How long will the Wii last?

[toptenmaterial]

How long will the Wii be sold, and supported? I am curious as to how long Nintendo (or anyone else) supports their last gen systems for. If I recall correctly, first party games were released for the NES through the mid-90s (could be wrong). The PS2 outsold the PS3 for quite a while, though probably because it was allowed to. The 2600 outlived most of it's sucessors. With the Wii, however, I have noticed drought in quality titles for maybe a year and a half. So is Nintendo killing it off, and if so, are they doing so without precident?

[GKC]

I believe Nintendo has already ceased development of wii games in favor of the wii u. I'd expect to still see the wii in stores for awhile as it still appears to be selling (almost kept up with the wii u during its launch week) and they did just release the wii mini in Canada. I'd assume with plans for release in other regions. As far as precedence, off the top of my head, Nintendo kept the NES throughout 94 or so. I believe their last game was Wario's Woods which was released in 1994 for the NES and SNES.

 

[TheGameCollector]

Wario's Woods for NES and SNES both came out on December 10th 1994 according to some sources, so actually the NES made it all the way to the end of 1994 (licensed) with an unlicenced junk title Sunday Funday coming out in 1995. NES-001's were made until sometime in 1995, while NES-101's only lasted from October 1993 thru March 1994. Nintendo 64 came out in late 1996, but SNES lasted until November 27 1997 with Kirby's Dream Land 3 as the last game. They didn't pull the plug on the system model 2 hardware in the USA until 1999. Nintendo 64 lasted till Nov 30 2003, 2 years after the Gamecube was released.

 

Really the only console system Nintendo had that they pulled the plug on making games for long before their competition (PS2) was the Gamecube. Xbox and Gamecube were both discontinued in 2007, only a short while after the Wii was out.

[nesboy43]

The great thing with the NES days was that they continued making great games like Star Tropics 1 and 2 after the SNES was out. Then when N64 came out games like Yoshi's Island and Super Mario RPG came out for SNES. When Gamecube was coming out they stopped making N64 games, when Wii came out they released Twilight Princess (a gamecube game in development since early 2004), but stopped making Gamecube games. Other companies like Sega and Sony support their systems well into the next one's lifespan. The games that come out that late for a system usually really push a console to the limits. If Nintendo was smart they would still be developing first party Wii and DS games as there are already a boatload of units, but the lost their initial Wii market long ago when they stopped making games for it that casual consumers would want to play.

[TheGameCollector]

Well, Nintendo stopped making first party games on Nintendo 64 after the Gamecube came out, but third party games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 still made it onto the system. Gamecube on the other hand just outright stopped.

[Atariboy]

Considering the state of 3rd party publishing on Nintendo consoles over the better part of the past 20 years, it's no wonder why this happens.

 

They struggle even at the height of their success to have a lot of compelling 3rd party releases (Although the GameCube briefly did pretty well for two or three years, receiving ports of most multiplatform console releases during that time). So it's not surprising that when Nintendo's focus starts to shift to their replacement that things really start to dry up since they're the ones providing most of the top titles on their consoles.

 

They usually do pretty well even then. The Nintendo 64 recieved several excellent 1st and 2nd party releases late in its life like Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark, the GameCube saw Twilight Princess, the Wii saw Skyword Sword and several other good to excellent releases over the past year or so, etc.

 

So they're few and far between but they at least do happen.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Atariboy

[jd_1138]

You'd think that Nintendo would want to continue to release great games for the Wii for at least another 5 years, since there's such a large installed base of Wii consoles. But at a certain point, that might start cannibalizing Wii U sales. It's a tricky calculus of when to pull the plug on a console.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Trekker_1138

[godslabrat]

Historically, Nintendo pays lip-service to the previous generation for a year after the new console is released. After that, new games and systems last only as long as market demand allows, which is less than a year after that.

[Vic George 2K3]

I'd give it at least a year before Wii game production ceases entirely. That would be enough time for third-party companies to (finally) realize that crapware isn't going to sell on any system.

[NE146]

I've said it before.. but isn't the Wii just a Gamecube?

 

...At least that's what everyone was saying when it came out. But, if that's the case it's lasted for 11 years already.

