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Nintendo Wii Games

Dearth of New Nintendo Games Could Indicate Wii 2 118

A speculative piece at Kotaku looks at the release cycle of Nintendo games over the past 10 years, pointing out a current lull that's quite similar to the one near the launch of the Gamecube. They suggest this could be because first-party developers are busily working on games for the Wii 2. Quoting: "The spring of 2002 was the longest Nintendo game drought on record, and has a number of characteristics in common with the season we're entering now. Nintendo has launched a major piece of technology (the 3DS) and is initiating the gradual retirement of a console with a large and reliable installed base. While we entered into this data mining project with the presumption that we could recognize a pattern that presaged a new console release—the Wii 2, obviously—the last time there was a Nintendo game drought this pronounced was after the release of the Gamecube. Still, you can neatly overlay the release history of the Gamecube overtop the current release history of the Wii—they match that closely."
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Dearth of New Nintendo Games Could Indicate Wii 2

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  • by RogueyWon ( 735973 ) * on Thursday April 07, 2011 @03:54AM (#35742286) Journal

    It could indicate the Wii 2 - or it could just indicate that Nintendo has once again managed to run out of first-party games to ship at pretty much the exact moment that the last remaining third party developers lose all interest in their platform. It wouldn't be the first time.

    That said, I think Kotaku probably have this right. The Wii had a very strong few years but is pretty conclusively stalled now - I suspect that despite its early sales lead, it would still end up in third place overall if the cycle were allowed to run for 10 years as some had suggested. MS and Sony have far stronger release lineups for their platforms across pretty much every genre and have hardware that is probably good for a couple more years at least (though I've always been dubious about the 10 year claim). Nintendo will no doubt have a war-chest due to the Wii's early sales, so moving to a new platform which, at the very least, has technical parity with the 360 and PS3 to enable easier cross-platform development would be a smart move. Besides, with the 3DS's long-term success still far from guaranteed, they probably need another basket to keep some of their eggs in.

    The big challenge for them is going to be getting third party developers to actually stick with their platform this time, in a way that they haven't for several console cycles now. This probably means facilitating cross-platform development, backing off with some of the "obnoxious" behaviour that they often seem to deploy with the wider industry and, perhaps most importantly, making a real effort to promote third party games on their system and demonstrating that they can actually sell. I'd also suggest shipping any new console with a "proper" controller as well as a motion-wand - a lot of games have felt really "forced" on the Wii-mote/nunchuck and you can't count on everybody going out and buying the classic controller when it's sold separately.

    • Nintendo will no doubt have a war-chest due to the Wii's early sales, so moving to a new platform which, at the very least, has technical parity with the 360 and PS3 to enable easier cross-platform development would be a smart move.

      I don't think so. The HD craze is bleeding developers dry economically. The industry is sick (in a medical sense) at the moment.

      One example is Bizarre Creations. Remember them? They made Metropolis Street Racer and the Project Gotham Racing games. Well, their last two games tank

      • This explains all the cheap-to-develop Wiiware?
        • They may be cheap to develop, but if it involves using the Nintendo Wii store -- absolutely archaic interface and terribly slow even over a fast connection -- I will pass. I had some credits and tried to locate something worth buying... I didn't have the patience. Sorry.
    • The thing is, Nintendo has made their money. They can go on to the Wii 2. They don't have to have the same console on the market for 10 years to recoup their research and development costs. They could probably release an HD Wii with BluRay, for the same price as the PS3, and price it about the same. Nintendo is very smart in that respect. They know how to make systems that make money. Even the Gamecube, which by market share was a flop, still made them a whole lot of money.
    • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *

      I got a Wii sitting in my closet. I bought it cheap from a friend who had it sitting in *his* closet. It was fun for a while (for both of us), but the novelty wore off and the great games were few and far between. I'd say at least 90% of the games that have come for the Wii out were minigame shovelware titles (and that's being generous). the controller is fun in groups and at parties. But it's underpowered and the games just aren't there.

      • by killmenow ( 184444 ) on Thursday April 07, 2011 @11:01AM (#35745770)
        I'm undoing my mods by posting to this, I know. Sorry. I just can't take it anymore.

