News
How The Wii U Can Dominate
Cordova, TN; May 26, in the year of our Lord 2013
-- It is no secret that the Wii U is performing below
expectations. Nintendo routinely sends out press releases
bragging on how well the Nintendo 3DS is doing. Yet they
continually fail to mention the sales of the Wii U. Want to know
a little secret? Sometimes what is not said is more important
than what is said. So the brain trust here at Family Friendly
Gaming got together and put down the Top Five Things Nintendo
could do to improve the prospects of the Wii U. They best move
on these fast or the Playstation 4, and Xbox One will leave the
Wii U in the dust.
Port over DS/3DS titles
This seems like a no-brainer and probably one of the easiest
things Nintendo could do. We have a TV screen, and we have a
screen on the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad. The Nintendo 3DS, and
Nintendo DS have two screens as well. The bottom screen on the
DS/3DS and Wii U Gamepad are all touch screens. Nintendo has
embraced downloading games on their systems, so why aren't we
playing DS/3DS games on the Wii U yet? Being able to play
Gameboy Advance games on the Gamecube (thanks to that add on)
was one of the coolest things we have done in a long time.
Nintendo needs to bring that back.
Remove Gamepad Tether
When I first saw the Wii U Gamepad I thought it was a uDraw.
Once I realized I was wrong, I then thought it was an iPad with
controls. Which was a dream come true since so many iPad games
are messed up due to on screen controls only. They are begging
for someone to put a controller on that device. Being able to to
turn off my TV and play a game on the Wii U Gamepad is awesome.
Having to stay within ninety feet of my Wii U is lame. I want to
take this on the go. I want to play it in the car, on the bus,
whatever. The Wii U Gamepad is tied down, which hurts it.
Increase Battery Life Span
The few hours of game play we get out of a Wii U Gamepad is
lame. My Wii U Gamepad spends more time on the charger than
anything else. The battery life span is way too low for a tablet
like controller. There are peripherals that can be added on to
increase the life span, but they are clunky, and make the Wii U
Gamepad too heavy. Nintendo needs to find a way to increase the
battery life span. At times I would like to turn the screen off
on the Wii U Gamepad – but that option is not available to me.
It should be, and that would help increase the battery life
span.
Lower the Price
You would be amazed at how many people I talk to that baulk at
the price of the Wii U. To be blunt and honest; if it was not
for needing to cover games on this system – I would have waited
for a price drop. Nintendo has tried some reward programs with
the Wii U, but they are not catching on. Maybe if they let
people trade in their Wii's for a reduced price Wii U it would
catch on better. NEC earned all kinds of crazy loyalty with that
business strategy back in the 16-bit era. The Nintendo 3DS
started with lackluster sales, and Nintendo dropped the price to
move units. They need to do the same thing with the Wii U.
Change the name
I may be one of the few people who likes the name of the Wii U.
So why am I saying they need to change the name? The average
family gamer has no idea the Wii U is different from the Wii. I
have helped numerous people in stores, and through email
exchanges. They did not understand the Wii U was an all new
machine. Some even tried to play Wii U games on their Wii home
consoles. Nintendo has created too much confusion with this
name. They need to re-brand this puppy if they hope to educate
the consumer.
- Paul Bury
- Family Friendly Gaming