Is the Wii dead or dying?

[nycomet]

Aside from the Just Dance series, Zelda, Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros., it seems as if there isn't much as far as new must-have games are concerned for the Wii.

Couple that with its simplistic 480 screen resolution and relatively weak audio output and one has to ask: has Nintendo's Wii reached the end of its life?

Nintendo posted an earnings loss last quarter and the situation appears to be bleak. Even Wii U seems to be a flop -- even before it actually debuts.

I admit that I am not a hard core gamer. I have a PS 3, but only use it for playing blu-ray movies and for Netflix.

My Wii has mostly been used for playing the Wii Sports bowling game (it seems like all of my friends like that more than anything). But we have also tried some of the dance games (Just Dance, Michael Jackson and Black Eyed Peas Experience). One buddy has Rock Band and he still plays it on occasion.

Recently, I've been buying a bunch of pre-owned Wii games on ebay and at Game Stop. I'm really enjoying a lot kart racing titles. I already had Mario Karts, but some of the other kart games I like are:

Dreamworks Super Star Karts
Sonic Sega All-Star Racing
Cars 2
Excitebots
Nascar Kart Racing
Hot Wheels Beat That

Also picked up New Super Mario Bros. (I suck at it) and Wii Sports Resort.

I am not sure how much longer the current Wii console will be popular, but it seems to be on its way out.

Still, I may pick up a few more pre-owned games as they can be found at fairly low prices. I'll enjoy the Wii for at least a few years to come.

Nintendo really needs to release an HD version of the Wii. Does anyone know if such a thing is in the works?

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Nintendo is working on a new system called the Wii U, which will be HD. I believe it's due to come out towards the end of this year, if I am not mistaken/if the date hasn't changed.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Nintendo is working on a new system called the Wii U, which will be HD. I believe it's due to come out towards the end of this year, if I am not mistaken/if the date hasn't changed.

Nintendo has said it will be available before the end of the year.
Probably Q4 for the holidays.

[redtornado]

I think it will be alive for quite some time. With the amount of systems they sold and the fact you can play gamecube games, it should be around a long ass time. Just think how long the PS2 stayed alive.

Besides, the Kinnect and PS Move are horrible. Nintendo has a built in audience and can outlast the ps3.

[Wingman1977]

Originally Posted by redtornado

I think it will be alive for quite some time. With the amount of systems they sold and the fact you can play gamecube games, it should be around a long ass time. Just think how long the PS2 stayed alive.

Besides, the Kinnect and PS Move are horrible. Nintendo has a built in audience and can outlast the ps3.

There's really no new games coming this year for it. I see Nintendo dropping it after 2013 the latest. The wii is on it's last legs TBH. That's why the wii-u is coming this fall.

[ChadFL]

In some ways it's both dead and alive. It's still selling fairly decently and probably will at least through the WiiU launch. As far as new games go, ya I'd say it's about dead. These are the only potentially quality games due for future release on the Wii.

Mario Party 9
Xenoblade Chronicles (limited release in Feb)

That's it, just two decent games for planned release left. Seems the Wii catalog has run it's course.

[Hatter]

Originally Posted by redtornado

I think it will be alive for quite some time. With the amount of systems they sold and the fact you can play gamecube games, it should be around a long ass time. Just think how long the PS2 stayed alive.

Besides, the Kinnect and PS Move are horrible. Nintendo has a built in audience and can outlast the ps3.

The PS2 was able to hang around because of the Wii so Sony should send a gift basket to Nintendo for helping them out while they struggled to turn a profit with the PS3. What I mean is that due to the limited capabilities of the system which is isn't much better than the cube and PS2, mulitplatform games that got a Wii release also resulted in a PS2 release.

[SpaceDog]

If/when I pick up the Wii U, I'll move my Wii to my bedroom. There are plenty of great games to play on it, and to my knowledge the Wii U won't play GC games. Of course, my GC is the last device that will play my game boy games, so perhaps that needs to stay too .

[Chordata]

It's not dying in my house. My kids love it.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by redtornado

I think it will be alive for quite some time. With the amount of systems they sold and the fact you can play gamecube games, it should be around a long ass time. Just think how long the PS2 stayed alive.

That's no longer the case. The updated Wii released last quarter lost its GameCube backwards compatibility, i.e. it will not play Gamecube titles, nor does it have the connections for the GameCube controllers. Also, it can only be placed horizontally, not vertically like in the past (with the stand).

The PS2 stayed alive all these years because of its game library, not only for its continued support by developers long after the PS3 made its entrance, but their collective quality is far superior to that of the Wii's. The Wii has a notorious reputation for shovelware from third-party developers (it's not that the PS2 didn't have its fair share, particularly late in its product life cycle, but not to the extent that the Wii was afflicted with throughout).

Besides, the Kinnect and PS Move are horrible. Nintendo has a built in audience and can outlast the ps3.

