Where is the Wii Audience Now?

     It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the Wii U is not selling nearly as fast as its predecessor, and one of the main questions people ask is "Where are all those Wii owners?" That very question may seem like it has an easy answer at first, but upon further research, I believed I've found the best way to answer that question. For the most part, the Wii U isn't aimed at them, so they are not buying in to the next generation of gaming.

   Consider this, The Wii was seen by many as the casual console, or the console for the younger audience. In reality in was just the console for the masses, be they casual, hardcore, or nongamer. To first begin answering this question, let us first examine the Playstation 2 and the Playstation 3. The common view is that the Playstation 3 is a hardcore gamer's console, and I'm not going to argue with that, but was the Playstation 2 a hardcore console? If so, why didn't that crowd migrate to Playstation 3? The answer is simple. he Playstation 2 was the same thing as the Wii. It was the console for the masses for it's respective gen. Yes, we often get the argument that the Playstation 2 was more hardcore than the Wii, but when you look at it's staggering install base, and the comparatively small amount of hardcore titles sold, that doesn't seem to be the case. The Wii's Hardcore titles actually sold more than the Playstation 2's, and it did it with a smaller install base. Why? Because it was the console for the masses, as well as for the Nintendo fans. The reason why Wii sold so well, is because those Playstation 2 owners who did not get a Playstation 3, were nongamers and casuals who instead got a Wii. 

       Yes, though the media, your best friend, your brother, and everybody wants you to believe thateveryone who owned a Playstation 2 was playing Hardcore games, thats simply not true. A prime example is  the Guitar Heroes games, Those gamers moved over to Wii. There was also a ton of people who played games like Jambo Safari, Katamari Demacy, and Mr.Mosquito, that migrated to the Wii and began to play games like Wii Sports, Cooking Mama, Just Dance, and Wii Fit. So I would argue that those Wii owners stayed on their Wii. Who could blame them? They moved from Playstation 2 to Wii, so they could play the games that Hardcore and the media call casual and shovelware, but surprisingly, the successor to the Wii has slim picking for people who are into those kinds of games. The Wii U is rather hardcore whether we want to admit it or not. That is one of the main things holding back the Wii owners. Even the Gamepad has a bigger learning curve than the Wii Remote. Its not that they vanished, It's that they have no console to call home this generation. No console has their Cooking Mama, Their Boom Blox, Their Boogie. But even that is just half of the fanbase

     The other half of the Wii owners are those who like Nintendo games, and Exclusives that you can only get on Nintendo Consoles, such as No more Heroes, DragonQuest, Monster Hunter (yea.. it counts now), and this time around even Bayonetta joins that list. If you look at the games that sell best on the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One, you will see mostly multiplatform games in their top 10. The Wii U's Top 10, however, is made up entirely of exclusives. So the people who say 3rd party does not sell on Nintendo consoles is right to a certain degree. 3rd Party multiplats don't sell, but Exclusives sell well. A Nice chunk of the Wii owners were fans of the Lego games, so its no surprise that Lego City Undercover caused a sales boost for 2 weeks for the Wii U, and sold nearly as well as Nintendo's own Pikmin 3. Thats because that game caused a few Wii owners to upgrade, because they couldn't play it on their Wii. For comparison sake, The Skylanders and Disney Infinity games have sold better on Wii than any other console. Its a safe bet that if Nintendo discontinued the Wii and forced Activision to only make a Wii U version, that the Skylanders games would have boosted Wii U sales. As it stands Swap Force on Wii U is outselling the PlayStation 4 and XBox One version 2 to 1. Again, that is  Wii owners who migrated to Wii U, maybe even some of the same who migrated over with Lego City. 

  So, What  can Nintendo do to get the rest of the Wii owners back, or at least a decent amount of them? They're already set to do just that. Nintendo will be releasing their own games that use figures, which has been code named NFP. Nintendo must also be aware that the biggest part of the figures and games fanbase is on their console, so if they are to make their own game with figures, those remainders on the Wii and even the other consoles will have to buy a Wii U if they want to play the lastest Figuringe Collection game. Also, Mario Kart 8 will be out shortly after this article is published. The online Mario Kart experience and the new features will only be able to be played on Wii U. Wii's online is going down, so that too will be incentive to upgrade to Wii U. The other thing that Nintendo seems to be doing getting ready to show off the benefits of the gamepad. We all know the Wii audience loves a fancy controller with nice "gimmicks" so that should win back a few of them as well, granted it is not something too complicated. 

   When its all said and done, Nintendo can not win back all of those Wii owners, because a lot of them are happy playing the old Wii Sports every weekend with their parents, friends, or frat buddies, but they can definitely can win back a sizable chunk that gives them a nice sized install base, and possibly even the lead this generation but they will have to shake the hardcore image and once again be the console for the masses like the Wii was, which still was home to some stellar exclusive games. Here's hoping E3 knocks it out of the park.

What the hell, Gamers?

Warning this is an angry rant! Hell, this is beyond angry! What is going on here?! At First glance when I saw the numbers for the launch week of PS4 and XBox One, I was overly excited about it. That was until I noticed something truly disturbing. Call of Duty was the highest seller on both platforms? What the hell, Gamers? Isn't this supposed to be next gen? Why bother with a port? The Call of Duty obsession should die with last gen. A new generation of gaming should mean new things.

 Seriously, Am I the only person who would be completely pissed off if this gen becomes a repeat of last gen, wherein Microsoft and Sony fight over DLC rights to multiplats and shooters, while Nintendo offers the most variety in exclusives, yet is somehow discredited for it and considered casual? I mean Damn! How many different ways can you play Call of Duty? I know Pokemon is released a lot too, but at least there is years between the releases and there is noticable upgrades, and at least those gamers try NEW games and NEW ideas.
 