        To all of you who saying your Wii is never used anymore: please SEND IT TO ME.

        I pre-registered and had a Wii on day one. This is the only time I've EVER bought a console at launch. We have ~50 games and they get played a LOT (I have 4 kids).

        So much so that the optical drive in our Wii is now dead. I know I can send it in to Nintendo and pay $75 plus s/h for repair. But WTH...it seems there are many people on slashdot with Wiis sitting in closets or in a bag or on a shelf collecting dust, so won't somebody think of the children and send one my way?!
        • The most common problem with the optical drives is that the laser fails. You can replace the laser yourself for about $20. There are many demonstrations on Youtube that describe how to carry out the repair. If you're ok with spending $70 or $80, replacing the entire drive is easier. You use the same video for laser replacement as a guide and omit the steps that involve opening the drive and just swap out the units.

          • It's actually something else. The discs won't spin. I bought a new drive motor for $15 and replaced it. The new motor does the same thing. I will probably buy an entirely new optical drive and replace it myself rather than send it in to Nintendo.

            That is: UNLESS SOME GENEROUS SLASHDOTTER WANTS TO SEND ME THEIRS.

            nudge nudge...say no more...
    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Kagato ( 116051 )

      I suspect that despite its early sales lead, it would still end up in third place overall if the cycle were allowed to run for 10 years as some had suggested.

      That's a tough sell as it stands its:

      Wii 84 Million (2006) Units sold 2010 17 Million
      Xbox360 50 Million (2005) Units Sold 2010 11 Million
      PS3 48 Million (2006) Units Sold 2010 13 Million

      Assuming a 10 year schedule the 360 sales numbers will continue to climb and the Wii numbers will continue to fall, but at some point they'll all flat line around year 9-10 as rumors of new systems come out. Basically they will have to beat Nintendo by at least 8.5M each year for the next 4 years if they have any hope to ov

    • Globally Microsoft is now in third place. http://www.next-gen.biz/news/report-ps3-passes-xbox-360-worldwide [next-gen.biz] Not to mention Kotaku is, in my opinion one of the shittiest game sites around. They'll be relevant once their site has something more than fluff pieces and fanboyish trolls.

      The Wii won't be around long enough to sink as low as Microsoft has. The WIi most certainly will be the first one to step into the next generation. It has the weakest hardware so of course it will run out of steam sooner and it
  • by Sycraft-fu ( 314770 ) on Thursday April 07, 2011 @03:55AM (#35742296)

    Something I've noticed with Wii owners is that the Wii tends to end up like a board game: When it gets bought they play with it for a bit, then set it aside, only to take it out at parties or the like. This isn't universal, of course, but I've observed it in enough cases to believe that it is at least somewhat prevision and it isn't something I see with the other consoles.

    It seems to me that some people get a Wii because they think the motion control looks cool, but quickly find out it is fairly gimmicky and they get tired of it and set it aside.

    I could see that leading to less interest in games for it from developers. Given that a Wii port will require more reworking than the other consoles, due to the lower capabilities and different controls, I could see developers giving it a miss in cases where they don't expect as many sales.

    That isn't to say there are no games sold on the Wii or it will die or anything, just that developers may be bringing less titles to it because perhaps people are purchasing less.

    • by RogueyWon ( 735973 ) * on Thursday April 07, 2011 @04:27AM (#35742432) Journal

      I think this is correct. I also think that there's a big issue here about the audience that Nintendo were chasing - non-gamers. They did so very successfully during the Wii's early years. I have colleagues and relatives who would never have bought a "normal" console who bought a Wii. Back in 2007, this was the cool thing to have on the middle-class dinner party circuit.

      Thing is, however, the novelty does wear off quite fast and the people who bought the Wii when it was cool and fun have moved on to other things - things which don't involve gaming. Gaming wasn't a part of their life before they bought the Wii, then they played with it for a few weeks and now gaming isn't part of their life again. They might get a short spike of renewed interest if there's another cool new accessory like the balance board, but the law of diminishing returns is very much in effect. They're certainly not going out and buying the games, so the system becomes a graveyard for third party developers, even the ones who do have decent products.

