I was trying to think of a neat way to put this but sometimes it’s just better to be blunt.
Today Nintendo, the reason we play video games today, either announced a system that will be the future, or will become the next Dreamcast.
The official control of the Wii U
Nintendo held their E3 press conference just minutes ago. After months of rumors and speculation the long awaited successor to the highly successful (from a business standpoint) Wii has finally been announced.
The Wii U.
Why it might work:
Nintendo prides themself more than anything on innovation. And for the most part they have been extremely successful in that regard. They pioneered most of the tech and gameplay innovations that we take for granted today. The Wii U is no different. The iPad like screen on its controller could potentially be a game changer. The demo videos are sure to be rolling in soon but as I said, the potential for the extra screen is there. And it appears that developers are seeing that too. In fact, the reason this console might be Nintendo’s biggest success is that one fact. It looks like developers are jumping on this right now big time.
It’s not secret that Nintendo’s 3rd party support has ALWAYS been it’s biggest weak point. Lack of 3rd party support plagued the Gamecube and the Wii, despite the Wii’s high sales. If Nintendo can get high selling 3rd party titles, such as “Batman: Arkham City,” onto it’s console it might just be the last link to making Nintendo the leader in many categories to come.
Most importantly though, this console might succeed the same way the Wii did. People love simple tech. This console is going to bring Nintendo even more new users the same way the Wii did. The only difference is that now Nintendo is putting an HD console with 3rd party support. Sports fans that would never touch the Wii version of Madden will now be able to get those titles with even more impressive graphics than what Sony or Microsoft is currently putting out there.
ALSO,SUPER SMASH BROTHERS CONFIRMED.
Why it might fail:
Timing is everything. Nintendo took a large gamble with announcing this console now. They are taking an even bigger gamble with releasing it in 2012 (presumably in the fall before Christmas). That means 1 very important thing. If Sony or Microsoft announce their console at next years E3 then Nintendo might be dead before the Wii U even hits shelves.
Nintendo is also taking a large gamble with the hardware. Innovative? Yes. But innovation doesn’t always mean success. Nintendo’s Wii system is one of the highest selling systems because of its simplicity and innovation. The Wii U is a very different story. The simplicity is not entirely there for people who have never touched a video game before. It might look like an iPad but there is no promise that it will be as easy to use as Apple’s UI.
It’s also worth mentioning that this thing is also going to be expensive. The Wii was the least expensive next gen console when it hit. It’s almost guaranteed that this will be way more expensive than anything else on the market at the time of release. Personally, I find it hard to see myself buying this console before I know what Sony and Microsoft are going to offer with their next gens.
Final Thoughts:
I can’t lie. I’m not sold on this new system….yet. The potential is there but there are a lot of “ifs” that need to be addressed before I would even consider buying this. The 3rd party support seems to be coming in, but wasn’t it also there with the Wii at first? If Nintendo doesn’t get real 3rd party support this time around, we might indeed be looking at the last Nintendo home console to hit the market ever. Excited? Sure. I love new technology, especially in video games. But until I get my hands on this thing, and know for sure that 3rd party support will be there, I will continue to be a skeptic.
