PAL Charts - Week 16, 2011
- Thread starter dabra
- Start date
)That's absolutely the reason I've held off buying one (and probably will hold off NGP), despite being a fan of 3D and a consistent early adopter. I just don't need a dedicated portable anymore, my iPhone has that covered.Monty Mole said:
It doesn't help that some of the launch software would look at home as a £3.99 app rather than a £39.99 game (Asphalt, Steel Diver, I'm looking at you).
Opus Angelorum
Member
SmokyDave said:
I think this speaks for many of us.
The sale of powerful smartphones and tablets are killing this market. The NGP is in trouble before we even know the price.
m.i.s.
Banned
SmokyDave said:
Nintendo have made many strategic errors in both the design and implementation of the hardware (no really, some basic, textbook stuff), the most egregious of which is battery life and the price of the hardware and games. ie Nintendo have removed one of the key positive features which actually differentiated themselves from their competitors and increased the price of the hardware. This is just unheard of in a Nintendo handheld. And the 3DS eshop should have been there right from launch without requiring any further user intervention. The market will respond to AAA software but customers will also buy systems on convenience. On iOS, what could be more convenient on a portable device than having all your games on the home page and instantly accessible at the touch of a button rather than having to decide which carts to bring with you?
Considering touch screen and motion control were the brainchild of Yamauchi, perhaps the 3DS is a sign of Iwata's relative inexperience in the selection of hardware choices?
Graphics Horse
Member
Koralsky said:
Not a good start (Wii version just below Wii Top Spin 4!) but they potentially have all summer to sell it, doesn't need to be a hugely front loaded game. PS3 version is probably just beyond the top 40, as it's right after AssCrd in the PS3 chart.
radioheadrule83
Banned
M.I.S. said:
The price of hardware and software is an issue, especially in the current UK climate, I'd agree -- but the battery life issue is wayyyy over-cooked by people. It has 5 brightness settings and a power saver mode, neither of which I've used, and I've only needed to play it plugged into the AC adaptor once in over 13 hours of gameplay, thanks to just leaving it on the dock when I'm not using it.
M.I.S. said:
In the long-term, its clear that 3DS will have a userbase in the tens of millions by the end of the year, but there are probably less than about 4m worldwide out there in the wild, and it's only been out for a month or so. People *will* use the software update, because games will force them to. As long as the May update is robust, I don't think they've damaged it too badly by not having it there at launch... it's only been a month or two.
M.I.S said:
I think PSP Go proved that we're not ready for a digital distribution only handheld. At least for the kind of meaty games that are typical of the retail world, and many times bigger than your typical iOS game.
M.I.S said:
It's a great piece of hardware, and lovely to play with, hubris has just allowed it to be marketed badly and over-priced. As a value proposition to consumers, it will improve with time and must-have software.
fabricated backlash
Member
Serves them right. Terrible launch, terrible pricing decision, and tons of shit at launch.Majine said:
Hopefully this is going to give Nintendo a much needed kick in the balls.
M.I.S. said:
Motion control wasn't the idea of Yamauchi, iirc. In any case, I don't think the capacity under which he operates with Nintendo has changed very much since before or close to the launches of the DS and the Wii, considering that Iwata still faxes him important information.
Despite the poor launch the 3DS isn't doomed. It is priced too high with not enough good software. Both those matters can change.
boris feinbrand said:
Wait, I thought the Wii's lowering sales were meant to give Nintendo a much needed kick in the balls?
MMaRsu
Gold Member
Still no Portal 2, what the fuck Dutch people :\.
Argh old topic...
Somebody make a new topic.
wotter said:
Netherlands:
Week 17, 2011
01 (01) [PS3] Mortal Kombat (WBIE)
02 (02) [360] Mortal Kombat (WBIE)
03 (03) [NDS] Pokemon White (Nintendo)
04 (05) [NDS] Pokemon Black (Nintendo)
05 (__) [PS3] Portal 2 (Electronic Arts)
06 (__) [PS3] Socom Special Forces (Sony)
07 (__) [360] Portal 2 (Electronic Arts)
08 (04) [PS3] Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
09 (07) [WII] New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo)
10 (06) [WII] Wii Party (Nintendo)
YES PORTAL 2
m.i.s.
