Did Wii U simply have bad timing?

The original Wii was a pretty underwhelming console hardware wise but still managed to dominate hardware sales. And most of the major titles for the system were first party with a lot of casual third party. But the major difference I can see between the Wii's launch and there Wii U's launch was timing. When the Wii came out, the PS3 had a horrible launch and a very high price and basically no games. The 360 was doing alright but also had issues with RROD and was still much more expensive than the Wii. The Wii U launched it's system towards the end of the PS3/360 cycle when are true next gen system was long overdue. And the fact that the ps4/x1 were announced months after Wii U's launch meant people were going to wait for the real thing. Also, the ps4's price was a real killer akin to what the Wii's price did in 7th gen. The only other thing I can think of is the Wii U name was confusing and harder the market. Your thoughts SW?

It's simple: They tried to get the casuals attention again with a new gimmick, the tablet. But it did not work this time.

Wii U will probably be Ninty's biggest console failure.

A year head start is an advantage. The WiiU's failings are nothing to do with that. The PS2 and Xbox 360 both used their year head starts to become crazy successful.

When suppaman actually gets something correct, you know you're fucked

No, it had bad specs.

The shortfalls have more to do with its naming, and marketing. There was a failure to communicate for the most part, and Nintendo dropped the ball initially when the console was announced and when the console released. Mainstream audience is not very sure what the Wii U still is, an accessory to the Wii, or a new console? I've seen such a question time and time again.

The Wii U had nothing to do with bad timing. The Wii Had tons of family games for kids, family, old people, and was cheap out the gate. It was supported by talk shows and everything.

The Wii u came out over a year ago, before we knew anything real about the Xbox One or the PS4. Zip, Zero. It came out with a Mario game, and some other games, and actually for 5 second pretended like they cared for third-party support. (Then they dropped it 5 seconds later)

The Wii U was timed correctly, look how it sold the first coupe months, it just screwed up every other possible thing. (Like Ouya software sales)

Virtual boy

*cough*

Wasn't that a handheld?

time of release wasnt the issue. nintendo didn't. want support it with good marketing and release good first party games for it.

I think it was basically the specs. Many gamers were able to forgive the Wii's low specs due to it bringing something new to the table.

The WiiU has PS3 specs with a tiny HDD. It took a while to have more than a couple good games that weren't ports and the third party support is basically gone.

Nintendo needs to cut their losses on the WiiU, stop producing it and come up with a real competitor sans gimmicks.

I'd argue it couldn't have had better timing. It was the first new console released after an incredibly long generation, there were any other new consoles to compete with for a year... yeah, it should have gone better.

The problems with the console have been mentioned a couple times in this thread and countless time otherwise, timing wasn't an issue.

marketing and brand confusion is likely the real sinner there.

My sister have 2 Wii's (Family fun whatever) and when I asked if she was gonna buy a Wii U for her kids, she really thought the Wii U was simply a tablet addon.

outside of the brand confusion (and Thus poor advertising), the hardware turned core gamers off of it. Ofcourse this was also when people thought the new PS and Xbox would be beasts in hardware which certainly did not helt it for early adopters. The power would not be bad truth be told, if the Price was where people would find it acceptible.

If it was cheaper it would tend to be seen as a really good choice for a companion console but the initial launchprice was simply too steep.

Random funfact though: the Wii U IS selling fairly well over here, but then Again it costs HALF of what the PS4 costs. So if the Price over there matches here, then I would assume that the Wii U is not entirely Down for the Count yet.

Would just need rebranding and awareness.

Handhelds are portable console?

Handhelds are handhelds, consoles are consoles.

Your point being?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handheld_game_console

Lol, so you're implying there is no difference between a handheld and a console?

I always see you commenting over the most trivial crap. Do you even have an opinion?

Where did I say that there were no differences?

Where do you start on the wii u ??

1. Bad price 350 and 300 for 8gb

2. Next gen console with current gen graphics

3. Bad sound when I had mine it put out a dolby pro logic 2 signal on all my games

4. Bad online the worse online gaming experience end of story

5. No megatons at launch I saw the e3 zelda trailer nothing is what I got

6. No 3rd party support not even ps3/360 ports

7. Slow os need I say more next gen slower than current gen

8. Controller sucks period you can't even walk around in your house and the battery life sucks plus you only get fuking one.

