It limps on until 2016, gets a few more great exclusives and then goes to it's grave as Nintendo's last traditional home console.
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Nintendo wants to expand into health, learning, and other quality of life products
- Thread starter EmCeeGramr
- Start date
It limps on until 2016, gets a few more great exclusives and then goes to it's grave as Nintendo's last traditional home console.
I am a hardcore gamer with my dotas and my monster hunters and my buying a plane ticket to play someones virtual boy because teleroboxer and I friggin' love Brain Training, Wii Fit, Art Academy and that cooking game I used once and then ordered pizza and buy almost every installment because they gamify things in a really accurate and articulate fashion.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Thanks Iwata
NotSaladin
Neo Member
No, you're reading right. That is how I understood it as well.
They wanted something to show that Nintendo was going to rise to the top again in the gaming world, Chin, at least the ones who honestly love Nintendo. A unified account system, great though it is, is considered a bare minimum to compete with the others. It's not a gamechanger.
Same with VC. Great, old games. It's not going to pull people in who aren't already on the bandwagon.
Licensing is a good idea as were a few of the others, but none of it was really gamechanging.
Hence, the reaction from a gaming forum that they now view the Wii U as essentially toast...even ones who were behind it before.
Do you think any of what was revealed will turn it around gaming wise?
Not necessarily true. For example, one of the explanations from them about why the Wii U was suffering was a lack of software and a lack of focus on the Gamepad. What then followed was a promise to fix it and referencing Mario Kart, which for all we know you can use it to blow a horn.
Add in that Donkey Kong doesn't even use it.....
So he then said Miyamoto's task was to focus on it for the next year. Think about that, does that mean it wasn't before? Does that mean it'll be soddered on in a panic to existing games or is he going to create new games?
And if it's brand new ones....it's HD-era gaming, how long is that going to take?
No specifics at all. So people wonder if it was a smokescreen.
It may not be a Direct or E3, but it doesn't change that it appears that it's "truck along with Wii, hey QOL in 2 years!"
Again, diversifying is a good idea, not knocking it.
Neff, Chin..this is why the reaction on a gaming forum. QOL doesn't do anything for the gamers, here, besides maybe help Nintendo $$ wise. Which is good, but, it really helps any future consoles.....not the Wii U.
They're going to release the games they are already working on, release NFC ganes and add more features via updates.
-Plasma Reus-
Service guarantees member status
I hope we all realize now that Nintendo hasn't been interested in core consumers ever since its success with the Wii.
Man, if only I did open that thread, I'd be effing GAFstradamus now. (although apparently Nintendo was thinking of it).
.NotSaladin
Neo Member
This line is quite intriguing. Expanding more into merchandising?
Easy money maker considering the types of iconic characters they have established. Similar to Disney in that sense.
EventHorizon
Member
Non wearables. Isn't that Kinect. I don't see how Nintendo can bring something new to the table here. I could see a cheap motion sensor and transmitter attached to the ankle and wrist that works with fitness related games. That could undercut the cost of Kinect for doing the same types of monitoring, but non wearables... I just don't see it.
I think he means more games like Hyrule Warriors.
Neff
Member
The thing is, when it works, it works very, very well. And the fact that Nintendo controls every aspect of their business from hardware to software design and production means that they get nearly every penny of profit. Hardware design and production is absolutely viable for them, but it needs software. And the software needs hardware. From a system launch, there's a mutual bottleneck for hardware and software sales which loosens over time as each permits slack for the other. Unfortunately for Wii U, that's not going well. But it can, since its a young machine with potential. At this stage in its life, it can't get worse, and it's a big investment for them, so they're going to try to resurrect it with software, which in the grand scheme of things, won't cost Nintendo a lot.
That would be totally inaccurate though. That part of the industry is not into playful consumer electronics. The only major players are Nike.. well just Nike. In the more serious healthcare CE industry, Philips has been trying to get a foothold of late.
Neither are particularly well known for actually being able to capitalize on the fun. Nintendo has a good opportunity here, though they should have immediately followed up on Wii Fit et al. They would be a big player in a sea of small app devs.
d34thfrom4bov3
Member
I don't know how to feel about this because it's 2:30 and I'm tired but as long as it's a third pillar like I think I'm understanding I'm okay with it. I love Nintendo, but damn it I just wanna play LoZ or Donkey Kong, give me that Wii U pro controller with a new console and whatever add-on type things you'd like to provide separately. If it's better than kinect I'd be all for buying it and using it for party stuff like Just Dance and all.
Just give me two more good years of my Wii U and I'll jump ship to your new system. By which I mean I still want SMT x FE, like really bad.
