July 18th, 2012

“The Wii U isn’t going to work”, says Michael Pachter

81 Comments

Michael Pachter, an industry analysts, still doubts the potential of the Wii U, saying that the console “isn’t going to work”. (To clarify, this is on the conceptual level, rather than in a technical sense. He’s not implying there’ll be a “Red Rings of Death” situation.) Following on from that, he said:

I don’t get it. I think that essentially this is a solution in search of a problem. I mean, somebody had an idea – ‘let’s make the controller a tablet’ – and there aren’t many games that are going to take advantage of that.

And, in regards to Nintendo itself:

I don’t think they suck – I just think that they really believe that, ‘If we’re still novel, everything we do will work’. This isn’t going to work. Hardcore gamers will buy them; hardcore Nintendo fanboys will buy it. They could put out a piece of cardboard and say that it’ll play Mario and they’ll buy it.

As always, I suspect Pachter’s thoughts will agitate readers. But to me, I think it’s good to have some tension. The last thing we need is to look at the Wii U as if it’s some heavenly gift. That will only raise our expectations to the point that they can never be met.

  • http://www.facebook.com/chris.marsh.7370 Chris Marsh

    The way I see it, the Wii remotes were nintendo trying to innovate gaming.
    But with the pad, I just see it as them trying to ENHANCE gaming. It’s still a standard controller, but there is a lot more you can do with it.
    That’s why I see the gaming pad as more than a “novelty” idea.

  • http://twitter.com/miiworldtoo miiworld2

    ugh…

  • Speed

    Aw that’s just the thoughts of one person. Personally, I find it unhealthy to be so close-minded about something new.

  • http://twitter.com/miiworldtoo miiworld2

    I don’t get it. He enjoys talking trash about Nintendo, yet you see some Nintendo merchandises in his office.

    • Captain Falcon

      “Video game enthusiast”

    • MEEEE!!!

      He likes nintendo and doesn’t want to admit it

    • Kaizar

      I think it’s just that some white people don’t want to admit that they like a Nintendo anything, because they feel ashame, and those same people truly believe that Nintendo has always been doing the wrong thing by making Video Games more interactive, LOL but true.

      Well, in the next 2 years they will see….and they will admit that they were wrong all along and just be open about how they actually like something from Nintendo and just about everything come 2 years from now….thanks to both the Wii U & 3DS that will eventually prove all the haters wrong…….finally.

      WE THE BEST! FOREVER!

    • http://twitter.com/miiworldtoo miiworld2

      Yeah, Nintendo do make video games interactive. If it wasn’t for them, Microsoft wouldn’t come up with stuffs like Kinect and SmartGlass ideas by ‘borrowing’ their Wii and WiiU ideas.
      Heck, Nintendo and Sony used to work together before Sony introduced the PlayStation. So Sony’s inspiration came from working with them at some point.

      By the way, did you know Nintendo is Japanese for ‘Leave luck to Heaven’?

    • Kaizar

      I didn’t know that.

      Leave luck to Heaven.

      Maybe that’s Nintendo’s ancient Chinese secret (kidding of course).

      Thanks for the 411.

      SHABLAGOO!

    • SleepyGuyy

      Well, to be fair, Nintendo working with Sony was not a deep relationship. Nintendo wanted Sony tech in their next console (specifically a disk drive), and it was purely legal. That said, Sony made (back in the early 2000s) a documentary video about Playstation. At one point they talk about the inspiration of Playstation (when Nintendo changes their mind on the disk-system deal, and Sony decides to make their own console with that idea). They make it seem really dramatic, like Nintendo bailed out at the very last second without even calling Sony. And that this amazing engineer at Sony worked to make an affordable 32-bit magic box. They gloss over the fact that the system was made to work with a Nintendo machine, and that they just shoved a 32-bit proccessor (big at the time) in it and called it a day.

    • tim

      ok, i burst into laughter when i saw that pic.

