Wii U / Nintendo general news and discussion

wandatowell

I think I paid around 250 quid for my PS3 with TLOU.


Absolute bargain IMO

readyletsgo

Well, Wii U sales numbers into its 3 year (well, 2nd year to you and me), not looking great http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/nintendo_reports_financial_losses_as_expected_along_with_modest_wii_u_sales_targets

On the other hand, the 3DS is doing the complete opposite.

wandatowell wrote: »

I think I paid around 250 quid for my PS3 with TLOU.
Absolute bargain IMO

Its mad, cause I got a PS3 Super Slim, last Summer because of TLoU for I think it was €280, and my god, even if the system didnt have the back cat it has built over the past 7 years, the games that have come out for it since the start of last year have been amazing.

I shall wait for maybe 2/3 years before I get a PS4.

OwaynOTT

Just looking at those figures for the WiiU. Out of the roughly 6 million hardware sales to date there has been roughly 3 software sales with each hardware sale on average last year. If were just to look at the last finical year figures, the attachment rate would be a lot higher.
The demand for software is there just not enough released.
Is that really that low of an average when you consider how little selection of new games there is - the likes of Mass Effect not being new.
I wonder what kind of attachment the PS4 or the microsoft version has.
It looks to me that the original titles on the system are likely selling well.
I really think the release of Maio Kart and Smash Bros. will be the beginning of an upward trend in sales for the WiiU, which will be continued into next year where we will see a raft of new titles.

Star Lord

readyletsgo wrote: »

Well, Wii U sales numbers into its 3 year

Where did you get 3rd year from? Its out a year and a half!

readyletsgo

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Where did you get 3rd year from? Its out a year and a half!

Isnt it May 2012 to april 2013 year 1, then May 13 to April 14 2nd year, then May 14 to April 15 3rd year. Just the way the quarterly financial years work in the gaming industry for some reason, have no idea why, thats how they look at it.

But of course to me and you its out a year and a half, or, 18 months to be exact.

Retr0gamer

The problem with those software sales figures is that just like the Wii Nintendo software sells bucketloads but third parties are ignored. Nintendo could do with some third party licensing fees right about now as well.

A high attach rate usually means a lot of traditional gamers own the console while the joe soaps that make up the majority of sales aren't on board.

Allyall

I saw "year 3" as well, and though I was missing a year. It was released in November 2012.
So from May 2012 -> November 2013 it wasn't available

Obviously some business/accounts reason, but why don't they go from November to November? In which case they'd only be halfway through year 2.. (and possibly have better sales figures )

readyletsgo

Allyall wrote: »

I saw "year 3" as well, and though I was missing a year. It was released in November 2012.
So from May 2012 -> November 2013 it wasn't available

Obviously some business/accounts reason, but why don't they go from November to November? In which case they'd only be halfway through year 2.. (and possibly have better sales figures )

Logic! Does not compute funnily enough.

It should be From Jan to Dec, like the rest of the PLANET, end of. :cool:

CiDeRmAn

Realistically I don't see the WiiU sales picking up at all.
We have seen a number of big titles released, principally Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and neither seems to have jump started the console.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Bros Brawl are going to be almost certainly excellent and perhaps even some of the best games on offer anywhere but I have to suggest this isn't going to make an ounce of difference.
People seem to be back owning just one games console and, if they own one other gaming device, it's more likely to be a PC or their own phone.
With some obvious fans of games on these forums saying how simply irrelevant the WiiU is to them why would the typical PS3/360 owner be swayed into the investment of a WiiU?
Simple answer is they won't.
And the console will sell to the fans and no one else.
It will have superb software but it'll be mostly 1st party and no one else will play them.

That doomsaying done perhaps we could be about to see a volte face by Nintendo at the E3 and/or their own expo and we could be treated to a new direction or device that will change everything, resulting in an epiphany in the minds of gamers everywhere.
Something like the PS3 in year 2/3 of sales, when suddenly the machine became, as I said, relevant.

abbir

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

We have seen a number of big titles released, principally Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and neither seems to have jump started the console.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Bros Brawl are going to be almost certainly excellent and perhaps even some of the best games on offer anywhere but I have to suggest this isn't going to make an ounce of difference.
People seem to be back owning just one games console and, if they own one other gaming device, it's more likely to be a PC or their own phone.

I don't think the sales are going to pick up massively but they will improve with Mario Kart 8. I know of four people that are going to pick up the console when it comes out, they've been waiting for that game above any others and I'd say there's more with that opinion.

Donkey Kong was never going to increase sales. It's a great game (not as good as NSMB U) but another platformer is not what the console needed.

