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Now that the PS4 has already outsold the Wii U, where does Nintendo go from here?

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Because like any company Nintendo has a company culture. It all ties together, the actual hardware isn't even the most important part. For 30 years Nintendo made Nintendo branded hardware to play their games. They made huge profits selling their consoles, not having to pay a portion to Sony or MS or whoever from their gamesales. They engineered their own system for their own needs, which produced stuff like the Wii and game controllers as we know them.

In the end even Nintendo will have to go '3rd party' though, because hardware will be irrelevant sooner or later. Either because TVs, tablets or smartphones will take their place or even cloud services like Playstation Now. But it wont be easy to completely change the culture of a company after 30 years.

haha, sipping the koolaid

why would Miyamoto think it's a good idea to play his games with a large amount of added input lag
they went out of their way to make the gamepad as lagfree as possible
Just because sony gave gaikai a new name does not make it any less terrible and inherently flawed
 
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch? Imagine if shareholders were gaffers, particularly after the middling launch of the 3DS. I have my own questions about Nintendo's trajectory, but it's preposterous to write off Iwata's business acumen, which had led to some of the most profitable systems in Nintendo's history. Guess that doesn't matter in an industry with a memory the size of a goldfish. What have you done for me lately, right? :p

I'm starting to wonder when this topic will get its own community thread, because it seems to pop up 10 times a week in various thinly veiled ways. I keep thinking one day I'll click and be welcomed to some brilliant new break down of the state of Nintendo, but the crux of the conversation always seems to revolve around parroting the same wildly reductive arguments. Here's a reminder- Nintendo is already restructuring. It's also apparent that Wii U software took a hit while resources were dedicated to bolstering the 3DS, which is now stabilized. As insular as Nintendo's decisions are in some regards I don't personally believe that they operate in a complete vacuum like a lot of people seem to. Wii U has plenty of untapped potential, and not just in an abstract pie in the sky way, but you can't just right a ship overnight. Development takes time. It remains to be seen what seeds Nintendo has planted, but already there's a few signs of things to come.

For the most part I think it's accepted that 3rd party support is never going to blossom outside of a handful of cool niche games every now and then. If the insane growth of the Wii userbase couldn't get companies to pull their heads out of their asses and produce something better than shit ports and C quality spin-offs there's no reason to suspect they'll leap from their seats to do Wii U exclusives that matter. Imo Nintendo should start money hatting promising young indies. Tell the old guard to fuck off unless they bring the goods, and get fresh talent locked by providing them with an opportunity to grow and flourish on the platform. I also think Nintendo should make sweetheart deals with companies like Capcom and Konami to do comparatively modest retro revivals, retail, not digital. Let the other companies chase after the crowd that's more wowed by ornate presentation than the fundamental joy of interaction. Put the focus on well paced pick up and play experiences and tickle that nostalgia bone with cool franchises that have sat dormant. Differentiate yourself from your competitors arms race. That's what I'd do with the Wii U if it were my choice.

Then there's the obvious. Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and to a lesser extent Tropical Freeze. Nintendo knows what its money makers are, and it's leaning on them heavily during the Wii U's second year. Alone I don't think they'll have all the pull in the world, but as games like that accumulate in the library in concert with more niche stuff like Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Pikmin, etc. I think more hitherto ambivalent enthusiasts will start seeing Wii U as a viable secondary platform. Sometimes it only takes a few "must-haves", but a library of unique supporting software definitely helps.

Fantastic post !
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
Even with a soft release schedule for PS4/Xbox One I'm willing to bet that their momentum (well at least PS4) will be strong in early 2014 and nowhere near as bad as Wii U did in early 2013.

Wii U dark days started already from December 2012, there isn't any comparison.

"Success story" didn't last more than 2-3 weeks, everything else is a myth.
 
We all know exactly why.
Because Sony is "HORDECORE!"
While Nintendo is "KIDDAH!"

Oh, but please, Nintendo, put your games on every other system available. But heaven forbid you support your own system.

Actually I'm pretty sure most people would be ok with Nintendo making their own hardware. They just need to deliver competent hardware with a strong online infrastructure and account system. Both of which they fail miserably at.
 

Mengetsu

Member
At this point...I'm not sure making a new console will matter anymore. Nintendo is seen as a second console to have to most gamers (Not all most) at this point and Nintendo has positioned themselves in a bad place in the past 7 years with "Hardcore" gamers. People get there handheld before a console now because of the content that will be produced by 3rd and 1st party. Nintendo's team is not big enough to make multiple HD console games and needs a bigger staff. 3rd parties don't like the WiiU's console abilities compared to PS4/XB1 and even if they came out with something just as powerful would it matter when you have one that does all it can do and then some already? I love the company grew up with them got me into gaming like many here but, it's clear with those sales numbers where Nintendo stands right now and it's not looking good at all. I don't know what the future holds but with even Steam coming with there own home like console...I wouldn't be surprised in a few years the big three are re-dubed PS4/XB1/Steam. I only wish the company the best at this time.
 

FireVoa

Member
Nintendo continues to stay the course. I'm alright with that too. I'd prefer they take some time to evaluate this generation properly and rethink their business model and strategies for the next home console. They are not "dying", "doomed", or going third party any time soon so there's no reason to panic or call for heads to roll at Nintendo.
 

