Ben-DutkaIf you fall behind in this industry, there's a good chance you'll be left behind.
If we're being accurate, the current console war rages between three consoles: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U. The latter system released well before the other two, but most will agree that all three consoles are part of the same generation.
Then how come we almost never see headlines comparing all three? Why is it typically PS4 vs. Xbox One? Sure, the Wii U started slow but it has enjoyed a resurgence (at times) in 2014 and really, nobody should ever count out Nintendo. One could argue that Nintendo will actually release a new console that better competes with Sony and Microsoft from a technical standpoint. However, even if they don't, is it really fair to eliminate the Wii U from contention already?
You rarely see it in the "console war" articles these days; most frequently, journalists mention the Wii U as an afterthought. It's as if the system is either dead or fatally wounded…and maybe it is. Maybe there's really no hope that it'll catch either of the other two consoles. Still, I think it's too early to say that for certain. All of this just proves that if you don't hit big and stay big in this industry, you might be forgotten…
Wii U is out for sure. In terms of competing for second at the hardware level. That boat has long since sailed. But none to bother, Nintendo is very good at raking in the cash on really high selling software. They have this corner market that really pays off for them.
Right now my family and I have February '15 pinned for getting a Wii U.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/28/2014 10:36:25 PM
btw, the XO is selling at least 3x faster, or in other words 300% faster, than the Wii U during this month.
btw.
Gamestop's list of "Most Anticipated" games, or in other words, "coming soon" games has Wii U at 6 games. 6.
Captain Toad
NES Remix Pack
Mario Party 10
Yoshi's Woolly World
Splatoon
Devil's Third (haha!)
yep. that's it. I suppose Zelda and Xeno will get added at some point, but maybe they're 2016 games or something.
PS4 you wonder?
38 games. 38. No. I won't list them all.
Like how the crap is Nintendo going to magically get second now?
all I can say is fanboys take the truth to be hard 😉
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/29/2014 4:03:22 PM
Woolly World and Splatoon looks fantastic. Captain Toad ought to be fun too. The Toad mini games in SM3DW were great.
And Zelda and Xeno are both 2015 releases. No exact date yet but they are slated for 2015 for sure. Besides what ever happened to quality over quantity? I bet those 6 (8 if you add Zelda and Xeno) will rank higher in terms of scores than most of the 38 PS4 games.
Last edited by Jawknee on 11/29/2014 4:19:32 PM
Well, Jawknee, if those games are by Nintendo I won't doubt that they'll be of a higher quality. That's expected. But my statements are directly at sales only. Nintendo has it's own space with the Wii U. The idea that Nintendo can compete with XO and PS4 is something I can't buy into.
Those platforms appeal to a broader area of interests. Types of content that Nintendo doesn't reach. There's no current motorsport, or professional sports, representation on Wii U. THere's no open world crime games like GTA, the realistic military shooters are all owned by MS and Sony. And then, there's the RPG's, from Bioware and Bethesda etc. All of which appeal to gamers in a way a Nintendo platform doesnt. And even though Nintendo will always be the king of platformers, there's still solid platformer offerings on the PS4 and XO, like the acclaimed Rayman Legends and the solid LBP universe. It's just more dynamic with Sony and MS in terms of content offering. Nintendo is very good at what it does but what it does isn't broad enough to draw the people and sales like Sony and MS does with there's. But that's fine. They don't need to be in their space and we don't need to expect them to be. I just hope Nintendo knows that trying to be a jack of all trades of gaming isn't there thing.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/29/2014 6:41:09 PM
Agreed. Quantity in the form of variety matters. That's the recipe for an well-grounded system IMO. Sure, it may offer great games, but it's not always my cup of tea. Yes, I drink tea.
No way. People like to pretend its still ps3 vs 360 but in reality the ps4 is leagues ahead of the xbox one.
The real war is between wii u and xbox one.
While the Wii U might not have the specs the ps4 or x1 has, it sure as shit has better games imo, Sony and Microsoft can only dream of having the franchises Nintendo does.
Sony kinda does have their nostalgia franchises, except they just let them fall through their fingers.
Sony does have a habit of having cool toys and doing nothing with them……. *cough* psp/vita *cough* , but really what does Sony have that can stand up to the likes of Zelda/Mario/Metroid/DK/etc etc…. I honestly cant think of anything that is on par with those.
