Wii: A failure

[RCBH928]

I had to go to a Walmart for something today and was curious if they would have Lets Dance 2020. They had two copies and there was a lady buying one at that moment. They also had one copy of Lets Tap, but it was $30. So I thought about this topic about how eleven years ago none of us imagined they would still be selling Wii games at Walmart now.

Well...this is surprising. How did you even remember this thread?
While the Wii was very popular, its popularity dropped big time moving into the next generation unlike ps2 that held strong so I am surprised it still gets a release. Did any other console receive releases 15 years later of launch date? I wonder how many units they sell so much so that Ubisoft cares enough to make a Wii release. Who is still pressing Wii discs any way?

clarification: This thread argument was that the Wii failed to be an Xbox/ps3 competitor and not a successful commercial product. Prior to Wii, Nintendo's SNES, N64, and NGC were meant to be the go to console for video-gamers of their generation. While I held same expectation for the Wii, Nintendo choose a very different approach and built its own market of NIntendo IP loyalist+casual gamers and did not go 1-on-1 with PS3's Metal Gear Solid 4+Uncharted and Xbox 360's Gears of War+Halo.

I still argue that Wii's major financial success was due to the novelty of motion controls+its low$250 launch price. It beat every console it made prior and even the highly successful Switch-assuming it will retain its current high sales- will match Wii's numbers at the end of the generation, but the Switch kind of combined handheld+home console into one device on the opposite of the Wii which was selling along the highly successful Nintendo DS.

[fastbilly1]

holy necrombump batman

You know it

I blame the Wii. It’s clearly a failure, and this necrobump is just the latest in a string of disasters defining its legacy.

Those damn wiis and their sentience

Well...this is surprising. How did you even remember this thread?
While the Wii was very popular, its popularity dropped big time moving into the next generation unlike ps2 that held strong so I am surprised it still gets a release. Did any other console receive releases 15 years later of launch date? I wonder how many units they sell so much so that Ubisoft cares enough to make a Wii release. Who is still pressing Wii discs any way?

Because my mind is like a pan of popcorn kernels over low heat.

No other console that I know of has received official games 15 years later, 360 had one 14 years later.

clarification: This thread argument was that the Wii failed to be an Xbox/ps3 competitor and not a successful commercial product. Prior to Wii, Nintendo's SNES, N64, and NGC were meant to be the go to console for video-gamers of their generation. While I held same expectation for the Wii, Nintendo choose a very different approach and built its own market of NIntendo IP loyalist+casual gamers and did not go 1-on-1 with PS3's Metal Gear Solid 4+Uncharted and Xbox 360's Gears of War+Halo.

As someone who went Wii as only console that generation until the very end, I still fully disagree. Yes the control method was novel and a big selling point but the games released hit across the spectrum. You view it not being a competitor in the fictional console wars, I view it as a competitor because there is only so much money that gamers have and it continually took money from users who would possibly spend it on the other consoles. History has shown that the difference between games on the PS3/360/PC during that time was minimal outside of a few exclusives, however the Wii did things differently. Sometimes it failed, sometimes it was incredible and most of those are still exclusive.

[o.pwuaioc]

clarification: This thread argument was that the Wii failed to be an Xbox/ps3 competitor and not a successful commercial product. Prior to Wii, Nintendo's SNES, N64, and NGC were meant to be the go to console for video-gamers of their generation. While I held same expectation for the Wii, Nintendo choose a very different approach and built its own market of NIntendo IP loyalist+casual gamers and did not go 1-on-1 with PS3's Metal Gear Solid 4+Uncharted and Xbox 360's Gears of War+Halo.

As someone who went Wii as only console that generation until the very end, I still fully disagree. Yes the control method was novel and a big selling point but the games released hit across the spectrum. You view it not being a competitor in the fictional console wars, I view it as a competitor because there is only so much money that gamers have and it continually took money from users who would possibly spend it on the other consoles. History has shown that the difference between games on the PS3/360/PC during that time was minimal outside of a few exclusives, however the Wii did things differently. Sometimes it failed, sometimes it was incredible and most of those are still exclusive.

