Critical Hit | 15 Ways Nintendo Can Bounce Back After Under-performing Wii U, 3DS Page 1

Critical Hit | 15 Ways Nintendo Can Bounce Back After Under-performing Wii U, 3DS

18.01.2014

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Headlines are blaring this week as Nintendo revised its predictions for the impending year-end sales figures for both the Wii U and 3DS. "Nintendo are doomed", "Majora's moon has fallen" - you can see the sheer volume of early prophesising towards an industry without Nintendo in the hardware space.

Don't count Nintendo out just yet - one would be foolish to, given the company's history and resources.

Admittedly the situation for the Wii U is looking bleak at the moment, with dire sales of its first year on the market, to the point where the lack of store presence almost made it look as if it never happened. That moment where the final boss is defeated and players zip back to the save state prior to the end credits? That's the feeling that's come about after a fumbling year of trying to make things work.

As demonstrated with the Nintendo 3DS, and to an extent the Nintendo GameCube, the company do have the ability and resources to bounce back. The Super Mario Bros card has already been deployed in spectacular fashion, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit have been spread on the table in a bid to rally in the casuals, but the flame is still luke-warm.

The problem appears to be rooted in awareness and purpose - what is the Wii U's intent; its audience and what can consumers do with it compared to the original Wii? Nintendo has answered those questions in part, but there's a still a lot of things the company should and needs to do in order to truly get the console off the ground.

Here are just fifteen things Nintendo could and definitely need to do when it comes to both the Wii U and 3DS.

1) Mobile Taster Games, Dedicated App and Payment using eShop Credit

Going fully mobile for Nintendo could be a big risk for the traditional Japanese game maker, but tapping into the vast number of iOS and Android devices out there would help to increase awareness, potentially acting as stepping stones towards Nintendo devices.

Having a separate, more specific set of studios to produce mobile-driven content would seem the next best step, and perhaps one of the more immediate routes Nintendo could take, and at this stage, almost has to take. Bringing full ports of 3DS titles would probably not be in Nintendo's best interests, but having demos or mobile-optimised tasters could help drive potential consumers to at least think about buying into a 3DS or 2DS console to get their full fix.

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Nintendo could well start with more basic titles and concepts, perhaps a stripped back version of popular DS hit Brain Training, offering a house to decorate in an Animal Crossing demo or perhaps capitalising on Pokémon through a breeding app. The key, though, is bringing what isn't available on mobile platforms already - Nintendo franchises - Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda - but ensuring there's enough push to drive mobile players towards dedicated Nintendo consoles.

To bring it all together, Nintendo would be wise to have a dedicated mobile app for accessing these games - with the ability to pay for mobile content using Nintendo eShop credit, at the same time using this app to promote 3DS and Wii U games with minimal expense. Throw in integrated Miiverse support and a unified Nintendo Network account and we're set.

2) Virtual Console on Mobile Devices, Extra Features on Console

The quicker fix for Nintendo would be to tap into the mass back catalogue of games that could be brought to mobile devices with relative ease. Third party agreements and royalties aside, Nintendo's own first-party NES, SNES and possibly Nintendo 64 gems would be a useful eye-opener to show the big-wigs that mobile-driven content has to be approached sooner, rather than later. Even having just a handful of favourites on the mobile market like Super Mario Bros, Pokémon Red/Blue and Donkey Kong Country could ignite some excitement.

Perhaps Nintendo could consider additional features for Virtual Console releases that are specific to the Wii U and 3DS versions to entice mobile players to try out these classics on Nintendo's own consoles as well. The Wii U edition could boast online-play and enhanced sprites, whilst the 3DS versions could be mixed-up through stereoscopic 3D. Both could add additional stages and new content not present in the original - Nintendo's own approach to NES Remix proves that this could be an option.

Having the original, un-modified versions on mobile and enhanced editions on Nintendo hardware is one thing, but Nintendo would need to really sell the advantages - have subtle advertising that appears when starting/ending the game, and throughout a dedicated Nintendo app.

3) Cross-platform Game Sharing - Mobile, 3DS, Wii U

Buy one, use on multiple devices. It's a common complaint amongst fans, and Nintendo needs to consider at least having first party virtual console releases available across multiple platforms. Of course if there are extra, hardware specific features, this should come at a small extra cost - much like the Wii to Wii U upgrade.

