Wii U will reportedly cease production this year

[omegadot]

 

I'm not really a Pikmin fan, but it was the free game I chose when I got Mario Kart 8. That was actually a really great deal from Nintendo, i.e., buy Mario Kart 8 and they give you your choice of a selection of free games. I would have went with Zelda, but I already had versions of it. What's funny is that Mario Kart 8 probably didn't need the assistance and that promotion should have been reserved for one of the lesser tier games.

 

Yeah, that was a really odd decision to me. So much support behind something that had no reason to fail. Then things that are a little confusing with high risk of failure just get tossed out as-is. I ate up the free game happily, but Mario Kart never needed the help.

[Atariboy]

I don't think it was meant to help sell Mario Kart 8, but rather to sweeten the deal to make the purchase of a Wii U more tempting for Mario Kart fans that were still on the fence about buying one.

[Bill Loguidice]

As you all no doubt saw, the NX won't be releasing this year, but instead worldwide March 2017. And E3 won't have any additional info, with the only featured player being the new Zelda game, which will in fact see simultaneous release on both Wii U and NX. My thoughts here: http://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2016/04/27/news-nintendo-nx-see-release-march-2017-worldwide/

 

One rumor for the "delay" (from what seemed obvious, not anything Nintendo stated, obviously) is that the launch titles weren't on track, which makes perfect sense (if that's indeed why).

 

UPDATE: According to a Kotaku report, the reason for the delay was indeed behind-schedule launch titles. This was also the first official mention of the NX as the successor for both Wii U and 3DS, something I was quite adamant about previously.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Bill Loguidice

[Serguei2]

Since the new Zelda will release on NX and Wii-u, it would mean wii-u will stay for a while when nx is released.

 

Another thing I don't understand.

 

Is NX a hybrid of console/ portable?

 

Or Nintendo will drop the portable market?

[Bill Loguidice]

Since the new Zelda will release on NX and Wii-u, it would mean wii-u will stay for a while when nx is released.

 

Another thing I don't understand.

 

Is NX a hybrid of console/ portable?

 

Or Nintendo will drop the portable market?

 

It doesn't mean that. All that the simultaneous release means is that the Wii U gets the release that was promised to the existing owners. It makes sense for Nintendo to support the ~13 million Wii U owners with the new Zelda, because that will automatically translate to at least a few million software sales as all AAA first party titles seem to get. In theory, it shouldn't significantly undercut sales of the NX either in doing so.

 

If the NX is officially considered a successor to both Wii U and 3DS, then it clearly must have some type of portable component as has been long rumored.

[Atariboy]

Plus they've repeatedly reconfirmed that Wii U owners will be getting this. Anyone that wants Zelda U and isn't planning to buy a NX at launch isn't going to be happy with Nintendo if they backtrack on their promises after years of patience.

 

Just like Twilight Princess with the GameCube, this not only is about maximizing sales of the title by following through with the promised last-gen version, it's also being done to keep the fanbase happy. Strategically if Nintendo could get away with it without too much discontent from their customers, it would be to their benefit to make this a NX exclusive to encourage fans to upgrade since that's their future and the Wii U is on the fast track out.

 

But happily it still appears that just like Twilight Princess back in 2006, current-gen Nintendo owners won't be neglected. I bet we have to wait a month though after the NX launch before we get the Wii U version. I just hope that it's a retail release and isn't a digital exclusive on the last-gen system.

 

I could see Nintendo sadly doing that to fulfill their pledge since the install base is small, Zelda titles sell perhaps to 20% of their customers at the very best these days, and many of those that would buy Zelda U on the Wii U are diehard Nintendo fans that will be early adapters for the NX.

 

They love to push digital these days and this one will be tempting when it will struggle to sell a million units on the Wii U. Twilight Princess on the GameCube for instance didn't even make it to 1.5 million units despite having an install base nearly twice the size.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Atariboy

[Andromeda Stardust]

So torn whether to get Zelda-U for the Wii-U or the NX. The collector inside me wants to get both but I may spring for the Wii-U version just to have it. I do plan on buying the NX on launch day same as I did with Wii-U.

 

There is also compelling evidence that the NX gamepad will have it's own ARM coprocessor and can be used as a stand alone portable away from the main console.

[SeberHusky]

I still don't have a WII-U because the used price of the console has CONSISTENTLY almost matched the retail MSRP for years,

[cybercylon]

I would really like to know more about the NX before drawing any conclusions...

 

I will probably just get the Wii U version of the Zelda game. I have enough Wii U, PS3/PS4 games on my hands without adding new system any time in the next couple of years.

 

As far as selling at the MSRP for so long... there are usually deals that crop up. I think Black Friday had the biggest deals but I am sure there will be more. I just hope they don't just discontinue the current SKU and release some compromised version (e.g., something with no optical drive, loss of Wii BC, etc).

[Andromeda Stardust]

I still don't have a WII-U because the used price of the console has CONSISTENTLY almost matched the retail MSRP for years,

That's because it is a "good" system and worth it!