With the reveal of the PS4 and it's specs, is the WiiU in trouble?

[ClockworkUniverse]

To me, the whole console war thing is kind of stupid. I mean, whether a system succeeds or not matters, but the obsession with who comes in first is pretty silly. I don't see either the Wii U or the PS4 as being particularly likely to fail outright (no comment on the next Microsoft offering until it's announced), so as far as I'm concerned, everyone can just buy the stuff they want and stop worrying about it.

 

[Epona]

To me, the whole console war thing is kind of stupid. I mean, whether a system succeeds or not matters, but the obsession with who comes in first is pretty silly. I don't see either the Wii U or the PS4 as being particularly likely to fail outright (no comment on the next Microsoft offering until it's announced), so as far as I'm concerned, everyone can just buy the stuff they want and stop worrying about it.

Ok, so why post in this thread?

 

[ClockworkUniverse]

To me, the whole console war thing is kind of stupid. I mean, whether a system succeeds or not matters, but the obsession with who comes in first is pretty silly. I don't see either the Wii U or the PS4 as being particularly likely to fail outright (no comment on the next Microsoft offering until it's announced), so as far as I'm concerned, everyone can just buy the stuff they want and stop worrying about it.

Ok, so why post in this thread?

Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that as with most forums, people were allowed to express their opinions about the topic being discussed. Guess not. My mistake.

 

[BrotherRool]

Should we at least wait until the moment we see the consoles from the other candidates before we say one of them is doomed?

It looks bad for Nintendo considering the specs. It looked bad for the Wii considering the specs. It looked bad for the PS3 considering its slow launch and certain developers not liking it. It looked bad for the 3DS for a while.

The WiiU might be in trouble and this might be the nail in the coffin for Nintendo. It might not be. We base this entirely on the PS4 specs, so it might be too soon.

It would be an interesting move if the 720 had crud specs, but I can't see them doing it.

I don't see how this is even remotely relevant to what I said, but thanks for your input anyway.

Because I thought we were all assuming that a 720 is going to be roughly a PS4, I can't see anything happening when the 720 is announced that will make the conversation now irrelevant

 

[Yopaz]

Should we at least wait until the moment we see the consoles from the other candidates before we say one of them is doomed?

It looks bad for Nintendo considering the specs. It looked bad for the Wii considering the specs. It looked bad for the PS3 considering its slow launch and certain developers not liking it. It looked bad for the 3DS for a while.

The WiiU might be in trouble and this might be the nail in the coffin for Nintendo. It might not be. We base this entirely on the PS4 specs, so it might be too soon.

It would be an interesting move if the 720 had crud specs, but I can't see them doing it.

I don't see how this is even remotely relevant to what I said, but thanks for your input anyway.

Because I thought we were all assuming that a 720 is going to be roughly a PS4, I can't see anything happening when the 720 is announced that will make the conversation now irrelevant

I didn't mention the next Xbox so that's one reason this isn't relevant to my post.
I did not consider specs of any of the next generation consoles when I said we would have to see the consoles first. Right now we haven't technically seen the PS4. We have some specs, but we have yet to see how it will actually turn out.

I'm saying that it's too early to say how the next generation is going to turn out, yes, I include the PS4 since we haven't seen what it's capable of yet. I don't know how you got into the mindset that I was talking about the next Xbox. This post is the first time I mention it. I have yet to see any kind of remote relevance here. Now enjoy your weekend, though with your psychic powers you probably wont be surprised by anything that's going to happen.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Regarding power:
As Jeffers pointed out, the difference between the WiiU and PS4 is nowhere close to the difference in power between the Wii and the PS3/360. The WiiU might be the weakest system this gen, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a repeat of gen 7. It'd be like saying the 360 was doomed the instant PC games started getting vastly more powerful. They did, and yet Witcher 2 and Battlefield 3 found their way onto the 360.

There isn't an SD-HD level difference in power between the two machines this time around, and there likely won't be.

Regarding price and sales:
The WiiU is having slow sales because it is the most expensive machine on the market right now and there aren't that many games for it. Both of those problems are going to be solved by the time the PS4 rolls around. Even under the very unlikely assumption that the PS4 will be less expensive than the WiiU, I will bet money the WiiU will drop in price around the holidays, if not to increase sales, than to make it stand out against the competition. And it'll have several big-name games under its belt, some of which might be bundled with the system.

Everyone seems to think the PS4 is going to fly off shelves, and they'll stupidly be crying out "SONY IS DOOMED" once they don't. Yes, compared to the Wii, the WiiU had a weak launch, but the Wii was a one-in-a-million gamble that payed off.

anyway, in order:
1: No.
2: Yes, but more to hamper the PS4 launch than out of desperation.
3: Hard to say. Probably not. But they have a shot. I'll say that this gen is going to be a lot closer than gen 7.

