Third Place Is Fine By Nintendo 368
anaesthetica writes "The New Yorker writes that Nintendo is fine with third place. Between Sony and Microsoft both trying to build the most comprehensively next-generation console, and barely breaking even in their efforts [Zonk: Though that's changing for Microsoft], Nintendo has decided to go a different route. Wii doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it focuses on simple fun playing games — a strategy which turns out to be much better for Nintendo's bottom line and stock prices. From the article: 'A recent survey of the evidence on market share... found that companies that adopt what they call "competitor-oriented objectives" actually end up hurting their own profitability. In other words, the more a company focuses on beating its competitors, rather than on the bottom line, the worse it is likely to do.'"
I find that amusing (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Informative)
Nintendo is attempting another DS with the Wii, and it looks like they're on their way. At least 4 million are expected to be sold by the end of the year alone. Imagine how many will be sold next year when availability is even higher and more games are out (both for the Wii and on the Virtual Console). It's amazing, but Nintendo really might top Microsoft and Sony in non-portable consoles.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:4, Funny)
So, what you're saying is that their business plan is something like:
1) First Place?
2) Second Place?
3) PROFIT!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
1) Design the most expensive machine you can.
2) ???
3) Profit!
Step 2 is "Realize how stupid Step 1 is".
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not about wasting so much time than it is wasting money. Games for the wii will require significantly lower budgets or the budget may be dispensed differently. what i think will happeb is that there will be less crunch time graphics-wise and it may allow the artists to come up with more unique designs. hopefully, this will get rid of the "hollywood glitz" some videogames suffer from and it will provide for some creative, more interesting titles.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:5, Insightful)
No, they cannot do that and keep #1. They would if the other two kept selling the same number of consoles they did last gen but those 50 million people they'd no longer have probably want a new console, too. If half of them picked the 360 and half picked the Wii Sony's lead would be insignificant, if the distribution was less even Sony would be #2.
Losing half their market is being generous, from the looks of it they're heading for a self-reinforcing cycle that hurts the PS3 and helps the competition (games and developers leave the platform -> fewer buyers -> games and developers leave the platform). If they lose the lead at the start more and more games are going to migrate (and many are already doing that) to the competition and by the time the PS3 reaches an acceptable price the competition will have control of many major game series that were exclusive to Sony on the PS2. Square Enix said they want to go multiplatform, GTA4 will be multiplatform! They've only got MGS4 and FF13 remaining as their big draws and both are too far off while the competition is hitting with Gears of War and Zelda right now.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
A small change early on in a systems life (Product Shortage, Higher Price, Stronger Competition) will have an effect on how well that system sells early on. Even a reasonably small effect on early sales have a dramatic
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Why couldn't final fantasy and Metal Gear go to the Wii?
The Playstation, PS2 and Nintendo DS are
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I find that amusing (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Not trying to fuel and wars here but your are incorrect in comparing these two statements since your
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
And vice versa if you look around such as this one [gamasutra.com] which was referenced in What Analysts Will Be Buying For Christmas [slashdot.org]
Both the PS3 and the Wii have sold out all available units, with the Wii actually having a slightly longer average shelf life than the PS3 (probably due to supply rather than actual demand
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't know why so many people seem to think there is some vast inchoate yearning on the part of the general public to run Linux.
If there was such a vast demand for Linux, you'd see people running it NOW all over the place on their desktop computers, not waiting for an underpowered living room machine to run it on. Yes, I said underpowered. From the point of view of Linux, it is basically a PowerPC with
Re:PS3's chance. Market Share? (Score:4, Insightful)
It is my belief that the PS3-Linux connection is likely to do more damage than good. The PS3 is a very powerful computer at it's *ahem* core. However, the crowd that's likely to run Linux on it is the crowd that's not likely to run out and buy a whole lot of video games or Blu-Ray movies. My figures may not be accurate, but I'd understood that Sony is losing something like ~$200 per console. This means that, for every console they sell to someone that doesn't buy at least $200 worth of additional product, they are taking damage.
