How Bad Off is the Wii U?

     First off let me say that I am not trying to bash or hate against Nintendo or the Wii U with this post/rant. My first console was a NES. I've owned every Nintendo console up through the Wii, and still have the original Game Boy. I loves me a Zelda game and seeing a Mario game always puts a smile on my face. However, there has been some disappointing news surrounding the Wii U that makes me wonder how bad off is Nintendo's latest console?

     It's no secret that not all developers have been giving the Wii U their love. Recently, Bethesda announced that their current games in development would not be coming to the system. They also added that they had no plans for making games for the Wii U. A little while back EA mentioned that they were working on Wii U titles, but nowhere near as many as the other consoles. EA also said Madden 25 and FIFA 14 would not on the Wii U, and that it needs to become a viable platform. Then Warner Bros. Interactive announced that the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham Origins would not have the multiplayer portion. Thankfully Activision has expressed their support, and Ubisoft has supported the console with upcoming titles like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Watch Dogs.

     Last year I released a blog talking about how and if the Wii U could compete or exist alongside the Xbox 360, PS3, and the upcoming next gen consoles (Blog found here). I still think Nintendo should have refigured the Wii U hardware and not have released it as early as they did. I think the specs of the Wii U will cause it to fall further behind once the Xbox One and PS4 are released. I'm not saying the Wii U is a crap system though. It has some cool features such as the second screen controller experience. It's just that gamers wanting the high end graphics, enriched online gaming experiences, and other big features are going to look towards the next gen consoles or PC.

     I've heard several people chalk this up to the same thing that happened with the 3DS. When the 3DS first launched there was a lack of good games and sales of the actual device weren't great. After some time more great games were released and then a price drop. Now the 3DS has been selling very well. Perhaps the Wii U will follow in the same footsteps? Honestly, it needs to. In fact, Nintendo recently announced that starting September 20th, the deluxe Wii U model would drop to $299.99. It's no surprise that the lack of games doesn't help the Wii U either. Even Nintendo's President, Satoru Iwata, admitted that the lack of games is the key reason to the Wii U's poor sales.

     I've heard people say that the Wii U isn't "competing" with other consoles and that it is it's own thing. That may be true to an extent, but the Wii U (like other consoles) are part of a business and it doesn't seem to be doing well. Again, I'm not trying to bash or start a hate train on the Wii U. Am I saying the Wii U is doomed to failure? Absolutely not. It's just hard to see Nintendo struggling with their latest console and to hear about developers skipping on features or even creating games for the system all together. I think and hope as time goes on that Nintendo releases some really strong games that help boost both game and Wii U console sales. Maybe the $50 price drop and releasing of big franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, etc. will help. Only time will tell. Honestly, I really don't think it's time for the Wii U to start using those green 1UP mushrooms.


Written by: Alter Ego 83