, is on the Dreamcast, but it's a very small success if the system has a few great games and doesn't even survive until the end of its generation.

The Wii U, if Nintendo does nothing, is slated to go down the same road. I HOPE it sees the sales of the Gamecube, because with third parties not looking very interested and current sales not nearly where they need to be, even that would be a success, at this point.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Well said bub+

[Allowen]

For the start Nintendo should have choosed other name rather instead WiiU.

I don t think a PS4 would sell much if it was called PS3-U .Consumers would think it was some thing like an add on such 32X from Sega s Genesis console.

[ufo8mycat]

TIme for Nintendo to quit making casual consoles. The Wii was a one off. Casuals have moved on to iPhones,iPads etc for their casual games.

Maybe they should pull a SEGA and just start making games for other platforms.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

Seriously all this proves is that the Wii itself was a fad item. the ONLY reason it sold so well was because it was the new hot "tickle me elmo". people that were not and still are not gamers bought it up played with it for a week and then stuffed it into the closet pulling it out on occasion.

if it wasnt for all those non gamers buying it just cause everyone of their yuppy friends had one then we wouldnt even be talking about it right now.

[josh50187]

LOL @ people defending a dieing breed

[supremacy]

@Knushwood Butt

WHy dont we?

According to the same source, call of duty black ops declassified stands at 0.70m and the sad thing is that game really sucks in comparison.

[AKR]

This is a very contreversial excuse that Avalanche is giving. I can see where these guys are coming from - They simply don't want to spend a plethora of cash on a system with a very little amount of users. That's understandable,since money is hard to come by these days. BUT ~ by forefitting to make games for the Wii U isn't doing ANYTHING to help increase that small install base.

It's a circular trap. Software sells hardware.

~ No hardware sales = No software.
~ No software = No hardware sales.

See how that goes? Someone needs to break that trap - which in this case, is Nintendo's duty. They do plan to revive the Wii U from the Summer on-ward, starting with the release of Pikmin 3. By the end of the year, the Wii U should have at least 6 million+ units sold (from since release) - hopefully.

At the end of the day ~ It really isn't the end of the world. All consoles go through this "infancy drought" stage, but they pick up eventually. You don't have to look to far back in history to see that. Just look at PS3 and 3DS. Both were "too expensive" at the time, and didn't have any games worth playing. That's exactly how most feel about the Wii U. So, both of their owners decided to drop the price a bit, and they released a few quality titles and BOOM. Now look at them? 3DS and PS3 are dominating the charts right now.

The Wii U could see a similar future. Once Nintendo gives it that push, it's release schedule could be like the 3DS - Heavily saturated.

It's not the end of the world, people . . .

[Kingthrash360]

ouch.

[sephx22]

I looks like devs want a more powerful console from nintendo to run there next gen engines on. If nintendo releases a new model of the wii u with better specs devs would be satisfied.

[kingPoS]

Oh man I'm having flashbacks of the Saturn & Dreamcast. I really don't want to another of the original's to fall. It's like Nintendo's greatest strength is becoming it's own weakness.

It's got great 1st party games. But at the same time if things keep escalating rapidly, they'll only great first party games to support them.

It's a deadly catch 22 and I'm sure how they'll get out of it if things continue as they are.

[TheSaint]

Maybe they should make a next gen machine now.

[BIGBOSS08]

why wii u?

[skyrimer]

more like Wii Ouch

[skyrimer]

Hard lesson for Nintendo to learn, casual gamers are not loyal gamers, so old Wii owners don't care about the WiiU, they have their Ipads and Iphones instead by now, next time create a real hardcore gamers console, that where your fans are.

[GodsPerfectK7ng]

from a business stand point the touch controller for wii u should have came out for the wii as a accessory. the wii u should have been comparable to pc games in todays market and developers would want to develop for it. Just because CALL OF DUTY players want the same game over and over again makes you think console owners want the same console over and over again lol!!!!

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

HILARIOUS.....slap in the face if you ask me.what was nintendo thinking when they designed the wiiu?

[Drainage]

lol my wii u is collecting dust but i will only use it to play nintendo games because no trophy support. i prefer trophies for multiplats so i can collect/lvl up like an RPG

[feraldrgn]

I really hope Nintendo doesn't fade from the console market,
I won't be purchasing a WiiU though.

If they can get together a proper next gen console to compete with PS4 & 720, then I'd be glad.

Personally, I'd prefer if Microsoft just stuck to PC gaming so Nintendo & Sony can balance each other out, like it used to be.
When you have too much competition, it becomes problematic for us & for them.

[jocelot]

i just would like to ask mr iwata where is all the wii sales money???