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[Pokemaniac]

But be realistic for a bit. At this point, it's extremely unlikely third parties are coming back on board.

It's a demographics issue. People are conditioned at this point to buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games and very little else.
If you wanted to get third parties on board, the NX has to have a big, worthwhile userbase to tap into, similar to ones found on the X1/PS4.
I don't see how you'd realistically get there these days without third-parties in the first place. Releasing a new console is not going to have all third parties lining up to gamble away their money on a port.

Furthermore, that userbase has to actually actively purchase these third-party titles for the NX to make them profitable enough to keep investing into. If the NX top sellers are still going to be all Marios, Metroids and Zeldas, why would for example EA pour millions into the development of a NX port of their next blockbuster game? I mean, there's 40 million of other current-gen consoles out there right now that are eating those games up like candy.

The Wii and Wii-U both completely failed at achieving this shift in consumer behaviour, and personally, i'm not convinced releasing a current-gen-powered console is going to change the status quo in any way, shape or form. Nintendo really doesn't hold that much sway over the average console gaming crowd these days. That is, unless they do something very radical and innovative again and grab the world by storm like the Wii. Right now, I don't think this 'multiple form factor' stuff sounds like it is going to cut it.

Third parties are a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. If the third party support at NX launch looks anything like it did during Wii Us launch, people aren't going to start buying them. During the Wii U launch, third parties, by and large, clearly sent the message that they didn't care. There were a few exceptions, but even some of those bailed pretty quickly. If the third parties want a userbase to sell to, they're going to have to take on a little risk.

1: They just need to focus on the sequel. It'd give them ammunition for their 2017 lineup, unless they could spare a team to port it to NX w/o drawing away resources from a sequel.

2: 540p

3: They'll hopefully allow for a universal account system that register the hardware, and where you essentially can install and store the games to that account and then download them to a registered device. By tying it to an account instead of the hardware, they can still prove who owns what and make sure there aren't any issues in people being locked out of games simply because they had to replace, say, a faulty unit for a good working one.

4: Hmm....it's...possible. I'd rather they just did a Smash Bros Remix that took fan favorite aspects of the original, Melee, Brawl and 4 and acted as an anniversary celebration of the series, while serving as a preview of Smash 5.

5: Ubisoft'll definitely be there, as will Sega. EA will probably be present but just for a token sports or family release. Activision will be there too, but I doubt w/ COD. Probably a Just Dance edition for NX.

6: Cross-gen. NX handheld isn't coming until 2017 I feel, and they don't want the 3DS to languish in the meantime. All the same, NX could benefit from a beefed-up version, so cross-gen would work best in this example.

7: Xenoblade, yes, in 2017. Not at launch. SMM might actually be an app they pre-install on NX units, probably w/ some features thrown in to take advantage of new controls or hardware features.

8: I'm honestly expecting the NX base system to feature some sort of on-board connection w/ the handheld. Like plugging a SFX cart into a SNES or 32X into Genesis gave those units more processing power, the same could conceivably be done w/ NX console and handheld. How much of a boost the console would get is anyone's guess, but assuming the base unit is roughly on par w/ a PS4, we could be looking at N64 to PS1 level of difference, only this time w/o the drawback of ROM carts as a storage medium.

This also allows Nintendo to go for power and keeping the price for both units affordable ($250 for the console, $150 for the handheld), and more importantly still affordable as a combo unit in comparison to w/e VR bundles for PS4 and XBO come about. In 2017 Nintendo could lower the cost of one or the other depending on sales and sales momentum, and then introduce a VR solution of their own and bundle that in w/ the console and handheld for an affordable price relative to competitor bundles, or just make bundles swapping out the handheld for the VR unit.

That is a lot harder to achieve than it sounds. It would likely be completely impractical.

 

[Neoxon]

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

 

[Hoo-doo]

Third parties are a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. If the third party support at NX launch looks anything like it did during Wii Us launch, people aren't going to start buying them. During the Wii U launch, third parties, by and large, clearly sent the message that they didn't care. There were a few exceptions, but even some of those bailed pretty quickly. If the third parties want a userbase to sell to, they're going to have to take on a little risk.

Here's the thing though, they won't. Not after being burned on Wii and Wii-U.

And frankly, it isn't so much that the third parties don't care, by and large it's also the Nintendo userbase that doesn't care about stuff besides Mario and Zelda. It works on both ends.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

Online fees would hurt Nintendo and that's the last thing the wounded company needs is another setback.

I'd be shocked if they started charging for online.

SHOCKED.

 

[Neoxon]

Here's the thing though, they won't. Not after being burned on Wii and Wii-U.

And frankly, it isn't so much that the third parties don't care, by and large it's also the Nintendo userbase that doesn't care about stuff besides Mario and Zelda. It works on both ends.