Buying virtual console and eShop titles like Super Mario Bros or F-Zero should be a one-time fee, with the game available on 3DS, Wii U and possible mobile support without having to buy for each device. It seems bizarre that fans have to shell out again just to play the same game on the move or on the TV - it's like being charged to pop an MP3 on stereo and MP3 player.

Having the now joint Nintendo Network account should help aid this and Nintendo should certainly try to encourage more fans to migrate to the one user, multiple system approach.

4) Apps, Apps and More Apps - Living Room Computing for the Family

It seems bizarre looking back that Nintendo Wii had a plethora of media and news apps, yet the Wii U and 3DS are lacking these sorts of extra tools to serve as multi-purpose hardware. Both consoles have access to YouTube and other streaming apps, but where are the drawing tools, video playback, gaming spectating apps and the almost obligatory social networking apps?

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Read: 20 Ideas for Wii U Apps

The Wii U seems the perfect base to run social tools and multimedia, yet the console itself hasn't, at time of writing, gotten the focus beyond pure gaming that it deserves. Nintendo could and should partner with a company that has more experience to potentially open the door to either creating a Nintendo-driven operating system or bolt onto an existing one. Being able to officially boot into say, Google Chrome OS or Ubuntu, could expand the console from being a gaming, browser and YouTube player to allowing users to also run the Wii U as a computing system.

Nintendo already has the key components to make this happen: A small hardware unit with HDMI support, USB ports, expandable storage, USB reader, Wi-Fi and of course, the Wii U GamePad itself. It could be another selling point for the family-focused consumer: It plays games, has a second screen, and can act as a multimedia computer.

With a separate mobile/app team, the potential is there - it's up to Nintendo to leap onboad - the original Wii, released in 2006, certainly showed that it's possible. Not everyone would use all these apps, but it'll at least give players options and another selling point.

5) Physical and Digital Media Playback on Wii U

Following on from the need for more apps and computing features, Nintendo has to improve the number of multimedia functions with the Wii U - it can become another selling point for those who are looking beyond just a core gaming console. By simply adding the ability to plug-in a USB stick or memory card, as with the original Wii, and allowing for core media formats to be viewed: MP4, MP3, WAV MPEG, AVI and JPG images, it'll at least allow users to playback content that may not be in the cloud.

Traditional CDs and DVDs have always been a struggle to play on Nintendo hardware - GameCube fans had to invest in a Panasonic Q and Wii players had to use unofficial homebrew apps. The functionality does seem to be available, so it would be a case of Nintendo acquiring the licensing, possibly absorbing the cost, and providing Wii U players with a standard media application.

6) 3DS to Wii U Cross-Platform Initiatives and a 3DS Reader for Wii U

Using the Nintendo 3DS as a controller has been suggested in the past, and has been used in some cross-play experiences like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, yet there's minimal use between the two consoles at the moment.

More games, especially those available on both platforms, should support cross-platform play, given that the 3DS console offers a fairly similar setup in terms of buttons available and the secondary touch screen.

Nintendo could easily develop a Wii U edition of some popular 3DS games, and an attachment that allows save data from the 3DS cartridge to be read, to play in the Wii U version. For example, having Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Pokémon X / Y available as graphically revised versions on the Wii U, as well, with the option to read and write save data to the 3DS cartridge on the fly. Play on the move and continue the experience on Wii U.

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If that fails, simply having the peripheral read and play 3DS games on the big screen would be an added bonus, opening the door for a wider catalogue on Wii U and income from the device itself.

7) Scrap the Wii Menu on Wii U and Fully Integrate Support

The Wii Menu on the Wii U is a strange idea to keep going given that the Wii apps have stopped running. Players can now boot up the Wii Menu when turning on the Wii U console by holding down a button, but it does seem odd having the two menus separately. The only elements that would need to remain in a Wii-specific area might be the Mii creator, Activity log and certain settings - Nintendo could tie these within the Wii U itself, whilst re-introducing the Activity Log within the Wii U operating system.

