Nintendo and the kingdom of their next generation

By William G Chandler Jr.
12/15/2016 10:00 p.m.
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Nintendo described its Wii U as “an entirely new system” that would “change the way you experience entertainment.” Lifetime sales numbers, since January 2016, indicated Nintendo’s system trailed the Sony Playstation 4 by 24 million units and Microsoft’s Xbox One by 7 million units. So how does Nintendo succeed with a new console, the NX?

First, how did Nintendo’s Wii U start to fail?

Chris Wood, at Gizmad.com, indicated that an issue resulted from the Nintendo Wii U’s launch before both Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s Playstation 4. This allowed Nintendo to prove the Wii U was a “worthy successor” to Nintendo’s Wii. Nintendo’s Wii U, rumored to be 50 percent more powerful than Sony’s Playstation 3, could have waited for Microsoft and Sony’s next-generation offerings. The console could have been on par with those systems.

I own Nintendo’s console. While Wood indicated the Wii U Gamepad as another cause, I cannot say the same. In terms of Nintendo’s push to present the Gamepad, consumer expectation hurt Nintendo’s true focus. He indicated Nintendo confused their message, as the Gamepad seemed like an “over-sized handheld system.” Nintendo, on their website, defined the controller as one that broke “traditional barriers” between “you, your games, and your TV.” Nintendo wanted Gamepad play to occur in certain areas of the home only.

One clear issue, indicated by Wood, by Brian Crecente, at Polygon.com, and Reggie Fils-Aime, of Nintendo, was the company’s lack of strong software titles at Wii U’s launch. Fils-Aime pointed to the Wii U’s predecessor, the Wii, and the titles Twilight Princess and Wii Sports as the start of that console’s success. I have to agree. Luke Karmali’s, of IGN.com, example of the game, Project Cars, announced for the Wii U at launch, and then canceled in 2015, pushed Nintendo hopefuls away.

This is their only major error. Wii U’s top-sellers Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Brothers, Splatoon, and Super Mario Maker launched later in Wii U’s life. Nintendo miscalculated successful software’s effect on a system launch. As recent as December, as examined by Apolon, of iDigitalTimes.com, Wii U proved to be a record-breaking success.

Nintendo’s NX must get ahead of the competition and this starts with a strong software lineup. Joel Hruska, of ExtremeTech.com, highlighted the NX as a handheld and home console hybrid. Its launch software must be a priority, with annual consistency. Lack of third-party support, as highlighted by Alex Newhouse, at Gamestop.com, cannot exist.

In a comparison of yearly software sales, as seen on IGN.com and ibtimes.co.uk, Wii U sales in 2013 were just 3.61 million total. As of November 2014, Wii U sales increased by “90 percent.” This established a “10 percent increase” over 2013 sales. Super Smash Brothers came to Nintendo Wii U in 2014. In January 2016, with a complete array of software, Wii U sales stand currently at 13 million units, as recorded by William D’Angelo, at VGChartz.com.

Nintendo’s NX, unlike the Wii U, must take advantage of a head start, with their software, to succeed.