Just give me two more good years of my Wii U and I'll jump ship to your new system. By which I mean I still want SMT x FE, like really bad.
i'm not sure how that explains all the software aimed at core gamers but okay.
Imperfected
Member
Well, if you're actually confident in their ability to breach the market and turn a profit on it, you have a golden opportunity to buy in right now while you're in the minority on that view.
Maybe if it wasn't Iwata I could muster some tiny amount of faith, but considering he's consistently deceived shareholders in an attempt to buy himself time and has nothing whatsoever to show other than some powerpoint slides, I have zero confidence that this isn't just another pathetic stall tactic. I don't believe they have any great "health" innovations far enough along into R&D to be worth talking about, not any more than I believe that they ever had a plan for turning the Wii-U's fortunes around. To me, this is more of the same: promise the world, then just sit back and hope lightning strikes because you've got no actual premise on which to deliver what you've promised people.
I mean, how utterly convenient is it that he's going to have something to show in five or six months? And when he fails to deliver then, the QoL "Education" portion will be just around the corner, I'm sure. And when that doesn't materialize, it's just a brief wait for the next bit of vapor.
Could be. The most logical step from wearables to non-wearables would be smart environments. Sensors and actuators you place in your house that measure what you do and then give feedback, either directly or through a console/3ds/smartphone. Another option would be what Philips is doing with their Vital Signs app for iPads, measuring breathing frequency, heartrate etc. just by looking at the camera. It's technically mobile, but I could see them integrating it into mirrors or other household devices.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
I was always for Iwata but after this, I don't know.
I regrettably admit I think he has to step down. It's delusional to think they want to target non-gamers again. That's the ios/tablet crowd. There's no success there. None, nada!
Nintendo will be officially dead. I would hate to see Miyamoto and his talented teams working in crap like vita sensors, health stuff, etc. What a waste of talent!
I regrettably admit I think he has to step down. It's delusional to think they want to target non-gamers again. That's the ios/tablet crowd. There's no success there. None, nada!
Nintendo will be officially dead. I would hate to see Miyamoto and his talented teams working in crap like vita sensors, health stuff, etc. What a waste of talent!
Mr. Pointy
Member
Don't Mario-ise my Medicare!
Always-honest
Banned
Smart. I bet they'd be good at it too.
You know what happened the last time there was a "third pillar"?
It killed off another one of the pillars.
Herb Alpert
Banned
They want to become the new scientology.
AusRoachman
Member
Dunno about anyone else but a Mario surgeon simulator type game sounds awesome.
Hyperactivity
Banned
I don't understand what people are getting so mad about. If anything, we've been given a much higher chance of this stuff being their gimmick platform and getting powerful consoles with support for us.
I just hope this end up the way it nearly did for Nintendo when Yamauchi was originally expanded.
Besides, Microsoft and Sony aren't exclusive to us. To Microsoft, we're barely gnats.
I just hope this end up the way it nearly did for Nintendo when Yamauchi was originally expanded.
Besides, Microsoft and Sony aren't exclusive to us. To Microsoft, we're barely gnats.
Nikodemos
Member
Wow, so Iwata finally listened. People have been saying that Wii smashed the doors off due to its fit-light functionality for the better part of three years now. It would definitely make sense to create a department specialised on that sort of products. They're high-margin, quick-turnover (just like mobile) and easy to write off in case of a dud.
Unfortunately, I see the same problem that affected other Nintendo efforts: tardiness. A tardiness caused by a generalised lack of on-demand resources, caused by a similarly generalised aversion to spending money for expanding said resources. This has been somewhat alleviated in the past year, and Nintendo is to be commended for this, but again, this enlargement should've happened circa 2011.
Unfortunately, I see the same problem that affected other Nintendo efforts: tardiness. A tardiness caused by a generalised lack of on-demand resources, caused by a similarly generalised aversion to spending money for expanding said resources. This has been somewhat alleviated in the past year, and Nintendo is to be commended for this, but again, this enlargement should've happened circa 2011.
Metal Gear?!
Member
The edutainment genre is huge, but it exists entirely on dedicated portables (LeapPad), mobile, and subscription services like abcmouse.com
cookie-monster
Member
Why should they, when the core consumers abandoned them during the generation before that?
That's because other platforms did a better job at giving them what they want and now Nintendo needs to do something to get them interested in whatever they come up with next.
I think you're overreacting a bit lol
This is looking to be more than that and that's what makes this plan intriguing to me.
The original Wii is still dictating what they are creating.
Wii U is inspired by the Wii in many facets, older hardware, gimmicky/unique (which ever phrase you want to use) controller, a clear attempt at recreating that success, with Marios, Zeldas etc. It has not worked.
