Jul 18
Jul 15
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Jul 12
Jul 11
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.
Jul 05
If the Wii Vitality Sensor escapes your memory, you’re not the only one – it was announced back at E3 in 2009, and has since then seen very little in terms of development, raising speculation that Nintendo had given it the kibosh. Such was confirmed at the company’s 73rd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, where the company said that due to inconsistent accuracy among different users it won’t be launched.
The idea behind the Wii Vitality Sensor was intriguing – gamers would place their index finger in the device, allowing for measurement of the player’s heart rate. Further expounding on that, Nintendo’s Iwata stated this would help develop an understanding of “human autonomic nerve functions,” thereby showing the state of tension or relaxation the player was experiencing.
Aspects of this functionality were demonstrated to the viewing public, and the company made it known that it was excited about the possibilities of the device. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the problems for it started with mass testing of Vitality that took place within the company. For whatever reason, it was reported, some individuals did not get “expected” readings from the sensor.
Though specifics weren’t given on the inconsistent results that happened with the device, Mr. Iwata said: “We wondered if we should commercialize a product which works as expected for 90 people out of 100, but not so for the other 10 people. Though I am sorry that we did not give any specific updates after this product’s initial announcement, I would say that knowing that a product has a problem we should not launch it for the sole reason that we have already announced it.”
In addition, the Nintendo boss says that upon further work with the Vitality, it became apparent that the device’s various possible applications were smaller than the company had first estimated. For these reasons, the launch has been slated as “pending,” with Nintendo saying that it could see the light of day in the furture if technology advances to such a degree that its results are accurate for a higher percentage of users.
SOURCE: Nintendo
Nintendo confirms Wii Vitality Sensor was nixed due to consistency issues is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 05
The Daily Roundup for 07.05.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Jul 05
Nintendo confirms Wii Vitality Sensor’s death, says it produced inconsistent results
Posted in: Today's Chili
Oh Wii Vitality Sensor, we hardly knew ye… in that we didn’t know you at all. Nintendo introduced the pulse-sensing Wii peripheral at its E3 2009 stage show, and said we’d hear more in “the future.” That future never came, despite occasional assurances that the device still existed. During a recent Q&A with Nintendo head Satoru Iwata, an analyst brought up the device once more, and Iwata said it encountered too many issues in quality assurance testing to bring to market.
“We have not been able to launch it as a commercial product because we could not get it to work as we expected and it was of narrower application than we had originally thought,” he told investors. According to Iwata’s estimates, approximately 90 out of 100 people were able to use the Vitality Sensor without a hitch, though he (thankfully) requires that it work with “1,000 of 1,000 people.” However, he admitted “but [since we use the living body signal with individual differences] it is a little bit of a stretch to make it applicable to every single person.” He’d still love to make the Vitality Sensor a reality “if technology enhancements” allow, but thus far, testing renders it “insufficient as a commercial product.”
In other Nintendo news, Iwata assured investors that he will continue to monitor employee cafeteria quality-related concerns. Seriously though, that was a question.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD, Nintendo
Via: VG24/7
Source: Nintendo
Jun 27
If it seemed like Rovio‘s ever-popular bird-flinging game Angry Birds was on every platform imaginable, be prepared to be extremely wrong. It has yet to land on the Wii series of gaming consoles, but it’s finally arriving. Come August 13, Rovio will be releasing Angry Birds Trilogy on both Wii consoles in retail stores. We’ve
Jun 27
Jun 27
Angry Birds Trilogy slingshots to Nintendo’s Wii U and Wii consoles on August 13th
Posted in: Today's Chili
As if its flock of angry fowl weren’t already near-ubiquitous, Rovio’s today announced an August 13th release date for the Wii and Wii U versions of Angry Birds Trilogy. The Finnish company had previously committed to the two Nintendo ports earlier this year, prompted by the success of the title on the 3DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rovio’s not just pushing out a repackaged redo, either — this collection bundles the original Angry Birds game with Seasons and Rio, while also adding some new levels. And given the finger-flicking origins of the franchise, gamers will be able to make use of the Wii U’s GamePad for that famed asymmetric play (read: GamePad-only) and touch controls. If you haven’t already exhausted your lust for flipping Rovio’s birds, then the dog days of summer should see you and that Wii U making nice. Of course, by then you could also be flinging zombie-like Pikmin with reckless abandon. What’s a Wii U owner to do?
Source: Polygon
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