Let’s be perfectly honest: Nintendo has had a disastrous couple of years by its own very high standards. The Wii U seems to have confused the casual market that made the Wii such a success and it hasn’t captured the imagination of enough so-called “hardcore” gamers to sell enough consoles. The 3DS is doing okay by any reasonable metric, but measured against its predecessor it also looks like it’s under performing.
Nintendo has once again been left behind in the race for raw console power but it doesn’t have the mass-market appeal that prevented that power differential from truly mattering last generation. Yet, with some potential system sellers just over the horizon, there’s always the feeling that Nintendo isn’t too far away from turning the corner and making a success of the Wii U while giving the 3DS a further boost that would make its sales graph look a lot more respectable.
To turn their fortunes around and make a success out of this generation, they’ll need to be quite drastic and imaginative with their strategy. Here’s how I think they could do that at E3 2014.
Cut the price, keep the system
There have been some murmured rumours that Nintendo has a plan for its next home console and some have suggested that they should just drop the Wii U and push ahead with whatever’s next. I think that would be a disaster at this stage in the console’s life. They’d lose the trust of their most dedicated fans and admit the shameful truth that they made a huge mistake. The Wii U has a number of games that show it has ample power to create great console experiences for the next couple of years, at least.
That said, it’s simply not competing with the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony. They need to find a slightly more casual, perhaps younger niche for it to fit into and they can do that by cutting the price. Not just allowing retailers to shave off profit margins either – a real manufacturer’s price cut that makes the system affordable and makes those great Nintendo games attractive to former Wii owners.
Relax about the GamePad
The GamePad is really good for certain things. Playing off-screen when the TV is in use, some optional multiplayer uses and even the odd bit of asymetrical co-op in games like New Super Mario Bros. U, but it’s not really essential and its use often feels forced and awkward. That simplistic supportive co-op stuff is fine for families with younger siblings or clueless parents but if it’s the sole use of a handy piece of tech then I think an opportunity is being missed.
More innovation like we saw with ZombiU and less of the duplication of buttons that already exist on a controller would make the GamePad attractive without feeling like they’re trying too hard to make it relevant.
In short, it’s a nice option to have but it’s not an essential feature. That leads us nicely to…
Launch a new SKU
Take the GamePad out of the box and replace it with a traditional controller. While we’re at it, add a decent hard drive to the mix so we’re no longer restricted to a maximum of 32GB out of the box and the confusing prospect of buying our own external hard disk to link up. This could come with a slight redesign of the hardware to get that hdd inside the box and modernise its looks.
Get the console as cheap as possible on store shelves and then sell the GamePad separately as an accessory that comes with NintendoLand.
Refine the system
DRM on the Wii U is horrible. It’s tied to the system so if your console breaks or gets stolen then all your purchases are gone too. That’s not right. We’re also still waiting for things like Nintendo TV in Europe and wondering what happened to the possibility of buying a second GamePad to use with future games.
There have been a number of great improvements to the system since its release but there are plenty of things still to do. At E3, they should set out their framework for how they intend to address all of these little loose ends.
Be smart about first party games
Mario Kart 8 will already be out by E3, but don’t dwell on it. Instead, focus on what’s still to come. Smash Bros. is probably the biggest thing they can show in depth and give a release date, as well as showcasing the way it works between Wii U and 3DS – and building on this “cross-play” approach with future titles – is imperative.
There doesn’t seem to be any reason why Nintendo can’t emulate Sony’s cross-buy, cross-play and cross-save systems between the Wii U and 3DS. Further promoting that relationship with tie-in 3DS releases (or eShop) for Wii U titles seems like it might encourage people to own both home and handheld consoles.
While on the subject, the 3DS is doing okay, it just needs some new game announcements. Aside from Pokémon, none of the Nintendo core franchises are on the way for 3DS, so it would be good to hear that there is still plenty of first party support. There’s no need for drastic measures though – just showing some interesting new titles is plenty to keep the 3DS trundling along.
The Wii U, however, really does need a very solid showing for games. Hyrule Warriors is coming but that’s probably not going to satiate Zelda fans. Where’s the Wii U’s very own, proper Zelda game? Nintendo also has some dormant characters that must surely be ripe for a revival. Why haven’t we seen Samus in a new Metroid or done a Barrel Roll in a smart reimagining of Star Fox yet?
People often complain that Nintendo relies too heavily on its main cast of characters but the reality is that those games are always solid and the brand loyalty of fans is incredibly powerful when it comes to marketing them. I would expect, and hope, to see more from Mario, Kirby, Pikmin and Link at E3 2014, and I don’t think that a few more HD remakes would go amiss either.
Wind Waker HD was superb and there are plenty of others that would look great in HD on the Wii U. The Mario Galaxy games spring immediately to mind for straightforward HD releases (and a proper sequel too, by the way).
Court third party publishers
Bayonetta 2 is still coming from the partnership with Sega, and the are still some cross-platform releases too, but it would be nice to see new third party exclusives. This probably requires a bit of investment from Nintendo, as their install base isn’t too attractive to third party publishers just at the moment. However, if they get the right projects from the right developers and give the system and the game the right kind of push, I think there’s plenty of potential in expanding the Wii U’s library this way.
It’s not even beyond the realms of possibility that a little encouragement from Nintendo could make for some unique approaches to multi platform games. An obvious candidate would be for Alien Isolation to have GamePad features, but with a little imagination there are plenty of other ways to make the Wii U experience of a third party title a unique one, even if it isn’t pushing the same kind of resolution and complex lighting of other versions.
