Agreed. I don't think the Wii's target demographic -- families, young people, and "casual gamers" -- will feel the need to re-up.

The reason to get one, as with any console, will be the games.  There will either be games you want to play on it, or there won't.

The only way I see this system succeeding is if they have a HELLOVA line up of release games. I was pissed when I got my 3DS and NO good games on lineup. I have pretty much fallen out of love with Nintendo.

If you recall, the DS had a pretty lousy lineup at launch as well, and took almost a year to pick up enough good solid games to really be a contender. I think the 3DS is nearly to the point where it has enough decent games to be worth a purchase for me.

I think the game companies are recognizing more that they need a more solid lineup from the start, and hopefully the Wii U launch lineup will be more like the Vita's lineup, with good solid games across many genres in the first 3-4 months. With Call of Duty coming out for both systems, it should be able to garner at least a decent audience.

One thing to note, the Wii U's hardware capabulities mean that it will only get cross platform games from the PS3/360 generation, which means about 2-3 years into its life cycle it'll start losing ground on those titles and have to fall back to Nintendo's traditional strengths. They will however have one system that they can lean on for cross platform games even after that. If the Vita succeeds and keeps going for 6-7 years, then the Wii U will still have a decent selection of cross platform titles to lean on.

But it's going to be back to a 3-leveled market again with the release of the new sony/ms consoles. The 3ds picking up the low end, the Vita and Wii U in the middle, and the next Xbox/Playstation/PC at the high end. This is a lot like the last generation, and often the PSP and Wii would lose out on cross platform games because their market strength together wasn't enough to justify the port. The Wii U seems to have more third party support, and the Vita's been pretty strong on software at least, so hopefully we'll not see the same pattern repeat.

Fortunately, I do have numbers. Both the PlayStation -- the console that cost Nintendo the market pole position -- and PlayStation 2 still hold the top two all-time-sales slots over the Wii. But that doesn't matter if Nintendo can't make lightning strike twice...and the Wii U isn't the product that will do it for them. It will fall short. The real questions are HOW short and how much shorter than a PS4 and/or Xbox 720.

I was also in the audience when Iwata (Nintendo's CEO) talked about what the Wii U's target demographic. They really want to split the difference and nab both casual AND core gamers. Unfortunaely, that's a formula they've tried to crack for four years with only limited success.

If HD is your criteria for getting one, you're almost certainly good to go. I only say "almost" because we don't know exactly how much they've scaled back the chipset. The units they've shown off since E3 were all operating in HD.

Nintendo has tried to cater to two crowds, but that's not the reason why the Wii was successful. The Wii sold units because it catered to the casual gamer by gearing up exercise, music and their top mascots in their titles.

At best, the Wii U looks like a mere add-on to the Wii. It just looks like the Wii with a tablet. I mean, Nintendo publishes some creative downloadable exclusives. I wish they'd try new things/marketing strategies with those. Honestly, I get enough tablet gameplay off of my iPad.

Going by those numbers and the statements in the article, every single console except the PS1 and PS2 were failures.

I dunno, maybe it's because I don't have high expectations for consoles in general - I only recently picked up a PS3 a few months ago because there were finally enough games that I would like to play on it, combined with my 360 having to be sent back for warranty replacement a second time since I bought it a few years back.

As it will be HD or near-HD, it's already going to be more expensive than the Wii, I'd imagine, and the price point is the main reason the Wii did as well as it did.  If it had been more expensive there would've been a price barrier keeping 'casual' gamers from picking it up,

In its first three months, the 3DS "only" sold 3.6 out of 4 million expected units, and Nintendo considered it a failure (or at least a dissapointment) and so did legions of fans and industry analysts. So it's all a matter of perception.

Not so, Dewan. The 360 sold more than twice the number of units (closer to three times, actually) that Xbox 1.0 sold. That's a serious gain in market share.

Now, you could make an arguement that the PS3 was a failure...it did less than half what the PlayStation 2 did, and Sony lost market share (and Sony's lost money for several years running in part because PS3 didn't recapture the market as intended). 

And even though the PS3 can be considered a "failed" product that took Sony from first place to third in just three months -- though it's bounced back some in the last two years -- it's still a boss console with some staggeringly awesome games on it. I expect pretty much the same outcome for the Wii U...basically a repetition of the GameCube.

