Old Smokey Dog
Gaming news, reviews and Vids
It's no secret that when the Wii U launched last year the sales where not what Nintendo predicted. I beleive that the huge sucess that was the Wii, blinded there vision and made them think that there new console would fly off the shelves regardless. As sales reports confirmed, this was far from the case.
But that was 2013, as 2014 is fast approaching and the gaming industry is at an all time high could this new year bring a sigh of releif for Nintendo and their fans.
Less is more
Firstly lets talk about cost. When the Wii U launched it retailed at £299.99 in the UK, sitting along side the already cheap Wii and the increasingly good value Xbox 360 and PS3, the Wii U looked to be a steep asking price. Nintendo showed some understanding of this and dropped the price by £50 late this year, but it still didn't seem enough.
Now the story seems somewhat different to your average joe christmas shopper. The Wii U now sits alongside the Xbox One and PS4 retailing at £429.99 and £349.99 respectively. Now the £249.99 price tag seems more apealing. Add to this the fact that Ninteno now offer bundes with games included, in fact the mario bundle has 2 games and is still easily found for £249.99. If Nintendo could reach into there pockets once more and drop it to £199, then I think we would see a huge increase in Wii U sales.
Wii U a Year Later...
"Software Drives Hardware"
This is the much heard saying from Reggie, CEO of Nintendo USA. He and the rest of Nintendo truly believe that if they have the right software titles exclusive to their platform, then people will buy the hardware. In fairness this has been the case for the 3DS, which now has a strong line up of first party games, which in turn is selling a ton of handhelds.
2013 was a slow year for Wii U, but now coming up to the new year Wii U does actually have quite a promising and intriguing list of games. Take a look below at some of the titles available, these are also only first party and to someone new to the system thats quite a nice line up for any gamer.
2014 is going to be interesting...
This next year is going to see the gaming industry grow and grow. I genuinly think Nintendo will always have a place in gaming and it would be nice to see them along side the next gen Xbox and Playstation going into 2014 and beyond. With Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart and a new Donkey Kong all on the way, I think people should at least consider a Wii U and show it a little love. Hey, it is christmas after all. Thanks for reading my thoughts, comment on your views about the Wii U and what you think the new year holds for Nintendo.
One more thing, just announce Zelda and Metroid already Nintendo. Happy Holidays!