Heck, I'm tempted to buy one and turn it into a Linux box so that I can deliberately damage Sony. I've been finding myself increasingly angry with them over the past few years, and quite frankly I think it's time for them to get spanked for their behavior. However, I'm not tempted enough to shell out $600 to do it. heheheheheheh
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Average consumers don't care about Linux. They don't care about any OS. The fact that they are faced with a system that can play games, or are faced with a similar system that can play games, surf the net, do real word processing, or make spreadsheets, will play a real roll. As I tried to point out in the original post, the price is definitely going to be a problem for them, and
One man's treasure... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's funny to see some people calling the XBox360 and the PS3 "just the same old warmed-over stuff with high-resolution graphics", talking up the Wii's "innovativeness", while others refer to the Wii as yesterday's technology with an extra gimmick or two, instead of what PS3/XBox360 are doing...
In the past, "innovative" controllers have been released for Nintendo consoles (Power Glove, U-Force, Power Pad, ROB the robot), but none of those ever had more than a couple of games at most that were really designed for the controller, because releasing it as a new controller for an existing system made it a gimmick. The Wiimote possibly could have been a GameCube add-on. It's probably not the technological focus of the console. But it is the philosophical focus of the Wii. Almost all Wii games are designed specifically for the Wii controller. At this point the controller can no longer be considered a gimmick, since it's really an integral part of the whole console. The console would have to be the gimmick, and time will tell. There seems to be an awful lot of reviewers out there that write about how playing games on the Wii is "just plain fun", and they can't stop smiling while they play. At this point it's still hard to buy a Wii at any retail store because they're selling out, just like the PS3. I'd say the Wii is not going to be just a gimmick.
From what I understand it's about twice as capable as a GameCube. Obviously it doesn't have the graphical power of the PS3 or the XBox360, but as it has been said many many times, that's not what they're going for. I'm guessing that a lot of the focus on the earliest game development has been on making the controller work well with games. I'm sure that once developers get more familiar with the Wii, they'll be more prepared to make use of the added power the Wii has over the GameCube, just like developers will do over time for the new generations of the other consoles.
Wii Sports is included with the console (for now), and games in general [target.com] seem to peak out at around $50 [walmart.com], with some going as low as $30.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The Gamecube was much more powerful than the PS2 (at least twice as powerful as the PS2); the Wii being at least twice as powerful as the Gamecube would be dramatically more powerful than the PS2. Developers have said that the PS2 will be a viable platform at least until 2009/2010 so wouldn't this mean that the Wii was powerful enough for it's intended life (5 to 6 years -> 2011/2012)?
Re:One man's treasure... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure you understand the concept of the Wiimote... it's not about having a different controller, it's about having a more natural and fun way to interact with the system. As you (and I) said above, gimmicky controllers for systems past only had one or two games for them, so the controllers were not successful. Nintendo wants to encourage people who aren't currently gamers to become gamers. Releasing a new add-on controller and then trying to push a whole library just for that add-on is a bigger effort than you seem to believe. The Wii was designed for and around the new interface. And now, all of the games can take advantage of that interface.
To me, it really doesn't make sense for a developer to create a tennis game for a gamepad-style controller. In the past, they've always had to do that. Even if a Wiimote-style controller would have been developed (well) for an earlier system, a game developer can't count on very many people buying that controller to use it with their game. Now, someone can come in and make a great tennis game that really uses that controller, because everyone who owns a Wii has that controller. Suddenly developers have a reason to make a game that can take advantage of the controller.
The Wii may be twice as powerful as the previous Gamecube, but the Gamecube wasn't a powerhouse to begin with.
I skipped over the GameCube/Xbox/PS2 generation entirely, but my understanding was that the PS2 was the least powerful of that generation, and that the GameCube was a close 2nd to the XBox.
I'll come right out and admit it: Graphics matter.
They matter... to a point, and Nintendo knows that to appeal to a wide market, they can't make the console too expensive by throwing in all of the HD stuff. It'll do what it needs to for an SD display, which is still by far the most dominant display type in peoples' homes. They can tackle HD in the next generation. And as for Wii Sports... it's not supposed to be a graphical marvel. It's there as an introduction to the Wiimote. That's why it's free with the console. That's why there's several different games (none with any real depth) on the disc. It's funny though, from people I've talked to that own a Wii, it's the most talked about title. People seem to be playing it for hours and having a great time. And it's not the same as Atari 2600 fun... even though it doesn't have the PS3 graphics, it still is immersing. The graphics are enough to start to draw people in, and the technology in the Wiimote draws people in the rest of the way.