Nintendo need to also promote the fact that existing Wii titles can now be played off screen. The company has already attempted to entice Wii players with Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit U, and these should really be promoted more and potentially bundled with Wii U. Wii Fit U is already getting a physical release, but almost a year and a half after launch maybe too late. Perhaps pre-installing a graphically enhanced Wii Sports Resort and Wii Sports Club could be a means of attracting those players who queued up for hours on end just to grab hold of the original Wii console.

8) Sub-Studios to Port Key Third Party Releases

Third parties are still uncertain when it comes to the Wii U, and many have abandoned the platform all-together. With the install base still small, Nintendo could take the initiative to convince publishers that a sub-team that's Nintendo funded could help with the porting duties.

Other major publishers like EA and Activision have outsourced Wii U titles to other smaller studios, so Nintendo could step in and take a more hands-on intuitive into bringing key titles like Grand Theft Auto, FIFA, Madden, Battlefield and more to the Wii U. If Nintendo based teams do the hard work, maybe there's some chance of these big sellers driving new fans to the essentially first-party-only system.

9) More GamePad-driven Gaming Experiences

The GamePad is arguably a useful device - making what's so appealing about the DS and 3DS consoles into a peripheral for the home. With a bright, crisp touch screen, speakers and microphone, it should be used more in as much software as possible - really show consumers the gaming and practical highlights of adopting a Wii U into the home. It doesn't just play video games off screen, but also for a more hands-on experience: a new viewing angle for multiplayer or a second window for the solo adventurer.

Aside from a few games like Rayman Legends and Nintendo Land, there really hasn't been a true display of what the GamePad can bring to the table. Even Super Mario 3D World has very small snippets of GamePad functionality isolated to a handful of levels across the landscape.

Going forward, the controller needs to be shown off more - just why Wii U owners are paying over the odds for better graphics and a second screen?

10) Unleash more Virtual Console titles at once

With a near-endless stream of games at Nintendo's disposal, plus readily available storage, the company should release more classics at one time. The Wii U's virtual console line-up, over a year in, is pitiful - driven by practically the same Virtual Console releases as fans had seen on the Wii.

At least five to ten should be pumped out on a weekly basis, as many as possible with additional enhancements that could come with features like online play or adding multiplayer to an otherwise single-player outing. The Nintendo 64 and GameCube, at time of writing, are still missing and the Nintendo 64 could easily be brought across with minimal fuss. There's a big market to use the back catalogue as easy wins, yet Nintendo are being incredibly conservative when it comes to using this weapon to their advantage.

There is an opportunity, just like Nintendo took with the European release of Earthbound, to finally launch games that may not have ever appeared in a particular region - those more obscure Japan only games or content that may have been deemed too risqué for European audiences back in the day.

11) Partner with More Japanese and Western Third Party Studios

With longstanding relationships with fellow Japanese studios, Nintendo needs to continue to use these connections to bring more exclusive content over to Wii U. SEGA have been a solid partner, but it needs to stretch beyond Sonic the Hedgehog - how about Shenmue, Virtual Tennis, Altered Beast, Streets of Rage and many more franchises the two studios could collaborate on.

Capcom lent a hand towards Nintendo during the GameCube era, and right now could be invaluable in aiding the Wii U resurgence - any exclusive games that take advantage of the Wii U hardware certainly wouldn't go amiss, including Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Street Fighter or better still, a hypothetical Capcom vs Nintendo moment would be gaming gold.

Next to Capcom would be Namco Bandai and Square Enix, with exclusive entries in the Tales and Final Fantasy franchises having the potential to draw in potential Wii U owners who might be sitting on the fence. 3D remakes for classic Final Fantasy games helped the DS, so a similar approach could aid the Wii U through enhanced ports of past entries, an exclusive new Crystal Chronicles, or better still, exclusivity on a main numbered RPG entry.

Even if Nintendo doesn't necessarily opt for full projects with fellow studios, at least outsourcing work to companies could ease some of the load and the pressure that the House of Mario has in producing top-notch HD content. Capcom, SEGA, Namco Bandai, Square Enix and more all have many more years in HD gaming than Nintendo, so their advice and help would be invaluable going forward. With Namco Bandai helping put together the next Super Smash Bros, it's the first steps to expanding Nintendo into the HD realm.

