gaming Wii U price drop!

[Canyouhurtme? 12]

Meh, I alrady own a Wiiu so this doesn't affect me. But hey the people who want a Wiiu can save some $$$ now so I guess that's cool. Lots of good games are coming out in the holiday season so it was a good move however I think that they could have cut the price atleast by $100 to make it $200 which would look MUCH better in the eyes of the consumers and it would really make people think about buying it more since the PS4 and Xbox One are going to be $400+.

[Anadu Kune 668]

Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart, all those Mario games, like Mario Party and stuff, Super Smash bros. These are basically the same thing, even if they are continuations, they are kinda all the same boring and repetitive games, except zelda ones.

 

I rarely ever seen any succesful games beside these. There is monster hunter, which is the main reason for a bunch of people for buying the Wii U.

 

Video games doesn't attract me anymore, this new controller is just terrible, seriously.

I even prefer old gameboy games, I enjoy Barbie 12 dancing princesses even more than mario kart, seriously.

 

And they made another console who will never sell, the 2DS.

Wind Waker and Ocarina HD are remakes of old games. Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros are sequels, meaning the same franchise but new game trying to improve over the last installment. whilst there are many similarities between their games I would also say they do an excellent job at variety as well. The mario franchise has touched quite a few separate genres. Even the core platforming Mario games can be quite different, just look at Mario 64 compared to Mario Sunshine, or Mario Galaxy. Then compare those to the original mario bros, and compare that to Luigis mansion the list goes on. For every similar game they have made they have an interesting new one and most of those similar games built well on the previous games with new or refined mechanics. Just Look at the differences in how each Smash Bros plays. The first has very very floaty and slow gameplay, Mele on the other hand is very fast paced with less floaty gravity, Brawl is in-between slower than Mele but faster than the original. That's not going over the balance changes along with added weapons and mechanics. 

 

The Wii U game pad actually gives the Wii U a marked advantage over its competitors. A big limitation on consoles is the amount of buttons the controller has. This is why First Person Shooters, RTS, and some other genres are hard to port to console without simplifying them in someway. This limitation is gone with the Wii U game pad. Devs can put as many buttons or action binds as they want on that screen. They can also put relevant HUD info on it rather than cluttering it on one screen. Inventory management can be also be done on the fly on that second screen. There's a lot of interesting things that can be done. That's not even mentioning Asymmetrical gameplay which when implemented correctly is very fun. Then you have couch co-op without split screen and the fact that your can play on that screen whilst your siblings, parents, roommates ect watch television. Whilst MS and Sony have implemented similar features on to their own consoles their options cost considerably more. Considering they use separate products it seems unlikely that many devs would opt to exclusively use those options if at all for anything other than this weird casual drop in cop-op thing they seem to be marketing.

 

 I haven't played the Barbie game you mentioned so I cant ascertain its quality. However given the history of past Barbie games and media in general I think it would be a safe bet that Mario Kart will be better design both mechanically and visually. But to each his/her own.

 

Also considering the past of the separate model DS sales I think its a safe bet that the 2DS will sell if only for the fact that its the cheaper device and in most aspects the same device. Its actually a pretty smart business move many parents felt weird about buying the 3DS for their kids because of the 3D eye damage thing. Kids also tend to break the hinges on their DS and 3DS(speaking from personal experience) Seeing as the 2DS is primarily marketed at children, is cheaper, with a pokemon game coming out it will probably sell fairly well. 

 

 

To address the topic of this post. I have already pre-ordered the Wind Waker Bundle and will be getting Pikmin 3 with the system. I look forward to actually using this new system, there a number of games I will be(hope to be) getting for it this holiday season. The one I may be most anticipating currently is Pikmin 3. I have never played a Pikmin game before, Well with the acceptation of the first game in a toys r us when it first released but I don't really count that as I was very unfairly dismissive of it. I wanted to dislike it at the time. I also look forward to seeing how the use of the gampad effects the experience of Wind Waker. I'm predicting more intuitive item usage.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Anadu Kune

[Bright Honor 2,418]

Honest truth while the price cut is good and I'm happy it's happening, If Nintendo's marketing team doesn't start doing their job then the price cut isn't going to give the Wii U the sales boost Nintendo wants it to.

