Before I jump into the heavy and potentially controversial meat of this blog, let me first start by saying, hello there! I don't know if anyone has actually noticed but I've been gone for quite a while and that's because life has been getting in the way of my blogging. However, this one little thing (the Wii U and where it stands as a console) has been bugging me, and I just had to write about it. So, without further ado, I pose the question; is the Wii U the only real dedicated gaming console on the market?
Alright ladies and gents don't get your boxers, panties, thongs, or whatever kind of undergarments you're wearing in a bunch. I'm just asking a question, not making a definitive statement. And I feel that I actually have a few valid reasons for why I'm asking this question.
If you look at all of the other consoles on the market (and that's not really much to look at) you'll notice that the once prominent line separating consoles and PC's has gradually begun to blur. You'll also observe that consoles no longer serve the sole purpose of playing just your video games (and in all honesty they haven't in a very long while) but they have now morphed into central media hubs, encompassing music, film, gaming, and social interaction apps. Look a bit closer and you'll also notice that console exclusives (an integral fuel needed to keep the console wars ignited) are slowly starting to diminish. Pay a bit more attention and you'll soon observe a wave of updates flooding across your next gen screen that all too often have little to do with your gaming experience and everything to do with improved music/social-media/streaming app performance. Now look once more and you'll see that most of your games no longer support couch co-op, forcing you to either go solo or (as usually happens to me) play online with one of the many obnoxious online gamer stereotypes; i.e. the guy who plays his music to loud, the potty mouth 10 year old, the man who can't stop arguing with his wife in the background, etc. etc..
And now, turn your head to that dusty box on your entertainment center - or perhaps the empty space that would belong to your Wii U if you actually owned one. What do you see? You probably see a sad, nearly defeated, underpowered, little box that might as well have been abandoned by not only yourself but Nintendo due to their lack of proper support for the damned thing. But what I see, is an underappreciated, and extremely neglected console, that had (and perhaps it still does) the potential to truly shake up the industry. I see a console that is barely staying afloat within this confused and twisted market, hell bent on driving itself towards the brink of obsoletion. I see a successful console just waiting to happen, but instead it's simply drowning in its own failures and the few tired and regurgitated franchises that Nintendo has chosen to utilize (seriously I love Mario but I wouldn't mind playing something new, exclusive, and awesome on this thing).
But still, even with all its shortcomings, the Wii U seems to be the only console that has actually stayed true to its gaming origins (in all fairness, Xbox was never meant to be solely a gaming machine anyway). With the Wii U, I rarely have to worry about updates that add unwanted media apps to my User Interface. With the Wii U I don't have to scour the shelves at GameStop just to find a single game that still supports couch co-op, because a decent amount of their games (not that there are that many) actually foster real live social interaction! With the Wii U I actually have something to look forward to whenever Nintendo makes its next-gen jump, because in terms of graphical power, they still haven't quite pushed themselves to the limit. And that actually makes me pretty frickin happy because it appears that their focus is more on delivering quality gameplay than mirroring real life with hyper-realistic graphics. And with the Wii U, I still get a fair share of console exclusives. And while it could be said that Nintendo should do a lot better when it comes to getting those games out in a timely fashion and adding more versatility to their exclusive roster (i.e. a new Metriod, Star Fox, whole new franchise in general), the fact that they even have the ability to offer so many options was enough for me to step out on faith and purchase a Wii U.
The Wii U has a ton of faults, but as for where it stands as a gaming console, at least it does exactly what I want it to do; play games and very little else. When Sony and Microsoft decided to gravitate towards a more PC centric model, they seemed to have put a lot of people off. Every day I see someone trying to offload their PS4 or Xbox One. And despite the excellent sales figures for the PS4 and Xbox One, the reality is that PC game sales are now surpassing consoles. Yes, you read that right, PC game sales are surpassing consoles! Read all about it here if you don't believe me. And while there are a number of factors behind these figures, one thing is for certain, more and more gamers (at least that I know of) have decided to take up PC gaming this gen. I for one would if I could afford to build my dream PC, but until then I'll wait a while and just buy an Xbox One to complete my new-gen trio.
I think the problem is that, a lot of people - like myself - just don't see the point in having a console if they can build an awesome PC, take advantage of Steam, and not even have to worry about missing out on that many exclusive titles. The only real downside to PC gaming is that it requires a decent chunk of money (and you can still build a decent PC for the price of an Xbox One), and some technological knowhow. And if modern consoles are just going to sit around emulating PCs then the only real thing that's most likely stopping gamers from jumping ship is monetary restraint, the allure of simplicity that consoles still provide on some level, and the preference for controllers (which is silly given that many high profile PC games now offer some controller support).
So when you look at all of this, the Wii U - at least in my eyes - is beginning to look more and more like the only truly dedicated gaming console on the market. However, I'm not going to go as far as saying that it actually is. Because in all honesty, even I haven't fully appreciated my Wii U. I've actually still been too busy drooling over my last-gen consoles, hyping myself up over the upcoming games that I plan on adding to my PS4 library, and debating on when to buy an Xbox One.
But now that I've taken time to stop and analyze things, I see that the Wii U actually probably is a more dedicated gaming machine. I mean that's all it really does (technically it does do a few other things). However, the problem is that, Nintendo is no longer a dedicated gaming company, and perhaps they never really were to begin with. I suspect that a change of leadership and a new business model could actually clear things up at Nintendo, return it to its Yamauchi glory days. But until that happens, most people aren't even going to notice; most people aren't even going to care, that the Wii U is the only console that actually puts gaming first. And why should they? Because what does it matter if you put gaming first when the gamers come in dead last?
So, thanks for reading! But I want to hear back from you guys. What do you think about the Nintendo situation, especially in lieu of their "we can do what we want" and "no E3 press conference" statements? Do you view things the same way I do, like a big "screw you" to the fans? Or are you more of a Nintendo apologist, who feels that they're giving it their best, staying true to themselves, and as a result they're misunderstood by the masses? Whatever your take on the matter, feel free to leave feedback in the comments section. And as always, happy gaming!