If you're going to have a PC and just one console, why not pick the Wii U to complement it? A lot of the games on Xbox One and PS4 are going to be multiplatform and have better versions on PC. The Wii U will have the exclusives that are unlike the games you can get on your PC. The PS4/Xbox one exclusives are going to be more similar to other PC games. (Killzone, Infamous, Sunset Overdrive are much more similar to PC games than Nintendo's offerings). I'm someone that ends up buying all the consoles eventually, I have a PS4 and Wii U at the moment. When I'm not playing my PC, it's the Wii U that gets by far more of my attention.

kunst nugget

Whatever about Mario 3D World, the title of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze alone makes it sound as goofy as hell. I'd doubt Donkey Kong really has that much pull with gamers these days.

Thargor

What sort of battery would a portable Wii U require or has that rumor been put to bed now?

CiDeRmAn

Don't know but if the device was similar in size to the current Gamepad then there'd be plenty of room, assuming the hardware inside would be optimised for low power.
And they'd have a digital library comprising of everything the WiiU has had released so far, so no need for an optical drive at all.

Not going to happen though

Kiith

It will take a Zelda game, or the new Monolith X game to make me buy the console tbh. It simply doesn't have enough on it at the moment to warrant me buying it.

OwaynOTT

It needs some rpg titles. Platformers are great but the console needs diversity. Build the diversity and they will come

C14N

wandatowell wrote: »

I think I paid around 250 quid for my PS3 with TLOU.


Absolute bargain IMO

I think I paid the same price and got Heavy Rain when it came out. I guess some of us are luckier than others :pac:

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

We have seen a number of big titles released, principally Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and neither seems to have jump started the console...

...Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Bros Brawl are going to be almost certainly excellent and perhaps even some of the best games on offer anywhere but I have to suggest this isn't going to make an ounce of difference...

...And the console will sell to the fans and no one else...

...Something like the PS3 in year 2/3 of sales, when suddenly the machine became, as I said, relevant.

I feel like neither Tropical Freeze nor Mario 3D World ever looked like system-sellers. Tropical Freeze is a 2D platformer and while I'm sure the level design is great and it's good fun, as a genre that's pretty much considered indie territory and not terribly exciting unless you have some interesting twist on the formula (like, say Braid or Fez). It sure doesn't look like the kind of AAA game that tends to sell systems or that generates a lot of hype. As someone not keeping up with the Wii U when it came out, 3D World looked a lot more like a continuation of the New Super Mario Bros franchise than the 64/Sunshine/Galaxy franchise, even if it wasn't supposed to be. To a lot of gamers, I think these really just look like casual games. Not as casual as all the "Wii [X]" games, but still more for kids and people who don't want much of a challenge.

I think Mario Kart and Smash Bros will really help to sell a lot of consoles. Not that it's going to put it on top but they will at least help. These are some of the few games that manage to simultaneously appeal just as much to both incredibly casual and incredibly hardcore gamers.

I think you're right that it will sell mostly to fans but I also think that will at least be enough to sustain it. It won't be a huge financial success but it won't be a flop that destroys them either. The thing is that the actual fans are very reliable to sell to. Make some decent games (and we know Nintendo are able to do this) and the marketing aspect pretty much takes care of itself since most gamers actively seek out the promotional material they spend so much trying to get non-gamers to look at.

And it could easily do a PS3 and turn itself around completely like you say. I remember gloating over PS3 owners for the first year or two after release that they had spent so much on a console with almost no really good games and then it just picked up steam to the point where I'd say it was my favourite of the 3 last gen.

Radiosonde

C14N wrote: »

I feel like neither Tropical Freeze nor Mario 3D World ever looked like system-sellers. Tropical Freeze is a 2D platformer and while I'm sure the level design is great and it's good fun, as a genre that's pretty much considered indie territory and not terribly exciting unless you have some interesting twist on the formula (like, say Braid or Fez). It sure doesn't look like the kind of AAA game that tends to sell systems or that generates a lot of hype.

NSMB is one of the biggest franchises there is. NSMB 2 sold over 7.5m copies. That's more than, for example, The Last of Us (6m according to Naughty Dog). DKCR is estimated to have sold about 6m on Wii.

C14N

Radiosonde wrote: »

NSMB is one of the biggest franchises there is. NSMB 2 sold over 7.5m copies. That's more than, for example, The Last of Us (6m according to Naughty Dog). DKCR is estimated to have sold about 6m on Wii.

It sold a lot, but that's because like I said, they're really casual, unchallenging games and that found a large audience on the Wii, which already had a huge install base when they were released. And while they aren't "indie" in terms of sales, as side scrolling platformers, they pretty much are in terms of production value.

Deano7788

C14N wrote: »

It sold a lot, but that's because like I said, they're really casual, unchallenging games and that found a large audience on the Wii, which already had a huge install base when they were released. And while they aren't "indie" in terms of sales, as side scrolling platformers, they pretty much are in terms of production value.

DKCR unchallenging? Have you actually played it?

petes

Deano7788 wrote: »

DKCR unchallenging? Have you actually played it?

It was back to throwing the controller out the window!!

