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NPD Sales Results For March 2017 [Up2: Year to date charts, platform specific charts]

SlimySnake

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
 
J

Jon Carter

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

The message it's sending is people want something new, beyond more power, and polished games.
 
W

wonderful103

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

It's a tablet, and it's pretty much close to the highest end it could possibly be at that form factor and price point.

Hey did you know that GTA v is a "last gen" game? Still selling cause it's good, and it runs better now too.

As far as failed devices go, Nintendo threw a lot more effort at the wii u than Sony threw at the Vita or PSVR. I don't think history will look at it as fondly as the dreamcast as far as failed devices go, but that's because the dreamcast was f'n amazing.
 
R

Rainer70

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of Nintendo's success with the Switch has to do with being a handheld that both looks and controls identical to a home console experience. Sony should've gotten it right with the Vita as they should've known from the PSP days that many fans wanted legitimate analogue sticks with clickable L3 + R3, as well as L2 and R2 triggers.
 
ethomaz

ethomaz

Banned
It is new replacing two previous system that needed a replace asap (Wii U being a failure and 3DS already too old).
 
SlimySnake

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Jon Carter said:
The message it's sending is people want something new, beyond more power, and polished games.
Click to expand...

Rainer70 said:
I think a lot of Nintendo's success with the Switch has to do with being a handheld that both looks and controls identical to a home console experience. Sony should've gotten it right with the Vita as they should've known from the PSP days that many fans wanted legitimate analogue sticks with clickable L3 + R3, as well as L2 and R2 triggers.
Click to expand...

This brings up a good point. Did people just want the Vita to be a portable PS3 that could play all PS3 games on the go and not just handheld games made tailored exclusively for it? the triggers were a massive mistep but they were limited by form factor. To me, it's crazy that Sony misread the market while Nintendo of all companies realized form factor doesnt matter in an age where everyone carries around their ipads anyway.
 
O

OrbitalBeard

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

Oh man. I think the rest of 2017 might be rough for you regarding NPD results.

As far as I'm concerned, a healthy Nintendo is very good for this industry.
 
M

Mory Dunz

Member
OrbitalBeard said:
Oh man. I think the rest of 2017 might be rough for you regarding NPD.

As far as I'm concerned, a healthy Nintendo is very good for this industry.
Click to expand...

But Sony and MS might see a weaker console and think they don't need to improve graphical power.
That's why Xbox1 and PS4 weren't upgrades after the Wii success. oh wait.
That's why Scorpio and Pro don't exist. Oh wait.
 
S

Spyder_Monkey

Banned
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

1. Specs aren't last gen if the chip inside is even newer than the PS4/Xbone.

2. You act like Zelda was an old port of a last gen game when it wasn't. Also Zelda is a better launch title than anything the competition had at their launch.

3. Nobody bought their $350 console over the course of four years and they were not making any money off of it. If you had any business sense you would cut your losses and try again learning the lessons from last time.

4. I'm sorry if you're going to frame this nonsense as "controversial" right from the outset then clearly you're more trying to get attention than actually trying to discuss anything.
 
J

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
SlimySnake said:
This brings up a good point. Did people just want the Vita to be a portable PS3 that could play all PS3 games on the go and not just handheld games made tailored exclusively for it? the triggers were a massive mistep but they were limited by form factor. To me, it's crazy that Sony misread the market while Nintendo of all companies realized form factor doesnt matter in an age where everyone carries around their ipads anyway.
Click to expand...

I dont think they mis read the market.

They could have promoted or marketed it a lil better.
Cross Buy tells me they didnt mis read the market. Especially if the Switch takes off. Cross Buy is basically the hybrid feature of the Switch but with separate home and handheld. I forgot to add Remote Play. It was serviceable with the PS3, alot better with PS4.

MS and Sony didnt mis read the market in this regard. (MS with Play Anywhere) Nintendo just did it with one device. Now it makes me wonder about Nintendo's cross buy games.

Got a feeling they have more in store besides the Switch. They might just do a full fledged home console. I cant see them doing cross buy for just the Wii U and 3DS. Especially when it was clear the Wii U was struggling for sales when they implemented it.

Does anyone know if those games carry over to the Switch?
 
H

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
Mory Dunz said:
But Sony and MS might see a weaker console and think they don't need to improve graphical power.
That's why Xbox1 and PS4 weren't upgrades after the Wii success. oh wait.
That's why Scorpio and Pro don't exist. Oh wait.
Click to expand...

