Wii U: Year Two

This next year will prove incredibly important for Nintendo’s fledgling console.  All the pieces are here:  The game lineup looks good; they are taking steps in the right direction to unify accounts between the Wii U and the 3DS; There will soon be no more “looming” consoles; and Nintendo will have (hopefully) learned much from this year, filled with great accomplishments and great failures.  I hope to look at this, one year from now, on November 18, 2014, and see that our fears and our assumptions about “the death of Nintendo” were absurd.  I hope to own a successful console, instead of a console filled with questions and promise.

I suppose we’ll see.

     I wrote the above one year ago.  It is now November 18, 2014, and the Wii U is officially two years old.  So, what has changed?  Has it changed for the better, or is Nintendo's doom in clear view?  I am going to go about this blog by taking the "what they should do" section from last tear's review, and seeing how they did.

Keep the price(for a while)

     They certainly kept the price, although new bundles certainly make it more appealing.  However, moves from Microsoft have changed the situation.  When I wrote last year, the Xbox One was about a week away from launch.  Now that the system has been on shelves for almost a year, Microsoft has acted relatively unpredictably.  Here is an updated lineup of pricing:
    
     PS4: $400
     Xbox One: $350
     Wii U: $300

     What I said about last-gen consoles is true:  they have been phased out in the public eye.  People simply don't buy Xbox 360 or PS3 anymore.  Therefore the Wii U is indeed the cheapest real console on the market these days.  However, I expected Microsoft to be selling at $200 more than the Wii U, yet it has dropped to merely $50 more.  Nintendo needs to drop the price.  What they should do is keep the bundles as is, but drop the price to $250.  In addition, they should make a standalone console that sells at $200.  They already sell Refurbished models at that price, and those come with NintendoLand.  Surely they can sacrifice the profit to sell more systems.  If they do this, my theory is that next holiday things will look more like this:

     PS4: $350
     Xbox One: $350
     Wii U: $200 ($250 bundle)

That looks a lot better for Nintendo.

More games

     This one is a bit of a mixed bag.  On the one hand, third party support haas dropped almost entirely.  Ubisoft, once a diehard supporter of Nintendo and the Wii U, has no stated that they will not bring any more "adult" level games to the system.  Both Assassin's Creed Unity and Rogue were both skipped by the system, and their final adult game for the Wii U, Watch Dogs, came out today (about 6 months later than all the other consoles).   EA still does not support Nintendo, and even SEGA, while making another Sonic game exclusively for Wii U, made something so atrocious that right before the game's release there was a mass exodus from the company because they didn't like what they made. Perhaps most painfully, Nintendo completely missed out on this year's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.  
     On the other hand, the games listed in last year's exclusive list are buttressed by the likes of Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors,  Bayonetta 2, and (as of Friday) the behemoth known as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.  Not only has Mario Kart 8, a fantastic game in its own right, been released, but it has also seen two DLC packs, and a third one planned for May 2015.  The experiences available for this system, are staggeringly high quality.

Utilize smartphones

     Sigh.  Another year, another hollow promise, it seems.  At E3 2012 they announced Miiverse, available on the Wii U and eventually smartphones, first via browser, then later via standalone app.  That "later" looks (so far) to be in 2015.  However, they have clarified that it is no longer simply a Miiverse app.  Instead it is a "Mii" app, and seems to have a lot of functionality.  We will see. 

Greater Wii U/3DS connectivity 

     This section remains relatively unchanged.  We now know more about how Smash Bros. will connect the 3DS with the Wii U, but to my knowledge no other games have been announced.  It must be mentioned that accounts are finally unified between the two platforms, and now the groundwork is laid for all sorts of connection, provided they actually do anything to connect the two.  The most obvious application in my mind is to have shared save files between virtual console games that you own on both platforms (along with, maybe, one purchase for both licenses).  Time will tell.

Collaborate with Sony and Microsoft

This one was admittedly a long shot, and a shot which Nintendo certainly didn't take.  I still think, however, that it could be beneficial for them.  But they almost certainly will not.

     So how was Nintendo's year?  Do I "own a successful console, instead of a console filled with questions and promise"?  It's a hard answer.  It is certainly not the success I'd like it to be.  Popular view of the system, while better than last year, is still quite dull.
And yet, when I look at that list from last year, when I think of not having had the experiences of Hyrule Warriors, and the sheer enjoyment of riding a dinosaur in Super Mario 3D World, and the competitive fun of Mario Kart 8, I am left a little sad.  These games are great, and they make the Wii U a definite must buy, even if most will not give it a chance.  But I do, and am all the more entertained for it.

