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What would happen to Nintendo if the NX flops like Wii U?
- Thread starter Booker.DeWitt
- Start date
Zombegoast
Member
Except for when Sonic games have sold very well on a Nintendo system aswell as the Monster Hunter series and SF4 3DS. Oh and bunch of Wii games like CoD and the GoldenEye remake selling millions and No More Heroes being Suda's best selling game
ForsakenLotus
Member
While I don't consider myself one of them, people who want the NX to be close to the specs of the Neo or Scorpio want it so developers don't have a reason to ignore the NX with ports. That, or they just expect a console releasing three years after the PS4 or Xbox One to be more powerful than those machines which I don't think is unreasonable to want.
Sales matter because the PS4 is well established with a substantial lineup of games and very good momentum. The NX will have the weight of the Wii U attached to it while also trying to justify its place in the market while trying to build up its library of games from scratch - and let's not forget the NX will not have the same level of support from third party developer's as Sony and Microsoft has.
Ironic.
hemo memo
Gold Member
That's not how business works.
Consdering even with how the Wii U did, nintendo as a whole still profited as a whole I don't think another "flop" like the Wii U will have much of an effect on them. They'll continue to make money off the millions of units they sell of their 1st party software to pretty much every owner of their console.
ForsakenLotus
Member
No offense, but you are the one being disingenuous here. We are talking about a clear and present decline in every single Nintendo home console since their first one in 1983, other than the one console wedged in between their two lowest selling consoles ever. Two of their last three consoles have been their lowest selling of all time.
Call it what you want, the Wii doesn't represent Nintendo's strength in the home console space or what to expect going forward. Besides, you can be both lucky and smart. Whether Nintendo was lucky, smart or both doesn't change how the Wii should be viewed in context to Nintendo's history in the home console space.
With regards to the hybrid discussion, a single device doing everything doesn't strike me as the answer. Its simply not feasible from a tech/cost standpoint, they would be better off with just a handheld than trying some weird Frankenstein thing.
As for "what if the NX flops", I don't expect Nintendo to drop out of hardware quite yet even if that does happen. Maybe they just accept a lesser roll in the market, or maybe all of the licensing and stuff going on outside of traditional gaming will sustain them, and maybe support their hardware business.
As for "what if the NX flops", I don't expect Nintendo to drop out of hardware quite yet even if that does happen. Maybe they just accept a lesser roll in the market, or maybe all of the licensing and stuff going on outside of traditional gaming will sustain them, and maybe support their hardware business.
LegendofLex
Member
But Wii wasn't an isolated anomaly.
For one thing, they also had the DS, which was also wildly successful. (It didn't have to be; it was only normal-levels of successful at first.)
And not only that, but Wii carried on many of the strategies Nintendo executed when they launched the NES: specifically, that in addition to lots of ports of/sequels to games already loved (in the arcades for NES, on Nintendo's past consoles for Wii), they also made a ton of games targeted at the needs of a wider mass market audience that didn't already play games.
The anomaly is that NES, DS, and Wii (and also the Game Boy) were the only platforms where Nintendo was really reaching for an audience outside of existing gamers.
SNES was mostly sequels and spin-offs to Nintendo's existing IP.
N64 was mostly 3D versions of Nintendo's existing IP (plus games from Rare).
Game Boy Advance was mostly ports of NES/SNES games and sequels.
GameCube was mostly higher-fidelity sequels to N64 games.
3DS was mostly ports of N64 games, sequels to GameCube/DS/Wii games.
Wii U was mostly sequels to 3DS/Wii/GameCube games.
NES was where most of Nintendo's franchises were born.
Wii had lots of sequels and ports, but also had totally new approaches to games that struck a chord with the mass market. Same thing for DS.
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
Broken Hope
Member
You're arguing with someone who in a media create thread tried to excuse poor Nintendo sales because the weather was too hot.
You can't reason with him.
