So after 4 years of dominating, is the Wii "fad" finally over?

In regards to being the mainstream video game juggernaut. This is not a qualitative analysis, whether you like the Wii or Nintendo games, but the future doesn't look too bright. Here's why:

The 3DS: Nintendo is not a big company. They have small, dedicated internal teams. With the 3DS push, could one say that many of the key Nintendo teams--the Zelda Team, after finishing SS and EAD Tokyo, who can be working on anything, with Miyamoto hinting on 3D Mario on the 3DS, could Nintendo's dev teams already moving onto the 3DS.

The Wi___ line: The Wii____ line has been gangbusters for Nintendo. With the exception of WiiMusic, they sold millions worldwide, however, the most recent--Wii Party didn't even chart on NPD. I hear it did respectably in Japan and I'm not aware of Europe's reception. But such a big drop off in a such a tentpole line seems troubling for Nintendo.

Competing mindshare from Move and Kinect: Now that the HD twins have some form of motion control, Sony and MS have essentially created a diversion for prospective, new customers. Would a gaming layperson, who has no idea about NPD, gaming sites, etc, easily be swayed away from a potential Wii purchase for a 360 with Kinect or a PS3, with additional BR functionality?

Again, this discussion is not about whether you like the Wii or not, but to see if this is a trend and what does this means for the industry.

Furthermore, even if sales drop to hell. Nintendo's strategy was brilliant. They became relevant again, avoiding obscuring that could've have easily happened after the Gamecube. They've shown everyone that a new market exist and can be catered to with great results and they've positioned themselves nicely for the next generation.

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

Chutebox

What new martekt was started? casual gaming has been around for a long time.. its what made the ps1/ps2 so popular.

Its still selling well even if its not as well as before and the lead that it has over the other two consoles it can afford a slowdown in sales. The Wii has already won this generation in terms of sales. The next generation of video game consoles is expected to begin sometime within the next 2-3 years, the 360 and the PS3 have no chance of catching up or passing the Wii in terms of sales with 2-3 years.

Nintendo is not a big company.

Zune_HD

I don't think the new generation of casual gamer will be swayed easily by the move and kinect. Nintendo is a name that resonates much easier with the casual market since it's been around so much longer. Even my grandparents knew what Nintendo was. (And they all own Wiis now by the way.) But if I mentioned an X-box or a Playstation, they would have no clue what I'm talking about. People generally prefer the familiar, and this effect is even stronger if you can't be bothered to do too much additional research. This is why Nintendo pulled this off so well, and I'm willing to bet that if Sony or Microsoft tried the same tactic at the launch of their consoles they would not have had as much success.

[QUOTE="Zune_HD"]

Nintendo is not a big company.

OniStrat

[QUOTE="Zune_HD"]

Nintendo is not a big company.

OniStrat

(or at least were, Sony may have passed them again thanks to Stringer and slumping Wii sales)

Dominating in wat? sales? HAHAHAHAHAHA! J-WOW

[QUOTE="J-WOW"]Dominating in wat? sales? HAHAHAHAHAHA! tagyhag

[QUOTE="tagyhag"][QUOTE="J-WOW"]Dominating in wat? sales? HAHAHAHAHAHA! J-WOW

Competing mindshare from Move and Kinect: Now that the HD twins have some form of motion control, Sony and MS have essentially created a diversion for prospective, new customers. Would a gaming layperson, who has no idea about NPD, gaming sites, etc, easily be swayed away from a potential Wii purchase for a 360 with Kinect or a PS3, with additional BR functionality?Zune_HD

Nintendo has different teams for different consoles so your needing the wii devs to make 3DS games is wrong. For example when the first Zelda team is done with SS it will most likely start on the next gen console game. When the second zelda team is done with OoT3D they will likely make a new 3DS zelda

I think the Wii's still got some life in it yet.

Anybody know how much Nintendo made in profit this generation. I guessing its somewhere between 5 to 8 billion.

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

Chutebox

I thought Next Gen consoles are more of a "fad". It was like have a HDTV then you need to buy a console. Or if you have a next gen console you need to buy a HDTV.

Never recall the Wii being a fad.

The Wii has a lot of awsome games, 4 years is not a fad.

Well what is said is valid but you could speculate the other way. How many times has Nintendo surprised us this gen? 2009 didn't look good untill NSMBW etc.

If they have found a great way to apply the Vitality Sensor concept then that's their 2011 killer app and lets face it every year can't be 2010 in terms of core software. It's only going to slow down from here, that's a given, we are past the middle point of the lifespan.

Wii still has a lot of in it

Its not going to dominate anymore but its selling fine.

The Wii is a good system, although motion control is largely a gimmick. A regular controller dominates motion control any day.

The Wii is a good system, although motion control is largely a gimmick. A regular controller dominates motion control any day.

MathMattS

Are you the same person who posted this on Neogaf? Or did you just copy it... :/

The Wii is a good system, although motion control is largely a gimmick. A regular controller dominates motion control any day.

MathMattS

Sometimes it seems like some people were expecting dual analog controls to stay in gaming forever.

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

Chutebox

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

Dilrod

So this means the PS2 is a fad.

[QUOTE="Dilrod"][QUOTE="Chutebox"]

A fad doesn't last for 4 years... and it's still selling really well as well as getting incredible software.

LegatoSkyheart

So this means the PS2 is a fad.

4 years of dominating... in a children/parent market that nobody here cares about?

I hope so

The Wii is a good system, although motion control is largely a gimmick. A regular controller dominates motion control any day.

MathMattS

You like math? apply some logic here and realize that this is a sales thread :P

4 years of dominating... in a children/parent market that nobody here cares about?

Mr_BillGates

I hope so

finalstar2007

[QUOTE="finalstar2007"]

I hope so

tagyhag

[QUOTE="tagyhag"][QUOTE="finalstar2007"]

I hope so

ironman388

If you want to understand what's happening in the industry, read up about Nintendo's blue ocean strategy, and that article by that maelstrom fellow.

well if its over it was good times... lolz were had by many...

the 60's fad was over... the 70's had multiple fads.. thats life.

[QUOTE="tagyhag"][QUOTE="finalstar2007"]

I hope so

ironman388

The Wii is really in no danger of totally collapsing anytime soon. Honestly, all Nintendo needs to do is lower the price and release a key game like New Super Mario Brothers Wii 2 and you will see sales rise again. I would assume there are a good amount of people who want to play the exclusives that the Wii offers, but are unwilling to jump in due to its current price.

Move and Kinect arrived too late to reverse the Wii's lead for this this generation. Even if they are successful, Nintendo simply needs to drop the price, time a major release to coincide with the drop, and essentially undercut both the Kincect and Move before they get any real chance to get a foothold in the market. The one advantage the Wii holds over both the PS3 and the 360 is the fact that the Wiimote is the default controller of the system. Even if you consider the bundles that incluse the Move with the PS3 and Kinect with the 360, they would have a difficult time selling if the Wii drops to the $99 dollar price range

I know people love to write Nintendo off at the first chance they get, but Nintendo has plenty of options left to ensure the Wii keeps selling.

[QUOTE="ironman388"]

[QUOTE="tagyhag"] That's kind of weird. :P I hope you're not a fan of Monopolies. Imagine having to pay over $1000 for your PS3? :lol:tagyhag

Seeming that he questioned if you knew what a monoply is or not meaning your post didn't match his meaning of monoply, then he obviously think Monoploy is only a board game ;)