Support NeoGAF

[lenovox1]

Edit: DP

 

[Tuck]

Actually they are doing exactly that. "Licencing IPs so you will see them outside of classic videogames" / "being less protective with IPs". People here focus too much on the health thing. Iwata announced much more. You just have to read it. It´s all there.

My reply to the above:

I know what he said, but I'm not sure on what scale it will happen. Ideally, a large scale. But if all he means was more games like Hyrule Warriors, well thats not quite what I had in mind (Though its by no means a bad decision).

As for the second point, they will need to devote more resources to it otherwise it is a change in name only.

Did Iwata specifically say we'd see more Nintendo IP outside of videogames? I know he said he wanted to license them out, but I figured he meant exclusively videogame related content.

Anyways, my point was that that would be a better way to expand growth, at least based on the little we know so far.

 

[Interceptor]

My reply to the above:



Did Iwata specifically say we'd see more Nintendo IP outside of videogames? I know he said he wanted to license them out, but I figured he meant exclusively videogame related content.

Anyways, my point was that that would be a better way to expand growth, at least based on the little we know so far.

I read your reply and yes, he said outside of classic gaming. Read the slides.
They want to leverage the power of their IPs outside of gaming to gain populatity. Think more cooperations like wrecking ralph, toys, whatever and yes, even new games with Nintendos IPs developed by interested 3rd parties.

 

[GamerJM]

You understand that the Wii U has a Game Pad primarily because Nintendo wanted to attract iPad users right? The gimmicks they use are all about roping in casual gamers - core gamers are more than content with a traditional experience.

What Nintendo is saying here is that rather than building a frankenstein console and a frankenstein portable that tries to satisfy all audiences - they are building a QOL platform with all those casual games. The amount of developers required for these games is small and they can hire and scale that business as revenues grow. The reverse is true - they want to focus their games devices more for gaming audiences. Rather than making everything appeal to everyone - they want to let the natural course of their platforms interact with one another to encourage cross-device adoption.

So, instead of trying to sell Wii U to Grandma so they can sell her Wii Fit U - they get her to buy the QOL device with some sensors and balance boards so she can enjoy playing Wii Fit or Brain Training and communicating with her grand kids on Miiverse. Her grandkids can send her their high scores in New Super Mario Brothers U and push her to play the game and compete with them for the highest score the next time she comes over. Miiverse will finally fulfill its potential as a platform for Nintendo users to share and communicate with each other.

You should be jumping for joy. This is exactly what I predicted Nintendo would do - because of the F2P issues that were destroying their handheld business and the loss of that casual audience on 3DS. This saves a bunch of IPs that sold tens of millions from going extinct, potentially generates subscription revenue going forward, and gives Nintendo a giant position in smartphones. They are effectively reclaiming territory that was stolen from them by sub par iPad apps.

For once Nintendo is actually following a predictable market strategy and their games business is actually going to thrive without the albatross of shoehorning casual games into them. I love Nintendo's efforts at getting my parents to play games - but a one-size console doesn't fit everyone - my parents now play on their iPad and I'm really looking forward to them playing Nintendo brain training games rather than knockoff games produced by the Silicon Valley firms that look to exploit little kids and the elderly one dollar at a time.

Some of their family-friendly tent pole titles can function across Nintendo's own QOL device, handheld, and console and everyone can join in on the fun.

The only thing disappointing about this whole announcement is that Iwata had to do it NOW, over a year before it comes out. It's unfortunate the financial results were so poor Nintendo had to reveal their plans this early. I imagine they would have preferred to have waited until later this Fall before drumming up hype.

Here's the thing though: I actually don't dislike the Gamepad. I think it's neat and it doesn't really interfere with how the actual core games play. Moreover it doesn't seem like something that was designed to appeal to the casual market in the first place. The Gamepad doesn't actually have many uses for "casual" titles, it seems like something that was designed with gamers in mind first and foremost. And also, Nintendo said they're focusing more on the Gamepad with their presentation. So really I don't think Nintendo's focus with consoles going forward is going to change much from how it already would have been. Maybe their next console won't be focused on a "gimmick".....but if that happens I'm not entirely sure it's because of the existence of QoL.

