Problems with the Wii U and what should be done about it.

[Arthur Sataine]

Alright, we all know the Wii U has some issues. Some say it is graphical quality, processing power, poor advertising, a misnomer for the console, and lack of games. Lets discuss it all here. What exactly is wrong with the Wii U? And what should Nintendo do to rectify the situation they are in today?

Personally, I love the Wii U. However, I do acknowledge that it is struggling to get some sales. I feel like they named it the wrong thing. I mean most people out there actually think it is an accessory to the Wii. Which just isn't true. Furthermore, they just did not advertise nearly enough, if at all. I also feel like they did not launch with a great lineup of games. To me the only must have at the time was Zombi U and it is just damn good fun. Until their first parties start rolling out regularly, I fear we won't see many sales for it. Also, they just aren't attracting third parties. Some have even pulled support for it.

Now I'll stop here as I don't want to cover absolutely everything in the opening post. What do you guys and gals think?

@Lifewish You are MORE than welcome to come on in and give us your thoughts.

 

[Lifewish]

I think that Nintendo kind of fell into the same trap that Sony did when they launched the PS3. The Wii U was fairly overpriced for what it is and Nintendo did a terrible job of figure out who exactly they were going to market it for. I think, like Sony at the time, they figured their fanbase would just blindly buy it because they had done so with the Wii. However, they failed to realize that the Wii sold because of it's low price point and that most people buying the Wii were not informed gamers, they were soccer moms and such. So, of course they weren't going to blindly buy the Wii U.

Secondly, they didn't secure enough 3rd party support, something that has plagued them for a while now. Outside of their first party stuff, there is very little out there on the Wii U and like you said, most 3rd party people have just completely abandoned the Wii U. They could still revisit it at some point if the Wii U sales pick up, but I don't really see that happening.

Thirdly, let's be honest. Nintendo released the Wii U to compete with the big boys and that was a bad move. Here is a system that when released, was only as powerful as two systems (xbox 360 and PS3) that had been out for over 6 years. Then a year after the Wii U, here comes the PS4 and Xbone, which are FAR more powerful and not that much more expensive than a Wii U. If they had wanted to play with the big boys and go all HD, they should have really put a bit more power into the system.

Fourthly, the online component to the Wii U is HORRIBLE. There is just no structure to it and feels very outdated to me. To make matters worse, the UI for the system is vaguely pathetic and the system setup after purchase takes far too long to get through. I really feel the UI scares away a lot of potential customers.

Fifthly, the gamepad is a nice idea that has been horribly marketed and not adopted well by really anyone. Nintendo has done a very terrible job of educating their customers on the value on the gamepad and haven't been able to secure enough support of it's features from outside developers.

Lastly, the name is HORRIBLE and I agree with @Arthur Sataine , I think it confuses potential buyers who think that it is just an add on to the Wii.

In the end, it all boils down to terrible marketing, an overpriced console, no powerful enough, and really not enough games. Nintendo forgot who their audience was, they forgot the people who bought the incredible shitty Wii at record numbers.

 

[BigPete7978]

I think that Nintendo kind of fell into the same trap that Sony did when they launched the PS3. The Wii U was fairly overpriced for what it is and Nintendo did a terrible job of figure out who exactly they were going to market it for. I think, like Sony at the time, they figured their fanbase would just blindly buy it because they had done so with the Wii. However, they failed to realize that the Wii sold because of it's low price point and that most people buying the Wii were not informed gamers, they were soccer moms and such. So, of course they weren't going to blindly buy the Wii U.

Secondly, they didn't secure enough 3rd party support, something that has plagued them for a while now. Outside of their first party stuff, there is very little out there on the Wii U and like you said, most 3rd party people have just completely abandoned the Wii U. They could still revisit it at some point if the Wii U sales pick up, but I don't really see that happening.

Thirdly, let's be honest. Nintendo released the Wii U to compete with the big boys and that was a bad move. Here is a system that when released, was only as powerful as two systems (xbox 360 and PS3) that had been out for over 6 years. Then a year after the Wii U, here comes the PS4 and Xbone, which are FAR more powerful and not that much more expensive than a Wii U. If they had wanted to play with the big boys and go all HD, they should have really put a bit more power into the system.

Fourthly, the online component to the Wii U is HORRIBLE. There is just no structure to it and feels very outdated to me. To make matters worse, the UI for the system is vaguely pathetic and the system setup after purchase takes far too long to get through. I really feel the UI scares away a lot of potential customers.

Fifthly, the gamepad is a nice idea that has been horribly marketed and not adopted well by really anyone. Nintendo has done a very terrible job of educating their customers on the value on the gamepad and haven't been able to secure enough support of it's features from outside developers.

Lastly, the name is HORRIBLE and I agree with @Arthur Sataine , I think it confuses potential buyers who think that it is just an add on to the Wii.

In the end, it all boils down to terrible marketing, an overpriced console, no powerful enough, and really not enough games. Nintendo forgot who their audience was, they forgot the people who bought the incredible shitty Wii at record numbers.