Yeah, people think that companies are a bubble and think in a sort of quasi-"team" situation like the fans.

They don't, what does Micosoft and Sony see when millions of people buy switch? They don't see the lesson, "hey we have to copy Nintendo and release an underpowered system." What they see is many potential new customers and they are trying to see what they can do to make their platform more appealing to all the switch buyers.

Whether Swtich eventually sells 30 million, 50 million, 80 million or even 100+ million, Sony and Microsoft are not thinking about ripping them off, they are thinking about how to get the people on other consoles to buy their own.

Spyder_Monkey said:
1. Specs aren't last gen if the chip inside is even newer than the PS4/Xbone.
Click to expand...

The switch as of right now is the best non-Apple CPU and GPU available for its form factor.

It is probably the most state of the art Nintendo system ever. People kind of forget that teeny little fact.
 
J

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Hcoregamer00 said:
Yeah, people think that companies are a bubble and think in a sort of quasi-"team" situation like the fans.

They don't, what does Micosoft and Sony see when millions of people buy switch? They don't see the lesson, "hey we have to copy Nintendo and release an underpowered system." What they see is many potential new customers and they are trying to see what they can do to make their platform more appealing to all the switch buyers.

Whether Swtich eventually sells 30 million, 50 million, 80 million or even 100+ million, Sony and Microsoft are not thinking about ripping them off, they are thinking about how to get the people on other consoles to buy their own.



The switch as of right now is the best non-Apple CPU and GPU available for its form factor.

It is probably the most state of the art Nintendo system ever.
Click to expand...

I agree. But someone will probably mention motion controls by the time I post this, lol.

Look at motion controls. MS bet wrong by going all in on it with Kinect, Sony played it safer by not going all in. The last 2 years from both companies before this gen started says it all.

What does Sony do this gen? They made the DS4 a mash up with Vita and Move features, and launched their own VR. By default VR needs motion controls. Sony still played it safer by making it a separate platform vs what MS did with Kinect. Anyone remember that the PS4 has an updated camera? lol. Sony jumped off that boat alot faster than MS ditched Kinect. Wild part is Sony didnt really ditch it, they just never went in with it as much as MS did with the Kinect.

Kinect might make a big comeback tho with the Scorpio doing VR.


Spyder_Monkey said:
1. Specs aren't last gen if the chip inside is even newer than the PS4/Xbone.

2. You act like Zelda was an old port of a last gen game when it wasn't. Also Zelda is a better launch title than anything the competition had at their launch.
Click to expand...

Yup.

The specs of the Switch are hardly last gen. lol.
And just because Zelda was in development for the Wii U doesnt make it a last gen game.

Pretty soon we will have ppl start saying the Wii U was a last gen console. I know things can get blurry with the Switch IMO starting 9th gen but still....
 
P

Primethius

Banned
The last thing I would think of is that MS looks at Switch and thinks, "huh, maybe power doesn't matter."

The company that seems to be focusing on a premium, enthusiast aimed console that seeks to retain their base while the two biggest competitors run away with the rest of the market...
 
Z

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
I think a lot of people see the Switch as a very powerful handheld that can also function as a console thanks to the dock. in addition, it provides instant multiplayer out of the box and a nice form factor.
 
wapplew

wapplew

Member
Primethius said:
The last thing I would think of is that MS looks at Switch and thinks, "huh, maybe power doesn't matter."

The company that seems to be focusing on a premium, enthusiast aimed console that seeks to retain their base while the two biggest competitors run away with the rest of the market...
Click to expand...

The lesson should be first parties are super important, should fund a Master Chief action adventure call The Legend of Cortana.
 
N

Ninman

Member
The lesson to be learned, as always, is that games come first. The first step to success is to have a steady flow of good content, that's why BoTW was the key to this launch.
 
T

Tookay

Member
SlimySnake said:
Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I feel like you're completely off-base, that's what I think.

Zelda - port or not - is a better launch title than anything Sony or Microsoft put out for months within their respective systems' launches.

The Switch has "alright" specs for a console in comparison to PS4 and Xbox... but it's a great hybrid. I can't bring my PS4 or Xbox anywhere with me.

The Wii U may have wrapped up "prematurely," but I still got a number of quality games that justified my purchase.

The only message I see Nintendo receiving from this is: launch with strong GOTY-candidate-tier games, make hardware with unique hooks that are instantly understandable/appealing, and surround it with the promise of a decent first year lineup. All of those are good for the consumer.
 
M

mlclmtckr

Banned
Horizon deserved to do better. Wildlands is trash.

SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.
Click to expand...

Your 'controversial opinion' is that graphics horsepower trumps all, and that's a shallow and lazy opinion for people with no taste, sorry.
 
G

Gleethor

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

Remember when the massive success of the low-powered Wii caused Sony and MS to never update their hardware again?
 
N

noobie

Banned
Still no insider willing to tell us if MLB as a series growing it declining? And where MLB 17 stands in comparison to other in the series ?
 
R

rockyt

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

The thing is people are seeing it as a high spec handheld first and a console second which is the big draw to a lot of possible casual. It seems that way to my little sister and friends. Also the tech in the switch is anything but last gen. Its pretty much top of the line stuff for what it is.
 
N

Nightengale

Member
Calm Mind said:
It is rather disappointing given how large the install base is.
Click to expand...

Games drives sales, not the install bases.

Gravity Rush 2 would've likely sold as poorly as it did even if PS4's install base was 200 million or 10 million.

Install base becomes an exponentially larger factor in terms of influencing game sales post-launch, as evergreen games benefit from the longetivity and extension of a large install base, as audiences continue to pick up games like GTAV, FIFA, NBA and CoD months deep into the game's release.

It is why some people are snarky when Halo/Gear's underperformance is argued w/an install base logic, even though peak Halo/Gears sales sold significantly better with a smaller install base than the one the newest versions launched on.
 
K

koss424

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.

I mean all its telling Sony and Microsoft is that fans will buy your console whether or not it's a significant upgrade from last gen. They will buy your console even if you release it with a total of five games with the best exclusive available on the previous console.

Oh and then there is the fact that they ditched their $350 console a mere four years into the gen.

Some of this stuff sets a bad precedent while the rest is just scrummy and we are rewarding it. Just feels wrong. Thoughts?

For the record, Wii U was my first Nintendo console and i picked up the switch day 1. I am complicit but I'm not happy to see this success like so many others in this thread.
Click to expand...

on the other hand it's the most power portable in the marketplace by a longshot
 
B

Big Green Anus

Member
Is GTA online separate or still requires GTA 5? With the amount it keeps selling and high profits from GTA online, I don't see the incentive for Rockstar making GTA 6 anytime soon due to making GTA online a service based game. They likely will do then same with Red dead 2 with making multiplayer similar to GTA online.
 
L

LegendofLex

Member
SlimySnake said:
Controversial opinion time:

I don't expect Nintendo fans to be happy but let's see if i can get at least some people to agree with me.

I see a lot of folks genuinely happy about Nintendo Switch's success. And while I'm happy for Zelda, I look at the awful last gen specs of this console and an equally awful launch line up saved by a port of a last gen game, and I ask myself if that sends the wrong message to these console manufacturers.
Click to expand...

Which last-gen portable machine are you comparing Switch to, exactly? There is no last-gen Switch because there is no analog to Switch from a prior generation.

What awful lineup? I see a great Zelda, a Bomberman revival, a stellar version of Tetris, and a lot of fantastic small and mid-tier titles. It's not a AAA lineup but then there's a market for games that aren't AAA.

And in what universe is Zelda a last-gen game? At worst it's part of the PS4/Xbox One gen; at best it's part of a successor gen.
 
Coulomb_Barrier

Coulomb_Barrier

Member
Ashtar said:
FlamboyantBrownBadger-max-1mb.gif

It sold a million with digital combined according to harker
Click to expand...

Whoa it will indeed turn into a major exclusive for Sony. I would put the following as their biggest franchise sellers now (individual title sales for new entries):

Horizon
The Last of Us
Gran Turismo
Street Fighter
 
neohwa

neohwa

Junior Member
They should make more multiplayer/party games for the Switch. They always sell well or better on Nintendo system.

Games like Powerstone, FF Crystal Chronicles, Naruto, etc.
 
B

Bluth54

Member
neohwa said:
They should make more multiplayer/party games for the Switch. They always sell well or better on Nintendo system.

Games like Powerstone, FF Crystal Chronicles, Naruto, etc.
Click to expand...

Nintendo needs to make some new Mario Party games to further crush the souls of the Giant Bomb crew.
 
T

test_account

XP-39C²
Calm Mind said:
It is rather disappointing given how large the install base is.
Click to expand...
Thats not really how it works though. If the size of the installbase decided that, we could say that pretty much every game for systems with a bigger install base is disappoiting. For example if Dragon Quest 11 for 3DS sells 3 million in Japan, that this would be rather disappoiting because the installbase is over 23 million.
 
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