 

[Something Amyss]

Unless Sony reveals that Mario and Zelda are coming to the PS4, I think they're safe.

 

[Epona]

To me, the whole console war thing is kind of stupid. I mean, whether a system succeeds or not matters, but the obsession with who comes in first is pretty silly. I don't see either the Wii U or the PS4 as being particularly likely to fail outright (no comment on the next Microsoft offering until it's announced), so as far as I'm concerned, everyone can just buy the stuff they want and stop worrying about it.

Ok, so why post in this thread?

Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that as with most forums, people were allowed to express their opinions about the topic being discussed. Guess not. My mistake.

You're right, I apologize.

 

[BrotherRool]

I didn't mention the next Xbox so that's one reason this isn't relevant to my post.
I did not consider specs of any of the next generation consoles when I said we would have to see the consoles first. Right now we haven't technically seen the PS4. We have some specs, but we have yet to see how it will actually turn out.

I'm saying that it's too early to say how the next generation is going to turn out, yes, I include the PS4 since we haven't seen what it's capable of yet. I don't know how you got into the mindset that I was talking about the next Xbox. This post is the first time I mention it. I have yet to see any kind of remote relevance here. Now enjoy your weekend, though with your psychic powers you probably wont be surprised by anything that's going to happen.

Okay I put my hands to my head and I'm detecting some hostility, I'll drop the conversation and enjoy my weekend =D

 

[Epona]

Regarding power:
As Jeffers pointed out, the difference between the WiiU and PS4 is nowhere close to the difference in power between the Wii and the PS3/360. The WiiU might be the weakest system this gen, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a repeat of gen 7. It'd be like saying the 360 was doomed the instant PC games started getting vastly more powerful. They did, and yet Witcher 2 and Battlefield 3 found their way onto the 360.

There isn't an SD-HD level difference in power between the two machines this time around, and there likely won't be.

Regarding price and sales:
The WiiU is having slow sales because it is the most expensive machine on the market right now and there aren't that many games for it. Both of those problems are going to be solved by the time the PS4 roles around. Even under the very unlikely assumption that the PS4 will be less expensive than the WiiU, I will bet money the WiiU will drop in price around the holidays, if not to increase sales, than to make it stand out against the competition. And it'll have several big-name games under its belt, some of which might be bundled with the system.

Everyone seems to think the PS4 is going to fly off shelves, and they'll stupidly be crying out "SONY IS DOOMED" once they don't. Yes, compared to the Wii, the WiiU had a weak launch, but the Wii was a one-in-a-million gamble that payed off.

anyway, in order:
1: No.
2: Yes, but more to hamper the PS4 launch than out of desperation.
3: Hard to say. Probably not. But they have a shot. I'll say that this gen is going to be a lot closer than gen 7.

Who has said the PS4 will be flying off shelves?

 

[Epona]

Unless Sony reveals that Mario and Zelda are coming to the PS4, I think they're safe.

That's what happened with the PS2 and the Gamecube. Nintendo was just about to sell a million consoles a day when Sony released Super Mario Sunshine, The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and so on for the PS2. Same thing happened with the PS1, how the hell did Sony manage to release Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time on the PS1? Well, that's what killed the N64 and the Gamecube.

[/sarcasm]

Those games I listed are some of the best games available for those generations and they were on Nintendo consoles and they were legendary Nintendo first party titles but they didn't sell a shitload of consoles. Why are people so sure they will sell the WiiU?

 

[Mr. Omega]

Unless Sony reveals that Mario and Zelda are coming to the PS4, I think they're safe.

That's what happened with the PS2 and the Gamecube. Nintendo was just about to sell a million consoles a day when Sony released Super Mario Sunshine, The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and so on for the PS2. Same thing happened with the PS1, how the hell did Sony manage to release Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time on the PS1? Well, that's what killed the N64 and the Gamecube.

[/sarcasm]

Those games I listed are some of the best games available for those generations and they were on Nintendo consoles and they were legendary Nintendo first party titles but they didn't sell a shitload of consoles. Why are people so sure they will sell the WiiU?

It's not that they'll win Nintendo this generation. It's that they'll ensure that Nintendo will sell enough consoles to survive this generation.

 

[Epona]

Unless Sony reveals that Mario and Zelda are coming to the PS4, I think they're safe.

That's what happened with the PS2 and the Gamecube. Nintendo was just about to sell a million consoles a day when Sony released Super Mario Sunshine, The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and so on for the PS2. Same thing happened with the PS1, how the hell did Sony manage to release Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time on the PS1? Well, that's what killed the N64 and the Gamecube.

[/sarcasm]

Those games I listed are some of the best games available for those generations and they were on Nintendo consoles and they were legendary Nintendo first party titles but they didn't sell a shitload of consoles. Why are people so sure they will sell the WiiU?