Now, the thing I do agree with here is that QoL is a great business venture for Nintendo if it's successful for them. The idea of getting "nongamers" to buy a device that isn't really about games and roping them into the Nintendo device ecosystem, all while selling them content that appeals to that market is great. The only problem is that I think that it's a huge gamble where the odds aren't in their favor. They're essentially competing against Apple and Google here, and Nintendo is going to have a difficult time doing well. They could potentially carve out their own niche in which they do succeed, but at this point I don't really trust that Nintendo will.

 

[Dr. Randy Marsh]

Real life Super Training and horde EV training incoming.

 

[AzaK]

You won't be pleased when the casual shit outsells their next home console.

I have no problem with that per se but if they are indeed making this platform to cater their devices to particular audiences, then I hope their next home console is for the enthusiast gamer.

Nintendo will possibly never make a "powerhouse machine" anymore to compete in this space with Sony/MS. Long term there is even speculation that this generation might be one of the last traditional hardware generations (with a future in cloud based terminals instead of powerful home consoles).

I also doubt they will take the "casual shit" away. They will make a seperate device for their "casual shit" at a low entry price - but also bring this software to their home/portable consoles if possible. Otherwise their unified account system they talked about doesn't make a lot of sense.

This is my concern. That it ends up with little change, or negative change to their home console line.

Either way it's not happening for a couple of years and I'll be pretty much done with Nintendo by then as I'm moving to another platform due to how the Wii U has ended up, with no real solution in sight. So I can not worry about this until I see the goods and make up my mind then.

 

[Starchasing]

Now, the thing I do agree with here is that QoL is a great business venture for Nintendo if it's successful for them. The idea of getting "nongamers" to buy a device that isn't really about games and roping them into the Nintendo device ecosystem, all while selling them content that appeals to that market is great. The only problem is that I think that it's a huge gamble where the odds aren't in their favor. They're essentially competing against Apple and Google here, and Nintendo is going to have a difficult time doing well. They could potentially carve out their own niche in which they do succeed, but at this point I don't really trust that Nintendo will.

It is not that much of a gamble. They were oone of the first mainstream company in that sector and the wii fit board sold 42 million units worldwide. They are just trying to win back that audience.

They also have an advantge over other QOL companies. Their QOL products will be very gamy. All the others company may be better at tech, but Nintendo is better than them at making games.

Their mistake was to realease 3ds and wiiu, after the ds and wii. They should have released this QOL products instead.

BTW High 5 to myself because i called this last year

<This is exactly the problem. Nintendo missed the boat, but the solution is not to try to catch the boat... is to look for the next boat.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=79505713&postcount=269

 

[badcrumble]

Physician, heal thyself.

 

[AzaK]

Konami already makes money in this field. Honestly though, I think Nintendo's approach will be panels that you can put around the room. This will be aimed more at Japanese style apartments and smaller rooms/houses.

Here's the pitch for this tech. There will be a central hub/dome that communicates with the panels. Each of the panels is essentially a big, touch sensitive button with a small array of lights, a camera, and sensors in it. The central hub would be an upgradeable cube with the ability to talk to Nintendo panel capable devices.

Here is how the user experience would work for a normal Japanese home life.

You come home from work and take your shoes off at the door. Before you step into the main part of the house the panel detects your motion and lights up RED. Touch the panel with your palm and say "Hello." The panel records the immediate state of your hand, the rapidity of your voice, and responds with a response matching your heart rate, facial recognition. "Welcome home. The time is 1700. You seem stressed. Would you like to relax?" or "Welcome home. I trust your day was good?" or "Welcome home. Are you okay? Should I contact someone?" You respond with simple commands like Yes or No. Nothing particularly complex. The panel sends the information to your hub which sends out information to smart phones, PC apps, your Nintendo video game system, and other items. The information recorded is stored to keep track of your health or the health of other people. The hub would then make suggestions on your devices as to diet, exercise regime, sleep schedules, and so forth. It sounds complex but it's simple in nature. You just touch the panel.