Yeah, there are still some gamecube games that I still enjoy playing from time to time- though this is helped a great deal by the Wii's backwards compatibility.  I know I'd be playing some of my PS2 games still if the PS3 had it anymore (and that it worked right in the first place?).  

A failed console is the Saturn and similar in my mind (Jaguar, etc), with the Dreamcast being the weird buffer area- it definitely failed financially, but even though I bought the system brand new for cheaper than a video game costs these days, I still go back to it from time to time.

I guess I tend to judge consoles on the quality of their games more than sales or computing power.

But that's just it. The Wii sold like crazy because it appealed to a previously untapped market: casual gamers and families. This same demographic seems unlikely to shell out money for a new, HD system when their Wiis work just fine.

and where are you getting your info? your just pulling shit out of your ass.........

The wii sold like crazy because it was priced cheap, it was different

when you sell 100 million units your selling to hardcore gamers..............

you think casuals picked up new super mario bros? and helped it sell 25 million units?

Tanto, let me remind you once again that discussion and debate on Bitmob is to remain civil.

As to your point, yes some hardcore gamers did buy the Wii...the same core audience that supports every Nintendo console, from the SNES, to the N64, and the 'Cube.

But you don't ship 100 million units without appealing to mainstream families...and they outnumber hardcore gamers (a niche audience) by a substantial margin.

And it was that cheap price point that endeared it to families and casual gamers.

Take a look at the best-selling games on the Wii. Yes, New SMB Wii is in the Top 10, but so is Wii Sports (#1), Wii Play, Wii Fit, and a host of other titles aimed at a casual audience. And the remainder is mostly split between first-party Nintendo franchise titles and a scant few third-party titles.

So the Wii U will certainly grab the Nintendo loyalists who long for the latest Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game. But they're not for everyone. I can appreciate innovation, and I enjoy mature experiences. I want games like Portal, Heavy Rain, L.A. Noire, Catherine, and Uncharted. I want games that push gaming's potential as a storytelling medium and as an art form.

I'm loyal to software, not hardware. If the Wii U has games that interest me, I'll snatch it up in a second. But if, as I suspect, it hosts the 50th iteration of first-party franchises, various casual titles, and a smattering of M-rated games, I'll pass.

You say some, I say most.

And the wii u will be the cheapest console by likely 200 dollars

most of the wii top 10 is hardcore games, as is the top 20 and 30

"So the Wii U will certainly grab the Nintendo loyalists who long for the latest Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game. But they're not for everyone."

according to sales they are

"I can appreciate innovation, and I enjoy mature experiences. I want games like Portal, Heavy Rain, L.A. Noire, Catherine, and Uncharted. I want games that push gaming's potential as a storytelling medium and as an art form.'

Which none of those games do.......all you listed were 5-10 hour games that really do more harm to the industry that good.

" But if, as I suspect, it hosts the 50th iteration of first-party franchises, various casual titles, and a smattering of M-rated games, I'll pass."

funny because thats what all systems are

You can say whatever you like, Tanto, but the numbers don't support you.

Let's take a core Nintendo game, the very game hardcore Nintendo fans likely bought a Wii for: Super Mario Galaxy. It sold 10 million units after roughly five years of soak time. Let's be generous and triple that number on the off-chance 2/3rds of hardcore Nintendo fans, for some strange reason, decided not to buy one seriously amazing Mario game (now available for only $20). That puts us up to 30 million core players in the Wii's install base.

Versus somehere around 94-95 million Wiis sold.

Can I argue those core players are dropping off? Yep: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (released in 2010) hasn't cracked 7 million sold yet. Sequels to top-tier games usually sell better, not worse. Skyward Sword from late last year? Barely more than 3 million so far, though it's early days.

Now take one of the few real casual/core crossover titles: Mario Kart Wii, which was frequently marketed without a single mention of any Nintendo character, including Mario. It's moved about 32 million units...about 1/3rd the total Wii install base.

In both cases,.the other 2/3rds of Wii owners? Those are the 60+ million casual players who won't be trading their Wii for a Wii U.

I get my numbers from, among other palces the NPD, which is how I know you're way off on your Skyrim figures (it's actually broken well past 11 million). I can only guess you're getting your numbers from the right hemisphere of your brain.

