lunchwithyuzo
Banned
The looming threat of mobile/keitai games has been a media talking point going back to the GBC days in the late 1990s. It's only a new spin in America really.
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CNet: What Nintendo needs to do to make a comeback
- Thread starter Metallix87
- Start date
Well, it's no longer looming. It's here.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
I guess that's why the 3DS Mario games have sold twice as well as their DS counterparts according to NPD. Clearly the sky's fallen.
Metallix87
Member
LOL no. Don't be absurd.
Or, maybe, there are simply fewer good games on the 3DS? I don't mean to pick on the 3DS - I own one myself - but your argument is pretty weak... Anyway, I'm still hopeful the 3DS will at least give me a classic Metroid, some good Castlevania games, and some new Etrian Odyssey games. All I ask. Oh, and a new AW.
Oh, so iOS/Android gaming is no threat to traditional handhelds like the 3DS? Only on GAF.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Weak compared to what? That there might be fewer good games? Do you remember the first year DS had?
Is there really no middle ground between "smartphones are just stupid fads that will die a horrible death 2 years from now while glorious traditional handhelds will continue to succeed" and "smartphones will take over the market and kill all other forms of portable gaming, nintendo to go third party, Vita doomed etc etc"?
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
RIP ninetendo
It's stupid to dismiss the threat of mobile gaming because one game sold more than another 8 years apart. It doesn't even make sense....
They had a good run.
dream
Member
It's not specifically mobile gaming that's killing traditional handhelds -- it's stuff like Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and all the other stuff people use on their smartphones and tablets. Unless you're a very, very, very serious gamer, a dedicated gaming device is a tough sell when you can get something that comes pretty close while giving you a host of other functionality on top of just video games.
And in Japan, handhelds have not just survived such an invasion, but thrived in that environment.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Two games (Super Mario, Mario Kart) that are doubling what they did on DS launch aligned. And that's on a machine with Zelda, Sonic, Mario & Sonic, Resident Evil, Metal Gear, DOA, Tekken, Tales, Street Fighter, Monkey Ball, Star Fox, PES, Cooking Mama and plenty of other games already.
Look, I'm not saying iOS/Android devices aren't a threat and aren't taking a bite out of things, but the sales we actually have are pretty damn encouraging considering the state of things. What's actually "stupid to dismiss" is the sales of 3DS' leading software.
The problem with the points raised in this article, is that Xbox and iDevices already do these things he is proposing Nintendo do. Why would you buy a Wii U just for features an Xbox already offers? If the only thing you want is casual iPhone games, you already have a iPhone and aren't in the market for a handheld console.
The only way Nintendo is going to move consoles is if they offer something unique that can't be had on another device. The obvious choice is creative, deep, system selling games that Nintendo has always had, but they will also need 3rd party support to win back the "hardcore" gamers. I don't know what they could do to get the casual gamers to buy the Wii U or 3DS, but just aping Apple won't cut it.
Once they have moved a decent number of consoles, then they can worry about implementing the multimedia features to keep people using their systems. But those features won't matter at all if no one bought the system in the first place.
The only way Nintendo is going to move consoles is if they offer something unique that can't be had on another device. The obvious choice is creative, deep, system selling games that Nintendo has always had, but they will also need 3rd party support to win back the "hardcore" gamers. I don't know what they could do to get the casual gamers to buy the Wii U or 3DS, but just aping Apple won't cut it.
Once they have moved a decent number of consoles, then they can worry about implementing the multimedia features to keep people using their systems. But those features won't matter at all if no one bought the system in the first place.
Lord_Byron28
Member
Wait are you saying Mario Kart 3DS and Mario 3D land's sales are double what MKDS and SM64DS are selling or the other way around? Also half of those franchises listed are ports it would be a bit different if they were all original entries.
However, your point does stand that while Nintendo isn't doomed or on the brink of 3rd party, they still aren't out of the woods yet in terms of sales. While sales in Japan are good, 3DS sales in US and EU are lagging. Nintendo will still have a very succesful handheld and it should have a very good library built up soon but it could still end up being severely behind the DS in sales.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Launch alinged, the 3DS games have sold roughly double what their DS predecessors did. For the last numbers we have:
After 5 NPDs
Super Mario 64 DS: 949,000
Super Mario 3D Land: 1,980,000
After 4 NPDs
Mario Kart DS: 875,000
Mario Kart 7: 1,580,000
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
LOL. Games on PSN XBLA alone blow Nintendo out of the water creatively.
Lord_Byron28
Member
Ah interesting info. It'll be interesting to see how these titles sell in the long run or if they will be more front loaded.
Are we really comparing the output of hundreds of developers to one developer?
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Read what i responded to. It´s not what the guy said. He said the library of the PS360 is not more creative than Nintendo´s. He´s very, very wrong.
Lord_Byron28
Member
I know, I just mean the comparison is silly. I suppose I should've quoted his post instead. Comparing Nintendo's output to the library of two consoles is silly because any developer would look bad in that situation. I don't know why someone would try to insinuate otherwise.