You two are saying the same thing, but with different words. PS3/360/PC vied over one aspect of the game market, and the Wii over another. I think "failure" is a terrible word choice, but everyone agrees that it's doing something different.

[benderx]

A relative told me took up the wii to living room. I said okay. After finding all the necessary accessories. I just realized the hdtv doesnt have component inputs: to get the best quality. It only had coax, 4 hdmi, and composite. I said composite is going to look like shit. Then after hooking upto a different hdtv, the wii only ouputs in 480p/i. Prefer 720p at for the wii if possible. Gees nintendo should’ve added hdmi and 1080p n 720p.

Nintendo has a shitload of shovelware. All these games should’ve not existed.

[RCBH928]

I think "failure" is a terrible word choice, but everyone agrees that it's doing something different.

Not to me. On the launch of that generation I had the idea it was Nintendo vs Microsoft vs Sony , Nintendo with motion controls and M+S with their HD and Bluray drives. Given I like a different thing I was willing to be team Nintendo and experience new world of motion controls. It was N64 vs PS1 for me. It failed] that competition. If Xbox and Playstation were releasing Hollywood Blockbusters, Wii was releasing YouTube short series. Wii Sports and Red Steel was the direction I was hoping it will go, instead we got Just Dance and Guitar Hero, novelty stuff.

Some people argue that Wii was more popular, it was hardware sales wise but not the games themselves. Outside of Nintendo IPs I seriously doubt 3rd party games on the Wii sold more than 3rd part games on M+S. I don't think Klonoa and XenoBlade made more money or were more popular than COD, GTA, and Dark Souls.

I would backup my argument with that approach did not help it on the Wii U and moving to Swtich we are seeing more mainstream ports like Doom, Dark Souls, and Skyrim. You know, more games like the ones released on Playstation and Xbox.

A relative told me took up the wii to living room. I said okay. After finding all the necessary accessories. I just realized the hdtv doesnt have component inputs: to get the best quality. It only had coax, 4 hdmi, and composite. I said composite is going to look like shit. Then after hooking upto a different hdtv, the wii only ouputs in 480p/i. Prefer 720p at for the wii if possible. Gees nintendo should’ve added hdmi and 1080p n 720p.

Nintendo has a shitload of shovelware. All these games should’ve not existed.

I don't think the Wii outputs 720P, by the end of its lifetime I think there was a version that had HDMI but no NGC compatibility. The Wii was outdated on the day of release, with composite vs HDMI, limited storage vs HDDs, no HD, no BD drive. I think it couldn't play DVD except with a special hack or something like that.

[ElkinFencer10]

The Wii will be remembered down the line as one of the greatest consoles of all time. Trying to go tit-for-tat on doing the same thing but better is what's wrong with gaming, and that's why the Wii was a glorious success; it actually offered something different whereas the PS360 offered the exact same core experiences. They were the same type of thing. The Wii dared to be different, and it was more glorious than the First Battle of Deep Space Nine.

[stickem]

I think "failure" is a terrible word choice, but everyone agrees that it's doing something different.

Not to me. On the launch of that generation I had the idea it was Nintendo vs Microsoft vs Sony , Nintendo with motion controls and M+S with their HD and Bluray drives. Given I like a different thing I was willing to be team Nintendo and experience new world of motion controls. It was N64 vs PS1 for me. It failed] that competition. If Xbox and Playstation were releasing Hollywood Blockbusters, Wii was releasing YouTube short series. Wii Sports and Red Steel was the direction I was hoping it will go, instead we got Just Dance and Guitar Hero, novelty stuff.

Some people argue that Wii was more popular, it was hardware sales wise but not the games themselves. Outside of Nintendo IPs I seriously doubt 3rd party games on the Wii sold more than 3rd part games on M+S. I don't think Klonoa and XenoBlade made more money or were more popular than COD, GTA, and Dark Souls.

I would backup my argument with that approach did not help it on the Wii U and moving to Swtich we are seeing more mainstream ports like Doom, Dark Souls, and Skyrim. You know, more games like the ones released on Playstation and Xbox.