God Dayumm
Banned
That's not how diligent business works. But a company in the wrong hands can do whatever dumb decisions it pleases
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
I don't think we'll get a hybrid. I think the console will be able to playback the portable games up scaled though. That way they can sell them to gamers in the west who don't care about portables.
There's also some chance that console games can downscale to the portable to reach gamers in the east who don't buy consoles. Though I think that is less likely as its hard to downscale than upscale.
ForsakenLotus
Member
Really? Any chance you could link that? I don't really go into those threads often.
Okami Haundo
Member
What's the majority opinion on what a "hybrid" NX would be? My dream console would just be a handheld with power on-par or greater than the Wii-U. Let it stream to the TV using an additional device or an app that you download on PS4/Xbox One/Any other streaming device.
I'm really interested in your idea of a "Frankenstein" thing. What would that entail if you had to speculate?
RandySquizzel
Banned
Exactly how much money does Nintendo have in reserve? I'm assuming they are still making a profit now?
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Which all had in common the fact of existing before everyone and their grandmother had a smartphone and/or tablet to satisfy any casual gaming itch they got.
And if there's any new tech that draws in nongamers again it's likely to be VR once prices are down and there are killer apps for that crowd. And by all accounts Nintendo is behind the curve there.
Yeah that wasn't what I actually said. Calm down.
I cited it as one of many reasons. There was a heatwave at the time and the Pokémon Centers were empty when they are rarely empty. I never said absolute that it was why it didn't sell. Plus that was three years ago, get over it
Do note that I never said the Wii was a standard. I said it was wrong for people to just dismiss its success in order to push their narrative.
Part of the discussion I had here was with someone who was making the claim that their successes of 10+ years ago are irrelevant to this due to how different things were there, so I was just pushing the inverse of that. I apologise if it seemed like I was making a brash absolute statement.
RealityCheque
Banned
They'd become the 3rd Party Kings. I'd nearly bet that PSN, Xbox and Steam would give them incredibly favorable deals to port VC games over as well.
Mario on PC in 2020.
Mario on PC in 2020.
LegendofLex
Member
And that's why they're making smartphone and tablet games now.
But the question is, if no one tries to bring new blood to (dedicated platform) gaming, how much longer will any of the dedicated gaming platforms last?
hemo memo
Gold Member
Until you pissoff investors because of those decisions over and over.
Simple, it's not the NES days. You can't relay on your games to sell your hardware. Not with long it takes and how complex games now. You need 3rd party support.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
They're all heading for extinction as everything will be cloud based eventually and gaming will just be various apps with all processing done in the cloud. That's still a ways off as internet capacity has to spread and improve a ton for that to be feasible.
In the meantime gaming is fine with Sony, MS (Xbox and PC), Steam, Nintendo and the indie gaming scene. The PS4 has been selling gangbusters, so it's not like the console market is suffering. And there are more great games to play than ever.
oh man. that is very, very optimistic. I think above N64 numbers is optimistic at this point, even with third parties and correct marketing.
as for pricing, Xbone Slim is already $299 when it launches later this year. by the time NX and Neo drop, it could very well be $249, as could vanilla PS4.
At the lowest, I think NX will launch at $249. More likely $299. But the bottom line is the PS4 and Xbone will still offer a far better value. It's Wii U vs. 360 and PS3 all over again.
geordiemp
Member
All it seems investors want is Nintendo to go more third party and splash out those mobile games.
It seems the more mobile announced, the better for Nintendo stock.
If Nintendo dropped Nx and said third party only their stock would double lol
If NX sells just as poorly as the Wii U, Nintendo will need to find a way to be profitable despite a small user base or look to converge their console and handheld business.
Maybe that means an iPhone/iPad model with two portable devices: one being more portable with a smaller screen, and the second having a lite bit more power, bigger screen, and maybe a TV out OR just have one portable.
I think Nintendo is trying to leverage their brands more and make money off other ventures like movies and theme parks. I think this is partially a sign of them preping for the possibility of the gaming division not making as much money.
