General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Scar]

What exactly is the benefit of gyroscopic aiming in FPS's, compared to a standard dual-analogue set-up?

Maybe you could call a developer lazy, if the gyroscope was SOOO much better as an input method, but given the reliability of the Dual analogue aiming system, there is little point. Its a waste of time and energy, on an input method that most players won't even use, just to prove the usefulness of what is effectively, a hardware gimmick.

 

And regarding the power side of things; it should be extremely obvious that both the Xbone and the PS4, have a whole lot more power than the Wii U. That's really all there is to it.

[Candescence]

However, it's extremely difficult to contest that the power gap is far, far less than last generation, and the visual difference isn't very much anyway in most cases.

[Blacklightning]

What exactly is the benefit of gyroscopic aiming in FPS's, compared to a standard dual-analogue set-up?

You misunderstand. Gyroscopic aiming assistance being the key word here. What this is, is basically using traditional dual stick controls to dictate direction and aiming loosely, whilst the gyroscope works in tandem to it with fine-tuning aim with the kind of finesse that sticks just aren't capable of (and for that matter, the kind usually reserved for keyboard-mouse setups). It's the best of both worlds, and yes, it is better than traditional twin sticks alone. That's not something I say out of sheer fanboyism - from what I've played of Nintendoland (and the maybe two guns in ZombiU that support it) I literally can't fathom anyone making a WiiU shooter without it.

 

Even discounting boosts to accuracy, gyroscope aiming hybrids also allow you to aim and use the face buttons at the same time too, which in a traditional FPS isn't exactly something you can do unless you have two right thumbs.

[Remy]

I don't think the gyroscopic assistance thing is a good idea- seems like there's a lot of room for error there with unintentional hand movement, etc.

 

The best uses for the gamepad have all been built around the asymmetrical gameplay idea Nintendo themselves have been using- 1vs3 style games where the person on the gamepad sees different things to the others.

 

Now you probably can't do that exactly with games that aren't multiplayer... But having the screen provide a different perspective/something completely different from the TV has merit. Maybe a TWEWY style game where you fight on both screens? A Brutal Legend strategy game, with unit management on the pad and 3rd person action on the TV ?

[Spooky Mulder]

The GamePad couldn't be better suited for a Metroid game. I think the fact that there wasn't a 3D Metroid game at launch was one of Nintendo's biggest missed opportunities in years.

[Kaabiitorori]

You were doing good (for the most part at least, since blaming developers for Nintendo's failings is pretty harsh) up until this point. The Xbone and PS4 are much more powerful than the Wii U.

Might not have been understood at the end of my post, so allow me to clarify. On paper, obviously both Xbox One and PS4 are more powerful than the Wii U, cannot argue about that. I'm not saying the Wii U is the total opposite. However, after researching the specs of the Wii U in more detail, it seems it won't be leagues behind the two consoles as many developers dare to say. May take longer to achieve maximum performance since all games released to date only used one core of the CPU and didn't even push the eDRAM, but it'll be interesting to see.

The fact some of the major Western and Eastern developers don't seem to bother on cracking a code on the Wii U whereas other teams such as Criterion or Platinum can do it while delivering great performance on their games is what makes me raise an eyebrow on their capabilities. As I said, throwing a bunch of code into the console without putting all the pieces together and expecting it to do the job so they can grab some cash out of its user base (I'm looking at you, EA) doesn't give me any credibility, let alone coming up with excuses of being underpowered or last-gen. We constantly hear how Xbox One and PS4 are powerhouses and how easy they are to make and port games, but even people like Square-Enix or Capcom had something to say on the contrary. So what is going on here?

My real concern is how they will output their work on these consoles if they cannot even be bothered to do so on the Wii U. That's all.

 

I honestly would rather prefer devs create unique experiences for the Wii U instead of trying to find development teams to rush a crappy port. If a game is across 30 platforms, Wii U isn't going to be very strong in sales. Now, if you make a game that takes advantage of the unique capabilities of the Wii U (ahem, a game that isn't garbage), I can guarantee sales.