Outside Japan, studios like Retro and Next Level Games have helped put together some stellar exclusive titles and Nintendo would be wise to expand their second-party relationships with newer teams around the globe. Western developers could learn from Nintendo's practices and vice-versa, bringing together a wealth of knowledge and of course helping introduce more exclusives to the Wii U's very thin line-up so far.

12) More First Party Franchises on Wii U

Fans are twiddling thumbs, waiting for core non-Mario games to appear in HD. The likes of Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Star Fox, F-Zero, Metroid, Wave Race and more are key candidates for being reborn in HD, yet Nintendo seem to be rummaging around for something revolutionary to justify developing new entries in some of these franchises - in particular F-Zero and Star Fox.

By handing out some of these titles to third party developers, as Nintendo has done with Retro, Next Level and SEGA so far, fans can finally have a fix and some who are waiting for these titles before buying a Wii U can finally have reason to.

13) HD Remakes to Fill the Wii U Gaps

The Wii U and GameCube had a range of games that are crying out for re-make treatment, and it's in part one of the reasons some fans have speculated about the lack of GameCube Virtual Console titles. Nintendo could, fairly easily, employ a team or external studio to port and update popular classics into HD.

Given the appeal and speed of development for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Nintendo could bring Super Mario Galaxy 1/2, Metroid Prime, F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and much more to the Wii U as part of a "Nintendo Classics" range. It's been done before on the Wii and more recently with The Wind Waker HD, so a similar approach could help ease off the development times for newer entries.

14) Greater and Clearer Advertising Push

We've said this on countless occasions, but the Wii U advertising needs a true and clear rethink, but this can only come after Nintendo themselves have decided on just where to take the console - is it a family machine, is it for core players? Is it intended to be a multimedia hub? These answers were covered by the likes of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One - both intended to play games and a range of multimedia.

At time of writing, there's still a lack of Wii U advertising - particularly in the UK - with a handful of promotions during the festive season, but not as much as Sony or Microsoft by any means.

15) Ditch the Wii U Branding in Favour of Wii 2

Finally, Wii U. The name seems like a big, big, mistake for Nintendo. To the average consumer, the Wii U sounds like an accessory, an add-on for the original Wii that costs a bucket load for something that many might just appear a bolt-on. This was one of the biggest mistakes with the hardware launch, and coupled with the shambolic and mixed advertising, has resulted in a still blurry picture amongst consumers.

Nintendo need to really consider keeping the Wii U name going forward, and perhaps settle for a re-launch under the name "Wii 2" to make it absolutely clear that it's the successor console. Just pop on a "Formerly Wii U" on the box and they're set.

What can Nintendo do to bounce back with the Wii U and 3DS over the coming year? Be sure to share your thoughts in our comments section and poll below.

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Sonic_13 19.01.2014#1

Great list of suggestions! Here's my thoughts on each.

1) I think a mobile presence is good, but should not be games. Apps like for Miiverse and the eShop are the way to go. Apps that can supplement and enhance playing on Wii U and 3DS but in no way replace the experience. I love the fact that I can access Miiverse on the go. It keeps me connected to Nintendo much more than I otherwise would in my busy life. While I wouldn't be opposed to limited demos on mobile I don't see them ever being able to provide a realistic example of the dual screen nature of Wii U and 3DS. A Nintendo Power app that always brings Nintendo news and videos to people's phones would be my dream app.

2) Absolutely no to any Virtual Console games on mobile.

3) Good idea and something I think Nintendo is taking steps towards accomplishing. We've just seen Nintendo Network accounts get integrated on the 3DS (notably shared eShop info) and Nintendo has promised more to come of this in the future.

4) I disagree with your assertion that Wii was necessarily better with apps than Wii U (though it's more a matter of opinion and could be argued either way). Wii had some more, but in many ways I think Wii U's are better. (Note: I am commenting from a US perspective). In regards to video, both systems have the same (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube) except Wii U had them from the start and also has TVii as a bonus. In regards to other apps, the Wii Shop Channel and eShop are equivalent. The Nintendo Channel isn't necessary on Wii U as videos are integrated into the eShop and play times are recorded in a separate app. The web browser is significantly better on Wii U. Wii had News and Weather Channels, but I'm not sure how often people really used them and with the hugely improved web browser I think they are somewhat unnecessary. The Check Mii Out Channel and Everybody Votes Channels don't currently have equivalents on Wii U, but I think both could (and should) be integrated into Miiverse. The Photo Channel is the probably the app that I think still has the most useful functionality, but surprisingly has no Wii U equivalent. Miiverse, however, is simply fantastic and in my opinion easily trumps any apps Wii ever had. I would argue Wii U offers the best social experience of all three consoles because of Miiverse.

