Is the Wii U a serious contender for the 8th gen of consoles?

[Medza]

The Wii U has been out on the market for quite a while now and the sales are quite terrible with only 57,000 copies sold on average every month worldwide. It did have the benefit of a much earlier release than the PS4/Xbox One but it really looks like they failed to monetize on it. I know that there are some new games coming out, but honestly I doubt that they will be able to attract enough new buyers to make them a serious contender. In it's current state it just looks like the Wii U was a terrible mistake on Nintendo's behalf and I don't think they have the slightest idea on how to fix it.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Clark Wayne]

Honestly? I don't think so. I feel that Nintendo pretty much missed the mark with the Wii U and also wasted a whole year with the console since they had an entire year to themselves before the PS4 and Xbox One will be released. Sales will pick up once they sart releasing games but with a lack of 3rd party support and the fact that 1st party games take so long to be released, I think it's safe to say Nintendo will end up in 3rd place this console generation. Ashame since they were 1st during the previous generation.

 

[RockSauron]

I think Nintendo will just continue doing its own thing. they don't really seem to think much about the gaming landscape outside their offices. Or at all, really.

 

[Pandsu]

They should definitely start with that, though. Because while that approach might've worked for the Wii, their new audience just isn't enough to save them this time.
The wow-factor is gone, so is the argument of low price (because the Wii U is still pretty expensive and I think those people, especially if they already own a Wii, are less willing to spend as much on a console), the gimmick isn't popular or, frankly, good enough to be as much of a selling point as it was with the Wii. So what Nintendo has to do is rely on both their old fans, those who've been with them in the previous generations, and the Playstation and Xbox crowd. And neither are really blown away by anything yet, either.
All the Wii U really has at this point, at best, are good games that you'd buy and have fun with if you already own the system, but not really much of a system seller. At least not for me, and I believe I'm not alone with that, even if some people might disagree and name Pikmin 3 as their personal highlight.

More power to them but, for me, as well as most of those who never even played a Pikmin game, that just doesn't draw you in, doesn't wow you as much as a system seller should. It might be fun, but it really doesn't give off that "MUST PLAY THIS OMG" vibe. Which is something Nintendo desperately needs. More than anyone else.
They need a gem, a piece of software, that sparkles so bright that it outshines even the most shiniest of graphics. Because the Wii U definitely doesn't have that going for it.

 

[Esperahol]

... This is really a rather tired subject and a moot point as well. I mean 57,000 units sold a month is apparently a failure... wow. On top of that WiiU's tablet can't be too much of a gimmick or MS and Sony wouldn't bother with tablets, glasses, and phone connections I would think. Kind of like if the Wii was so useless why is the Kinect a mandatory part of the Xbone and the Motion still a thing? I honestly feel like Nintendo will be fine. My one big question is why people have started to doubt them so hard now - time and again some other company has risen up and yet Nintendo is still there and doing fairly well. And they manage to do so without the backing of technological diversity - Microsoft has Windows and Gateway and such. Sony has stereos, dvds, and whatever else. I mean Nintendo is just gaming.

 

[Bradmaven]

Like the others have said, Nintendo occupy their own little niche in the gaming world and they don't necessarily worry about what the other players in the field are doing. Whether or not this is a good or a bad thing, I still don't know, but more than anything else at least they are doing something different. If there were 3 serious consoles on the market, who would buy them all? I had a 360, PS3 and a Wii during this gen, but if the Wii was just another console like the other I probably wouldn't have bothered with it at all.
Same for this generation, I am getting a PS4 to sit right up there comfortably with my Wii U as they both offer me the chance of distinctly unique gaming experiences.
As long as they start getting some games they will be fine.

 

[Joel]

The Wii U is weird. Weird just like the Wii was but this time worse. Its barrier to entry is greater and its sacrificed its ease of access so that it could have a huge controller like game boy hang out on it. The Wii was popular because people like my sister and mom could jump into it and play. Its party games brought audiences into the idea of using gaming and console gaming at that, to entertain. They knew then that people would pack their Wiis up to take to their friend's house so that they could play the party games and the such. All of a sudden it spread like a Zombie apoc!