 

Absolutely. I'd love to see unique experiences done by third-party studios on the Wii U. But because of the aforementioned incompetence at their job and how quick they are to assume the Wii U is last-gen, such bullcrap is what is keeping the Wii U away of expanding its library of games, especially when other devs have totally debunked their statements.

[Solkia]

Multi-core gaming has been around for a while now actually. Crysis 3 can use up to 4 cores, Metro: Last Light uses 2, and several others. Multi-core gaming becoming a standard isn't too far off as people seem to believe.

 

Also how is 4x more RAM, 5 more cores, and a GPU we actually have detail on beyond it's based on the Radeon 5000 series (yuck) only slightly better?

 

Who fucking gives a shit other than shit developers? The PS2 was a fucking piece of shit spec-wise and is the most well-loved console of all time.

 

The Wii U's problems have nothing to do with specs. Get off this bullshit already, it's fucking annoying.

[Gabz Girl]

This is why I'm always worried whenever a third party game is announced for Wii U and it's a game I want to get for that console. A good example here is Watch Dogs.

 

I'm planning to get the Wii U version, but I have no clue whether it will use the Gamepad to its advantage or if the game features online and of course DLC. As far as I know there is no gameplay footage of the Wii U version and I don't want to go out, buy the Wii U version and end up being disappointed knowing that I could've bought the version with more features on it. I know Ubisoft isn't as harsh as EA but knowing that they have been a bit iffy about Nintendo since Rayman Legends' delay, I'm very concerned.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Actualy, here is a thought, We are getting Hyrule warriors, which is a spinoff being done in colaboration between Nintendo and whoever makes the dynasty warriors series, well what if they did this with other IPs? it would reduce production time, and reduce stress on the central studios, only question is what other series could they do it with and with what other companies/series?

[MegasonicZX]

Actualy, here is a thought, We are getting Hyrule warriors, which is a spinoff being done in colaboration between Nintendo and whoever makes the dynasty warriors series, well what if they did this with other IPs? it would reduce production time, and reduce stress on the central studios, only question is what other series could they do it with and with what other companies/series?

I would kind of like to see one done with the kirby series in all honesty and mario could work too if miyamoto isn't around.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

I would kind of like to see one done with the kirby series in all honesty and mario could work too if miyamoto isn't around.

kinda meant the lesser ips, though you did just remind that mario strikers was done by a then third party company(who is now 2nd party)

[Wraith]

Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei is basically exactly what you're talking about.

[Willsy]

Actualy, here is a thought, We are getting Hyrule warriors, which is a spinoff being done in colaboration between Nintendo and whoever makes the dynasty warriors series, well what if they did this with other IPs? it would reduce production time, and reduce stress on the central studios, only question is what other series could they do it with and with what other companies/series?

Let SEGA make a Mario game.....wait...

[G-Force]

I think Nintendo's next system should ditch the tablet and instead find something similar by connecting their next portable to it. That way, you have a GamePad that isn't locked to a console and won't mark up a console price.

Except in that case they'd be asking people to spend more money on two separate devices in order to exploit gameplay features that can never be truly essential to any game's experience, since no player would ever be guaranteed to have both devices.

[Sami]

Except in that case they'd be asking people to spend more money on two separate devices in order to exploit gameplay features that can never be truly essential to any game's experience, since no player would ever be guaranteed to have both devices.

Seems to be working for Sony with the PS4. Kinect also sold a ton of units as well.

[Sean]

Not exactly Wii U related but it has Wii in the title so why not

I'm curious if this is a thing that has happened to anyone here. I got an original model Wii from Wolfy the other day, and I've been using it quite a lot. Thing is, I've been noticing some markings on the games' discs that I'm playing. They look like diagonal smudges and are only on the very outer regions of the discs, but they're not noticeable unless you go out of your way to look for them, so basically only under a light source and by tilting the disc every which way while inspecting it. It's pretty obvious that it's the system itself that's causing this, although I have no clue if this applies to every Wii model out there, or at least the original ones that support GameCube games.

If I had to guess what's causing it it would be when I insert and load the disc, since it's not a top loader or disc tray like some other systems and there's some friction applied to the disc during these moments. What I really want to know is if this is something I should worry about, since these markings are accumulating on my discs and while they're by no means deep scratches, I don't want to find out one day that my discs are actually being damaged over time.