Riki

Member
Actually I'm pretty sure most people would be ok with Nintendo making their own hardware. They just need to deliver competent hardware with a strong online infrastructure and account system. Both of which they fail miserably at.

Looking at GAF, I strongly disagree.
Many many people wish they would go third party for whatever arbitrary reason.
 
You bookmark people's posts from a videogame forum :O ?...

Just to give you a bigger laugh I predicted WiiU would sell 10 million units before PS4 and Xbone launched :D, it was however before the name, launch games and price point were revealed though (I was thinking 'Wii2' as the name + 3D Mario, Starfox, Pikmin and F Zero as launch games and a $249 pricepoint :p).
Yes, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to have done such a thing. I see someone making an unreasonably bad prediction, and it takes all of maybe two seconds to bookmark their post. It's so time consuming! Clearly, I have no life.
 

Into

Member
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

You missed the "80% chance that Sony will go bankrupt in 2 years" thread? You missed the first 2-3 years of PS3s life when it was the whipping boy of the entire industry when even Gabe Newell took a shit on it. Vita getting slaughtered by 3DS in Media Create threads? You missed the "Sony Too" type threads where anything bad that Microsoft was doing, obviously Sony was going to do as well? Compared to the PS3, the Wii U is being treated with royalty gloves.

There were tons of threads predicting years ago that Sony would leave the industry as Nintendo and MS were too powerful, and look at them today. And MS has gotten plenty of shit, especially in 2013.

I'm starting to wonder when this topic will get its own community thread, because it seems to pop up 10 times a week in various thinly veiled ways.

None of the threads criticizing Sony in 2006-2007 got their own community board, and neither did the ones criticizing Microsoft for their original "vision" of the Xbox, so why should Nintendo? Who is forcing you to read them or partake in them, much less ask to get them removed?

The topic creator has always seemed someone who actually really likes Nintendo games, at least that is my impression of him/her, so i dont think he/she has a agenda here. You seem frustrated, but its how things are when a product is tanking, especially when Nintendo were flying high during Wii and DS era, the higher you go, the harder you fall etc see PS2 -> PS3.
 
Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch?

This is one way to put how catastrophically Wii U is failing. The Wii is considered luck because Iwata failed to capitalize on any of the positive momentum it brought them and then launched the Wii U whch was symptomatic of all the problems Nintendo has had for decades.
 

Exotoro

Member
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch? Imagine if shareholders were gaffers, particularly after the middling launch of the 3DS. I have my own questions about Nintendo's trajectory, but it's preposterous to write off Iwata's business acumen, which had led to some of the most profitable systems in Nintendo's history. Guess that doesn't matter in an industry with a memory the size of a goldfish. What have you done for me lately, right? :p

I'm starting to wonder when this topic will get its own community thread, because it seems to pop up 10 times a week in various thinly veiled ways. I keep thinking one day I'll click and be welcomed to some brilliant new break down of the state of Nintendo, but the crux of the conversation always seems to revolve around parroting the same wildly reductive arguments. Here's a reminder- Nintendo is already restructuring. It's also apparent that Wii U software took a hit while resources were dedicated to bolstering the 3DS, which is now stabilized. As insular as Nintendo's decisions are in some regards I don't personally believe that they operate in a complete vacuum like a lot of people seem to. Wii U has plenty of untapped potential, and not just in an abstract pie in the sky way, but you can't just right a ship overnight. Development takes time. It remains to be seen what seeds Nintendo has planted, but already there's a few signs of things to come.

For the most part I think it's accepted that 3rd party support is never going to blossom outside of a handful of cool niche games every now and then. If the insane growth of the Wii userbase couldn't get companies to pull their heads out of their asses and produce something better than shit ports and C quality spin-offs there's no reason to suspect they'll leap from their seats to do Wii U exclusives that matter. Imo Nintendo should start money hatting promising young indies. Tell the old guard to fuck off unless they bring the goods, and get fresh talent locked by providing them with an opportunity to grow and flourish on the platform. I also think Nintendo should make sweetheart deals with companies like Capcom and Konami to do comparatively modest retro revivals, retail, not digital. Let the other companies chase after the crowd that's more wowed by ornate presentation than the fundamental joy of interaction. Put the focus on well paced pick up and play experiences and tickle that nostalgia bone with cool franchises that have sat dormant. Differentiate yourself from your competitors arms race. That's what I'd do with the Wii U if it were my choice.

Then there's the obvious. Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and to a lesser extent Tropical Freeze. Nintendo knows what its money makers are, and it's leaning on them heavily during the Wii U's second year. Alone I don't think they'll have all the pull in the world, but as games like that accumulate in the library in concert with more niche stuff like Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Pikmin, etc. I think more hitherto ambivalent enthusiasts will start seeing Wii U as a viable secondary platform. Sometimes it only takes a few "must-haves", but a library of unique supporting software definitely helps.

Best post.
 

Salex_

Member
You missed the "80% chance that Sony will go bankrupt in 2 years" thread? You missed the first 2-3 years of PS3s life when it was the whipping boy of the entire industry when even Gabe Newell took a shit on it. Vita getting slaughtered by 3DS in Media Create threads? You missed the "Sony Too" type threads where anything bad that Microsoft was doing, obviously Sony was going to do as well? Compared to the PS3, the Wii U is being treated with royalty gloves.