Year Three

     As Nintendo enters its third year of selling this fledgling system, what can it do to succeed?


Lower the price

     As said before, a Wii U for $199 looks really appetizing, and a bundle with two or three games for $249 does too.  While it would obviously eat into their profits, I think it is something that will have to be done in order for the Wii U to succeed.  The Xbox One is only $50 more than the Wii U at the moment, and that just shouldn’t be.  The Wii thrived in large part because it was so much cheaper than its competition.  The Wii U can’t compete graphically, nor can it compete with third party offerings (at the moment).  Nintendo’s ticket is to compete financially.

Cater to third parties

     Of course, as I said last year, third parties are very important.  Mario and Zelda are great, really.  But only diehard Nintendo fans will buy the system exclusively for them.  The problem is that the diehard Nintendo fans have already bought the Wii U.  If more people are to buy it, Nintendo will have to cater to people not quite as partial to Mario Kart.

Embrace modern technology 

     It sounds a little rude, but Nintendo is traditionally a little behind the times.  While there does seem to be some progress (smartphone app, ability to preload Super Smash Bros.) in general Nintendo tends to stay about half a generation behind, and that is a shame.  Make the app a major part of the Wii U experience.  Utilize the Cross-Buy and Cross-Play wonders that Sony has already managed.  Nintendo has a lot of growing room in this respect.

Effectively utilize amiibo 

    This “amiibo” concept has potential.  Skylanders started off this NFC toy craze, but Disney Infinity really took the concept off the ground.  This is due primarily by the fact that the Skylanders characters are brand new for the series, and nobody comes to it caring about any particular character.  Disney characters are everywhere.  It has Elsa and Anna, and that in itself sells millions.  Add in Marvel, and they have a success story on their hands.

     But when it comes to memorable characters in the gaming world, nobody can touch Nintendo.  They have the perfect lineup of characters.  Add in Pokemon and you have a new craze.  If they utilize amiibo effectively, this will pay dividends, I guarantee it.  If they don’t, it will join the ranks of the Game Boy Micro and the e-Reader as failed Nintendo products.

Metroid

     Of all of Nintendo’s IPs, none are more suited to the HD world than Metroid.  Mario, Zelda, and others have been rather cartoony.  Metroid has always been realistic and just creepy.  The graphical and audio enhancements from the Wii U are perfectly suited for such a game (and its been 4 years since the last Metroid).

Actually release Zelda

     We are told that Zelda will come out in 2015.  At this point, I just add a year and assume that’s the date (although Skyward Sword did indeed release in 2011 when it was announced to).  I think Nintendo needs to get Zelda out as fast as possible.  Wind Waker HD showed the world how beautiful a Zelda remake can be.  This new Zelda needs to push the Wii U to its limits.

Announce a new system?

     Balderdash, some might say.  Even I hesitate to endorse it.  And yet, Nintendo may be in the best place for a counterattack.  If they announce a successor next year, and release it the following year in 2016, there is potential for a grand sweep of the playing field in Nintendo’s favor.  “But that would only leave the Wii U with a life span of 4 years!”  Indeed it would.  This is not, however, without precedent.   In fact, the Xbox released in 2001, while the Xbox 360 released in 2005.  The original Xbox, then, only had a life span of…that’s right, 4 years.  But it didn’t seem too short.  It is clear, though, that Microsoft and Sony won’t play this game.  The Xbox One and the PS4 are here for the long haul.  If Nintendo can learn quickly from its mistakes, create a system that is to the PS4 what Wii U is to the PS3, then there will be likely about 5 years where Nintendo’s system is the most powerful graphically.  That is the perfect vantage point to retake third party favor, to get a second chance in marketing (such as dropping the Wii label and making people think that their system isn’t a screen for their already existing system), and to come out with IP updates that take advantage of the new software (Mario Kart 9, Super Smash Bros. 5, New New Zelda, etc.).
     Microsoft and Sony will not expect much from Nintendo.  The average consumer will not expect much from Nintendo.  This gives Nintendo pretty good cover to strike.  As much as I have enjoyed the Wii U, Nintendo will likely be better served by a new system.


