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The Future Of Nintendo Is…Interesting

So I've heard Nintendo won't be holding a press conference at E3 this year. That got me thinking.

For the most part, I think many consider the Wii U to be woefully outmatched if compared directly to the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

It's also true that Wii U sales haven't been overly brisk and not long after the system's launch, I don't even hear about it anymore. Are they even making games for that thing?

That isn't meant to be insulting; I may have grown out of Nintendo's offerings, but they are the company that introduced me – me, and millions of other fortunate individuals – to the world of interactive entertainment. Granted, I first played Pong on the Atari 2600 but that didn't fascinate me the way Super Mario Bros. did. Obviously, that impact has proven to be a catalyst, as I am now a video game journalist.

And while I'm not even remotely interested in the Wii U, it's a little scary to learn that Nintendo won't have an E3 press conference. It could imply so many things… But we've been fooled into thinking Nintendo was in trouble before; heading into the current generation, many believed Nintendo would follow the path of Sega and go full-on third-party. Nobody expected the new Nintendo system to dominate the way it did. It was just a gimmick and it didn't have the software to support it, but that gimmick resulted in huge sales for several years, and furthermore, Nintendo continues to own the handheld market. And they really own it.

But now we're looking at the possibility of the Wii U floundering badly when the PS4 and Xbox 720 arrive; Nintendo's new system is already showing signs of fatigue and things haven't even gotten started yet. Furthermore, as smartphone and tablet gaming continues to eat into the world of portable entertainment, there's a chance that even Nintendo's vice-like grip on that particular industry could weaken. I really don't see the Wii U lasting through the entirety of this generation and if it doesn't, it'll be very, very interesting to see what Nintendo does next.

What do you think will happen? Because I have to confess, I haven't the slightest idea. I was already shocked once with the Wii and despite the apparent dire future of the Wii U, I won't lose faith in Nintendo's marketing ingenuity again. I prefer to remain, at worst, on the fence.

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Temjin001
Temjin001
10 years ago

Right now I think Nintendo is doing fine and will continue to over the years. While the Wii U isn't selling like hot cakes as the Wii before it had Nintendo has really cultivated an eco-system of fans who really enjoy their unique and highly iconic brand of offerings. The sales Nintendo draws on with their heavy hitters are enough to make any publisher envious, especially considering the amount of development dollars it takes to produce a Nintendo brand game relative to other popular games on competing platforms.

Nintendo will always undercut their competitors in cost. Nintendo doesn't load their hardware up with extravagant components so they're in a position to slash hardware costs as necessary. I believe this will keep them in a safe zone for quite some time. While Sony and MS are marketing their $500 consoles Nintendo will be able to leverage their family-fun entertainment at affordable pricing with alternative ways of engaging entertainment.

As for the E3 thing, I believe I read they're not doing a traditional E3 conference but something else. Nintendo will have presence there and will likely reveal big games. They just won't be talking analytics with a business outlook vibe.

Honestly, I wouldn't count Nintendo out from having a place in the platform foray, not anytime soon. They're in a very interesting position in that their Wii U successor will probably launch 4-5 years from now with hardware that will probably exceed the PS4 or new Xbox. But once again they'll boast some twist to the interface etc. I suspect neither MS or Sony will make any upgrades for nearly 10 years.

It's interesting. I still want a Wii U, just not anytime soon. I'll let the games pile up that I'd like and let the price drop. Having children really is a big factor in this. Lately it's like i'm living a second childhood with them.


Last edited by Temjin001 on 5/3/2013 10:36:23 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Stop being so even-minded!

Cho_Quin
Cho_Quin
10 years ago

You just pointed out what's going to keep nintendo alive. Its a "family with small children console" brand, in my opinion is what nintendo is and always has been. As long as gamers become fathers there will be a space for nintendos games

Temjin001
Temjin001
10 years ago

World. You're right. Nintendo will own all your base. Sony and MS sucks and might as well become PC companies and burn in their x86 hell!!!!!!