You have a family. Your significant other and two kids. One of your kids comes home, touches the panel, and that information is sent to your smart phone and PC at work. So, you know they made it home from school, they seem okay, and the panel camera snapped a picture of them when they came home that you can now view. The panel detected that their temperature is slightly below normal. This means they are probably hungry. There's some food in the fridge. Send them a message to eat. The hub would then sound off: "There are snacks in the fridge, -insert child's name-. The estimated arrival home time for -insert your name- is 1930." The hub would also keep track of activity in your DVR or other devices. The hub would allow you to remotely set your DVR or settings for other items as well as make recommendations for food to order or purchase.

One item that would be excellent for Japanese apartments or individual rooms would be light wall projectors. These are wall mountable light/camera arrays that allow surface manipulation. Several E3's back, Nintendo had interactive Koi ponds in a section of their booth. When you stepped on the floor in this pond, it caused ripples and waves. You could sink stones in it or interact with the fish in the pond. An item like this projected onto an empty wall or other surface is one item you could activate. Example: You come home, touch the panel, and it notices that you are stressed. "Would you like to relax?" If you answer "Yes." The hub asks if you would like to use the wall. You could say yes and it would use the light projection to add interactive imagery to your walls and surroundings to help facilitate a relaxing mood. It might raise your thermostat slightly or lower it slightly. The panels would be in each room. You could also set them so that stepping into a room and touching the panel would turn on the lights for you or turn them off when it detects that you left.

Okay. All of that sounds ridiculously invasive. But we live in a world where people publish damn near everything on Facebook or Twitter. Why not have the panel automatically update your Facebook status to tell people that you've arrived at home too? Your health is fine, you seem a little stressed, maybe the hub would suggest that you order out and then display a set of suggestions on one of your walls. Just move your hand over the selection displayed on your wall and confirm an order. Feel like Pizza tonight?

I dunno.. the panel and hubs seem like that is what we would get. Oh, the panels synch with other devices. Are you diabetic? When you go home, your glucose meter automatically syncs with the panel. It would compile the times that you checked your blood sugar levels. "Welcome home! Please be sure to check your meter at 1600." "Welcome home! Your last account showed low blood sugar. Please check your meter." it would also talk to other fit meter like devices. "Welcome home! You have not met your walking quota today. Are you tired? If you are not tired, I have sent a recommended. grocery list to your phone along with highlighted sales at Lawsons." You could also sync it to your bank and bills. "Welcome home! You seem stressed. There are three pending bills due in three days. Would you like me to handle those? (Administer one time auto-pay)"

A lot of those features would be automatic and it wouldn't explicitly tell you what it was doing. You come in, the panel glows red until you touch it. When you touch the panel, it turns green or blue. For people who are color blind, you could set it to pulse rapidly when you come in and then stop glowing after you touch it. If you have vision problems, you could set it to make a small beeping noise until you touch it.

Please touch the panel. Just musing a bit.

You should write sci-fi.

 

[Neiteio]

"Non-wearable" means you can set it up in a room, right? It's a physical item but separate from your physical person.

From a health and fitness/quality of life/edutainment perspective, maybe we're looking at a combination of the following:

- A full-body motion-sensing camera like Kinect
- A new Balance Board, included from the start
- The conspicuously absent Vitality Sensor **

** You stick your finger in it; you don't "wear" it

So some combination of tracking your biometrics, your balance, your BMI and your movement. Probably with other innovations thrown in for good measure.

 

[Nibel]

I have no idea what the hell they are planning and this is pretty much the most exciting thing for me from the meeting

And health =/= fitness

 

[mentallyinept]

Konami already makes money in this field. Honestly though, I think Nintendo's approach will be panels that you can put around the room. This will be aimed more at Japanese style apartments and smaller rooms/houses.

Here's the pitch for this tech. There will be a central hub/dome that communicates with the panels. Each of the panels is essentially a big, touch sensitive button with a small array of lights, a camera, and sensors in it. The central hub would be an upgradeable cube with the ability to talk to Nintendo panel capable devices.

Here is how the user experience would work for a normal Japanese home life.

