We all know the news from Nintendo, and it's not good. The Wii U is indeed the flop everyone feared, and even with the 3DS selling well, Nintendo is in deep trouble. Personally, I love the Wii U. It's a great console with some great games starting to roll out, and I actually love the gamepad. Granted, I'm also one of the people who loves the Saturn, which had the same issues we're seeing with Nintendo now (limited third party support, lukewarm reaction, EA dipping their toes in then pulling straight back out), so perhaps I'm not the ideal judge of what should be a popular console.
So what should Nintendo do at this point?
-Work on a new console -- Discussed in the past, and I still feel that's the wrong way to go. The Wii U has some life in it, it just needs one or two big games that will sell some consoles. Perhaps start shipping some bundles with the Pro controller if people are so set against the Gamepad idea, or (at last) start bridging the gap with the 3DS and develop a way to play 3DS games on the big screen through the Gamepad.
-Get 3rd Party Exclusives -- It's just not happening, I know that, but if they could somehow get a proper exclusive from a 3rd party, enticing enough to draw in some people or at least get something exclusive from a multi-platform release that would be worth picking up the console then there's a chance for Nintendo. This isn't likely to happen, since the only 3rd party that seems to want to work with them is Ubisoft, who are having their own issues. Still, it would be nice if they could get some 3rd party support.
-Temporarily develop games for the Xbox One and PS4 -- An idea proposed by someone, whose name or company escapes me at this moment, that might actually attract some support from the gaming world. Could you imagine a new Metroid on the Xbox One and PS4? What if the next SSB was multi-platform? What about a brand new IP or two? The possibilities are quite endless, though highly unlikely.
-Finally start pushing online capabilities -- Something Nintendo seems reticent to approach in any way, but something they desperately need to embrace. Online capabilities in games is an essential now. It just is. Nintendo need to embrace this properly and start pushing online co-op and versus modes as hard as possible. Picture Super Mario 3D World with online co-op, or the next SSB on the 3DS or Wii U against people online. What about having the Wind Waker HD with a buddy online? An enticing thought, but something Nintendo need to push hard for, now, if they're going to make any headway.
-Stick to handheld consoles -- A not-so-viable alternative, all things considered, but something they have undisputed success with. The handhold market is synonymous with Nintendo (BTW, Nintendo -- Definitely snap up that GameBoy Evolution concept, that is unbelievable!), and while the 3DS got off to a rocky start, it is a powerhouse now. They could drop the home console line and focus just on handhelds, but they could stand to loose a tremendous amount of money by doing that.
-Something else -- I'm sure we're all ears, so let's hear some ideas!
What is the best way forward for Nintendo, or is there a way forward for the beleaguered company? What are your thoughts on Nintendo and the Wii U?
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...or is this the perfect time for Sega to step back into the console game and turn a few heads? 😀
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So...what does Nintendo do?
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