      I do wonder whether the 3DS will suffer a similar fate - potentially worse, because I don't think it's had the kind of unprecedented launch hype that the Wii had. It's certainly vulnerable in some respects; the 3d effect will prove to be a gimmick for most people; I can't use it for more than 20 minutes without a splitting headache and pretty much all of the reviews I've read mention that the reviewer turned the 3d off after a day or two. Once you strip the 3d away, you're left with a platform that starts to look a lot like a more expensive and region-locked PSP (complete with loading times, battery life problems and single-analogue-stick control issues).

      • *dons pun-proof hat*

        No one's used my Wii in years! *ducks*

        Seriously though, it's exactly as you said: I enjoyed it for a little while, played Raving Rabbids with the wife for laughs, then started lending it to friends for months at a time, and eventually it came back to me. It has sat in a small carrying bag for the two or three years. The last game I remember playing was Metroid Prime 3. I've always loved Metroid, but the idea of a standard-def shooter really turned me off, especially with Crysis runnin

        • Ironically, despite my earlier post and general Nintendo-sceptic attitude, my Wii does get switched on every day - for Wii Fit.

          It's been partially supplanted by Your Shape on the Kinnect, but it's still a good way of motivating myself to actually exercise daily and has been instrumental in me dropping almost 4 stone and getting back into the "normal" range on the BMI chart.

          But the last time I fired up a game that isn't Wii Fit Plus on the thing? God knows. I gave a rented copy of Epic Mickey a go for about

          • For those with the skills and inclination, I highly recommend installing homebrew on your Wii. Grab a classic controller and some emulators and you're set. :) I've been using my Wii to play through the last 3 decades worth of great games I either missed or wasn't old enough to play when they were new.
        • I'll ignore the pun part.

          The last sentence here is probably the biggest thing for me. I got bored of the party games. They were cute at first, but I wanted a game I could sink my teeth into. Something that took 60+ hours to get through. I beat MP3 in what.. 19 hours? Really? 5 nights of gaming for $60? It felt like a ripoff at that point. I wanted something like FF13, Elder Scrolls, hell... anything would have done. Zelda was cool. I love zelda. It was again...too short and shallow.

          I won't be
          • The last sentence here is probably the biggest thing for me. I got bored of the party games. They were cute at first, but I wanted a game I could sink my teeth into. Something that took 60+ hours to get through. I beat MP3 in what.. 19 hours? Really? 5 nights of gaming for $60? It felt like a ripoff at that point. I wanted something like FF13, Elder Scrolls, hell... anything would have done. Zelda was cool. I love zelda. It was again...too short and shallow.

            It doesn't help that Metroid Prime Trilogy debuted

            • Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3 were all sold separately earlier and had all earned what they were going to earn in their first run. So I see Metroid Prime Trilogy as more like Super Mario All-Stars, like three budget rereleases (what Nintendo calls "Player's Choice"), or like buying three N64 games on Wii Shop.

              But then waiting for a game to hit the bargain bin or a compilation isn't always the best strategy. Not all games' prices go down; some go up. How much does a copy of Earthbound go for again?

              • Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3 were all sold separately earlier and had all earned what they were going to earn in their first run. So I see Metroid Prime Trilogy as more like Super Mario All-Stars, like three budget rereleases (what Nintendo calls "Player's Choice"), or like buying three N64 games on Wii Shop.

                But then waiting for a game to hit the bargain bin or a compilation isn't always the best strategy. Not all games' prices go down; some go up. How much does a copy of Earthbound go for again?

                Metroid Prime

          • Yeah, this is indeed a problem. There are a few "meaty" games on the Wii - but an awful lot of them are actually PS2 ports. I enjoyed Sakura Wars on the Wii - but then realised that there was a PS2 version out there as well which had better controls and the option of the Japanese language voice track. So even when I found a Wii game I could "get my teeth into", I still ended up regretting the purchase.

            Zelda is firmly "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" now and if I am not prepared to shell out cash

      • I agree with you up until the 3DS. If it was just another DS Lite with simply the 3D as the selling point, this might be true, but this is the next generation portable platform for Nintendo titles and everyone else.