Surprise us
It’s a fairly boring joke among those of us who play console games, that Nintendo just release the same kind of game over and over again. While that certainly doesn’t ring true for anyone who actually plays the games rather than just reading the titles and looking at the boxes, it is true that we’re seldom surprised by the company.
My biggest wish for the Nintendo booth at E3 this year is for it to have something there that nobody saw coming. Something new and innovative. Something big and bold. Something to get excited about.
tonyyeb
I honestly think the last point about Nintendo bringing out the same stuff over and over again is why I’m not even remotely interested in a Wii U or a 3DS.
Kennykazey
Amusingly, that’s the exact reason I bought my Wii U and 3DS. I like their game-series, and so as long as they’re good I don’t mind. Nintendo mix up their core franchises with each release (except direct sequels), so even though the name and quality stays the same, the experience change.
That said, I wouldn’t mind more new IPs. But it’s not like Nintendo hasn’t made any in the past five years: Dillons Rolling Western, Pushmo and Xenoblade spring to mind. Not much compared to Sony, but as a multiplaform owner I don’t mind.
Starman
Never knew about the DRM on the WiiU being so strict. Microsoft would be proud of that.
mrfodder
Nintendo’s crappy DRM was one reason I went with a Vita for my son over 3DS.
Kennykazey
It is genuinely horrid, and Nintendo needs to fix it ASAP. Apparently you can sort things out with a simple phonecall, but that doesn’t really help.
Kennykazey
Oh, and it just recently changed so yoyr Nintendo ID is now locked to your home country as well for some godforsaken reason.
transbaconist (formerly bacon_nuts)
I can’t say I’m a fan of this article. First you ask for a price cut, which yes, might be nice, but it doesn’t seem all that realistic to cut the price again. It’s already very cheap… Secondly, you suggest that a bigger hard drive would be better. This would make the console more expensive, which contradicts point 1. The Wii U uses flash memory. The reason it does this is because it makes the console slightly more durable, as there’s one less moving part to damage. If Nintendo were to increase the size of this, it would push the price up hugely. Conversely, they could hugely redesign the system for a typical mechanical HDD, which would result inevitably in a slightly higher failure rate, and would probably barely lower the price due to redesign and parts purchase. The SSD in the Wii U is perfectly fine and allows the consumer to upgrade their storage as and when they need to at cheaper market prices.
Thirdly, your second point is that Nintendo should remove the USP of the console. So, what do you have then? An underpowered console with no reason to get it over other systems? That would feel awfully like the Xbox One backtracking recently. I agree that the gamepad isn’t fully utilised, but making it optional is basically telling everyone that it’s worthless. If it becomes optional, like the Kinect 2, you can say goodbye to anything for it. This is not a smart move, not on any level.
While DRM is bad, they have long winded ways around it. If your console breaks you can contact nintendo and they’ll transfer your purchases. I’m sure theft could be covered some way, though I’ve not tried that.
Nintendo have basically said that we’ll be seeing Zelda at this E3, and Miyamoto’s new IP, which has been long rumoured will *hopefully* be announced. I’d be surprised if we didn’t get more news on X and Bayonetta 2 too. Metroid has been vaguely teased by reggie wearing a Metroid badge at the Cranky Kong reveal show (VGX). I’m sure they’ll have something. They’ve previously said that they’re attempting to cut down on announce to release time, which would make sense considering the release schedule is a tad bare. I’d rather not have HD re releases, I’m sure SMG 3 is staring development, Rosalina is appearing in more and more things for it to just be a two game series.
You won’t see more Pikmin, look at the releases. 2001, 2009, 2013. No Pikmin for a while methinks.
Third party seems like a good idea on paper, but it’s not why people buy Nintendo consoles. I can’t deny it would help, but it’s really not what I want from my Wii U.
Nintendo really don’t release the same games over and over. It’s ridiculous when people say that. Yes, it’s the same intellectual property, but the variety between the releases is vast.
blarty
I reckon they could turn up for a start.
bunimomike
Damn you! Was going to reply with that. :-)
nofi
Turn up? Nintendo are there in spades.
gamerbuff
What can Nintendo do? Not a lot. Sell mario ganes on Google play. That about it.
Kennykazey
Interestingly, Nintendo has booked significantly more of the show floor than both Microsoft and Sony. So much for not showing up…
blarty
That’s because they’ve saved money by not putting on a proper keynote.
transbaconist (formerly bacon_nuts)
You’re wrong, they’ve still booked the same venue they always do. Nokia theatre is it? They’ll have smaller shows, demos, and other things happening there.
They have just as big a presence, it’s just not a live show like usual. It’s a bit of a shame that nobody seems to be able to report very well.
Twilord
I’d say overall you seem quite informed but the idea of launching a Wii-U without the Gamepad would be a major mistake. I think that Mario Kart 8’s free game initiative will help to explain to core gamers why the Gamepad enhances the games it does (New Mario U, Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3 – the big three in America – highlight this in particular).
I will break something if Nintendo break their base; myself and soo many indies I’ve met all have big plans for it and I’d be badly upset if they pulled a Microsoft. Thankfully Nintendo seem determined to please their current base and I don’t think they’ll risk breaking it.
Voolar
Their first party games are generally excellent and both the WiiU and 3DS are great machines.
There biggest mistake was assuming that everyone who bought a Wii would naturally upgrade and they haven’t. And that’s the problem with casual gamers (which is why the Kinect / TVTVTV strategy has failed for MS).
If I were Nintendo, I’d start opening my IPs up to other platforms. I’d love to play Mario on my PS4.