Booya!
=p


Last edited by Temjin001 on 5/4/2013 1:36:54 AM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

That's better 🙂 But Qho Quin is probably right, there's a whole generation of gamers who are fathers now and enjoy it with their kids. My older brother for instance.

Axe99
Axe99
10 years ago

Top post Temjin – I'd back this one, Ninty will unlikely 'strike gold' with a Wii-like phenomenon again (although don't count them out) and I think they've basically stood back from the cutting edge of gaming, but there's a decent-sized market for their IP, and for family-friendly gaming. In many industries, selling 3-4 million units of anything is a good thing, and I'm sure the Wii U will get to around 20 million or so. As long as they've got a sound business model (which I'm sure they have – it's one of their strengths), they'll do fine.

However, we won't see another SNES or even N64, and I doubt I'll personally ever be interested in another Ninty console again.

Ather
Ather
10 years ago

Barring any sudden upswings or killer game/feature, the WiiU might be the last console Nintendo makes. They'll concentrate on portable, and merge the 3DSXL with their Gamepad to create their own Tablet. It will be video game, with video & social networking features.

McClane
McClane
10 years ago

Considering the fact that the Wii is a "console" based on a dying gimmick, it may be the last time we see another console from the big N, especially since they insist in marketing the WiiU for casual gamers.

And don't forget, Nintendo is the reigning king of shovelware which is an embarrasment because we've had masterpieces in this current generation and that alone makes the Wii pale in comparison by far, graphics, story, gameplay wise.

The biggest problem with Nintendo is the fact that they forgot that, gamers such as myself who had the experience of playing great games first hand (like the Megaman series, TMNT, SMB 1,2 and 3 and many others) GREW UP and Nintendo became stagnant with the same old tired story of Mario, Zelda, Metroid and a couple more.

That has been Nintendo's greatest mistake.


Last edited by McClane on 5/3/2013 10:58:32 PM

Cho_Quin
Cho_Quin
10 years ago

you grew up, nintendo is no longer for you. Its for the new kids

McClane
McClane
10 years ago

Right, since kids can afford to buy a console by their own.

Statistics show older gamers are the ones buying consoles and games not kids.

So your point is?

Cho_Quin
Cho_Quin
10 years ago

did you bought your first console?? didn't think so…

Cho_Quin
Cho_Quin
10 years ago

just saying, I don't think nintendo is for grown ups. its a kid console, a kids brand. Just like Fisher Price, or NERF, or Lego. just my opinion. Those companies aren't weak, they just have another market, and we are not it.

___________
___________
10 years ago

rubbish dude plenty of adults love ninty franchises!
in fact that is exactly why they have been so successful for so long.
only once in the companies history have they posted a FY loss!
they managed that feat by being the ONLY company that manages to make their games for both adults and kids alike.
i remember last year the voice of mario had a panel at the EB expo and was signing autographs.
the line was over 4 hours long, and at least 70% of the people in line would of been over the age of 30!

Bonampak
Bonampak
10 years ago

@Cho_Quin – I see. You sound like me when I was in my early 20's. I thought my balls would fall off if I went to see a Disney movie.

When Toy Story first came out, I remember being interested in seeing it. But waited until one of my younger cousins "convinced" me to go see it.

Presently, I understand that videogaming is no different from what a kid does playing with legos. Its about having fun.

I remember once me and a co-worker were playing Halo at his home and some relatives of his came to visit. They came through the door and saw us playing. His uncle said: "Look at them, full grown adults playing like little kids". Didn't matter that we were drinking beer and my friend was smoking. To average people, we still looked like kids playing "TV games".

I guess we could discuss how outsiders view us gamers. And how wrong they are for seeing us in a way that makes us uncomfortable. But the point I got from that experience was: Yeah, in the end just like kids, we adults like to have a lil' thing called fun. I can deal with being called a kid. Because usually, letting the kid come out of us is what allows us to have fun. We can't be so serious all the damn time.

Anyway, Nintendo will do fine. They are making some mistakes with the Wii U. But there is nothing there that seems like it will drag them to oblivion. The 3DS is what will keep 'em afloat.

