jimbo said:
This is one of the most popular and at the same time inaccurate correlations I have heard by Nintendo fans since the DS started doing well. People talked about Sony's brand recognition with the PS3 and Playstation and used it as an argument to assure the PS3's success. While I believe brand has little to do with the success of these systems, when you have three other very popular brands, I do believe MARKET DOMINANCE can help you.
And even though people used that Sony line so much...everyone's ignoring the biggest fact of the hand-held wars when it comes to PSP vs DS.
NINTENDO has had a MONOPOLY for almost 30 years!!!
And while it's kicking the PSP's butt right now...in reality Nintendo has LOST market share with the DS compared to previous systems. At one point they OWNED 98% of the hand-held market. 98%!!!!! And all of their systems were backwards compatible.
That MAY have had something to do with the DS success, but I could be wrong.
No, no, no, no, no.
First, The Gameboy has nothing to do with the Nintendo DS's brand. Go ask to what you want outside gamers if they knew that the GameBoy's constructor was Nintendo. The majority will answer you "no" or "I don't know". The reputation of Nintendo DS has been build up with the innovation, the low price and overall the good and different games like Nintendogs and Brain Training. It has been build from the reputation of Nintendo, that, with the gamecube, don't say me it was good !
Second, the proof of this fact is simple: who has the Nintendo DS right now is only partly who had the GameBoy before. Because if you had reason, the expansion of the market would never happened and that's because the same person would have bought the machine and we know that who had the Nintendo DS right now is not an old gamer for the majority.
Third, the Playstation's brand was at the top of his strenght when PSP launched. Before that point, the PS2's success has been build up form the start thanks largely to the brand (and to the DVD player partly) and only then thanks to the incredible Third Party Support, because don't say me that PS2's launch games were blockbusters !
The PSP has been a big success at start, but it sinks (and not so bad as many think, and this thanks always to the brand) because it has yes good games, but they're or ports, or remakes, or good games but too similar to PS2's games. the problem is that it lacks still today of a TRUE killer-app !
Fourth, you say that Nintendo lost market shares: go see what Nintendo sold in NUMBER OF UNITS before the PSP and what has sold in 2006. Nintendo has not increased its market share, but this doesn't matter if you sell 4-5 millions machines more then the year before. I mean, Nintendo ha sold in 2002/2003/2004 something around 4 millions units; then in 2005 5.5 millions and in 2006 10, I mean, TEN millions. And this is the record of the records ! What has lost Nintendo with the PSP ? Nothing, but in contrast, Sony has sold the 10% of consoles (handheld and home system together) in 2006.
I'm the first that say the the PS3 has not to be underevaluated, and I agree with you 100%that the market can change once time more, but don't come saying that Nintendo DS surfed alogise another brand or that Nintendo loose market share.
Nintendo has the big merit that it has constructed the Nintendo DS empire thanks only to his strenght, without a strong brand behind (because after the N64 and the Gamecube, launching a portable with the name "Nintendo" appared really to be stupid) and with the scepticism af the entire videogame community.