Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime is quoted in a IGN article saying “Meh…” at the next gen console line ups.
Interesting.
I find it particularly troubling a company that’s home system console is tanking, third party support non existent, and its consumer base is losing interest by the day is saying “Meh” to anything.
But let’s back up here. What exactly HAS Nintendo done to get themselves in this situation and more importantly what can they do to get out of it? When the Wii U launched it had a strong showing and consumers were generally interested in the new console. But similar to the Wii before it, months went by and gamers were left wondering where exactly are the games?
Wii U is Confusing
The Wii U is a confusing piece of hardware, made by a company that seems confused about where it wants to go. The specs on the Wii U are on par with Xbox 360 and PS3 (systems close to 8 years old) yet most of the games that get ported to it look noticeably worse then it’s competitors. It’s not exactly next gen, and it’s not exactly current gen either.
The Name is Misleading
The name is even been shown to be problematic. The general consumer still thinks the Wii U is just a peripheral, a controller, or another gadget that you use for the Wii. It’s gotten so bad Nintendo themselves had to send a message out to people who own The Wii that the Wii U is a new console.
The Press isn’t Watching
I understand Reggie had to say something. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are sucking up all the press while Nintendo stands outside like a little kid trying to get picked for a adult basketball team. They had to re-make their portable console (the only thing that’s profitable for them right now) in an attempt to spring board more sales. It’s sad, and it makes them look weak. One would think that money would be better spent on getting new IPs on their console or just re-building a new console from the ground up.
The Exclusives Are Weak
If you look at Nintendo’s third party line up it’s abysmal. No GTA5, no Battlefield or CoD, Madden, or NBA. It almost seems like they think just pushing out Mario Donkey Kong and Zelda will do the trick. But even one of their biggest franchises that’s coming out (Zelda Wind Waker) is nothing but a remake of another game. What happened to that HD 1080p realistic Zelda they showed off at E3? Where the hell is Metroid at? And my God why isn’t there a Pokemon game coming to Wii U that’s similar to the portable ones?
It’s Time for Something New
I think what Nintendo needs to do is try a new strategy. The old saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” falls on deaf ears. The original Wii was such a huge success because although it was gimmicky , it was new. But as soon as that gimmick wore off people weren’t interested in it anymore.
