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Wii U News
by Published on April 23rd, 2012 21:36- Categories:
- Wii U News
How the Wii U can thrive in a tough market
Nintendo is unveiling its next console, the Wii U, in early June for shipment this holiday season. The launch of a new console, every 5 years or so, is a crucial moment for any console manufacturer. The stakes are much higher than normal for Nintendo's Wii U launch, since Nintendo is projecting its first annual loss in 30 years, estimating a net loss of ¥45 billion (about $552 million, or £343 million, or €420 million) after previously projecting a ¥20 billion profit. The Wii, after a very successful run, has seen steep sales declines in the USA, from 7 million units sold in 2010 down to 4.5 million sold in 2011; Nintendo is now estimating only 10 million units sold for the FY 2012 worldwide.
Third-party developers have slowed development of new Wii titles to a trickle, and Wii software sales have plunged. "Everybody needs to realize that the Wii software segment is trending down 50 percent year over year, and has been for the last 12 months. That is a massive decline," said Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz. This all occurs at a time when overall sales in the console industry have slowed, and many analysts attribute this to the impact of mobile, social, and downloadable games. Analysts have begun to wonder if the console industry can ever get back to the size it reached in 2008, with sales dropping every year since then.
"As of March 2012, Nintendo had over $10 billion (£6.2 billion, or €7.6 billion) in cash in the bank"
The Wii U has already come under fire, even before solid information has been released. The graphics and processing capability is rumored to be about the level of the Xbox 360 and the PS3; the retail price may be $300 or more in the USA; many wonder if the tablet controller will actually add to gameplay or just become a focal point for arguments over which player gets to use it, since there can be only one. It's a tough market, and there's a skeptical crowd of analysts and consumers who are already hearing rumors of vastly more powerful consoles from Microsoft and Sony that may be released by the end of 2013. Does Nintendo have a chance?
Absolutely. In fact, Nintendo has many advantages in this battle, and if they extend some of the boldness and creativity they show in game design to their marketing and business practices, Nintendo could once again be the leader in the console business. Let's take a look at some of Nintendo's key strengths and how they could leverage them into a profitable leadership position.
Start with a fact that's not mentioned often enough: As of March 2012, Nintendo had over $10 billion (£6.2 billion, or €7.6 billion) in cash in the bank, and another more than half that again in premises, equipment, and investments. That is a huge competitive advantage over Sony, which is looking at a loss of over $6 billion for the year. Microsoft has a huge pile of cash, more than 5 times that of Nintendo, but they have many other places to spend money (such as the mobile phone business, and Windows 8). Nintendo can afford to spend a lot of money in order to grab market share, and can easily outspend Sony (Microsoft might be a different story if they feel sufficiently threatened).
Nintendo's vast resources give it many chances to recover from mistakes, and they've shown how they can recover from severe mistakes with the 3DS. Nintendo made a number of big mistakes with the 3DS launch: They priced the handheld much too high, at $250; they didn't have any top-notch titles or key franchises available at launch; the eShop wasn't working for months; and Nintendo was so confident they didn't bother with much in the way of marketing. Not surprisingly, after a good initial sell-in sales fell off a cliff. Nintendo watched this for a few months, then surprised everyone with a bold $80 price cut. By the holiday season, when several key 3DS titles shipped, the 3DS had recovered and turned into a solid seller (though still not up to their initial projections for the year). Nintendo showed that they can recognize a problem and figure out the correct solution, and return to leadership in the handheld console market.
The Wii U's strategy for success is simple. It's value.
Think abut it. The raw power of a console is not the most important thing; it's price performance and the total value of the package to the user. Nintendo has usually tried to make money from the sales of their consoles from day one, unlike the vast amounts of money that Sony and Microsoft lost with each sale of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 when they launched (said to be $300 per unit or more). The rumors point to a hardware cost for Nintendo of $180, and suggest that Nintendo may need to price the Wii U at $300 or more in the USA in order to make a profit. What if Nintendo were to price the Wii U at $249, or even $199? This would instantly change the battle for console leadership. Microsoft and Sony would have a huge problem trying to meet that sort of price even with their current consoles; for their next-gen consoles, forget it.
