Nintendo's next-gen (Wii 2?) launch strategy

[Human Snorenado]

I personally want big sequels of 3rd party games to be released for the Ps3/X360. But that's mainly thanks to Wii's shitty hardware.  I want a sequel to be better than the previous game, not worse.
And a tacked on waggle won't help it. Graphics and sound to me are just as important a gamepay. And Ps3/X360 controls are still perfect imo.

When i see Lost Planet 2 all i can think of is "this is what a real Monster Hunter could have looked like"

I still don't understand moving that game over to the Wii.

You're forgetting that the PS3 and 360 are sadly trailing the Wii in whimsy output. 

[ananus]

i think it's unlikely anyone here will be able to predict how next gen will go. we don't even know if sony and ms will keep going after waggle once it bombs with the wand/natal. maybe once we see the specs and launch dates for the next systems, we'll be able to predict a thing or two.

however it goes, i hope it is better than this gen. worst gen ever

[TakingBackSunday]

bullshit, this gen has in general rocked.

[ananus]

your mom has rocked

[Barry Egan]

nm better to save my A material

[Human Snorenado]

I for one don't think that next gen is gonna start in 2011 for a variety of reasons.  Maaaaybe 2012, we'll see.  Wouldn't mind a longer gen this time around, honestly.

[TakingBackSunday]

nm better to save my A material

if you were going to post either one of the following:

-a ninthing joke
-a lololo sister joke
-a hipster joke

I see it coming a mile away.  You all should get better material.

[Barry Egan]

ptshhh wasn't even about you.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

indiefag

[close]

[Raban]

i think it's unlikely anyone here will be able to predict how next gen will go. we don't even know if sony and ms will keep going after waggle once it bombs with the wand/natal. maybe once we see the specs and launch dates for the next systems, we'll be able to predict a thing or two.

however it goes, i hope it is better than this gen. worst gen ever

You have to open your horizons. You can't judge the state of games based on mainstream only, that's bullshit!

[drew]

i think it's unlikely anyone here will be able to predict how next gen will go. we don't even know if sony and ms will keep going after waggle once it bombs with the wand/natal. maybe once we see the specs and launch dates for the next systems, we'll be able to predict a thing or two.

however it goes, i hope it is better than this gen. worst gen ever

requsting leper pls thx

[M3wThr33]

It's hard to compete after the PS2 generation. It got such a flood of support. The n64/PS1 was easily the worst for me. Load times and compromises as people tried to switch to new tools and hardware.

I'll probably still line up to get whatever Nintendo trickles out as a new console, out of obligation. I know it'll be cheap and have at least 1 good game a year, but the days are long gone where it can be a primary console.

I think they had half the right idea when they launched the DS way back, giving Pictochat and a nice UI. The Wii took it a bit further, but they REALLY lacked forethought in the UI department. Upgrades for the Wii/DS are pretty hacky and the system can't really do too much at once to bring people together.

I remember when Nintendo would visit around LA devs when they came down for E3. They'd ask us why we aren't putting more online in their console and we gave the same answers everytime and they don't get it. (Friend codes, ridiculous safety restrictions, etc.)

If anything, this is the first time the Wii is getting criticized outside of nerds. (Who said it from the beginning, but whatever) After Capcom's laughable PR and Nintendo's statements about the new DS, they're finally realizing where they made the wrong turn in terms of 3rd party support.

Although I don't know what to expect in the years to come, if the Wii support is just a fad or not. It's a totally new market, not as dedicated as the core gamers. Will they stick around? E3 is 6 months away.

[EmCeeGrammar]

I'm wagering on a very incremental upgrade ala the dsi. Expect motionplus enabled wiimotes, a reconstructed online mode that probably whittles it down to one friend code per console, wii speak built in, hd compatibility, a slight horsepower and ram boost, and a few gigs of storage.  The  only thing I think they might add to the console is a natal like camera. 

edit: And as for software, I expect even more of their legacy franchises to disappear entirely.  They seem only interested in the mega sellers.  It would not surprise me in the least to see Metroid die next gen.

[Nintendosbooger]

I'm wagering on a very incremental upgrade ala the dsi.

