Credit: https://fsmedia.imgix.net
The year was 2012. PS3 and the Xbox 360 is about to launch their latest iteration. The Nintendo Wii, as we all know, is just a glorified Gamecube. How they are lagging in the graphics and performance made up for its state of the art Motion control. It sold so much even Microsoft and Sony jumped in to motion control (they both failed).
Enter the Wii U. It was the first console of the 7th generation. It sported a more robust CPU and GPU compared with the Wii. It is compatible with the Nunchucks of the Wii and has Mario, Link and Samus backing up the games. The glaring problem Nintendo had with the Wii is the 3rd party support. Gamers can only swallow Mario and Zelda games so much. While Xbox 360 and Ps3 has the best games has to offer.
Wii U was released November 2012, a year ahead of the Sony and Microsoft machines. Backed with 1st party titles, it was a bit of a success on its first month. According to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U#cite_note-nintendosales_Q4_2012-158, it sold 3 million units worldwide. The promise of 3rd party developers certainly helped the hyped.
Then there was the Wii U gamepad. It was a confusing piece of whatever nintendo wants to call it. Is it a console on its own? Is it a controller with a screen? And more importantly, how can it change the way people can play games. It was a brave concept, but I guess it was just ahead of its time.
I remembered seeing it on the web (I never owned a Wii U nor planned on owning one) and the game that struck me was Tekken. It was the first time the Tekken franchise was released on a major Nintendo console (And GBA Tekken was something I want to forget). They inserted gimmicks such as power ups from Mario and touch control. Online play was available but people were playing it on Ps3 or XB360. Another game that got my attention was NBA 2k13. Is this the sign of the times and Nintendo can now go head to head with the 2 giants?
Nba and Tekken were new to the Nintendo Consoles. Like ever.
The answer was a resounding No. According to www.theguardian.com, (click the link for their indept eulogy), Game publishers were having a hard time creating the same content from Sony and Microsoft to the Wii U (PS3 has the same problem, but that’s a story for another day). Programming games are a pain in the neck so they rather just create for the other 2. 1st party titles was a breeze for the console since it was built from them. Aside from Bayonetta, they had little 3rd party games that they can compare to the other consoles.
Their first party games shines really. And thats what kept the system afloat. Titles like Zelda Windwaker HD, Mario Kart and Super Mario Galaxy were fine titles. And with Splatoon and Smash Bro for Wii U arrived, it at least made their online play worth it.
But that was not enough to sell the Wii U. According to VGSALES site, the final numbers were 13.6 million. That’s almost the same as the Sega Master system. The Nintendo Gamecube sold more than the Wii U. And upon checking, its their worst selling console (I consider the Virtual Boy a dream. A bad dream). Here are my takes on why it failed miserably:
Confusion on the Gamepad: It really sucked. No one was ready for it by that time.
Games: I think I can count in my hands on how many successful third party games were released.
Performance: Compared to Ps4 and Xbox One, they were not able to compete due to graphics, performance and online game.
It was not all in bad. The Gamepad and ability to play games without the TV led to the creation of the Nintendo Switch. Its still 2 years old, so its hard to tell whether it will boost the sales of Nintendo again. But judging on the 3rd party titles we have right now for the Switch, I believe its safe to say it is a success. Here’s hoping that Nintendo would stop the gimmick and start the focus on game experience.
Credits: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/03/rip-wii-u-nintendos-glorious-quirky-failure
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U
Late Game Bloomer 