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[Sorcerer]

I was deep into console gaming when Steam happened, so might be wrong here, but didn’t Valve force people to use Steam with the Half-Life 2 release and that was basically how it all took off?
I definitely think it could be done again. SteamOS required

I completely forgot about that!!! Good Point!!!

 

[Humdinger]

MS buying Nintendo?

Phil wanted to. He said it would've been a real "career moment" for him.

 

[clem84]

This doesn't really make sense. The market is growing, not shrinking. If MS played their cards right, worked hard to develop strong exclusives, and fought to get the rights to popular exclusives, they would do good and the market would absolutely be big enough to support 3 consoles.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

That would be a dream come true. Segas new console debits with phantasy star online 3.

In fact, it’s already happening.
I wonder why there isn't a thread to discuss this, are the fans waiting for Sega to say ''hey our PS6-like console is coming ok''

 

[mckmas8808]

Was a bit confused by that but msft can negotiate a split in revenue as this would be a pc where the big gainers are platform holders and publishers.

Also I would believe msft has data as to what games are most played in their ecosystem. Steam would not be an issue but valve ftp games might be competitive. The future for msft is being the biggest publisher, getting more subscribers, mtx gains and hiding their assets.

Michael patcher (yes him) made a good point about msft needing to find a way to profit off their 800m vs Sony 120 mau. An example used was battlenet coins/tokens used to pay for avowed.
My point is if msft can make mtx items out of thin air ( feds ability to print) then one store wins if they can legally tie it to a prime store.

I'm sorry, but with all due respect this just isn't possible.

 

[mckmas8808]

Consoles are going to be what the ipod was after the iphone came out

I can see what the Xbox fanboys will be saying in 2026 now. Man, you guys switch up fast!

Now consoles are obsolete?

 

[TropicanaTwista]

Competition from who? Closest they had to competition in the handheld space was the PSP and the DS still outsold it almost 2:1.

BOTW, TOTK, and Odyssey all sold a shit ton (20-33 million each) and people very much love.

Sony has had success in the handheld space, vita excluded. Steamdeck and other PC options seem to have some following, plus the rumored MS handheld. Maybe none of them pan out but I think it's pretty clear they are gonna get some resistance in that space.

 

[nordique]

Nintendo

Although anything could happen, Nintendo being Nintendo could still fuck things up

While spoiler is fair, it’s amazing how Nintendo was at brink once during GameCube era in terms of mind share

We know the Wii U among gaming circles but your average gamer just think Wii -> Switch

Switch 2 if it launches with MK9 will be insane

 

[GrouchyGamer]

Just think if Nintendo also had the strongest hardware like they used to

 

[RetroGamingUK]

While spoiler is fair, it’s amazing how Nintendo was at brink once during GameCube era in terms of mind share

Yet pretty much all their handhelds have outsold the best selling Xbox (360).

Switch is just a continuation of this.

 

[awwr999999]

Nintendo is probably the safest of the three when it comes to future viability.

Nintendo abandoning esoteric HW and refusing to abandon physical media is creating a growing glut of (illegal) free to play ROMs that are easy to emulate on PC.
Every new Switch game is another reason to move to PC.

i would say that in any case, Nintendo is the one that could see decrease in market share. (Xbox is already out of the picture) IF the switch is too underpowered and IF Playstation makes a competitive handheld (price point and performance) Sony could take market share from Nintendo.

MS tried to acquire Nintendo decades ago and couldn't.
MS could 'solve' something like 90% of Nintendo's massive piracy problem overnight via a mandatory Windows update.
All it will take is Windows blocking Nintendo emulators and Nintendo ROMs at a system level.
In exchange Nintendo could make Nintendo games available to MS on PC via an official Nintendo app and provide OEM Nintendo controllers that work on PC.

 

[awwr999999]

no 18+ mods without PC.

This was only because American retail outlets like Walmart wouldn't sell A-rated games.
The thing is that with albums the Parental Advisory warning often boosts sales and the same would likely be true for games.
When PS moves to digital-only A rated games will be a thing.
From a marketing POV it will make games more appealing. "Rated A for Adult" both looks and sounds better than "Rated M for Mature".
Ideally the ESRB would just use the same "EXPLICIT" label used by the RIAA for albums.
.

 

[Ozzie666]

I'm not sure I agree with anyone saying the console industry is actually growing, don't be fooled by online subscriptions, microtransactions and platform holder cuts. Hardware sales have been pretty stagnant for years with the leaders devouring the weekest performer. Without checking, I feel like the Wii/Xbox360/PS3 was the peak with all 3 doing really well, but even then not hitting 300M boxes sold, unless you count Nintendo hand helds into that figure. I'm not sure the console industry had really seen growth since PS1 and maybe Wii blue ocean market. Without a handheld market, it's shrunk.

Wouldn't surprise me to see Microsoft drop out or fall even further back in hardware sales, become the new NEC or Atari. Only 2 relevant console hardware console companies seems to be where it's headed, since growth for install base has been a mirage for a long time.

