200°

Reggie Calls Wii U A "Failure Forward" Because It Led To Switch

Reggie Fils-Aimé may no longer be the president of Nintendo, but he's forever in our hearts – and, if he keeps giving lectures on his time with the Japanese company like the one he did yesterday at Cornell University, that's going to be the case for a long time.

During the lecture, Reggie – who is now the university’s inaugural Leader in Residence – spoke about a wide range of topics, including the ill-fated Wii U.

Read Full Story >>
nintendolife.com
-Foxtrot2072d ago

They would have done the Switch regardless if the Wii U was a success or failure

septemberindecember2072d ago

Possibly, but the point is that it was the Wii U that was the stepping stone to the Switch. So regardless of whether it was a success or a failure it led to something that is a success (the Switch)

_SilverHawk_2072d ago

The failure of the Nintendo play station led to the success of 25 years of playstation domination of consoles also.

bouzebbal2072d ago

Wiiu isn't a failure you moron.. The same guy was saying absolute opposite when wiiu was around.. Nintendo killed the console.
I love wiiu, it can do much more than what switch does.
And has its proper exclusives, not ports from previous gen.

darthv722071d ago

The WiiU will go down as one of the most underappreciated (not underwhelming) systems of all time. It did so many things right but still people werent interested. For all intents and purposes... it is Nintendo's Dreamcast moment. A failed system that will be beloved as the years go by.

Welshy2072d ago (Edited 2072d ago )

@Foxtrot I think you've been misunderstood a bit. You are partially right, Nintendo were always going to need a new system anyway, the Wii U's failure merely accelerated its release.

It's just ironic that Nintendo abandoning the Wii U was seen as a stroke of genius and celebrated by Nintendo fans, personally if I'd paid for a Wii U I'd be pissed, not pleased that I suddenly had a new system to buy regardless of if it was as great as the switch or not.

As a Switch owner who skipped the Wii U I'm not so upset, but if I was made to buy a new system and rebuy the games as "Deluxe" editions at full price over again I'd be pretty salty.

King_Noctis2072d ago

The Wii U came out in 2012 and Nintendo “stopped” supporting the system in 2017. That is around 5 years, and while it doesn’t seem like much, the Wii U didn’t have a Pro version to carry it like the PS4/Xbox One. Also the Wii U had 38 exclusive games and a total of 764 games on the system, so its not like there is a shortage of game to play.

“ but if I was made to buy a new system and rebuy the games as "Deluxe" editions at full price over again I'd be pretty salty.”

So why would you rebuy those games if you had already played them or already owned them on the Wii U? This make absolutely zero sense.

Neonridr2072d ago (Edited 2072d ago )

so basically the entire first two years of the PS4/XB1 lifespan, full of re-releases and enhanced ports. Nobody is forcing any Switch owners to re-buy any games they might have owned on the Wii U. I didn't re-buy any of them, because I already played them on my Wii U.

And let's not pretend like 5 years is a short time. The PS4 received a pretty significant upgrade only 3 years into it's lifespan. While it still plays the same games, the improvements between the PS4 Pro and base PS4 are more significant than the Switch to the Wii U was in terms of tech.

BigTrain2072d ago

This right here. I'm that guy. I havent touched Nintendo since they abandoned the WiiU and didn't make the transition a sweet one in any way for existing WiiU owners. When Sega had made the same move with the 32X, Sega CD, and Sega Saturn and then came with the Dreamcast they'd pissed off their fanbase and caused their own demise. Granted, Nintendos not exactly the same as them but they're not too far off. I will skip Nintendo this generation and hopefully their next gen system, if that ever even comes will be worth the wait.

wheresmymonkey2072d ago

True, But I think it would have been called the s-Wii-ch if it had been a success.
It is is the Wii 3 in everything but name.

Neonridr2072d ago

we don't know that. They may have kept the whole console + gamepad idea and ran with that. I'm glad the Wii U failed, because it made Nintendo change things up a little. And they did. And the Switch is a great little system.

Profchaos2072d ago

The switch feels like it's everything the Wii U wanted to be. Tablet gameplay featured prominently even when it wasn't required and allowing gamers to play on the couch while the tv was occupied.

The switch is really the next step after that cutting the need for the console but keeping the gamepad

SpeedDemon2071d ago

I don't think so. The Switch was built on the same idea that the Wii U was, just that they learned from their mistakes and improved on the idea. Nintendo likes to try new things with their systems, had the Wii U been successful they wouldn't had tried the concept again and we would have something very different from the Switch.

rainslacker2071d ago (Edited 2071d ago )

Switch is basically their new portable. What exactly does it take from the WiiU to call it Nintendo learning and expanding on the WiiU idea.

The WiiU was a dual screen product that was supposed to follow the success of the 3DS. The Switch is a portable with detachable controllers and can be docked to behave as a home console.

What exactly is so similar between the Switch and the WiiU to call one a learning experience of the other? Switch isn't even built off the same idea that the successful 3DS was.