Metallix87
Member
They are different markets. Is there some overlap? Sure. That being said, it's no threat to traditional handhelds at all, and soon enough it'll be made more clear as we move forward and that market evolves.
And essentially killed the home console market in the process.
List
Pokemon Stadium 3 Wii U
Super Mario 64 2 Wii U
Super Mario World 2 for 3DS
Super Smash Bros. <-- Which is happening right now
Gamecube Virtual Console
Wii Virtual Console
Metroid Prime 4 with Multiplayer similar to Halo and Call of Duty
F-Zero GX 2 with online play
Release Pokemon games on the 3DS eShop
Pokemon 3DS
Link To The Past remake for 3DS
If they did that, Nintendo would just pretty much win.
Pokemon Stadium 3 Wii U
Super Mario 64 2 Wii U
Super Mario World 2 for 3DS
Super Smash Bros. <-- Which is happening right now
Gamecube Virtual Console
Wii Virtual Console
Metroid Prime 4 with Multiplayer similar to Halo and Call of Duty
F-Zero GX 2 with online play
Release Pokemon games on the 3DS eShop
Pokemon 3DS
Link To The Past remake for 3DS
If they did that, Nintendo would just pretty much win.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
I'd argue home consoles killed themselves in Japan.
There had to be a viable competitor for developers to work on though. You need that perfect storm.
Captain Smoker
Member
Again:
Apple holds 80% of the app-market revenues.
And they payed 4 billion US Dollars do developers until now. (All applications)
Nintendo probably earned more money with Wii Fit than all iOS-gaming developers together.
Gameloft earned 18,2 Million Dollars in the last fiscal year, that's laughable.
Rovio had a net income of 45 million Dollars in 2011 thanks to Angry Birds and that series managed a billion downloads.
Mario managed 450 million until today.
Which industry are you hyping?
Apple holds 80% of the app-market revenues.
And they payed 4 billion US Dollars do developers until now. (All applications)
Nintendo probably earned more money with Wii Fit than all iOS-gaming developers together.
Gameloft earned 18,2 Million Dollars in the last fiscal year, that's laughable.
Rovio had a net income of 45 million Dollars in 2011 thanks to Angry Birds and that series managed a billion downloads.
Mario managed 450 million until today.
Which industry are you hyping?
Why are you trying to hurt me so? Just.... why?
To be fair on the smartphone stat, smartphones are replacements for computers in third world countries, and do the same job having a computer would here. Factoring in cost reductions that will get smartphones to $99 unlocked or less, it's pretty simple to see that the third world is going to be buying a lot of smartphones in the coming years, mostly the $79 to $149 super-low-end variety.
schwabdizzle
Banned
I though Wii has sold more consoles that PS3 and 360....so what exactly do they need to fix?
Nintendo can't base their strategy on what worked years ago. The Wii has been all but dead these last couple years with Sony and MS digging into their marketshare. If the Wii was still selling gangbusters we wouldn't be on the verge of the Wii U.
Nintendo now is focusing on selling the Wii U and with two E3s, they haven't done of very good job of that. Thus the bad press. Everyone in the gaming world is a negative nancy. Journalist, analyst and gamers included. These companies do one thing wrong you can bet your ass it gets blown out of proportion. Sony has been getting it with the lack of marketing for the Vita. Now is nintendos turn with the Wii U.
Next year there will be a new victim again. My guess is the PS4.
"The bigger trend is clear though: dedicated handheld consoles are a dying breed. The Nintendo 3DS has sold only 17 million units, far less than the 150 million Nintendo DS units or 81 million Game Boy Advance units the company has sold. Meanwhile, mobile gaming is expected to become an $18 billion industry by 2014, driven by cheap, casual games available on smartphone app stores."
Cnet... Entertainment gold!
Cnet... Entertainment gold!
Not that I disagree with what you said, but you are a bit off about the sales/marketshare comment:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=38962774&postcount=973
Wii sold the same as x360 these last 2 years, and the difference with PS3 and x360 was barely 4 millions in 2011. It is now outsold, but it is not an all but dead difference. Market saturation and their shift in platform focus have more to do with this decline. Their strategy to build a family/party console is a strategy that paid off, and that is likely to pay off again.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
You know what's sad though? There will be people believing this article is absolutely true.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Yeah, the truth hurts. I know. You don't have to mask your pain with laughter.
Catchpenny
Member
I don't think those devices can replace a dedicated handheld unless you're a very, very, very unserious gamer. Granted, there are millions and millions of people that fall under that category, but those are the same millions that will move away from facebook and app store games when the next hot thing comes along. In other words, most of the people gaming on smartphones weren't gaming on dedicated portables in the first place.
I have an iphone and play games on it, but with a couple of exceptions I can't think of a game that holds my interest for more than 10-15 minutes. That might improve as more big developers come to the platform, but then you have the issue of touch-only controls, which ruins many genres.
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