Uncharted, Gran Turismo, God of War, inFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, Metal Gear Solid, etc. if you're talking about the last ten years or so.
Mario/Zelda/Metroid are timeless. They've also aged to a completely ridiculous level when compared to the competition; I don't care what the nostalgia lovers says.
Compare how long the Wii U has been out to how long the X1 and PS4 has been out. OFC it would have better games. Let's see how things compare after 2015.
what about Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot? Sony needs to bring those to PS4 and people may lose their shit. (not so much for ratchet & clank though as that was on ps3) but i've seen people on other forums asking for J&D and Crash.
Last edited by darks1lenc3 on 11/30/2014 12:36:03 PM
Who cares about the console wars, just play on the console you like best and stfu.
This Right here. Or better yet play on all 3 and have fun
You can say this but when a winner has finally been decided that is the console publishers will turn to and focus on. That is exactly what happened with the PS2 and exactly what happened with the 360.
Timed DLC, better stability/less glitches, more exclusives, more advertising of the game for that specific console.
The majority of the world is capitalist and that is precisely how companies think. So saying "Who cares about the console war." Is just fooling yourself.
People can feel free to play whatever they want but they need to know "To the victor go the spoils" and that playing on the less supported console has its issues.
Hell most of us here chose the PS3 but we knew exactly what we were getting with the third parties. Just look at the mess that was any Bethesda title or Bayonetta for example.
Exactly.
When the MS, Sony, and Nintendo execs meet in a few years, two will be talking about how to be number one, while one will be pouring champagne.
Business.
Nintendo really needs some new IPs. How many Mario/Zelda/Kirby games can they make? 3rd party is weary because they have to design whole new games, not just port them around the others. Which can only happen when they see Nintendo as being a contender with the others. Which they will when Nintendo gets more franchsies going.
They also need to drop the gimmicks. 3D, motion control. Nice, but shouldn't be the only selling point.
3Ds is a huge hit. They need to copy that for WiiU
Well buying up Bayonetta was a genius decision.
Now if only they would buy Capcom(they are still for sale right?) and get Street
Fighter that would force all those pro-gamers into buying the Wii U along with the huge fanbase, then as an added bonus they might be able to turn Resident Evil around.
Wii U is not in this race anymore. It really never was. You can consider it being next gen or this gen with the PS4 and XBOne, but even Nintendo was comparing it's graphic capabilities with the PS3 when it was announced. That alone says they weren't targeting to compete with the now PS4 and XBone.
Not to mention Nintendo has had some amazing games release, with high review scores, almost one after the other this year and it's done nothing for the Wii U in terms of competing with Sony and MS.
On to the next one for Nintendo…
It really never was. Every Nintendo console, with the exception of the Wii, and that succeeded because it ignited the masses as a fad, has been on a downward spiral when it comes to install base.
Literally their hierarchy of sales looks like this without the Wii.
Nintendo > SNES > N64 > GC > Wii U.
It has nothing to do with Nintendo making bad games etc. They make good games and the ardent know that, but the facts have been plain when it comes to how Nintendo's console platforms have been losing ground for a very long time.
The PS4 and XO has always been in front of the Wii U since their launches. That's not about to change. Especially seeing that the XO and PS4 have only just begun falling in price. Once the full release train of games arrive and the price cuts happen this picture of Nintendo never having a chance for 2nd will only become more apparent. There's nothing magical Nintendo can do right now to turn the tables and become this huge hot thing in consoles. It's never happened before and it's not about to looking at their release lineup going through 2015.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/29/2014 10:50:19 AM
Thing is their DS sales put every console to shame. XD Nintendo is fine long as the DS thrives and they don't even need to worry that much about the Wii U. Then they can try again next gen.
THe mobile market is all Nintendo's. It's a very comfortable place for them. Nintendo's games are a great complement to the handheld space. I sometimes wonder if my kids would like having two DS's over a Wii U.
I keep thinking Nintendo will try to fuse the handheld and living room space so they don't have to bleed money with wavering living room consoles.
Yeah the DS has the handheld market locked down. Nintendo is fine no one is doubting that.
I just don't think their interests lye in trying to compete with Sony or MS.
It's not being compared cause it can't be compared. It's a different kind of console living it's own life.
I think the WiiU is kinda cool in all its non-competitive ways. I'd never want one, but it's cool.
