It is no secret now that Super Meat Boy has seen massive success on the Nintendo Switch. It is also no secret that the Switch as a whole has been more successful than anyone anticipated. A lot of people have speculated why this has been the case., and now Tommy Refenes of Team Meat has joined the discussion. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he explained why he feels that the Switch is what he wanted the Wii U to be:
“I was like, ‘This (the Switch) is exactly what I wanted the Wii U to be.’ When we bought the Wii U I thought, ‘This is stupid, I want to be able to take this with me everywhere.’ I’m not the only one how had that thought, a billion people did and that why the Switch is so successful.”
The problem was the lack of games and that they weren’t prepared to make HD games.
No, the Wii U had some great games, but the concept that it was made with wasn’t a strong one. You can tell with how little the console’s features were used in games. Even Nintendo rarely made use of what they put in the hardware. The lack of games certainly didn’t help but it wasn’t the core problem either.
I admit that it has some great games but a lot of factors didn’t help the Wii U. The lack of a Power Star collecting Mario game (they have a lot of staff for the Mario franchise so they could have put at least a game with 120 Power Stars), the lack of a Pokémon game even if is a simple one, poor third party support, the D-Pad wasn’t so innovative as they said it was and finally the E3 2017 caused great deception because they didn’t announced a true Animal Crossing and instead put the travesty that is Amiibo Festival and on top of that they restart Star Fox with the new remaster meaning that Star Fox Adventure, Star Fox Assault and Star Fox Command are uncanon which means Krystal never existed and any new character that appeared in those games aren’t canon either. The Mario Party franchise continue to its destructive path with Mario Party 10 instead of returning to the formula of Party 1-8. No new Zelda until March 3 which is when the Switch released and most preferred the new Zelda on Switch because it is a new console. In resume it was Nintendo’s fault that the Wii U failed.
E3 2015*
I think the Wii U was a great idea that was just poorly executed and promoted.
That microphone alone could have allowed it to have some of the voice features that the Kinect had (for example “Xbox On” could have been “Wii U, Let’s Play” or something) and could have been made to work as a Wii Speak for Wii Mode to allow people who have Wii Speak enabled games to finally take advantage of the features.
Had they supported two gamepads they could have upgraded the gamepad’s firmware to allow players to connect to a Wii U and login to their Nintendo Network ID privately and without interrupting the flow of gameplay.
They also should have supported single screen mode on an OS level. That would allow a few things: 1. It would that have allowed players to opt out of using the second screen in one game and have that apply to other games they play. 2. It would informed the OS that the game is in single screen mode. In this mode, players would have the option to mirror gameplay onto the gamepad or shut the screen off. That prevents weird off-screen gameplay implementation like DKTF and BotW blacking out one of the screens at all times. If a game requires both screens or if the player chooses dual-screen mode, the OS would turn the screen on and disable the ability to turn it off.
They also could have allowed background apps and messaging to work on the gamepad during gameplay. That way a player could ask a question on Miiverse or message a friend, then continue playing and get notified on the gamepad without having to manually check every few minutes.
Considering mirrored games were technically always encoding an h.264 stream to the gamepad, the gamepad’s camera could be set up to record, and the gamepad had a microphone already, it’s a shame it was never made to support livestreaming on Twitch. Of course, the more ideal setup would have been to have the system encode the main screen and have the Twitch chat on the gamepad.
Of course, it’s possible Nintendo thought of a lot of these ideas but only after it had already launched.
Unfortunately Nintendo was learning to make HD games so those ideas you mentioned could never see the light of day.
I really wish people wouldn’t say that Nintendo was “learning to make HD games”. There’s nothing different about making HD games vs SD games. What they were learning how to do was using shaders. That was not something they had little experience with because the GameCube and Wii both a GPU that that basically had built in effects that could be mixed to create effects.
