DS Design = Nintendo Profits 91
There's nothing but good news in Nintendo's world right now, as the success of the DS leads to a more profitable financial year than they'd initially expected. From the article: "The company has re-estimated a net profit of 95 billion yen ($807 million) for the year ended March 31, compared with its previous forecast of $637 million. Last year the firm took £739 million." To get an idea of why the DS is so successful, Gamespot has a breakdown of an interview with the DS Engineers.
YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:4, Informative)
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:5, Informative)
previous net profit estimate: $637million
previous year: $1.29billion
I would actually guess the pound sign is actually supposed to be a dollar sign, which would indicate a small increase in profits from last year, versus a much larger decrease.
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:2)
Still, whatever reasons for it, thats some pretty hefty profit.
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:1, Troll)
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:2, Informative)
Re:YEN, USD, & GBP (Score:2, Informative)
The pound symbol is indeed supposed to be a dollar sign.
If they're making that much... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:If they're making that much... (Score:1)
Re:If they're making that much... (Score:2)
Yen, Dollars, Pounds (Score:1)
Does anyone else think that there are too many different currency units in the summary? While you were at it, why didn't you throw in Euros for good measure?
Re:Yen, Dollars, Pounds (Score:3, Informative)
Details (Score:5, Informative)
Not bad at all (Score:5, Insightful)
Once Sony announced the PSP all I ever say was "Nintendo is doomed!" "Sony's going to pwn their asses!" and so on and so forth, yet every article about the PSP & DS the DS is ALWAYS beating the PSP, simple reason to Nintendo has always made the system for cheap but not TO cheap.
no console has sold for more then $199.99 (I might be mistaken on the ones that came with a game, but back in the 80's with the NES my parents got my sister and me the NES with Mario, Duck Hunt & Track & Field (or whatever it was called) with the light gun and power pad for $199.99, same with the SNES when it was released with 2 controllers & Super Mario World) even their handheld systems sell for cheap (The DS is the only one to start off at $149.99 and is basically their most expensive system).
in the end Nintendo is usually posting profits for the year (their quarter profits are hit and miss though) while Microsoft and Sony (who are big on overloading a system with a lot of extra features that usually don't need to be there in the end) post losses almost every single time (though their end of year profits are usually up).
not bad for a company a good chuck of people thought would be gone after the gamecube.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
The DS is down to 129.99 now, I think. Our local Gamestop has a coupon for something like 20$ off (109.99). However, you can buy a shiny new gamecube for 99.99$ from most places these days.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1)
Unless memory fails me. Which it probably does. To lazy to google the actual price ( and note: the price above is CAD, not USD ).
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Which, of course, is why MS made the 360 look exactly like a Packard Bell.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1, Offtopic)
MANY consoles have sold for more than $199.99. The Atari VCS was $249.99 in the early days, for one. Your NES/SNES purchases happened wel
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
But GP poster is making a point about Nintendo doing well in relation to their being affordable.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Nintendo has long made games that are actually fun rather than technology showcases. Most of the rest of the game industry has been making fairly poor software for way too long. They focus too much on using the latest and greatest technology (eg. graphics, sound) and skimp on the actual game design. I mean it sucks up a ton of effort to try and use the latest technology. To me it's wasted effort if the
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1)
The push for photorealism was fun when we were making advances in rendering every ten days, when 3D modeling was an arcane technical profession, when you could flip through a nerd mag and see illustrations that had never been possible before. Now, it's getting old. We know you can render swirling snow and
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1)
The Nintendo 64 was $249 sans game.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
No it wasn't. When they first announced the launch price, they said $249. A few weeks before launch they decided to drop it to $199.
Rumor has it that the price drop was apparently a large part of Nintendo's falling out with SGI, as SGI's cut was a percentage rather than a fixed amount. I have no idea how accurate that claim is though.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:5, Informative)
That's putting it a little lightly. Nintendo has only had one unprofitable quarter ever since going public, and has always been profitable for the year. That one quarter Nintendo was unprofitable was due to the US dollar dropping in value substantially compared to the Yen. Nintendo always invests profits in the currency it was earned in, which in the overall scheme limits their risk from currency fluctuations, even if it did hurt them that quarter.
Re:OP was referring to Nintendo systems (Score:2)
Oh and it's 3DO and not 3D0.
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
The $200 SNES (from 1991) would cost $282.23
See The Inflation Calculator. [westegg.com]
Re:Not bad at all (Score:2)
Re:Not bad at all (Score:1)
DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:1)
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:2)
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:2)
I tried playing with the thumb peice and gave up, but then realized if I used the stylus like a mouse (I'm left handed, but I use my right hand for mouse movement like most people) and then my left hand thumb as the WASD movement control and left index figer for the fire button it worked seemed to play like a mouse and keyboard fps.
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:2)
I have found that by holding the bottom corners of the DS in the palms of my hands, I can hold the DS in place pretty well. I use my right pinky to hook somewhere near the right shoulder button, and this leaves enough of my right hand to control the stylus.
Ofcourse I haven't played any multiplayer games yet, where I will undoubtedly get slaughtered by people who have found a better configuration.