The more developers who treat PC with respect, the better.

 

[GigaBowser]

nintendo power so powerful

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

I love how we've gone so far from "Nintendo is not competing in the console space" to "only room for one more aside from Nintendo".

 

[Guardian Monkey]

Yeah well it’s already that. It’s Nintendo and x86.

 

[Topher]

I love how we've gone so far from "Nintendo is not competing in the console space" to "only room for one more aside from Nintendo".

Both can be true. If Nintendo were selling the same exact games as Xbox and PlayStation then they would have a hard time competing. That’s why they are focusing on first party and not trying to take away market share from the other two.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Both can be true. If Nintendo were selling the same exact games as Xbox and PlayStation then they would have a hard time competing. That’s why they are focusing on first party and not trying to take away market share from the other two.

The only reason they aren't is hardware limitations. There's a metric ton of third party support, though.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

All it will take is Windows blocking Nintendo emulators and Nintendo ROMs at a system level.
In exchange Nintendo could make Nintendo games available to MS on PC via an official Nintendo app and provide OEM Nintendo controllers that work on PC.

I think, at this point, the "30% cut" should not only be common knowledge but also universally understood.

Every decision a company makes that prevents/discourages a potential consumer from entering its ecosystem represents a loss. The only thing Nintendo should make for the SW2, is to have hardware powerful enough to attract more third-party support.

MS/Xbox has lost any leverage at the table to negotiate as a platform, whether on Windows or the console space.

 

[Topher]

The only reason they aren't is hardware limitations. There's a metric ton of third party support, though.

Hardware limitations are a side effect of the handheld form factor which is what has allowed Nintendo to carve out its own segment of the market. But that isn't the only reason. Folks just don't buy Nintendo to play games like Call of Duty or Madden.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

The only reason they aren't is hardware limitations. There's a metric ton of third party support, though.

no the "literally" same third-party support as on PS/Xbox. Those games tend to sell way worse:


Whilst Microsoft and Sony rely more on the 80/20 model on its platforms (20% of sales are first party, 80% are third party), Nintendo has seen very much the opposite happen. Granted this has been the case for a while but it's considerably more notable with Wii U and Switch as opposed to say Wii and DS.

For the first 9 months of this fiscal year (ending Dec 31st 2018), first party software accounted for 84.6% of total software revenue for Nintendo. The percentage during the same period last year was 85.3%. Note that this percentage is based on total software revenue and initial margin on 1P will always be high. That being said, it's an extremely high percentage and shows that Nintendo very much relies on first party and Nintendo published titles to generate the majority of its software revenue, with third party playing a smaller role.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Hardware limitations are a side effect of the handheld form factor which is what has allowed Nintendo to carve out its own segment of the market. But that isn't the only reason. Folks just don't buy Nintendo to play games like Call of Duty or Madden.

This has been going on far before the Switch, though. I'm talking about mentality and statements 20 years ago.

Edit: I feel so old now. We're all old here, aren't we?

 

[Edgelord79]

DFC believes it’s too early to know which of Xbox and PlayStation will drop off next gen, stating that price points, launch dates, and other basic features such as portability, will factor.

---

Ya ok. Pretty sure we can guess based on how things have been going.

 

[Topher]

Edit: I feel so old now. We're all old here, aren't we?

 

[awwr999999]

Hardware limitations are a side effect of the handheld form factor which is what has allowed Nintendo to carve out its own segment of the market. But that isn't the only reason. Folks just don't buy Nintendo to play games like Call of Duty or Madden.

People used to play Madden on Nintendo HW.
At this point Nintendo has some kind of deep seated shame preventing them from making another dedicated TV console.
Otherwise, a less expensive 'NintendoTV' box (Switch minus batteries and screen, plus PSU and power cord) would cost even less than Switch and play Switch games via HDMI and composite out.
They'd put SNES HW in the NintendoTV and open the SNES digital platform up to indie studios as a lowest cost development target with a large audience.

Nintendo's focused on what they don't have ('4k', 16gb memory, PC games, etc.) and oblivious to the fact that they have a dormant SNES platform that does things PC, Xbox and PS5 can't ever do.
SNES with wired controllers has no input latency and no game load times - most people don't know what it's like to play games without load times or significant amounts of input lag.
Instead, Nintendo has studios make Switch games that look like SNES games but cost significantly more, are much larger in size, have significant load times and input latency.

 

[IDKFA]

This doesn't really make sense. The market is growing, not shrinking. If MS played their cards right, worked hard to develop strong exclusives, and fought to get the rights to popular exclusives, they would do good and the market would absolutely be big enough to support 3 consoles.

Microsoft tired all the above and it hasn't worked out for them. I can't see this changing in the future either.

They've now changed course. All of their games release on PC day one with Xbox, plus more of their games will be released on PlayStation and Nintendo hardware. This has been financially beneficial to Microsoft and this isn't going to change in the future.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

People used to play Madden on Nintendo HW.
At this point Nintendo has some kind of deep seated shame preventing them from making another dedicated TV console.

