With the dawn of
the NX on the Horizon now is a good time to look back at the Wii-U
and discuss it's failures and success. Even though the latter is much
smaller than the first. Still the Wii-U was a great console. Of
course I'm only talking for myself, but I never regretted purchasing
it and I had a great time with many of its games. Still nobody can
deny that it was a commercial failure. And after last weeks Nintendo
Direct it's become even more evident why this is the case.
You see the Wii-U
had many problems right from the start. A subpar Third Party Support,
a confusing name, bad Marketing and only one true Nintendo game,
which was a 2D Mario and had hit franchise fatigue.
So from the get go
the odds were stacked against Nintendos console. But the biggest
Problem was none of these things. The biggest Problem of the Wii-U
across the consoles lifespan was it's competition. And I'm not
talking about the PlayStation or the Xbox. No, the biggest
competition for the Wii-U is the 3DS.
A half hearted
Fusion:
When I look at my
Wii-U and 3DS library, it often seems to me as if Nintendo has tried
the fusion concept with these two consoles, albeit very
halfheartedly. Games like the Port of Yoshis Wooly World only
increase this feeling, even though some of them may make sense. (For
example Mario Maker)
Just take a look
at the Wii-U and 3DS library. You find a counterpart for nearly every
Wii-U game on the handheld, while the 3DS also offers more games and even some
genres and franchise that didn't appear on the Wii-U. If someone
wants the ultimate Nintendo experience just direct him to the 3DS.
And if the handheld fulfills all your wishes, then why should you buy
the home console?
If you want a 2D
Mario you don't need to buy New Super Mario Bros. U because you can
simply buy New Super Mario Bros. 2 or Mario Maker for 3DS next year.
Super Mario 3D World is an excellent game, but Super Mario 3D Land is
nearly as good. Mario Kart and Smash Bros. are also on the handheld.
Together with two 3D Zelda remakes, a completely new top down Zelda
and a Multiplayer spinoof. Hyrule Warriors? On the 3DS. Mario Party?
On the 3DS.
This together with
exclusive games like Luigis Mansion, Kid Icarus Uprising, Pokemon,
Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem and others, great Indie support and a
good Virtual Console makes the 3DS more appealing in every sense.
And yes the Wii-U
still has several great exclusive titles, which I love dearly, but if
you aren't a hardcore Nintendo Fans the overall package of the 3DS is
simply better. You can still play all big Nintendo titles for a
smaller price.
Most people are
satisfied with one 3D Mario and one Mario Kart and one Smash Bros.
each console cycle. They don't need Super Mario 3D World and Super
Mario 3D Land.
The 12 Million
buyers of the Wii-U are the Nintendo Faithful, who play nearly every
game from them. That's why the Wii-U has insane attach rates. But for
a broad success it doesn't suffice only satisfying them. You need the
masses and if you offer the masses a more appealing product it
shouldn't surprise you when the flock towards it.
What is the
solution?
While this may be
to late for the Wii-U/3DS combo I hope Nintendo won't make this
mistake again in the future. Of course it all depends if the NX truly
is a Fusion concept, which unifies Handheld and console gaming, but
if it isn't then Nintendo does need to do a better job at
distinguishing their platforms.
First of some
Series are better suited for Handhelds, while others function on
consoles. Pokemon mainline games should always stay handheld
exclusives. The same goes for Top Down Zelda titles. And I would even
go a step further. Make 2D Marios exclusive to your handhelds. The
whole structure fits perfectly. For Consoles Donkey Kong could take
the place as the go to Jump'n'Run. The vibrant and lively backgrounds
of Tropical Freeze only work on strong hardware and a big screen.
Games like Bayonetta or Xenoblade Chronicles should also stay on consoles.
Next make 3D Mario
and Zelda games exclusive to consoles. Let Paper Mario truly return
to its role playing roots and make it the go to RPG on consoles,
while the Mario and Luigi Series continues on the handhelds.
Captain Toad with
it's small contained puzzle levels would also be a perfect fit for
handhelds, while Splatoons Multiyplayer heavy focus is better suited
for console gaming. Give handheld gamers a classic 2D Metroid and a
full fledged 3D adventure of Samus to the console.
For both to
succeed Nintendo needs to make a sharp distinction between their
handhelds and consoles without taking important brands from either of
them. This also creates an incentive to buy both systems, while as of
now you only need one to get a complete Nintendo experience.
This distinction
would raise the appeal of both systems. Hardcore Nintendo fans will
always buy both, but this the more casual fans also have more
incentive to buy both systems.
So what are your
thoughts about this? Would you like more difference between the 3DS
and the Wii-U? Or are you happy with the current situation? Agree or
Disagree? Let me know in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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