Brack

I'm not saying that tweet isn't legit, but why not make something powerful AND cater to their fan base with something innovative? The Wiimote made sense; the Game Pad didn't. Motion control should've been improved. Imagine something like Kinect that actually worked well. That Kinect Sports Rivals for XO is a terrible game with crappy motion control. Even if the NX or whatever isn't better in raw power than the PS4 doesn't mean it can't be a pleasurable experience for what it is. Maybe it will be a gimmick, but if it works well, I would see a lot of different games coming out. I'd like a FPS that used motion control, kind of like in that movie Gamer.

/end rant

Adam Tyner

All indications are that Nintendo is going for a unified platform; in the same way that you can buy a game for your iPad and play it on your iPhone with the resolution, bells and whistles, etc. scaling to best suit the hardware. I think they'll try to strike a balance between price and power. They hired a graphics system architect out of the U.S., so they seemingly aren't playing entirely from the usual Nintendo playbook.

Nintendo botched the launch of the Wii U in basically every way they could, but I really do think the NX could turn things around (even if the console form factor lags well behind the PS4 and Xbox One).

Drexl

I think it might work if it comes in at a budget price (like $200) so it could be positioned as a second system. If they're not interested in winning back the third parties with something powerful, why not embrace the budget market and put out something that owners of competing consoles and PCs could easily justify getting?

The Wii U was too expensive to be a second system but not cheap enough to be as good of a value as a PS4 or Kinect-less XBO.

Sonny Corinthos

If Nintendo could drop the gimmicky controllers (Wii Remote, Wii U Gamepad, etc.) and give me a decent controller like the Wii U Pro Controller and really support the system with games throughout the year, I could get on board with less power.

But the thing with Nintendo, going all the way back to the N64 (maybe longer) is the fact they go months and months and months without a game release and here you are with a system gathering dust while they trickle out games for it.

Adam Tyner

Those droughts are exactly what Nintendo is architecting the NX to avoid.

Right now, the 3DS and Wii U are two separate islands. There's a lot of overlap, to the point that I think that the 3DS cannibalized a lot of potential Wii U sales. (With the same franchises and same gameplay on both systems, why not get your Nintendo fix on the cheaper 3DS and leave console gaming to the PS4 or Xbox One?)

Having one common platform should lead to a larger, more diverse release slate and far fewer droughts. Plus it could be more appealing to some publishers because the NX will have a larger userbase than a dedicated Nintendo handheld or a dedicated Nintendo console would.

There are still all sorts of hurdles to overcome: figuring out who their target audience oughtta be, repairing their brand, competent marketing, etc. I still think there's cause for a lot of optimism and indications that Nintendo is addressing at least some of their missteps.

chess

Just posting to note how sad I was to hear that Iwata passed away.

I didn't always agree with the direction the company was going, but I remain a fan of Nintendo, and there's no doubt he oversaw some great successes. He also seemed like a wonderful human being.

jacob_b

So is everyone basically done playing the WiiU? I just got it last week (really wanted to play some of the party games) and came away unimpressed. Didn't like the new style of Mario Party (not like the original at all) and Smash was ok. The Mario World game is ok, but seems like there is a lot of things to do in that game. And I really wanted Mario Kart, but with it being $60 bucks basically everywhere, couldn't pull that trigger.

Adam Tyner

No, although Nintendo's erratic scheduling has left us with another drought. We could all be playing Yoshi's Woolly World right now like the rest of the world, but Nintendo of America decided to delay it to a very crowded October. I'm mildly interested in Super Mario Maker, but other than those two games, nothing else on the slate for 2015 is really grabbing me (Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, etc.).

Splatoon is still in very heavy rotation over here.

Can you clarify what you mean about Super Mario 3D World?

Other games I'd recommend:

• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (a great alternative to Mario Kart, and you can play local multiplayer with one person on the TV and another on the gamepad; no split-screen!)
• The Bayonetta / Bayonetta 2 pack (be warned that the sequel is much easier on the default difficulty than the first game)
• New Super Mario Bros. U (especially if 3D World -- which I love -- isn't to your liking)
• Pikmin 3
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
• Rayman Legends (if you're not sick of platformers and don't have it for another console)
• Wind Waker HD
• Nintendo Land (not amazing, but it's a lot of fun if you're into local multiplayer)

If you're into puzzle games, think about Pushmo World or Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker as well. Game and Wario is mostly lousy, but a couple of the minigames -- especially Sketch -- make it worth the price of entry as a party game.

Worth considering, although I'm not as much of a fan as most people:

• ZombiU (under $10 at Best Buy; I bought this at launch but didn't really give it a fair shot)
• The Wonderful 101 (kind of a polarizing game; I just found it repetitive and overlong)

Nintendo's games don't really drop in price very quickly, and they're apparently not doing any sort of Player's Choice discount line this gen. FWIW, Mario Kart 8 is down to $39.99 at Best Buy this week if you're unlocked ($49.99 otherwise). If you pick up Mario Kart 8, I would very, very highly recommend shelling out for the DLC at some point.

bippitty

I still have games to play on the Wii U, but I may go this whole year without buying a new release. I may get Mario Tennis because there don't seem to be any other tennis games coming out on any console.

Michael Corvin

I wish they'd just toss Super Tennis up on the VC. I'd drop $10 in a heartbeat to play that again. I need fewer Mushroom Kingdom characters in my Nintendo games.

jacob_b

What do you mean by unlocked at Best Buy?

With 3D World, I meant the three stars, stickers, etc. It's not like the originals back in the day where you would just race to try to beat the level as fast as possible. I admit, I do like how I can be a cat (fun feature) and the graphics are pretty good, but the 3D will wear thin after a while trying to find everything and looking all over while racing against the clock.

I also tried the Kirby game at Game Stop and couldn't do it. Just making the rainbow every time to get over something made me want to throw the controller.

DVDChris

Gamers Club Unlocked. It's their video game club that gives you 20% off all new games.

Adam Tyner

You don't have to find everything unless you want to, though.

The Questyen

Sounds like modern video gaming is not for you. You probably should have just picked up a NES.

chess

In a Nintendo thread. The humanity.

jacob_b

Funny you say that since a lot of game experts feel that the original Nintendo and Super Nintendo was the last best Nintendo platforms...

jacob_b

Interesting this wasn't pitched to me when I got some new games there. How much is it?

XavierMike

Its $30 for 2 years.

Adam Tyner

TVii is going dark.

Goldberg74

So long TVii... we hardly used you.

Michael Corvin

Still waiting on TiVo integration.

I thought all it did was flip the tv feed to the gamepad? Why is that a service that needs to be shut down?

Adam Tyner

I say this based on articles I've read since I've never used the service in this way, but there was a second screen component (like, live player stats in sports games) and social components that I've never really understood.

I fiddled around with it briefly back when the Wii U came out, but it was kind of slow and cumbersome, so I gave up almost immediately. On the other gaming message boards I read, the reaction to TVii being axed was "what's TVii?", and that pretty much says it all.

edytwinky

Back and forth on whether to pick up Mario Maker when it comes out next month.

Adam Tyner

Me too. I love the concept, but I don't see myself creating much, and since there's more to a game than just a bunch of levels, it doesn't excite me the way that a more traditional Mario game might. I'm on the fence.

slop101

I'm sure I'll get more than my money's worth on Mario Maker from all the user created content - seems like it'll be well-maintained and curated.

I'm still pissed that we don't have Yarn Yoshi yet!