[Hell Patrol 41]

If I recall, the basic model is a belly laugh. It has a laughably small hard drive, and Wind Waker HD is not a game that any sentient life form on this planet gives a single damn about. Oh boy, you can play a game from 2003 with marginal graphical improvements. On top of that, I can attain hardware with the same capability from Sony or Microsoft for cheaper, and with a hard drive 10x the size AND some games.

 

Look, I'm glad Nintendo is doing price cuts. Hats off to them, but new hardware means nothing if you don't have software to use the hardware for. What I don't understand is why Nintendo doesn't come right out and dominate the industry, look I'm glad they don't because to be frank another Japan-centric gaming industry would be cancer for all of us. But they have a pile of Wii money and a list of IP's they can use that people know and love. If they put out a console with the third party capability of a PS4/XB1 with their own first party, there would not be a single sentient life form on this planet who would purchase a PS4/XB1 but not the Wii U. Of course they're hell bent on releasing another Super Mario Zelda of Pikmin Brothers of the Sonic 378, now featuring Megaman. Which means they can't be bothered to *gasp* HEAVENS TO BETSY, MAKE A NEW IP OR USE ONE THEY DON'T TOUCH.

[Katana 298]

On the plus side, Nintendo still has one impressive, lovable console: The 3DS (and 2DS)

 

Actually, I wonder if it would help Wii U sales if they had some way of synchronizing the games you own on your 3DS with your Wii U; there's definitely a few differences on the platforms, but also similarities. A touchscreen controller and all...

[Anadu Kune 668]

On the plus side, Nintendo still has one impressive, lovable console: The 3DS (and 2DS)

 

Actually, I wonder if it would help Wii U sales if they had some way of synchronizing the games you own on your 3DS with your Wii U; there's definitely a few differences on the platforms, but also similarities. A touchscreen controller and all...

Well we can be pretty sure that something like that is possible with games in development. I'm pretty sure the 3DS Smash Bros and Wii U Smash bros can sync in some way through multiplayer. Nintendo I believe also stated that they are working to implement a unified account system so your 3DS downloads could be played on your Wii U. 

 

In any case the price drop and bundle have already started boosting sales it seems. The Wii U Wind Waker bundle is in 5th place on amazon for best sellers in computer and video games. With new games and the holiday season coming up I would be surprised if this didn't continue. Though I think the 3DS will destroy the other consoles in sales this holiday season with Pokemon x and Y plus a cheaper model. Nintendo expects a potential five million unit movement on 3DS within this fiscal year and I'm damn certain they can do it. 

[Megas 27,126]

If I recall, the basic model is a belly laugh. It has a laughably small hard drive, and Wind Waker HD is not a game that any sentient life form on this planet gives a single damn about. Oh boy, you can play a game from 2003 with marginal graphical improvements. On top of that, I can attain hardware with the same capability from Sony or Microsoft for cheaper, and with a hard drive 10x the size AND some games.

 

Look, I'm glad Nintendo is doing price cuts. Hats off to them, but new hardware means nothing if you don't have software to use the hardware for. What I don't understand is why Nintendo doesn't come right out and dominate the industry, look I'm glad they don't because to be frank another Japan-centric gaming industry would be cancer for all of us. But they have a pile of Wii money and a list of IP's they can use that people know and love. If they put out a console with the third party capability of a PS4/XB1 with their own first party, there would not be a single sentient life form on this planet who would purchase a PS4/XB1 but not the Wii U. Of course they're hell bent on releasing another Super Mario Zelda of Pikmin Brothers of the Sonic 378, now featuring Megaman. Which means they can't be bothered to *gasp* HEAVENS TO BETSY, MAKE A NEW IP OR USE ONE THEY DON'T TOUCH.