    • I played my wii heaps when I got it. Now I barely touch it. The reason for this isn't because of what you said, but because I've already own just about every Mario series game on the wii and I've finished them all. I want Nintendo to release more. There aren't enough Mario related games for the wii and that makes me sad.
    • by Jezza ( 39441 )

      Well, I think there is some truth in the "like a board game" aspect. Probably worth remembering that "Wii" is meant to be a play on "we" and the double "i" is meant to look like two players. So this "get it out when you have guests" is rather suggestive of Nintendo's original intent. With a lot of the Nintendo Wii games it seems pretty clear they were designed with multiple players in mind - not in the way Microsoft designed Xbox (or single players connected over the Internet).

      Of course, there are Nintendo

    • by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Thursday April 07, 2011 @05:06AM (#35742602)

      I tend to think that this is based on the types of games that people are attracted to on the console. I see you observation too, but if you actually go and look through the game library of the owners of abandoned Wiis you'll typically find a lot of gimmicky crap. Ok the tennis game on Wii sport was fun for about 5 minutes, but got very boring very quickly. Yet amongst the abandoned Wiis you'll find pretty much this game, and maybe a few more like Wii Fit, Wii Play, and other similar crap.

      However the game collections of people who actively use the Wii seem to be quite different. Sure everyone has a copy of Super Mario Smash Bros to bring out at parties, but a lot of active Wii users will have things such as Guitar Hero / Band Hero, Pikmin, New Super Mario and the Galaxy games, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. If you know what you're looking for and ultimately have the ability to pick games that you can actually play rather than waving a stick at the console is fun and stays fun.

      People have been saying the Wii is dead for years, yet by Dec2010 Donkey Kong Country Returns sold 4.21million copies worldwide. Clearly there are quite a lot of people who actually are still interested in their console. I think the biggest problem is that everyone tried a Wii, even those people who simply should not be interested in such a console. My grandma has one FFS.

    • Well the Wii was aimed more at the casual gaming audience. And the thing with casual gamers is they'll play a game for a bit, then dump it. And once they've played enough games that are similar to each other, they'll stop playing it altogether.

      You're not gonna get the same kinda crowd as XBox360 gamers who will probably keep gaming daily, pay for DLC, and buy the latest games as they come out.

      I wonder which business model works better?

      • by Anonymous Coward

        I wonder which business model works better?

        The only way to answer that question is to look at the profits each company has made this gen. The Wii has been by far the most profitable console ever. The 360 is making a respectable profit, though is no where near the Wii, and will never catch it. The PS3 is so far in the red for this gen that they will never show a net profit for the gen as a whole.

        Probably not the answer you were looking for though.

    • It's ironic, really:

      Nintendo has a platform that would, arguably, be the most amenable to the efforts of indie and small-time dev outfits: Cheap hardware, fairly wide install base(including unconventional customers), an imperfect; but highly interesting, control model, and spec limitations that keep competition from the zOMG 1080P!!! AAA Shooter 2011 100million+ blockbuster titles to a comparative minimum...

      On the other hand, Nintendo are control freaks, with among the strongest 1st-party skew of any
      • what are some of the more popular games you hear about these days? It's not Modern Warfare, or Call of Duty version whatever. It's Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies, things like that.

        These are the types of games people go crazy over. and like you said, there shouldn't be too much involved porting them to the wii, or offering them as DLC in the Nintendo Store. but can you??? I heard that they're finally planning on doing something like that [pcmag.com] but what took so long? The money makers these days are in the app s

  • by gmhowell ( 26755 )

    Still need to buy Epic Mickey.

    • Don't bother. It's crap. The camera is horrid, the controls are sketchy, the save system is weird and incomplete and there are too many places where you miss a 1-pixle-wide jump or an item and have to go way back. Too bad as the art is wonderful.

      • by gmhowell ( 26755 )

        Considering the people behind the game, these flaws are uncalled for. Still, I may pick up a copy used.