Every feature I just mentioned either uses something that Nintendo already implemented previously or requires simple coding and foresight. The code required wouldn’t be much more than this.
if (singleScreenMode)
{
screenMirror = true;
}
then in the Home Menu
if (screenMirror)
{
button(“Turn off display”)
}
Then if you have a game that only uses one screen, you would put include something like in meta.xml and the game system would know to mirror the screen upon launching. Similarly, a game that requires two screens can use . Anything that can do both would just inherit what ever the system preference is and allow the player to switch from within the game or through the home menu.
I see, so they were learning how to do shaders.
Absolute nonsense.
Right when I first got the Wii U I knew the next system had to take off TV play to the next logical step and I’m so glad it did otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to take it to Disney World and play it on the bus between parks. I fucking love how the Switch is all in one. So much so I’m willing to buy Donkey Kong again and already got Mario Kart just so I can play them anywhere lol.
Speaking of games, I am a bit impatient about what Retro Studios is working on. We know is not Metroid so that only leaves a few choices: a new Donkey Kong Country, Luigi’s Mansion 3 (though that could be Next Level Games current project), a sequel of DK 64 or something nobody expects that they are working on (could it be Smash 5?).
I’m going to guess finally their own IP and I think there’s a strong chance it comes this year.
Fair point, I hope they finally reveal their extremely secret game before E3 as they have keep us in the dark for too long.
That’s a pretty good summary of the situation:
Wii U is what Nintendo wanted their home system to be. (ex- Two Screens Interacting)
Switch is what worked about the Wii U, only more fine-tuned. (ex – Off-TV Play)
Except this isn’t the Pii U. It’s better and refreshing.
The Pii U? Really?
Also there’s things the Wii U can do that the Switch can’t so it can’t be overall better.
Like what? Not gaming past 15 feet? 480p display? Forced gamepad functionality without any choice of alternative controllers? Oh wait, let me guess…the crappy video chat system that nobody even uses or Miiverse being a poor man’s Twitter for pixel drawings?
And yes, “Pii U” because it took me long to realize what a piece of wasted trash that console and it’s most pathetic game library since Virtual Boy but even so, Virtual Boy did try to be unique. Wii U is an HD tryhard console attempting the same “lightning in the bottle” twice without telling a soul, at first, at it exists and should matter because we got…Mario 3D Land HD, another NSMB rehash, another Star Fox SNES/64 rehash without an original bone in it’s body…and multiplayer…in 2016…
That’s why I learned my lesson to not fall for fanboy bullshit like yours ever again. Now I’m cautiously optimistic and realist if Nintendo screws up like that again.
Holy shit, it becomes very obvious that you can’t think for yourself and that it’s really easy for Nintendo to market to you.
The Wii U includes a microphone allows voice chat and control of games like Sea Man right out of the box. They’re also possible on PS4 with a headset connected to the bottom of their controller. The Switch needs a headset which connects to a hub which connects to a smart phone and the headphone jack in your Switch across the room.
The Wii U supports Wii Remote Pluses and the sensor bar which means that it can use detect relative rotation using it’s gyroscope and relative position using it’s accelerometer just like the JoyCons, but a Wii Remote can use the sensor bar to do absolute pointing without drift as well as determine depth. The Switch can’t do that. Because Wii Remotes have extension ports, you add a secondary motion detecting device (the nun-chuck) without counting as two bonded controller connections like with the Switch. The extension also allows the use of the classic controller, NES Classic controller, and SNES classic controller. The Wii Remote can also be turned toward a player with glass with IR LEDs on them to do this.
The gamepad’s camera is also sensitive to IR so it would theoretically be capable of doing this as well provided the IR LEDs in the gamepad are on and illuminating your eyes. This is exactly how the 3DS does eye tracking. This is also a more simplified version of how the Ocusu Rift tracks it’s controllers and headset.
The gamepad as an IR blaster, which allows you to use the gamepad was TV remote to turn the TV or cable box on and off or change the input, volume, and channel. A Wii Remote would be able to do very course X and Y position tracking of the gamepad and X, Y, and Z tracking of the gamepad if the gamepad were facing the Wii Remote though I’ll admit that’s pretty useless.
