Pong Creator Says Wii U Won't Be Successful

[exfileme]

Pong creator and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell doesn't think the Wii U will sell well.

Pong Creator Says Wii U Won't Be Successful : Read more

 

[porterohana]

Just got one the other day, it's a bit complicated, but I'm sure my kids will figure it out. It's good that the old games ore backwards compatible, the new ones are crazy expensive. The thing I like with the Wii is that my girls have their friends over and the games are fun, but the social and physical interaction is what they really enjoy. I'm not sure you get that in the heads-down world of phone, pod and tablet games. Plus the interface for Netflix is great!

 

[Guest]

but it's already successful.....despite my opinions about the WiiU...

 

[wanderer11]

I really doubt consoles are going away any time soon. Phones and tablet will not replace a keyboard+mouse or a controller for anyone that plays games regularly.

 

[bigdragon]

What is it with this "hey, let's just dump all over our base of customers and move somewhere else" mentality? Console games aren't my favorite (PC is better), but they've proven plenty strong over the decades. They're not facing record-breaking growth like the mobile sector is. However, that doesn't mean you just abandon console games to go chase the mobile market. WiiU might not be as successful as the Wii, but it will still be successful. This isn't the end of an era -- it's just a pause to tweak things.

 

[travish82]

I still don't understand the price complaints. I saved my allowance for a year and bought a Sega genesis in 1989 for $190 and Golden Axe (a really crappy arcade port) for $50. In today's dollars that's like $350 and $90, for way way less.

 

[fuzznarf]

Because the creator of Pong said so...he clearly knows how to move from one successful product to the next level. NOT.

 

[internetlad]

In other news, Pong still raking in the millions due to it's popularity.

 

[Prey]

[citation][nom]iknowhowtofixit[/nom]Obviously, anything this guy says is credible since he made a simple game 40 years ago.[/citation]
I know right, Him and John Carmack should start a gaming blog: No longer relevant, but still has an opinion.

 

[axiler]

It's already sold more than 400k units ...even tho I'm not a fan I think it will do just fine.

 

[casualcolors]

I feel like this guy is completely out of touch with the industry to which he contributed something about 4 decades ago. What a shocker.

 

[kinggraves]

Bushnell isn't a game designer, he's an entrepreneur. Considering how many of his ventures have failed, I wouldn't say he's a very good one.

 

[djcreeble]

I paid $59.95 for Super Mario Bros. 3 back in the day....why is this a problem?

 

[JamesSneed]

Obviously, anything this guy says is credible since he made a simple game 40 years ago.

He should get some props for creating Atari and Chucky Cheese. Most of all for being forced out of Atari by Walt Disney World for fighting to open up the closed software. Anyone who had the open source vision in 1970's gets some props from me.

 

[fimbulvinter]

Mobile is nowhere near replacing consoles or PCs. This guy is an idiot.

 

[spookyman]

[citation][nom]djcreeble[/nom]I paid $59.95 for Super Mario Bros. 3 back in the day....why is this a problem?[/citation]

Its the Entitlement society now. They expect everything handed to them.

 

[dodongo]

This guy has always been very anti-nintendo, and he has no idea what he's talking about. He even said that no one over 8 will play the Nintendo DS.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/10/03/nolan-bushnell-no-one-under-8-will-play-ds.aspx

 

[internetlad]

PONG guy said it would fail? Let me cancel my order on Amazon then.

 

[slabbo]

I'm wondering if he's still butt hurt on what happened to Atari and the success of Nintendo over all these years.

 

[littleleo]

Pong and Atari are not top selling tons these days what does it mater what the guy says or thinks. He clearly lost to Nintendo and is hoping they will fail.

 

[Guest]

"motion-controlled bong" lol, that was awesome.

Consoles ain't dead. You gonna play Madden, COD etc. on a smartphone? didn't think so. PS4 and Xbox720 will sell well especially if they support DX11 properly. Console gamers have been waiting for a while now for some new tech.

 

[koss64]

I honestly havent even taken the price of the games into account, Im just looking at the fact that Nintendo didnt package a game with the hardware that has you using its features(NintendoLand)unless you want to pay extra for it.I got my Wii becasue it was cheap and it had alot of games I wanted to play,I dont see that at least five titles I want to play on it(no im not crazy of the new mario game I already have New Super Mario Bros. Wii and am not bowled over enough to desire an upgrade,plus its just one game). Bottom line it is expensive for now.

 

[gm0n3y]

While I personally prefer the PC over consoles, this is just wrong. In the future, there will probably be no single dominant platform. Each has it's own niche and users will flock to whichever meets their desires.

I don't game much any more, but when I do it is usually more in depth games that require a lot of time and effort to master (mostly strategy games). So that means that I primarily use the PC. However, I do play games on my phone when I'm away from home. And when I'm at home and don't have the time/patience to play a 'real' game, I play flash games in my web browser.

Other people will have different play style and use tablets or handhelds (eg DS, Vita), or consoles. Gaming as a whole is still growing. Companies shouldn't just ditch the current market leader at the first sign of a new one.

Of course once holodecks or neural interfaces become available, all bets are off. Once I have access to a holodeck I will probably spend all of my time either in the holodeck or making money to ensure that I can keep my holodeck.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]Prey[/nom]I know right, Him and John Carmack should start a gaming blog: No longer relevant, but still has an opinion.[/citation]

John Carmack i will give credit to only in the space of programing and when he talks on that end, i also give him some credit in the game design area too, but pong guy.... not so much anything.

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on a side note i would slit my throat if gaming went to mobile only. hate cellphones and they are crap for gameing on

 

[jonjonjon]

you think the wii u was successful wait until the next xbox. the xbox is so old and desperately needs an update. people will be lining up to buy the next xbox and ps4. the wii u is aimed at little kids and i have zero interest in it. id be will to bet that the xbox 720 will still be selling well 5 years from now. while graphics are important its all about the GAMES and online. the only threat would be tablets that can hook up to your tv with controllers that can be plugged in. the tablet would also need a online service and that basically makes it the same as a game console. i dont see onlive and streaming anytime soon. i cant even play black ops on my xbox because the lag comp makes it unplayable. image streaming the whole game.