There were tons of threads predicting years ago that Sony would leave the industry as Nintendo and MS were too powerful, and look at them today. And MS has gotten plenty of shit, especially in 2013.

The topic creator has always seemed someone who actually really likes Nintendo games, at least that is my impression of him/her, so i dont think he/she has a agenda here. You seem frustrated, but its how things are when a product is tanking, especially when Nintendo were flying high during Wii and DS era, the higher you go, the harder you fall etc see PS2 -> PS3.

Preach it. People only see what they want to see.
 
You missed the "80% chance that Sony will go bankrupt in 2 years" thread? You missed the first 2-3 years of PS3s life when it was the whipping boy of the entire industry when even Gabe Newell took a shit on it. Vita getting slaughtered by 3DS in Media Create threads? You missed the "Sony Too" type threads where anything bad that Microsoft was doing, obviously Sony was going to do as well? Compared to the PS3, the Wii U is being treated with royalty gloves.

There were tons of threads predicting years ago that Sony would leave the industry as Nintendo and MS were too powerful, and look at them today. And MS has gotten plenty of shit, especially in 2013.

The topic creator has always seemed someone who actually really likes Nintendo games, at least that is my impression of him/her, so i dont think he/she has a agenda here. You seem frustrated, but its how things are when a product is tanking, especially when Nintendo were flying high during Wii and DS era, the higher you go, the harder you fall etc see PS2 -> PS3.
Just cause you like Nintendo games dont mean you cant have an agenda theres a handful here dont get it twisted man
 

katkombat

Banned
since I've joined GAF I've noticed a lot of people say the GameCube was in the same boat during its life. was it? is wii u in a worse position?
 

Coolwhip

Banned
I think they just exist as they are. I don't think it matters how much the PS4 sold.

The only thing that matters in the end for NIntendo is that they make money. All their consoles have made them money so far. Their biggest money maker just behind them. Wii U will have a few million sellers (Mario Kart without a doubt). So it's safe to say Wii U will make them money too. The only thing Nintendo needs to worry about is to not slip into irrelevance with the new generation of kids. Most on GAF grew up with Nintendo, but what about kids of today? They seem to play trash on iOS or Minecraft (not calling MC trash btw) and not Nintendo.
 
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink

Which entire generations have those been exactly?

Valve should buy them so they can make pc games
this post is a parody of all the hilarious "sony should buy x developer" posts

Oh? Where have those posts been exactly? In all my time here I've seen plenty of "Nintendo or Microsoft should buy [Insert developer name]" but the only time that Sony ever comes up in that context is when someone suggests Sony can't buy anything because they don't have any money... apparently.

I'm guessing this is just more strawman bullshit, yeah?

since I've joined GAF I've noticed a lot of people say the GameCube was in the same boat during its life. was it? is wii u in a worse position?

Much much worse.
 
Yes, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to have done such a thing. I see someone making an unreasonably bad prediction, and it takes all of maybe two seconds to bookmark their post. It's so time consuming! Clearly, I have no life.

Stop putting words in my mouth, I said no such thing as 'you have no life' I just found it amusing tbh :p.
 

CANLI

Member
I still think that 3 consoles will easily surpass the 50 millions.
I just hate the haters of any consoles. The 3 big are doing fine and you can find anything you want with those consoles.
The ps4 and xone could have big problems in the future because more and more people are buying new pic to play the same games at a better quality.

The big problem is: people loving more stupid candy, run, where's my xxxx. It's ruining the great history of video games. Millions of people don't know that they can found superb games on vita, 3ds,wii u ps4 xone.. And a great party of the generation are too lazy to push 2 buttons at once
 
The only thing that matters in the end for NIntendo is that they make money. All their consoles have made them money so far. Their biggest money maker just behind them. Wii U will have a few million sellers (Mario Kart without a doubt). So it's safe to say Wii U will make them money too. The only thing Nintendo needs to worry about is to not slip into irrelevance with the new generation of kids. Most on GAF grew up with Nintendo, but what about kids of today? They seem to play trash on iOS or Minecraft (not calling MC trash btw) and not Nintendo.

Most have/had a Wii. They do not know the Wii U exists.
 
Can't believe Nintendo basically pissed away a full years head start. There were decent games released towards the end of last year, but still... a wasted opportunity.

They have to ride the Wii U out now though, and hope that MK or SB is a huge success.
 
Oh? Where have those posts been exactly? In all my time here I've seen plenty of "Nintendo or Microsoft should buy [Insert developer name]" but the only time that Sony ever comes up in that context is when someone suggests Sony can't buy anything because they don't have any money... apparently.

I'm guessing this is just more strawman bullshit, yeah?


.

I'm referring to a specific thread from a few days ago as well as several posts in the oculus rift threads
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
It's such a silly, obtuse argument to believe that Nintendo's design philosophy would regress as a third party publisher, a position that gives them exactly the same amount of creative freedom as they do today. Like there's this weird fallacy where people assume third party Nintendo means they must get in bed with EA or Capcom or whatever in order to survive. Nintendo is an immensely successful software developer and publisher that operates exactly like a third party company does, with the difference of having their own hardware R&D departments on top of software. They conceptualise software. They fund development via hundreds of staff. And they publish physical copies around the world.