  • by abigsmurf ( 919188 ) on Thursday April 07, 2011 @04:04AM (#35742356)
    The Wii is on a steep downward trend whilst the 360 and PS3 sales are picking up (I'd imagine the Wii's attatch rate is also getting quite low). It's already falling behind the PSP, 3DS and PS3 in Japan, it's not unthinkable it could happen in the west too.

    Developers simply aren't making big budget games for the console. The last major western third party game was what, Epic Mickey? It wasn't a flop (did a million copy) but it was rushed out of the door. Tales of Graces F is coming out for the PS3 in the west but not the Wii version it's a port of, that's a death knell for the console.

    Low budget party games still sell in large numbers on the console but major, meaty games are few and far between.

    As for the Wii 2... E3 is too early, they need to promote the 3DS. TGS is possibly too early as well (and I'm fully expect DQX to headline). A late autumn, early winter reveal at a dedicated Nintendo event seems likely to me. There also haven't been any rumours what could be featuring in the console either, pretty much every console announcement of the last few years has had lots of leaks hinting about what they'd feature.

    As to what could feature in it... How about gyroscopic feedback? forget rumble, I want to feel the Wiimote kick in my hand, if I'm swinging a heavy sword, I want it to be harder to swing than a light dagger. The tech's been floating around for a while, I'd love to see if in a games controller.
    • I think you are ready for the electric feedback controller. If the opponent hits you you get a electric shock. The tech has been flaoting for a while and i would love to kick your but. And it would add a lot of extra sales for rubber gloves add on. ;) ;)

      The roumers for wii2 are floating around now already. HD (finally..) , some kind of camera feedback, better graphics.

    • by gl4ss ( 559668 )

      nintendo failing to bring in profit for a while tells all about the need to upgrade wii.

      and everybodys got hd sets now, they cost less than a wii.

      I don't think they will morph like sega though.

      • Maybe, but hard to say. Nintendo doesn't have nearly the global presence that Sony and Microsoft have and are much more vulnerable to a strong yen(the yen is insanely strong right now, even before the quake it was nearing an all time high vs. the dollar and euro). The last time Nintendo lost money the yen was also strong(though not as strong as it is now). Nintendo is very vulnerable to moves in foreign exchange rates since most of their costs are still in yen but the bulk of their sales come from the US
      • and everybodys got hd sets now, they cost less than a wii.

        Where are you finding HD sets for under $200?

  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 07, 2011 @04:51AM (#35742522)

    From anti-Nintendo fanboys, probably. When asked, Nintendo always say they don't have any plan to end the Wii's life, and they shouldn't. That thing is still printing money, still has the most market penetration, and the platform is well known by developers for a long time. Why should they kill it? MS and Sony sure would very much enjoy a fresh start on the race, but Nintendo?

    And no, you can't overlay the Wii's history with the GC's. Nintendo pre-Wii was very different from Nintendo post-Wii. It is just ridiculous to compare both. In fact, it is ridiculous to insinuate that Nintendo needs to change the tide at all. Sure they are working on the successor of the Wii, they admitted it many times; as soon as they release a gaming machine they start working on the next one. But they don't have any reason to wrap up the ongoing project and release a new product, not when they are clearly in good position.

    And the slow rhythm can be explained by many factors; they have a ton of software to make for the 3DS. Miyamoto is taking his sweet time with Zelda. And they don't really hire that many people, they know that in exchange for a limited growth they can keep top quality staff. Too bad for us that want to play more and more Nintendo games; but that is what makes them Nintendo games after all. Seriously, very few other companies have a reputation of being able to create good games on just about any genre.

    • Right. "Ridiculous" - you keep using that word a lot, like you think it strengthens your argument. All that matters are sales. Let's see timely data on Wii console sales, and let's see current revenue from Wii content compared to Microsoft or Sony. It's 3/4 of the way to shit, and fast moving beyond to complete shit. And no fanboy here, I have a Wii. Like most people, though, I'm just not interested in playing it anymore.

