Let's be honest, the Wii U is not doing well in the markets in its first year. That's disappointing considering it's part of a historied company that has pushed the bounds of our imagination. Nintendo is like the Disney of Japan, they bring the magical and the fantastical to life with modern technology. The future for Nintendo is bleak with the competition it is up against in the coming year with the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. If Nintendo wants to survive this generation, they will have to change a few things.
The Price
The Wii U is expensive like most new things on the market. It's not unheard of for a console to be around $299.99 or more. Actually, systems have been priced close to that as far back as I can remember. The problem is, it's not working for Nintendo. The only way Nintendo can justify the price is by producing systems with more than 8gb and 32gb hard drives. I am well aware that you can buy external hard drives, but that just adds to the total bill. Sony and Microsoft are offering 500gb internal hard drives for their systems for $99.99 - $199.99 with the possibility of better overall technology than the Wii U*. That's a better deal than what Nintendo is offering. If Nintendo wants to survive, they need to readjust the price of their console.
New Games
I know this is an obvious one to put, but Nintendo is lacking games on its console. Virtual Console games are not going to cut it as "new" games. Many gamers--including myself--own past generation consoles and games that still work. Why would we want to buy those games again? That's a waste of money and a waste of time. What Nintendo needs to do is start cranking out their more famous titles as they have been doing as of late. We need more Mario and more Zelda. I don't care if "critics" say they are stale, they still sell and I still enjoy them.
Nintendo could also benefit buy bringing a new flagship title to the Wii U. They need more than Zelda and Mario to carry them over to this generation. Many kids that enjoyed platforming with Mario or going on an adventure with Link in the late 1980's-1990's are adults now. They aren't spending as much time playing these games and might not be playing anymore. It's time to appeal to a younger, newer generation of gamers with a new mascot. I would argue any genre is fine, as long as the younger crowd can identify.
Oh, and start making Fire Emblem games for the Wii U since Awakening did so well. Actually tactical role-playing games and other types of role-playing games could make use of that Pad that comes with the system. Nintendo could use more RPG's as well! Are there really any out there on the Wii U? I feel that Nintendo concentrates this genre on their 3DS and it's hurting them. They need to start making more games in this genre ASAP.
Identity
Now that I mention games and appealing to a younger generation as well, what is the Wii U's identity? The console with the enormous tablet? The console that has an abundant of Mario and old people games? That console that I use as a bookshelf? Honestly, I have no idea what the Wii U's identity is today. When I see other consoles, I see that it conveys a message to me. The Playstation 4 says, "Hey, I am going to be a portable PC that will have a great library." When I see the Xbox One, I see a system that will appeal to entertainment, the movie/game experience at the comfort of your home. The Wii U needs an identity that will make people want to buy it. I have no desire besides it being a Nintendo console with a giant tablet.
Conclusion
Nintendo can change a few things to survive this generation. I only named a few things, but even these three changes could save the console. Nintendo needs to stop being stubborn and take a hit for a little bit in the wallet. It will work in their future and ours later on in the Wii U's life.
*I say possibility of better technology since the systems are not out yet. I also say this since I take into account more than the actual hardware.
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