Of course, second screen or private screen gaming as a whole isn’t possible on the Switch without having more than one Switch. I just went over with someone else how most of the games in Nintendo Land aren’t possible on Switch without 2-5 WiFi connected Switches. It has been customary for me for the past few years to stream E3 on the my Wii U while I’m browsing Neogaf on the gamepad. Of course, that’s the kind of functionality that the Switch could support if 1. it had an accessible browser 2. it supported Miracast 3. you have a smart TV that supports that.
As for stuff like Miiverse, why is it better to not have those things? A lot of people used it to get past parts they stuck in in-game or to contact developers. It was also great, standardized way for games to implement system for leaving messages in-game similar to what Dark Souls has. While I understand that some people might have no interest in what was posted in most communities, the Art Academy community was a legitimate joy to view.
You seem to have a terrible time gauging something’s potential.
Wrong. Even with microphone, they made the voice chat only through headphones, not the other way around. The DS/3DS did that.
And are you seriously defending that redundant ass chat setup from Splatoon 2?…Stop yourself right there because your irrelevancy just kicked in.
Would it matter if they support any other controller? Look at what the Wii U did for the GameCube. It’s only supported for ONE GAME (Smash 4)…and that’s it. Can’t I use Netflix or the browser with the Wii Remote? Nope because Nintendo once said “Fuck you and use the Gamepad and you’re gonna like it”. Besides, if you’re gonna say Switch doesn’t support that, you’re gravely mistaken. JoyCons are the new Wii Remotes as well as the Pro Controller and Switch supports the GameCube surprisingly. Also, can Wii Remotes work as two independent controllers or can the Gamepad work on the go without disconnecting in roughly 15 feet? No. So your point for Wii U is like the console itself: HISTORY.
Wrong. Even with microphone, they made the voice chat only through headphones, not the other way around. The DS/3DS did that.
I used voice chat in Mario Kart 8 via the gamepad microphone. The decision to require a headset for voice chat was the Call of Duty developers’.
And are you seriously defending that redundant ass chat setup from Splatoon 2?…Stop yourself right there because your irrelevancy just kicked in.
How bad are you at reading? The whole post was to tell you what the Wii U does better than the Switch. It’s obvious that I was showing a gradient. I was showing a gradient and saying that Wii U had that function included in the box, PS4 doesn’t but at least only requires a headset, and the Switch has the worst set up with that Splatoon 2 bullshit. If I didn’t mention that the Switch technically had the ability to get microphone input then you would have claimed that I was being unfair to the Switch.
Would it matter if they support any other controller? Look at what the Wii U did for the GameCube. It’s only supported for ONE GAME (Smash 4)…and that’s it.
I agree that that was bullshit but that has more to do with implementation than ability. It’s completely possible that other devs had the option to use Gamecube controllers but the adapter was so hard to find for a while that nobody would have built support for it in their game. It could have been used to control VC games if it weren’t for that fact that Nintendo idea to bundle emulators with games made doing something like that non-trivial.
I believe Switch can support Gamecube controllers to but they would only work in docked mode so Smash will probably be the only game to support them again. At least with the Wii U, there was the possibility of playing Gamecube games with them, and through homebrew, you can. That’s the not the case with the Switch because it’s not capable enough to emulate the GC or Wii.
Can’t I use Netflix or the browser with the Wii Remote? Nope because Nintendo once said “Fuck you and use the Gamepad and you’re gonna like it”.
To my knowledge, it was Netflix’s decision not to support the Wii Remote, not Nintendo’s though I agree that they half-assed the Wii Remote support in the browser.
Besides, if you’re gonna say Switch doesn’t support that, you’re gravely mistaken. JoyCons are the new Wii Remotes as well as the Pro Controller and Switch supports the GameCube surprisingly.