It's about brand positioning. Nintendo has achieved a very successful formula and resonates in people's minds in a certain way. Going out of that way is a risky move. Besides, Nintendo doesn't have the means to produce the kind of AAA games Sony or Microsoft does. Only Metroid would benefit from this move and that's a niche IP.

IMO the investment needed for all this is just not worth it.

 

[Hudo]

I, too, think that console wars are here to stay.

 

[Sanepar]

Well Sony is doing all they can to fail next gen. All their efforts now are on fail 2nd half of ps5 lifetime and ps6.

 

[Radical_3d]

Randos and thread resurrection with no new info. Name a more iconic duo.

 

[Woopah]

Both can be true. If Nintendo were selling the same exact games as Xbox and PlayStation then they would have a hard time competing. That’s why they are focusing on first party and not trying to take away market share from the other two.

They are focused on first party, but they still want to get third party market share too. For all those people played Fortnite/Minecraft/DQ/FIFA/MH on other platforms etc., Nintendo wants those people to play on their platform rather than other consoles or PC.

People used to play Madden on Nintendo HW.
At this point Nintendo has some kind of deep seated shame preventing them from making another dedicated TV console.
Otherwise, a less expensive 'NintendoTV' box (Switch minus batteries and screen, plus PSU and power cord) would cost even less than Switch and play Switch games via HDMI and composite out.
They'd put SNES HW in the NintendoTV and open the SNES digital platform up to indie studios as a lowest cost development target with a large audience.

Nintendo's focused on what they don't have ('4k', 16gb memory, PC games, etc.) and oblivious to the fact that they have a dormant SNES platform that does things PC, Xbox and PS5 can't ever do.
SNES with wired controllers has no input latency and no game load times - most people don't know what it's like to play games without load times or significant amounts of input lag.
Instead, Nintendo has studios make Switch games that look like SNES games but cost significantly more, are much larger in size, have significant load times and input latency.

They aren't going to make business decision based on "deep seated shame". The Lite already fills the market position of a budget device, plus it allows multiple purchases per handheld. A TV-only device would only be good at attracting people who want to play Switch games on a TV, but wouldn't pay $299 to do that. I don't think that's a particularly big audience.

 

[Topher]

They are focused on first party, but they still want to get third party market share too. For all those people played Fortnite/Minecraft/DQ/FIFA/MH on other platforms etc., Nintendo wants those people to play on their platform rather than other consoles or PC.

I agree. I'm not suggesting there is no overlap at all in competition at all. Just that it isn't as direct as Xbox vs PlayStation has been.

 

[Woopah]

I agree. I'm not suggesting there is no overlap at all in competition at all. Just that it isn't as direct as Xbox vs PlayStation has been.

Yes I would agree with that

 

[GigaBowser]

Both can be true. If Nintendo were selling the same exact games as Xbox and PlayStation then they would have a hard time competing. That’s why they are focusing on first party and not trying to take away market share from the other two.

ms will put all there games on switch 2

 

[Jesb]

Will be funny seeing halo on switch 2

 

[LRKD]

I couldn't' disagree more. With the rise of cross play/save, I think there is more room than ever for multiple platforms, since now it doesn't matter what platform, you buy for the big multiplayer games. The problem I am seeing, is that consoles aren't justifying their existence anymore when they release their games on other platforms.

I think the lead up to Series X was a great example, people were praying for a Xbox resurgence, ready to forgive the One generation, and get some good games again. Instead Halo Infinite was delayed, and bad. All the Bethesda games have been bad. And the games that should've been out years ago (fable, perfect dark, Avowed, ect) are taking forever, and don't even look good. And the shit topping on the shit cake, is that you can just buy a month of gamepass, try the game on PC, or streaming, and realize all of Xbox's games are dog shit, and not worth buying.

At the end of the day, Xbox and PS are just killing their own brands by letting their games leave their ecosystem, and by not maintain quality games. IF a new console dropped with hot games, crossplay with the big multiplat games, and free online, it'd justify its existence, and the market would make room. People go where the games are, and if consoles aren't releasing good exclusives, there is no reason to be on that console.

 

[MacReady13]

Nintendo abandoning esoteric HW and refusing to abandon physical media is creating a growing glut of (illegal) free to play ROMs that are easy to emulate on PC.
Every new Switch game is another reason to move to PC.

Over 140 million Switch owners clearly don’t agree with you. I have a gaming PC. And I don’t agree with you.

Look, Nintendo live within their own bubble. Largely been successful doing their own shit without really following trends since the days of the NES. Love them or hate them, they’ve succeeded when most went for power and the latest tech and that just hasn’t worked well for them. Look at PlayStation at the moment- struggling to release new 1st party content. And why? Cause they NEED to spend over $300 million on the latest graphics and feel the need to have digital foundry wank all over the fact Ellie’s hair moves in the most realistic way never before seen in a game! Who gives a FUCK about that pointless shit???