What the Wii U needs if it wants to be strong in the market

The launch of Nintendo's next-gen console is becoming ever closer. But just because it might have a tablet for a controller, it might not be a good move without some of these things.

Quality launch titles
We can't have a rerun of the Nintendo 3DS all over again. We need first party titles, like the ever-awaited Pikmin 3, some good quality third party games like Assassin's Creed, as well as some high-quality GameCube ports like Luigi's Mansion. I don't expect every single launch game to be the best from the console, because I don't recall this ever happening on a Nintendo console, or one from it's rivals if I recall. Also, don't be surprised or afraid if we se some quirky, eShop style game like Pullblox (Pushmo elsewhere) or Mutant Mudds, because that is Nintendo's niche, and they do that well. Launch titles sell a console when it first arrives on the market, and without quality launch titles the Wii U will be set for launch time disaster!

Good online capabilities

This one I am confident about. Online capabilities have to be good for people to buy it. The Nintendo Network is looking very promising, and hopefully Nintendo ditch the 8/12-digit code system. Usernames, please!

The Nintendo Network also needs to be stable and able to cope with traffic. I've had problems with Mario Kart 7 occasionally sitting in front of my router. Dropping out in the middle of Mario Kart is not cool, Nintendo!

Interest
The most important thing from a money related perspective is that they need to generate interest. The big selling point from E3 last year was the ‘‘new controller’’, also known as a tablet. There hasn't been much known apart from information on the tablet controller, and even though that is it's big focus, it needs some things to stay up to date. Things like DVD playback capability, the ability to save the disc to hard-drive (like on the Xbox 360) and better sharing between consoles.

So what do you think? What features do you want to see on the Wii U?

Posted in: Editorials, The Strikester, Wii U