Guess you beat me to mentioning the Switch’s support for GC controllers. I know exactly what they’re intended to do but I already explained to how much they barely improvement, and are worse in some cases. Had they at least included a magnetometer, they would atleast be able to claim they can do absolute orientation but they can’t. Saying “JoyCons are the new Wii Remotes” doesn’t say anything. I’m talking about what they’re capable of. You’re just trying to market to me.
Also, can Wii Remotes work as two independent controllers
Yes, because two Wii Remotes ARE two seperate controllers. Same thing with the JoyCons. The only difference is that the concept of two players each using a JoyCon is marketed as a controller that can seperate, while the concept of one player using two Wii Remotes is marketed as two controllers working in conjunction. Ther reality is that both are doing the latter.
How many Wii Remotes are supported by the Wii U and Wii? Four right? And if the game required each player to use two Wii Remotes, how many players can play? That’s right two.
How many JoyCons are supported by the Switch? Four right? And if the game required each player to use two JoyCons, how many players can play? That’s right two.
How much are a pair of JoyCons? $80.
How much are a pair of Wii Remotes? About $60.
Can you buy just one JoyCon? Yes.
Can you buy just one Wii Remote? Yes.
If you haven’t figured out what I’m getting at, I’m saying it ISN’T a feature nor is it surprising that two completely seperate controllers can be used as two completely seperate controllers. It’s not a new feature that two controllers can be used as one either, when all that takes is the softeware support it. In the Switch’s case, it’s supported at the OS level which makes things feel tidier, but the actual idea of using two controllers as one has been used on the Wii, N64, NES, and even the PS Move controller is an example of two controllers being used by one person.
or can the Gamepad work on the go without disconnecting in roughly 15 feet? No.
I’ve used it farther than that. Plus you’re missing the point. It’s a controller. I get that a lot of games only used it for off-screen gameplay, but where the gamepad was most useful was as a second touch-screen interface for games. With the exception of the speakers and rumble, everything in the controller was designed to give developers access to different methods of INPUT.
You seem to think I’m saying the Wii U is perfect or that it was utilized to it’s fullest. All I’m saying is that the Switch doesn’t offer as many possibities for gameplay as the Wii U. The Switch, conceptually, is a portable Wii with a dock that lets you hook it up to a TV.
So your point for Wii U is like the console itself: HISTORY.
Was that your catch phrase or something? Did you think that was some mic drop moment or something? lol
The Wii U was a home console with a difficult to communicate gimmick and underpowered compared to the competition. The Switch’s concept clicked effortlessly with gamers and its hybrid nature made power a non issue.
I’d like to think of the Wii U as a prototype for the Switch.
All you guys make valid points.
At the end of the day what killed the Wii U was definitely ALL THE AFOREMENTIONED.
…but especially the fact you couldnt take the Gamepad ANYWHERE!! The fact you HAD to be in the same vicinity as the console or it’d shut off was utterly ridiculous!
Of course the gamepad had to be in the same vicinity as the system. It’s a controller! The Switch is not a refined version of the Wii U’s concept. It takes ONE thing that the Wii U can do (off-screen gameplay) and improved on it. Think of it this way. How many of the games in Nintendo Land would work on the Switch?
All of the multi-player attractions (The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Metroid Blast, Mario Chase, Luigi’s Ghost Mansion, Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, and Pikmin Adventure) would need 2-5 WiFi-connected Switch’s in order to play them. Literally $1500 in systems.
Most of the single-player attractions (Takamaru’s Ninja Castle, Donkey Kong’s Crash Course, and Yoshi’s Fruit Cart) wouldn’t be playable on the Switch do to a lack of second screen or microphone.
Not to mentioned the gamepad would be the perfect controller for a Pokémon Snap sequel as is made evident in the Shutter game in Game and Wario. Actually, Game and Wario’s Sketch game and anything that involves a private screen wouldn’t be possible on Switch without having multiple consoles either.
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