So I hope, one year from now, on November 18, 2015, to possess a system with more realized potential than I can dream.  Until then, there is hope.

Day 1- At Home

Though we leave tomorrow, I don't work today, and so it is our first day of vacation.

We've made an important decision, and today was the day to put it into practice. It is becoming increasingly clear to us that we do our children a great disservice by exiling them from the church service. So we decided to test it out today. We decided to visit a different church, and so we kept the kids in service with us.

Hoopf. This will be a task. We had to constantly keep both kids quiet. Books were of limited use, and even the iPhone (using the YouVersion Bible app for kids on Guided Access) was not doing it.

What gives me hope, however, is that Sarah acted the same way she did when we first started doing Family Worship, and now she does great. In retrospect, I would have hated if I had just stopped working at it just because it was too hard. So if that's how it was with Family Worship, I see no reason for it to be any different in the full Church Service.

The rest of this day was of little note, except for one thing . . . Super Moon!

The moon brought back a lot of the blue in the sky that usually goes away when the sun goes down.  It was very large, and VERY bright.  Obviously it was just that the moon was at about its closest point this year to the earth, but it was still a nice site, and a great way to start a vacation.

Speaking of that, as I write this, it is about 9:20 pm, and Lord willing, in about 8 hours we'll be on the road to Kentucky.  This will not be our best night of sleep.

But we will get sleep anyway (I hope).

Lunchtime

In a local elementary school, two boys entered the lunchroom.  The lunch menu for today was simple and delicious: pizza with chocolate milk.  One boy was excited.  He loved pizza, and he loved chocolate milk.

The other?  Not so much.  While he thoroughly enjoyed pizza, he found the taste of chocolate milk disgusting.  He much preferred strawberry milk, and he wasn't going to take this injustice.

The second boy walked up to the lunch lady and told her to give him some strawberry milk.  Despite such rudeness, the woman compassionately explained to him that chocolate milk was on the menu, not strawberry.  This would not do for the young lad.  He was determined to get strawberry milk brought into the lunchroom, even if it meant talking to the Principal himself.

The Principal was less than willing to work with him, and sent him back to the lunchroom.

The two boys ate their food, one with chocolate milk, and the other with no drink at all.

It was not long before the angry boy felt his rights were violated.  After all, his friend was able to drink what he wanted to drink.  Surely the same right applies to him (it is irrelevant that what the first child wanted to drink happened to be what was served.). The second boy believed that he was being considered a second-class citizen, and that he was inferior.  The first boy mentioned to him that they were equal; after all, both boys had equal access to chocolate milk, and both boys had equal lack of access to strawberry milk.  The only difference was that one preferred chocolate, while the other preferred strawberry.  This was an issue of preference, not of rights.  The second boy responded by calling the first boy a bigot.

The lunch bell rang.  However, this child's fight was far from over.  He began to cause a ruckus and dissension among the student body.  There were those who secretly loved strawberry milk, but drank chocolate milk instead.  Others were vehemently against these strawberry-drinkers, and went so far as to say that God hated them because of their drink of choice.  The whole school was soon enveloped in controversy.  The Principal took action, by giving the decision to the Classrooms.  Those Classrooms that agreed could allow their students to have strawberry milk.  Those that didn't agree would have the ability to transfer to another one of the 50 Classrooms on the premises.

So, the Classrooms took it to a student vote, and that brings us up to today.

Here are the verdicts thus far:

37 Classrooms have voted to maintain the current chocolate-milk-only status quo.

2 Classrooms have voted to allow strawberry-milk-drinkers their preference.

11 Classrooms have voted to maintain the current chocolate-milk-only status quo.  However, in these Classrooms, the Teacher disregarded the will of the students, and legalized strawberry-milk drinking.

In addition, there are other movements brewing.  Some children drink goat milk instead of cow milk.  Others drink milk that comes from cows not old enough to be properly milked.  It will not be long before these alternative drinkers demand  their "right" to drink their beverage of choice at the lunch table.

We could go into moral and health issues about what beverage to drink.  But that is not the scope of this story.  The point of this story is that the boy demanding his "right" of drinking strawberry milk at lunch is absurd.  That was his preference.  He had the same right as the chocolate milk drinker.  Just because one doesn't like the right they are given doesn't mean they can act as if their rights are stripped from them, or that they are a second-class citizen.