Editorial — Just a few years ago, the Wii made Nintendo the biggest video game company in the world, however, lately things have been less than stellar, with a share price that’s been in decline since 2009. During the heyday of the Wii in 2008, Nintendo shares were peaking at $75 a share. Today, it’s less than $17 bucks a share. Nintendo will be releasing a new console this year, the Wii U, and it has to sell, and sell well if the company is to regain what it lost since the Wii.
For Nintendo, it’s not just another console with more power and better technology, it’s an attempt to rescue the “Wii” brand and attract a new audience as well. No matter how many countless millions of Wiis were sold, most of them are sitting on a shelf today, barely used. Lack of quality titles, and especially third party titles, hasn’t helped. This time, Nintendo has said they are determined to get third party support for the Wii U. Having a more powerful console that’s capable of running the latest games and game engine technology surely helps (the Unreal Engine 3 and CryEngine 3 will be available for the Wii U).
One thing that Nintendo has to get absolutely right, is the price of the console. Anything above $299, and it’ll be a hard sell, especially since it’s not that much more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3. The new Wii U touchscreen controller will definitely add to the overall cost of the system, and if Nintendo wants to move a lot of units during launch, they might — probably for the first time — take a loss on a console they’re selling.
So far, the gaming press and game industry insiders haven’t been that impressed with the Wii U, despite its innovative controller and features. What everyone seems to be waiting for, is the reveal of a price and launch lineup. Nintendo needs a strong first party line up, probably led by a Zelda game, and good third party support to bring some of the bigger titles, like Assassin’s Creed 3 (which is confirmed for the Wii U) and the next Call of Duty title (unconfirmed).
Overall, the Nintendo Wii U can’t just be another console to sell more Marios and Zeldas, it has to be successful enough for the company to regain its competitive edge. Especially since the Xbox 720 and PS4 are just around the corner, and will likely be much more powerful than the Wii U.