Gonna play the devil's advocate, but can you really blame them for using established IP's over new ones/old ones given past history? Usually the cycle goes like this:

 

1) People beg for a new IP from Nintendo

2) Nintendo announces new IP

3) People bitch and moan, saying the new IP is shit, and then say Nintendo doesn't care about old franchises

4) New IP ends up having abysmal sales

And the poor sales for Wonderful 101 in Japan and Europe are unfortunately proving this true(hopefully the game's performance in the US is a lot better)

 

likewise, the cycle can be reversed for established IPs

1) Nintendo announces new game from established IP

2) People complain about rehashing the same games over and over again

3) People buy them anyway

 

In the end of the day, why should Nintendo continue to make new IPs when no one gives jack shit when they actually release one? Why should they stop releasing games from established franchise when people will still buy it anyway. Look, I like seeing Nintendo make new IPs and reviving old franchises(still waiting for that Starfox and F-Zero game :okiedokielokie: ), and I do think Mario should take a break outside of  the main series and Mario Kart, but Nintendo's not willing to bow down to your every whim when your return response is essentially "fuck you" and not support the shit you criticize them for. This alone made me happy when I saw Reggie called out the gaming community as being incredibly hard to please

 

Also I love how you included Pikmin on that title featuring milked franchises, and then go on to say Nintendo should bring back franchises they never touch, especially since it was 9 years between Pikmin 2 and 3 with fans practically begging for a new game

[Goose 181]

No wonder they had to drop the price, the hardware is terrible compared to what's coming in the form of Xbone and PS4.

 

Xbox: 8 GB RAM
PS4: 8 GB RAM
Wii U: 2 GB RAM

Xbox: 8 core CPU
PS4: 8 core CPU
Wii U: 3 core CPU


Xbox: 500 GB hard drive
PS4: 500 GB hard drive
Wii U: 8 or 32 GB flash


GPU peak shader output:
PS4: 1.84 teraflops
Xbox: 1.31 teraflops
Wii U: 0.352 teraflops

 

 

 

 

As well, they've been pretty dismissive about the competition:

 

-"We’ve got Zelda. We’ve got Mario. We’ve got Donkey Kong. In addition to great titles like Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101"

-"I don't think consumers buy hardware just because it's sexy and new."

 

 

Mmmm, as someone else said, great lineup if you're living in 1995... and yes, customers do like their hardware to be sexy and especially NEW!

[Katana 298]

To be fair, lately a console's specs have not really meant it would be a great item. It's mainly about the games on the console. That said, newer hardware doesn't seem to make games better on its own, but it does make development a lot easier. Did you know during the whole Xbox 360/PS3 generation, developers had to work with much less than 1GB of memory?

[Megas 27,126]

To be fair, lately a console's specs have not really meant it would be a great item. It's mainly about the games on the console. That said, newer hardware doesn't seem to make games better on its own, but it does make development a lot easier. Did you know during the whole Xbox 360/PS3 generation, developers had to work with much less than 1GB of memory?

Samething happened with the PS2. It was considerably weak compared to the GC and the Xbox, and in the end of the day in ended up curb-stomping both(though it probably had to due with Sony touting DVD playability, which was big at the time)

Edited September 9, 2013 by Megas75

[Zygen 6,065]

Yay, less money i'll have to spend when i finally get one .

 

I do plan to get one, mostly for the library of games, but still. of course i just got a 3DS so it'll be a bit.

 

i'll take a 50$ price reduction anyday though.

[Anadu Kune 668]

Samething happened with the PS2. It was considerably weak compared to the GC and the Xbox, and in the end of the day in ended up curb-stomping both(though it probably had to due with Sony touting DVD playability, which was big at the time)

Also with the Wii as compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Then you have the DS as compared to the PSP. Now you have the 3DS compared to the Vita. Historically the weaker system tends to win out. Its all about awesome software combined with affordability, neat and unique feature don't hurt either.