[Metal Ghost]

Wario's Woods for NES and SNES both came out on December 10th 1994 according to some sources, so actually the NES made it all the way to the end of 1994 (licensed) with an unlicenced junk title Sunday Funday coming out in 1995. NES-001's were made until sometime in 1995, while NES-101's only lasted from October 1993 thru March 1994. Nintendo 64 came out in late 1996, but SNES lasted until November 27 1997 with Kirby's Dream Land 3 as the last game. They didn't pull the plug on the system model 2 hardware in the USA until 1999. Nintendo 64 lasted till Nov 30 2003, 2 years after the Gamecube was released.

 

Really the only console system Nintendo had that they pulled the plug on making games for long before their competition (PS2) was the Gamecube. Xbox and Gamecube were both discontinued in 2007, only a short while after the Wii was out.

 

Did the Xbox really even make it that long? I really thought that it had been discountinued in '06....that's completely just my assumption though based on observation. No source on that.

[godslabrat]

Did the Xbox really even make it that long? I really thought that it had been discountinued in '06....that's completely just my assumption though based on observation. No source on that.

 

I don't think so. IIRC, Microsoft axed the original Xbox within weeks of releasing the 360, so while the 360 was hard to find in stores, there was this weird period where you couldn't buy any Xbox of any kind.

[+Cafeman]

I hate the fact that the newer Wii's won't play GCN games. Thus, when mine finally dies, it might be difficult to get an original-model replacement Wii which is still working well. My Gamecube doesn't load the discs consistently anymore, thus we use the Wii. It looks pretty nice using component cables on my Panasonic Plasma. I'm wary of buying another used Gamecube - the last one I bought started to not load discs within months of buying it.

 

I'm sure I will buy a Wii - U within a year or two, once a couple must-have Nintendo games for it debut. But not until then.

[thegamezmaster]

Guess it's time to buy a cheap backup Wii. Has anyone tried replacing a gamecube laser? Will that fix a no disc message or is it a crap shoot?

[the.golden.ax]

I don't know why, but a system isn't really interesting to me until all the players are on the field. I mean, as a collector, I like to know what the master list is, and then choose from it. I hate the prospect of something else coming along. Perhaps it's my need to organize and put everything in a box.

[Atariboy]

I don't think so. IIRC, Microsoft axed the original Xbox within weeks of releasing the 360, so while the 360 was hard to find in stores, there was this weird period where you couldn't buy any Xbox of any kind.

 

Several of my favorite Xbox games were released the year after the 360's launch (Outrun 2006 in April of 2006 and Capcom Classics Collection in November 2006, a full year after the release of the 360, both spring to mind). So it certainly survived 2005 and had at least another year of decent support. Edit - Some other favorites of mine were 2006 releases as well including Black and Dreamfall,

 

Microsoft, even with their desire to not prolong the life of the console, wouldn't just stop supporting one within weeks of the release of its successor and during the Christmas shopping season. They knew they'd never turn a dime on the original Xbox and its entire point for existing was to establish a beachhead in this marketplace for Microsoft.

 

Killing a console simultaneously with the release of its successor isn't a way to help further that goal along. The point of the Xbox was to attract us, not alienate us by an almost immediate death.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Atariboy

[TheGameCollector]

Did the Xbox really even make it that long? I really thought that it had been discountinued in '06....that's completely just my assumption though based on observation. No source on that.

 

The last software came out in 2006, but hardware was still produced until 2007.

[Atariboy]

The last software came out in 2006, but hardware was still produced until 2007.

 

The last Xbox game came out in August 2008 (Although the last really healthy release year was 2006).

 

The last Xbox console was expected to roll off their manufacturing line in the 2nd quarter of the 2006 fiscal year (According to a statement made by Nvidia at the time). Microsoft announced in quarter 1 that Nvidia had ceased production of their chip for the Xbox since Microsoft was planning to discontinue production and Nvidia expected to have no inventory left after quarter 2.

 

As far as my memory goes, Xbox consoles started to disappear from retailers during Christmas 2006. Between that and the end of production having happened a year earlier, I think one would've been hard pressed to locate a new console at a local retailer by the summer of 2007.

