Can we all finally admit that the Wii U is in huge trouble? I mean, for months I’ve been saying it here on SlashGear, and yet, the company’s most ardent supporters have continued to say that the console will be just fine. But again, that argument flies in the face of the facts. Nintendo earlier […]
I know what I’m about to say will annoy millions of Nintendo fans around the globe and maybe even make some of the executives at the company scoff, but the way I see it, there’s no other way out for Nintendo than to end its love affair with consoles and go multiplatform with its hit titles.
I understand that, for years, Nintendo has rebuffed all suggestions that it should bring its titles to other multiple platforms. The company believes that it’s still going to benefit most from offering hardware and software on a single product and can’t fathom the thought of putting Mario or Zelda on an Xbox or PlayStation. First-party titles are the secret to its success, after all.
But I think it’s time that we and Nintendo start acknowledging that all of that “success” has been fleeting over the last decade. I’ll freely admit that the Wii was, surprisingly, a hit. And chances are, neither the Xbox 360 nor the PlayStation 3 will match it in total sales when everything is said and done. But should we discount the fact that in its latter years, the Wii was losing steam? And perhaps most importantly, should we discount the fact that the Wii U has gotten off to an abysmal start?
Although Nintendo has not officially released console sales data for the U.S., each month when NPD releases its console sales figures, one thing becomes immediately apparent: things are not going well. In fact, it’s believed that Nintendo has sold less than 100,000 Wii U units nearly every month this year. For a console that’s not even a year old, that’s a huge problem.
So, what happened to the Wii U? Blame it on mobile games, blame it on its core customer base getting older, and perhaps blame it on Nintendo’s own inability to see the changing times. As EA COO Peter Moore said recently, the Wii U is a decidedly “offline” box despite claiming to feature online components that gamers would want. In reality, it’s a vestige of what gaming used to be like – and isn’t anymore.
“Nintendo had every opportunity to do something special with the Wii U”
Nintendo had every opportunity to do something special with the Wii U. The console could have picked up casual gamers and appeal to the hardcore segment by delivering better online features. Instead, Nintendo stuck to the same, tired strategy. And now it’s in deep trouble because of it.
In fact, EA and Activision have both said that they have no games – that’s right, no games – in the pipeline for the Wii U. Even Ubisoft said that it needs to see what happens before it continues to invest in the console.
The way I see it, unless something miraculous happens, the Wii U might soon die a slow and agonizing death. And at that point, if Nintendo wants to continue on, it’ll need to go multiplatform and bring its popular titles to other consoles. In fact, the smart move might be to do that now and generate boatloads of cash by bringing titles to other devices. If Rovio and countless other mobile game companies can succeed and generate all kinds of cash, why can’t Nintendo?
At some point, Iwata and Miyamoto need to put aside their pride and accept failure. More importantly, they need to acknowledge that the market is changing and there’s an opportunity for Nintendo to transition its business and stay alive to continue to make games.
It’ll be OK, guys. Really, it will.
Why Nintendo Has No Choice But to Go Multiplatform is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with technology. Any product I could get my hands on, I would use. And when I had a chance to pick up a game console, you can bet I was rushing to the stores to get one. Technology ruled much of my childhood.
Still, I was able to handle the real world. I could converse with both kids and adults, and I was engaged enough in school to know that there was a time and place for my technology. I also understood that getting too obsessed with tech could make me socially awkward, which prompted me to question how much time I should be spending around it.
In other words, as tech-obsessed as I might have been, I think I had a healthy relationship with gadgets.
At a July 4 party, however, I came to realize that kids today have a much different experience with technology. When I was a kid, having a cell phone in high school was unheard of. At this recent party, which was attended by kids of all ages, even the 4-year-old was holding an iPod touch and texting her sister.
Every kid at the party was holding a smartphone or iPod rouch, and they were either playing games on it or texting their friends. At no point did they look up to see what was happening at the party, and when asked a question, they would wait to finish their text message before answering it. The adults in the room were understandably displeased by the behavior, but as the parents put it – “it’s their generation.”
If that’s the case, I’m worried about that generation. During dinner, we were all sitting at the table, having a nice discussion. I look over and see two of the older kids laughing with their phones in their hand. I asked what was up, and they promptly told me that they were texting each other from across the table. Rather than have a real conversation, they opted to type it from five feet apart.
“In the old days, if a kid was bullied, it wasn’t recorded”
Of course, it’s not just the kids who were at that party. A quick search on YouTube reveals countless videos of kids taking videos in school. An overwhelming number of those videos shows kids being ridiculed or bullied in some way. In the old days, if a kid was bullied, it wasn’t recorded. Now, the whole school sees what’s happening.
And since most devices today contain cameras and the ability to capture video, students are finding themselves in compromising positions when they send photos of themselves to others that are quickly sent around the school to fellow students.
Unfortunately, I think we’ve taken a hands-off approach to this growing, dangerous relationship between technology and kids. Most device makers realize that children are a key revenue generator, and parents are content today to placate their kids, rather than explain to them that having real conversations and acting like a human being is actually a better thing.
When I was a kid, the only time you saw a child with that zoned-out look on his or her face, they were playing a video game. And in many cases, parents were alarmed by it and told them it was time to go outside and play.
Nowadays, I see it wherever I go. And parents, shockingly enough, have the same look on their faces.
After all, if you want to talk to your kids nowadays, the best way is to text them, right?