As I said before, Nintendo hasn't abandoned cool technology in the Wii. They've just changed the focus of that technology.
*Gasp* (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm shocked! Shocked I say!
Not too surprising (Score:5, Insightful)
I find the same to be generally true among humans.
The open source motto (Score:5, Insightful)
Excellent point. I often have seen the same said of open source. It's not about beating Microsoft. As long as the software we make is useful to us, we can't lose.
Re: (Score:2)
Until the popularity and ubiquity of Windows leads to MS's successful lobbying of hardware manufacturers to impose tough DRM restrictions, preventing non-MS OS's and/or software from [accessing some media|booting on your machine].
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Well, to be fair Microsoft's Music Player IS better than Google's.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I'm not so sure. I think I'd go for Google's. After all, it doesn't have any bugs.
Is Wii fun? (Score:4, Insightful)
But is this new game play interaction something that can keep the wii going in the longterm?
I have tried it, so I honestly don't if tilt controllers are something to build a console around.
Also, with PS/3 being a fully functional computer with a keyboard/mouse/blueray, its more than just a console. And Xbox live with internet access to media is more than a console. The Wii is a console and priced like it.
Re:Is Wii fun? (Score:5, Interesting)
I have an Xbox 360, and will probably get a PS3 as well (Final Fantasy is too big of a draw for me to ignore it). I like my PS2, and I like my Xbox 360. They have certain games I want to play, and I enjoy playing them. That was enough to motivate me to buy the console. That's all the money that these companies are going to get from me, because from here on out, all I'm going to be buying is games. If the console is interesting enough to draw me in to buy at least one, then they've accomplished their job as a console manufacturer with regard to me. So the Wii needs to only hook people this once, and in doing so, ensures that it's profitable for developers to produce games for the next five or six years. Then, once the companies are ready to release new systems, if there are things we like and want to experience about these new systems, we'll pay out the money necessary to get them.
Re:Is Wii fun? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Is Wii fun? or is it sweet sweet money? (Score:2, Informative)
Ah, true for PS3 and xBox360. In fact, PS3 loses anywhere from $240 to $306 on each PS3 sold.
But not true for Nintendo - they make money on both the GameCube and the Wii.
W
Re: (Score:2)
My point was that the lion's share of the money is from continued purchase of games, not from the initial console purchase.
Re: (Score:2)
Thus, they can sell dev kits for $2000 for the Wii instead of $20000 for the xBox360 and PS3.
And drop prices on games.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Is Wii fun? (Score:5, Insightful)
The question I would have for this is how much time did you try it for, what games did you play and did you keep an open mind?
But is this new game play interaction something that can keep the wii going in the longterm?
The Wiimote (and Nunchuck) are no where near perfect implementations of the technology and yet they're far better than any controller I have used. When you play most conventional games (FPS, Racing Games) the Wiimote (and Nunchuck) is actually almost as good as the best interfaces for these games (Keyboard & Mouse, Steering Wheel) and in many games it is actually superior (Adventure games). The beauty of the Wiimote is that it allows for (nearly) endless usage options and a good designer can make a highly useable and intuitive interface.
Also, with PS/3 being a fully functional computer with a keyboard/mouse/blueray, its more than just a console. And Xbox live with internet access to media is more than a console. The Wii is a console and priced like it.
I have a PC, why do I need another one that doesn't have the functionality and expandability of my existing PC?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Games from smaller studios are more likely to show up on a faux PC than on a traditional video game console due to licensing issues.
Re: (Score:2)
PC gaming (Score:2)
Anything? What about playing independent games, those which are self-published by a company that's too small to get recognized by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo?
Re: (Score:2)
And yet, if I want to buy a console, why would I pay for more than what I wanted? If I wanted a fully functional computer, I would buy or (more likely) already own one. If I wanted a DVD/blueray player, I would buy one. How many people who can afford to buy a PS3 don't already own a comp
Own one or more than one? (Score:2)
Own one, or own more than one? Most PC owners connect them to smaller, high-resolution monitors. Using a single PC with a small, high-resolution monitor in one room and a larger SD/ED monitor in the other room requires shutting the PC down and carting it around, and I would guess that most users would prefer the convenience of a second machine. Moreover, almost no commercial games for Windows that support multiple player
Re: (Score:2)
The PS3 was supposed to feature dual HDMI outputs, capable of driving 2 1080p displays. Sadly, that was yet another feature dropped by Sony.