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:3, Funny)
yeah, good job there's no in-game chat or there'd be screams of "omh teh ghey opposable-thumb-wh0ring!!!1 h4x!1"
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:2, Informative)
Re:DS Lite & Metroid Prime Hunters (Score:2)
My only problem now is I keep getting pwned in multiplayer. Oh well, I only can play for probably a small fraction of the time these teenagers are playing...
I want a fingertip control tool (Score:2)
Re:I want a fingertip control tool (Score:1)
Re:Well... (Score:3, Insightful)
Do you honestly believe that Nintendo (or anyone) anticipated Nintendogs to sell more than 6 Million units world-wide, Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing to each sell more than 4 Million units world wide, and for Brain Training to sell more than 2 Million units in Japan Alone? When you have 4 games that sell more than twice as many units as the most optimistic estimate would have their sale
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Yes, yes, yes and no, respectively. In fact, MKDS undersold expectations. Brain training was the only surprise in that set. The Nintendo forecast was low because they're done in ratios of market share, and Nintendo expected the PSP t
Nintendo Deserves It (Score:5, Informative)
The machine is a marvel. It's sexy like an Apple machine (it matches my iBook and iPod) but far more durable. It's like Apple aesthetics combined with Nintendo's "make-sure-it-takes-a-beating" engineering (indeed, their machines have been amazingly resilient and the DS Lite is no exception.
The prices of Lites are coming down (you can get a used one for the same price as a new one these days) but they are still somewhat hard to find, especially in places like Akihabara (I was there on vacation a few weeks ago and every store said they were sold out) and Den-Den Town in Osaka. I live out in the boonies (compared to Osaka proper, anyway), so I was able to snag one.
The games are great - some great Japan only titles like Dragon Quest Slime 2 and Jump and stuff like Animal Crossing. People here love this machine. I am hoping the Revolution will have the same kind of success.
Re:Nintendo Deserves It (Score:2)
Re:Nintendo Deserves It (Score:4, Informative)
Unlike the original, the GBA games stick out about half an inch, so when you're not playing them its better to have the GBA port covered (the Lite comes with a cover, with the original, Nintendo assumed you'd always have a GBA cart in there).
Re:Nintendo Deserves It (Score:2)
Well, I do keep my rumble pak there...
Re:Nintendo Deserves It (Score:2, Interesting)
One interesting thing about the DS when it comes to GBA games: The battery lasts a hell of a lot longer than playing a DS game on the system. I'm guessing this is because it only uses one of the screens and it disables the faster processor. In any event, there's still life to those ol GBA games.
Re:Nintendo Deserves It (Score:2)
dual screens are kind of dumb (Score:2)
It's not bad, but I still like the form factor of the GBA SP better (even relative to the lite version)
I think the dual screens aren't utilized very well. Assuming DS isn't the way of the future, more of a sidestory, then I'd love to see a device with the touch screen included, 4 buttons, and an analog nub instead of a crosspad, but the dual screen dropped...
Re:dual screens are kind of dumb (Score:2)
I would like to see
Re:dual screens are kind of dumb (Score:2)
Warioware Touched, Feel the Magic XX/XY, Mario Kart, Nintendogs, PacPix, Advanced Wars 2, Electroplankton...
Warioware probably has the most fun with it, but even it switches pretending the two screens are "supposed" to be touching, vs the two screens have space between 'em. I think only one screen being sensitive is kind of odd as well.
So, for my money, 2 screens = gimmick, touchscreen = brilliant, analog control = sadly lacking.
Re:Profits? who cares (Score:4, Funny)
Can't make games without money!
Love,
Rydia
Obviously (Score:3, Interesting)
Analysts predicted the death of Nintendo at the release of the Genesis, PSone, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, PSP and Xbox 360. It seems like I read about Nintendo making record profits every other day. I wonder if this news will effect the predictions in any way?
Guess we have to wait on the PS3's eventual release to find out.
Sales in Japan (Score:1)
Re:Sales in Japan (Score:3, Funny)
That just makes me so happy.
Not surprising to players, only "journalists" (Score:3, Funny)
Nintendo provides reasonably priced fun over megaflipipolygons per nanosecond statistical jerk-offs. That's worth my money.
Old and new (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Yet Nintendo is not taken seriously (Score:2)
Look back here in 2 years
Re:Yet Nintendo is not taken seriously (Score:2)
Re:Yet Nintendo is not taken seriously (Score:2)
The controller and low price is what will make it a success. The only thing speaking against it is that it doesn't do HDTV but I guess Nintendo could afford to get one more console out supporting HDTV aswell later on if they wanted to. It's not very likely that their development cost for the hardware is even close t
Re:Yet Nintendo is not taken seriously (Score:2)
Re:Yet Nintendo is not taken seriously (Score:2)
So I wouldn't be so sure it doesn't matter in 5 years, althought sure, it probably only matters to like 1-2% of the people here right now. And the price are 3 times as high for the console if you want HDTV, even more for the actuall TV set (32" 100hz 16:9 crt are real cheap now)
Intresting po
Analyst expertise? (Score:1)
Nintendo just "gets it" (Score:1)
Yes they do make purple consoles and their controllers have been known to come with a big green "A" button but that's what works for Nintendo.
I love the design of the DS. I thing it's great that they target girls and non-gamers. That's a market that sony has reall
Re:Nintendo just "gets it" (Score:1)
*shrugs*
It all depends on personal tastes