No fucking way.

The Wii should be construed as an anomaly in Nintendo's long history of creating home consoles with horsepower, and now with the market and mindshare they've attained, I see them reverting to their old ways in that regard. They skimped with the Wii because, after the GC, they simply couldn't afford to manufacture an expensive machine that no one was going to buy.

[duckman2000]

I doubt Nintendo is eager to dump money into something that hasn't worked out for them in the past. If the success of Wii has something to do with a combination of something new at an unusually attractive price point, then it would seem very non-Nintendo to splurge for the hell of it and potentially damage the image of the Wii as the reasonable family alternative. GC was what it was because at the time, Nintendo was gunning for basically the same market. The Wii is what it is because Nintendo decided to stop competing on the terms set by the competition, and instead do its own thing. It is possible that they will update the hardware to HD spec and improve other aspects that a limited amount of their old market is thirsting for, but I don't see Nintendo ever again even approaching power parity with the other two. It's a necessity for the other two, not least for Sony with its CE business, but for Nintendo? No way.

[T-Short]

I'm wagering on a very incremental upgrade ala the dsi.

No fucking way.

The Wii should be construed as an anomaly in Nintendo's long history of creating home consoles with horsepower, and now with the market and mindshare they've attained, I see them reverting to their old ways in that regard. They skimped with the Wii because, after the GC, they simply couldn't afford to manufacture an expensive machine that no one was going to buy.

  perfect. your best work yet, NB

[EmCeeGrammar]

The Wii should be construed as an anomaly in Nintendo's long history

indeed.... this one actually sold.

But this is so easily refuted with the gameboy line, ds line, nes, and the snes.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I expect it to not deviate too much from the Wii: copycat Apple design (unless something new is the new hot shit for Nintendo to borrow from), underpowered hardware (what would be acceptable on the Pee Cee in 2004 or 2005), small hardware, and priced $100-150 less than Microsoft and Sony.

I think Nintendo knows that they need more than waggle but what, I'm not sure.  I don't expect much in terms of technological advancements - I think it will be low tech because Nintendo raked in billions with the Wii and DS, the lowest tech machines in relation to their competition that we've ever seen.  I do think Nintendo is worried that lightning won't strike twice here so they won't be so averse to their core audience like they were with the Wii.  I will expect the next iterations of Wii Sports and Wii Fit but no more "Hey guys, we didn't forget about you, here's Animal Crossing!"  Nintendo will try to bring their core audience back into the fold.  They've been talking about this recently.

I do think the next generation won't see a system launch over $299 (unless it is some Elite style pack).

[M3wThr33]

I just want less ports this time.
Zelda? GameCube port.
Animal Crossing? half-hearted DS port.
Pikmin and Mario Tennis? ADVERTISED PORTS.

[Raban]

The Wii should be construed as an anomaly in Nintendo's long history

indeed.... this one actually sold.

But this is so easily refuted with the gameboy line, ds line, nes, and the snes.

GameBoy was first of its kind, NES was really the only thing out there, SNES capitalized on the name and also happened to be FUCKING AWESOME even without Nintendo. Uhh, DS I'm a bit foggy on. /runs away

[M3wThr33]

Zack & Wiki: The Quest For Barbaros' Treasure, as polished a Wii game as was released in 2007, has sold just 126,000 copies in its first 26 months of release.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26733/Capcom_Reveals_Weak_Zack__Wiki_Sales_Talks_Tough_Wii_Market.php

13th highest Wii score on Metacritic = horrible god damn sales.

But Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz says that it is the casual gamers who are behind the deflating of the Wii bubble. Revealing the results of a broad fall-holiday survey, he reports that Wii owners are buying fewer games now than they did a year ago while Xbox 360 and PS3 owners plan to buy more.

They bought what they wanted and don't feel the need to buy more,

The market dominated more and more by Nintendo releases with fewer games from the major third parties, like EA, Activision, and Ubisoft."

"the secret is for all of us just to adopt a Sega model -- and just stick Mario into every game we make."

They need to do something to encourage the third parties to create more, not less, content. Otherwise, Nintendo is going to lose all its third-party royalties and, well, they can't afford that."