This is the exact problem. Plus the only third party games that sell on the 3DS are Japanese third party games (with a few exceptions). It's a two-way street. Most Nintendo fans don't buy third party games, & said third parties don't want to take the risk of cultivating the audience necessary to succeed. That's why I've been saying that Nintendo needs to ease their audience into said third party games by making variants of those games themselves as a sort of transition.

 

[ash_ag]

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

The online system will be designed based on current online traffic of Nintendo Network. Currently, neither the number of online games, nor Nintendo platforms' install base justifies a paywall.

 

[Pokemaniac]

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

The last thing Nintendo needs is friction for people entering their ecosystem. I think it'll probably stay free.

Here's the thing though, they won't. Not after being burned on Wii and Wii-U.

And frankly, it isn't so much that the third parties don't care, by and large it's also the Nintendo userbase that doesn't care about stuff besides Mario and Zelda. It works on both ends.

Third parties (at least the ones that tried) were actually decently successful on Wii. A bunch of them proceeded to completely squander that success by failing to properly follow up on it, but they did initially have success.

Also, if third parties want to sell their games to the Nintendo audience, they really need to make the first move. Simply releasing Nintendo versions of game which are reasonably on par with the releases other platforms are getting would be a huge improvement.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Third parties are a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. If the third party support at NX launch looks anything like it did during Wii Us launch, people aren't going to start buying them. During the Wii U launch, third parties, by and large, clearly sent the message that they didn't care. There were a few exceptions, but even some of those bailed pretty quickly. If the third parties want a userbase to sell to, they're going to have to take on a little risk.



That is a lot harder to achieve than it sounds. It would likely be completely impractical.

How? I mean it's been done before, albeit w/ add-ons, decades ago, and did provide noticeable improvement for games that utilized those setups (well, the good ones anyway).

I'm guessing the issue would come from the handheld's form factor and the screen, but what if NIntendo made a detachable screen for the handheld? That way they could release larger screens later on or at launch for those who want them, theoretically design a handheld that actually functions like a controller when paired w/ the console, and has form factor that makes that kind of linking set-up possible for increasing power to the main system?

There's already talks of them using carts, probably SD cards. They could make a proprietary port for the SD cards with increased speed and a specially designed PCB end on the handheld base to attach through the port to theoretically achieve the same thing as a SFX cart in a SNES or 32X in a MegaDrive.

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

Nah. But they'll probably offer something comparable to PS+, probably by making Club Nintendo more valuable.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Nintendo is in no position to be offering a paywall online

 

[atbigelow]

1: They just need to focus on the sequel. It'd give them ammunition for their 2017 lineup, unless they could spare a team to port it to NX w/o drawing away resources from a sequel.

2: 540p

3: They'll hopefully allow for a universal account system that register the hardware, and where you essentially can install and store the games to that account and then download them to a registered device. By tying it to an account instead of the hardware, they can still prove who owns what and make sure there aren't any issues in people being locked out of games simply because they had to replace, say, a faulty unit for a good working one.

4: Hmm....it's...possible. I'd rather they just did a Smash Bros Remix that took fan favorite aspects of the original, Melee, Brawl and 4 and acted as an anniversary celebration of the series, while serving as a preview of Smash 5.

5: Ubisoft'll definitely be there, as will Sega. EA will probably be present but just for a token sports or family release. Activision will be there too, but I doubt w/ COD. Probably a Just Dance edition for NX.

6: Cross-gen. NX handheld isn't coming until 2017 I feel, and they don't want the 3DS to languish in the meantime. All the same, NX could benefit from a beefed-up version, so cross-gen would work best in this example.

7: Xenoblade, yes, in 2017. Not at launch. SMM might actually be an app they pre-install on NX units, probably w/ some features thrown in to take advantage of new controls or hardware features.

8: I'm honestly expecting the NX base system to feature some sort of on-board connection w/ the handheld. Like plugging a SFX cart into a SNES or 32X into Genesis gave those units more processing power, the same could conceivably be done w/ NX console and handheld. How much of a boost the console would get is anyone's guess, but assuming the base unit is roughly on par w/ a PS4, we could be looking at N64 to PS1 level of difference, only this time w/o the drawback of ROM carts as a storage medium.

This also allows Nintendo to go for power and keeping the price for both units affordable ($250 for the console, $150 for the handheld), and more importantly still affordable as a combo unit in comparison to w/e VR bundles for PS4 and XBO come about. In 2017 Nintendo could lower the cost of one or the other depending on sales and sales momentum, and then introduce a VR solution of their own and bundle that in w/ the console and handheld for an affordable price relative to competitor bundles, or just make bundles swapping out the handheld for the VR unit.

This hasn't been done before. The SFX chip was actually inside the hardware for SNES carts and the 32X really just hijacked the Genesis to funnel audio and video.

