Wii U: Juggernaut or Bust? - shadthedad's Blog

shadthedad's Blog

Wii U: Juggernaut or Bust?

Posted on July 24, 2012 at 01:03 AM.

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The Wii U is approximately 4 months away, and although there is a ton of information to be revealed and announced---you can bet one thing; the Wii U will be a game changer and redefine the way you view video-game entertainment for years to come.

Nintendo has historically ran a revamped, hardware, refresh, model where the original game system ushers in innovation with the follow up system building on and enhancing the innovation from the previous hardware generation.

Examples:
Nintendo < Super Nintendo
Nintendo 64 < GameCube
Wii < Wii U

Where the original NES ushered in and launched 2-Dimensional platform gaming; the SNES perfected and mastered side scrolling gameplay. The Nintendo 64 and it's Mario 64 software took the world by storm with its free-roam 3D gameplay with the Nintendo Gamecube cleaning up 3-Dimensional gaming and it's glitchy camera angles, giving gamers precise controls throughout their newly, coveted 3D arena as well as the best in 3rd party software support. Looking back at 2006 and the introduction of the Wii, and more importantly---it's impact on the gaming industry; the Nintendo Wii paved way to the following concepts:

1) Launched motion control gaming
2) Introduced the mainstream public to the concept of virtual avatars (Mii)
3) Provided an intuitive, live, app interface through the Wii home screen (Wii channels).
4) In home socialized, casual, gaming

Although the previous concepts where ground breaking at the time, they were far from perfect and imaginative gamers demanded better. The Wii Remote would need an accessory--sold separately-- to get true 1:1 precision controls all the while being a battery hog and utilizing an inundated, awkward, wired controller accessory dubbed the nunchuk joystick. The Mii creation channel, although charming, was extremely bland and a pedestrian effort at next generation avatar creation; with the wii channel apps--although good enough to inspire a certain mainstream phone OS--coming across as having a ton of potential but feeling unfinished and unrealized. It was a euphoric experience to game with your girlfriend and grandmother, but the experience was quickly rebuked by veteran gamers because of the dumbing down of the skills needed to master various beloved 1st party and 3rd party software titles (Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Madden All-play) in the name of making a uni-lateral, game play, experience for gamers with various skill set backgrounds.

Fast forward to this fall's Wii U release and based off of the Big N's previous console upgrade iterations, I fully expect Nintendo to enhance all three--but in which ways...

1. Wii Remote
~Built in motion plus and a more contour shape
~USB port to allow the Wii remote to be charged through the Wii U (no more batteries)
~Wireless Nunchuck joystick

2. Mii Avatar
~ Customize your Mii with accessories you earn through in game accomplishments
(similar to the 3DS, Find Mii software but better)
~Miiverse (A Mii based Animal crossing)

3. Wii Channel Apps
~ Watch your friends game live while providing feedback
~Download 3rd party Wii U channels (Activision/EA) to game through their online servers
~TV channel surf from the Wii U game pad

4. Socialized Gaming
~Wii U game pad sneaks in as asymmetrical, socialized, gameplay but provides a singular experience and gently escorts gamers into the realm of core/hardcore/solitude gaming.
~Provides a deeper, more unique, more core experience while gaming together.

Novice insightful gamers have likened the Wii U to Sega's much underrated Dreamcast console of 1999 saying that like the Dreamcast; the Wii U will be rendered obsolete by newer hardware from Sony and Microsoft which is rumored to be on the horizon. Savvy/core gamers have questioned this prediction because they foresee no matter the power of future video gaming consoles they will be hard pressed to outperform high end PC gaming rigs with the latter being why publishers are pushing high end software to the PC market leaving their console counterparts behind in the dust. Couple the aforementioned with the rise in shovel ware and 0.99 gaming software through the cell phone; you then begin to see why Nintendo is making the moves they are making.

GRAPHICS ARE NO LONGER THE DECIDING DETERMINANT FOR UPGRADING CONSOLE HARDWARE.

BUT WHAT IS...

FINDING A COMPELLING TECHNIQUE TO KEEP GAMING AT THE FRONT OF THE HYBRID (blend of casual and core) GAMERS MINDSET.

Analysts are forecasting that the majority of core gamers will eventually migrate to PC gaming which will relinquish living room video gaming play to a new demographic of gamers---the hybrid gamer: core and casual gamers. The downside to hybrid gamers in gaming in this new era of video gaming is that as life changes or when the next cool, new, tech gadget launches this gamer is ready to jump ship and fall out of gaming completely to take care of daily responsibilities or to play with their newest electronic gizmo. In spite of this new gamer, what the Big N is looking to do with the Wii U is the most shocking undertaking the company has ever embarked upon. Nintendo is not looking to battle Microsoft/Sony for the left over hardcore console gamers who will eventally convert to PC gaming; Nintendo is going for the juggernaut! They are coming for Apple and the much loved and heavily guarded Apple fan base! And this is why the Wii U has the potential to go down as the greatest gaming console of all-time. It is the successor to the most controversial video gaming system to ever launch; the Wii. The video game industry is in a state of flux with a staggered world economy and one of the biggest transitions in gaming history, and more importatly---Nintendo's competitor this go around fights on similar turf; one of creativity, simplistic design, and utilizes a tactic of disruptive innovation. T

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!

NINTENDO VS APPLE!

I'm doubling down on the Big N.

Who do you think will win the next war in next generation gaming....

Comments

# 1 wolfniggr @ Jul 24

Lots and lots of (bias)speculation here. The thoughts coming out of your head are out of your *** and extremely exaggerated. You sound like a jaded fanboy. I've had hours of hands on experience with the U. I'm betting you haven't even seen touched the system let alone seen anything live.

# 2 shadthedad @ Jul 24

Explain Bias. Elaborate and break down the term speculation. Did you read the post or did you just skim through it using microwaveable society tactics such as overrated, speed, reading techniques. Before you go about flaming my message board on my blog posts; brush up on your English 101 and learn the difference between an objective and subjective blog post. Your mommy will be proud, and back to Call of Duty little wolfniggr goes.