What’s fun about the game console market is that it can be very volatile. The 3DS is currently illustrating this now with people who thought the 3DS would be a Wii-type success ended up with egg on their face. But then people who thought the 3DS would die to ‘I-phone’ also have egg on their face. People thinking the Vita is ‘gone’ should remember the PSP was revived by a single game: Monster Hunter.
So this brings us to the Wii U. I wouldn’t underestimate the Wii-U… especially since it is launching with the Mother-of-Killer-Apps: 2d Mario. The player I am most interested in seeing is Microsoft’s approach to the 8th Generation. Microsoft’s Xbox is cannibalizing Nintendo’s kid market which means the new Xbox could be in a position to take the entire North American market.
As Nintendo’s resources shift from the 3DS to the Wii U, I expect Vita to again pick up some momentum… somewhere. With the Wii U, I expect it to be ‘re-introduced’ but with emphasis on its game library instead of the controller. I fully expect Nintendo to emphasize the online components of Wii U and use Dragon Quest X as a type of illustration that the system can do MMOs. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 8th Generation Console fight revolved around the MMO type games. Microsoft’s new Xbox will have an advantage in this area with its ties to the PC game companies.