Its not like that with the Wii U. They've lost who they are and its not because they are trying to be different, its because you can't innovate simple without losing simplicity!

First party games will always be great on Nintendo. They carry this wonderful memory of who you are and what you did at the beginning of gaming. They also put a lot of time, effort and money into these experiences and they really are very fun. However, I'm not convinced that the Wii U won't be on the endangered species list in the next years.

 

[Jellyfish]

I don't think you can really see it as a new console. Of course it is somehow but it is no console of the next genereation. It's more like an extension of the concept of the Wii.

 

[brad]

Its awful they have lost so much money from it as its been a terrible investment for them and to even create is as so many people have decided to either trade it in or not buy it, a lot of people were looking forward to it but its been a disappointment.

 

[unwittyoneliner]

Even though the Wii U isn't really in the running to compete with the new consoles set to come out, I'm sure Iwata isn't happy about the sales. He's already expressed that the software is the main problem. It's bad that Nintendo didn't wait, at least a little bit, before releasing the console with something that would draw gamers in. It really needed that Smash Bros or Pikmin, or better yet, LoZ. I'm sure once those games come out, the Wii U will sell well, anyway.

 

[NatureSun]

I honestly think Nintendo plays in it's own league. It's tough to say now but I wouldn't be surprised if Wii U suddenly takes off and creates a huge market base for itself.

Currently the problem with Wii U is it has no quality games, and all it takes is for one quality game to come out for the masses to buy it, which I believe is completely possible.

 

[Esperahol]

It is easy to say the WiiU is a horrible product because it currently lacks hardware just like the 3DS did, just like the PSP did, just like the DS did - et cetra. A system can be all kinds of awesome, but if they don't have the software no one is going to know. Since 2014 is when most of it is coming that is when I'll care more.

 

[mosul210]

In my opinion the Wii U is a very competent system albeit not as powerful as the upcoming consoles from MS and Sony. IMO the biggest mistake they did this generation is not incorporating bluray playback capability.

 

[jardantuan]

Yes and no.

I don't think it'll 'compete' in the same sense that the PS4 and X1 are competing with each other, but I do think it'll sell a lot more over the next few years. Give it time, give us Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Smash Bros., and we'll see a lot of people buying the Wii U for those four alone.

I can see this generation being more akin to the GameCube than the Wii for Nintendo - it won't look great in terms of sales for them, but I think it'll be a great console for fans of Nintendo games.

 

[Dame6089]

It won;t compete on the level of the XBOX or PS4. With that said, it will be a worthwhile consoles when Nintendo starts rolling out their 1st party games. Mario Worlds in particular has been getting great reviews by people who have had the chance to play it.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

It'll persevere on as a console but no it won't be competing with X1 and PS4 unless they invest heavily in games for it. As everyone said, the traditional Nintendo fans will flock to it and they are a sizable number, so I don't think when all has been said and done the Wii U will be a bust but its not a contender for the 8th gen consoles.

 

[Gamer_Fries]

Honestly I highly doubt it, as much as I have enjoyed playing it I never actually bought it myself. So it might have some interesting games and some cool features it really does not appear to have much of a chance since it has already been out so long. If people have not gotten it already I think the 8th gen will just drive it deeper in it's grave.

 

[themarting]

I dont see why not. Its a cool little system, and they focus on fun more than social media and ultra graphics.

 

[Linkzelda41]

I believe it has potential, it just depends on how they can gather as many types of audience possible. The default answer would be that they have little to no chance, but that’s just based on people’s personal opinions without checking the statistics.

It definitely isn’t going to be undermined like the Nintendo Wii did back then, and there’s still a few more years before anyone can make a valid claim on its authority status in the future. Gameplay and online will definitely have people playing for hours.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

It definitely isn’t going to be undermined like the Nintendo Wii did back then,

What are you on about? I mean the Wii is one of the bestselling gaming consoles of all time. Sure the quality of initial games was shoddy but the devs were quick enough to come up with improved future versions when they saw how popular the console was. Wii U has not had any indications of something like that as yet.