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[Biker19]

The problem with targeting Children (other than sounding really creepy) is that the "CHILDREN" who played Gamecube and Wii are now playing XB1 and PS4 because they GREW UP.

Target audiences outgrow their demographic faster than most analysts realize and new children tend to follow the older children, especially siblings, despite age restrictions/ratings.

No doubt. Once children grow up, they're going to want to be with the big boys. Not many of them will be hardcore Nintendo fans like us 80's/90's kids.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Well this is funny. Thanks to the golden reactions from you guys, this thread got featured on the Oreteki blog:

http://jin115.com/archives/51999865.html

ioriyagami is now big in Japan.

 

[Biker19]

They're going to try harder to do what they've already been doing for roughly 7+ years? What is this senseless, and relentless obsession on this tiny part of the market? Focus on the market as whole and you might actually have a future in the console business. This insistence on refusing to acknowledge the market for what is instead of what Iwata wants it to be is baffling.

Perhaps they should take a gander at the other home consoles in order to see where the market they are trying to compete in is. That includes kids, by the way. But if their plan going forward is to release apps and demos on mobile devices and tablets in order to sway people to their own hardware, then they will just be in for another rude awakening.

The Wii crowd that moved on to phones and tablets are not coming back to another Wii. That ship has long sailed. They can either wake up and try to compete where the market actually is, or continue to fall flat on their face in a vain attempt to try and win back a crowd that is long gone.

These. And that's preciously Nintendo's problem: They refuse to adapt to what's going on today, & it's going to kill the company as a whole in the future. They need to adapt to mobile/tablet gaming, & they need to adapt to older demographics for their future home gaming consoles like what Microsoft & Sony always do.

Well this is funny. Thanks to the golden reactions from you guys, this thread got featured on the Oreteki blog:

http://jin115.com/archives/51999865.html

ioriyagami is now big in Japan.

Wow, we just got famous! I just wish that there was some way to translate everything to English just to see the reactions, LOL.

 

[Lufiaddict]

This idea falls into a lot of the obvious trappings that I'm seeing a lot of ideas on GAF falling into, and one in particular that Nintendo themselves has fallen into with the Wii U: Taking terrible ideas/hardware and thinking that just slapping on some Nintendo franchises will make it sell. Insular ideas that only appeal to Nintendo fans who would buy in anyway.

It's 2014 - who is going to purchase a cheaply-made secondary device to carry around that barely has enough power to push 2D graphics? Nobody. Not at any price.

I bet many parents would buy such a device to their kids as their first portable (before buying them a (costlier) smartphone or tablet later).

Is it a terrible hardware? It sure is! You might say the Wii U hardware is terrible compared to the PS4; some might even say that the 3DS is terrible compared to the Vita. Nevertheless, the Wii U and 3DS are still not cheap. Most people would not buy those on an impulse. What I suggest is to make a system so terrible, that it would be cheap enough to fall into the impulse buy range.

We also need to accept that Nintendo's brand is quickly losing relevance to the very market you're saying this device would be targeted at. Slapping Nintendo's pantheon of stale mascots on this thing would only appeal to Nintendo's shrinking base.

But the purpose of this system is to help Nintendo stay relevant to kids!
Some people say that Nintendo should advertise their software by releasing minigames on smartphones. What I'm suggesting is that they advertise their software and hardware by releasing minigames on their "minihardware".

You're basically describing an even cheaper, less capable, less appealing DS.

It's too different from a DS to be comparable (just like a DS/3DS is not comparable to a Wii/Wii U). That's why I described it as a third pillar.

Finally, nobody in the US cares about Wario. Especially not kids.

That's not really an issue. I didn't mean to say Wario would make this hardware sell, I just think that of all the Nintendo characters, he's the one who would represent it best (as the philosophy behind this plaftorm is very close to that of the WarioWare games).

 

[zen3]

jin115, after announcement of Nintendo
ｆrom the last scene of the Castle in the Sky

 

[ioriyagami]

Well this is funny. Thanks to the golden reactions from you guys, this thread got featured on the Oreteki blog:

http://jin115.com/archives/51999865.html

ioriyagami is now big in Japan.

lol...hope they are not making too much fun of me because of my crappy translations

 

[Toparaman]

Well this is funny. Thanks to the golden reactions from you guys, this thread got featured on the Oreteki blog:

http://jin115.com/archives/51999865.html

ioriyagami is now big in Japan.

This is so meta. I quoted them, they quoted me quoting them. I'm finally world famous.

LOL; and according to Google Translate, they're now translating our amateur translations back into Japanese.

 

[Kokonoe]

They should make Nintendo themed shows again. Works wonders for Pokemon.

 

[Dr.brain64]

I do think so. Like others (such as Tiktaalik), I suggest the creation of a new portable system. Here's what I came up with:

Nintendo could release, as a third pillar, a dirt cheap portable system. Under 50$ if possible (it would still have to be sold for a small profit).

Hardware:

• Size: somewhere between the original GBA and GBA micro. In any case, small enough to fit in a pocket.
  
• Colorful and sturdy casing (many color schemes available).
  
