Is it too late to save the Wii U?

Well System Warriors will clearly have the correct answers your looking for.

Unless Ninty does a complete 180 in its business model then no

But as it's looking right now, HELL to the YES.

Wii U is stuffed... Nintendo will survive and hopefully pull their finger out of their asses and make something decent

What do you think OP?

mario kart and smash bros... so theres a chance....it wont beat the ps4 though.

playstation brand is what nintendo was in the 80s and 90s.

If Smash Bros. and Mario Kart can't save it, I'm afraid nothing will. Those two have been known system pushers for Nintendo for a while now.

Wii U will end up being ok. It just won't be nearly as big as the Wii. Still have Mario Kart, Smash Bros, a Zelda game, and a few others I'm probably forgetting to help pick up sales.

mario kart and smash bros wont save it in the sense that itll all of a sudden start selling many 100s of thousands a month. They didnt save the gamecube.

it needs a killer app..something to really tempt more people to buy it. it wont come from nintendos usual stable. by the way things are going though it will have to come from nintendo.

if the wiiu does not get that killer app then its going to be in gamecube territory by the end of its life.

if it does then it could turn things around for the console.

Yeah no amount of games will save it now, I have a feeling sales will get even worse this year.

Save it from what?

It's probably going to be this generation's Gamecube in total sales (24 mill), near that I'd assume. Save it from that fate? No, there is now way to stop that, but save it from Nintendo games? It's fine, it is what I knew it would be two years ago.

The killer app for the wii eww is 3rd party support. The vast majority of games on console are 3rd party and the wii pew is missing them. Looking at it the price it 299.99 and has a couple of good games but it's missing 3rd party games.

It doesnt need saving

Nintendo isnt going to drop it anytime soon

You should focus more on Next gen, all PS4 will have for the entire spring is Infamous second son and Xbone Titan Fall, The Wii U will have Tropical Freeze and Mario kart

Yep. Only sheep are going to say otherwise.

Nintendo is too busy trying to come up with the next gimmick rather than focus on what made them who they once were. If I were them, I would run as fast and as far away from the WiiU as I could and get back to the drawing board for a true 1080p HD console and bring it out in Holidays 2016. No tablet controller! No motion gaming! Launch it with a Mario adventure or platformer, a Zelda, a Metroid a FZero and a Smash Bros. Price it to sell at $299 and bask in the glory!

If the assumption is that "saving" means selling turning it into a console that sells 20 million units over the next year; then yes, it is too late. It's impossible to make the WiiU into something as big as the Wii. The WiiU's hardware and interface can't be changed-- it is what it is and it is a dud.

What can be done is they can offer a new $200 sku with a redesigned pro controller (featuring a better analog stick and a touch pad like the Steam controller), and then at least sell 30 million units by the end (instead of scratching their way to 2017 with 14 million WiiUs on the market). Nintendo is in the business of selling games and they require a user base to sell games. The WiiU is hardware that people just don't want.

Nintendo wants another Wii, they want a system that sells 20 million units in the first year, and to do that they have to create a new system that not only features next gen graphics but a revolutionary control experience that people have to touch and try (like the experience of motion controls on Wii).

It's only been a year; the Wii U is still very salvageable. Nintendo just needs to make a lot of changes in how they deal with their fans, their studios, and 3rd parties.

Do I think this will happen? If sales continue like they are, then I think Nintendo will finally get the message and realize it's not THAT hard to please their fans.

So,another PS4\X1?

And what made them who they once were exactly? They've never been about power,they tried to have one decent powerful console(gamecube) and it failed.

It's never too late.

Its too late when SSB, Bayo, and X can't sell the thing.

Waiting for Nintendo titles takes too long, but they slay when they're actaully released.

Stick a fork in it.

I don't think that pillar will hurt nintendo much and it will most likely be cheap for consumers.Nintendo needs something like that QOL pillar to prevent them for struggling when they have to deal with harsh economic conditions like this gen.And I don't think the next zelda game will have a ridiculous budget(like over 50 million).

It is what it is...think about it they are putting Smash Bros on 3DS...what does that tell you? ...heck if the new Zelda U doesn't push visual much eg. Toon Link...that may even come to 3DS. :P

That company is dead. I wish people would stop expecting Nintendo to be.......Nintendo. Since the Wii, and its success, they've morphed into a company that is desperately attempting to achieve that casual success again through whatever means necessary. I think the only reason they are staying in gaming is due to traditionalism, and even then we have this QoL garbage, which, if successful, we'll probably witness Nintendo focus even less on games as time goes on. The old Nintendo of working hard, bringing out fresh, new ideas on a consistent basis, is of old. Now they seem only focused on trying to hit that next big "lightning in a bottle", wherever it may lie, and continue to throw its traditional fan/userbase nostalgia/low budget investment scraps from time to time to try to appease the fans.

From a sales standpoint, it's not going to be a massive hit. For Nintendo fans, it could very well be a dream come true. They're opening the doors to more IP than ever, according to recent reports, and they've stated they intend to lend their first party titles more freely to third parties. I have my ps4 for the few multiplatforms I play -- I think most of them are overrated suckage -- give me a dozen first party Nintendo games a year, and I'm a happy camper.

I have no intentions of buying a Wii U, but Sony turned themselves around last Gen so I don't see why Nintendo couldn't pull something out of their a$$.

There is still time to get some sales for it and get a lot of games out for it

@MirkoS77: nintendo still has the same magic they've always had. If anything its their inability to adapt that's got them in this current position, not some dramatized metamorphosis into some hideous casual hungry beast who's the bane of core gaming

If you don't care about WiiU now you're not going to care about it in the future.