5) Personally I have no need for physical media playback (other than maybe occasionally photos). I wouldn't be opposed to it being added since I'm sure some people want it, but I think it should be low on any list of changes.

6) There are definitely interesting ideas to explore here. Utilizing the 3DS's success to promote Wii U should be a priority. I like that render of the 3DS player, though I think Nintendo would be concerned about releasing a USB device that reads 3DS cards. The potential for using 3DS's as controllers is big, especially since they have their own processors - you wouldn't need the Wii U to render those additional screens.

7) Promoting off-screen Wii play is a good idea. As for actually integrating Wii into Wii U I think it should be low on the list of changes.

8) Sounds like a solid idea. I don't know if it would do anything about EA, but I'm sure others like Ubisoft would welcome the support.

9) "there really hasn't been a true display of what the GamePad can bring to the table" - I think Pikmin 3 absolutely shows this, but there definitely need to be more.

10) Definitely yes. There needs to be more urgency in releasing titles and it's time to really consider GameCube games as well. This issue is only emphasized by the fact that Wii had such a truly fantastic Virtual Console library.

11) Yes. Capcom recently commented that developing for X1/PS4 is 8-10x more work than last gen. There is potential for a situation like Monster Hunter Tri where the developer thinks it is too costly to bring a project to those systems and Nintendo can convince them to bring it to Wii U instead.

12) Yes, though I think these are coming. Nintendo had some development trouble in the switch to HD, but as those problems get worked out we'll see more games and at a faster rate.

13) If it can be done quickly then yes, but development efforts should be focused on new projects. Yes we had Wind Waker HD, but that was also done as a test experiment for development on the new Wii U Zelda game.

14) More ads are always good. There was definitely a larger advertising push (in the US anyway) before the holidays.

15) I think this would be a mistake and would just add to any confusion at this point. A sticker on the box only helps if someone is looking at the box, not with word of mouth. Any name confusion can be worked out with more ads and with more time. Even if left alone it is something that will work itself out as Wii games, systems, and accessories disappear from stores leaving only Wii U games (and new versions of Mario Kart, Smash Bros., etc appear that kids want and families go to buy). Nintendo should definitely work more to fix this, but time will help and suddenly changing the name will just make matters worse.

There's my thoughts and a lot more typing than I thought I was going to do.

Edit this post:

Great list of suggestions! Here's my thoughts on each.

2) Absolutely no to any Virtual Console games on mobile.

4) I disagree with your assertion that Wii was necessarily better with apps than Wii U (though it's more a matter of opinion and could be argued either way). Wii had some more, but in many ways I think Wii U's are better. (Note: I am commenting from a US perspective). In regards to video, both systems have the same (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube) except Wii U had them from the start and also has TVii as a bonus. In regards to other apps, the Wii Shop Channel and eShop are equivalent. The Nintendo Channel isn't necessary on Wii U as videos are integrated into the eShop and play times are recorded in a separate app. The web browser is significantly better on Wii U. Wii had News and Weather Channels, but I'm not sure how often people really used them and with the hugely improved web browser I think they are somewhat unnecessary. The Check Mii Out Channel and Everybody Votes Channels don't currently have equivalents on Wii U, but I think both could (and should) be integrated into Miiverse. The Photo Channel is the probably the app that I think still has the most useful functionality, but surprisingly has no Wii U equivalent. Miiverse, however, is simply fantastic and in my opinion easily trumps any apps Wii ever had. I would argue Wii U offers the best social experience of all three consoles because of Miiverse.

6) There are definitely interesting ideas to explore here. Utilizing the 3DS's success to promote Wii U should be a priority. I like that render of the 3DS player, though I think Nintendo would be concerned about releasing a USB device that reads 3DS cards. The potential for using 3DS's as controllers is big, especially since they have their own processors - you wouldn't need the Wii U to render those additional screens.