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

I'm in my late 20's, and I'll always be interested in my little big planets, super marios, and Zeldas.

And the stats do say most gamers are adults, but youth under the age of 17 still make up close to 30% of the market.

That's huge when you consider how many of the adult stats are social gamers.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Yeah I began with Colecovision and Atari but nothing sparked the imagination like the original Nintendo!

I dunno what a lack of presence at E3 ACTUALLY means, but I think it's going to hurt their image in the long run to show up with hat in hand.

I'd still like them to go 3rd party so we could see what their good games would look like on real hardware but it's hard to see them doing that.

Here is the biggest problem with nintendo though: they made a new console that keeps up with tech which will be outdated in a few months.

SayWord
SayWord
10 years ago

Nintendo will still be at E3 and im sure they will show off fire emblem x shin megami tensei and xenoblade 2. As a huge jrpg lover those games right there are reason enough to own a wii u for me.

Also it is confirmed that nintendo is going to be doing a smaller more direct conferences. Theyve been doing these live directs for a while now and have been more interesting than any nintendo E3 conference. I wouldnt count them out. Also with the possibility of eternal darkness spiritual successor being wii u exclusive.

Wrote
Wrote
10 years ago

All the doom and gloom over the Wii u is strange. Its like everybody forgot recent console releases. Every console this gen had around a year before the games really started picking up, especially the ps3. I guess the big difference here is ninty didn't really announce that many games outside the launch window.

They've been in the buis the longest of the big 3 and in sure things will pick up, especially after e3. And even when the ps4 and next box arrive they won't have that many games, while the Wii u will get its big titles including Mario and Mario kart, now don't get me wrong, I fully expect the ps4 to have a killer launch, don't be surprised if we see a similar drought of games… That said I still don't have a Wii u and don't know when I'll get one

~Wrote

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

You speak sense but there's just this feeling that it isn't going to be a true Wii-successor and so could become a big anchor for Ninty.

Wrote
Wrote
10 years ago

I agree with you. Me and my friends usually at least want the latest Nintendo, but the way it looks; not at the moment. I predict it'll be just like the n64 where it doesn't get all that many 3rd party games and lives on 1st party alone. Oh wait the cube and the Wii were like that too, hmm… I just get the feeling the Nintendo fans aren't eating it up. Maybe its the controller. In any case I'm not worried and predict things will pick up this fall.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
10 years ago

I don't think anybody forgot other console launches. But no other system launch has faced what the Wii U faces, in that it's extremely underpowered compared to the competition, and it came out too early, which means it'll seem even older when the PS4 and Xbox 720 come out.

On top of which, the Wii pioneered motion sensing gaming, while the Wii U pioneers nothing and is just trying to build on a gimmick that has LONG since failed to gain any traction in the market. That's what I didn't get about the Wii U-

It was painfully obvious that it was a gimmick and a fad to begin with, and gimmicks and fads have time limits. That limit was reached only a few years into the Wii's lifespan (as I predicted). By the time you hit 2011 and 2012, you couldn't give away a Wii, let alone sell one. So why would Nintendo utilize another gimmick again?

No, I don't think any console maker has ever been in such a position, which is why I consider Nintendo's future "interesting." 🙂

Bonampak
Bonampak
10 years ago

@Ben – that gimmick has so far failed to gain any traction because its hard to describe unless you actually try it. This unlike motion controls, which were easy to market with those pictures and videos of people playing with a wireless 'wand', interacting with a TV screen. Even casuals got what the original Wii was all about. But with the Wii U, Nintendo themselves have said that they failed to properly market its "asymmetric" gameplay.

You should also take note that Nintendo also had previously failed to market the 3DS with its 3D effect gimmick. That handheld had a terrible launch. Sales were weak. It had no system selling games. Its technology was also stuck in the past. On top of that, its price was too much for most people.

Look at the 3DS now. It has already sold over 30 million units since 2011. It has a great library of games. The 3DS is so successful (almost as successful as the DS), that its practically what will keep Nintendo alive this coming generation, regardless of how good or bad the Wii U fares in the world.