Oh, and I really hope Nintendo's not pinning all its hopes on Dragon Quest.. It does pretty well in Asia, but not so much in North America.

npd only reports around 60 percent of all US only sales, it doesnt take into account other regions...........we dont know what skyrims actual sales are..........

dragon quest has seen higher sales in the US this gen than any other.........thanks to alot of good marketing,.

I think the DS is a bad example, because Nintendo has never really faced threatening opposition in the handheld arena. Consoles, though, Nintendo has slowly lost takers because of poor third-party support and a lack of focus on the "hardcore" market.

The DS and 3DS have decent lineups because developers recognize their already established audiences and, well, what other choices to developers really have? The Wii and Wii U, though...I am only guaranteed great Nintendo games on those consoles; most devs don't give a damn about Nintendo consoles.

My point: The Wii and DS house two very different demographics and software libraries. The Wii's main constituency isn't likely to buy into the Wii U, and Nintendo will have to make due with their diehard fanbase...which isn't that substantial. Otherwise, the Gamecube would have been a success.

Simply put: Most old people have had the same toaster since the 1960's. Nintendo is kind of fucked.

The 3ds is the greatest example, they face threats every gen from people who want a piece of the action...........hell the psp sold 80 million units and in any other gen that would put it at the top system sold

"Consoles, though, Nintendo has slowly lost takers because of poor third-party support and a lack of focus on the "hardcore" market."

This is pure fallacy..........when a system sells 100 million units.........and was number one in the world as recent as 2010, and second place last year. you arent lossing anyone\

" The Wii and Wii U, though...I am only guaranteed great Nintendo games on those consoles; most devs don't give a damn about Nintendo consoles."

Is this why the wii had better third party exclusive support than either system?

I mean hell the most important third party exclusive dq X, is coming, and thats all that matters

"The Wii's main constituency isn't likely to buy into the Wii U"

Thats what they said about the gamecube and the wii

" Otherwise, the Gamecube would have been a success.'

No it wouldnt have, you dont understand game economics, your just throwing out these baseless statements

Its everyone else whose fucked

Every year for the last 10 years or so nintendo sells the most hardware and software worldwide........have the largest war chest of any company..............ect

Let me teach you something. Do you understand how insane dev costs are going to be next gen?

Maybe 1 or 2 companies will be able to put more than 1 game on the new sony or microsoft system a gen.........

Most analysts are predicting most game support to go to the wiiu, 3ds, vita, smart devices...........

sony and microsoft are truely fucked.......

not to mention nintendo gets a holiday by themselves

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but it sounds more like you're supporting Nintendo out of mere fandom, rather than actually looking at things objectively.

I assume this, because you claim that the Wii had better third-party "exclusive" support than any of the other two consoles. This is 100% untrue, and anybody without emotional ties to Nintendo would back me up on this.

lets put this all out on the table now and end this because this is going round and round............

I own every system thats ever existed, sony, microsoft, nintendo, namco, snk, apple, sega, atari, everyone.......... I have no allegiance to anyone.........

Better is my opinion, you can disagree if you wish, but the most important third party exclusive is coming to the wii this year, thats DQ X

I cocked an eyebrow at that too, Ryan. Better third-party support?? You could plausibly claim that the Wii (and Nintendo in general) has superior first-party games, but I think most would agree that the 360 and PS3 have a deeper selection of third-party titles.

Again, if you take a look at the top-selling Wii games, it's mostly casual and/or first-party franchise titles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Wii_video_games

This is especially true near the top.

i didnt say third party multiplats because obviously that would make me stupid............I said third party exclusives.........aka the monster hunters, the tsunoko vs capcoms, the arc fantasias, the dragon quest X's, the last stories of the world

yes and if you look at the top selling wii games, all the games on that list, you will see alot of hardcore titles including mario kart which is number 2

• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (25.47 million)^[2]
• Super Mario Galaxy (10.4 million)^[2]
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (9.48 million)^[4]

^{And these in the top 10}

donkey kong returns and monster hunter are higher than I thought

Let's not forget Smurfs Dance Party, another great example of Wii's exclusives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiQgU_98ZTg

do you want me to name every kinect title?

Yes, please.

That way, we can all agree that Kinect and Wii (and Move) are mostly sold to the casual audience.

yep thats why over 1 million casuals bought monster hunter, and over 1 million casuals bought DK returns, and over 5 million casuals made smash bros brawl the highest selling fighting game in history.........