[bork]

Sega's Constantine Hatzopoulos recently said the company was so "stunned" by Dead Space Extraction's sales figures that it will "probably not" try further M-rated content on Wii. Capcom itself had to stress its stance as a multiplatform publisher after Capcom France's Antoine Seux criticized Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles' weak 16,000-unit performance on Wii.

Says Kramer, "For any sort of solid statement you want to make about the platform or the audience, there are enough opposite proofs to show that it is extremely scattered and chaotic."

[Nintendosbooger]

Zack & Wiki: The Quest For Barbaros' Treasure, as polished a Wii game as was released in 2007, has sold just 126,000 copies in its first 26 months of release.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26733/Capcom_Reveals_Weak_Zack__Wiki_Sales_Talks_Tough_Wii_Market.php

13th highest Wii score on Metacritic = horrible god damn sales.

Zack & Wiki had its issues. I don't think the trial & error gameplay appealed to a lot of gamers, new or old. For a while, a lot of people were saying that it was the defining third party title for the Wii, but when I played it, I saw a lot of room for improvement.

Aside from that, Capcom needs to temper its expectation for their Wii games and keep it in-line with the quality of their games. Monster Hunter 3 is the ONLY exclusive high-profile Wii game they've released; everything else could be categorized as either a port, shallow spin-off, or niche. What exactly were they expecting? The Wii audience is tired of these goddamn tests, and whenever their cash-in titles fail to grab huge numbers, they bitch and moan on press releases, and use it to justify the absence of future serious support.

Fucking EA and Activision have provided the Wii with more support.

[Flannel Boy]

The Wii audience is tired of these goddamn tests

Publishers don't spend millions of dollars to develop and market their games simply to test how hardcore a group of console owners are.

[Nintendosbooger]

The Wii audience is tired of these goddamn tests

Publishers don't spend millions of dollars to develop and market their games simply to test how hardcore a group of console owners are.

Are you implying that they put A+ effort and resources in their Wii titles, or that they're putting the best of what they've got on the machine? They aren't, and have no intention of doing that. That's fine, but they shouldn't pretend like they don't know wtf is going on.

[magus]

LUIGI MANSION: THE DARKSIDE CHRONICLE
DO IT CAPCOM!

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm still of the belief that the average Wii owner doesn't want AAA third party titles. They seem to be content with AAA first party games alongside the casual party games and workout titles that currently sell well. The Nintendo fans on the forums, I'm guessing, are a vocal minority and nothing more.

[The Fake Shemp]

Yeah, real gamers moved on to other systems a long time ago.

[magus]

i guess i'm not a real gamer then  :'(
*gives up the badge*

[Saint Cornelius]

GameBoy was first of its kind

NES was really the only thing out there

(now, was the NES the BEST thing out there? Sure. The Master System was pretty pretty pretty good, but the 7800 - ugh)

[Saint Cornelius]

Yeah, real gamers moved on to other systems a long time ago.

Real broke gamers, perhaps. Do you ever deal in anything other than the broadest strokes?

[Mr. Gundam]

My Dad got me a 7800 back in the day. I wanted an NES, he got me an Atari 7800.

[Saint Cornelius]

My Dad got me a 7800 back in the day. I wanted an NES, he got me an Atari 7800.

At least you didn't get a 2600

[magus]

i had an amiga

[Mr. Gundam]

My Dad got me a 7800 back in the day. I wanted an NES, he got me an Atari 7800.

At least you didn't get a 2600

I forgot to mention that he got it at the Sears Outlet store.

I got an Amiga in 4th grade, that was an awesome gaming rig back in the day.

[Saint Cornelius]

I forgot to mention that he got it at the Sears Outlet store.

Damn you could've got the Tele-Games system! 

[The Fake Shemp]

Real broke gamers, perhaps. Do you ever deal in anything other than the broadest strokes?

How does this even make sense?

I had an Atari 2600.

[Saint Cornelius]

How does this even make sense?

Gamers that can only afford one console tend to think of themselves as the |33+3st fuckers out there.

I had an Atari 2600.

So did everyone else.