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      A good critic or reviewer or analyst will ALWAYS say something positive about something in the game/topic, it proves that it isn’t just bashing gee AVGN did some positive things about the horrible games, like how one had a 4-letter password

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      I think that’s Lucas behind the sword

    • idk

      that dosen’t have to do with anything. He isn’t trash talking either it’s just like David said it will agitate readers, and especially fanboys because they dont like any other opinion than their own, and on this web site it’s all Nintendo fans so obviously you see it as that,

    • http://twitter.com/miiworldtoo miiworld2

      So you agree with Pachter’s comment?

  • boyonthemoon

    uh, no there are a lot of games that could take advantage of it, only a narrow minded person would say otherwise. i agree with the second part though. i’d buy a piece of cardboard published by nintendo. itd be awesome haha

  • Miketendo

    I hope he gets Lou Gherig’s disease.

    • RETLAW545

      Jjjkk

    • Miketendo

      Jk guys. It’s a joke from Ted. Unlike the Pach man I harbor no ill will.

    • Kaizar

      For more Ted:

      http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL37B48AD616C94A02

      For Teddy Bear hair….and to see what he gets away with.

      With Teddy Bear hair, you can get away with anything, LOL.

      SHABLAGOO!

  • HBOVER9000

    Everytime I hear this guy talk, it reminds me of 13 year old troll.

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      Well, he was right about E3 2012

    • Kaizar

      What are you talking about….I thought E3 2K12 was EPIC with Lego City Undercover and Rayman Legends and A-Symetric gaming and pikmen 3 capabilities and Batman Arkham City Armored Edition and that Nintendo Land Ninja game and the ability to use 2 GamePads and Clickable analogs (must have) and guaranteed online video chat for all Wii U owners and even the minor games like Just Dance 4 on Wii U (which I don’t care about) and so much more.

      SHABLAGOO!

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      That’s just you, many people on youtube and this site complained of NINTENDO’S performance at e3 2012, I forgot to add that

    • Kaizar

      Oh, OK LOL.

      MINT BERRY CRUNCH!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001530864464 Enjeru Basukesu

      Not really, He said that Ubisoft wast going to show something interesting, what happen? Ubisoft Won E3 and Invaded Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo conference. I have seen He’s videos and he is always wrong about everything.

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      Patcher said his E3 prediction would be terrible for Nintendo, and he was somewhat right, even people here complaied

    • AdvancePlays

      But the point is that he only mentioned Nintendo. He didn’t speak a single bad thing about any other company, and that’s why we all think he’s biased and unjust.

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      I agree, I regret making those comments

    • AdvancePlays

      I’m sure this guy said the 3DS would die soon too, and he was wrong with that if the sales are anything to go by. From what I’m seen of this guy, it seems my cat could do a better job at analysing the gaming industry.

    • bob

      he also said the wii whould fail

    • ranfy

      kids aren’t the only trolls out there. grown men can also be trolls
      http://www.youtube.com/user/xRXL209x

    • tim

      does this guy make money for saying this stuff!?

  • RETLAW545

    Seems to me like he’s mentally challenged!?

  • RETLAW545

    Thank god he don’t work at a fast food restaurant, he would probably f!!! Up My order

  • MEEEE!!!

    it’s not a tablet, it’s just the bottom half of a DS. Also, Nintendo fans aren’t dumb enough to buy a cardboard box that is said to play mario or even zelda!

    • MEEEE!!!

      In other words nintendo is better than all of the other companies

    • SleepyGuyy

      … I might buy a Nintendo box if it looked cool… and was like $5.00 …

  • Ness

    I like the way this fucking guy thinks.

    • DonnyKD

      Um, kid, he has to actually THINK for you to like the way he thinks.

      Then again, you may or may not be the same person.

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      Yah, thinks of making rants and pownes himself in the process!

    • SleepyGuyy

      He thinks with an iron fist… and blind attention grabbing… and his ass.

    • enigma

      I also like the way this fucking guy thinks.

      Ness & Michael Pachter FTW!

    • Amtoj

      Ness must be Micheal Pacher.

  • Kaizar

    If people like Mochael Pachter had their way….we would still be using the NES & Sega Genesis as the only Video game systems to this date……and PlayStation & X Box wouldn’t even exist, LOL but true.