Banned
radioheadrule83 said:
This is the crux of the issue for me. I would contend that most people are happy with "distractions" and "time-wasters" on the go or in-between doing something else whilst the more "meaty" games will do better on games consoles on a TV.
ie As I've said before, the "mid-market" has collapsed. Between "micro" or handheld games on iOS on the one hand and blockbuster games on TV games consoles on the other, the traditional handheld market will be severely squuezed.
This is why I think Iwata has gone for the Nintendo Stream, to leverage Nintendo's historical advantage with handhelds right into the home in order to attempt to "revive" the console market in Japan.
fabricated backlash
Member
After so many sales, they have a pretty much balls of steel when it comes to the Wii. I also don't think they are really expecting to sell as much Wii consoles or software anymore.gerg said:
3DS on the other hand is meant to be the new handheld pillar.
Nintendo really has a chance here. If they get the right message out of this launch fiasko, the 3DS might just become a true successor to the DS. But then again, Nintendo seems to think that the sales are just low because people haven't seen the 3D effect yet. I'm currently playing it as a DS, finishing Professor Layton and Spirit Tracks as well as searching for bargain DS games to get.
radioheadrule83
Banned
I know that after picking up a 3DS and a game (Pilotwings) - I've wanted to get another / more games for it, but the selection isn't the best at the moment, let's face it...
- no games except SFIV have an online mode, other games only let you exchange ghosts etc.
- the splinter cell port was framey and disappointing, rabbids and monkey ball are shallow, ridge racer and asphalt should really have came with online multiplayer, samurai warrior is niche, nintendogs has no obvious additions to the ignorant consumer other than cats..
and they're all £39.99 in most stores. Which is madness. At least prices are more reasonable online on Amazon etc.
My next game is probably going to be Dead or Alive, and Zelda in June... which comes out after E3, where hopefully there will be many more software announcements to flesh out the year.
I'm glad I got one though. Pilotwings has been good fun, I love showing off AR games and face raiders, the camera is really cool, and if the May update is robust enough, I'll be more than happy.
- no games except SFIV have an online mode, other games only let you exchange ghosts etc.
- the splinter cell port was framey and disappointing, rabbids and monkey ball are shallow, ridge racer and asphalt should really have came with online multiplayer, samurai warrior is niche, nintendogs has no obvious additions to the ignorant consumer other than cats..
and they're all £39.99 in most stores. Which is madness. At least prices are more reasonable online on Amazon etc.
My next game is probably going to be Dead or Alive, and Zelda in June... which comes out after E3, where hopefully there will be many more software announcements to flesh out the year.
I'm glad I got one though. Pilotwings has been good fun, I love showing off AR games and face raiders, the camera is really cool, and if the May update is robust enough, I'll be more than happy.
M.I.S. said:
Actually, Iwata said that he noticed that people who bought downloadable or "social" games went on to buy a slightly higher amount of handheld games.
Nintendo isn't dependent on the handheld market, unless you're only talking about Japan. (Even then, the Wii is still the best selling console this generation.) But why only talk about Japan?
boris feinbrand said:
Only half right:
Iwata said:
Basically: we need more software.
C'mon guys, there's a whole wealth of IR releases and Q&As regarding pretty much exactly about what we're talking about now.
Edit: And actually, Iwata's argument isn't that people haven't "seen" the 3D effect, it's that while Nintendo has positioned 3D stations effectively people aren't using the 3D slider to make the strength of the effect suitable for them.
I think the biggest problem with the 3DS right now is the launch line up. As it stands there is no definitive killer app. With the only exception being the 3DS, I have always bought Nintendo consoles at launch for the big Nintendo titles that launch with it but the only 3DS games I would get right now are Nintendogs (Which I already have on DS), Street Fighter 4 (Which I already have on my iPod) and Pilotwings. Neither of which make me want to rush out and buy a console.M.I.S. said:
fabricated backlash
Member
radioheadrule83 said:
Signed.
I actually advise others against getting a 3DS at the moment. Aside from the piss poor game selection with only 2 games I could recommend currently, the inexcusable poor design of the lower screen casing that leaves permanent pressure marks on the top screen (gonna send in my 3DS next week due to pressure marks on the top screen), the 3DS just isn't worth it right now.