CiDeRmAn

It's the same old assumption that a game featuring Mario, Donkey Kong or other Nintendo characters has to be casual and unchallenged.
I would counter by saying there was little in the gameplay of Bioshock Infinite or The Last of Us that was challenging, while they had other features, principally story and pace that set them apart.
DK Tropical Freeze is as tough a game as you are likely to find.
Similarly New Super Mario Bros U is demanding as well, and don't get me started about Super Luigi U, the quasi DLC, it makes it even harder!

readyletsgo

Only started DKCTF two nights ago, I'd like to see the CoD and FIFA crowd call THAT a casual game, jaysus! first world is hard! Love it!

NSMBWii & U is kinda for the casual audience until half way though those games then they get harder but DKCTF is in a completely different ball game of 'hardcore'. If only the 'Hardcore Gamers' would give it a chance.

On the NFC figures. Cool idea but its already been done, and over all its costs a lot of pennies. But if I can play as Fox in a Mario game or one of the Pikmin in a Metroid level or somethin like, then I might be interested, otherwise, nah, just seems like another version of the NES Remix games but will be more expensive. I am intrigued by the 3DS version on the NFC though... see how that turns out.

Retr0gamer

Mario 3D World as well is easy until you get to the post game content when it seriously ramps up the difficulty. That game just kept of giving!

Retr0gamer

NFC reader stuff reminds me of the card reader for the GBA. I'd be pretty annoyed if Nintendo expect me to buy plastic figures to unlock content in games, I've enough of a problem storing my games and plastic figurines in my room is not something I want.

Shiminay

So Nintendo's answer to it's abysmal financial reports?

Let's make some toys that have NFC capabilities and jump on that Skylanders/Disney bandwagon.

And some of you try to say that it's not a kids console...

Questions have to be asked about who's making these decisions and why is it they don't seem to see themselves as being contenders, because for a platform that's struggling to sell because people either don't know what it is or they consider everything the company does to be only for kids (a point I hasten to add has been more than successfully refuted many, many times on this thread, please don't think I'm not listening ) this is not a solution. It's a nice project idea, I'm sure it was always a part of the plan when they decided to put NFC into the WiiU gamepad, but despite the runaway success that Skylanders has been for Activision, I don't see how this is any kind of answer to the company's problems.

Retr0gamer

It will make them some money. Don't see anything wrong with that. It's hardly the only thing nintendo have up their sleeve. We'll see at E3 what they are doing. The QoL project could be something interesting, I can see it being a Wii Fit type platform rather than a game for a system.

shreddedloops

Shiminay wrote: »

So Nintendo's answer to it's abysmal financial reports?

Let's make some toys that have NFC capabilities and jump on that Skylanders/Disney bandwagon.

And some of you try to say that it's not a kids console...

Questions have to be asked about who's making these decisions and why is it they don't seem to see themselves as being contenders, because for a platform that's struggling to sell because people either don't know what it is or they consider everything the company does to be only for kids (a point I hasten to add has been more than successfully refuted many, many times on this thread, please don't think I'm not listening ) this is not a solution. It's a nice project idea, I'm sure it was always a part of the plan when they decided to put NFC into the WiiU gamepad, but despite the runaway success that Skylanders has been for Activision, I don't see how this is any kind of answer to the company's problems.

I think the NFC figures are a great idea for trying to make money. Pretty sure Skylanders and Disney Infinity are very profitable so why not try your hand at doing the same when you have a cast of beloved characters to sell.

As an adult, I'm certainly more likely to buy Nintendo figures than Skylanders anyway. Only question left unanswered is what the gameplay side of things is going to look like.

Also, having NFC already built in to the Wii U Gamepad is a huge plus. It's great tech and means the platform doesn't cost as much to buy into.

Overall the announcements from Nintendo in the last few weeks have been brilliant. Hopefully they can keep up this momentum and do something big at E3 to show they really are not giving up.

ionapaul

There's zero chance I'll buy any Nintendo figure, and if Nintendo try to crow-bar owning them into unlocking extra content in their games or experiencing the best the Wii U has to offer I'll probably drop the console sooner rather than later. The whole 'cutesy' aspect of the Nintendo world is definitely the least appealing aspect to me, it smacks of being too Japan-centric and isn't something that a whole lot of people in this part of the world can get behind I would have thought.

Radiosonde

The NFC figures help with one big problem Nintendo are concerned about: the devaluation of games. They say themselves they games should be things consumers want to buy and keep, and be priced accordingly, that games should be something that retains value. But they're surrounded by ftp models (er, free-to-play, not file transfer protocol), Steam sales, retail trade-ins - a world where games (like movies and music) seem to be more disposable, less tangible, often easily pirated, etc.

Physical models might bolster that collector's spirit: the software might be cheap, or even free, but players will invest in chunky, well-made plastic toys to use with them, and will be encouraged to keep and collect them through customisation and cross-game compatibility. Their tangibility will contrast with the digital ephemera of the games themselves. It's not really something I'm interested in, but if you want to get kids away from Angry Birds and Minecraft and back on Mario, it's worth a shot.

Radiosonde

Oh and also this (saw on neogaf!):