Anyway, what Nintendo did to bring back the 3DS from an early death, can be done with the Wii U. It needs a price drop. It needs GAMES. IMO The gimmick you talk about in your previous post, is irrelevant for it to succeed. Just like the 3D effect was and is irrelevant for the 3DS to become a viable system for Nintendo.

In terms of selling a dated console, the original Wii was incredibly dated compared to the PS3 and 360. Even if it came out at the same time as the PS3. The technology gap between the Wii and the PS3 was much bigger than what we'll likely experience between the Wii U and the PS4. Please note that even the PS4 is using relatively dated technology (to ease production costs).

Either way, since the N64, Nintendo has not depended on a powerful console to stay in business. What kept them in business were its 1st party games. Notice that once the original Wii stopped getting games from Nintendo, it went down in flames in 2011. Despite its motion-control gimmick. The gimmick was just a hook to get people to notice it. But the games was what made them stay. Once games stopped coming in, people dropped the Wii like an old shoe.

So I think we gamers understand that the Wii U, PS4 and 720 are mostly going to need games to stay relevant. Regardless of what gimmicks or technology they bring to the table.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
10 years ago

Let's get this straight- It was the gimmick and NOT the games that propelled the Wii to being a huge overnight success. It catered to NON-gamers and was marketed to NON-gamers. All the commercials showed senior citizens and random adults home from work, flinging the wand around. There'd be a few kids here and there, too.

What Nintendo did was genius and it had nothing whatsoever to do with games. The only way they survived in the console business is by marketing to the one demographic that didn't seem to make much sense- The demographic that never really played video games before. They got a Wii in the house of just about everyone who liked the idea of a new toy or gadget. THEN the hardcore picked it up for the first-party games.

During the N64 days, the industry hadn't yet gone mainstream. Everything about it was "hardcore." With the Wii, Nintendo embraced the increasingly mainstream appeal of gaming and officially brought video games to the masses, to people who hadn't played a game since Pac-Man in the arcades. That's why it was ingenious.

The idea that games made that system successful is ludicrous. It had basically nothing. The assortment of shovelware was unbelievable and unparalleled in gaming history. That being said, I agree that with some more software, the Wii U could sell more. ALL game systems sell better with more quality software. And while Nintendo has never had the most powerful system, they've never had a system on the market that was THIS far behind-times in terms of technology when compared with the competition.

That will result in further problems. You've lost those who thought the gimmick was cool, which means you lost the majority of those who bought the Wii. Now you'll have trouble appealing even to the hardcore because, despite the allure of the first-party mascots, the Wii U will seem very, very outdated. And it'll seem all the more so when the PS4 and Xbox 720 arrive. As for the 3DS, as I said, they own the handheld market. It's a very different market, too, but there's no saying it won't be impacted by the rising mobile game space. It might be inevitable.

No, Nintendo has never been in this position before.


Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 5/4/2013 12:09:30 PM

Bonampak
Bonampak
10 years ago

@Ben – Well Ben, here's the thing. On the Wii you saw many game devs that thought that slapping motion-controls to their games (as a gimmick) would be enough for them to sell. The reality? Casuals didn't bite. Less so core gamers.

That's why only certain games made it big on the Wii. Not every sports game made it big like "Wii Sports" did. Not every dance game sold a ton like "Just Dance" did (still on the charts in the UK). Not every racer sold millions like Mario Kat Wii did. Not every motion-controlled platformer sold a ton like New Super Mario Bros did.

So as you can see with those examples, there was more to it than just using a gimmick to make people play Wii games. All those games had something special. Why not admit that they were rather good games despite being motion-control based? The sales/reviews back that one up.

I mean, lets give the Wii some credit here. Not everything was shovelware. Most of it was. Bu there was many decent games on it that made good use of the motion controls feature. For instance, RE4 for Wii is currentlyl considered one of the best ports of that game EVER made. Thanks mainly to its use of motion controls.

And about casuals? Heck, Nintendo took Sony's strategy of branching out to non-gamers a step further with the Wii. They actually copied Sony.