It's not that they'll win Nintendo this generation. It's that they'll ensure that Nintendo will sell enough consoles to survive this generation.

No one has said otherwise. No one has suggested that Nintendo would go bankrupt.

 

[MetalDooley]

I guess after the Wii people expect more from Nintendo than they expected for Sony's overpriced PS3 at launch or Microsoft's Red Ring machine. I know I do.

And that's part of the problem.The Wii was an anomaly.In 25+ years of gaming I've never seen demand like that for a games console.Not even Nintendo expected it to be as popular as it was which was why there were shortages as they couldn't produce them fast enough.Following that was always going to be a ridiculously tough task for any console

Also Nintendo massively increased production for the Wii U so there wouldn't be a repeat of the shortages.This is why even though it sold only slightly less than the Wii in the run up to Xmas it appears a lot worse as there is plenty of available stock on shelves

So, in 6 weeks they sold 3 Million. That's about 2 Million in one month. Even with your highest number for January (100,000), that's pretty low. So how did they go from 2 Million sales in December to 100,000 on January? Is such a large dropoff normal in January?

As someone who worked retail for years I can tell you that a substantial dropoff in sales is perfectly common in January.That's why so many stores have massive sales and special offers that month,to entice people to keep spending.People will rarely spend hundreds of dollars/euros/pounds on expensive electronic equipment that month unless it's heavily discounted which was unlikely so soon after launch.It also can't be overlooked that the console launched while we're still suffering through the worst recession in decades.People are less likely to fork out so much money for luxury items after Xmas in these uncertain financial times

As I said earlier I don't think Wii U will be as successful as it's predecessor.I just find it slightly ridiculous that people are calling a 2 1/2 month old console with 3 million+ sales under it's belt a failure especially when you compare it to previous console launches

 

[Epona]

I guess after the Wii people expect more from Nintendo than they expected for Sony's overpriced PS3 at launch or Microsoft's Red Ring machine. I know I do.

And that's part of the problem.The Wii was an anomaly.In 25+ years of gaming I've never seen demand like that for a games console.Not even Nintendo expected it to be as popular as it was which was why there were shortages as they couldn't produce them fast enough.Following that was always going to be a ridiculously tough task for any console

Also Nintendo massively increased production for the Wii U so there wouldn't be a repeat of the shortages.This is why even though it sold only slightly less than the Wii in the run up to Xmas it appears a lot worse as there is plenty of available stock on shelves

So, in 6 weeks they sold 3 Million. That's about 2 Million in one month. Even with your highest number for January (100,000), that's pretty low. So how did they go from 2 Million sales in December to 100,000 on January? Is such a large dropoff normal in January?

As someone who worked retail for years I can tell you that a substantial dropoff in sales is perfectly common in January.That's why so many stores have massive sales and special offers that month,to entice people to keep spending.People will rarely spend hundreds of dollars/euros/pounds on expensive electronic equipment that month unless it's heavily discounted which was unlikely so soon after launch.It also can't be overlooked that the console launched while we're still suffering through the worst recession in decades.People are less likely to fork out so much money for luxury items after Xmas in these uncertain financial times

As I said earlier I don't think Wii U will be as successful as it's predecessor.I just find it slightly ridiculous that people are calling a 2 1/2 month old console with 3 million+ sales under it's belt a failure especially when you compare it to previous console launches

Who is calling the WiiU a failure? Going from 2,000,000 to 100,000 is normal for January?

 

[MetalDooley]

Who is calling the WiiU a failure?

Not you specifically but a lot of people are both on this site and elsewhere

Going from 2,000,000 to 100,000 is normal for January?

Again substantial drops in sales in January are common especially for expensive electronic equipment.Hell one of the stores I used to work for would lay off around two thirds of their staff every January because sales dropped so low.All I'm saying is don't take the sales figures for the month directly after Xmas as proof that Wii U is doomed which unfortunatley is what a lot of people seem to be doing

 

[Something Amyss]

[/sarcasm]

And if your comparison had anything to do with a solid analogue between the two systems, that sarcasm tag might have been a delightful and clever piece of formatting.

It's a shame that the bare analogue laid out does nothing to actually draw such a legit comparison.

 

[Something Amyss]

No one has said otherwise. No one has suggested that Nintendo would go bankrupt.

Oh, so your sarcastic response was merely tangential...I guess.

 

[Epona]

[/sarcasm]

And if your comparison had anything to do with a solid analogue between the two systems, that sarcasm tag might have been a delightful and clever piece of formatting.

It's a shame that the bare analogue laid out does nothing to actually draw such a legit comparison.

You missed the comparison?

Let me try again, just for you. Mario and Zelda didn't sell a shitload of consoles where the N64 and Gamecube were concerned and having Mario and Zelda on the WiiU isn't guarunteed to sell a shitload of consoles either.