[GrimCW 658]

Meh to late

already had the deluxe black one (why was it ONLY in black?!) and found it... boring and uninteresting....

Ended up gifting it to my nephew and little cousin by placing it at my parents house so both could enjoy it whenever they visited there (and they do often My nephew loves flipping through netflix on the touch screen, or playing NSMBWU on it)

 

It has a lot of potential, but this is what the Wii should've been, not what the follow up is...

 

 

Samething happened with the PS2. It was considerably weak compared to the GC and the Xbox, and in the end of the day in ended up curb-stomping both(though it probably had to due with Sony touting DVD playability, which was big at the time)

 

 

The PS2 had a few year head start, as well as had been fully established as a console by that time.

 

The GC had a funky new control design, but it lost out because Nintendo held onto its archaic policy of "No "M" rated games" at first, and didn't let up until just before the console was going out. They also opted for the "anti piracy" measures of using mini discs, which were harder to come by for burning.

 

The Xbox had a rocky start being the new kid in town, and its original controller was to big for most people to handle if they weren't 6ft+ tall with massive yeti hands. And it had little in the way of Exclusives until Halo came around.

So most companies already had the PS2 dev kit on hand, and at the time, Sony was very good about support.

Meanwhile MS was setting up, and Nintendo were being dicks.

The PS2 had also already  gone through a couple price drops by this time as well, given them a clearer edge.

 

MS used this same trick to get the 360 its edge on the PS3. They released it essentially before it was "ready" to get on the market first. Allowing them to streamline their resources better, get the dev kits and support out while Sony was still getting the hardware figured out.

Thus getting the upper hand in the more recent front. And despite the PS3's superior specs, the 360 ended up often on the higher end from multi platform titles.

Didn't help sony's friendly past seemed to be side tracked this round.... SoE peeved off a LOT of people (like Gabe Newell) by having little or no support for programming on the PS3. Leaving it at "heres that dev kit you ordered, now get lost and make games for us!"

Edited September 9, 2013 by GrimCW

[Anadu Kune 668]

Gonna play the devil's advocate, but can you really blame them for using established IP's over new ones/old ones given past history? Usually the cycle goes like this:

 

1) People beg for a new IP from Nintendo

2) Nintendo announces new IP

3) People bitch and moan, saying the new IP is shit, and then say Nintendo doesn't care about old franchises

4) New IP ends up having abysmal sales

And the poor sales for Wonderful 101 in Japan and Europe are unfortunately proving this true(hopefully the game's performance in the US is a lot better)

 

likewise, the cycle can be reversed for established IPs

1) Nintendo announces new game from established IP

2) People complain about rehashing the same games over and over again

3) People buy them anyway

 

In the end of the day, why should Nintendo continue to make new IPs when no one gives jack shit when they actually release one? Why should they stop releasing games from established franchise when people will still buy it anyway. Look, I like seeing Nintendo make new IPs and reviving old franchises(still waiting for that Starfox and F-Zero game :okiedokielokie: ), and I do think Mario should take a break outside of  the main series and Mario Kart, but Nintendo's not willing to bow down to your every whim when your return response is essentially "fuck you" and not support the shit you criticize them for. This alone made me happy when I saw Reggie called out the gaming community as being incredibly hard to please

 

Also I love how you included Pikmin on that title featuring milked franchises, and then go on to say Nintendo should bring back franchises they never touch, especially since it was 9 years between Pikmin 2 and 3 with fans practically begging for a new game

This exactly this. Its probably the reason that Mario has touched so many different genres. They know people wont buy it unless its one of their key franchises so why not Mario. 

