Nintendo has a lot riding on the success of its next generation console, codenamed Nintendo NX. For as much an unstoppable juggernaut the Wii was, especially with the masses, the Wii U could be considered an abject failure. From reports I read, the Wii U has only sold about 10% of the units that the Wii did.

So as we look towards the future, could another flop by Nintendo spell doom for their consoles, forcing them to turn into a software only company? Only time will tell on that front. For now though, we’ve put together our wishlist for the Nintendo NX. Here are 10 things we want from Nintendo’s new console.

Nintendo NX Wishlist

 

1. Drop the Wii Branding

This one is more of a practical consideration. From all reports I heard, the Wii U’s name managed to confuse a lot of people. Many thought it was just an add-on peripheral for the Wii and not a whole new system. This must have ultimately, hurt sales as people decided they didn’t need this “pricey add-on”. So it’s time to put the Wii name out to pasture.

 

2. A Reasonable Price Point

Sony and Microsoft have a pretty solid stranglehold on the hardcore gamer market. Nintendo also has a habit of releasing their consoles mid-cycle compared to the other two. This means that they are competing on a price point against established, powerful consoles that have already had several price drops. The NX needs to come in at a good price that will entice gamers to give it a try, and also let the more casual people consider buying it. A $500 price point will probably never work for the NX.

 

3. More Power Under the Hood

It seems like Nintendo is always behind the curve when it comes to specs. The Wii missed the boat on HD video, and the Wii U always seemed so sluggish, especially in comparison to the Xbox One and PS4. The NX doesn’t have to be an amazing powerhouse, but it does need to act like a next generation console. The load times for simple things, like the system menus of the Wii U, were atrocious. Even game loading felt like it took forever. Give your NX a chance with some nice specs, such as a fast processor and 4K video.

 

4. A Better UI

Speaking of the system menus, the UI needs to be much better on the NX. The Wii U was horribly slow to load and a somewhat cluttered mess. Plus, that whole Miiverse thing was a waste of space. It usually just featured a random collection of Mii’s with occasionally bad drawings. Give me a fast, functional UI to navigate around your system.

 

5. Lose the Motion Controls…For the Most Part.

By the time the Wii was nearing the end of its lifespan, I was done with motion controls. They worked really well for games in Wii Sports, but outside of that, they were nothing more than gimmicks to sell games. I gave up on Skyward Sword because I was tired of the motion controls. Just give me a good controller and let me play the games like normal. If you want to keep support for sports-style party games, fine, but don’t force me to use motion controls in action and adventure games.

 

6. Improve your Online Features.

The Wii U was a big step over the Wii when it comes to online play. The Wii, with its horrible friend codes, was one of the worst online implementation I’ve ever seen. While the Wii U was better, it’s still fell leagued behind Sony and Microsoft’s online capabilities. They really need to beef up their online services. This is 2016, online play is all but expected for many games. Don’t keep it as an after thought.

 

7. Voice Chat

To go along with that, let’s add support for voice chat. I know Nintendo really wants to stay family friendly, but come on. Gamers today expect to be able to chat with their fiends while they play. It’s second nature by now and something modern consoles are assumed to have. I shouldn’t have to call my friend on the phone to play games with them. Supposedly the Wii U had voice chat capabilities, but it was such an after thought that most games didn’t even support it.

 

8 Focus on the Games.

The Wii U had a TV mode…I think. I never actually used it. I have a TV with a remote. I don’t need my console to control it. If you want to throw a Netlflix app on there, fine. Although just about every device has a Netflix app already, so it’s probably not even necessary. But just make the best gaming console. Don’t worry about the extra fluff. Let Sony and Microsoft show TV shows, movies and other nonsense. Make something that will play games and make it really good at doing that.

 

9. More Games Early On.

The main selling strength of a Nintendo console is their super strong first party games. Mario, Zelda, Metroid. These are staples that will sell by the truckload and make you lots of money. The Wii U had a void of games for its first year (and pretty much now). And there is always WAY too much time between zelda games. Those are bankable money makers. yet Nintendo releases about one every 1000 years like it’s some kind of ancient world plague. Give us something to play on our consoles, my Wii U spent way too much time collect dust early on.

 

10. Better 3rd party support

And for the love of god, please give us some decent 3rd party support. If a game is released on the PS4 and Xbox One then, hopefully, it will also make its way out to your console. It seems like the only 3rd party games that make it to the Nintendo systems are shovelware. If you have the power to handle it, make it happen. We need things to play in-between your 1st party releases.

So that’s our wishlist for the new Nintendo Console. What’s items are your wishlist for the forthcoming Nintendo NX?