You come home from work and take your shoes off at the door. Before you step into the main part of the house the panel detects your motion and lights up RED. Touch the panel with your palm and say "Hello." The panel records the immediate state of your hand, the rapidity of your voice, and responds with a response matching your heart rate, facial recognition. "Welcome home. The time is 1700. You seem stressed. Would you like to relax?" or "Welcome home. I trust your day was good?" or "Welcome home. Are you okay? Should I contact someone?" You respond with simple commands like Yes or No. Nothing particularly complex. The panel sends the information to your hub which sends out information to smart phones, PC apps, your Nintendo video game system, and other items. The information recorded is stored to keep track of your health or the health of other people. The hub would then make suggestions on your devices as to diet, exercise regime, sleep schedules, and so forth. It sounds complex but it's simple in nature. You just touch the panel.

You have a family. Your significant other and two kids. One of your kids comes home, touches the panel, and that information is sent to your smart phone and PC at work. So, you know they made it home from school, they seem okay, and the panel camera snapped a picture of them when they came home that you can now view. The panel detected that their temperature is slightly below normal. This means they are probably hungry. There's some food in the fridge. Send them a message to eat. The hub would then sound off: "There are snacks in the fridge, -insert child's name-. The estimated arrival home time for -insert your name- is 1930." The hub would also keep track of activity in your DVR or other devices. The hub would allow you to remotely set your DVR or settings for other items as well as make recommendations for food to order or purchase.

One item that would be excellent for Japanese apartments or individual rooms would be light wall projectors. These are wall mountable light/camera arrays that allow surface manipulation. Several E3's back, Nintendo had interactive Koi ponds in a section of their booth. When you stepped on the floor in this pond, it caused ripples and waves. You could sink stones in it or interact with the fish in the pond. An item like this projected onto an empty wall or other surface is one item you could activate. Example: You come home, touch the panel, and it notices that you are stressed. "Would you like to relax?" If you answer "Yes." The hub asks if you would like to use the wall. You could say yes and it would use the light projection to add interactive imagery to your walls and surroundings to help facilitate a relaxing mood. It might raise your thermostat slightly or lower it slightly. The panels would be in each room. You could also set them so that stepping into a room and touching the panel would turn on the lights for you or turn them off when it detects that you left.

Okay. All of that sounds ridiculously invasive. But we live in a world where people publish damn near everything on Facebook or Twitter. Why not have the panel automatically update your Facebook status to tell people that you've arrived at home too? Your health is fine, you seem a little stressed, maybe the hub would suggest that you order out and then display a set of suggestions on one of your walls. Just move your hand over the selection displayed on your wall and confirm an order. Feel like Pizza tonight?

I dunno.. the panel and hubs seem like that is what we would get. Oh, the panels synch with other devices. Are you diabetic? When you go home, your glucose meter automatically syncs with the panel. It would compile the times that you checked your blood sugar levels. "Welcome home! Please be sure to check your meter at 1600." "Welcome home! Your last account showed low blood sugar. Please check your meter." it would also talk to other fit meter like devices. "Welcome home! You have not met your walking quota today. Are you tired? If you are not tired, I have sent a recommended. grocery list to your phone along with highlighted sales at Lawsons." You could also sync it to your bank and bills. "Welcome home! You seem stressed. There are three pending bills due in three days. Would you like me to handle those? (Administer one time auto-pay)"

A lot of those features would be automatic and it wouldn't explicitly tell you what it was doing. You come in, the panel glows red until you touch it. When you touch the panel, it turns green or blue. For people who are color blind, you could set it to pulse rapidly when you come in and then stop glowing after you touch it. If you have vision problems, you could set it to make a small beeping noise until you touch it.

Please touch the panel. Just musing a bit.

I really enjoyed reading this.

The best part about it is everything you are talking about is feasible now. Something that Nintendo is really big on.

The Gunpei Yokoi philosophy of combining simple technology in innovative ways.

 

[Mpl90]

Iwata was so vague yesterday that it's impossible to get anything concrete out of it other than the general shift in strategy that will happen in the near future.

He did the same thing with the DS and Wii. He outlined the general idea of Nintendo moving towards the "blue ocean" with new kind of hardware and software but didn't give away too much before the product reveal.