Necessary quality and content regression has the prerequisite that Nintendo games do not and cannot sell on any other platform. It's a ridiculous argument founded on nothing, because such software does not exist, by default of Nintendo's platform exclusive existence. It also comes with the loaded assumption that Nintendo's decades of success, franchise recognition, cultural legacy, a software sales momentum even in crisis are simply things they accidentally lucked upon each and every time. And that the millions upon millions of sales stacked on the Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and so on series are not a result of all these variables collectively nurturing genuine anticipation and interest from people who like to play video games over decades of quality output. That the 34+ million fucking people who own Mario Kart Wii fell on the game because they weren't looking where they were going, and nobody actually knows what Animal Crossing and Super Mario Bros. are but for some reason wake up and find them on their desk waiting to be played. No Nintendo hardware exists anymore? Well shit, suddenly I don't even know what a supreme mario man game is, so no loss, right?

Such a belief also comes with the embarrassing-if-it-weren't-depressing assumption that gameplay centric titles do not exist, or see no success, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms. As if Nintendo owns exclusive rights to a gameplay first utopia of design philosophies that peasant developers and publishers calling other platforms home could never and will never aspire to. This doesn't even warrant a contesting argument. There is no argument to be had. It's irrational, and untrue.

And I say all of this with certainly no allegiance to the "Nintendo should go third party" mantra, and freely recognise that owning their own hardware brings about certain company culture and philosophy, as well as development advantages, that would change by going third party.

But shit, jesus fuck. People can barely predict how Nintendo will operate in their current state, yet will confidently sing doom for the company going third party?
 

Vlade

Member
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch? Imagine if shareholders were gaffers, particularly after the middling launch of the 3DS. I have my own questions about Nintendo's trajectory, but it's preposterous to write off Iwata's business acumen, which had led to some of the most profitable systems in Nintendo's history. Guess that doesn't matter in an industry with a memory the size of a goldfish. What have you done for me lately, right? :p

I'm starting to wonder when this topic will get its own community thread, because it seems to pop up 10 times a week in various thinly veiled ways. I keep thinking one day I'll click and be welcomed to some brilliant new break down of the state of Nintendo, but the crux of the conversation always seems to revolve around parroting the same wildly reductive arguments. Here's a reminder- Nintendo is already restructuring. It's also apparent that Wii U software took a hit while resources were dedicated to bolstering the 3DS, which is now stabilized. As insular as Nintendo's decisions are in some regards I don't personally believe that they operate in a complete vacuum like a lot of people seem to. Wii U has plenty of untapped potential, and not just in an abstract pie in the sky way, but you can't just right a ship overnight. Development takes time. It remains to be seen what seeds Nintendo has planted, but already there's a few signs of things to come.

For the most part I think it's accepted that 3rd party support is never going to blossom outside of a handful of cool niche games every now and then. If the insane growth of the Wii userbase couldn't get companies to pull their heads out of their asses and produce something better than shit ports and C quality spin-offs there's no reason to suspect they'll leap from their seats to do Wii U exclusives that matter. Imo Nintendo should start money hatting promising young indies. Tell the old guard to fuck off unless they bring the goods, and get fresh talent locked by providing them with an opportunity to grow and flourish on the platform. I also think Nintendo should make sweetheart deals with companies like Capcom and Konami to do comparatively modest retro revivals, retail, not digital. Let the other companies chase after the crowd that's more wowed by ornate presentation than the fundamental joy of interaction. Put the focus on well paced pick up and play experiences and tickle that nostalgia bone with cool franchises that have sat dormant. Differentiate yourself from your competitors arms race. That's what I'd do with the Wii U if it were my choice.

Then there's the obvious. Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and to a lesser extent Tropical Freeze. Nintendo knows what its money makers are, and it's leaning on them heavily during the Wii U's second year. Alone I don't think they'll have all the pull in the world, but as games like that accumulate in the library in concert with more niche stuff like Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Pikmin, etc. I think more hitherto ambivalent enthusiasts will start seeing Wii U as a viable secondary platform. Sometimes it only takes a few "must-haves", but a library of unique supporting software definitely helps.

They are pumping out more software than anyone else, and yet lol 6 retail releases.
They have made the most interesting hardware advances, and yet lol no powah.
They pioneer new gameplay, and yet lol same old ip.
They are the most relevent hardware maker of the last 20 years, and yet lol never were important.

Sales are bad, but we don't discuss that as much as we make up stuff to lol.
 
You think exclusives really push that many systems? All of the top sellers for PS4 and Xbox One are multi plats with better visuals and performance. Wii U didn't have one iota of the anticipation that Sony and MS had for their new consoles. There is no comparison.

People aren't idiots, they buy these consoles because it's an investment in 6-7 years of great games. Wii U struggled because it's a poor investment as a main console, everyone with a functioning brain could see that. Even with a soft release schedule for PS4/Xbox One I'm willing to bet that their momentum (well at least PS4) will be strong in early 2014 and nowhere near as bad as Wii U did in early 2013.

