Nintendo still working on “Revolution”, we think

$name Nintendo still working on Revolution, we think

The Wii was good, but its successor will have to be much better to compete with Sony and Microsoft.

When the Wii dropped in November of 2006, it was clear it wasn’t going to be a power house system full of rich graphics or processing power to compete with the Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360. Instead, Nintendo took an alternate approach to gaming - as it always does. The Big N decided to let Sony and Microsoft duke it out for top spot with the “core” gamers while it snuck in and gathered up everyone else. Call it what you will, but Nintendo’s game plan worked - the PS3 and 360 continue to fight over exclusive content like Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy while Nintendo saturates the market with casual games for a niche previously ignored.

Going by the code name “Revolution”, Nintendo sought to scoop up the casual gamers with a new approach which included more than just staring at a screen and mashing buttons on a conventional joypad. Nintendo’s incorporation of motion controls seemed to take the market by storm - a new novelty and a pretty low price, able to compete with the higher end systems. I mean, who was going to pay over $399.99 on a video game console? The Wii, priced at $279.99, seemed to have found the psychological line between “too expensive” and “maybe for your birthday”.

Now, approaching it’s second birthday, the Wii may finally be slowing down. The system is still impossible to find - just ask how annoyed your local retailers are, but the crop of games seems to be wearing thin. Nintendo’s already released a game for every flagship franchise: Zelda, Mario, Metroid and has produced its annual Kart and Smash titles. So what’s next you ask? There are some new, and even some original, titles on their way - but I don’t think that’s going to do it for the Wii.

Upcoming games like Animal Crossing, The Conduit and MadWorld are just a few new titles gamers will need to get their bibs out for - they all look pretty solid. But when that crop has come and gone, what will churn out next?

To keep with the aggressive pricing strategy, they can’t produce the next power house system; it just wouldn’t work. The route they must take has to be revolutionary, lots of pun intended. The Wii caught the attention of casual gamers. The next Nintendo console has to continue the trend.

Nintendo’s in a bit of a bind it would seem. Sure, the Wii and DS continue to rake in the cash but the novelty is wearing thin. Games like Wii Sports , Wii Play and Wii Fit have all come, entertained and have gone. The line between “solid gameplay” and “gimmick” is dimming; and that’s not a good thing. Sure, we all had a good time trying out Wii Fit, but how much staying power does it, or games that resemble it, have?

It’s tough to tell what exactly NIntendo is going to do in the future. Times Online is speculating that the Wii successor will incorporate brain activity. Far fetched? Maybe, but not out of the question. We are talking about the same company that threw the Virtual Boy, the Super Scope and Mario Paint at us.

My advice for Nintendo - return to the roots. The Wii was fun but it’s time to ditch the dream of targeting the casual gamer market. By ignoring the core gamer audience you take too big of a chance in hoping the casual gamers will continue to invest. The Wii gave you a huge pay off - but do you really think that when those gamers grow up, they’re going to want to hold a remote on top of their head while doing squats? It’s time to quit while you’re ahead; take the money and invest in a powerful console. You’ve got the resources - its time to stop being cheap.

August 11, 2008 · Filed Under General 
Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up
Loading ... Loading ...

Tags: ,


Related Stories

Comments

Leave a Reply