7) Promoting off-screen Wii play is a good idea. As for actually integrating Wii into Wii U I think it should be low on the list of changes.

8)  Sounds like a solid idea. I don't know if it would do anything about EA, but I'm sure others like Ubisoft would welcome the support.

9) "there really hasn't been a true display of what the GamePad can bring to the table"  - I think Pikmin 3 absolutely shows this, but there definitely need to be more.

12) Yes, though I think these are coming. Nintendo had some development trouble in the switch to HD, but as those problems get worked out we'll see more games and at a faster rate.

14) More ads are always good. There was definitely a larger advertising push (in the US anyway) before the holidays.

15) I think this would be a mistake and would just add to any confusion at this point.  A sticker on the box only helps if someone is looking at the box, not with word of mouth. Any name confusion can be worked out with more ads and with more time. Even if left alone it is something that will work itself out as Wii games, systems, and accessories disappear from stores leaving only Wii U games (and new versions of Mario Kart, Smash Bros., etc appear that kids want and families go to buy).  Nintendo should definitely work more to fix this, but time will help and suddenly changing the name will just make matters worse.

There's my thoughts and a lot more typing than I thought I was going to do.

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Canyarion 19.01.2014#2

Some thoughts:

1) Demos on mobile phones seems like a good idea. Show people what they can get if they buy a Nintendo console.

2) Not sure about VC on mobiles. I think Nintendo's strength is having all their games exclusively on their own systems. Maybe only allow it for cross-play, so people would have to buy a Nintendo FIRST, then they can get VC games on their mobile device.

3) I'd love to see cross-play on 3DS and Wii U. It would convince me to pick up more VC and eShope games than I do now.

5) It would be nice to be able to play movies/series on the U... but I'd rather see Nintendo start their own TVii service, using their Nintendo-licensed shows.

7) That the Wii channel is separate is probably to fight piracy. Wii U discs have a rounded edge, Wii ones don't.

9) Yeah, we need more Upad features. When they showed Panorama View, I thought it was a 3D world instead of a 360° video. But I still thought it was amazing. Port a game like Endless Ocean, give the Upad to a 2nd player and let him look around his environment. It would be great for parents, wifes, grandparents, guests...

10) Yes, more VC and fast! Where are the Cube games? For a while I feared they'd want to make HD remakes of Cube games like they did with TWWHD... But nothing has been announced yet, so where is our GC VC? Oh and while they're at it, up-rendering is a must. The same goes for N64 btw...

11-13) Sure, that would be great, but probably not realistic...

15) I don't think changing the name to Wii 2 is going to matter all that much. They'll still have to advertize the thing like they do with the Wii U.

I had this idea of my own. Why don't Nintendo get a program like PSN going, where you can download a VC for free each month. Maybe even unlimited VC access. And make it a free service. That should pull in lots of new gamers and it doesn't really cost Nintendo anything.
Imagine you can play a new free GC game each month, how awesome would that be. And Nintendo has enough first party titles to last for 2 years.

Edit this post:

Some thoughts:

1) Demos on mobile phones seems like a good idea. Show people what they can get if they buy a Nintendo console.

3) I'd love to see cross-play on 3DS and Wii U. It would convince me to pick up more VC and eShope games than I do now.

5) It would be nice to be able to play movies/series on the U... but I'd rather see Nintendo start their own TVii service, using their Nintendo-licensed shows.

7) That the Wii channel is separate is probably to fight piracy. Wii U discs have a rounded edge, Wii ones don't.

11-13) Sure, that would be great, but probably not realistic...

15) I don't think changing the name to Wii 2 is going to matter all that much. They'll still have to advertize the thing like they do with the Wii U.

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Phoenom 19.01.2014#3

Slightly adjusting the console unit not to look like a Wii 1, placing it front and center in all advertising, and going for a quick-and-easy Wii 2U re-branding would help majorly at this point.

jb 19.01.2014#4

Great comments guys!

While I wouldn't be opposed to limited demos on mobile I don't see them ever being able to provide a realistic example of the dual screen nature of Wii U and 3DS.