    WE THE BEST! FOREVER!

    • Co-Wink-Key dink inc

      I don’t understand why

  • Swankenstein

    His little segment is called “pach attack” so seriously…. stop feeding the troll. Can you please stop making news posts about Michael Pachter. Clearly his only purpose is to make “shocking” baseless revelations about things that agitate and annoy people. A slow news day is better than one filled with destructive criticism.

  • BasementofNerds

    That picture sums up what was probably on Patcher’s mind when he made that article.

  • Tails the Foxhound

    …It’s a DS as a home console, what’s not to get?! People sure are slow these days.

  • Elctric

    … I still wonder why people listen to him. I guess the average human intellegence is going down.

  • Hamez

    Where have I heard this guy’s name before…?

  • http://profiles.google.com/xdavidxhoylexx David Hoyle

    the wii u will only be good, if nintendo wants it good. im hoping its good. now if only they made the 3ds good. that would have been nice. i dont know if i should wait until it drops down $80 like the 3ds though. thats alot of wasted money.

    • Kaizar

      Just wait for a game you are looking forward to, more than average.

      SHABLAGOO!

    • SleepyGuyy

      Yes, actually Nintendo has a fool-proof marketing and sales strategy. Make good games that people want. That is why the PS3 didn’t do so well, but as interesting exclusives started coming in sales of PS3 went way up. Nintendo does well in it’s industry, and uses the least amount of web & Tv advertising. That’s because they don’t have to, the Nintendo-fans will talk about the game, post messages on forums, and send emails to gaming sites asking about it. Because the Nintendo fans like Nintendo’s gaming philosophy and game design, and will spread it as far as possible when excited… oh hold on, I have to go post my Super Smash Bros. U/3D predictions, then ask Destructoid if they expect a 3D Mario game in the next year.

    • SleepyGuyy

      So what I’m saying is exactly what that user said in reply to you. Wait for the magic marketing system to show you a good game or two. If you don’t see any in the launch window… don’t get one.

  • MarioFanatic38

    BTW everybody i’m new on here :)

  • WhoFreak97

    This guy is a jack-ass. ’nuff said.

  • Seb

    His assumptions are illogical, I came up with something against them isntantly as I read.
    Fanboys? What are you talking about, you’re a hard-core fanboy.
    I’ve had enough of these freakish people.

  • B9B

    I am fed up of this utter TWAT. hes like “the 3ds will die soon” he was wrong. and he pisses me off!

  • Thatoneguy

    I suspected the 3DS was going to be a heavenly gift and it was. I think the Wii U will be also. There’s nothing wrong with an accurate amount of hype for something so clearly badass. Could you stop reading this guy’s stuff, David? He’s inciting you to troll your readers.

    • SleepyGuyy

      WHOA WHOA WHOA… the 3DS is not a heavenly gift (yet)… but it is badass.

  • http://twitter.com/Omarsonic9 Omar Ahmed

    Everytime I see this guy/hear him talk
    I see him as a retarded person

    • SleepyGuyy

      He does seem a little …. slow.. for an analyst , doesn’t he? You know… that may have been a stunningly acurate joke.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jacob.saunders.9634 Jacob Saunders

    There are actually reasonable analyst out there. It just that the dumbest ones get the most media attention. Considering whenever there is an article about what an analyst said, and it is usually about something that Pachter said. What dose that say about Pachter.

  • HITMAN SQUID

    every time i come here patcher talks a load of crap with no evidence to back himself up.. (*-*)~ 71111111110 ————> his face (o`L’O)
    119
    11 <—– GUN

    • HITMAN SQUID

      the gun messed up when i sent it in

  • SleepyGuyy

    I think Michael Pachter is thinking “If I can’t think of any ideas, and Nintendo hasn’t announced any, then there are no ideas.” (not real quotes). But Nintendo is staying confident in their concepts. Nintendo (as well as 3rd party) developers keep making statements about the types of games / franchises they can see using the second screen. But Nintendo itself has not said anything concrete because… well the concepts sound silly. I think (especially with the redundancy that second screen SEEMS to bring) they can’t just say a concept and hope for an up roar. They know they need real games and gameplay to make those concepts make sense, and hands-on is even better. Nintendo has stated that they have multiple first party titles for WiiU that are not announced yet, explaining the lack of announcements essentially with… they don’t want ideas stolen. I think the novelty is only the tip of the iceberg, and (as with the Wii’s motion, Xbox’s online, and PS1′s second stick) useful long term ideas will sprout from the initial launch. You just wait, we’ll go from minigame waggles to Bit.Trip BEAT, Skyward sword, and No More Heroes.