[The Fake Shemp]

Gamers that can only afford one console tend to think of themselves as the |33+3st fuckers out there.

Except almost all of us have (or had) both systems, and game on the PC. I even sold off my PlayStation 3 after it collected dust. They also happen to be more expensive consoles with more expensive software. I pay the cost of a full-priced Wii game just to play online - every year! That retort is dumb, even by your standards.

[Saint Cornelius]

Except almost all of us have (or had) both systems, and game on the PC. I even sold off my PlayStation 3 after it collected dust. They also happen to be more expensive consoles with more expensive software. I pay the cost of a full-priced Wii game just to play online - every year! That retort is dumb, even by your standards.

Oh, I guess since you're speaking for every fucking gamer out there...

[The Fake Shemp]

No, just the real ones.

[magus]

My Dad got me a 7800 back in the day. I wanted an NES, he got me an Atari 7800.

At least you didn't get a 2600

I forgot to mention that he got it at the Sears Outlet store.

I got an Amiga in 4th grade, that was an awesome gaming rig back in the day.

[Human Snorenado]

Yeah, I actually had a Wii before I had a 360, mainly because I wanted to carry over my Fire Emblem characters.  I have a weakness for Fire Emblem.   

[The Fake Shemp]

If only there were a ton of PC titles with similar gameplay!

[magus]

i got a wii because it was the cheapest rig i could get and i liked wii sports idea,in fact i've played wii sports a ton

i feel a little pissed at willco comment,the fact that a console has less games doesn't make it less noble or else every sega console ever made would be a tragedy,most people also talk like there is never a dull moment in the magical HD realm,i find that hard to believe tough maybe my weeaboo-iness has to do with it

[The Fake Shemp]

Dude, magus, come join us. Up here, where the air is crisp.

[Human Snorenado]

If only there were a ton of PC titles with similar gameplay!

There's really not.  Somewhat similar, but not enough to scratch the itch so to speak.

[demi]

If only there were a ton of PC titles with similar gameplay!

This should be good - list please

[drew]

i wouldnt exactly call the wii a "rig" magus

[The Fake Shemp]

Isn't Fire Emblem just a turn-based tactics game? They aren't a ton of those? X-Com? Jagged Alliance? Like fifty other games that were on sale this past Christmas?

[demi]

I'm convinced

[Saint Cornelius]

[magus]

Dude, magus, come join us. Up here, where the air is crisp.

[youtube=560,345]#[/youtube]

i wouldnt exactly call the wii a "rig" magus

oh call it what you want

[The Fake Shemp]

I'm convinced

Geez, it's not like there's a list of them you can look up or anything. And there are more that aren't even listed on Wikipedia! Amazing, but true!

[magus]

oh ehy i know this is kinda unrelated but biff you know there are fantranslation for fire emblem 3 and 6 right?

[Saint Cornelius]

Why should anyone refer to a list when you know everything, Willco?

[The Fake Shemp]

Why should anyone refer to a list when you know everything, Willco?

Yeah, I was really off base by saying that there are a bunch of turn-based strategy games for the PC. It's not like that it was an educated guess that almost anyone could have made - yourself, included!

Next you'll be saying that I'm a know-it-all for claiming that the PC also has a bunch of real-time strategy games! Scary, but also true!

[demi]

I'm convinced

Geez, it's not like there's a list of them you can look up or anything. And there are more that aren't even listed on Wikipedia! Amazing, but true!

Meh, not as good as Fire Emblem from what I'm seeing. I guess PC is good if I want table scraps though.

[The Fake Shemp]

I never promised that they'd be as good, demi. I mean, c'mon, they're just PC games.

[demi]

True. Rebelstar is on GBA anyway.

[Nintendosbooger]

Back to the topic:

Another strategy Nintendo should ponder is the possibility of releasing their next-gen console well before the other two, with a launch lineup of familiar hardcore third party IPs, like the next RE, MGS, and CoD to set the tone for the system prior to these games re-establishing themselves on the PS and XBox brands.

As I recall, Nintendo has never released a home console well ahead of its main rival(s); they either join the fray late (SNES, GC) or simultaneously with another competitor (PS3).