Did Nintendo's Wii U marketing miss anyone else?

[Gaming-Module]

I've been gaming since I was a small child and up until four or five years ago paid a lot of attention to video games and the video game industry. While I haven't posted or participated in a discussion thread regarding this topic in a long time, I can't help but do so now regarding Nintendo and their latest console. 

Like I said, I'm not really that into the scene anymore and I don't obsessively consume every single detail about the newest hardware and software, including Nintendo and the Wii U. But you'd think that I'd have gleamed an understanding of the platform from my cursory reading of IGN/Gamespot, perusing the upcoming software titles and by word-of-mouth from other people in my life who play video games. To this day I still have no damn idea if Wii U games use the Wiimote. I know that the Wiimote's function with the Wii U, but are they actually needed? Are games still doing waggle?

I lack a fundamental understanding of Nintendo's latest platform and I'm wondering if I'm the only one in that situation, and I'm also wondering if that's the problem plaguing the platform. While I'm kind of ambivalent to Nintendo's first party lineup at this point, I was right there with them up until the Wii. I've never before had any difficulty understanding Nintendo's products, including R.O.B. and the Power Glove. 

I'd be interesting in hearing other people's thoughts. Maybe I'm just getting old...

 

[dmaul1114]

I still keep up with gaming news so I had no confusion.

But they definitely have blown the marketing and many people think the Wii U is just a tablet add-on for the Wii.

Naming it Wii U was terrible, and they've done a poor job of marketing it subsequently as well.  I love mine for the Nintendo games, but it is a pretty misguided console.  The tablet controller was just a bust.  It doesn't add enough to games to make the console worth the $300 current MSRP, much less the $350 launch price, to most people (especially the Wii market) and it hasn't attracted any interest from casuals.

 

[ihadFG]

I agree that their marketing of the WiiU has been terrible, and many people still don't know what the hell the thing is.  Most people that aren't into games still think it's an add-on for the Wii, and I think naming it the WiiU was a big cause of that.

To answer your question about the Wii remotes, they aren't necessary for single player games (they are an option for some), but the Wii remotes are the only way to do local multiplayer outside of pass-the-controller games.  You can't have a second gamepad.  Additionally, the Wii remotes are used for playing Wii games, since the WiiU is backwards compatible.  Single player WiiU games just use the Gamepad though, which functions mostly like a regular controller with the addition of a few touch screen menu-type options for the most part.  It's definitely more like a traditional controller with a few minor additions instead of the wagglefest that the Wii was.

 

[dmaul1114]

To answer your question about the Wii remotes, they aren't necessary for single player games (they are an option for some), but the Wii remotes are the only way to do local multiplayer outside of pass-the-controller games.

Doesn't the Wii U Pro controller work for local multi in most games? I know it does in NSMBU (after patch) and Super Mario 3D worlds.

Hell of a lot more comfortable than playing with a Wiimote sideways. I even prefer it to the gamepad for games that don't make special use of the touch screen (i.e. NSMBU that just mirrors the TV).

 

[ihadFG]

Doesn't the Wii U Pro controller work for local multi in most games? I know it does in NSMBU (after patch) and Super Mario 3D worlds.

Hell of a lot more comfortable than playing with a Wiimote sideways. I even prefer it to the gamepad for games that don't make special use of the touch screen (i.e. NSMBU that just mirrors the TV).

I forgot about that since I don't have a pro controller, but that makes sense that it would work for the Mario games. I know that wouldn't apply to Nintendoland since the multiplayer games in that are all based on pass-the-gamepad or asymmetric play involving the Wii remote as one of the components. But I guess then yeah, on a case-by-case basis, a pro controller could work for some multiplayer games.

 

[DNukem170]

It also doesn't help that the free promotion (i.e. gaming sites) tends not to focus on WiiU much. Aside from Mario 3D World, pretty much any and every Sony or Microsoft game got more attention from the media than anything on WiiU.