Any link to those investor meetings / whatever? I'm interested to see similarities / differencies between what's been said before Wii and DS and now for their QOL product.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

As usual this seems to be going way over a lot of hardcore gamers' heads. A lot of "wtf" and "this is the last thing they need" and then when it finds an expanded audience (or a traditionally nongamer audience) they'll say it was just a fluke. Tell me naysayers, didn't you also call for Nintendoom back when Nintendo revealed their last big forays into the Blue Ocean, Wii Sports and Wii Fit?

 

[Graphics Horse]

As usual this seems to be going way over a lot of hardcore gamers' heads. A lot of "wtf" and "this is the last thing they need" and then when it finds an expanded audience (or a traditionally nongamer audience) they'll say it was just a fluke. Tell me naysayers, didn't you also call for Nintendoom back when Nintendo revealed their last big forays into the Blue Ocean, Wii Sports and Wii Fit?

It sounds like the stuff they're talking about is bordering on belonging to the Off Topic section. It's not about how ' hardcore' you are, if they divorce their games platforms from their expanded audience initiatives seen on ds&wii, they might do very well, but it stops being about games.
Not to say that Nintendo making an internet connected toilet wouldn't be discussed on this forum, but people who are concerned for their future are focusing on them as Nintendo the games company rather than Nintendo the home appliances company.

 

[Imperfected]

- The conspicuously absent Vitality Sensor **

** You stick your finger in it; you don't "wear" it

I suppose you could call it a 'penetrable device', but I think by most definitions you'd still be wearing it.

 

[ZeMMiK]

epic fail...

 

[shinra-bansho]

I just keep thinking about something with all these quality of life things all united under a single OS and I keep coming back to wtf isn't this an iPad or ? Maybe this will be a cheap alternative that convergences QOL apps into a single platform, but I still don't know wtf a nonwearable is.

Nanites that enter your bloodstream and attach themselves to your hindbrain.

It's a vague nonsensical buzzword. It's non-wearable... so it's a portable device that you carry? Or a stationary device? How does that leapfrog anything?

It's been mentioned as a joke, but insertable is really the only thing that comes to mind outside of that. And that's just silly. :/

A startup doesn't stand a chance against the resources and marketing power of a giant like Nintendo.

A start up doesn't stand a chance against the resources and marketing power of a giant like Facebook.

And the sentence was actually far more plausible with Facebook in place of Nintendo.

 

[Orniletter]

I think we don´t know enough about their approach...and the system/console/ whatever in general to make bold claims like

epic fail...

It will be interesting regardless.

 

[RoySFNR]

I'm probably gonna have Captain Falcon helping me work on my abbs before I get to play another F-Zero by this rate.

 

[Sandfox]

I'm probably gonna having Captain Falcon helping me work on my abbs before I get to play another F-Zero by this rate.

I'd like to see someone make that into a VR game.

 

[Griss]

As usual this seems to be going way over a lot of hardcore gamers' heads. A lot of "wtf" and "this is the last thing they need" and then when it finds an expanded audience (or a traditionally nongamer audience) they'll say it was just a fluke. Tell me naysayers, didn't you also call for Nintendoom back when Nintendo revealed their last big forays into the Blue Ocean, Wii Sports and Wii Fit?

No, I predicted massive success from the moment the Wii was revealed. But please, go on thinking that any criticism of Nintendo comes from blindly negative haters if you'd like.

 

[Hylian]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

 

[Mael]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

That's where bridges come in handy, see Mario Kart Wii for an example of bridge product on Wii.
That doesn't mean releasing MK on their QoL platform either.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

Not much outside branding and awareness, maybe deals and incentives. It sounds like the things they want to make, whatever they are, will have smartphone connectivity, which will presumably tie in with the smartphone pushing of their new games platforms, but they know they can't repeat the Wii strategy again.

 

[Sneds]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

That's what Nintendo thought would happen with the Wii and Wii U.

We have no idea what this 'QoL' product will be but I doubt it will make people want to play Zelda.

 

[User Tron]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

If their next console act as a hub for all portable devices (bother and sisters?), they get interested in the services. So Nintendo Home&#8482; will act like a server for QoL and 4ds, which collects data and does stuff (tbd) with it.