Very nice post @Lifewish! +1

I've honestly been thinking about getting the Wii U for the fiancé (@Kaki88x). But we are unsure since there doesn't seem to be much support. Hopefully that improves over time.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

Pretty much got it there. Now they need to work on turning this stuff around and appealing to the masses a bit more. They definitely should have understood that power will at some point play a major factor in how a game operates and performs. It is nice and well that they can optimize their own games, but third parties aren't quite as intimate with their systems. Nintendo definitely needs to rethink some strategies, fire EVERYONE in their marketing department, and hire me on in place of Reggie. Well, maybe not that last part. I think they need to throttle off the stubborn attitude they have. They can keep the emphasis on fun games and still go for more power to make those games even more fun. I understand their outlook, but their execution and refusal to acknowledge the state of the industry today are severely holding them back. As a longtime Nintendo fan and lover of all their first party titles, I can only hope they do so and remedy the situation they are in now. Or who knows, maybe they'll turn it around just as they did with the 3DS.

 

[Vinomen]

My biggest gripe is there terrible fragmented Stores/Shops and Online Networks. I own the same games on 3 different shops and consoles/handhelds and none of them are integrated. If you bought the game on the Wii, great now you can re-buy it at a discounted rate (awesome! [/sarcasm]) And dont forget games live on that Console only. And why do I have to launch an Emulated Wii to play Wii Games and Wii Ware on my Wii U.

It all just seems very lazy and not thought out on Nintendos part.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

My biggest gripe is there terrible fragmented Stores/Shops and Online Networks. I own the same games on 3 different shops and consoles/handhelds and none of them are integrated. If you bought the game on the Wii, great now you can re-buy it at a discounted rate (awesome! [/sarcasm]) And dont forget games live on that Console only. And why do I have to launch an Emulated Wii to play Wii Games and Wii Ware on my Wii U.

It all just seems very lazy and not thought out on Nintendos part.

They are seemingly working on providing a remedy to this issue. What with the wallet combination and all. Perhaps we'll see a more streamlined and fluid infrastructure from them. But who knows. They may very well think this is good enough for the next five years.

 

[Vinomen]

They are seemingly working on providing a remedy to this issue. What with the wallet combination and all. Perhaps we'll see a more streamlined and fluid infrastructure from them. But who knows. They may very well think this is good enough for the next five years.

Thats my fear, OK and Good Enough seems to be Standard Operating Procedure for Nintendo lately. This is why I also avoid buying anything digital with Nintendo unless it is the only option.

Its great that they unified the accounts (Kind of), but I want my Purchases to be unified(what about all of my Wii purchases). And the decision to have GBA games on the WiiU and not the 3DS is mind boggling. There is no reason they cant be on both, and I am a 3DS ambassador and have the 20 free GBA and NES games, so it ha been clearly possible for a long time. It also means I own games like Metroid Fusion that they are trying to sell me a second time on the WiiU, and I also bought Golden Sun on the WiiU and if its ever on the 3DS, I'm sure Nintendo will have no problem selling it to me again. It is clear that Nintendo have to milk their own growth, software, ideas and products just to keep it going.

I love Nintendo, but Sony has spoiled me with their customer and fan loyalty.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

Thats my fear, OK and Good Enough seems to be Standard Operating Procedure for Nintendo lately. This is why I also avoid buying anything digital with Nintendo unless it is the only option.

Its great that they unified the accounts (Kind of), but I want my Purchases to be unified(what about all of my Wii purchases). And the decision to have GBA games on the WiiU and not the 3DS is mind boggling. There is no reason they cant be on both, and I am a 3DS ambassador and have the 20 free GBA and NES games, so it ha been clearly possible for a long time. It also means I own games like Metroid Fusion that they are trying to sell me a second time on the WiiU, and I also bought Golden Sun on the WiiU and if its ever on the 3DS, I'm sure Nintendo will have no problem selling it to me again. It is clear that Nintendo have to milk their own growth, software, ideas and products just to keep it going.

I love Nintendo, but Sony has spoiled me with their customer and fan loyalty.

If I'm not mistaken, they are just relying on you to manually transfer all your Wii data to the Wii U via SD card. Doesn't take all that long either. And you get an entertaining "video" of Pikmin moving your data from your Wii to the card, and then from the card to your Wii U. Afterwards, you can access all your Wii stuff (including purchases) on the Wii U by accessing the Wii channel. A bit excessive, but it is there.

 

[Vinomen]

If I'm not mistaken, they are just relying on you to manually transfer all your Wii data to the Wii U via SD card. Doesn't take all that long either. And you get an entertaining "video" of Pikmin moving your data from your Wii to the card, and then from the card to your Wii U. Afterwards, you can access all your Wii stuff (including purchases) on the Wii U by accessing the Wii channel. A bit excessive, but it is there.

I know, I have done it and I Enjoyed the Pikmin who moved all of my data. I transferred my Launch Wii to my WiiU. But I own 2 Wiis but couldn't share content because they are locked to the individual hardware. Why cant I keep content on my Wii and my WiiU (or have all the content I Own on all capable machines). They did at least get rid of the hardware transfer limit. I also had to soft-mod my Wii's so i could get off my locked saves as well, I mean what is the point of locking a game save

I will say it has gotten better but overall Its still obtuse and convoluted for a gaming company that has been around so long they seem so out of touch.

 

[Lifewish]

for a gaming company that has been around so long they seem so out of touch.

This for me sums up the Wii U and most Nintendo consoles for awhile now. The company just seems completely lost on what the current group of gamers really want and in some cases are stuck in the past.