People buy these consoles for the next few years, not just for what's out right now or the next 1-2 months. The conversation most people have is PS4 or Xbox One. Wii U doesn't enter the conversation, hell most people don't even know what it is. You keep trying to say that because the Wii U had soft sales that it will happen to PS4 and Xbox One. It ain't going to happen, there is no comparison here.

Of course not but if games such as Tomb Raider, MGS V, Watch Dogs, Destiny ect, ect were next gen only the third party stuff would have a much better chance of persuading people to upgrade to the new consoles. As is 90% of games released for PS4/Xbone in the first half of next year are games people can already play on the PS3 or 360. The exclusive line up for both of them is awful imo aswell. Driveclub was meant to come out at launch so that leaves Infamous Second Son and The Order 1886 (which I doubt will release in 2014).

You do have a point about a new console being an investment though, my PS4 was bought for games released in 2015 and beyond mostly but I do think people that do that are a small market.

At the end of the day I hope PS4 and Xbone sell 20 million in their first year, it will mean publishers green light more next gen only third party games which will further grow the install base and show off what the hardware can really do without being held back by PS360.
 
Fire everyone, drop support of wii u , cancel all the upcoming games and focus all your resources to free to play where the real money is , tablets and smartphones are the future.
 

Coolwhip

Banned
They are pumping out more software than anyone else, and yet lol 6 retail releases.
They have made the most interesting hardware advances, and yet lol no powah.
They pioneer new gameplay, and yet lol same old ip.
They are the most relevent hardware maker of the last 20 years, and yet lol never were important.

Sales are bad, but we don't discuss that as much as we make up stuff to lol.

The new IP thing is something Nintendo should improve though. They are the Zelda and Mario company now, much more than in the past. For the sake of variation and broadening their catalogue they need more new (BIG) IPs.
 

Riki

Member
It's such a silly, obtuse argument to believe that Nintendo's design philosophy would regress as a third party publisher, a position that gives them exactly the same amount of creative freedom as they do today. Like there's this weird fallacy where people assume third party Nintendo means they must get in bed with EA or Capcom or whatever in order to survive. Nintendo is an immensely successful software developer and publisher that operates exactly like a third party company does, with the difference of having their own hardware R&D departments on top of software. They conceptualise software. They fund development via hundreds of staff. And they publish physical copies around the world.

Necessary quality and content regression has the prerequisite that Nintendo games do not and cannot sell on any other platform. It's a ridiculous argument founded on nothing, because such software does not exist, by default of Nintendo's platform exclusive existence. It also comes with the loaded assumption that Nintendo's decades of success, franchise recognition, cultural legacy, a software sales momentum even in crisis are simply things they accidentally lucked upon each and every time. And that the millions upon millions of sales stacked on the Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and so on series are not a result of all these variables collectively nurturing genuine anticipation and interest from people who like to play video games over decades of quality output. That the 34+ million fucking people who own Mario Kart Wii fell on the game because they weren't looking where they were going, and nobody actually knows what Animal Crossing and Super Mario Bros. are but for some reason wake up and find them on their desk waiting to be played. No Nintendo hardware exists anymore? Well shit, suddenly I don't even know what a supreme mario man game is, so no loss, right?

Such a belief also comes with the embarrassing-if-it-weren't-depressing assumption that gameplay centric titles do not exist, or see no success, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms. As if Nintendo owns exclusive rights to a gameplay first utopia of design philosophies that peasant developers and publishers calling other platforms home could never and will never aspire to. This doesn't even warrant a contesting argument. There is no argument to be had. It's irrational, and untrue.

And I say all of this with certainly no allegiance to the "Nintendo should go third party" mantra, and freely recognise that owning their own hardware brings about certain company culture and philosophy, as well as development advantages, that would change by going third party.

But shit, jesus fuck. People can barely predict how Nintendo will operate in their current state, yet will confidently sing doom for the company going third party?

I don't think Nintendo's quality would go down, but they would definitely have to downsize and focus their company far more than they do now.
We wouldn't get any of the test or concept games we do now like Pikmin and Kid Icarus. We wouldn't get these giant RPGs like Xenoblade or X or Last Story.
We would basically get Mario and Pokemon and that's about it.
So regardless of how Nintendo's quality holds up for a third party company, it would still be a huge downshift.
Without the need to support a console and without the revenue gained from them, they would basically go into the same position that Sega is in. And I don't know why anyone would want that, even if their games remain amazing.
 

Timeaisis

Member
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch? Imagine if shareholders were gaffers, particularly after the middling launch of the 3DS. I have my own questions about Nintendo's trajectory, but it's preposterous to write off Iwata's business acumen, which had led to some of the most profitable systems in Nintendo's history. Guess that doesn't matter in an industry with a memory the size of a goldfish. What have you done for me lately, right? :p

I'm starting to wonder when this topic will get its own community thread, because it seems to pop up 10 times a week in various thinly veiled ways. I keep thinking one day I'll click and be welcomed to some brilliant new break down of the state of Nintendo, but the crux of the conversation always seems to revolve around parroting the same wildly reductive arguments. Here's a reminder- Nintendo is already restructuring. It's also apparent that Wii U software took a hit while resources were dedicated to bolstering the 3DS, which is now stabilized. As insular as Nintendo's decisions are in some regards I don't personally believe that they operate in a complete vacuum like a lot of people seem to. Wii U has plenty of untapped potential, and not just in an abstract pie in the sky way, but you can't just right a ship overnight. Development takes time. It remains to be seen what seeds Nintendo has planted, but already there's a few signs of things to come.