 

[dearodie]

They'll do an Oculus rift like device you wear at home .. I.E not wearable in the sense of a pebble watch or google glasses

 

[Sneds]

They'll do an Oculus rift like device you wear at home .. I.E not wearable in the sense of a pebble watch or google glasses

I very much doubt it.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

I don't think it's a bad idea that Nintendo is doing this in an attempt to branch their business to work in multiple industries. However this is something they should have begun to invest and work towards at the height of the Wii's popularity (especially with titles like wii fit at the time being released and selling huge) in 08/09. They could have used the mind share that Nintendo had at the time to be able to effectively market this and have a popular and potentially sustainable brand/product.

Unfortunately to me this just reeks of Nintendo desperately trying to bring back those blue ocean consumers, and frankly I could see this flopping big time for them. I also think they have a terrible attitude in terms of competition. The fact is even if they find a new "blue ocean" market like they hope, they will always have to deal with competition. So when they find this new market, and those competitors release their own products, is Nintendo going to abandon that route and go towards a different market again? I mean what a bizarre business strategy or philosophy in general.

It really is bizarre. Under Iwata at least, Nintendo seems to want to avoid competition.

 

[Hylian]

But isnt the wii proof that the turnover rate from ocean to ocean is pretty much a useless agenda?.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

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.

You know...I really like your posts usually....but this is really like I want to believe. The board of directors showed clearly to be incompetent in addressing even the simplest issues concerning Wii U that I will believe what you say the moment they'll show the product. But I doubt this will ever be as good as you painted it - Wii U is such a mess that there is no logic reason to be optimistic.

What doesn't make sense above all is the fact that Wii and DS were so successful. The two best selling systems Nintendo ever produced. Whereas Wii U is the opposite - a dead system, and so some extent 3DS's launch and first months were terrible. Iwata built up his incredible reputation from the sales of Wii and DS. However, Yamauchi and Asada were in charge till mid 2005 - how about if the design and production of Wii and DS is their merit and not of Iwata's? This would explain the incredible incompetence of the board of directors. And would explain the the existence of macroscopic mistakes that put Nintendo in the hole they are.

 

[Sneds]

But isnt the wii proof that the turnover rate from ocean to ocean is pretty much a useless agenda?.

I think so.

But it's difficult to know gor sure because Nintendo fucked up so badly with the transition from the Wii to Wii U. Had Nintendo come up with a better forward-thinking plan when the Wii took off, maybe the turnover rate would have been better.

 

[ProgramFighter]

Speaking of educational software, does Nintendo license any software for Leap Frog and similar devices? Would be a good way to get children familiarized with their characters and franchises from an early age.

 

[JCX]

Lets say this new quality of life plattform takes off like the wii did, but separeted from their console offerings. What will then drive the masses from this ocean to their traditional plattforms and software?.

Probably about drawing them into a Nintendo ecosystem of mobile apps, console, handheld, and whatever this health thing is.

 

[User Tron]

It really is bizarre. Under Iwata at least, Nintendo seems to want to avoid competition.

Or Nintendo doesn't see a business opportunity in fighting for some markets. Personally I'm not convinced that Sony and MS have a working business model. IMO the gaming industry is in chaos. 3rd party dying left and right. Almost nobody in the console sector is making any money while mobile gaming soars. Value of games decrease in no time. My guess is that Nintendo wants to avoid this battlefield because the outcome is pretty uncertain.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

I agree they should have done it earlier but you are missing the whole point. This isn't about when they should have released by the time to announcement to release.

Announcing something 16 months in advance is Steve Jobs of the Macintosh-era level stupid. Good design companies always wait <6 months before a product is announced otherwise they get copied to death and the market gets played out.

I'm sure Iwata would have preferred not to announce this until late this year - but his hand was forced.

That said, Nintendo hasn't really told us too much for clear reasons - they don't want to reveal their full hand but offer a glimpse of the future to appease investors.

You still see the half-glass full. I see it half-empty.

1) If Nintendo has so much troubles supporting 2 consoles, I don't expect things to get any better with 3 of them.