 I'm not saying that all of the PS4 and XBox One owners are Call  of Duty Dudebro gamers, but it's a sad day in gaming when 2 new consoles launch and they both have the same game as their top seller, and its a damn port that is also on last gen consoles. At least Wii U's top sellers aren't ports. They're NEW games made for the NEW hardware! What's the point of upgrading if you're still just playing what is already on the older systems? is it graphics? no slightly better graphics that the average joe can't even notice give you wood or something? This Gen is upsetting me already. E3 2014 better be a hell of a lot different than the yawnfest that was E3 2013, or I'll have one hell of a rant.

The Nintendo Hybrid

  Imagine, if you will, a world in which handhelds and home consoles are one in the same. Imagine buying a new Nintendo console and also getting a handheld as well. Imagine turning off your console and fitting it into your pocket to play later away from home. Now stop imagining, because this very well could be the future of Nintendo consoles.

  Earlier this year it was reported that Nintendo's handheld division and console division merged into one building. One of the reasons cited was to further expand connectivity between console and handheld. With that said, it's a almost a no-brainer what's coming after the Wii U and the 3DS/2DS have run their course. Nintendo is aiming to create a handheld home console hybrid. Why wouldn't they? Their handheld division has always been their strongest. Even their most successful home console, the Wii, pales in comparison to the success of the Nintendo DS.  With industry analyst and everyday bloggers suggesting that Nintendo goes 3rd party or release games on the iOS market, making their next console into a hybrid that doubles as a handheld could seriously silence such asinine comments as those.

  If Nintendo realeases a hybrid for their next console, they could easily grow the fanbases of several of their handheld centric franchises. Pokemon comes to mind. Fans could finally get the home console Pokemon game they've been asking for, and when they're ready to battle, or leave the house, they just carry their hybrid with them as they would their 3DS. Even more casual focused games like animal crossing could benefit from having the portability of a handheld alongside the in home experience of a Nintendo console. Beyond just being able to game anywhere, Nintendo will no doubt add some new innovation that we never thought of. They could potentially add GPS technology, a solar energy sensor (ala solar boy django), or some other idea thats can only be described as Nintendo.

  If they do create a hybrid, there are several benefits. They could make it very affordable, due to cost being lowered. With Nintendo only pumping out hybrids instead of console and handheld, they would save a lot of resources, time, and money. They could produce games faster, since team won't have to debate about putting it on the handheld or the console. However, this hybrid would most likely have to be larger than any other handheld they ever manufactured to prevent overheating and house all this technology. It would probably at the smallest be the size of a Wii U Gamepad or Apple's iPad. The hybrid also would have to have a decent online infrastructure. It would be a waste not to. They could upgrade the miiverse to include voice chat, crossgame chat, and videochat during gameplay.  It would take a lot more effort than the average person would assume it would to get the hybrid just right, but if done right, Nintendo could dominate the home console and handheld market with a single device. 

  So I shall leave you with a little food for thought. If the Wii sold over 100 million units, and the DS sold over 150 million units, imagine how successful they would have been if combined into a hybrid somehow. This is the future console that we very well could get from Nintendo. Is your body ready?

The Wii U Has The Advantage This Holiday Season

By now there's already been thousands of articles claiming the Wii U or Nintendo as a whole is doomed. I find that a bit odd considering the 3DS has been doing great for a long while now, and the Wii U is picking up steam following it's price drop and WindWaker HD bundle. I'm not going to waste time arguing counter points against the doomsayers. Instead, I'm simply going to point out why Nintendo has a clear advantage going into this holiday season.

  The first advantage is the Wii U's price. The Wii U is effectively $100 cheaper than the nearest competitor, Sony's Playstation 4, and even comes bundles with a Zelda game. For the Price of a PS4, a potential Wii U owner could get a Wii U and 2 or more games, depending on what they buy, and for the price of an XBox One, they can get a Wii U and a 3DS/2DS to go along with it. With the majority of consumers who buy consoles during the holiday season being parents, that put Wii U in a nice position. They can buy the cheaper option, and still get the biggest titles such as Batman Arkham City, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, and Call of Duty for their child. Price will definitely give Wii U an edge.

  Another advantage is Nintendo's franchises. We all know Mario sells. Nobody can deny that. In fact 80% of Wii U owners have New Super Mario Bros. U, and a brand new 3D 4-player Mario is coming this holiday season, as well as other famous franchises like Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Mario and Sonic Olympics, and Wii Party. Ever since the announcement of Wii Sports Club, the original Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort have seen a sales spike in the US. Both Titles have made their way back into the top 20 weekly games for consecutive weeks. People are apparently preparing to take the new Wii Sports Club online and challenge the world. The biggest key to Nintendo's success this holiday is not even Wii Sports or Mario, believe it or not. the biggest key to their success is Wii Fit. If a consumer already has the Balance Board, they can effectively get Wii Sports for just $19.99 when they buy a Wii Fit Meter. Wii Fit was already a powerhouse system seller for the Wii, and now its only $20 on the Wii U. That is definitely going to sell some Wii U consoles.

  Last but not least, Wii U will be the only new console available in every major region this holiday season. Neither PS4 nor XBox One will be available in Japan this year. That gives Wii U home field advantage for this holiday. leaving the Wii U alone with no competitor except for  PSVita TV in Japan was not the best idea on their part. So with price, their storied franchises, and availability as there big advantages, The Wii U is set to have a very successful holiday 2013.