9. No multimedia features not even a blu-ray player

10. Marketing sucked if I didn't know better you would think the wii u was a new controller.

Their timing was the best thing that they had going for them. They had a year head start on the competition and since last gen lasted much longer than normal, people were more than ready to buy a next gen console. Nintendo just screwed up everything else, especially their marketing of it.

Ok so then you're agreeing that a handheld is not the same as a console and thus I was right.

They're different but handhelds are still a sub-genre of consoles,they are portable.

Which makes the Virtual Boy the worst Nintendo console

It is bad timing to release a console that is almost the same power as consoles that released 6 or 7 years prior? Yes. Bad timing. Wii-U should have been released 6 years ago.

If Nintendo weren't so caught up on gimmicks, and low cost components. Releasing 1 year early should have been an ADVANTAGE.

Correction:

Which makes the Virtual Boy the worst HANDHELD game console.

+ The price was far too expensive at it's launch. £280 & £350 If I remember correctly.

Umm The Virtual Boy was not really a handheld. It is considered a stationaty console. So it Counts.

Even if we argue that small print and Ignore Nintendos difinition of the Virtual boy, handhelds ARE consoles claiming that they are not is pretty pointless, they share the same kind of infrastructure, buisness model and use as a console ,only difference being that they are potable, so they should be considered consoles by all accounts.

Just bad marketing and name.

Still a console

It had great timing, had it been vastly more powerful than Ps3/360 and didn't have the tablet and the name Wii U, it probably would've taken off.

Bad timing? It was perfect timing... What's bad are the console specs that don't differentiate from 7y old system everyone is f*cking tired of AND reliance on the pad as the main appeal to the system. That's what's up.

Still a handheld.

Stop implying there's no difference between a handheld and a console.

It's like saying a FPS is the same as an RPG, because they're both games.

Their Marketing was just flat out terrible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dbGJieRaH0

Watch this video.

3 games (Mario U, Sing Party, and Nintendo Land) plus 1 that wasn't even coming out at launch, (Lego City) and features TVii which wasn't available at launch. You would probably have been surprised if there were even games like Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty or Tekken on the system.

It probably would have been a better ad if they added at least one title that would appeal to a more "hardcore" audience. Heck Call of Duty BLOPs 2 has the coolest Split Screen Feature, that should have been advertised here.

Now Watch the Xbox One ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfS5Rp2Lr9I

Does the exact same things. 3 games (Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Rise) plus 1 that wasn't coming out at launch (Titanfall) and features Media Features like Watching your TV with your console still on, but it adds a Video Chat section to show off the Multitasking Xbox One has.

What makes this trailer different though is that the Exclusives Microsoft showed off for Xbox One were appealing Exclusives that the Gamers would want. Lego City and Mario U maybe great games, but they not in the Same Level as Dead Rising or Forza. The Xbox One ad also showed stuff that was available on Day 1. The WiiU showed stuff that wasn't ready till a month or two in the console's cycle. Not to mention the Xbox One ad showed off more features, you wouldn't know that the WiiU also has Video Chat from the Launch Video and that was ready at launch.

In short, Nintendo's Marketing is crappy.

Also just to compare Here's Sony's PS4 Launch Ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOahOBwJuZw

This really tells you NOTHING about the Console, but it's Sony so that's okay.

Dem comparisons.

Handhelds are a sub-genre of consoles,so they are still consoles

Nintendo had bad timing because of the price and the hardwares graphical capabilities. I mean if you paid about $150 more you could buy a PS4.

They should have waited for Sony and Microsoft to announce the price of their consoles but they came out to early with an overpriced piece oof hardware.

@LegatoSkyheart: from those adds you posted the Sony one was probably the worst. lol... but it also shows advertising isn't everything. Like someone already said, they should just stop the gimmicks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nORgM4lpslk

The 3DS commercial... it didn't even say it has 3D effects.