See, with the PS1 Sony went beyond the limited Nintendo/Sega fanbase that grew up with a steady diet of whatever those 2 hardware makers (of the time) brought to them.

If you combined the users that got a SNES (50 million) and a Genesis (30 million) before the PS1 came to the scene, that's still below the number of people that got a PS1 eventually (100+ million). Consider that many Nintendo fans got a N64 instead. So we can't say that all 50 million of the SNES user base emigrated over to the PS1.

Either way, Sony got non-gamers into gaming first. So I dunno why you see that as a negative at all.

And like during the N64 and Gamecube dark ages, Nintendo currently has a handheld to fall back on: the 3DS.

The 3DS a $169.99-$199 system that has sold 30+ million units worldwide and has sold more than 20 million units of software (mostly going for $39,99 each) in the US alone. That's nothing to dismiss as irrelevant in their situation.

Sure, they may drop out of the home console arena. But they can still keep going with their handhelds. So that's why I don't see a doomsday scenario developing for them yet. Hard times? Sure. But then again, they have experience dealing with hard times, don't they? They've been trailing Sony for ages. That won't change with the Wii U.

Still, lets consider the fact that the current gaming market in the West has not been very healthy for either new games or new systems. The 3DS, Vita and Wii U point to a worrying trend. And I hope that the PS4 will avoid that trend and come out breaking records. But only with GAMES will that be possible.

Beamboom
Beamboom
10 years ago

They'll turn into a software company – with the exception of some smaller gadget-like products – sometime during the next generation span. That's my prediction.

Huey
Huey
10 years ago

Don't count Nintendo out just yet. We have not gotten much news if any on the next itteration of Zelda, Metroid or Starfox. A new HD Zelda could be a system seller alone for Nintendo. I am sure we are going to get some info on those franchises at E3. They also know that a majority of people's hands are on the flush handle, so I don't think they are going to let themselves go down the drain just yet.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 years ago

I don't see Nintendo getting out of the hardware business. A lot of people compare them to Sega but that's kind of silly. Sega never had the amount of franchises or successful consoles Nintendo has. I love Sega though, besides a few missteps they have been pretty great on the software side of things.

Back to Nintendo, I think that people see their disinterest in Nintendo and its franchises as a shared view by the entire gaming world so they are quick to write them off. I can see Nintendo carving their own slice of gamers and surviving this generation with some awesome exclusives.

xnonsuchx
xnonsuchx
10 years ago

I notice there's no mention that Nintendo has also recently had to 'clarify' to consumers that the Wii U isn't a Wii 'upgrade,' but a whole new system, which also might be an indicator that many Wii/Nintendo fans think it's unnecessary because they are satisfied w/ just the Wii…like the Wii U is a SNES FX/32X or something! While _I_ know the hardware is more powerful, I get the feeling most Wii/Nintendo fans think it's just a Wii w/ HD capability (with the new pad controller I've heard very mixed feelings about). Even my young nieces and nephews who HAD to have a Wii aren't asking their parents for a Wii U, even though they still use their Wii units. I also think mobile devices are stealing more of the 'casual gamer' (including kids) types, which affects Nintendo more than others. Sorry if this sounds a little disjointed, but I'm half asleep while typing.

___________
___________
10 years ago

bleak the future of nintendo is.
for 2 simple reasons.
1 the wiiu is such a outdated poorly designed PoS!
i mean seriously, the system is SIX years newer than the ps3, and it has slightly better performance!
WTF!?
SIX years newer i expected a hell of allot more than SLIGHTLY!
other problems, why is there no optical port? why is there no Ethernet port? why is there no WPA-PSK2 WIFI security support?
i had to completely rewrite my router and network settings on every single device i own simply because the wiiu is the first device i have bought in the past 6 years i have had this network because the wiiu would not work on the 6 year + old security setting!
great, release a console in 2013 that does not support security that a 2005 console did!
BRILLIANT!
thats the biggest problem with the wiiu, its like we received the original iphone in the age of the galaxy S4.
the wiiu is a black and white TV in the world of 4K TVs!
were use to all these really cool amazing features, and they have become industry standard, yet the wiiu does not abide these industry standards.