So now they are trying to laser focus more specifically on what really pushed the Wii, the Wii Sports, Fit, etc.
If this fails, perhaps they will finally give the original Wii a rest, celebrate its success and move on. Because the rest of the world has.
Wii U is inspired by the Wii in many facets, older hardware, gimmicky/unique (which ever phrase you want to use) controller, a clear attempt at recreating that success, with Marios, Zeldas etc. It has not worked.
So now they are trying to laser focus more specifically on what really pushed the Wii, the Wii Sports, Fit, etc.
If this fails, perhaps they will finally give the original Wii a rest, celebrate its success and move on. Because the rest of the world has.
Everyone who goes into learning and edu trying to crack it will crash miserably, every company of this world tried to do this thing, way richer and way more powerful companies and they all failed miserably.
Nintendo will be no exception and they'll lose interest in that area in no time.
Nintendo will be no exception and they'll lose interest in that area in no time.
Brain age didnt crash too bad.
tehrik-e-insaaf
Member
GAF should be ecstatic at this news.
Nintendo is finally saying that they want to take all the effort they put into attracting casuals with Wii Fit U, Brain Age, Touch generations, etc. and refocus those IPs on a new third platform that is also device-agnostic, and refocus their video game business on core content going forward.
Basically ( http://www.nintendo.com/games/touchgenerations ) will be sold as services on their third pillar - most likely a tablet with lots of add-on devices like the Balance Board, cameras to monitor heart-rate, etc. They will probably allow people to use their own smartphone as well instead of the tablet but preserve the best experience for people buying their own tablet hardware.
That frees up next-gen Nintendo gaming hardware to be more focused on games rather than casual stuff. They repeatedly emphasized that they are in this to keep building traditional platforms and packaged games. They categorically rejected F2P of their tentpole franchises.
The next Nintendo console will likely be more targeted to traditional gamers, while their handheld will continue to build on the kids market that has really kept the 3DS alive. With a single user ID they can try to cross-sell devices for different needs rather than having to do one-device fits all.
This is exactly what many people wanted Nintendo to do - build games for gamers - build QOL stuff for QOL-specific platform - rather than trying to mix the two and screwing up both at the same time.
The only people disappointed by all this news would be port beggars that desperately wanted Nintendo content for their console of choice. Really, if you are a Nintendo fan, you got everything you wanted in this Q&A - and it looks like Nintendo finally gets that they can't build the same device for every audience and wants to stop building things like the Wii U that target a casual to hardcore audience without satisfying any particular audience in question.
Now Nintendo needs to outfit the QOL device with a story/cartoon/game creation app based on Mario Paint that helps people learn how to code and make games that can be played on Nintendo gaming devices, market it to impressionable parents who want their kids to be able to code, and they should make billions of dollars.
Nintendo is finally saying that they want to take all the effort they put into attracting casuals with Wii Fit U, Brain Age, Touch generations, etc. and refocus those IPs on a new third platform that is also device-agnostic, and refocus their video game business on core content going forward.
Basically ( http://www.nintendo.com/games/touchgenerations ) will be sold as services on their third pillar - most likely a tablet with lots of add-on devices like the Balance Board, cameras to monitor heart-rate, etc. They will probably allow people to use their own smartphone as well instead of the tablet but preserve the best experience for people buying their own tablet hardware.
That frees up next-gen Nintendo gaming hardware to be more focused on games rather than casual stuff. They repeatedly emphasized that they are in this to keep building traditional platforms and packaged games. They categorically rejected F2P of their tentpole franchises.
The next Nintendo console will likely be more targeted to traditional gamers, while their handheld will continue to build on the kids market that has really kept the 3DS alive. With a single user ID they can try to cross-sell devices for different needs rather than having to do one-device fits all.
This is exactly what many people wanted Nintendo to do - build games for gamers - build QOL stuff for QOL-specific platform - rather than trying to mix the two and screwing up both at the same time.
The only people disappointed by all this news would be port beggars that desperately wanted Nintendo content for their console of choice. Really, if you are a Nintendo fan, you got everything you wanted in this Q&A - and it looks like Nintendo finally gets that they can't build the same device for every audience and wants to stop building things like the Wii U that target a casual to hardcore audience without satisfying any particular audience in question.
Now Nintendo needs to outfit the QOL device with a story/cartoon/game creation app based on Mario Paint that helps people learn how to code and make games that can be played on Nintendo gaming devices, market it to impressionable parents who want their kids to be able to code, and they should make billions of dollars.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
Most of that came from Sammy
I dont know what Konami does. do you mean the merchandizing or something?
