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Nintendo says it will overcome challenges of generational transition with ‘unique propositions’

Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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During a Q&A session following Nintendo’s financial results briefing on Wednesday, the company was asked what risks it’s especially mindful of as it looks to build on the success of its dedicated gaming platforms and its expanding IP business.

Since launching in March 2017, Switch has sold over 139 million units. Only two other dedicated gaming platforms, the Nintendo DS (154m) and Sony’s PlayStation 2 (155m), have outsold it.

Despite the console’s blockbuster success, Nintendo said it’s taking nothing for granted, given its past experiences with tricky generational transitions. For example, while Wii reached almost 102 million sales, its successor, Wii U, sold just 13.56 million units, before Switch revived the company’s fortunes this generation.
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“We approach our business every day with a profound sense of urgency,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told shareholders (translated by VGC contributor Robert Sephazon).

“The generational transition of platforms in the dedicated gaming console business is never easy. We have experienced significant challenges following successful platforms multiple times, so we never consider our current situation to be totally secure.

“Furthermore, as you pointed out, our business is always exposed to great competition. From a broader entertainment perspective, not only video games but also various forms of leisure are competitors in this industry. In this environment, there’s an increasing need, more than ever before, to continue offering unique propositions to become a brand that customers choose.”
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Although the company is yet to comment publicly, Nintendo’s Switch successor is widely expected to launch this year, after VGC reported last summer that development kits were in the hands of key partner studios.

While specific details on the upcoming console are being kept closely guarded, sources VGC spoke to indicated that it would be able to be used in portable mode, similar to Switch. Bloomberg also reported last month that the console will have an 8-inch LCD screen when it launches this year, corroborating previous VGC reporting that it won’t launch with an OLED screen.
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“To continue offering innovative entertainment that can be enjoyed by our customers worldwide, we believe that continuing with our integrated hardware-software dedicated gaming console business is the best strategy at this point,” Furukawa said this week. “As such, we are advancing various research and development efforts.

“Since our products are not daily necessities, if they are not interesting, we quickly lose people’s attention. Therefore, it’s crucial to continue efforts to make Nintendo feel close, even outside of the dedicated gaming console, increase customers who support Nintendo IP over the long term, and maintain connections with our customers.”
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www.videogameschronicle.com

Nintendo says it will overcome challenges of generational transition with ‘unique propositions’ | VGC

Furukawa insists it’s taking nothing for granted following Switch’s success…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com
 
A

ADiTAR

ידע זה כוח
I hope that doesn't mean a stupid gimmick that will convolute the idea of the Switch.

The Wii was a success because it was simple to understand. The WiiU was a failure because it was the exact opposite.

The Switch is an easy to get concept. Bam you're on the TV, bam you're on the go.
 
jshackles

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Unique propositions is going to be corporate speak for "subscription service of Switch games that rotate in and out every month", isn't it?
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
jshackles said:
Unique propositions is going to be corporate speak for "subscription service of Switch games that rotate in and out every month", isn't it?
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No, the context was within Nintendo's integrated hardware and software advantage. I would look to software like Ring Fit Adventure, Wii Sports/Fit, The Toy-Con stuff, Nintendo Land (lol) etc. That's the direction that Nintendo thinks will keep them a key player in your home, plus the Zelda's, Mario's, Splatoon's, and more. They've mention Nintendo online accounts in the past as something that they think will help carry the user base from Switch to their next outing. No details though. As always with Nintendo, one can't really know for sure until the official announcements hit.

For their big IP's, cross media promotion is a direction they're taking. Zelda movies, Mario movies, Donkey Kong movie. I think Star Fox will get something too, if Zippo is correct. I bet Pikmin will find its way to screens in some form too. Pokemon has already done it, and will continue to do so. Underwear/boxers, merchandise, theme parks. They want to firmly capture the culture in their IP's, and give the games whence they came from that stronger marketing push.

That all said, Nintendo's consistent problem in their new hardware releases is building, and sustaining momentum. Switch got the Zelda start, an appealing hardware concept, and a good indie boost (something I had argued in the past they needed for Wii U), no massive confusing controller, and they managed a decent release schedule, and even beat some expectations on their releases for games like Xenoblade 2. The audience came, and almost everyone of 'em picked up Mario Kart 8, a Wii U enhanced port released just a month after Switch's launch, while they were here. lol
 
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lughnasadh123

lughnasadh123

Member
“We approach our business every day with a profound sense of urgency,”

Well, maybe not the urgent.