I think they maybe able to use that as leverage to push people towards the Wii U/3DS versions by placing a little screen at the end saying "Play with online features in HD with buttons" etc on dedicated Nintendo platforms.

A Nintendo Power app that always brings Nintendo news and videos to people's phones would be my dream app.

That'd be great, plus it also pushing notifications to your phone for new releases or trailers fo example would be great!

I disagree with your assertion that Wii was necessarily better with apps than Wii U

Don't think they're better per se, especially the browser and streaming apps are far superior on Wii U, but more as an example that the Wii had some apps that should be standard - like a music/video player, drawing app (sort of), photo viewer etc. Not everyone would use these apps given the influx of tablets and phones out there for such things, but would be another useful extra to have.

I wouldn't be opposed to it being added since I'm sure some people want it, but I think it should be low on any list of changes.

I think it should be fairly high given that it might be a quick fix - imagine telling consumers they could watch DVD, play Wii/Wii U games on a smaller screen if the TV is in use - adds that extra function for those who haven't comitted to fully digital just yet.

This issue is only emphasized by the fact that Wii had such a truly fantastic Virtual Console library.

Agreed, though the Wii too had its slow months.

If it can be done quickly then yes, but development efforts should be focused on new projects

Agreed - though even a small team of 20/30 could pop out an HD remake every 6 months or so. Definitely this year would be good to release Galaxy HD and TP HD.

Maybe only allow it for cross-play, so people would have to buy a Nintendo FIRST, then they can get VC games on their mobile device.

Like this idea actually, so you'd need a Nintendo Network ID to sign up to play VC games on mobiles, and to do so, would need a Wii U / 3DS. Would justify the service nicely actually

That the Wii channel is separate is probably to fight piracy. Wii U discs have a rounded edge, Wii ones don't.

Don't think so, tbh, I think it's because Nintendo hasn't bothered to really integrate Wii so deeply into Wii U yet.

Port a game like Endless Ocean, give the Upad to a 2nd player and let him look around his environment. It would be great for parents, wifes, grandparents, guests...

That'd be amazing, especially in real-time!

I don't think changing the name to Wii 2 is going to matter all that much. They'll still have to advertize the thing like they do with the Wii U.

I think it'd totally matter in the eyes of the casuals - Wii U to most sounds like an extra, but Wii 2 should make more sense to others - like the Apple style of incrementing the iPad/iPhone model numbers.

Edit this post:

Great comments guys!

[quote]While I wouldn't be opposed to limited demos on mobile I don't see them ever being able to provide a realistic example of the dual screen nature of Wii U and 3DS.[/quote]

[quote]A Nintendo Power app that always brings Nintendo news and videos to people's phones would be my dream app.[/quote]

That'd be great, plus it also pushing notifications to your phone for new releases or trailers fo example would be great!

[quote]I disagree with your assertion that Wii was necessarily better with apps than Wii U[/quote]

[quote]I wouldn't be opposed to it being added since I'm sure some people want it, but I think it should be low on any list of changes.[/quote]

[quote]This issue is only emphasized by the fact that Wii had such a truly fantastic Virtual Console library.[/quote]

Agreed, though the Wii too had its slow months.

[quote] If it can be done quickly then yes, but development efforts should be focused on new projects[/quote]

Agreed - though even a small team of 20/30 could pop out an HD remake every 6 months or so. Definitely this year would be good to release Galaxy HD and TP HD.

[quote]Maybe only allow it for cross-play, so people would have to buy a Nintendo FIRST, then they can get VC games on their mobile device.[/quote]

Like this idea actually, so you'd need a Nintendo Network ID to sign up to play VC games on mobiles, and to do so, would need a Wii U / 3DS. Would justify the service nicely actually

[quote]That the Wii channel is separate is probably to fight piracy. Wii U discs have a rounded edge, Wii ones don't.[/quote]

Don't think so, tbh, I think it's because Nintendo hasn't bothered to really integrate Wii so deeply into Wii U yet.

[quote]Port a game like Endless Ocean, give the Upad to a 2nd player and let him look around his environment. It would be great for parents, wifes, grandparents, guests...[/quote]

That'd be amazing, especially in real-time!

