Like many people, I was not overly shocked when Nintendo mentioned last week that they are working on a new console to follow up the Wii U. Console companies are always looking ahead and it had been rumored that Nintendo had a new one in the works, possibly to be announced at E3 in June much the same way that the Wii U was announced years ago. The system is currently using the name “NX” and we are told that more information about it would be revealed next year which was a bit odd as one would think that the moment the system was announced that questions would follow but at least it serves the purposes of getting gamers and fans thinking about what is to come next for Nintendo.
Most people would say that the Wii U has been a disappointment to the company in terms of sales, but it has done better in the last year mainly due to better exclusives from Mario Kart 8 to Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, and Smash Bros.
Many have debated why the Wii U did not catch on as much as previous systems and for me a big issue was the lack of quality exclusives in the first year of release. Sony and Microsoft to some had limited exclusives the first year but for me and our staff we found plenty of exclusive content on both of the systems to keep us entertained.
Nintendo has admitted they were disappointed with the reception and sales for the Wii U and have likely learned some very hard and humbling things as they look to regroup and move forward.
Nintendo has to move away from their comfort zone and bring us a powerful and versatile system that will have graphics and abilities that surpass what is currently available. I believe that a system that is on par with the Xbox One and the PS 4 is at a minimum what is needed and seeing how the console is likely not to launch until at least Fall 2016, it would have to had some big advantages over the competition which by then will three years old.
Aside from eye-popping visuals, Nintendo needs to openly embrace online play and do what it takes to ensure Call of Duty, Battlefield, and other games have an online experience that matches or surpasses the experience found on other systems.
Nintendo is not known for doing a huge amount of online gaming and I believe this is something that seriously hampered the Wii U.
It goes to say that exclusives will be a key thing for the system and Nintendo must work to ensure that people who do buy the system do not have a lengthy wait for games that they want to play and show off the features of the system.
I still remember a pre-launch Wii U meeting at San Diego Comic Con where reps told us Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and a new Zelda game would be out within six months of launch and announced many other titles for launch that simply did not happen.
It is safe to say that we will be doing more coverage on the NX going forward as more information becomes available. For now I would say that I am interested to see what Nintendo will come up with, but I can honestly say I am not jumping up and down in excitement for it anywhere near as much as O was for the Playstation 4 or Xbox One.