For the most part I think it's accepted that 3rd party support is never going to blossom outside of a handful of cool niche games every now and then. If the insane growth of the Wii userbase couldn't get companies to pull their heads out of their asses and produce something better than shit ports and C quality spin-offs there's no reason to suspect they'll leap from their seats to do Wii U exclusives that matter. Imo Nintendo should start money hatting promising young indies. Tell the old guard to fuck off unless they bring the goods, and get fresh talent locked by providing them with an opportunity to grow and flourish on the platform. I also think Nintendo should make sweetheart deals with companies like Capcom and Konami to do comparatively modest retro revivals, retail, not digital. Let the other companies chase after the crowd that's more wowed by ornate presentation than the fundamental joy of interaction. Put the focus on well paced pick up and play experiences and tickle that nostalgia bone with cool franchises that have sat dormant. Differentiate yourself from your competitors arms race. That's what I'd do with the Wii U if it were my choice.

Then there's the obvious. Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and to a lesser extent Tropical Freeze. Nintendo knows what its money makers are, and it's leaning on them heavily during the Wii U's second year. Alone I don't think they'll have all the pull in the world, but as games like that accumulate in the library in concert with more niche stuff like Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Pikmin, etc. I think more hitherto ambivalent enthusiasts will start seeing Wii U as a viable secondary platform. Sometimes it only takes a few "must-haves", but a library of unique supporting software definitely helps.

This may very well be the best post I've ever read in a Nintendo thread. I agree with you pretty much on all accounts. Especially the differentiation bit. I sure hope Nintendo decides to go first party + indies, as that would do a lot for people on the fence. If I can only play these games on a Wii U, well, then there's something there. A reason to jump in. First party Nintendo + deals with smaller studios for exclusivity is what they need right now. "Only on Wii U" should be a selling point. The third parties are a lost cause, anyway. They can come if they see success from smaller devs Nintendo helps out. At this point, their software has been enough for me to love the console. Smash will and Kart, as will some unique indie stuff (if they go that route). We'll see how it pans out, but I doubt Nintendo is as incompetent as most people seem to believe.
 
I don't think Nintendo's quality would go down, but they would definitely have to downsize and focus their company far more than they do now.
We wouldn't get any of the test or concept games we do now like Pikmin and Kid Icarus. We wouldn't get these giant RPGs like Xenoblade or X or Last Story.
We would basically get Mario and Pokemon and that's about it.
So regardless of how Nintendo's quality holds up for a third party company, it would still be a huge downshift.
Without the need to support a console and without the revenue gained from them, they would basically go into the same position that Sega is in. And I don't know why anyone would want that, even if their games remain amazing.

Can you present a valid argument for why the bolded is necessarily true? There are some very successful third party publishers today. Games can be made on various budgets, given a realistic expectation for return on investment, regardless of the platform. Some games, like Xenoblade, might even find a wider audience on other consoles.
 
It's such a silly, obtuse argument to believe that Nintendo's design philosophy would regress as a third party publisher, a position that gives them exactly the same amount of creative freedom as they do today. Like there's this weird fallacy where people assume third party Nintendo means they must get in bed with EA or Capcom or whatever in order to survive. Nintendo is an immensely successful software developer and publisher that operates exactly like a third party company does, with the difference of having their own hardware R&D departments on top of software. They conceptualise software. They fund development via hundreds of staff. And they publish physical copies around the world.

Necessary quality and content regression has the prerequisite that Nintendo games do not and cannot sell on any other platform. It's a ridiculous argument founded on nothing, because such software does not exist, by default of Nintendo's platform exclusive existence. It also comes with the loaded assumption that Nintendo's decades of success, franchise recognition, cultural legacy, a software sales momentum even in crisis are simply things they accidentally lucked upon each and every time. And that the millions upon millions of sales stacked on the Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and so on series are not a result of all these variables collectively nurturing genuine anticipation and interest from people who like to play video games over decades of quality output. That the 34+ million fucking people who own Mario Kart Wii fell on the game because they weren't looking where they were going, and nobody actually knows what Animal Crossing and Super Mario Bros. are but for some reason wake up and find them on their desk waiting to be played. No Nintendo hardware exists anymore? Well shit, suddenly I don't even know what a supreme mario man game is, so no loss, right?

Such a belief also comes with the embarrassing-if-it-weren't-depressing assumption that gameplay centric titles do not exist, or see no success, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms. As if Nintendo owns exclusive rights to a gameplay first utopia of design philosophies that peasant developers and publishers calling other platforms home could never and will never aspire to. This doesn't even warrant a contesting argument. There is no argument to be had. It's irrational, and untrue.

And I say all of this with certainly no allegiance to the "Nintendo should go third party" mantra, and freely recognise that owning their own hardware brings about certain company culture and philosophy, as well as development advantages, that would change by going third party.