I agree, split-screen gaming does suck, but, for most people, it's much more feasible than having two (or four!) TVs in one room. Costs and lack of space being the major issues. Split-screen is a compromise, but
Re: (Score:2)
Our opinions seem to differ. My opinion is that the console versus PC gaming debate is relevant. The most obvious relevance is that if Nintendo is happy with third place, is this a third place ahead of PC gaming, or is it a third place behind PC gaming? And what about independent developers? And should a smaller company that has finished a working 4-player-on-the-same-screen (not split screen) game seek to sell it o
Re: (Score:2)
My crystal ball thinks it will have long-term viability. There is a lot of potential with this system. Yes, it's too bad that it's not more powerful, but I'm more than happy with the graphics of the games I play. Although, I won't den
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
No. No matter how good the games are, you'll eventually get tired of using motion to interact with them, just like how great games weren't enough to keep any other console alive once people got tired of the novelty of pushing buttons to play.
Oh, wait, that's not the way it works. Games are the draw for the Wii, just like ev
i'm confused.. (Score:5, Funny)
I am going to surprise auto industry that is suitable for driving.
Re: (Score:2)
The PS3 and XBox360 do a lot more, not just gaming.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No, but if there were only three auto makers and up until this point "more horse power" was the major competive point and instead of competing in this arena one of the competitors decided to compete based on fuel economy... well you might find that interesting.
Re: (Score:2)
It's surprising only isasmuch as you get the chance to contrast it against the competing views of Sony and Microsoft which says that our game consoles will become the focal point of our 'media experience'. The two larger companies in this battle are trying to sell us media appliances, DVD players, and a whole bunch of other things -- mostly because they believe that is how they will
Re: (Score:2)
Well that's not surprising either, there are a few of these. In fact this phone from Motorola [technologyreview.com] was designed that way.
Ok But... (Score:5, Insightful)
Essentially, Nintendo makes its consoles and games and that is the company. They really have nothing else to gain from other things like XBox live, hard drives in consoles, and Sonys Blu Ray. Microsoft and Sony are thinking broader, but still focused on the companies bottom line. If you want to do just the game division, that is fine, but when and if that works that company would find it hard to take that success and apply it to other divisions. The PS3 without Blu Ray is cheaper and maybe easier to make, but if Blu Ray is a success because of the PS3 and/or vice versa, well lets just say Sony will get the last laugh as they dominate to huge markets.
Of course there is more to this and the OP's arguement has merits, but in this dogfight, Sony and Microsoft have FAR FAR more at stake than the success of its gaming division.
Re: (Score:2)
And if they do not, they will fall. Nintendo both does not, and does not fall. Strange, that.
I've never owned a game console (Score:3, Interesting)
Microsoft breaking even? (Score:5, Informative)
"To be clear, we have said that in fiscal 08, entertainment and devices makes money. That's not exactly Xbox. We don't break profit down by business. And there are parts of entertainment and devices that make money. Xbox doesn't. Xbox has to make significant progress to enable E&D to get there. We feel we are on track"
That doesn't necessarily mean the XBox division will start making money. It could (and probably does) mean that they plan to try and hemorrhage less, so that the overall E&D division can finally get in the black.
Re: (Score:2)
Why didn't zonk bother to add that?
Zonk Link (Score:2)
That aside, the article also has one of the worst examples of corporatese that I've heard in a while:
Mor interested in the xbox snipit (Score:2)
Yes, Nintendo is not goign for bleeding edge tech, instead they gor for games and profit, and b/c of this they make money.
The little 1up article is much more interesting. They see the XBox starting to MAKE money in the next 2 years, last I saw they were not planing on actualy makign money via the xbox for awhile yet, this sounds like the 360 really has been the shot in the arm that MS needed to actualy enter the market and start ma
Re:Mor interested in the xbox snipit (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, this isn't what the article says. It only claims that the E&D division *as a whole* will be in the black. It seems likely that the Xbox divion will continue to lose money, but at a slower rate, offset by improvements in other areas.
