The incredible success of the Wii can be somewhat attributed to the brilliant advertising campaign that Nintendo has implemented for it’s little white console. With the focus on communal gameplay as well as the ability for anyone to use the controller, even grandma, Nintendo has captured a much broader demographic then either the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. With the increased prevalence of downloadable games as a way to increase revenue streams and provide gamers with enhanced experiences between major releases has Nintendo done a good job informing consumers about the Wii’s secondary download functions?

With these download services (Wii-Ware, Virtual Console, DS Demo Downloads) Nintendo has created the most comprehensive download service by allowing separate routes for both new and old content to be delivered to the consumer. In a random survey sent to 20 of my friends I submitted questions about the services that the Wii provides to gamers, and the results were quite interesting.

The survey asked about their knowledge of base Wii functionality such as the different download services and online play. As a control the first question asked if they knew of any games other then Wii Sports, and although a few guessed with Mario Kart, everyone was able to name an alternate game. The second question asked if the Wii had the ability to play some game over the Internet in multiplayer. With all but two in the survey knowing that the Wii could in fact have players competing online, it seems as if Nintendo has found a way to inform consumers about the Wii’s online multiplayer.

The third and fourth questions focused on the download services the Wii provides. Both the Virtual Console and Wii-Ware download service remained a mystery to 5 of the 20 surveyed, showing that there is definitely room for Nintendo to improve. However the ability for a Wii owner to download demos to the DS was unknown to 15 people out of the 20 that were surveyed. This number is actually surprising to me in the number that actually knew about this functionality, as it is so buried within the Wii’s system that an average gamer would never find it.

Although this survey may seem to disprove my notion that Nintendo has not marketed the Wii’s secondary functionality, it still shows that there is room to improve. With my survey demographic being an even mix of Men and Women from ages 18-24 the results need to be taken with a grain of salt. Unlike their competitors, Nintendo’s advertising goes beyond the normal male 18-32 demographic by advertising to everyone in an effort to increase the video game consumer base.

While Nintendo continues to grow the casual audience using their “blue ocean” strategy, the traditional Nintendo gamer continues to feel left out. Where it seems PSN is devoted to new content and supply experiences that will tie you over until the next major release (SOCOM, Ratchet and Clank), and XBLA focusing on a combination of old Arcade titles and their re-imagining into a modern form, Nintendo seems completely lost as to what to do with both of it’s download services.

Nintendo should take notice of both the PSN and XBLA strategy, as implementing parts of both could drastically change the perception of the Wii by hardcore gamers. With the updating of older franchises the Nostalgia factor could increase well beyond the threshold that Virtual Console currently provides. With Pac-Man CE on XBLA a new graphical style and mix up of the gameplay were created while retaining the feeling of nostalgia. Often times when I purchase a game on Virtual Console I feel taken advantage of by my own good memories of the game, and if Nintendo put effort in to updating and fixing these old games, every one would win.

While both the Wii-Ware and Virtual Console download services provide a great option for playing old games and systems without having to lug out the originals and attempt to hook them up to a brand new tv without having them look terrible, after almost two years these initial selling points seem unimportant to Nintendo and their “Blue Ocean” strategy.

-Eric Wall

Tags: Game Design, microtransactions, Nintendo, online games, Wii, Wii-Ware

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