sorry ninty, but you just do not learn!
why was the playstation so successful?
why did $ony, the baby, manage to topple the giant?
because ninty were using cartridges and $ony introduced CDs.
FF, MGS, 2 of the biggest franchises ever made, and 2 franchises which were nintendo exclusives till the ps1 released.
why did the ps1 change this?
because $E and konami were sick and tired of nintendo dragging their feet and wanted the best tech available, hence the switch to playstation!
ninty has ALWAYS dragged their feet with technology, and it has ALWAYS f*cked them in the a$$ 10 times a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!
this has been going on for decades now and the company STILL refuses to fix it!
WHY are nintendo so god dam stubborn and hatting on technology and new features?
why?
why do they always have to release a system that feels years old the day it releases!?
in so many ways the wiiu is so much like the vita!
both feel extremely outdated the day they released, both dont have features which became industry standard years ago!
and that is why both are really suffering sales wise.

and like the vita, oooo smooth segway!
like the vita, the wiius second problem is GAMES!
november the system released with a influx of awesome games.
than in march a few extra games released like leggo undercover which sucked BTW!
and now, well, the next wiiu exclusive im looking forward to is rayman ledgends, well was its no longer a exclusive and is releasing on ps3 and 360, and is not out till sept.
pretty pathetic!
400 bucks for a system that would feel out of date if it released 2 years ago, and has literally less than 1 exclusive a month releasing for it!

monkeypunch
monkeypunch
10 years ago

Well ranted. As a developer you want spend your time making the best game you can and keep it true to the vision. But now, especially with slower mobile devices, you are having to spend that time you would spend on making the game better making it hit the minimum frames per second. It is not a good thing.

So when a game company offers better hardware in their console than a competing console the developer is excited by the possibilities for a better rendition of their game.

Nintendo argues that games can be fun without having the best graphics. That's true. But when games are trying to create as realistic of an environment as possible (COD, Uncharted) then you're going to avoid a slow shitty machine.

And because of that, when the "fun" games from Nintendo's well dried up and they didn't create new titles with the Wii then that's when the Wii tanked.

If the Wii U had a new Mario Kart with excellent multiplayer social support and I knew they would maintain it and come out with new levels I would buy Wii U tomorrow.


Last edited by monkeypunch on 5/5/2013 5:53:55 AM

___________
___________
10 years ago

why cant you have both?
nintys games have always been fun, and they always will be!
and thats why ive always been a big fan of them, even though they are so technology loathing, there the only company out there that really focuses and puts such a premium on FUN!
though, why cant you have both?
i cant wait till we seed a new metroid, or a new starfox, or a new IP something more darker and gritty to show off the wiius true graphical grunt.
but im also concerned when we do, were going to be saying is that it?
fun is great, its very important!
i absolutely loved skyward sword, in fact i have not had so much fun playing a game, i have not been so connected to the characters and sucked into the story in years!
but i would of enjoyed it that much more if i dident have to rub sand in my eyes first!

Ultima
Ultima
10 years ago

There is a simple reason for why Nintendo behaves the way it does: Aside from old school Japanese stubbornness, Nintendo behaves the way it does (i.e. very slow to adopt new technology) because Nintendo is a control freak, and it has little tolerance for ANY technology that it doesn't have complete control over (usually so they can make the most money, though not always).

Why do you think they stuck with cartridges LONG past their shelf life? Not because of piracy (though that was probably a concern) or speed issues (ditto), The real reason was because THEY made (most of) the carts, and thus made money off of their manufacture directly. They did not make CDs and thus were wary of using them. This is also why they went with propriety formats for the Gamecube, Wii and Wii-U. It's also why they used proprietary cards for NDS and 3DS instead of more common storage formats. It's all about control.

re: Nintendo at E3

As has been stated, don't worry about Nintendo at E3. They will have conferences for their respective audiences (developers, distributors, etc), just not one big one.