How could Nintendo afford to lose $50 or $100 ...by Published on April 17th, 2012 12:13- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo confirmed yesterday that it'll be showing off a new Mario game forWii U at E3, but those hoping for a 3D successor to the Galaxy series look set to be disappointed - unless the platform holder's keeping something big secret for now.
We were hoping for Mario Universe or something along those lines, but Nintendo has said the Wii U Mario scheduled to be shown at June's event will be based on the tech demo from E3 2011.The "prototype" at last year's show featured four player gameplay set on 2D side-scrolling levels. Users could control Mushroom Kingdom characters or play with their Mii alongside Mario and the gang. You could also take the action away from the TV and play the game on the Wii U controller.
A Nintendo spokesperson told Kotaku. "A new Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii U system will be shown at this year's E3 Expo. This is based on the Mario experience that was demonstrated at last year's E3 Expo."
A new Pikmin game for Wii U is also set to be demoed at E3.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...011-tech-demo/ ...by Published on April 16th, 2012 21:31- Categories:
- Wii U News
It would appear that none other than Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that a brand new Super Mario game will be announced for Wii U at E3.
The confirmation comes from an interview with Spanish language website El Mundo, as deciphered from Google’s translation (and a translation from forum Neogaf).
Could this be the Super Mario 4 rumoured in last week’s domain filing?
Elsewhere into the interview Miyamoto gives some insight into Nintendo’s current directions.
He says that “traditional games” are now very well catered for by emerging markets such as iOS, so Nintendo is instead focusing its efforts on trying to create new types of gaming experiences.
He is also training up a new generation of devs who will be capable of taking over from Miyamoto when he retires.
As for Miyamoto himself, his time is currently being occupied by work on Pikmin 3 and Luigi’s Mansion 2. He also confessed to wanting to revisit the Wii Music franchise, admitting that he was “sad” about sales of the first game.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/miyam...o-wii-u/094492 ...by Published on April 16th, 2012 21:17
Games icon not yet ready to resign, but is passing responsibility to younger colleagues
Shigeru Miyamoto is helping foster a new generation of games developers within Nintendo as age begins to catch up on the talismanic games designer.
Months after Nintendo tried to calm investors from anxieties over Miyamoto’s retirement, the games designer has again been questioned on his long-term position.
"We all get older. I'm already about to turn 60,” he told Spanish national paper El Mundo.
“In recent years I've been telling people within Nintendo [that] I'll have to retire at some point. We must be prepared. That's why I given more responsibility to younger colleagues.”
But Miyamoto reiterated that he is not yet ready to quit, and that previous claims suggesting otherwise were the result of a “misunderstanding”.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...-my-retirement
...by Published on April 12th, 2012 23:05- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo's next Mario project could be another marquee Mario title
Nintendo has registered the domain 'supermario4.com', possibly outing the platform holder's next Mario title. The domain is owned by Nintendo of America and currently redirects to Nintendo's official website.
In an investor meeting in January, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company was working on a 2D Mario game for 3DS, with a planned release date by the end of the this fiscal year. It's currently unknown if this registration and that title are related, or for wishful thinkers if it's a Mario launch title for Wii U later this year.
We'll probably find out more at this year's E3.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...mario-4-domain
...by Published on April 12th, 2012 22:42- Categories:
- Wii U News
Shigeru Miyamoto has told us he would like to make a new Legend Of Zelda game "based on, or starting from" SNES classic A Link To The Past.
Last year Nintendo's most respected developer told us that Link's 1991 outing, which he produced, would be his first choice for a 3DS remake. Speaking to us in Paris yesterday, we asked if that was still the case - and while he said it was, it seems he's been thinking about a new game in the same style, rather than a remake.
"I think the answer would be the same if we're talking about just porting," he said, "but I think I'd be even more interested in creating something new maybe based on, or starting from, A Link To The Past. I think it's important to bring some really new software."
Miyamoto, however, is far less hands-on at Nintendo these days. He famously said last year that he was taking a back seat, andmentoring the next generation of Nintendo developers. Were Nintendo to make a spiritual sequel to A Link To The Past, it wouldn't be with him at the helm - and he admits this could mean his vision being compromised.