      The Wii got in at the _very_ end of the time when people would accept a console t

    • by brkello ( 642429 )

      They should get a Wii 2 out because the machine is severely underpowered when compared to its competitors. A Wii 2 can take advantage of technological progress and sell a much better system for a cheap price. The Wii has pretty much hit market saturation. Everyone who wants one has one. Those that don't can easily pick one up on the used market. You can milk an almost dead cow for its last bit of sour milk, or you can get an awesome new cow and start milking the sweet profits off of it.

      What is

  • by enderwig ( 261458 ) on Thursday April 07, 2011 @05:07AM (#35742614)

    A single game drought in early 2002 is somehow strong enough evidence for the author to verify his hypothesis. There is no pattern since the data analysis only began using information from 2001, and there is only a single gap. Not only that, the Wii was released a full 4 years later. If you believe his guess, then Nintendo started making Wii exclusive games approximately 3 months after releasing the Gamecube.

    Due to the known lack of software support for the Gamecube, a more likely scenario is that lack of interest in the Gamecube prior to its release is a main component of the game release gap.

    • Pretty much agree. GameCube was released in late 2001 and they're complaining about a drought half a year after that? If anything, that simply indicates the gap between launch titles and the next wave of games. Within 12 months of this "drought" we saw Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, Zelda: Wind Waker, Animal Crossing, Mario Party 4. And those are just first party titles off the top of my head.

  • I for one would love to see a Wii with 1080p output and a better web browser. Although really even upconverting to 720p would be a substantial improvement; right now you have to buy an additional cable just to get it all the way up to 480p.

    With reasonable expectations an upgraded Wii should be possible that could potentially squash interest in the Kinect and PS3 move. Nintendo actually has quite a bit to work with, they just need to decide how to use it.
    • I don't buy a game for the graphics. I buy it because it is fun to play. I will play a fun game with ok graphics a lot more often than a bad game with awesome graphics. And most games lately are just copies of older games with improved graphics. I am a casual gamer. I have a Wii and a 360 - the Wii gets a lot more play time. I bought the wii on the day it was released and my daughter and I still play Mario Kart two or three times a week for an hour or so. Come to think of it, I am not even sure the
      • True on the graphics but.....Nintendo is losing ground to the PS3 because of the blu-ray player, and the fact that a PS3, or a 360, actually have the processing power to stand up to doing some steaming. My wii tends to chortle and gag on standard def Youtube videos that run more than 5 minutes. Nintendo beat everyone to the punch with cool features, but didn't come to the plate with enough horsepower. Also, not supporting 1080p at this point is like a car that runs on leaded gas. When the Wii hit the scene,

        • the processing power to stand up to doing some steaming

          I don't know about your situation, but I've steamed Netflix movies that were over an hour long on my Wii with no trouble.

          My wii tends to chortle and gag on standard def Youtube videos that run more than 5 minutes

          How are you watching youtube videos on the Wii? Are you using playon?

          • by Dwedit ( 232252 )

            Wii has a web browser with Flash 7, it's called the "Internet Channel".

            • Wii has a web browser with Flash 7, it's called the "Internet Channel".

              I use that channel fairly often, but I always figured with that ancient version of flash it would never be able to browse youtube or anything else that needed flash. Considering Flash people trash all over version 9 as ancient, version 7 mush be positively prehistoric - hence I've not bothered to try to use it for anything.

          • by tepples ( 727027 )

            How are you watching youtube videos on the Wii?

            Probably Internet Channel.

        • Really? Bluray? Thta's pushing PS3? I can go to Berkley and Jensen's and buy a Vizio wireless BR player for $110, a third of the price of the PS3. I still look through the PS3 library and right now, the only game in the entire catalog that I can't get on my (imo better) Xbox 360 isn't even out yet, Twisted Metal.

          PS3 is kind of a dud if you ask me and after all of the install other OS BS that's happened in the last year, I'm even more resolved to stay away.

          • I still look through the PS3 library and right now, the only game in the entire catalog that I can't get on my (imo better) Xbox 360 isn't even out yet, Twisted Metal.

            Plus the two Ratchet and Clanks. The only games on the damn system that I'm dying to play. :(

          • Funny, I feel the opposite way: the one and only game on the 360 I can't play on my PS3 but wish I could is the port of Perfect Dark. If I had a 360, though, there'd be several games I like that I wouldn't be able to play (LBP series, Uncharted 2, and MGS4 come to mind immediately).