I won't comment on Nintendo's long term prospects.


Last edited by Ultima on 5/6/2013 10:16:04 AM

556pineapple
556pineapple
10 years ago

While I suppose it's feasible Nintendo will stop making hardware, I have a hard time actually seeing it happen. It's true that their first party games have grown stagnant, but they still sell, and most of them still get rated pretty highly. That aside, they're still pretty innovative in certain ways. For example, I've been using Wii Fit at my sister's house, and while it's far from perfect, it's still a neat idea to turn your game console into a personal fitness trainer (I'm down 5 pounds in the first 12 days.)

Overall, I think that Nintendo will still have a market for some time to come. All of my older siblings have a Wii in their households, and it's perfect for family activities with their kids.

ricksterj
ricksterj
10 years ago

The Future Of Nintendo Is…Interesting….and its demise….immanent/inevitable at this rate.

darthadv
darthadv
10 years ago

I see Nintendo/Wii as the "starter home" for young gamers… their demands for keen graphics and gameplay have a much lower standard than a teen or adult, and the cost is just right for parents who don't want to shell out the dollars necessary for the latest PS or Xbox system and their costlier games (although some of the Wii games proved to be nearly just as costly at first retail). Moreover, I think both the PS and Xbox has had only limited successes in the pre-teen gaming market (I'm talking pure kiddie titles). It's a niche that I'm sure Nintendo wants to continue to cultivate for as long as it can.

ProfPlayStation
ProfPlayStation
10 years ago

Nintendo's problem is that they drank their own Kool-Aid, believed their own hype and lost touch with their customers.

–Nintendo is for kids/family–
This is a truly unfortunate viewpoint, which Nintendo (of America) fully endorses. Back on NES and SNES, Nintendo provided a wealth of IPs to appeal to any taste. Now? Mario, Zelda, Mario, Zelda, with rare appearances by Metroid and Star Fox. They still have access to creative, new properties, but leave them to rot. Why did fans have to BEG them to release the already completed Xenoblade Chronicles? Why won't they release fantastic games like Disaster: Day of Crisis? There is a painful lack of games, right now, in the middle-ground between E-rated family fare and M-rated blood baths, which Nintendo could easily own with very little effort. What are they afraid of?

–Innovation for the sake of innovation–
Everyone can see what is wrong with this concept, except Nintendo. Do we all remember the Wii Vitality Sensor? That was a moment where "What are they smoking?" was not a rhetorical question. The solution to their problems is not a new controller or gimmick. That trick only works once, and Nintendo wanted to double-down on it. Whoops. They need to return to basics. If they want to be the company that's "all about the games," as they've said on many occasions, they need to stop getting in the way of those games with wiggle controls and tablet controllers.

–Current hardware–
The Wii U would have been a good idea 2 or 3 years ago, right about the time the Wii gimmick was wearing off. Right now, it's only repeating the mistakes of the Wii. Like it or not, having major third-party multiplatform releases on the system is very important. But, once again, Nintendo is going to be a generation behind, and third-parties are not going to go out of their way to make a "special" version for the Wii U; especially not with its current rate of adoption. Will dad spend $300 on something that just plays Nintendo games for the kids? Or will he buy the PS4/720 which has kids games AND stuff for him? EA is already dropping the Wii U Madden for this year, and we're not even out of this gen yet. Freaking developed-for-every-system-and-cell-phone Madden! That doesn't bode well at all. Nintendo needs currently hardware.

Basically, Nintendo needs to stop acting like the super special wunderkind that they so obviously think they are, and get back to reality. They can only go their own way for so long. They're getting left behind and are bleeding money. If not for the handheld market, doom-and-gloom would certainly be the forecast; but who knows how long that will hold out? I'm seeing kids with low-end tablets, these days, not 3DSs.

Hopefully Nintendo doesn't meet their 100-billion yen income goal for the year, which looks more likely every day, and Satoru Iwata will follow through on his pledge to resign. Fresh blood and fresh ideas are needed. Nintendo has stagnated. (getting rid of Reggie would be a nice bonus, too)

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