2) You say Iwata didn't unveil all of his plans. Can be. Can also be that the board of directors doesn't know how to get out of the mess and this is simply a way to make them buy time and think of a plan. This assumption is legit, considering how long it took for them to realize how Wii U was in deep shit. And guess what, the entire gaming community and industry knew how bad the situation was almost one year ago instead!!!

3) They didn't hint at any plans to refuel their handheld market. I.e. they don't see their biggest source of revenues shrinking dangerously and continuously. Iwata talked about his plans for 2015. And what about now to 2015? It's two full years - with weakening 3DS and a non-existing Wii U. Who cares about their plans for the long term when the next 24 months are going to be miserable.


Shortly, it's more believable they don't have the foggiest idea how to address their structural problem rather than they are geniuses that still have to show their genial ideas.

 

[Thomas_Daly]

I just want games

I never asked for this ?

 

[Cygnus X-1]

Iwata really wants to capture that Wii Fit lightning in a bottle again basically, and he views the layer of videogame consoles as an obstacle to get there. Despite that being all theyre good at, and all their OS efforts are 10 years behind competition.

The elephant in the room once again being smartphones, tablets, fuel-bands, and wearable tech dominating the lifestyle gadget sect. Iwata wouldnt commit to what the fuck a non-wearable is so we're left wondering if its furniture of some kind, something you clip onto your bed or door-frame, and the whole thing just sounds like the vitality sensor reaching he was engaging in as the Wii started spiralling.

He's also bought himself a couple more years with this shit, so thats the big takeaway from it. "Let my QOL platform come out, then judge!!" Dark, dark times for Nintendo ahead.

Pretty much my point.

 

[Chumpion]

It's a-me, Mario! You have a-cancer!

 

[lenovox1]

I just want games

I never asked for this ?

You'll get your games this year. You'll have to. It's the only thing they've got until their new platform launches.

But any new initiatives beyond what their doing now (expanding partnerships, improving their network, adding GamePad features to their Wii U titles)? We'll.... Just have to wait for E3, I guess. But don't get your hopes up.

 

[fabricated backlash]

So this is an effort to widen the Nintendo brand into more aspects of peoples daily lives... Isn't that exactly what they should be doing, or are people surprised that the delusional shit that was thrown around about Nintendo going to become an IOS, Android or Sony 3rd party developer didn't materialize and instead Nintendo doing their own thing again.

I mean who could've predicted that they would do the same (stubborn maybe) thing, they've been doing for almost their entire time in the videogame business.
They can't compete for the hardcore gamers anymore, as they have no chance against MS or Sony, they can't compete for the casual time waster demographic, which has been totally sucked up by Apple and Google, so instead of trying to get a piece of one of these pies (that are already spread thin) they once again try something different.

Surprise surprise. I guess we'll see if it works out for them.

 

[Dambrosi]

Wait...did they say "non-wearable"? Then...

Nintendo/World Marshall merger to be announced after the end of fiscal year 2013.

 

[Chaos17]

Wait...did they say "non-wearable"? Then...

Nintendo/World Marshall merger to be announced after the end of fiscal year 2013.

LoL XD
I was more into "Person interrest/Big brother is watching you" ideas than nanomchines cause I forgot about them.
It's a scary idea~

 

[Phades]

I'd like to see someone make that into a VR game.

You want him to appear to falcon punch you in the gut to see if you been keeping up with your routine or something? ^_^;

 

[MrMephistoX]

Maybe by exploring mobile they mean to take the health concepts like Wii Fit and Wii Sports to as many screens as possible?

Sell the vitality sensor as an iPhone accessory? Do Wii Fit as a service on Smart Tvs? Just throwing ideas out.

 

[Fourth Storm]

An interesting post by a user over on Beyond3d:

As someone who's been working in the area for a couple of years, I can tell you that this is a typical Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) flowchart.

It's a real and expanding market targeted to an expanding demographic (>65 years old), and it's supposed to be the next boom in governmental investment of first-world countries. Also, a big proportion of a developed country's riches is in the 3rd age.
Japan is one of the countries with the oldest population and this is a very big concern for them. It's not a surprise that a big company exploring AAL is coming from there.