• Touch screen. Relatively big and scratch resistant.
  
• D-pad, two face buttons ('red' and 'green') and 'menu' button (no analog stick nor shoulder buttons).
  
• Some motion sensing capabilities would be neat if that's not too costly.
  
• Cheap speakers and volume control.
  
• CPU, RAM, GPU etc: the best they could do for the price. Of course, this would be a weak machine only capable of 2D.
  
• SD card slot.
  
• ON / OFF button, battery, and all the other necessary little things I might have forgotten.
  
• No WiFi, no camera etc.

Software:

• All the games would be free and could be downloaded from Nintendo's website.
  
• The games would just have to be put on an SD card to be played on the system. Parents are already used to this, remember the R4!
  
• There would be lots of very simple minigames such as those found on NSMB DS or WarioWare. Some longer, more complex games might also be possible.
  
• Third parties and indie games would be welcome. Games could be submitted to Nintendo. Only those deemed good enough by Nintendo would be available on the official site.
  
• Nintendo games would of course feature Mario, Link, Pokemons etc.
  
• Operating system: not much to speak of. When you turn the system on, the list of games appears. *shrug*

Purpose:

• This system would be cheap enough that lots of kids would get one even if they already have a smartphone or tablet.
  
• Its low price and its lack of network connection and camera would make it a harmless toy that parents would feel totally safe to let in the hands of their children.
  
• Its simplicity would make it accessible to anyone, young or old, just like the NES and Game Boy were.
  
• By playing with this toy, kids would familiarize themselves with Nintendo characters, buttons and d-pad, and Nintendo-quality gameplay. Many of them might later want to graduate to the "true" gaming systems such as the 3DS and Wii U's successors.

Marketing:

• Nintendo could pretend this system is manufactured by WarioWare, Inc. (the fictional company founded and managed by Wario). YEAR OF WARIO!

Do you own a cellphone / seen what's available there?? Really no one would buy that... except fans and so the same cycle restarts: no third parties blah blah etc etc

 

[Dildo Saggins]

Nintendo is in serious SERIOUS trouble if they think Mario and Zelda are going to sell hardware to kids. Pokémon is really the only link to the past they have right now. Pokémon is still relevant, but that could change the minute somebody releases an iOS/Android game that has the same kind of theme and is a "quality" experience.

I spent Christmas surrounded by tweens and little kids playing Minecraft and Clash of Clans on touch devices. It was an eye-opening and depressing experience.

I think deep down, we all know what the solution to Nintendo's woes is. Unfortunately, the fanbase that Nintendo raised (and is still supporting them) refuses to accept any reality in which they play Mario on hardware that doesn't have "Nintendo" somewhere on the box.

If people really want what's best for Nintendo, and Nintendo wants what's best for Nintendo, it's time to open up the dialogue a bit and start discussing the most obvious solution to this problem. It's either that or continue to become less and less relevant until you're relegated to seeing Mario and Co. on Pachinko Machines and "Starring Mario!" in Angry Birds:Who Fucking Cares?Pay Us edition.

 

[10k]

More like

"Our approach with the Wii U has been inadequate, it's a lost cause, but we will carry on"

 

[Toparaman]

They should make Nintendo themed shows again. Works wonders for Pokemon.

They really should. So many kids got into the Pokemon games through the TV show.

I know the Pokemon anime (rightfully) gets shit on a lot, but the first season was actually really solid: funny gags, colorful characters, a general sense of forward progression, and some reflective somber moments. I don't think Pokemania would've happened without it.

Mario and Zelda have even better source material than Pokemon, imo. Mario has surreal imagery that would lend itself well to an American-style comedic cartoon. Zelda has an excellent mix of light and dark elements that would lend itself well to a classic-style anime.

Sheesh, Iwata, just give me the damn position. I'll save Nintendo.

 

[Hsieh]

For people still wondering about what is the correct translation, there are some further clarification from Iwata in the investor Q&A posted on Nintendo's site with an official Nintendo translation:

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

Our biggest downfall last year was that we failed to communicate the true value of Wii U, failed to make children persuade their parents to buy our products for them, and failed to offer products that parents could not resist.

 

[Vagabundo]

Some thoughts:

* Miverse is great and could be a kid safe social network of sorts. I'd even push it to be a sims-lite, they should be allowing more cusomtisation of Miis and have the Miiverse plaza become a little Miiverse town.

*Cheap, cheerful and indestructible devices for kids and create a fully locked down mobile for kids. Parents would love one that will only accept calls from certain numbers and all activity, calls, etc are available to them.

*Create some devices specificity for education. Maybe have a different brand. Have some crossover with their purely entertainment options.

 

[royalan]

For people still wondering about what is the correct translation, there are some further clarification from Iwata in the investor Q&A posted on Nintendo's site with an official Nintendo translation:

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

Those are fair observations from Iwata, but he's still missing the point. Iwata has got to stop thinking that Nintendo being appealing to kids is a given. It's not. Not anymore.

He needs to pay attention to his competition, and ask himself why more kids are asking their parents for Xbox, PS4 and tablets than Wii U, despite Wii U being the most blatantly targeted at the traditional idea of what kids want.