I'm actually quite impressed with Nintendo (Score:5, Interesting)
Personally, I thought they were going to be the next Sega. When the announced the Wii would not be HD capable I figured they were dead in the water. But after pulling what felt like every muscle in my body playing Wii Sports with friends, I have to admit they will be the true winners of this round of console wars. They went with something different and concentrated on gameplay and really pulled it off. Kudos to them.
They made a console that not only appeals to the all-important 18-35 market, but is also going to be a favorite among parents for young kids becasue the games are mostly PG and they even get some exercise playing it.
However, I wouldn't trade my 360 for it. They pulled off an excellent product through innovative concept and gameplay, but I don't think this will dent the demand for the powerful graphics/complexity that true next gen consoles deliver. In its price range, I think the Wii is a healthy addition to have along with a 360 or PS3, but not so much a direct competitor to them among the 18+ crowd.
Re: (Score:2)
I would agree with you (and I still sort of do) but if graphics really mattered all that much the PS2 would have been ow
Re: (Score:2)
Why do people keep paroting these lines? If I want powerful and graphics/complexity I have a computer. Is my computer uber-next-gen then? I believe 'next gen' to be refering to consoles recently released. It has nothing to do with the power or complexity of the console. Otherwise computers would always be better at playing games than whatever the current 'next gen' consoles are and that isn
Re: (Score:2)
It's funny that you should say that. Some of my favorite Playstation (1) games are:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 2D Side-scroller, the first "Metroidvania" title
Alundra - 2D top-down adventure game, similar to Zelda 3
Metal Gear Solid - 3D top-down sneaking game, similar to (big surprise) Metal Gear
Spyro the Dragon 1, 2, and 3
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Ironic then that my 60 year old Parents wouldn't look twice at a 360 or a PS3, but want a Wii for themselves (after after playing WiiSports). Unless of course I miss read that and you meant the Wii was the only one targeted at the +18 demographic. Truth is Nintendo is the only one not focused exclusively on the core 18-35 demographic.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I think that Nintendo can't compete with the 360 or PS3 for that market segment you describe. I also don't think they want to.
But I question which is a bigger segment: The 18-35 hardcore gamer who wants hi-def and complexity. Everyone else. See where I'm going with this?
Nintendo has been saying they want to tap into the parts of the gaming marke
DDR + WII = (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
its like guitar hero in a lot of ways. no matter which way you cut it holding a teeny plastic guitar makes you look like an idiot, but like most things that make you look silly, its a hell of a lot of fun!
Re: (Score:2)
ParaParaParadise (Score:2)
Konami probably already holds the patent on ParaParaParadise [wikipedia.org].
PPP was short-lived.
Third place? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
If they are going by total sales of consoles then they still aren't #1; if you figure in PS2 sales the whole thing slides dramatically in Sony's favour (even with the DS).
"Competitor Oriented Objectives" (Score:2)
Sadly, this applies to our nation as well.
Nintendo is outside the race (Score:4, Insightful)
Sony and Microsoft have comparable products. Nintendo is going it's own way. If you want a traditional console with high definition graphics, you'll be choosing an Xbox 360 or a PS3. If you want Nintendo's motion sensing game console, you'll buy a Wii. I consider the purchase of a Wii to be independent of the purchase of either of the other systems. If you can afford a PS3, you can certainly afford to purchase a Wii as well. Because of the Wii's unique control scheme most of it's games will be Wii exclusive. If you want those games, you'll need to buy a Wii. Most of the games on the other two consoles will be ported to both. So someone who wants to buy an Xbox 360 could change their mind and buy a PS3. And vice versa.
It remains to be seen how well the Nintendo Wii will sell once there is sufficient supply. Three quarters of the people who purchased the Wii also purchased Zelda. Did they purchase a Wii because they want a Wii or because they wanted Zelda? The comment I have about non-gamers picking up the Wii is: The Lord of the Rings movies were very popular among non-nerds, but does that mean that those same non-nerds will play D&D every week? People may play the Wii at someone's house and think it's fun, it doesn't mean that they'll go out and purchase one. High definition televisions are coming down in price which will drive people to want high definition content for them. I think the Wii will do fine, I'll just be a devil's advocate to the Nintendo fanboys. Honestly, I don't think the Wii will be third, it will be competing for first with the Xbox 360. The PS3 will be in last place because it has equivalent graphics to the Xbox 360 for a higher price. 1UP has an article called "PS3: What the Cell is Going On?" (with examples), but I can't directly link to it.
