Staring into the crystal ball
During a recent sales meeting, Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, admitted that the Wii was losing momentum. Sales were down, interest was slightly dissolving in favor of higher-definition systems and the holiday season, with only one big release (New Super Mario Bros. Wii), looked grim. But cheer up, Nintendo. Your future isn't nearly as bleak as you may think. Here's what we expect from the world's biggest video game publisher.
Wii HD
There are rumors that the next evolution for Wii will involve some kind of high-definition upgrade. This is necessary for today's gaming scene, considering that Nintendo's biggest competitors, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, offer HDMI support.
Nintendo must focus on this for two reasons. First, it would upgrade older games, like Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports, with options to improve the visuals. Second, new games would look incredible. A new high-definition Zelda would hit the spot.
Movie support
User support for Netflix has grown significantly, both on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. That's why there's no better time for Nintendo to figure out how to apply Netflix to its console, either by direct download or through an SD-card storage program. For that matter, having its next console utilize Blu-ray wouldn't be a bad choice either, though some gamers would settle for DVD.
Less gimmicky motion controls
If you shop at Toys R Us or other stores, you may have noticed the glut of cheap Wii software on shelves and bargain bins. That's because a lot of publishers released horrible products that barely use the motion technology that Nintendo invented, despite the company's Seal of Approval. What the big N needs to do is adapt a better third-party system. This would clear away most of the unsold garbage clogging stores, while also making room for better-quality games that would use motion controls. Granted, it doesn't hurt to have titles that play the old-fashioned way, like WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 and Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. Just as long as we get rid of the crap like Ninjabread Man.
A dedicated online network
Both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network let players track down friends and instantly hop into games without much of a wait. The Wii doesn't have that. You need to enter friend codes. Nintendo needs to sharpen its focus in this area and create a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online hub. Don't just offer downloadable videos of kids excitedly talking about games we'll never touch. Create a community that people actually want. Get exclusives from developers, eliminate Friend Codes and create easy portals to find our friends. Think of how much better Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be without jumping through so many hoops.
Don't forget the older franchises
Obviously, Nintendo knows how to milk a franchise. Mario games have come out left and right, and we've received multiple Metroid and Zelda games as well. There's certainly nothing wrong with that. Familiarity is a good thing for some gamers, as they know what to expect when stepping into a certain universe. Nintendo would be wise to stick with its franchises without going to excess. Don't redesign Mario. Just redesign the world and give him techniques he can adapt to. It already put its best foot forward with Metroid, as Team Ninja's upcoming Other M project looks amazing. Let's see what it can do with Zelda.
Come up with new experiences
There's nothing wrong with trying something new. Granted, it doesn't always work (like Geist), but other times, it works incredibly well (the upcoming Sin and Punishment 2). Going with something fresh is often a good way to establish yourself with a new audience. Look at Wii Sports. It came out of the blue and helped Nintendo sell the console. Stick with creating new properties and don't be afraid to try and revitalize old ones (like the rumored Icarus, a revamping of the old Kid Icarus game).
Expand the Wii Shop Channel
The Wii Shop Channel isn't bad. Every week, there are a number of new games available, both old and new. However, it needs to go the extra mile with better content. For the WiiWare games, build a demo network where you can try a game before you buy it. (We believe Nintendo's already working on this, but stay tuned.) For the video selection, don't just offer trailers and promo videos. Go in-depth with game development, behind-the-scenes stuff and other goodies. Dig deep. As for Virtual Console, it's good, but don't be afraid to chase popular offerings. We'd love to play Rocket Knight Adventures again without needing to pull out the Sega Genesis.
Don't forget mature games
Nintendo succeeds because it knows how to market to family and younger gamers. There's nothing wrong with that, but sales may suffer because it doesn't know exactly how to attract the "hardcore" crowd. There's a simple solution to this, and that's balance the load. Take time to talk about games that would appeal to all ages and titles for the older demographic. We haven't heard a peep about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex since its announcement, and that's not a good thing. More hype towards games like MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkillwould make people realize how serious Nintendo is at attracting the older demographic.
Think it over, Nintendo. The future's what you make it.
Reader Comments (3)
every time i flip threw a Nintendo power magazine i always see low ratings for games like 5s and 6s except for Nintendo brands like Mario Zelda and metroid they need to stop making stupid games like the 75 different carnival type games and get to more serious games like shooters Nintendo needs a Halo and one of my fav things about the xbox 360 is the dash bord and online network they need one of those too maybe they should team up with Microsoft to make a better system cuz the only good games for wii are games like Mario Zelda and Metroid
Nintendo, I hope you are reading this!
Their online needs revamping to actually make it, user friendly, and it starts with getting rid of "friend codes". Creating Nintendo "Coins" or something equivalent to the PS3 and 360 "Trophies" and "Achievements". Nintendo should also release a headset, as Wii Speak isn't exactly great at what it does, and I think they wasted many years delaying releasing a headset, just so they could be "different" with Wii Speak. "We haven't heard a peep about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex since its announcement, and that's not a good thing." Exactly, why can't Nintendo pursue 3rd parties to release more information, not just for themselves, but for the gamers. Nintendo is going into the Christmas holiday with ONE major release, NSMBW, and I don't plan on buying it. It would be nice to see Nintendo trying to promote COD:MWR, like Sony and Microsoft are promoting COD:MW2, but noooo! I'm sure we'll be bombarded with more FASHIONZZZ and Fitzzz promotions from Nintendo. CoffeewithChess on http://gonintendo.com/ http://coffeewithgames.blogspot.com/