Backwards compatibility, Hall Effect joycons, bigger screen, more comfortable form factor or fuck off.
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
DownLikeBCPowder said:
Would love to see Nintendo tackle VR, but feel like we are some distance away from that as of yet.
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They have literally toyed with the idea before. (Toy-con VR and Virtual Boy)

But yeah, I don't see a full embrace happening anytime soon. I don't personally see VR as the tech of tomorrow, despite the money and push behind it. At least not in its current vision as an escapist application. I think AR will present a stronger argument for integrating and complementing itself into peoples lives in the future. But we will see.
 
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G

gamer82

Member
damn vr mario kart day 1. the sad reality it's not going to happen :messenger_pensive: i mean do they still have warnings of an age limit to use vr so that would loose them sales
 
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Dr. Wilkinson

Dr. Wilkinson

Gold Member
It’s like literally word-for-word exactly what Iwata used to say. Their approach doesn’t change, because they deliberately don’t jump on the latest trend or fad until it’s proven to have staying power and be mass market accessible. Part of how they’ve managed to survive and thrive this long.
 
Zannegan

Zannegan

Member
Buggy Loop said:
They only have to make a Switch 2. Change nothing. Actually, fucking fix the joycons and remove the crap you never used like IR sensors, etc.

Watch them somehow fuck up a perfect recipe
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But they did use the IR sensor. Labo heavily relied on it (which isn't exactly the best selling point, I grant you) and so did Ring Fit, which has been a big seller.

The sticks, motion tracking, and range of the joycon 100% need to be improved though, agreed.
 
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kazuyamishima

kazuyamishima

Member
They will play it safe, do the same as the current switch with better battery life, better specs and BC.

Nothing more nothing less.
 
Jesb

Jesb

Member
They gonna play it safe. It’s all they need to do for another success this time around. Just make a better switch. Thats all. There may be some different things about it. They may opt to go with not detachable joycons this time or something else different. But it will be mostly the same with worse screen tech. 😂
 
March Climber

March Climber

Gold Member
kazuyamishima said:
They will play it safe, do the same as the current switch with better battery life, better specs and BC.

Nothing more nothing less.
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I think they are being cautious. Their home console sale numbers have been a swinging pendulum since the N64 and they don’t want a negative swing this time around.
 
C

Celine

Member
That's Nintendo's typical response, it reflects the company's philosophy which is in place for decades.
 
Saber

Saber

Member
Guys, they are probably talking about console gimmicks.

You know, like Wii, WiiU(which failed), Switch, Labo(ultra failed) and ringfit. There also other older examples like Powerglove, they have being doing this since ever. Its their thing.

Papa_Wisdom said:
1IFmn5Y.jpg
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Can't wait to play with those controller 2 buttons.
 
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Buggy Loop

Buggy Loop

Member
Zannegan said:
But they did use the IR sensor. Labo heavily relied on it (which isn't exactly the best selling point, I grant you) and so did Ring Fit, which has been a big seller.

The sticks, motion tracking, and range of the joycon 100% need to be improved though, agreed.
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Those use cases aren’t worth inserting this crap. Nintendo releases a gimmick with a demo launch title and basically every devs ignore it afterwards.

They’ve got to stop this nonsense.
 
Zannegan

Zannegan

Member
Buggy Loop said:
Those use cases aren’t worth inserting this crap. Nintendo releases a gimmick with a demo launch title and basically every devs ignore it afterwards.

They’ve got to stop this nonsense.
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But why? It's not an expensive feature, it's not adding to the joycons' repair issues, and it enables at least one multi-million selling franchise. Why should the fact that it's not a popular feature with other devs matter to Nintendo?
 
ultrazilla

ultrazilla

Member
With the advancement of AI, I could see Nintendo really embracing that to experiment with it.

My pitch would be a new Legend of Zelda title. However, this is no ordinary "Zelda game". With the power of AI, your partner in the gameworld is Link, whom you can converse with intelligently with in game events or just
general banter.

Something like "Hey Link, there's a wizrobe near the tree". He responds with "I'm not feeling so hot right now, the food we cooked earlier was bad. Can you give me a health potion?". "I feel much better, I'll go deal with the wizrobe now!"

Or entering a Dungeon that's extremely dark. "Link, be careful. We have some wood sticks in our backpack, why don't you light them and then throw them into the darkness to help us navigate where we're going" and Link would
then carry out the task-lighting the sticks and throwing them down to help light the way while still talking with you about the situation in real time".

Hopefully one day we'll get something like that. I think it'd be really fucking cool to pull off. The Matrix demo with the AI NPC conversation mod is a prime example of bringing the game world to life.

Besides all that, I'm hoping their "gimmick" is the return of glasses free 3D. 2 Screens.
 
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