Maybe that means an iPhone/iPad model with two portable devices: one being more portable with a smaller screen, and the second having a lite bit more power, bigger screen, and maybe a TV out OR just have one portable.
I think Nintendo is trying to leverage their brands more and make money off other ventures like movies and theme parks. I think this is partially a sign of them preping for the possibility of the gaming division not making as much money.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
It's over? So if NX flops they just shut down entirely?
geordieimp said:
Source for this?
ForsakenLotus
Member
Yeah that wasn't what I actually said. Calm down.
I cited it as one of many reasons. There was a heatwave at the time and the Pokémon Centers were empty when they are rarely empty. I never said absolute that it was why it didn't sell. Plus that was three years ago, get over it
Do note that I never said the Wii was a standard. I said it was wrong for people to just dismiss its success in order to push their narrative.
Part of the discussion I had here was with someone who was making the claim that their successes of 10+ years ago are irrelevant to this due to how different things were there, so I was just pushing the inverse of that. I apologise if it seemed like I was making a brash absolute statement.
But that's not what I'm doing. The Wii was phenomenally successful and dominant. It had a four year stretch that was just silly.
However, I'm not pushing a narrative when I mention Nintendo's otherwise continued decline in the home console space. If you can't accept the Wii being labeled in some manner an abnormality it's not because I or any other poster is dismissing the Wii. I don't want to presume why you are so stuck on how the Wii is perceived and labeled, but it doesn't change the context of the Wii versus Nintendo's history in that segment of the industry.
I'm not. I'm using the Wii as an example that Nintendo can have turnarounds, but people just dismiss it that it was luck and that Nintendo can't ever do anything like that again.
I think they'd start to see serious issues with their investors at that point. I don't think they'd leave the console market but they'd have to do something completely different, not just in terms of the console itself but in terms of how they manage their own finances and prices.
Realistically, if NX is profitable day one like GameCube was, then even if it sells poorly it'll be OK. Nintendo has enough cash to flop two or three more times as long as they have handhelds selling 50m each gen.
Worst case scenario they go third party or stick to handhelds or do both.
Or they do something whacky and make the Nintendo equivalent of Steam and become a publisher with an app to buy their games.
Who knows?
Worst case scenario they go third party or stick to handhelds or do both.
Or they do something whacky and make the Nintendo equivalent of Steam and become a publisher with an app to buy their games.
Who knows?
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
I don't think another WiiU will ever happen, that failed for reasons beyond 3rd party support.
But people will need to accept that Nintendo will never again be a superpower in the console space. Their strength is going to be becoming an entertainment/lifestyle brand and in that, they are going to tremendously profitable.
People need to stop thinking Nintendo games as their main bread and butter.
Nintendo movies, the Nintendo theme park, Nintendo TV shows and Nintendo branded clothing (like the recent vans) are what put the food on the table. Nintendo games and hardware is just going to be an aspect of the business, instead of THE business.
But people will need to accept that Nintendo will never again be a superpower in the console space. Their strength is going to be becoming an entertainment/lifestyle brand and in that, they are going to tremendously profitable.
People need to stop thinking Nintendo games as their main bread and butter.
Nintendo movies, the Nintendo theme park, Nintendo TV shows and Nintendo branded clothing (like the recent vans) are what put the food on the table. Nintendo games and hardware is just going to be an aspect of the business, instead of THE business.
Isn't this the issue though? How do you make that device without it being overly expensive and a battery life sucker. For it to have meaningful TV play it would need to render at 1080p, and if it's rendering at 1080p, the handheld screen should probably also be 1080p. The power is out there to pull that off with the most recent Tegra stuff, but theyd have to price it outside the acceptable price range of a dedicated gaming handheld.
Agent Gibbs
Member
Like scrooge mcduck they'd dive into their money pit and try something else
I really feel like it's too premature to say this. Nintendo is bold and daring when backed into a corner. The Wii U was a clear misstep, but the Wii and DS were so well thought out and perfectly executed.
I think Nintendo is still capable of designing a fresh hardware experience that brings families together.
