Is Nintendo In Trouble

[MeekMonizzLLLLLLe14]

Article fails to mention it's not just the lack of catching up to graphics and processing power of XBOX and Playstation but also the simplification of mobile games on smartphones. Instead of investing in 30 or 40 dollar games kids started playing free games on their parents cell phones. That fucked up both console sales for all major consoles and their handheld sales of 3DS or whatever new shit they got out.

Also it is too little too late for Nintendo to try to go head to head with Playstation or XBOX when it comes to processing power. Those gamers who want better graphics already owned a pc or they are sticking with the PS4. They really aren't checking for Nintendo products. Think about this the gamecube had not only ahead of it's time first party wireless controllers but it also had graphics that in my opinion were slightly better than ps2. But the cube never caught on highly to convert many ps2 users who were brand loyal.

 

[Lurkristocrat]

Kudos on Nintendo being stubborn. Ppl been saying for years how Nintendo would've been a force in the mobile space if they had release games there.

I don't play too much mobile games but if u tell me I can d/l Mario world, donkey kong country, fzero, Mario party etc on my mobile I'm in there. That right there is like a million downloads day 1 but nooo Nintendo go ahead and release miitomo

you can...

 

[Karl.]

Article fails to mention it's not just the lack of catching up to graphics and processing power of XBOX and Playstation but also the simplification of mobile games on smartphones. Instead of investing in 30 or 40 dollar games kids started playing free games on their parents cell phones. That fucked up both console sales for all major consoles and their handheld sales of 3DS or whatever new shit they got out.

Also it is too little too late for Nintendo to try to go head to head with Playstation or XBOX when it comes to processing power. Those gamers who want better graphics already owned a pc or they are sticking with the PS4. They really aren't checking for Nintendo products. Think about this the gamecube had not only ahead of it's time first party wireless controllers but it also had graphics that in my opinion were slightly better than ps2. But the cube never caught on highly to convert many ps2 users who were brand loyal.

Since when have console sales been fucked up? Sony have sold like 40 million consoles. The success of the PS4 and Xbox one has proven that theory wrong.

 

[MeekMonizzLLLLLLe14]

Article fails to mention it's not just the lack of catching up to graphics and processing power of XBOX and Playstation but also the simplification of mobile games on smartphones. Instead of investing in 30 or 40 dollar games kids started playing free games on their parents cell phones. That fucked up both console sales for all major consoles and their handheld sales of 3DS or whatever new shit they got out.

Also it is too little too late for Nintendo to try to go head to head with Playstation or XBOX when it comes to processing power. Those gamers who want better graphics already owned a pc or they are sticking with the PS4. They really aren't checking for Nintendo products. Think about this the gamecube had not only ahead of it's time first party wireless controllers but it also had graphics that in my opinion were slightly better than ps2. But the cube never caught on highly to convert many ps2 users who were brand loyal.

Since when have console sales been fucked up? Sony have sold like 40 million consoles. The success of the PS4 and Xbox one has proven that theory wrong.

Consoles had to drop prices sharply from the drop and include top tier video games from year 2 just to get to 40 mill and 20 mill for sony and microsoft. Back in the day they would maybe throw in a demo or an average game.

Likewise as far as cleaning out stores consoles even in launch year were easy to find at stores. That wasn't the case in the last few generations. Even past generation the average amount of games per console and overall game sales are down. Much of this has to do with every kid being hooked to a tablet or smart phone. Doesn't mean they don't play consoles; they are playing less however.

 

[HundredEyes]

Kids aint the primary market anymore for consoles and the ps4 has been breaking records left and right.

pc gaming has returned with a vengeance the last few years, we have two consoles and one more coming up, theyre even introducing VR to the market.

the console market has never really been this prosperous, the fact that Nintendo is introducing another console basically mid console season n Sony introducing an enhanced version of the ps4 should say enough about the market size.

 

[Broddie]

Well Nintendo hardware still moves units in their homeland (look at the monstrous 3DS success out there also more Jap homes with Wii U than PS4 right now). But he's kinda right when you look at the west.

Consoles in general have slowed down both in Japan and the US. Hell most gamers would classify me as hardcore since I grew up on Atari consoles, NES and commodore 64 games but I'm pretty lapsed now a days. The last generation of home consoles competeley flew by me.