"To be very honest and open, it really depends on the directors that have time at the moment as well," he said. "Some directors, I can give them the title and I know they will do something great with it.
"Other directors I'm not so 100 per cent confident [in], so they're the ones I'd rather take a more remake approach to the title. It really depends on that as well."
Miyamoto wouldn't be drawn on his favourite among the current crop of Nintendo directors, but he reserved special praise for one in particular: Koichi Kawamoto, who developed the concept demo that birthed the WarioWare series, and more recently created 3DS'sStreetPass Quest. Miyamoto says Kawamoto is "a very strong figure [who] will play a very important role in the future."
In closing, we couldn't resist asking about one Nintendo series that is conspicuous by its absence from the company's release schedules. It is so frequently criticised for leaning on its established franchises, and the 3DS has played host to 3D remakes of classic Nintendo games. Where, then, is F-Zero?
"I think at the time it was a really big surprise, a new thing, a product that made sense," he said. "I don't see with current hardware how you could create a similar surprise.
"But maybe with future hardware, with Wii U coming up, maybe we could create something that does make sense, either as a smaller game, or a fully fledged title."
http://www.edge-online.com/news/miya...-new-link-past ...by Published on April 12th, 2012 21:23- Categories:
- Wii U News
Company opts for event alternatives post E3
Nintendo has decided against attending Europe’s biggest consumer games event which takes place just months before the Wii U's worldwide launch.
Gamescom, which takes place in Cologne from August 15th to 19th, will showcase games from hundreds of the biggest games companies in the sector.
EA, Ubisoft and Take-Two will be three of an expected 500 exhibitors, but Nintendo has confirmed it will forgo attending.
“Although Gamescom is one of the most important fairs for us, we have decided not to participate this year”, said Nintendo spokesperson Silja Gülicher.
The company told Nintendo-Online.de that it will instead “broaden post-E3 activities to introduce the Wii U, and the latest titles for Nintendo Wii and 3DS, to trade and media partners”.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...-skip-Gamescom
...by Published on April 12th, 2012 01:36- Categories:
- Wii U News
Resident Evil 6 won't be out on Wii U when it hits other HD consoles this year, but producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi didn't shrug it off completely.
"Unfortunately, RE6 will not be available at this time on the Wii U," Kobayashi told IGN recently."Right now we're concentrating on the PlayStation 3 version, 360 version and the PC version of the game.," he added, leaving more than a glimmer of hope for a possible future port to the upcoming Nintendo platform.
Capcom today revealed that the Resident Evil 6 Premium Edition will be possibly the most expensive limited edition to date, featuring Leon Kennedy's leather jacket and setting potential buyers back a massive 105,000 yen (£818/$1300).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...for-wii-u-yet/ ...by Published on April 10th, 2012 21:45- Categories:
- Wii U News
Nintendo 'to put a bigger focus' on downloadable content and digital distribution
The manufacturing cost of Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U console is estimated at around $180 per system, according to a report.
Speaking to Forget The Box, sources “closely involved with manufacturing and distributing Nintendo products” also said that the cost of components and materials for the controller is set around $50.
The costs of R&D, shipping, packaging and holding were not included as part of the estimates.
“Cutting production costs to maximise profits is Nintendo’s main concern with the Wii U,” said one of the sources.
“They are cutting costs in the Wii U’s hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition.”
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...timated-at-180
...by Published on April 9th, 2012 20:30- Categories:
- Wii U News
Funcom, the studio behind upcoming MMO Secret World, has suggested that the Wii U system with its unique controller would be perfect for an MMO.
"Wii U could be the first real console on which running an MMORPG without compromise is plausible," Funcom's lead content designer Joel Bylos told Official Nintendo Magazine.
"The controller is perfect for lining up those rows of hotbars that are essential in most MMOs. A customizable touchscreen interface combined with the 3D spatial movement of a console controller could be a winner."
Bylos seemed to just be speculating on the prospect, with no confirmation that the developer/publisher would actually consider putting the hardware to the test in such a manner.
That said, with most attempts at console MMOs falling flat on their faces, the thought is certainly intriguing.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/funco...o-genre/094121 ...- Search DCEmu
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