A relative told me took up the wii to living room. I said okay. After finding all the necessary accessories. I just realized the hdtv doesnt have component inputs: to get the best quality. It only had coax, 4 hdmi, and composite. I said composite is going to look like shit. Then after hooking upto a different hdtv, the wii only ouputs in 480p/i. Prefer 720p at for the wii if possible. Gees nintendo should’ve added hdmi and 1080p n 720p.

Nintendo has a shitload of shovelware. All these games should’ve not existed.

I don't think the Wii outputs 720P, by the end of its lifetime I think there was a version that had HDMI but no NGC compatibility. The Wii was outdated on the day of release, with composite vs HDMI, limited storage vs HDDs, no HD, no BD drive. I think it couldn't play DVD except with a special hack or something like that.

i agree with your assessment, but i wasn't the target they were going after. it did what it did well, just not my thing. and it never output 720P via anything.

[RCBH928]

The Wii will be remembered down the line as one of the greatest consoles of all time. Trying to go tit-for-tat on doing the same thing but better is what's wrong with gaming, and that's why the Wii was a glorious success; it actually offered something different whereas the PS360 offered the exact same core experiences. They were the same type of thing. The Wii dared to be different, and it was more glorious than the First Battle of Deep Space Nine.

That niche has its fans I agree, but I wish Nintendo kind of came out with that idea of marketing the Wii. I remember well at launch it was supposed to be a PS competitor. What I think happened was that as time went by, Nintendo&Co bent into a different approach and realised they can make more money in the "different" field instead competing directly against ps3/360. Also, most of Wii's "different" games I dont see why they couldn't be done on the PS3/360 but I guess there they will be killed by the competition so the developers opted to build for the niche-loving crowd on Wii platform.

[marurun]

In the US the Wii was never advertised, marketed, or positioned as a DIRECT competitor to the 360 or PS3. In fact, I'm pretty sure Nintendo were right up-front about the Wii being a different experience. And it was Sony and MS who later decided they needed to be in competition with the Wii. PS Move and Kinect, anyone? I knew a lot more people who had a 360 and a Wii or a PS3 and a Wii than had a 360 and a PS3. Calling the Wii a failure as a direct competitor to the 360 and PS3 is like calling the Maple Leafs (hockey team) a failure as a direct competitor to the English Premier League (football/soccer). They're both playing sports, but they aren't playing the same game.

[isiolia]

That niche has its fans I agree, but I wish Nintendo kind of came out with that idea of marketing the Wii. I remember well at launch it was supposed to be a PS competitor. What I think happened was that as time went by, Nintendo&Co bent into a different approach and realised they can make more money in the "different" field instead competing directly against ps3/360. Also, most of Wii's "different" games I dont see why they couldn't be done on the PS3/360 but I guess there they will be killed by the competition so the developers opted to build for the niche-loving crowd on Wii platform.

Nintendo's marketing from the start accounted for trying to expand the audience, which is a lot of where the success of the Wii came from. They did try to cater to the core audience as well, and did have a large variety of games in the E3 presentation and at launch. Realistically, they did the same thing with the Wii U, which had ACIII, Mass Effect 3, Arkham City and so on early on, with reduced third party support when sales didn't pan out.

Ultimately though, the best selling titles on it reflect why people bought the system - almost entirely all-ages and local multiplayer type games. Things that you don't tend to see on MS and Sony's top seller lists. So while all three systems did have a variety of titles, the marquee titles reflect why people bought the system. A lot of Wiis were bought by people that basically weren't interested in the latest AAA single player games. Wii Sports wasn't necessarily going to make them all of a sudden interested in Dragon Age or The Last of Us. Even the more successful third party Wii games were things like Epic Mickey.

Meanwhile, MS and Sony tried to offer motion controls, and some all-ages stuff, but again, that's not what most people bought the system for to start with.

The Wii did end up having a lot of unique content too, thanks to being the oddball basically-SD console on the market, and a huge install base to try and capture a sliver of. As mentioned, there are a good number of more core gamer type things that did get released on the system, and nowhere else, as opposed to so many of the big titles outside of that being PC/360/PS3. So, it can be an interesting library to dig into, now, or in the future, even if it wouldn't be your desert island pick (certainly wouldn't be mine).