IMAGE Summer Skyes 11
Kids and Tech: Is It Going Too Far? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
If Google TV taught us anything, it’s that the search giant has some interest in competing in the living room. The company’s platform, which runs on set-top boxes and televisions, is designed to run atop the user’s television service and deliver full interactivity with both that programming and all of the entertainment options available on the Web.
When Google TV was announced years ago, everyone knew that it was an ambitious project. But Google seemed focused on breaking into the living room and succeeding.
Now that Google TV has become a loser, rumors are swirling that the search giant is considering jumping into the console market. The device, according to the rumor mill, would possibly run on Android and come with complete access to the games currently available in the Google Play marketplace. And since it’s Google, the rumor mill argues, it might just have a chance at becoming a hot commodity in the gaming market.
But I think it could go much further than that. The way I see it, Google might just become the console market’s most dominant force if it launches a console. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.
Looking at the console market, things are tough. The current generation of devices are losing steam and the Wii U, which should be selling quite well right now, is proving to be a loser.
That’s the first good thing for Google. Chances are, an Android-based console would initially appeal to the more casual gamers. And since Nintendo isn’t able to do that any longer, there’s a massive void left for Google and its own console to capitalize.
“Google, unlike Microsoft, has been able to look like the good guy”
Then there’s the issue of Microsoft. Although the software giant has become less of a threat to the average company, it’s still viewed unfavorably by millions of people around the globe. And Google, unlike Microsoft, has been able to look like the good guy against the evil software company.
That’s especially true in certain parts of Asia, where the Xbox 360 has been selling quite poorly over the years. Sales are abysmal in Japan, which is why Microsoft pushed back the country to “tier 2.” And Japan is really the crown jewel in the Asian gaming market.
A Google console could pick up the gamers in countries around the world that don’t want to invest in an Xbox for one reason or another. In some cases, it’ll be because of Android. In others, it’ll be all about Microsoft hatred. In still others, it would be the cheaper price on an Android console. Regardless, there’s a good chance Google could win over the gamers that Microsoft cannot.
Lastly, I think we need to fully understand the impact Android can have on the console market. It’s an operating system that’s already in use by millions around the globe. And porting games from that platform to a console wouldn’t be all that difficult. Best of all, the platform would launch with thousands of games in its library – a first for the console market.
If Google knows what it’s doing, the company will make it easier for gamers to play a title on their Galaxy S4 and then pick it up on their console at home. The company would also provide enough firepower in the console to handle both mobile games and more sophisticated titles that larger developers might want to deliver. And since the console is running on Android, there’s a good chance it’ll be cheaper than its competitors.
Sorry, but I don’t see anyway that an Android console wouldn’t succeed. And if it comes from Google, there’s a solid chance that it’ll have an even better chance of dominating the console market.
Like it or not, gamer preferences are changing. And now is the time for Google and its Android platform to capitalize.
Why Google Could Win the Console Wars is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft’s Xbox One has gotten off to an exceedingly difficult start. Although it impressed nearly all gamers and entertainment lovers at its unveiling in May, when the details on the console started flooding in, everything changed. And many of the gamers that had previously thought highly of Microsoft and the Xbox One had second thoughts.
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The next generation of console gaming is upon us. Nintendo has already launched its Wii U, Microsoft’s Xbox One will be launching sometime later this year, and Sony has revealed several details about its PlayStation 4.
But unlike its chief competitors, Sony has decided against showing off the design of its next console. The company announced the device earlier this year, talked about its specs, but wouldn’t show what it actually looked like. And when the console was recently featured in a teaser for the upcoming E3 gaming trade show, Sony once again decided against showing off the device.
It’s not immediately clear why Sony hasn’t shown off the PlayStation 4. The company has, of course, been asked numerous times why it doesn’t want to show the console yet and each time, it has sidestepped the question. The move is unprecedented, if nothing else, and could be either good or bad.
See, now that we have seen the Wii U and Xbox One, the onus is on Sony to shock us. The PlayStation 4’s design can’t be something that bores us or doesn’t have as good a look as its competitors. And by hiding it under a shroud of mystery, Sony is only calling more attention to the console than it otherwise would.
That puts extra pressure on Sony at the E3 gaming show. If the console is truly something that blows our socks off, all the secrecy would have been worth it. But if Sony’s PlayStation 3 ends up being just another black box that doesn’t have anything special built-in and lacks some unique design quality, we’ll all be rather bored. And being bored in the world of gaming is a very, very bad thing.
“To make the discussion all about hardware couldn’t be worse”
Sony needs to take the attention away from its product design and start focusing more on its game library. The move the company should be making right now is to show off the PlayStation 4’s design and be done with it. To make the discussion surrounding Sony’s next console all about hardware couldn’t be worse for the company.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that software sells hardware. The Dreamcast died off because its software library was sub-par compared to that of its competitors. Sony’s PlayStation became such a hit because it had so many games available. The console’s design didn’t really matter all that much.
In this case, I’m going to give Sony the benefit of the doubt. I think the PlayStation maker truly understands the dynamics of the gaming industry and doesn’t want to take too much focus off the games. I believe, therefore, that Sony has something quite special up its sleeve. And rather than just let Microsoft and Nintendo take E3 by storm, it wants to show off something that we’ve never even thought about from a hardware perspective.
Of course, all of that could be wishful thinking. But if history serves us correctly, it tells us that Sony can pull off some miracles. And it needs another one right now.
Why Won’t Sony Let Us See What the PS4 Looks Like? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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