Nintendo and Microsoft's consoles are currently profitable per unit (Microsoft's manufacturing costs have decreased dramatically). Sony is in a bad way with the PS3. Short supply with huge losses per unit. If Sony cuts the price, it's competitors can easily match and exceed that cut. A price war between Microsoft and Nintendo would be an unprecedented disaster for Sony. Imagine the reaction of the Big 3 American auto makers if Toyota and Honda had a price war in the U.S.
Blue Ocean strategy (Score:2)
This is done by finding other factors to compete on in stead of having the same product as everyone else and basically just competing on the price. This attracts new customers who for some reason don't like Playstation or X-Box. So they have that market to them self...
So companies work like people. (Score:4, Interesting)
Interesting. Psychology studies have shown that when you compare people who have performance goals (focused on performing at a certain level to win outside approval or rewards, or avoid punishments) with those who have mastery goals (focused on mastering a task in order to learn, grow, reach personal goals, etc rather than to gain outside approval), the people with performance goals do much worse in the face of challenge. They adopt self-defeating behaviors and give up quickly, whereas the mastery-oriented people keep working at it and modify their strategies in useful ways.
I guess since companies are made up of a bunch of people, it makes sense that on some levels they work the same way as those people work. If they're focused on beating the outside competition, they falter, whereas if they're focused on improving themselves (even if that's profit-wise, since that's what's important to a company), they prosper.
3rd place, in terms of what? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:rick romero? (Score:5, Funny)
Where is this magical wonderland where you live? Where I'm at, the sky is gray, the grass is covered in a blanket of white, and water is frozen.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:rick romero? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Nintendo Knows The Wii Will Have A Short Life (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I have an interesting idea for that, so if they want to contact me, I will be glad to make a deal with them.
Re:Nintendo Knows The Wii Will Have A Short Life (Score:5, Funny)
I think Nintendo will probably leave teledildonics to other corporations.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Ubi soft has quite a few things lined up for the Wii, particularly the early-2007 title Blazing Angels (already released on XBox360). They are already talking about Red Steel 2 as well.
EA has its usual sports games, as well as some other franchises, such as Medal of Honor: Airborne.
Capcom is releasing a Resident Evil on the Wii in 2007.
Square Enix is releasing a Final Fantasy: Cry
Re:Nintendo Knows The Wii Will Have A Short Life (Score:4, Funny)
Pilotwings for Wii?
They're going to need a longer cord between the two controller sections if I'f going to stetch my arms out like an airplane. (BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Neeeeeeeuuuuuooooooorrrrrrrrrrraaaaaa!)
Re:Nintendo just cant compete with the hardware... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's why the Gamecube (which was considered to be roughly as powerful as the XBox) was able to be released at the same time as the XBox, cost $100 less than the XBox and (unlike the XBox) was sold at a profit. Nintendo could have produced a system that was more powerful than the competition and charged less than the competition but would likely have lost market share; they needed something drastically different in order to attract gamers, and they needed something drastically less expensive to develop for to attract developers.
All they did was buy motion sensing technology and designed a controller. They should just release it for PS3 and 360, and sell it for $200
With the exception of Guitar Hero and DDR I can't think of a single add on that was actually purchased by anyone
Re: (Score:2)
It was a failure. You think Nintendo really likes being second to Sony? How about third to Microsoft? You really think the mighty Nintendo is happy that has to take the buisness model of the V-tech video gaming system to compete? (Ok thats harsh) My point is they're pulling away from the gaming scene in some respects. They cant compete with Sony's ambitious custom hardware developement, or Xbox36
Re: (Score:2)
Nintendo barely makes their own games? Umm, rethink that one. Sure, they have other companies take on projects for them, but Nintendo is the BIGGEST SOFTWARE company in the game industry. They release more games per year than anyone
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think I've ever seen a console upgrade fare well. Remember the Sega CD and 32X? When upgrades cost almost as much as a new console, they end up locking out many potential customers who don't want to shell out hundreds of dollars all the parts.
Perhaps in HTPCs become common, we'll see consoles replaced with cool controllers, but such a shift is at least 5-1
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)