[quote]I don't think changing the name to Wii 2 is going to matter all that much. They'll still have to advertize the thing like they do with the Wii U.[/quote]

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Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Flynnie 19.01.2014#5

Great article, i agree with the most part but disagree with putting VC games on mobile. If anything that would drive the lack of need to buy a Nintendo console to get their Ninty fix.

I think having online play, track creator, HD graphics and gamepad utilisation to create a vehicle are more than enough reasons to create a new Fzero. I'd rather Nintendo come out and just say that Fzero and Starfox just don't sell well enough to release a new version.

I don't really think any of the Kirby games released in the last 8 years are particularly revolutionary (other than Canvas Curse/PowerPaint Brush) but we have had 5/6 Kirby games since the last new Starfox. Heck at least they are getting VC releases as well. I'd love to see Starwing/Starfox SNES come to the VC!

Onlymatt 19.01.2014#6

I agree that the Wii U branding has not worked very well, I do not think that Wii 2 would really do much better, I think the Wii name has be hurt. They just need to push the Wii U name better and explain why its better.

Nintendo do, what all others don't.

Flynnie 19.01.2014#7

I hated the idea of "Wii U" and "Wii 2" i always thought Nintendo were more imaginative than this. Would have loved for it to be called something completely different altogether. Really hope they don't go down the "Wii" naming route in the future.

Canyarion 19.01.2014#8

A friend came up with "Yuu" years before Wii U was announced.

jb 20.01.2014#9

Flynnie said:
I hated the idea of "Wii U" and "Wii 2" i always thought Nintendo were more imaginative than this. Would have loved for it to be called something completely different altogether. Really hope they don't go down the "Wii" naming route in the future.

Methinks this is the last we'll see of the Wii generation - Nintendo will need a serious, serious rethink about their next home console. It can't compete with Xbox and PlayStation, that's for sure - the only way in doing so is by consolidating the GamePad tech into perhaps more smaller, standard controllers and really, really updating the tech - speak to Western studios, learn from mistakes.

I do feel that there'll be some sort of backwards capability though - potentially - but Nintendo may want to just start afresh.

I think having online play, track creator, HD graphics and gamepad utilisation to create a vehicle are more than enough reasons to create a new Fzero. I'd rather Nintendo come out and just say that Fzero and Starfox just don't sell well enough to release a new version.

Definitely - it's one reason I dislike Nintendo - their need to justify a release by bolting on some sort of innovation - the fans want it, the audience is there, make it happen. Even new courses, online play and a graphical update would work. Sometimes I feel they try just a bit too hard to "innovate".

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Onlymatt 20.01.2014#10

I think they could really start over and say we would like to welcome you all to Nintendo, just call it Nintendo. Where games that matter get played.

Nintendo do, what all others don't.

Sonic_13 20.01.2014#11

c3bot said:
Nintendo Box. I've called it. It does everything. Even bakes potatoes.

Did c3bot become sentient?

jb 20.01.2014#12

Sonic_13 said:
c3bot said:
Nintendo Box. I've called it. It does everything. Even bakes potatoes.
Did c3bot become sentient?

I think so, he's been running rampant on C3 these last few weeks. We don't feed him much!

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Flynnie 20.01.2014#13

Sonic_13 said:
c3bot said:
Nintendo Box. I've called it. It does everything. Even bakes potatoes.
Did c3bot become sentient?

LOL!

jb said:
Flynnie said:
I
I think having online play, track creator, HD graphics and gamepad utilisation to create a vehicle are more than enough reasons to create a new Fzero. I'd rather Nintendo come out and just say that Fzero and Starfox just don't sell well enough to release a new version.
Definitely - it's one reason I dislike Nintendo - their need to justify a release by bolting on some sort of innovation - the fans want it, the audience is there, make it happen. Even new courses, online play and a graphical update would work. Sometimes I feel they try just a bit too hard to "innovate".
Indeed, they could tack on motion controls maybe but i fail to see what real innovations Mario Kart 8 is really going to make from Wii/7. It is just their lame excuse for knowing when an IP is more of cult icon rather than the phenomenon of Mario, Zelda, Pokemon.
Probably why we won't see a Metroid game for a while, great games that they are 1 million units just arent enough to justify a Nintendo team doing it when they could be milking Mario's udders!