Nintendo of America, the company that has barely supported the Wii all year, has somehow had the temerity to claim that the Wii's not going anywhere, not even after the Wii U launches. Reggie Fils-Aime says the system is still performing well, and even finding a new audience thanks to its low price.
"The consumer buying Wii hardware today is going to be a different consumer than the one who will be buying Wii U in the future," he said. "This is the first holiday that the Wii is available at $149.99 or below, so it's an expanded demographic we're reaching. These are consumers who have heard about Wii for the past couple years, but at $199 or $249 it was economically out of their reach.
"We haven't announced pricing for Wii U, but you can definitely expect that pricing is going to be different and that the games are going to be different. We do believe that Wii and Wii U will coexist for some time. As we drive the install base of Wii, we're really setting people up to take their gaming library and be able to transfer it over to Wii U."
Nintendo pretty much says this every time a new system is in the works, and while it's true from a sales standpoint, rarely is it true from a support standpoint. The Wii's been left to rot for most of the year, only getting a sliver of games right at the end, and I find it hard to believe Nintendo will be putting much else out with the Wii U on the way. Sure, it will continue to sell, but it's been out of sight and out of mind for a while, and will continue to be once people are done with Skyward Sword.
Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime Talks Zelda, the Future of Handhelds and Wii’s Big Holiday Push [Time]
Contest:
12:00 PM on 12.01.2011 | 
does it have BC????
anyways still a shame we didn't get Fatal Frame IV, Disaster Day of Crisis, Earth Seeker, 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de, Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories,
DS games like Last Window: The Secret of Cape West(US),
and for US territories The Last Story, Pandora's Tower and Xenoblade
you know what i just blame NOA.
NOE on the other hand is doing much better
Honestly I do hope Nintendo has a major game or two still planned for the Wii, but if Nintendo couldn't even support the Wii with enough games, I definitely don't want them trying to support 2 consoles at once.
So yeah, the Wii is going to live on. But it's going to go from 98% shovelware to 100%. People will make games for it as long as they sell. Anyone remember those awesome PS2 games from 2007? Yeah exactly.
the way i see it.
US - Sony
EU - Nintendo
JPN - Both of them
though at least they are some pretty awesome goods like retail version of Arcana Heart 3 etc..
then again you guys then to get fucked by sony in the PSN department.
so you definitely have my sympathies.
if only Sony and Nintendo would treat everyone the same in every region.
Anyone who is just now buying a Wii has a pretty large backlog to work through before they can complain about not having new content.
@PrinceHeir: I still highly resent that dick move of not releasing the Trace Memory sequel. It was the first (one of? it was my first at least) DS game and I still remember playing it in my fat DS. How could they deprive their early adopters of the sequel?
Don't tease me, Reggie. Why should I get a Wii U if it won't upscale my almost beautiful Wii games that would look eyegasmic in full HD?
I see no reason to get a Wii U until/unless there's at least 4 really awesome games for it.
On a related note, I'd be willing to wager on the eventual release of "HD Classics: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" for Wii U.
Unless, of course, Nintendo just wants people to import, thus making more money for themselves.
yeah I guess you're right. Even in the full interview, the only thing he mentions for continued support is "downloadable games." I guess they really just want to keep the wii selling for years to come without supporting it.
All these statements say is that they expect the system to continue selling because of the price drop. It seems like everyone here is reading into this from the perspective of owning a Wii for a few years. Even Jim's analysis seems to be from that point of view.
So... this is the question myself and alot of other Dtoid faithfuls are wondering:
What do you think of Skyward Sword?
I know Holmes reviewed it, but I know Jon's a Nintendo fanboy (no offense, Holmes).
Myself, I really did'nt like it.... Too many "fetch-quests".
It's ok when the new system comes out you will be able to buy Ocarina of Time again.
Haters are so boring. They are so obsessed with bitching about NINTENDO that it's become predictable.
America will be getting The Last Story & Xenoblade in 2012. The Wii has been a brilliant console that has been unfairly bashed by the dummy gamers that can't handle things that are "different". They aren't real gamers in the first place. They are just fat toads that troll their whole lives.
What? What does that have to do with anything I asked?
besides, already got OoT on N64 & 3DS...
LMAO too true.
