It’s been tough times for Nintendo. Its Wii U console has sold, in a year, 5 million units. Sounds decent enough, until you realize that’s roughly the same number as both the PS4 and the Xbox One — both on sale for mere months. Nintendo kicked off a business strategy briefing today in Tokyo, but it won’t involve playing Nintendo titles elsewhere. The CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn’t pessimistic about the future of the company, reiterating that Nintendo would not be giving up the hardware side of the business. So what’s stopped the Wii U from succeeding so far?
Nintendo’s CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn’t pessimistic about the future of the company, and that they would not be giving up on hardware
The Nintendo boss admits that recognition of exactly what the GamePad does is low, and that many people view it as an accessory for the console — it’s not, by the way. Most interestingly, however, was the mention of an on-demand gaming service across games consoles, with the service based on your Nintendo ID rather than a device you owned. Bigger news still, is that you will see Nintendo DS games appear on the Wii U, via virtual console. Iwata added that the team will seek a partner to increase exposure for games and hardware. It will even, gasp, license character rights to other companies. He added in today’s Q&A session that the company is already sharing its philosophy with another company and “aligning” with them. (Pretty mysterious, huh?)
When it comes to gaming on the Wii U, the CEO said they will focus on games that make the most of the tablet-esque GamePad, especially titles with NFC — expect to see announcements on this at E3 2014. Mario Kart 8 will also launch in May, and will apparently make strong use of the GamePad. At the same time, Nintendo is working on ensuring a faster start time when its used without a TV. We’ve got a video outlining the quick-boot function and even more details after the break.
He said that Nintendo needed to identify new markets and opportunities. According to David Gibson, senior research analyst at Macquarie Securities in Tokyo, Iwata added that it “doesn’t make sense for Nintendo to do business on smartphones.” More nebulously, the company will, however, “actively” use smart devices to connect with customers, making the approach sound more like an app than playable game demo. He added that simple advertising wasn’t enough, and that the company needed any smartphone presence to be fun and engaging.
Finally, the Nintendo CEO said he wanted to find Nintendo’s next “blue ocean”, and thinks that it could be health. He reckons entertainment is tied to quality of life (Vitality Sensor anyone?) — the games maker will continue developing its health and fitness software, but without getting into the current scrum of wearables. Iwata said that he’s never considered quitting, though he has taken a pay cut: “My conviction and passion have not been shaken.”
SOURCE:
NIntendo (Japanese), David Gibson (Twitter), WSJ
Tags:
3ds
ds
financials
hdpostcross
nintendo
virtualconsole
wii
wiiu
Hide Comments
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/3ds/”>
Nintendo
3DS
</a>
Nintendo 3DS
Buy from
$180
Key specs
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/3ds/” title=”Nintendo 3DS reviews” target=”_blank”>
Reviews • 104
</a>
Prices
Discussions
Game format
Downloadable, Cartridge
Screen size
3.53 inches
Online features
Multiplayer, Store, Browser
Direction control
D-pad, Thumb stick (1)
Motion controls
Accelerometer, Camera / optical
Dimensions
0.8 x 5.3 x 2.9 in
Weight
8 oz
Released
2011-03-27
see all specs →
7.6average user rating
Game library
6.4
Graphics
8.2
Battery life
6.1
Portability (size / weight)
8.3
Durability
8
Get better reviews from people who actually have this product!
write a reviewsee all reviews →
$180.00
+ tax & shipping
Buy now
20
This makes perfect sense
14
Capacitive displays on the 3DS
3
(Ninetndo 3DS), So here is an interesting thought.
Talk about the Nintendo 3DS with other people who own it too!
start a discussion
see all discussions →
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/ds/lite/”>
Nintendo
DS Lite
</a>
Nintendo DS Lite
Buy from
$126
Key specs
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/ds/lite/” title=”Nintendo DS Lite reviews” target=”_blank”>
Reviews • 112
</a>
Prices
Discussions
Game format
Cartridge
Screen size
3.12 inches
Online features
Multiplayer, Voice chat, Browser
Direction control
D-pad
Dimensions
2.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 in
Weight
7.69 oz
Released
2006-06-11
see all specs →
8.4average user rating
Game library
8.6
Graphics
6.8
Battery life
8.6
Portability (size / weight)
8.9
Durability
8.3
Get better reviews from people who actually have this product!
write a reviewsee all reviews →
$126.99
+ tax & shipping
Buy now
88
What Condition Is Yours In?
59
Who here has a R4 or M3, to play ROMs/Homebrew?
15
Future Games
Talk about the Nintendo DS Lite with other people who own it too!
start a discussion
see all discussions →
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/wii/console/”>
Nintendo
Wii console
</a>
Nintendo Wii console
late 2006
late 2011
Buy from
$197
Key specs
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/wii/console/” title=”Nintendo Wii console reviews” target=”_blank”>
Reviews • 329
</a>
Prices
Discussions
Game format
Optical disc, Downloadable
Online features
Multiplayer, Voice chat, Store, Browser
Drive capacity
512 MB
Controller type
Wired, Wireless
Motion controls
Accelerometer, Camera / optical
Video outputs
Component, RCA / composite, S-Video
Weight
2.65 lb
Released
2006-11-19
see all specs →
7.1average user rating
Game library
6.8
Graphics
5.6
Controller(s)
7.7
Design and form factor
8.3
Other features (media, online, etc.)
5.7
Noise
8.4
Get better reviews from people who actually have this product!
write a reviewsee all reviews →
Displaying prices for model:
$197.99
+ tax & shipping
Buy now
1
Any use Wii Transfer app for Mac?
3
PlayOn Media server for Wii opinions?
37
Why Netflix will go unused on my Wii….
Talk about the Nintendo Wii console with other people who own it too!
start a discussion
see all discussions →
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/wii/u/”>
Nintendo
Wii U
</a>
Nintendo Wii U
Basic
Premium
Buy from
$299
Key specs
<a href=”http://www.engadget.com/products/nintendo/wii/u/” title=”Nintendo Wii U reviews” target=”_blank”>
Reviews • 54
</a>
Prices
Discussions
Game format
Optical disc, Downloadable
Online features
Multiplayer, Voice chat, Store, Browser
Drive capacity
8 GB
Controller type
Wireless
Motion controls
Accelerometer, Gyroscopic, Camera / optical
Video outputs
Component, HDMI (v1.4), RCA / composite, S-Video
Backward compatible
1 generations
Released
2012-11-18
see all specs →
8.3average user rating
Game library
7.3
Graphics
8.1
Controller(s)
8.5
Design and form factor
8.7
Other features (media, online, etc.)
7.6
Noise
9.2
Get better reviews from people who actually have this product!
write a reviewsee all reviews →
Displaying prices for model:
$299.00
+ tax & shipping
Buy now
3
If Nintendo can make their Online experience better, they could be quite the threat with the Wii U.
2
Assassin’s Creed III (3)
97
How would you change Nintendo’s Wii U?
Talk about the Nintendo Wii U with other people who own it too!
start a discussion
see all discussions →
This article is automatically posted by WP-AutoPost Plugin
Source URL:http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/nintendo-wii-u-ds-on-demand-gaming/