I guess I'd be one of those "Grey area" people. Bought a Wii U at launch because I wanted the Nintendo games, fully expecting that much like the Wii, Nintendo games would be the best reason to get one (although looking at my current library, it's actually 2/3 Nintendo, 1/3 3rd party, which is a better ratio than my Wii library).
I think Nintendo has this misconception that they're similar to Apple in that they can decide what the consumer wants, deliver it, and the gaming public will eat it up. The problem is that Nintendo's fanbase who are that rabid is much smaller than Apple's core constituency, so even if they hit gold one time (Wii), if they falter another time (Wii U), then their fortunes fail miserably.
They're a video game company whose games I adore (mostly), whose hardware I've tolerated lately, and whose virtual console & online functionality is lousy compared to the competition.
I've often questioned whether Nintendo actually has a passion for hardware & feature development, or whether they tolerate it as a current-day necessity because they don't see a possibility for the same level of success if they just gave up the hardware game & focused on game development, where they really shine IMO.
But it isn't their hardware, they actually make good hardware, it is their consoles that are the problem and lack of focus. The Wii U has low specs but I don't think that matters for game development especially for Nintendo games for Nintendo they are new specs. That is why their handhelds do fine, they do release the games there people want, with their consoles they act like they take that base for granted. The problem is Nintendo does make great games but they also make lousy games that they just expect you to buy inbetween the great games and while everybody does the same their library is more noticable because they have fewer partners filling in the gaps.
I always intended to get a Wii U, but I find it hard to justify buying one at the current price. Specs or not, the console is still currently more expensive than all their past machines LAUNCHED at and there is no new tech to justify that kind of markup other than the Game Pad which for me is not worth the extra expense. I usually get in the middle of a generation when the price comes down, but the games library needs to pick up too. By the time I got a N64 and a Game Cube they had over twenty games I was interested in and were getting new games all the time, as of right now the Wii U has at most, if I am really going to lower my standards or just throw everything in there, they have at most 12 games I would buy period, that is not enough for me for the cost.
I know Phil gets upset about this and asks questions like why complain on a fansite except that is basically saying I am not a real fan, which is bullshit I love Nintendo and I might not be one of those who feel betrayed because I honestly don't care about them as a company, and like I stated before I already have a Playstation to meet my non-Nintendo needs. Personally I believe the PSX was the true successor to the Super NES and many of us are still hoping that Nintendo will pick up on that. I feel like yes they still make great games but the number of games they make that interest me declines each year. Wii at least had Virtual Console and Wii Sports to get me hooked and it took me damn near three years altogether before I got tired and sold it off, because as usual the games I was waiting for kept either getting pushed back or mentioned once and forgotten about and I personally just got tired of waiting and yeah maybe I would lose interest because damn after three years of delays you forget a game was even supposed to be coming.
I don't hate the Wii U, I just wish it had more to offer for the price. If they slashed a hundred bucks of the top right now I would get it next payday. My reason is simple, that is where the machine should have been priced by now in the first place and is inline with my expectations. I don't care if you like it fine good for you, maybe I was a little harsh in that other thread but I TOO get sick and tired of being told my views don't count and I should just shut up or go away. It is this type of thread this antagonizing that makes some of us come off as more bitter than we really are because your forcing us to defend our position but when we, god forbid, ask one of you to do the same, like I did with UB, i get told to **** off in so many words.
Wow…I'm going to assume much of this is directed towards the actual thread topic, and not myself specifically.
1) I'm not suggesting Nintendo produces faulty hardware, just that the choices they make in regards to not trying to have near-parity with their competition makes it more difficult to port games, making the barrier to entry for 3rd parties higher (too high considering how abysmal the system is selling). This tactic works for their handhelds because they have market dominance & inertia…for handheld, if a 3rd party wants to make a game, there isn't much better option than 3DS, because Vita's sales aren't great & mobile gaming is a crapshoot.
2) Nintendo can't drop the price any further. They were selling the Wii U at a loss since launch. They dropped it $50 & started including Mario U in it, eventually added Luigi U on top of that, and THAT still wasn't enough to boost sales significantly. They probably aren't manufacturing enough systems to get a volume cost break, & I'm assuming they're a ways-off from being able to make their manufacturing process more cost-effective, if just because I'd guess they're sitting on a mountain of inventory, considering how off their sales forecasts have been.
I actually think $300 is a fair value proposition with what they include with the system now. Nintendo's problem with the Wii U is much deeper than the price, the name, or even the library at this point. Frankly, I think they've still failed to convince people why they "need" a console with the gamepad, and until they really leverage unique experiences with it and ADVERTISE these new experiences, the system will just continue stumbling along.
3) I agree that it's a good thing for there to be a diverse opinion of Nintendo, the games, & the systems they offer on this site. It wouldn't be enjoyable to discuss things here if it was just an echo chamber all the time. Phil's taking a lot of the negativity here lately as people being dismissive of Nintendo as a whole, but it's just a reflection of the reality we are in at the moment, and that reality is Nintendo isn't doing well to support their system, and nothing they've said since acknowledging there even is a problem really reflects a willingness to improve the situation for themselves or their customers.
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