Is that any different than Microsoft, or Sony? Who supports a dead platform, when they have to move on to making games for the new one? Sony only benefited from 3rd Party's like EA putting games like Madden on the PS1 and PS2, well after the next system comes out years later, but what's Sony still putting out on the PS2? Hell what is Sony putting out on the PSP? The Vita isn't even out yet, and the PSP has been dead for while now, from both Sony and 3rd Party's alike!
Sorry Reggie. I bought a Wii just a couple of months ago, basically at the end of its life cycle, when all of the first party titles were out (or basically out), at an extremely cheaper price then $149.99. You know what I'm going to do with the Wii U?
The same damn thing.
Modding, go ahead, it's your console so do what you want with it.
Piracy, hell no. The whole reason that Nintendo is supporting hardcore gamers less and less is because the casual crowd is much more profitable. Piracy would only make that worse and we'd see even less games. As long as Nintendo keeps making shitty minigame/motion control minigames, we kind of need them more than they need us, because grandma isn't going to pirate their games.
Although MAYBE I'd say piracy would be okay for the operation rainfall games because obviously by not selling it to us they are sending the message that they don't want our money anyways.
Damn shame tons are missing out
They will coexist because the Wii-U will be over $249 while the Wii will remain under $149, thus effectively targeting a wide range of demographics.
So, no complaints here. I'd only sell it if it broke and I'm happy with the games I have for it.
And btw, Xenoblade is one of these 34 games and I was very underwhelmed by it. But it was good. To an extent. It's what BrowneyeWinkin said. I can think about 10 games far better than it on the Wii. But it's a good game.
@JQM78
Jim already voiced his opinion about SS. In a podtoid he said that he was 6 hours in and he was alienated by the motion controls (I can relate to that to an extent, to be honest) and also he twited this later:
"Skyward Sword is a game in which things that once worked perfectly were changed to force ideas that nobody asked for."
But hey, I want him to elaborate that a little more, if he already hasn't. I also want to know what does he think of it.
MARKET Fortune Street and Rhythm Heaven. Do so aggressively! The Mario Party crowd will snap Fortune Street up if they just knew about it. Fact-I have a group of avid Nintendo fanboy friends. We play MP at least once or twice every few months together. One of them even subscribes [at least, they did] to Nintendo Power. They knew NOTHING of Fortune Street, not a single one [until I told them.] Rhythm Heaven built up a cult following and has the potential to be big too, if you TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT.
And for goodness sake, RELEASE THE OPERATION RAINFALL TRIO. JUST. DO. IT. Do a small print run, some ads and press releases, and capitalize off all the publicity OpRa's done for these games, and swallow. your. pride. Will you make Zelda-bucks off it? Even Kirby-size profits? Probably not. But you'll gain back a lot of good faith that will help your next console/handheld [oh hi, 3DS]/games sell better because fans feel less shafted and see a greater chance that games they want will release next time. Pull an Atlus/NISA-they stay afloat on niche titles somehow. Surely you can too, NOA.
You're in a tight spot, NOA/Reggie. You can pull through, but you won't pull through unless you make a few changes. :/ I, for one, would LOVE to see the systems coexist and see some awesome late-arrival titles [*coughpandora'stower*] but I'm just not so sure.
And yeah, Nintendo says this every new generation, but now that they actually do manage to add in backwards compatibility they're really no different then the rest of the industry that says the same exact thing. No one drops support of their prior system knowing that not every one runs out on launch day to get the new one, and that it would be absolutely stupid to do such a thing.
Shit, look right back at Nintendo and what they're still doing with the DS', none of the sales figures I've seen have shown DS sales because they're all to focused on the 3DS drama, but surely even the DS sold well this year too, despite the 3DS actually being the better deal because of the backwards compatability.. Theres still a lot of hold outs, people who don't know a DS from a dick in the wall, or just people who want to get a tough/inexpensive system for their kids to beat up (which, I'll be honest, having a 3DS doesn't prove to me that its one of those systems).
I don't know if anyones confirmed it yet or not, but this could be the revamped console without wi-fi and BC that Europe was supposed to be getting, and it might have spred to the states.
However, as far as I've seen, No ones said a thing one way or the other on if it is or not- so I'd beware getting one unless you JUST want to play Wii games and nothing else.
Every time My hopes are expertly dashed
Well played Jim, well played .....
...Right...Like Kirby? Mad World?