A Blue Shell of Hope: Wii U Can Still Strike Back

By Alex Wen on July 29, 2014

Two million copies in one month is not too shabby. Mario Kart 8 impressed critics by delivering the same zany fun of the series, while also adding some impressive improvements. More importantly, it sold very well. For a struggling console, the latest Mario Kart is a symbol of hope.

Nintendo’s difficulty with garnering commercial success with Wii U is well documented. It’s failed to compete with Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, struggled to win over third party developers and remains a shadow of the Wii’s success. To make matters worse, none of the first party titles by Nintendo have convinced the consumer market or developers that the GamePad is more than just a gimmick.

With a little over 6 million Wii U consoles shipped worldwide, this puts Mario Kart 8’s success into perspective. Such high adoption rates may be a sign of what’s to come, rather than an anomaly in a sea of disappointment. These high attachment rates signal that there are devoted fans of Nintendo: people willing to experiment with Nintendo on what gaming is capable of.

With Steam, Amazon and Nvidia all blurring the line of where you can game, it may only be a matter of time before every TV, phone and computer are equipped to play the same games. This’ll throw Microsoft and Sony into disarray, as their consoles will become redundant. Nintendo is focused on delivering a unique experience, a brand and image that fosters devoted fans. Microsoft and Sony fans are more likely to jump ship and easily adopt Steam or some other service simply because exclusives are a rarity rather than the bulk of a console experience nowadays. Microsoft and Sony are both aware of this shift from hardware to platform. Playstation Now and Xbox Media are both brands that both companies are trying to spread to include more hardware. The competition is now about brand loyalty rather than just pushing product, and Nintendo is in the best position to capitalize on it.

www.techwalls.com

Three years ago, the 3DS was also in a bind. Nintendo was struggling to justify the 3D features, and it seemed destined to be a failure, especially when compared to the Nintendo DS’s tremendous sales. It wasn’t until an aggressive price cut and a stream of strong, first party titles, particularly Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, that fortunes were reversed.

The Wii U has Mario Kart, and with the upcoming release of Bayonetta 2, Captain Toad, Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros, Nintendo has a stream of strong games coming out soon. Top it off with another price cut (some retailers are already shaving off $50 or so off the MSRP), and the Wii U can now be a killer deal.

While the PS4 and the Xbox One might have more third party support, most of those games are also available for the PC. Gamers can find multiple platforms to get their Call of Duty fix, but Nintendo is the only place to get the upcoming Zelda project. Nintendo has always walked to the beat of its own drum, and this causes it to look like its lagging behind its competition at times. However, it’s hard to directly compare what Sony and Microsoft are trying to accomplish with Nintendo. Nintendo has built a roster of consistent quality and a strong universe of characters, while the other console makers are busy pushing the best technology out. Look at Playstation All-Stars to see the contrast between Nintendo’s world and Sony’s. This means that even if consoles become irrelevant, Nintendo is in the best position as a third party publisher.

www.gamesradar.com

But Nintendo is still in a great position as a console maker as well. Sony and Microsoft’s service may take off and spread like wildfire, but for the now, Nintendo’s Wii U is the truest gaming experience. Nintendo doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to compete directly with these alternative experiences, but it knows how to do games. As the recent E3 demonstrated, no company is as devoted to games and games only. As other platforms expand into the gaming realm, Nintendo, who is already used to fighting against companies that try to offer a complete media experience, will still offer the most unique package in gaming.

While Sony and Microsoft are operating with a Gran Turismo or Forza mindset, where superior technology and precision skill determine the victor, Nintendo is the Mario Kart, far more concerned with the accessibility and uniqueness of the journey. Nintendo may be in last place right now, but they’re always only a blue shell away from victory.

 

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