  • AxGamer

    Mr. Pachter is famous for his terribly biased predictions.You cant beleive him or take him seriously!

  • Lance

    Im sure this guy said the same thing about the Wii. He just makes his money acting as if he can predict the future of companies. I don’t buy it.

  • penubag

    This guy is never right in his analysis, why would he be right now?

  • Schultz38

    If Nintendo released cardboard that could play video games I would buy it…I would be extremely curious as to how they managed that 0_o

  • Xarreno

    “They could put out a piece of cardboard and say that it’ll play Mario and they’ll buy it.”
    Of course people would buy it, because it would actually work.

  • NPeart

    Its all about value Pachter.(and he knows all this, if he is any kind of analyst, he just need to troll, because Nintendo is in so good place)

    Nintendo can make powerful and exciting console, but it doesn’t need to use all the money in the console, so it can pack other interesting features to increase the true value for customer. Sony and MS might need to include so expensive hardware, that they might have difficulties to include interesting controller anymore…let alone 2; Wiimote is still in the game, and even if Wiimote is not bundled, it is still widely used standard in Nintendo games that developers can trust that people have enough of them. Even if Nintendo doesn’t include another Wiimote, its presence increases Wii U’s value, and Sony and MS need to do something to even response to Wiimote, not to mention the tablet.

    Thus, competitors need to use “analysts” to decrease the value of Nintendos bundle in the eyes of customers by making processing power a bigger deal than it is.

    The tablet doesn’t need to cost that much more than XBox controller, so “analysts” need to act like it costs so much, that the console must be as weak as iPhone. That thought seems to be considered as a fact already in the media, that is owned by the same money, that wants XBox to be the media device in every ones living room.

    The games have been so expensive to make already, that they cannot be much more expensive to be healthy business. The Wii U is powerful console, and there will be only so many games, that can possibly be any more expensive, than what Wii U can run as beautifully, let alone appreciably more beautiful; and those games are more importantly meant to sell consoles, than business for independent company.

    Nintendo is in fantastic place, and its competitors need all the media they can use. Fortunately for MS, the media and MS have same investors.

  • Usaki Ojimbo

    I love how that pic is always chosen for these Pachter articles. Makes me laugh seeing his mouth all open like “bwaaah?”

  • http://www.facebook.com/jack.smith.315080 Jack Smith

    I love how some people actually take this guy seriously!
    Who cares what the guy says, make your own opinions.

    • NPeart

      What do you mean? Who is taking him any more seriously, than any other media character? The comments here are our own opinions, no? When a media character makes a statement, the comment section is there for discussion.

      An “analyst” should be talking about facts though, and based on his track record(excluding any obvious views) Pachter has perhaps the worst instincts in the whole game industry.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jack.smith.315080 Jack Smith

      This guy said the exact same things about the DS and the Wii and we all know how badly they went, he’s a fool and proves it time and time again. I just don’t understand why people give him so much attention…..that’s all.

    • NPeart

      Same here.

  • smug

    EVERYTHING this guy says, the exact OPPOSITE happens! So this is FANTASTIC news!!! I’m really tired of hearing his predictions.. they are usually so ridiculously over the top.. and somehow he is a financial adviser for the gaming industry? I’m surprised he still has a job, this isn’t the Bill Clinton era where anyone in the trading industry could throw a dart and score a bulls-eye every time..

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/blackheart0478?feature=mhee NintendoPunk

    this guy is just a fucking asshole

  • david alonso

    xbox 360 is way better