I still had and interest in video games but a lot of my other hobbies (graphic designing, photography, music creation, coding etc) became even more practical to execute with new tech. More portable too.

It became a question of "why waste my time playing this game when I could do something as fun and much more productive instead?" for a lot of people who grew up as gamers. So the idea of copping a new console didn't quite register.

I played games on PC or portable consoles though. I owned 2 3DS' in the last 5 years but never bought a PS3 or even a Wii. I still gamed; just not with the same passion I used to approach SNES or Playstation 2 titles with. That's just me as somebody who isn't by definition that casual a gamer. Imagine those that are.

Those are the people who have made COD the killer franchise or made mobile gaming a billion dollar marketplace. The problem is these people view gaming as a quick past time and not a hobby. The older part of this demo used to spend a quarter at the arcade back in the day for every 5 dollars you spent at the same arcade.

So ok they will buy the console. However they won't invest in PSN or buy much software like that and that's where these companies really make the bottom line profits in the end.

So with that in mind the "bigger and badder" approach has kinda become obsolete. Cause the part of the audience that cares about that is very minuscule now. When they were once the dominant group of consumers in that biz.

These are people you find also everywhere on the net. The type who pick sides in some fictional "console war" even it they do it subconsciously. They're not a real factor anymore. The majority of the demo is.

The majority don't care about specs or iconic franchises of gaming's past. They want a good bargain for the quick fix. Right now there are better bargains and quick fixes out there than home consoles especially in the West.

Does this mean the console market is brickin? No; but it's also certainly not growing on the level that was once anticipated as recently as a decade ago either. Simply because a lot of that audience has indefinitely checked out and found enjoyment elsewhere. Try all you want that definitely can't be ignored.

 

[Karl.]

I get some of your points.

I don't understand how you can say console sales have slowed down when the X1 and PS4 are both outpacing 360 and PS3 sales when you compare them both at this period in their life cycle.

Before they dropped folks were saying consoles were dead because mobile was taking over. Turned out to be nonsense.

 

[Broddie]

It's not nonsense when you understand the context they were coming from. Compared to where analysts and industry big heads expected the business to be at this point in time the console business is still quite far behind.

Console business been peaked so naturally it will have nowhere to continue going but down. What Xbox One and PS4 combined have sold worldwide in the last 3 years (60 million) the PS2 sold alone in it's 3rd year.

 

[HundredEyes]

Experts said dead pc gaming would be dead by now 10 years ago and months before the current gen dropped claimed console sales would be worse than the ps3/360....experts also claimed tablet/mobile gaming would destroy the handheld market back when the 3DS wasnt released yet...how many analysts saw a minecraft coming?

business analysts are wrong all time, its not 2006 anymore fam, hell this thread was made possible by Nintendo's shitty business analysts n marketing department with the dissapointed that was the wii u... Europe is basically the biggest market now while Japan has become the least important one outta the big 3 (US/EU/Jap)....and who knows, if China lifts the restrictions, what the biggest market is gonna be in 2026.

there is more work/employment and money in the console game industry as ever..

 

[Broddie]

Europe became the biggest market with a 3rd of the peak US or Japan console market to it's claim. Not exactly the greatest bragging rights.

If there are so many jobs available working in the console business today then why are so many publishers and developers going out of business which by proxy means major job losses in that industry?

Like I said before the dedicated console industry already peaked. Like a decade ago. The last gen being outpaced by this one is no big shit because sales and profit wise last gen was a bust compared to the gen before it (where consoles peaked). The biggest seller last home console gen was the one that catered to casuals above everyone else which proves my point.

People fall for the smoke and mirrors. Yes console gaming isn't bleeding out at an accelerated rate but it's definitely declining. Naturally it should since again it's already peaked and what goes up must come down.

Just 3 years ago you had consoles taking up 36% of the gaming market by the end of this year it is estimated to be taking up only 32%.