There someone really messed up in Nintendo's Home console division and they need a serious lesson to be learned from w/e is handling the handheld because it's hard to believe it's the same company.

Note: Commercial did say playing the 3DS because is Nintendo, so they're cocky bastards it seems as-well.

Nintendo had many things working against it, one being people wanted to wait out and see the X1 and PS4 launch. But it didn't help they really did nothing to capture healthy third party support. They didn't even have any must have first party IPs that were going to attract people to it. The problem was they rushed things, they Wii sales started to slow down and they wanted to release something on the market immediately to pick sales up, they should have just waited.

That being said, I do have a Wii U and I'm enjoying it, I can enjoy just Nintendo's first party games they do release the next couple years and any worthy third party games. It's figure it'll be more a supplemental console to either picking up the X1 or PS4 when I eventually do get one of the two.

If by bad timing you mean 5 years than yes.

There was never a good time to bring the wii u onto the market.

Basically. With these specs if it had come out in 2006 it would have been awesome

The wii u was 350 and the ps4 is 400 only 50 bucks more but now the wii u is 300 still 100 more gets you a ps4.

and the Sony one purely just saying "This is for the gamers" and showing the gaming logo isn't cocky?

I suppose, essentially the hipsters Doesn't beat flat out saying you'll buy it because it's Nintendo.

Yes, Wii u should have came out 7-8 years ago.

Terrible timing! Like a generation too late. GameCube should have never been invented. Wii competes with ps2 and xbox. Wii u with ps3 and 360 so when ps4 and x1 comes out we have a wii 3 that is BOTH innovative and crazy powerful! Casual and hardcore gamers unite! I should work for nintendo

Yeah bad timing, it should have come out 10 years ago.

The Wii U is going into 2014 with a strong lineup of games (compared to the PS4 and the Bone) and more promising titles on the horizon than either by a long shot. I'm not sure what you are talking about "bad timing" for. If anything, it's currently at an advantage. It's got more than hype and flashy graphics to offer consumers.

Its like the perfect storm.

1. Not the expected 'Next gen' fidelity expected.
2. Also, hard drive choice of 8 and 32 GB (dafuq?) although I do believe its the only console you can put your own hard drive up to 2 TB in (correct me if I'm wrong.)
3. Nintendo Network is missing basic features and functions (party chat, on screen pop up of 'so n so is online', and messaging and accessing friends and invites are half assed unless the dev has made an ingame substitute.)
4. Alot of launch titles were good very good really, but games most have played (like Mass Effect 3 and Arkham City), on pre existing consoles, (Ass Creed 3 and BO2) , or just weren't OMFGBBQ system seller like Mario 64 or Wii Fit (Nintendo Land, NSMBU). Personally, I have all those on Wii-U because I never got around to playing them and figured it would be a good time. However, I most certainly in the minority.
5. Third party support quickly dried up post launch (like that January it was gone FFS) and has been pretty barren thus far.
6. The name, just go with Super Wii and be done with it.
7. Gamepad. Now I really like the gamepad its very comfy and works well and I like the continuation of having speakers on the controller.. However, the battery is ass, the rumble pack is shit and the touch screen isn't multi touch...and the buttons are all digital, so its a neat concept that was half assed. I like the use of it, but there has been anything (besides ZombieU) that shows how the gamepad can be used in an amazing unique way. I love off screen, and having the map, and inventory, and what have you down there. But there is nothing amazing.
8. Also most of the major releases didn't start until august.

On the games front it finally is starting to shape up and have a respectable library even though the third parties are about to abandon ship. 2014 is looking good for exclusives. We can hope they do some more system updates to add missing online features. I have enjoyed my Wii-U, but the fact everything is so half-assed is really disappointing.

Nope, it's actually perfect timing. Nintendo console cycles are usually 5 years. In fact releasing in 2012 is too late (6 years).

1). The problem is the console is an anorexic (no proper HDD), gimmicky pile of underpowered shit.

2). That and the company's obnoxious archaic backwards thinking, bullish against 3rd party developer philosophy.

It was DOA before it ever launched.