But shit, jesus fuck. People can barely predict how Nintendo will operate in their current state, yet will confidently sing doom for the company going third party?
I think you don't understand the position a 3rd party Nintendo will be in. I mean, from the games released this year by Nintendo on the WiiU, which are:
NSMBU
Wonderful 101
Pikmin 3
Mario 3D world
Zelda WW

Only NSMBU and M3DWorld and MAYBE Zelda would have released. Of course, forget everything about any "minor" Nintendo franchise, like Fire Emblem, Metroid, etc. etc.

In other words, Nintendo can afford Pikmin 3 selling half a million worldwide despite being a fantastic niche game because they are not paying a single royalty, they're developing everything around their tools and they're getting some extra revenue by the few 3rd party games sold on their system.

Now, you not only speak about a scenario where those factors would disappear, you also speak about a scenario where this situation is reached through them failing with their current philosophy.
It's so absolutely obvious that they would change their philosophy to become much, much, much more mainstream (except for the few games that actually sell, and those are MK, Mario 2D, SSB, AC and maybe Zelda).
 

Riki

Member
Can you present a valid argument for why the bolded is necessarily true? There are some very successful third party publishers today.

None that really take risks anymore. None that would support a huge game like X after Xenoblade did mediocre numbers.
None that would fund the development of Bayonetta 2.
Or localize Monster Hunter or Dragon Quest or Braverly Default.

Nintendo can afford to do these things, and has to do these things, because they have to support their own systems with software.
Nintendo may not take risks like people want, but they take plenty of risks and they do things other companies are completely unwilling to do.
 

Mr Swine

Banned
People that are saying that if Nintendo kills the Wii U now, then people will never buy their consoles again.

If so, then why has Nintendo managed to kill of the Virtual Boy, Sony killed of one of their Tablets and other manufacturers killing of products without people saying "well i will never buy a product from them anymore!"
 
People that are saying that if Nintendo kills the Wii U now, then people will never buy their consoles again.

If so, then why has Nintendo managed to kill of the Virtual Boy, Sony killed of one of their Tablets and other manufacturers killing of products without people saying "well i will never buy a product from them anymore!"

The twelve people that bought a Virtual Boy are still living in scorn.
 

Yado

Member
They're probably going to close up shop now that the PS4 has surpassed the Wii U in sales. I mean, why bother right?
 

kswiston

Member
You DO realize NPD only tracks US sales right.. Right.. There are other countries and regions too.. You know that... Right? Good..

We already know what the December Wii U numbers are for Japan. We also have an idea of the EU numbers. North America is the only region without weekly sales reports, and the US makes up over 80% of the region.
 

Coolwhip

Banned
People that are saying that if Nintendo kills the Wii U now, then people will never buy their consoles again.

If so, then why has Nintendo managed to kill of the Virtual Boy, Sony killed of one of their Tablets and other manufacturers killing of products without people saying "well i will never buy a product from them anymore!"

It's risky, but not a realistic problem Nintendo has anyway. They can't just throw a few parts in a box and release it as the new Nintendo.
 
It's such a silly, obtuse argument to believe that Nintendo's design philosophy would regress as a third party publisher, a position that gives them exactly the same amount of creative freedom as they do today. Like there's this weird fallacy where people assume third party Nintendo means they must get in bed with EA or Capcom or whatever in order to survive. Nintendo is an immensely successful software developer and publisher that operates exactly like a third party company does, with the difference of having their own hardware R&D departments on top of software. They conceptualise software. They fund development via hundreds of staff. And they publish physical copies around the world.

Necessary quality and content regression has the prerequisite that Nintendo games do not and cannot sell on any other platform. It's a ridiculous argument founded on nothing, because such software does not exist, by default of Nintendo's platform exclusive existence. It also comes with the loaded assumption that Nintendo's decades of success, franchise recognition, cultural legacy, a software sales momentum even in crisis are simply things they accidentally lucked upon each and every time. And that the millions upon millions of sales stacked on the Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and so on series are not a result of all these variables collectively nurturing genuine anticipation and interest from people who like to play video games over decades of quality output. That the 34+ million fucking people who own Mario Kart Wii fell on the game because they weren't looking where they were going, and nobody actually knows what Animal Crossing and Super Mario Bros. are but for some reason wake up and find them on their desk waiting to be played. No Nintendo hardware exists anymore? Well shit, suddenly I don't even know what a supreme mario man game is, so no loss, right?

Such a belief also comes with the embarrassing-if-it-weren't-depressing assumption that gameplay centric titles do not exist, or see no success, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms. As if Nintendo owns exclusive rights to a gameplay first utopia of design philosophies that peasant developers and publishers calling other platforms home could never and will never aspire to. This doesn't even warrant a contesting argument. There is no argument to be had. It's irrational, and untrue.

And I say all of this with certainly no allegiance to the "Nintendo should go third party" mantra, and freely recognise that owning their own hardware brings about certain company culture and philosophy, as well as development advantages, that would change by going third party.

But shit, jesus fuck. People can barely predict how Nintendo will operate in their current state, yet will confidently sing doom for the company going third party?