Seems to me, at this moment, the industry is about who has the better specs while what matters, the games, takes a back seat. The PS4 has better specs but the Wii U has better games. And honestly, I really couldn't care less at this point how flashy games are. If they're boring (infamous and Killzone) what's the point? This gen so far is turning out to be a Nintendo dominated one for me. My Wii U and 3DS get daily use. It's a shame too because I really do like the PS4. There's just nothing fun to play except remakes or cross gen games.
The Wii U really deserves a better wrap than it gets. While Nintendo is partly to blame, I also blame the media and gamers. They both ragged on Nintendo hard for not trying to before like Sony and MS which are really just two sides of the same coin. At least Nintendo offers a different experience. If people weren't busy fighting over minuscule differences in resolution perhaps they'd notice how great games like Pikmin 3, SM3DW, Smash Wii U, Bayonetta 2, Donkey Kong, etc are.
Last edited by Jawknee on 11/29/2014 5:53:42 AM
*be more like
It bothered me that people believed they got a good product in infamous Second Son. It's like hey, go back and play the original and you'll see how much was stripped out that deserved to be updated and not overlooked for ease of travel and simplicity of story.
Seriously. It was such a disappointment. The previous two are two of the best games on a Sony platform. Not sure what happened to second son. It looks pretty. But is very boring.
This is a matter of opinion though – I can't think of one game that I'd particularly want to get a Wii U for, and have had a blast with what's available on PS4 (it's been supplemented by PC, particularly in the first six months, but the Wii U was pretty thin on the ground early as well).
I got my PS4 on the strength of its games, and it delivered. Every now and again I look at the XB1 and Wii U to see if they're worth grabbing as a 'support' machine, and they haven't made the grade yet. Sure, for you PS4 is all about specs, but that's probably because you prefer Nintendo's games more. On the flip-side, for me the Wii U (like the Wii before it) is all about gimmicks instead of games ;).
Not simply just a matter of opinion. Wii U games have been ranking in higher review scores than most games on PS4 and Xbone.
"Gimmicks instead of games".
You can make that assumption but it would be unwise since you don't own the system and haven't played any of the exclusives on the system. Really, the same could be said about PS4. "That touch pad is a gimmick". Doesn't mean the entire system is a gimmick.
Last edited by Jawknee on 11/29/2014 7:32:03 PM
Aye, but I owned a Wii and a Gamecube, and lived in college with a mate that had an N64. The reason I don't own a Wii U is that I've found through experience that their games are most definitely not for me. I personally don't get into them, and from the Wii onwards, there is a reliance on things that to me are gimmicks (I don't need nor want a second screen – it actually takes away from the game for me). After playing games on the Cube and Wii that reviewers went ga-ga over but I found (personally) neither here nor there, and often quite archaic in design (beyond Mario Kart: Double Dash – the last great Nintendo game I got into), I wouldn't be rational consumer if I got a Wii U.
I know I can't judge them on their most recent console, but if it's anything like their history (which, given that Nintendo fans seem to like the Wii U, suggests it is), then I've still got a decent amount of data to judge it on.
Note – I'm not saying it's bad – I reckon it's awesome that the Wii U is there for people that like the particular flavour of gaming it serves up – but people assuming that the Wii U's games are the only ones worth playing, and that the PS4/XB1 are only about specs, is just as narrow minded as someone saying that the Wii U has nothing going for it.
While I agree that the Wii-U is out of the race… it's had a far better year than the other two consoles… I mean Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2 & Smash Bros trump anything else we've had on PS4 this year. None of them games interest me, but they're still strong AAA exclusive titles which we havent seen on PS4 this year – all of the AAA PS4s releases have been multi-platform…
Still it is the best place to get games and once again I dont care for the exclusives Xbox One got, but I think Sony really needs to push for some exclusives next year – This is the result of all the exlusives like Tekken Metal Gear, Final Fantasy etc. jumping to xbox last gen. Still, if The Order proves to be a success that will be a great start forward in 2015.
It's a hard thing to measure when the Wii U has a very narrow range of content offering.
No western RPGs.
No sports games.
and very little of everything else.
like where the heck is my Wave Race or F-Zero? OR METROID.
