How Nintendo Could Win Gamers Back – Wii U Pro Edition

EA is getting ready to release Need for Speed Rivals on the next-gen consoles. But there is one console that won’t be getting it. The Nintendo Wii U. According to the creative director for Need for Speed, EA sunk a lot of money and extra work into the Wii U version of Most Wanted. Needless to say, the extra investment didn’t pay off.

“It didn’t really sell , in terms of the Wii U market. I would love for it to have, because we put so much effort into that, trust me. I’d love for it to be way bigger than it was, and the same for the Vita.

Now the Nintendo Wii U did have some good news also this week. On September 20th, Nintendo cut the price of the Wii U by $50 to $299. Since then, they have seen sales increase by 200%. Even with the boost however, it is going to take a lot more to get Nintendo back in the game where I think they should be.

If I were sitting on the board of Nintendo. I would say,it is time to get back to the basics. Nintendo built the console generation that we have today as far as i’m concerned. I know there were consoles out before Nintendo, but Nintendo took the concept and lept 20 feet out in front. How did they do it? They didn’t need fancy graphics. They didn’t need a million dollar script from some Hollywood director. They didn’t need an army of voice actors or body doubles. They just needed you to sit down and try one of their games. Mario, Zelda, and a host of others. And once you did, you fell in love.

Nintendo became a brand that will live forever within the gaming world. And you did it without gimmicks.

Do you remember the original Nintendo controller? It wasn’t the most..shall I say, ergonomically designed controller ever produced. But it did the job. Years have passed since those days. But gamers have continued to embrace the controller. And here we stand in 2013, debating who will have the best controller. Microsoft or Sony? But not Nintendo. Why is that? Why has Nintendo alienated so many gamers by pushing away the one input device that every other console gamer wholeheartedly embraces? I know that the Wii was a tremendous success, but the Wii U obviously isn’t.

Let me get to the point. The problem with the Wii U is not the loading times with games or apps, although it is troublesome. Your problem isn’t great games, because I am still dying to play Mario Kart and a boat load of others. But this tablet controller – this oversized gameboy that doubles as my controller is getting in the way of my purchase. The tablet controller drives up the cost of the Wii U by a large margin. I’m not sure what it is, but it can’t be cheap. Nintendo has failed to show me any game that requires, or makes me want to use this device. Sure there are games that use it well, but well enough to warrant an entire console purchase? As far as i’m concerned, I haven’t been sold on the controller. And I am tempted to call it a gimmick. Now I hear the same complaints about the Xbox One’s Kinect, but at least their system functionality heavily incorporates their device. Therefore, I don’t see it near as gimmicky as an extra screen between my legs.

When you compare buying a $299 Wii U to a $399 PS4 – it seems like a no-brainer in most peoples heads. They would choose Playstation. Wii U currently lacks the games, which they are working on. But it also isn’t at a price point that is anywhere near what i’m willing to pay. Especially since I have no desire to play with the expensive special controller.

Nintendo. Ditch the tablet. Sell a bundle that doesn’t include the tablet controller, and create one that includes the Wii U Pro Controller. You could call it the Wii U Pro Edition. Slap a slick coat of paint on it and throw it on the shelf. The Nintendo system that plays next-gen games with a controller that everyone is already comfortable with. Get back to focusing on the games! A Nintendo Pro Edition for $199 all of a sudden looks a lot better when you stack it up against the PS4 $399 and Xbox One $499 Price Point.

If you ditch the tablet, you lower the cost of manufacturing – you lower the price point so that more people can buy it – you sell more units which means more developers are willing to invest in putting their games on your system – What about this doesn’t make sense? Am I alone here? Post below and let me know what you think Nintendo should do to boost sales of the Wii U. Can they make a comeback?? I hope so. I sure don’t want to see them become irrelevant.

VGN: Video Games and News