Nintendo to shut down Wii streaming services in early 2019
It's hard to believe that the Nintendo Wii first came out over a decade ago in 2006.
The unique console was revolutionary at the time and for myself, it was a system which I spent countless hours on.
For the first time, avid gamers saw titles like Wii Sports where you would interact with your Mii character and play a competitive game of tennis, golf, boxing and more with your friends or against the computer.
I remember my first big purchase was Mario Kart Wii and boy did I cherish this game.
There was a steering wheel which my parents had bought for me that connected with the Wii remote and it felt like you were driving a real car. Pretty neat for 10 year old me.
The system was one of those "fun for the whole family type" and everyone could get involved as the controls vastly differed from the traditional Playstations and Xbox's which dominated the console market.
So, why did Nintendo choose to discontinue streaming services like YouTube and Netflix for the console?
Well, for starters, the Wii was unable to keep consumers interested. Soon after release, the other big console companies implemented their own versions into their respective platforms and we saw things like Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect competing with the Wii.
As sales of the Wii dwindled, Nintendo eventually announced that it would no longer be supporting new games for the console and thus, people were stuck playing the same Wii Sports and Mario Kart they've already become accustomed to. New titles are critical in a consoles continued sales and success as it drives people to purchase said console if they want to play the game. We call these console exclusives.
It looks like Nintendo is just once again cutting their losses with the Wii just as we've seen in the past. I'm sure this is a clever marketing tactic as it makes no sense to invest any effort or money into a rapidly declining system.
It may be unfortunate for people like myself who have profound nostalgic memories of the once booming console, but alas, it is time to lay the Wii to rest and move on the the future of gaming.
For those who used their Wii simply as a streaming platform, this announcement will surely come as a disappointment, but i'm sure those hundred or so people will live.
The unique console was revolutionary at the time and for myself, it was a system which I spent countless hours on.
For the first time, avid gamers saw titles like Wii Sports where you would interact with your Mii character and play a competitive game of tennis, golf, boxing and more with your friends or against the computer.
I remember my first big purchase was Mario Kart Wii and boy did I cherish this game.
There was a steering wheel which my parents had bought for me that connected with the Wii remote and it felt like you were driving a real car. Pretty neat for 10 year old me.
The system was one of those "fun for the whole family type" and everyone could get involved as the controls vastly differed from the traditional Playstations and Xbox's which dominated the console market.
So, why did Nintendo choose to discontinue streaming services like YouTube and Netflix for the console?
Well, for starters, the Wii was unable to keep consumers interested. Soon after release, the other big console companies implemented their own versions into their respective platforms and we saw things like Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect competing with the Wii.
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| Sony's Playstation Move |
It looks like Nintendo is just once again cutting their losses with the Wii just as we've seen in the past. I'm sure this is a clever marketing tactic as it makes no sense to invest any effort or money into a rapidly declining system.
It may be unfortunate for people like myself who have profound nostalgic memories of the once booming console, but alas, it is time to lay the Wii to rest and move on the the future of gaming.
For those who used their Wii simply as a streaming platform, this announcement will surely come as a disappointment, but i'm sure those hundred or so people will live.
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