[Solkia]

Pretty much any disc drive that sucks the discs in does that. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

EDIT: I know I just got done yelling about how specs don't matter, but why does the Wii U have an ARM processor dedicated solely to the OS? That seems impractical.

[Conando]

Wait, it does? So you're telling me it has a separate little mobile processor just to run the OS? I can kind of see what they were trying to go with (freeing up the actual processor for games), but it's still weird.

 

Edit: As for Sean's question. It should be fine, PS3 and Wii U actually do that too. Its a smudge left when the system pulls the disc into its drive. It hasn't damaged my discs in any way at least.

[Autosaver]

Except in that case they'd be asking people to spend more money on two separate devices in order to exploit gameplay features that can never be truly essential to any game's experience, since no player would ever be guaranteed to have both devices.

With the amount of games that are barely using the controller (even Nintendo's!), I don't see that big of a loss.

 

One of the biggest features is Remote Play. With a handheld, you can extend it beyond the room the Wii U is in similar to what the Vita/PS3/PS4 do.

[Conando]

The problem I see with it is that Nintendo needs to rewrite the firmware to not require the GamePad. It doesn't really do anything to alleviate the problem of people just thinking it's a Wii add-on either.

[Solkia]

Wait, it does? So you're telling me it has a separate little mobile processor just to run the OS? I can kind of see what they were trying to go with (freeing up the actual processor for games), but it's still weird.

http://wiiudaily.com/wii-u-operating-system/

I can also see why they did it, focus all the resources they can on the Gamepad and games, but does this make it hard to program for?

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

http://wiiudaily.com/wii-u-operating-system/

I can also see why they did it, focus all the resources they can on the Gamepad and games, but does this make it hard to program for?

I would say that once you got used to it, it would be a breeze, it essentialy means that unlike the Xbone, or PS4, or even PC, ALL the Wii-u's CPU and Ram power can be used for games, with no risk of interfering with the OS or crashing the system.... so ya the OS is completely seperated from the primary CPU, and doesnt use RAM while games are active, its actualy quite brilliant

[Conando]

I imagine it's why off TV Play and Miiverse integration isn't in all games, specifically and more likely miiverse integration. It's definitely what allows the OS to be smoothly running with the game at the same time, but I could see it confusing people.

[Solkia]

I would say that once you got used to it, it would be a breeze, it essentialy means that unlike the Xbone, or PS4, or even PC, ALL the Wii-u's CPU and Ram power can be used for games, with no risk of interfering with the OS or crashing the system.... so ya the OS is completely seperated from the primary CPU, and doesnt use RAM while games are active, its actualy quite brilliant

Actually it has to still actively use the RAM unless it had RAM that was dedicated to the OS as well. It's been stated before that only 1 of the 2GB can be used for games.

The reason I brought that up is because Tornado mentioned something to me about unification when I suggested the PS4 use 2GB of DDR3 for the OS and 6GB DDR5 for the games, so I wondered if unification also applies to the processor.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well here is something cool, Nintendo is valued to be worth more than SONY in its entireity
http://wiiudaily.com/2014/01/nintendo-valued-higher-than-sony/
 

 

Nintendo valued as a bigger company than Sony

168

The success of the 3DS and the lift of the console ban in China both attribute to Nintendo's high market value.

By Zorpix

ON January 11th, 2014 In News

Here’s some news that’s making Wario an extremely happy guy. Nintendo’s market value has passed that of Sony. While Sony’s market shares total 17.7 billion dollars, Nintendo is reporting a slightly higher value of 18.4 Billion dollars.

This result can largely be attributed to the success of the 3DS and lift of the console ban in China. Both of these are doing wonders for Nintendo, even though the Wii U sales are still about average, despite recently reaching 4.3 million unit sales.

What’s interesting about these numbers is that Sony is a company that has other products besides the Playstation (TV, Music, laptops). Nintendo is solely a gaming company and is still worth more. This is merely a testament to the quality of Nintendo’s gaming experience.

 

Also Goomy, I was just saying what I was reading, it said that the OS's processor does not activly pull on ram during games