That's a matter of personal opinion. Given the track records of the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube regarding their respective shelf lives, I can guarantee that the PS3 will stick around far longer than the Wii because its third-party support is stronger.

[wilky61]

I think the Nintendo Wii was dead once the novelty wore off... I know a lot of people who have Wiis, but they seem just to sit on the shelf... most everyone I know plays Xbox 360.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

That's no longer the case. The updated Wii released last quarter lost its GameCube backwards compatibility, i.e. it will not play Gamecube titles, nor does it have the connections for the GameCube controllers. Also, it can only be placed horizontally, not vertically like in the past (with the stand).

Well that blows. Why make that change now? The Wii U will already lose the Gamecube compatibility anyway, and with this system likely to die off shortly after the Wii U's release, what's the point?

At least I'm aware of this now, so if for some reason I never have to replace my Wii, I'll be sure to track down one with GC compatibility.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Well that blows. Why make that change now? The Wii U will already lose the Gamecube compatibility anyway, and with this system likely to die off shortly after the Wii U's release, what's the point?

At least I'm aware of this now, so if for some reason I never have to replace my Wii, I'll be sure to track down one with GC compatibility.

My guess is to save on production costs wherever possible. It's not uncommon for consoles during the maturity/decline stage of the product life cycle to have features removed as a cost-saving measure.

I couldn't find an iSuppli teardown of the Wii, but I suspect that the component used for Gamecube support/compatibility would save Nintendo a few dollars per unit.

[wildhoney66]

well i hope that the Wii doesn't die for at least a couple more years if it has to die. sony is a bit different than Nintendo as well. they have this obessesion to release a new system pretty much every 5 years! i never DID like the fact that they do that.

i love the fact that X-box & Sony doesn't do that. it gives the console a longer life. & plus either way they make loads of money. anyways i don't think the Wii is dead just yet. cause look how much it sold during X-mas time. a shit load.

but i do think this next console will prolly outsell it next X-mas at the end of the year.

[Tony208]

The crappy online capabilities are hurting it
It's worthless compared to 360/ps3
but it's still the best local multi player console

[wildhoney66]

oh i couldn't care less about playing games online. i've never been the type of guy to do so anyways. i mean love playing games with someone as much as the next guy.

but the thing i will say that is pretty stupid, is that when it comes to connecting online i can't seem to figure this out? may it be my DS or my Wii.

but it's pretty damn easy to figure it out for my PS3! all ya need with that is a cable. which i forget the name of at the moment. but than i guess i'm old fashioned i prefer to just play games with friends that are in the same room with me. than going online to do so. but i dunno if the wii is dying, going back to the NES, they were still making good money on it for quite some time after the SNES came out. but it just wasn't the type of money they were making before the SNES came out.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by Tony208

The crappy online capabilities are hurting it
It's worthless compared to 360/ps3
but it's still the best local multi player console

I doubt that since having a good or bad online multiplayer doesn't make it into a good or bad console.

[Hayabusa85]

The sales charts don't lie. Microsoft sales have been up since the Kinect came out while Nintendo sales have seen a massive drop-off. Microsoft killed the Wii. When you depend on a motion controller and don't have impressive hardware of features to back it up you are doomed when another company comes out with a better product. Which both Sony and Microsoft did. But Kinect has obviously had the bigger impact.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by wilky61

I think the Nintendo Wii was dead once the novelty wore off... I know a lot of people who have Wiis, but they seem just to sit on the shelf...

That's what happened with mine. I use it for Smash Bros Brawl and some of the exclusives like Mario Galaxy, but I play my PC and the old school NES/SNES games far more than I do with the Wii. In the end it's a gimmick system and the best games don't even take advantage of it. Maybe it's because the Wii controller just isn't very responsive?

At this point the only reason why I am even remotely interested in Nintendo is for the Mario/Zelda/etc franchise games. With the Wii U or "The HD Wii we should have made in the first place" system I don't currently have any interest in it. What is the point in making a controller with a touch screen? Is it a portable system then? No? Why lose the Gamecube controller support? I would never play Mario Kart or Smash Bros with a Wii controller. After the N64 I think Nintendo stopped innovating on the hardware side for the most part. The Wii was an interesting idea for motion based controllers, but it really wasn't utilized that well.

Nintendo should honestly stop making systems and focus on their games, and this is coming from a person who's been loyal to Nintendo since the NES days.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by Hayabusa85

The sales charts don't lie. Microsoft sales have been up since the Kinect came out while Nintendo sales have seen a massive drop-off. Microsoft killed the Wii. When you depend on a motion controller and don't have impressive hardware of features to back it up you are doomed when another company comes out with a better product. Which both Sony and Microsoft did. But Kinect has obviously had the bigger impact.

But before that, Wii was the top contender. I know it's because of games like Pokemon, Mario, Wii Sports and all of the other games Nintendo make along with that Wii Fit.

Personally to me, I wouldn't even want to play with the Kinect. I'd rather use a PS Move controller or even a Wii Remote over Kinect.