 

Maybe its just me but its seems that people take any opportunity to take a crap on Nintendo. This seems especially true of the Wii U. There have been a number of things said that were just plain misinformation. The Epic games dude saying Unreal 4 engine wouldn't run on Wii U only to later qualify his statement saying devs could use the engine on Wii U. Then you have that claim that Direct X 10 wouldn't run on Wii U only to have an indie dev prove that wrong. Then the string of lies and insults from EA. The claim that Cry engine wouldn't run on the Wii U despite Crytek saying they had the latest Crysis running very well on Wii U before EA canceled it. Then the claim that Frostbite wouldn't run on Wii U despite announcing that it would in 2011 at E3. Then you have the hypocrisy from gaming media. "Sony has lots of indie games and supports indie devs YAY SONY IS GOD!!!" "Nintendo supports indie devs and has more indie games...meh" What is up with this? Then the big companies complaining of the Wii U initially selling poorly despite that at least up til march it had sold more than the PS3 and 360 had in the same amount of time at launch. This means that devs were comparing the Wii U's install base of five or so months to the PS3 and 360's install base of seven years...yeah that's fair. Then you have one of the devs behind Skylanders claiming the 3DS doesn't have enough demand...what?

 

Lets not forget all those 3DS is doomed articles...so many doomed articles. Yeah now its selling and the vita isn't doing so well so where are all the "the vita is doomed" articles? 

 

It just seems Nintendo is the punching bag and anything goes.

[Krys9 456]

I seriously think that the Wiiu will be kind of like the 3DS where it has horrible sales at the start but then picks up momentum later through it's life-span and then offers a bunch of new and exciting stuff and then be a big hit with the main-stream. Atleast that's what I hope for. XD

[Hell Patrol 41]

Gonna play the devil's advocate, but can you really blame them for using established IP's over new ones/old ones given past history? Usually the cycle goes like this:

 

1) People beg for a new IP from Nintendo

2) Nintendo announces new IP

3) People bitch and moan, saying the new IP is shit, and then say Nintendo doesn't care about old franchises

4) New IP ends up having abysmal sales

And the poor sales for Wonderful 101 in Japan and Europe are unfortunately proving this true(hopefully the game's performance in the US is a lot better)

 

likewise, the cycle can be reversed for established IPs

1) Nintendo announces new game from established IP

2) People complain about rehashing the same games over and over again

3) People buy them anyway

 

In the end of the day, why should Nintendo continue to make new IPs when no one gives jack shit when they actually release one? Why should they stop releasing games from established franchise when people will still buy it anyway. Look, I like seeing Nintendo make new IPs and reviving old franchises(still waiting for that Starfox and F-Zero game :okiedokielokie: ), and I do think Mario should take a break outside of  the main series and Mario Kart, but Nintendo's not willing to bow down to your every whim when your return response is essentially "fuck you" and not support the shit you criticize them for. This alone made me happy when I saw Reggie called out the gaming community as being incredibly hard to please

 

Also I love how you included Pikmin on that title featuring milked franchises, and then go on to say Nintendo should bring back franchises they never touch, especially since it was 9 years between Pikmin 2 and 3 with fans practically begging for a new game

 

I've never done any of what you said, in fact my main criticism is really that Nintendo has turned into a non-yearly call of duty basically. Call of Duty sells boatloads sure, that doesn't mean I can't dislike their model of rehashing the same game over and over again and garnering sales for no reason.

 

The main problem with the Wii U is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a casual gaming console? The hardware says so. Does it want to be a core gaming console? Most of the software lineup (all three games on it) say so. Normally people would buy a Wii U for those one or two exclusives, but you have to own a capable PC or another console in order to get a proper gaming experience because the Wii U just wont do it, you'll miss out on most major releases. Which in this economy is unacceptable from the consumer, sure they can pick up some decent franchises (even if they are the same damn thing they could buy 10 years ago on a gamecube). But they can get a PS4/XB1/Current level PC and know they'll always have games to play for the next 3-5 years, it's about value to mid-level gamers who aren't casual, but don't have truckloads of money to squander on new consoles.