This is not another article saying Nintendo is doomed. Far from it.
In fact, this is an article from someone who used to live and breathe Nintendo. From someone who got hours and hours of entertainment from his Wii each week, only to be disappointed by the lacklustre Wii U. This is an article that’s meant to help the long-standing publisher.
The idea is simple: the Nintendo NX needs to learn from the launches of the Xbox One and the PS4. And, obviously, from the Wii U as well.
Right now, there’s no denying the PS4 is killing it. Record sales, month after month, and a strong promise that something awesome is always on the horizon means Sony can do no wrong. The company’s current-gen console benefited from a strong, simple launch, focusing on games, games and more games. It’s a tactic that’s paid off – even with a game drought that’s lasted the better part of a year, the PS4 is still on top.
Sony didn’t have anything new for Christmas last year, so they were telling gamers to pre-order Uncharted 4, for Pete’s sake.
Compare that to the Xbox One. A muddled, gimmicky launch, led by Kinect and TV, crippled Microsoft’s current console. Despite a strong lineup of launch titles and a consistent stream of new first-party IP like Sunset Overdrive, Halo and Forza, the Xbox One still hasn’t caught up. This, even after ditching Kinect and closing up as much TV as humanly possible.
What does that mean for the Nintendo NX? Simple. A strong line-up of titles, first- and third-party, available at launch. A simple message that Nintendo is back in the market, with a console that can actually compete with Sony and Microsoft. Most important is that Nintendo needs to do away with gimmicks; sure, a portable- and home-based hybrid console would be fabulous, but if developers can’t just pump out an NX title with the same effort as a PS4 or Xbox One copy, it simply won’t happen.
In that case, it’ll be the Wii U all over again.
Nintendo, please. Keep it simple. Even with this advise, you’re at the bottom of a long, uphill battle. Let’s face it: you’re way behind as it is.
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