Sure. If Nintendo's style of fantasy is your thing the Wii U can be thought of as aces, but if their very narrow offering happens to not be your thing, hmmm, well, nothing left. (yea, I know. Bayonetta. the one extremely weird existence on Nintendo's platform)
One thing is for sure. Dragon Age Inquisition may be the best D&D style fantasy RPG ever made. While it's cross-gen it still usually looks great and way better than any other game in it's class.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/29/2014 12:14:55 PM
err wait. Wii U has some sports games from 2013. woot!
and btw, if VGChartz is even remotely close to being accurate, Bayonetta 2 was a complete and udder flop. It's listed to have ~360,000 game sales since it's launch in September.
This should be a very clear message to Nintendo about wasted effort in trying to bring the "core" gamer back to Nintendo.
The "core gamer" those who largely exist on PS and XO practically do not exist with Nintendo. Very few on PS or XO are willing to purchase a Wii U to play one of this year's top rated games on a Nintendo platform, even if Bayonetta is a product that speaks to them directly and is something higher rated than anything else on their native platforms.
Nintendo's eco-system is their own and they aren't in the same race as PS or XO.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/29/2014 12:56:50 PM
This is just a weirdo spot for the industry
I think the Wii U's got a strong enough install base to muddle along as a niche system and will be fine, but by engineering itself out of a large proportion of third-party games, it's only ever going to be a niche/support machine. If it didn't have excellent first-party studios and a lot of goodwill in the community it'd struggle, but it does so it'll be fine. But, if people are talking about sales, it's this generations version of the Vita – great, but niche.
If nothing else, MS pushing the price of the xbone into the low 300s is a threat to Nintendo's hardware sales. In the end, Sony won't have anything to worry about should it maintain an agenda full of lessons learned from 2014 debacle(s).
I don't see the xbone ever being a threat to the PS4. They're idiots for being all 'oh, we have DIRECTX 12!' A proper console DESERVES its own engine. directx 12 is the exact opposite of what the xbone needs with the state it's in with graphical 'parity'.
The Wii U is a very sad gaming console. Controls are Horrible. The Gamepad is Heavy and pretty much useless… Using it causes a real eye problem because you're not sure if you should look at the TV or Gamepad, so you're constantly moving your head up and down… Dumb. It is NOT Next Gen, it's more like "in-between" Gen. Really. I own thousands of games, have 26 consoles, and my Wii & Wii U Library is extremely small… Sad Indeed, and totally "not recommended" for anyone but us Game Collectors.
the only way i usually hear about the wii u is in a headline about how bad it's doing.. the Wii u is last generation so it has no real place along side the current gen PS4 and xbone anyways.
The Wii U is not part of the console war between PS4 and XBox One.
The Wii U, just like the Wii, exists in it's own format. It is a first party machine for the most part. If it wasn't for it's first party games, the console would have died already.
well i guess you could say its a 2.5 horse race just on a hardware and/or specs basis but on a games basis maybe a bit less lob sided idk maybe it is a 2 horse race for the main event and a side event with nintendo by itself main cos its the 3DS cos smash bros and pokemon for the holidays and no as much going for the WiiU for most people. i'm not really sure aye what sort of race this is
happy gaming
Nintendo dropped the ball big time when they insisted on staying with the lucrative cart based business model that they had used with the NES and SNES.
When they released the N64, they refused to make it a cd based system and then the PS1 came out and it was and has been lights out for Nintendo ever since.
Lol. Nintendo is very relevant.
Yeah, I'd say the console war REALLY IS between he Sony PS4 and the Microsoft Xbox One…
I already bought my Wii U, and that decision was a no brainer. The ONLY decision was if I was going to pair that with a PS4 or an Xbone… and I chose PS4. The PS4 is the technically superior of the two, and the Wii U provides gaming that Neither Sony nor Microsoft can provide.
Hell… My PC Master Race, Dual Nvidia 780ti classified SLI rig, neon case and RGB Corsair gaming keyboard and mouse, "I really didn't want to actually plug in my old PS3, but I did want to watch a blu ray on my TV in the other room, so I settled and 'touched' a console anyway" friend… just told me he was considering getting a Wii U!
Seriously!
I'd say the Wii U isn't even IN the console race, as it's in a league of it's own with Nintendo's unique titles. It is NOT the superior machine, but the titles stand on their own, and will sell Wii Us. I knew I'd own two consoles. I owned all three last gen… The PS3, Wii, and yes, even a 360. I had the 360 first, then the Wii, and the PS3 last. I never even considered an Xbone this gen, and I won't. I knew i wanted to experience the power of a PS4… but I simply new i NEEDED a a Wii U for the titles that would come out on it.