ForsakenLotus
Member
I don't know if the Wii was luck or if Nintendo can replicate its success. Hopefully they can.
I wish I could be optimistic about the NX, but until Nintendo is ready and confident enough to show the NX and change my mind, I don't really see any reason why the NX should be viewed with optimism. That doesn't mean I'm right about my outlook, just that in all the time I've discussed the NX I haven't read or heard enough to justify a positive disposition towards it.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
They definitely could. But I worry it will be like the Wii and end up being something many longtime fans like myself end up not liking as much. As much of a sales failure as the Wii U was, I've enjoyed it much more than Wii as it was traditional Nintendo games with mostly traditional controls in HD. The Wii is my least likes Nintendo console and I grew up with them starting with the NES.
I know they can't go traditional as the Wii Unand GC failed to sell, but it has me very skeptical that the ND will be my cup of tea. It seems more likely to focus in on kids, families and casuals again and those type of games have no appeal to me. But I don't really mind as the Wii U, 3DS and VC libraries are great for my Nintendo fix and I do more gaming on Sony and MS platforms the past two generations anyway. So I'm very wait and see on NX and may just stay on Wii U and 3DS for a long while.
bobbychalkers
Member
I can't see a scenario where it sells as bad as the Wii U considering how much they fucked up with that system in general from design philosophy to branding. If they avoid some of the easy to miss pitfalls of the Wii U coupled with the unified development flow that they said they were going to implements (whichever form that takes) which allows for a more steady stream of 1st party titles on their part, It has a chance to do well for them if its priced competitively.
Well I'm optimistic, but I'm someone who really enjoys the Wii U. It's quite possibly my favourite console of all time, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Nintendo's game output on it has been astonishingly good and I love the GamePad. It's not revolutionary, but it brings lots of QoL improvements for me.
But I'm not one who salivates over specs so that may be why.
Milly Osworth
Member
Nintendo is a creator, not a businessman.
Father_Brain
Banned
It wasn't just "luck," but mobile has fundamentally changed the market to the point where I don't believe it's possible for a new dedicated gaming device to be similarly disruptive. Wii and DS lowered the barrier to entry for video gaming, but the barrier literally can't be any lower than it is on mobile.
Wouldn't a third party Nintendo be a shell of its former self?
I would think they would take in less revenue because you're eliminating their digital platform, any money they make from console sales and a cut of third party games that are on their platform (lol I know) and adding a % of profits they'd have to fork over to Microsoft and Sony.
Would their profits increase without a significant downsizing?
I would think they would take in less revenue because you're eliminating their digital platform, any money they make from console sales and a cut of third party games that are on their platform (lol I know) and adding a % of profits they'd have to fork over to Microsoft and Sony.
Would their profits increase without a significant downsizing?
spyroflame0487
Member
If the NX flops, they'll probably still continue to release games for it up until the next console comes out.
I'm not sure what sort of fantasy world fever dream people have that a Nintendo would ever dare go third party. And certainly, even if something isn't a huge hit (see Wii U) they're going to release games for up until it doesn't make sense to do so any more.
And of course, we'll probably get some hidden gems on it that will make us look back at it fondly (see Splatoon, etc)
The Wii U has had a lot of great hardware on it, but people just overlooked it because it wasn't a powerhouse. As we get closer to the plateau for specs (and granted they don't bungle marketing stuff with it) and NX should still have moderate success regardless of what Sony or MS put out.
I'm not sure what sort of fantasy world fever dream people have that a Nintendo would ever dare go third party. And certainly, even if something isn't a huge hit (see Wii U) they're going to release games for up until it doesn't make sense to do so any more.
And of course, we'll probably get some hidden gems on it that will make us look back at it fondly (see Splatoon, etc)
The Wii U has had a lot of great hardware on it, but people just overlooked it because it wasn't a powerhouse. As we get closer to the plateau for specs (and granted they don't bungle marketing stuff with it) and NX should still have moderate success regardless of what Sony or MS put out.