 

[Novan Leon]

These. And that's preciously Nintendo's problem: They refuse to adapt to what's going on today, & it's going to kill the company as a whole in the future. They need to adapt to mobile/tablet gaming, & they need to adapt to older demographics for their future home gaming consoles like what Microsoft & Sony always do.

Let me preface my comment by saying that I disagree with the conventional wisdom that says mobile/tablet gaming is the future. I haven't met a single gamer who is abandoning traditional forms of gaming (console, PC, or even handhelds like 3DS or Vita) for the mobile/tablet scene. Most avid mobile/tablet gamers that I know were never traditional gamers in the first place. Rather, the mobile/tablet includes an audience of casual gamers that might never have touched an electronic game otherwise. I believe mobile/tablet gaming expands on the total pool of gamers by attracting many new casual gamers, similar to how the Wii did, without negatively impacting the traditional "hardcore" gaming audience at all. In this respect, mobile/tablet gaming is complementary to traditional gaming, as it attracts a new audience and gives them an easy entry point into more traditional gaming.

Herein lies Nintendo's problem: Nintendo needs to decide who they want the target audience for their console to be.

Since the younger/casual crowd skews more towards the mobile/tablet market and the mature/hardcore gamers skew towards the more popular and capable Sony/Microsoft/Valve systems, Nintendo is left not having an audience to sell to, at least on the console side. The 3DS is still in a very strong position, being both "casual" enough to appeal to the younger audience and robust enough to attract more mature players, but the Wii U has neither of these advantages. It's too expensive and complicated to appeal to the young/casual gamer and not powerful enough to appeal to the mature/hardcore gamer. Due to it's form factor, price and simplicity the 3DS will always be in a better position to attract younger gamers than an underpowered console, and Nintendo seems unwilling to invest the money in a competitive gaming console at the level of PS4/Xbox One. Marketing the Wii U to a younger audience won't change a thing due to their own already superior handheld having that market under wraps, and I seriously doubt they have the chops to compete with Sony or Microsoft on the hardcore front.

In short, I believe Nintendo's future viability as a console manufacturer is in question, given the circumstances.

IMHO, the best options for Nintendo are as follows:

• Accept the fact that the WiiU will never sell very many and reduce the WiiU's price by making the gamepad optional to make it an appealing cost-effective console for the hardcore fans who still love Nintendo's games for the most part. This will let them at least keep it alive and perhaps make a small profit until they're ready to phase it out.
• Maintain their focus on the 3DS and continue growing it's already impressive library of great games.
• Look towards mobile opportunities, cautiously, but with an invested interest in attracting younger, more casual gamers to Nintendo platforms.
• Re-evaluate their console future, perhaps opting out of releasing another console and instead focusing on a new handheld with tablet and/or TV inter-connectivity.

 

["D"]

My thing is this. If you are going to target "kids" then don't do it in a weird roundabout way. Unfortunately mobile tablet gaming is on the rise cause of the cheap price and convenience in the device itself, the parents can use it for business and the kids can play on it. Speaking about the Wii U, Nintendo couldn't have expected to drop a console that is nearly $400 with a "controller" that's very similar to what families already have at home with their smartphones/tablets.

If you wanna target kids so badly, come out with a device reasonably priced with hardware that isn't trying to take the attention away from whats already out. Kids already have a short attention span and presenting something like a tablet console will just confuse them, especially since it resembles what came out years ago with the O.G Wii but with a tablet controller.

That's my "solution." for Nintendo

My PERSONAL take on it is pretty much like most people. I don't mind them trying to make kiddy games and yada yada, but at the end of the day especially with the cost of living rising for families with children and so on, the only people who are REALLY going to consistently support your console and games is the teens to adult demographic because they can go out and purchase and support the console and games whenever they are able. Kids are bound to their parents wishes and financial standing so trying to push an expensive Mario/Pokemon/Skylanders machine will only get them so far. Core gamers and Hardcore gamers are the ones that will go to midnight releases, buy multiple copies of a game just to collect, buy DLC and collectors editions, all that. I know we older more serious gamers make up a smaller piece of the pie but you CAN'T shut us out to please mainly the kiddies because guess what. They grow up to become US.

 

[Lufiaddict]

Do you own a cellphone / seen what's available there?? Really no one would buy that... except fans and so the same cycle restarts: no third parties blah blah etc etc

Yes, smartphones are awesome.
Just a few weeks ago, my 13-year-old niece showed me some of the stuff she does on her iPhone. Among other things, it fulfills all her gaming needs (mostly through Minecraft, Candy Crush and... some kind of dress up game I think). Even though she grew up with the DS, DSi (+ R4 card) and PSP, she has zero interest in the 3DS and Vita.
And of course, thanks to GAF, I am aware of the fact that smartphone gaming is not limited to Minecraft and Candy Crush.
But the device I was proposing in my previous post is basically a toy, and is certainly not meant to be an iPhone killer, though I think it could compete with it as a kid's very first handheld (but beyond that, they could coexist peacefully).