The Future of the Nintendo Wii

On the day the Nintendo Wii was first released, I woke up at 3 AM with a friend and drove down to the local Target to try to snatch up a couple copies. We had called ahead days ago and had been told that this particular store would be carrying sixty Wiis for the launch. We thought we had a pretty good chance at landing at least one.

Wrong. At least eighty people more devoted to gaming than us had camped out for twenty-four hours plus. Needless to say, we didn’t bother sticking around very long and days later, I overpaid for my own Wii on eBay. Given the troubles some people went to in the upcoming months to do the same, I still consider that a good decision on my part.

Fast-forward two years, and the Wii is still very popular and in-demand. But questions have begun to come up about the long-term appeal of the console. Hardcore gamers are already turning their back on the console, and one has to wonder whether Nintendo would be able to put out a similar console to the Wii for the next generation and still outsell Microsoft and Sony.

Particularly disappointing has been the lack of improvement in third-party games. Recently I found myself trying out “Star Wars: The Clone Wars — Lightsaber Duels.” By all means, this game held great potential, using the Wiimote as a lightsaber seemed like a natural fit. Unfortunately, the usage of the Wiimote in the game was regulated to basic movements which I doubt even my ten year old cousin would find fun for more than a half-hour.

This usage of the Wiimote, more novelty then innovation, has been strikingly prevalent in many Wii games I have tried out. And while future developments, such as Wii‘s MotionPlus attachment for the Wiimote, are in play, one has to wonder how long Nintendo can skate by doing the bare minimum with what was once, and may still be, a promising concept.

Could MotionPlus be the answer?

Nintendo may not have much to worry about with regards to this generation of console gaming. In fact, it is probably pretty safe to declare them winners. But success now does not guarentee success in the future. It is time for the Wii to start showing it’s staying-power, to start living up to the lofty expectations it set for itself. And if it does, I will be happy to make another trek to a local Target a few years down the line in a hopeless effort to pick up the Wii 2.