A prominent industry analyst says he believes Nintendo has adopted a “rear-view mirror strategy” with its next-gen Wii U console.
”[Yes], Nintendo is intent upon repeating their success with the Wii,” Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan told CVG.
“While I agree that the Wii U controller is sufficiently novel and different from traditional controllers, I am not sure that there is a killer app that will drive Wii U adoption the way Wii Sports did for the Wii.”
James Brightman of Games Industry International expressed similar sentiments in a statement to Reuters.
“I am still not convinced about whether [Nintendo] can retain the audience who bought the Wii, as well as hardcore gamers,” he said.
As far as upcoming Wii U games, Pachter acknowledged that he wasn’t “particularly impressed” with many of the Nintendo titles showcased at E3.
“[Frankly], I don’t understand why I need a tablet to read Karaoke words rather than reading the words on the TV screen instead.”
Pachter also emphasized that Nintendo would have to price its next-gen Wii console at less than $300 – if it wants to stand any chance at all in the hyper-competitive gaming market.
“The console must be priced below $300 to succeed, in my opinion, and best at $249 or less,” he added.