Simply put, if Nintendo starts making more money elsewhere other than games, then they're not a gaming company anymore.
Nope, you can thanks mobiles app.
Lot of companies made apps/goodies for health care why not Nintendo too ?
Their Wii fit was one of their best sale on Wii.
Also anyone saying bad stuff about their Wii fit game probably never played it because it isn't easy at all to do Yoga or having a good score.
You will just see how shit is your balance, lol.
konami has a very lucrative pachislot business. it's basically what allows them to only make metal gear solid games as their previously popular sports franchises collapse on themselves like a dying star.
Aside from the fact that all the sequels did far less than spectacular numbers, i'm talking about entering entirely in the business that'll result in an entire branch for the said company not releasing a single product that vaguely resembles something related to education once every century.
Nikodemos
Member
My only fear is that they'll somehow fuck this up due to their penny-pinching miser ways. They're almost paranoically averse to loosening their moneypurse strings, which has caused them to miss clear opportunity windows for expansion in the past.
tehrik-e-insaaf
Member
Europe has a very old population as well - birth rates are very low and that isn't really changing.
China, Korea, and Russia have older populations and low birth rates.
Demographics for the young only really favor the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
America is somewhat in-between because of immigration. But I mean, some of my countrymen kind of believe they are the center of gravity for the whole world ;-)
Imperfected
Member
http://www.konami.co.jp/en/corporate/business/health.html
Yes, that's right. Konami constructs and operates gyms. They're basically the Gold's Gym franchise of Japan.
(Note: This is not at all what Nintendo's stated market entry goal is, unless 'non-wearable' means 'exercising nude', which admittedly could be a huge boom market.)
tehrik-e-insaaf
Member
I share your concern - but let's see what they do with it rather than dismissing the attempt outright.
Enter The 36 Chambers
Member
Jesus christ. Nintendo really is s flaming car careening over a mountain at this stage aren't they
Uh, Is Nintendo going to diversify into this field with the same vigor as HD development?
They're going to need a new infrastructure. Nintendo employees are talented, but I really, really can't see EAD going all in on this with their current crew. They barely have the groundwork set for personal accounts-based transactions!
They're going to need a new infrastructure. Nintendo employees are talented, but I really, really can't see EAD going all in on this with their current crew. They barely have the groundwork set for personal accounts-based transactions!
Hm...
I don't see anything wrong with Nintendo doing this.
It's totally separate from their gaming business, but might blend into it in the future, that's actually a good idea, IMO.
What isn't so great, and the reason people are reacting like they are, is probably because of just that: This has nothing to do with gaming. This could be seen as a move to divert attention away from their console business for a little while, as we don't have any new info on what they're planning for their home console space (Other than vague software strategies, but c'mon, we all know the software is great, but nobody wants the PoS hardware). The Wii U is still a rapidly sinking ship.
I don't really get what they mean with "non-wearables" though. How are you supposed to collect health data without equipment? (I'm assuming Nintendo wants their upcoming product to affect our entire life, not just one room ála Kinect)
I don't see anything wrong with Nintendo doing this.
It's totally separate from their gaming business, but might blend into it in the future, that's actually a good idea, IMO.
What isn't so great, and the reason people are reacting like they are, is probably because of just that: This has nothing to do with gaming. This could be seen as a move to divert attention away from their console business for a little while, as we don't have any new info on what they're planning for their home console space (Other than vague software strategies, but c'mon, we all know the software is great, but nobody wants the PoS hardware). The Wii U is still a rapidly sinking ship.
I don't really get what they mean with "non-wearables" though. How are you supposed to collect health data without equipment? (I'm assuming Nintendo wants their upcoming product to affect our entire life, not just one room ála Kinect)
Nikodemos
Member
Take, for instance, the case of the HD development issue. They were quite clearly unprepared when they launched the Wii U. This was because they had to perform a panic-induced high-energy turn to save the 3DS, pulling resources from the home division, leaving it underprepared to properly support the U; they lacked the manpower for two platforms. The correct choice would've been to take notice from Sony and Microsoft's problems with HD content and massively expand their teams during the Wii's fat years. It's not like they didn't have the money (unlike Sony or Microsoft). It's not like the signs weren't there: they knew they had to enter the HD fray, and sooner rather than later, owing to the HDTV ownership boom.
I'm not saying they'll mess up. I hope they don't mess up because this three-pillar roadmap is the first solid strategy out of Iwata's head in half a decade. I'm just not confident in them not messing up.
To Far Away Times
Member
This is either the best thing the company has done, or the worst, and I have no idea which one it is.