            Playing BR is a nice bonus. It's also very good at playing video over a network--not sure how the 360 is at that, I got rid of mine before I tried it. I don't play online much so the free online play is much better for me than XB

          • by tepples ( 727027 )

            I still look through the PS3 library and right now, the only game in the entire catalog that I can't get on my (imo better) Xbox 360 isn't even out yet, Twisted Metal.

            What's the Xbox 360 counterpart to LittleBigPlanet?

            • by deek ( 22697 )

              Or the Xbox 360 counterpart to Demon's Souls
              Or the Uncharted series
              Or Heavy Rain
              Or Flower
              Or most of the Pixeljunk games
              Or Valkyria Chronicles

              Just a few quality games off the top of my head.

        • My wii tends to chortle and gag on standard def Youtube videos that run more than 5 minutes.

          Well, duh. Flash still sucks. News at 11.

          Nintendo beat everyone to the punch with cool features, but didn't come to the plate with enough horsepower.

          It has plenty of power for 480p gaming, which is what it does.

          When the Wii hit the scene, 480p was still "HD." Are you referring to the misleading HD/ED labelling?

          What are you smoking? No one has ever considered 480p to be "HD".

      • by Machtyn ( 759119 )
        Well, sure. But the Wii, and other consoles, have turned into a nifty "entertainment" unit with the addition of Netflix. It's a bummer that my Wii won't play the Netflix movies at a higher definition than 480p. I won't be getting an XBox (why pay twice for my internet service) and I won't be getting a Playstation (too expensive, no need for Blu-Ray, it's Sony).
      • The problem with your logic is that you pretend it's either or. I will play a fun game with good graphics more than a fun game with OK graphics, especially on my 65" TV. Also, you're not typical - most people have gotten bored with their Wii.
        • The problem with your logic is that you pretend it's either or. I will play a fun game with good graphics more than a fun game with OK graphics, especially on my 65" TV. Also, you're not typical - most people have gotten bored with their Wii.

          I didn't say that I don't want gameplay AND graphics. But, If I have to make a choice, I choose gameplay. It seems too many games (and the consumers, I guess) choose graphics. But, If most people are bored with their wii, they still sell an awful lot of games. I have not played every game, but I find the wii games much more fun than the 360. But like I said, I am not a hard core gamer.

  • If it's patterns we're looking for, then the real indicator of a new console is when the release of the new Zelda game gets delayed "so we can polish it to perfection."

    Just like they repeatedly "polished" Twilight Princess for the Gamecube, only to use it as a hook for selling the Wii to the "hardcore" crowd.

    • by rjejr ( 921275 )
      I've been saying this since Jan. 1st (on Nintendo Life). Sure, they could release the new Zelda game and sell a million copies. OR they could release an HD Zelda game and sell a million CONSOLES. I honestly don't know how many Wii vs. GC copies TP sold, but I'm sure Nintendo does, and I'm sure they could sell both SD and HD versions of the new Zelda. I think if they are building Zelda without HD for use somewhere down the road (I think God of War sold ok) than they are idiots.
  • Maybe all the devs are working on Skyward Sword. God forbid we get a Wii2/Wii release the way we did for Twilight Princess...
  • While I think you're probably correct about the Wii 2 dev, I should point out that they are releasing Sims Medieval for the Wii right now.

    Basically, indications are that the licensing of the 3D tech for the iPad 3D slowed down dev resources, and they wanted to implement a strong HDTV 1080p 3D console, but didn't want to be too bleeding edge until that firmed up.

    Not sure about exact timing of the release though, since the iPad 3D will be coming out for Thanksgiving 2011 to allow for Xmas 2011 sales buzz and

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  • Kinect on the XBox is the swan song that is driving people away from Wii. Take the fact that you don't have do hold anything in your hand to play the games, and add the fact that Kinect also adds voice activation and video networking, and you've got quite an incentive to switch. Lets not forget that games on the XBox are displayed in HD.

Your own mileage may vary.

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