So far, most efforts for establishing a technological AAL ecossystem come mostly from several small companies (mostly startups) dedicated to developing health monitoring systems or small sensors. Everything is so spread and disorganized that there's been a real struggle to create and/or abide to standards that can assure the connectivity and ease-of-use between devices of single vendors -> and this is a market that is very dependent on ease-of-use because it's mostly directed to elders.

Nintendo is in a unique position for making this work very well for them:
1 - They're located in the country that has - by far - the largest dedication/awareness per-capita to AAL than anyone else,
2 - They have worldwide distribution channels.
3 - They have a brand recognition that has already reached all demographics through the Wii and its family-oriented games
4 - They're very good at designing ergonomic and easy-to-use devices.

Iwata wasn't wrong when he announced this as a "blue ocean" for them. I think it is.
This is very good news for investors, IMO.





Now.. for gamers, this is not good news. If their AAL system get good results, I don't see Nintendo coming back to the cut-throat console world ever again. I don't know what they would do with their IPs.
Perhaps they would sell off their game-development divisions along with the IPs in order to allow Mario/Zelda/Metroid games in a future without Nintendo as a console maker?
Or maybe they will just keep all the IPs to themselves we'll only see Mario in Wii Fit or Kinect Sports games for elders (sounds like such a waste..).


I also see this transition as yet another coward attitude from Nintendo -> which translates into weakness from their management, no matter how we look at it.
Looking at the past 10 years, I get the feeling they're unable to stand their own whenever they find competition, whatever the market is.
They find competition in the high-end console business, they run away and create a low-end console business (Wii). They keep going at the low-end console business hoping it might work forever (Wii U, 3DS) but they find competition from smartphones/tablets and it fails.
Then they run away and create a Health Console business.
Where will they run away to, when they find competition in the Health Console business?

They're showing that they're incapable of standing their ground, again and again.

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1824492&postcount=123

So it seems that this may be something different than the fitness products out there by the likes of Nike. I don't think we're talking hardcore intensive training here, but general "wellness" as was mentioned. And targeted primarily at an older demographic.

Also, I remembered reading a patent that Nintendo filed a while back that detailed various environmental sensors. This must be relevant to the QOL platform.

http://nintendoeverything.com/new-nintendo-patent-wii-environment-sensor-unit/?pid=22881

 

[theprodigy]

You know what happened the last time there was a "third pillar"?

It killed off another one of the pillars.

Nintendo platforms are the Sith confirmed, there can only be two

 

[Interceptor]

An interesting post by a user over on Beyond3d:



http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1824492&postcount=123

So it seems that this may be something different than the fitness products out there by the likes of Nike. I don't think we're talking hardcore intensive training here, but general "wellness" as was mentioned. And targeted primarily at an older demographic.

Also, I remembered reading a patent that Nintendo filed a while back that detailed various environmental sensors. This must be relevant to the QOL platform.

http://nintendoeverything.com/new-nintendo-patent-wii-environment-sensor-unit/?pid=22881

I agree with the first half and that it won´t be like already existing devices. Iwata clearly mentioned they want to take ideas and tech and transfer it to new environments - to a new blue ocean with no competitors. It will be a hub vor various wellness, learning fitness and whatever devices -BUT it will also play videogames. They don´t intend to leave this market at all. They have some of the strongest IPs on the planet and they have incredible talent in this sector. They want to use synergies between both to help each market. This is about expanding - not switching.

 

[Mpl90]

An interesting post by a user over on Beyond3d:



http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1824492&postcount=123

So it seems that this may be something different than the fitness products out there by the likes of Nike. I don't think we're talking hardcore intensive training here, but general "wellness" as was mentioned. And targeted primarily at an older demographic.

Also, I remembered reading a patent that Nintendo filed a while back that detailed various environmental sensors. This must be relevant to the QOL platform.

http://nintendoeverything.com/new-nintendo-patent-wii-environment-sensor-unit/?pid=22881

Eh, the latter part sounds kind of jumping to conclusions-101, especially since he includes 3DS in the failures...so much that I don't know if the former part can be considered as a reliable opinion. Seriously XD