If Nintendo learned anything, it's that people in general don't care about their home consoles. Their success since the SNES has come from portables, or gimmicks. People say that people buy Nintendo systems for the games, which I agree with, but that didn't help the WiiU, because people in general, just don't care about Nintendo home consoles that much.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2071d ago
UltraNova2072d ago

Even stark failure is success in the Nintendo realm...

xX-oldboy-Xx2072d ago

My head is spinning from all his spin.

CrimsonPheonix2071d ago

it's not a spin when he's the one saying it failed.

xX-oldboy-Xx2071d ago

Spin is saying failure is a positive, Nintendo tried to convince people the WiiU was a worthwhile investment - even after many were burnt form the Wii.

PR speak mate. That's all.

Welshy2072d ago

At best you can say it maybe encouraged them to do better to avoid 2 flops in a row, but ideally you shouldn't need a crap system to force you to make a good one. Not a company with the funds and stature of Nintendo.

This bit of PR spin is probably the closest you'll ever see to official acknowledgment the Wii U was a failure in terms of home console numbers you'd expect from Nintendo.

SpeedDemon2071d ago

Is it really PR spin considering Reggie no longer works for them.

rainslacker2071d ago

It's PR for Reggie, since this talk was about trying to turn a negative into a positive. That's kind of what they do with college, and trying to promote how one can learn from failures.

Personally, I see this more like they realized that people don't care about the Nintendo home consoles, but didn't want to leave the home console market, so they marketed a portable as a home console. Yes, it's a hybrid, but the Switch isn't even an advancement of the things they built with the 3DS, the Wii, or the WiiU. It's your basic next gen portable, with some home console additions, some good games, and an attractive price point.

mastershredder2072d ago (Edited 2072d ago )

I love the speaking from Nintendo's perspective, or excuses as to why it was or was not a failure. Better yet, correcting others with fabricated bs. Wow. Kids, please stop making wild ass crap all for the sake of posting.

Show all comments (37)
60°

Hitoshi Sakimoto Celebrates 40 Years Of Game Composing With A Streaming Collection

The legendary composer celebrates forty years of game composing with a new collection.

220°

Yoshida claims PS believes Xbox is their only competitor, truth is they don’t have one any more

Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida claims PlayStation still believes Xbox is their only true competitor, not Nintendo.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
7d ago
Terry_B5d ago

True, they have pretty different audiences..and some People just have both at home or a PS and a PC that emulates more or less everything from Nintendo.

Knightofelemia5d ago

Xbox hasn't been a competitor since the XB360. Last generation and this generation Sony has been running circles around Xbox. As for Sony vs Nintendo Sony runs circles yes but I don't really see Nintendo as competition. Nintendo does their own thing and it works.

5d ago Replies(1)
Lightning775d ago

Details are important. Console sales yes. Overall games Xbox seems to be doing fairly well in that department.

LoveSpuds5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

MS were doing so well that they had to start selling their games on their main competitors system which in turn results in around 30% of each sale going to Sony as the platform holder.

I do think tjat MS' fortunes will improve now that they are actually selling games rather than giving them away for pennies on the dollar.

Something that occurs to me is that the more success MS published games have elsewhere, the more stark it will become that selling games is much more profitable than renting them. If that becomes highly noticable, I wonder what the shareholders (who ultimately run the show) will make of a service which has stagnated for years?

crazyCoconuts5d ago

PlayStation doesn't compete with third party games, they compete on consoles. They profit from third party games. If you're not comparing consoles there's no point in comparing.

drivxr5d ago

Console wars are over.

Eventually, everyone else will catch up to this fact.

attilayavuzer5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I think it's all PS fans have left at this point. Console wars were always a competition for fourth place behind Nintendo, PC and mobile. If Xbox evaporates into a hybrid virtual platform, then PS will be perennially left in last place.

Christopher5d ago

Strange, I recall all those FCC documents and witness testimonies saying the exact opposite... Guess Microsoft doesn't know what it's talking about?

PanicMechanic5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Great analysis. Just joking.

Pretending like companies give a f about where they “rank” against each other is just super retarded. This isn’t the World Cup.

Tell me, how does “PC” compete against a brand like PlayStation? It just doesn’t make sense at all. What you just said, is complete and utter nonsense

BlaqMagiq14d ago

I don't think PS cares about being in this so-called "last place" you came up with when they're making profits hand over fist.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4d ago
Destiny10805d ago

microsoft wanted to crush sony into dust and they had the money to do it, but with such weak leadership it was always going to fail

Reaper22_5d ago

Had the money? They still have the money but the industry has changed since xbox 360. Microsoft is the number one publisher in gaming. I'd hardly call that failing.

IRetrouk5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

The industry hasn't changed though, just ms, Microsoft was the no1 publisher for a month in december 2024, the actual no1 for fy2024 was tencent if game sales are all that's being counted.

Profchaos5d ago

Money doesn't mean you'll be successful large corporations have entered and failed before like Nec

Show all comments (23)
70°

Interview: Plants vs. Zombies Composer Talks Charm, Humor, and Musical Mayhem

Game Rant interviews Plants vs. Zombies composer Peter McConnell about honoring the series’ quirky roots, adapting its themes, and now going vinyl.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
VenomUK6d ago

The score for the first Plants Vs Zombies is such great, iconic music that it has a timeless quality. Not quite the level of Minecraft, but wonderful in its own right.