Totally agree! If anything quality would go up as they wouldn't be hamstrung releasing software to support hardware, meaning there'd be more time for development. They also would be able to give some of their more overused characters a rest now and them as they wouldn't be forced to release new entries to support hardware sales.
 

sfried

Member
But shit, jesus fuck. People can barely predict how Nintendo will operate in their current state, yet will confidently sing doom for the company going third party?
Nintendo has to be alive in the hardware buisness. They're the only wild card in the industry that people cannot predict.
 
None that really take risks anymore. None that would support a huge game like X after Xenoblade did mediocre numbers.
None that would fund the development of Bayonetta 2.
Or localize Monster Hunter or Dragon Quest or Braverly Default.

Nintendo can afford to do these things, and has to do these things, because they have to support their own systems with software.
Nintendo may not take risks like people want, but they take plenty of risks and they do things other companies are completely unwilling to do.

Nintendo still would need to fill gaps in their release schedule in order to meet their projections each year. AAA games take time to develop, and despite the events of recent years, I believe Nintendo is aware of the risk of brand dilution with Mario and company. The only reason we saw so many mainline Marios in the last couple of years is their evergreen philosophy and the need to get those games out early in the console's life.
 
Looking at GAF, I strongly disagree.
Many many people wish they would go third party for whatever arbitrary reason.

Take every poster in this thread and you're still at BEST 2% of the GAF membership. And if Nintendo delivers a competent system with a strong online/account system... AND release games somewhat on schedule... the tunes would change considerably.
 
Why is it exactly that Sony can go entire generations bathed in red ink and you wont see the sheer number of alarmist threads like this that Nintendo typically gets in a month on GAF? You know, chalkboard meme and Amirox meltdown not withstanding. Not that Nintendo is beyond cold hard analysis, but these threads always seem to gravitate towards the same hackneyed talking points about how the only way for Nintendo to move forward is to fire Iwata and scrap a console that's been out for one year, blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's hard to take anything the OP says seriously after that.

What? There was one like a week ago lol. There were probably a shit ton more during the early days of the PS3. This persecution complex is getting old.

Another question that begs to be asked is why Wii and DS are considered anomalous luck, but when a system doesn't burst out of the gate on fire all the sudden Iwata is completely incompetent and out of touch? Imagine if shareholders were gaffers, particularly after the middling launch of the 3DS. I have my own questions about Nintendo's trajectory, but it's preposterous to write off Iwata's business acumen, which had led to some of the most profitable systems in Nintendo's history. Guess that doesn't matter in an industry with a memory the size of a goldfish. What have you done for me lately, right? :p

Look at Nintendo's home consoles sales and with as each generation saw a big decline. Then Wii came and did a number more than any Nintendo system has ever done. Now were back to the normal trend with WiiU declining from GC. On a graph, Wii is the very definition of an anomaly.


For the most part I think it's accepted that 3rd party support is never going to blossom outside of a handful of cool niche games every now and then.

If thats true then for the most Nintendo's home console iterations will remain largely irrelevant.

If the insane growth of the Wii userbase couldn't get companies to pull their heads out of their asses and produce something better than shit ports and C quality spin-offs there's no reason to suspect they'll leap from their seats to do Wii U exclusives that matter. Imo Nintendo should start money hatting promising young indies.

Third parties did not find as much success with the Wii with their core titles than with PS360 and the outdated tech probabaly pissed them off.

Tell the old guard to fuck off unless they bring the goods, and get fresh talent locked by providing them with an opportunity to grow and flourish on the platform.

You know, its possible to have both like the PS4. The key is to make a platform thats not centred around your needs and benefits only but the developer community as a whole.

I also think Nintendo should make sweetheart deals with companies like Capcom and Konami to do comparatively modest retro revivals, retail, not digital. Let the other companies chase after the crowd that's more wowed by ornate presentation than the fundamental joy of interaction. Put the focus on well paced pick up and play experiences and tickle that nostalgia bone with cool franchises that have sat dormant. Differentiate yourself from your competitors arms race. That's what I'd do with the Wii U if it were my choice.

Why would Capcom and Konami even agree to such things when the sales are guaranteed to be far higher on next gen platforms. Nintendo tried to do this during the GC days with stuff like Tales of Symphonia, Capcom 5 etc and you know how it ended? I think we all know.

I also don't see why Nitendo would moneyhat devs to use their niche old franchises when Nintendo doesn't even continue making some its niche old franchises.


Then there's the obvious. Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and to a lesser extent Tropical Freeze. Nintendo knows what its money makers are, and it's leaning on them heavily during the Wii U's second year. Alone I don't think they'll have all the pull in the world, but as games like that accumulate in the library in concert with more niche stuff like Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Pikmin, etc. I think more hitherto ambivalent enthusiasts will start seeing Wii U as a viable secondary platform. Sometimes it only takes a few "must-haves", but a library of unique supporting software definitely helps.

I see nothing different in this case to the Gamecube case. WiiU will have some gems just like GC but to a lot of people the purchase is still not justified especially when said gems are usually Nintendo games with some niche third party games.

The thing is when you have third party support you are able to cover all genres, have a lot of the big franchises whom have large followings all in one place. That is what makes a console attractive and even the proposition of this being the case is enough for people to anticipate and purchase the console.

There is no way indies and Nintendo can ever act as a substitute. They should focus all efforts in trying to get back support if they wish to remain relevant in console gaming.
 
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