Not sure what you mean by dead but WiiU will probably end up last. Nintendo made some stupid decisions with he hardware and they're paying for it.

Now the only thing they can do is make the system appealing and worth buying to at least reach GC sales. -__- How? With games obviously. 2014 line up is good but full of holes without 3rd party. A price drop would help also. It's too close to the PS4 price.

Also it seems to me that they're focusing on the 3DS a lot more... WiiU is like getting ignored but it's the system that really needs help.

That gamepad is a lot of trouble and it's barely even used by devs, including Nintendo themselves. *sigh*

The truth is they need another console.

Is it too late for the U.S. to not be completely reliant on China?! Do we get bacon from pigs? Does money rule the world? Of course it's too darn late!

Pretty much my thoughts.

It will take a lot. An almost overhaul on their online infrastructure, Mario Kart 8 and SSB4 HAVE to be completely fully featured when it comes to online. Things like simplistic friend inviting system, voice chat, lobbies, all that.

Is any of this likely though? Probably not.

Nintendo have been making crappy decisions since 2011 with their home console brand. Seems like they pretty much have to just ride it out and see if these 2 titles move a TON of systems. Mario Kart 8 and SSB4 ability to move consoles probably determines how much nintendo decides to really support the Wii-U in the future.

3ds had nothing to look forward to this year...thats why nintendo made sure to let people know 3dfs will have games up to spring...

there was no need for wiiu announcements for this direct because all the games have been announced and theres a ton.. X , mario kart, bayonetta 2, sonic boom, hyrul warriors, smash bros.....yoshi yarn and shin magamixfire emblem have been shown....

there was no need for wiiu announcements at this time...3ds games had more doubt.

Maybe. I get the feeling from today's Nintendo like what they are doing and are offering are all by the motions. It really doesn't feel like they're really interested in their industry. I don't feel the passion for their products from them as I once did. It feels all so routine and predictable which I think is the worst critique that can be laid at their feet given their history. Nintendo is losing their magic because their magic was contingent upon their ability to do new things, not just expand upon them. That's very rare to see nowadays.

X is really the systems last hope.

lol.. PS3 sold over twice as much as the Wii U did in it's first year. It wasn't nearly as bad. It also had the benefit of third party support.

Wii U is selling worse than the Game Cube and worse than the Dreamcast

I feel in a way it had always been too late and in general, Nintendo consoles never last long enough anyways, so I see no reason to care; they'll just keep wasting time each year making mistakes until they release their new console and make the same mistakes or learn from some of them; I'll observe them when their new console comes out and make a decision from there, I'll skip the Wii U. Since the day it was decided to create an underpowered console and not looking to compete for their own benefit, they have basically made it too late since almost the beginning; by that I mean, by having an underpowered console and not wanting to compete, they are only hurting themselves and hindering themselves from advancing and this may even hurt them when they make their next console, as it too may be too underpowered due to how they as a company operate.

I have also noticed something, any multi-plats they have gotten or get now, are also being released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so what do you think will happen once the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are no longer relevant? What will probably happen is the Wii U will not be able to have multi-plats that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are getting, thus third party support may be even more of a problem for the Wii U.

They refuse to respond to a proper on-line account system, they refuse to include on-line support as an alternative to local multi-player, they probably do not even know what they are doing wrong, they region locked their console that they claim is due to cultural differences, but the whole reason I would want to import is for that very reason alone; but I am in the minority when it comes to this reason for wanting to import, so I can see my reason meaning nothing; but still, it is an annoyance.

Really? X is a spiritual successor to a game that sold around 1 million on the Wii and from what I saw from the last Nintendo Direct it has nothing close to mass appeal.

Its sad just how badly nintendo farked the wiiu up :( i really wanted to get one but i wont now, because its future doesnt look good.

By save, do you mean reach massive success? We all know that's not happening, not even a chance.

Otherwise, it doesn't really need saving. It's in a really shitty position, but I'm sure it will still squeeze out some Gamecube numbers and be a minor success in a distant 3rd place. No way it will ever be the next Wii (obviously), but it's not about to be the Dreamcast either.

A niche game?

You're implying that this is a reaction to the Wii U selling poorly, but SSB was planned for both systems since it was first announced - the same day the Wii U was announced.

your loss :)

look at ps3 , look at ds 3ds ,

all had slow starts, on the contrast look at 360 which boomed out the gate, then ended up 3rd place,

its never to late ,, the industry can turn on a dime, one minute your on top the next your on the bottom look at sony, look at nintendo quite honestly their the only ones in contention thus far , x one is stalling behind , and doesnt look like the games are coming , titan fall , ya rely on a franchise thats new right , look at zombi u what did that do , , nothing ,

fact is , , , wiiu has titles coming that are widely recognized , xone has mostly multiplats which are on ps4 so if any one wants those they can get those on a ps4 100 dollars cheaper ,

so no its not to late for wiiu xone on the other hand nothings gonna save it

Your thread asking if its too late to save the Wii U is too late. You might as well be asking if its too late to save the Dreamcast as well.

Ok if you say so. Haven't been following the 3DS that much tbh -__-' but hey at least it isn't in trouble.

PS3 sold around 10 million worldwide in the first year. That is twice as many as the Wii U sold. Sony only had trouble with the NA market in the beginning.

Just for reference the Xbox 360 only sold 7.9 million in its first year. The PS3 actually had a better launch worldwide than the 360 did.

@osan0:

The Wii U needs a Halo/Uncharted type game that would get the interest of the more mature gamer. Mario and Zelda won't cut it anymore.