 

[HundredEyes]

Many publishers and producers went outta business during the 'peak' times aswell, which were only peak times for Sony btw, the dreamcast flopped, MS was selling the xbox with a loss and didnt even broke even with it and the gamecube wasnt exactly a worldwide succes. The ps2 succeeded due to it being a cheap dvd player, Sega's fuck ups and a shitload of other reasons.

the industry evolved fam, there are more people involved in developing triple a games (think gta 2 vs gta 5) hundreds if not thousands of indie developers and lets not forget all the IT/online aspects of gaming etc. More jobs, more work.

how can console sales be on the decline while they have been improved since last gen sans nintendo - who completly dropped the ball with the wii u and can only blame themselves for their own fuckery - and are available in more markets than ever? We got VR coming up which might completly change the game...

the gaming industry is getting larger every year, new hardware, from tablets to VR so just cause consoles are a smaller % of the industry doesnt mean the console are on the decline, it means the gaming industry is just getting larger...cause the numbers dont lie fam...

 

[godoffun]

Nintendo has run out of ways to flim flam consumers into thinking its high end tech. The only way they are going to beat Sony now is to throw in a tied up 12 year old wearing "panda draws" with every new console purchase.

 

[Broddie]

When in the last 12 years or so has Nintendo tried to present it's hardware as high end tech?

That ship sailed with the Gamecube. They presented their last decade worth of products as innovative and intuitive new ways to interact with software which they were. But never did they claim them to be ground breaking tech.

 

[godoffun]

When in the last 12 years or so has Nintendo tried to present it's hardware as high end tech?

That ship sailed with the Gamecube. They presented their last decade worth of products as innovative and intuitive new ways to interact with software which they were. But never did they claim them to be ground breaking tech.

So the 3ds and wii wiiu wasnt groundbreaking for consoles?

 

[Broddie]

When in the last 12 years or so has Nintendo tried to present it's hardware as high end tech?

That ship sailed with the Gamecube. They presented their last decade worth of products as innovative and intuitive new ways to interact with software which they were. But never did they claim them to be ground breaking tech.

So the 3ds and wii wiiu wasnt groundbreaking for consoles?

Nope.

Again innovative and intuitive? Yes but it wasn't anything we've never seen before in terms of tech and Nintendo did not try to act like it was.

 

[anduin]

Nintendo got another decade of goodwill to just fuck around if they wanted to. Biggest stans in gaming belong to the Nintendo crowd because nothing else sells on those consoles beyond the first party titles.

 

[Broddie]

Some of Nintendo's all time greatest games have come out in the last 6 years so I can't complain. But I do want Nintendo sports games back like anothe Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball type game or a 1080 joint would be nice. They got something for every other genre including shooters and fighters but nothing for sports anymore outside of Mario Tennis.

bolded probably wont happen unless they make a deal with a big star. Sony got the baseball franchises on lock. And nintendo doesnt even own part of the mariners anymore

They owned majority stake and recently announced they'll sell most of it and will still keep 10 percent of their assets within the franchise.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/28/nintendo-selling-its-majority-stake-in-the-mariners.html

Apparently because of of what they will make in the sale they are now looking into investing cash into making movies themselves and not licensing out their IPs.

 

[MeekMonizzLLLLLLe14]

I get some of your points.

I don't understand how you can say console sales have slowed down when the X1 and PS4 are both outpacing 360 and PS3 sales when you compare them both at this period in their life cycle.

Before they dropped folks were saying consoles were dead because mobile was taking over. Turned out to be nonsense.

They are breaking last gen pace records because in my opinion i think they gave away the house in year 2 of consoles coming out. I bought a PS4 the 2nd year it came out. It costed me $324 including 2 day shipping on Newegg. Due to that cheap price i bought a few games on the spot that after 3 months were already discounted for like $30 each (NBA 2K and EA NHL. That same black friday weekend (year 2 mind you) you could get them GTA 5 bundles cheap on black friday or even shortly after.

Imagine if PS2 gave you GTA 3 with any PS2 the 2nd year that shit dropped. Console sales would have been even more larger for year 2. Same thing with PS3 and XBOX 360 you didn't get halo editions or Metal gear editions of consoles until at least 3 or 4 years into the console. Outpacing is due to the values off the bat (and even this year they had some bomb ass Xb1 deal that was a steal.

Add to the fact video games have a much more global and 2 and a half generational market for this current gen. You have more gamers than ever before but sales are about the same/slightly higher than last gen. Gamers born in the llate 60's or 70s may have had 2 kids that became potentail gamers and now they are 16 to 23 themselves that is 2 times the gamers of age to play consoles than 15 years ago.