 

Really the only console system Nintendo had that they pulled the plug on making games for long before their competition (PS2) was the Gamecube. Xbox and Gamecube were both discontinued in 2007, only a short while after the Wii was out.

 

When you look at the last year of releases on the N64, GCN, and Wii, I think you see a very similar situation across all three at the end of their life where they were basically hanging on by just a thread by the time of their replacement.

 

The original Playstation and the Playstation 2 both outlasted by many years the competition from Nintendo those two generations. And it appears that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 will both handily outlast the Wii this time around.

 

From a game perspective, they've already done it. It has been slim pickings for at least a couple of years now on the Wii where as major 360 and PS3 releases are still routinely being released, both promise at least another year as their manufacturer's major platforms, and both look set to enjoy a healthy post successor life for several years afterwards.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Atariboy

[+CGrey]

I'm guessing until late 2013.

[Atariboy]

Late 2013 for what? New game releases?

 

I think that's a reasonable expectation for when the last game may be released. But they're still doing a booming business during this Christmas season with hardware and existing software. So I don't see how there's any way that will end a year from now. The Wii has a several year presence left at retailers I think.

 

They have an entire console redesign that has just launched and which is presumably waiting in the wings to be launched worldwide in 2013 with a slashed price. So I don't think they're going to be pulling the plug too soon. I'm thinking more like 2015 when the system's commercial life will really end. It seems set to enjoy a couple of years here as a budget platform for Nintendo.

[LynxVGL]

I think you'll be hard pressed to find a new Wii title that was released THIS holiday season. Nintendo "formally" announed they will continue to support the Wii, but don't hold your breath. They do seem to be pushing the new stripped down, no internet/no GCN compatibility unit. But I think that's to cash in on really really late adopters who can get a ton of shovelware. My Wii has been reliable for the last 3 years, but his fall I got the laser issue. I'm torn on buying a cheap replacement, or biting the bullet and sending it into Nintendo. I don't want to lose my VLC titles (since you can ONLY transfer them to a Wii U) and I am NOT sold on being a first adopter for the U. In a word, "meh".

[cimerians]

I think you'll be hard pressed to find a new Wii title that was released THIS holiday season. Nintendo "formally" announed they will continue to support the Wii, but don't hold your breath. They do seem to be pushing the new stripped down, no internet/no GCN compatibility unit. But I think that's to cash in on really really late adopters who can get a ton of shovelware. My Wii has been reliable for the last 3 years, but his fall I got the laser issue. I'm torn on buying a cheap replacement, or biting the bullet and sending it into Nintendo. I don't want to lose my VLC titles (since you can ONLY transfer them to a Wii U) and I am NOT sold on being a first adopter for the U. In a word, "meh".

 

You should homebrew your Wii and then dump all your CD games to a USB drive.

 

You can always buy another Wii but as for your existing one, thats what I would do.

[Atariboy]

I think you'll be hard pressed to find a new Wii title that was released THIS holiday season. Nintendo "formally" announed they will continue to support the Wii, but don't hold your breath. They do seem to be pushing the new stripped down, no internet/no GCN compatibility unit. But I think that's to cash in on really really late adopters who can get a ton of shovelware. .

 

Of course they're going after the really late adapters now. The Wii has been out for six years already.

 

The Wii saw several nice games be released in 2012 in America and with several candidates that they hopefully will reconsider and release in 2013 for fresh content.

 

And the moment a console stops receiving frequent new releases that are desirable isn't when support ends. They easily have several more waves of Nintendo Selects candidates at the very least that will help keep budget sales moving well into the future.

[toptenmaterial]

Incidentally, now is a great time to buy used Wii games at Gamestop- and I'm sure that I could find them even cheaper online if I put effort into it. I pick up Mad World tonight for $2!

[Jinks]

Incidentally, now is a great time to buy used Wii games at Gamestop- and I'm sure that I could find them even cheaper online if I put effort into it. I pick up Mad World tonight for $2!

Crap I paid 5 for that game but I rarely played it cause I dont think its good for young kids to see..