M.I.S. said:
They only have themselves to blame. Their launch marketing was too obtuse and relied on people's reactions rather than actual game footage. Combine that with the lack of a killer app and you've got a damp squib on your hands. Obviously NCL has to take some of the blame for rushing the machine out without a defining title. Had they launched with a Mario game the sales would have been through the roof. It doesn't look like there are any big new games coming until the end of the year either (a port of an old Zelda game isn't going to help). You can't expect the public to drop £200 on a handheld when games like PilotWings and Nintendogs are the biggest hitters. They need more substantial new titles ASAP.
m.i.s.
Banned
gerg said:
I say dependent because historically, handhelds have been nintendo's bread-and-butter. ie they have an unbroken record of dominance in this area across all territories whilst their record in games consoles have been mixed.
I talk about Japan because that is their one area of weakness in games consoles in terms of sales compared to the US and Europe. Not just that but Nintendo is very Japan-centric, they need a revival of the home console market in Japan in order to carry more weight with Japanese third party compaies to produce AAA games for Nintendo consoles.
Ushojax said:
Oh, I don't disagree with you. I meant "Sadly" in a manner of speaking. I have no sympathy whatsoever with NoE and have no dealings with them.
M.I.S. said:
I'd find your argument more convincing, though, if Nintendo had lost lots of money on its home console business whilst it was only the success of its handheld games and consoles that was turning it into a profit.
Their record in games consoles has been mixed, sure, but they still managed to produce the best-selling console of this generation.
m.i.s.
Banned
gerg said:
Why do you say that? Past profits is no guarantee of future profits. Apple has disrupted the traditional handheld market. Hence, Nintendo having to shore up its console position everwhere including Japan where games console have been weak post-PS2, because their handheld market is under increasing competition from other mobile operators.
M.I.S. said:
Because I think that the fairer statement is that "Nintendo has had varying success with its handhelds and consoles over the years. In recent years in Japan the Wii has not proved as successful as the DS, causing the majority of Nintendo's profits from that region to be concentrated on that platform. However, in America and Europe the Wii has been incredibly profitable for Nintendo, as the best-selling console of the generation."
Just saying that "Nintendo is dependent on handhelds." is too simplistic a view to be useful.
An assertion such as "Nintendo is dependent on handhelds." generally leads one to believe that we're talking about the past and the present, so while your above statement is true I don't see its relevance.
I'm yet to see evidence that this will lead into a significant reduction of Nintendo's handheld profits. As I've already said above, Iwata's own personal research suggests that people who buy social or downloadable games actually buy more DS software.
I agree that Nintendo needs to avoid the mistakes that led to a premature downturn in the Wii's sales. I disagree that this is because they are dependent on handheld sales or that their handheld sales are under a substantial threat.
m.i.s.
Banned
gerg said:
I've edited that out. It's bad wording on my part. I was thinking back to Nintendo's market share slide culminating in the GCN period, where Nintendo's profits were largely derived from Pokemon and Gameboy Advance (though I admit even this is problematic because there's no breakdown in sales figures).
gerg said:
No evidence because we're still in the DS transition phase but early fiscal report indications are not positive - ie 3.61 million 3DS shipped, only half of that sold to customers.
OMG Aero said:
I just don't think it's just about the games anymore. Do you remember Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 which both arrived on cartridges in a Playstation / Saturn CD-ROM market? Now, Nintendo have arrived once again with carts in a market dominated by iOS and Flash and user accounts. All I'm saying at this stage is that it just isn't about the games (though these are important). It's about the type of games and people's demand placed on them for their time. It's also about convenience, features and, yes, price.
fabricated backlash
Member
M.I.S. said:
Yet with the Eshop, the 3DS potentially has everything the Ios devices have, plus retail big budget games, plus a better span of pricing ranges. That is of course if Nintendo is actually treating the Eshop as an integral part, if not a whole plattform inside the 3DS itself.
Microsoft and apple really understood how to handle Digital Distribution. Both the App store and the XBL Marketplace are whole plattforms independent of the hardware they are embedded. in. Both XBL and Appstore are future proof, while Nintendo and to an extend Sonys current efforts aren't.
It's actually pretty simple. If Nintendo want's to compete with the IoS Market share, it better comes to town with a better option, not a me too offering.
If they don't, watch them fall to irrelevance within a single hardware generation again.