Michael Pacher: The Wii U Was A Bad Idea

When the Wii U first arrived on the scene, we were all a little confused. Thanks to advertising that put too much emphasis on the console's controller, even hardcore gamers believed that what was really a new console was in fact a peripheral for the machine they already own. From that point on, the journey has been a tough hill to climb with launch sales being slower than normal. If you asked popular and controversial analyst Michael Pachter what the deal is, he would tell you that the Wii U is simply an unimaginative idea that will only do well if it drops in price to compete with next-generation offerings from Microsoft and Sony.

Do I think the Wii U is really a terrible concept? Not necessarily. With the touch screen and smart phone gaming industry as huge as it is right now, there's no denying that there is clearly a type of market for these kinds of gameplay mechanics. Not to mention units like the DS have sold millions upon millions through the use of two-screens, so why wouldn't it fit well for console? Using this as a barometer I think Nintendo was somewhat sound in its thinking, but as many comments have said I think the real public error was in that bad first impression. When people are unsure what the Wii U is, they'll wait for a name they understand more like the PS4 or Xbox 720. As for price, I think it's a little too early to tell. The most recent reports put the PS4 at about $450, and if that's the case the $350 Wii U may be just right to price below the rest. I think the Wii U is definitely in a bad place now, but I don't want to count it out just yet.

We close out this editorial with talk of another struggling console on Sony's end, but this time it's a portable!

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