It could be "conceivably done", but would probably not actually work. A better idea would be to do some kind of "game state" transmission between the two instead of trying to invent new physics.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

This hasn't been done before. The SFX chip was actually inside the hardware for SNES carts and the 32X really just hijacked the Genesis to funnel audio and video.

It could be "conceivably done", but would probably not actually work. A better idea would be to do some kind of "game state" transmission between the two instead of trying to invent new physics.

Alright the 32X part makes sense but are you saying the SNES had those SFX processors in the hardware itself? Or do you mean the SFX just having a few things like a polygonal graphics processing unit and sprite hardware, and using the SNES's CPU? B/c I remember games like Mana using SFX carts for enhanced audio, and Alpha 2 using it to store sprites.

I guess the better parallel would be like a Saturn + 4MB cart setup. Actually getting both CPUs in the console and handheld to work in tandem like that would probably indeed be impossible. And I guess w/ a console/handheld setup it wouldn't make sense for the handheld to hijack the console given the console is already more powerful.

 

[Nights Owl]

I wouldn't say it's a sure thing. They've mostly trended downwards.

Just seeing this hurts me deeply.

 

[Pokemaniac]

How? I mean it's been done before, albeit w/ add-ons, decades ago, and did provide noticeable improvement for games that utilized those setups (well, the good ones anyway).

I'm guessing the issue would come from the handheld's form factor and the screen, but what if NIntendo made a detachable screen for the handheld? That way they could release larger screens later on or at launch for those who want them, theoretically design a handheld that actually functions like a controller when paired w/ the console, and has form factor that makes that kind of linking set-up possible for increasing power to the main system?

There's already talks of them using carts, probably SD cards. They could make a proprietary port for the SD cards with increased speed and a specially designed PCB end on the handheld base to attach through the port to theoretically achieve the same thing as a SFX cart in a SNES or 32X in a MegaDrive.



Nah. But they'll probably offer something comparable to PS+, probably by making Club Nintendo more valuable.

You could theoretically use the handheld as some sort of co-processor, but it would be very difficult to get enough bandwidth to do anything really meaningful with it. Since the console would be more powerful anyway, it wouldn't really be worth it.

Co-processors in the carts would drive up the costs of games and cause issues for digital distribution.

This is just generally one of those ideas that used to work well due to specific market and technology conditions, but isn't really practical anymore.

 

[MoogleWizard]

Maybe I'm in the minority but I honestly don't care about third parties on a Nintendo system, if by third parties we mean multiplat AAA games like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed. I couldn't care less, I have absolutely zero interest in those games. I buy Nintendo consoles because they offer different experiences than most games from other big publishers. Give me first party Nintendo titles and a few exclusives / collabs like Monster Hunter, Bayonetta or The Wonderful 101 (obviously it would be great to have more of those on NX than the few that were on Wii U) and I'm happy.

I wonder how much of the Nintendo audience is like me in that regard. IIRC, sales of Batman, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty were pretty bad relative to the user base on Wii U.

 

[Fourth Storm]

This hasn't been done before. The SFX chip was actually inside the hardware for SNES carts and the 32X really just hijacked the Genesis to funnel audio and video.

It could be "conceivably done", but would probably not actually work. A better idea would be to do some kind of "game state" transmission between the two instead of trying to invent new physics.

I've always pictured the old add on chips like Super FX to work because cartridges were basically an extension of the motherboard. Think of it like plugging something into the PCI slot of a desktop.

The downfall is that adding that functionality would increase motherboard complexity and price.

Technical issues aside, that kind of setup would split the user base, so it really wouldn't fly in today's market.

 

[blu]

I've always pictured the old add on chips like Super FX to work because cartridges were basically an extension of the motherboard. Think of it like plugging something into the PCI slot of a desktop.

Precisely. The modern equivalent of that (if we imagine there was some kind of co-processor in the cart) would require that the cart would attach to much faster (and different kind of) bus than what it currently uses. That would make the console *much* more expensive, and for what - for the few titles that would actually use that option.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Maybe I'm in the minority but I honestly don't care about third parties on a Nintendo system, if by third parties we mean multiplat AAA games like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed. I couldn't care less, I have absolutely zero interest in those games. I buy Nintendo consoles because they offer different experiences than most games from other big publishers. Give me first party Nintendo titles and a few exclusives / collabs like Monster Hunter, Bayonetta or The Wonderful 101 (obviously it would be great to have more of those on NX than the few that were on Wii U) and I'm happy.

I wonder how much of the Nintendo audience is like me in that regard. IIRC, sales of Batman, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty were pretty bad relative to the user base on Wii U.

nintendo's problem is that there aren't enough of you so they have to shoot for more expanded audiences somehow. Creating home consoles that cater to you and people like you is proving to be unsustainable.

 

[Mokujin]

While I have zero hope after WiiU, damn, I would be so damn hyped if Nintendo delivered a good product this time.

 

[Vanillalite]

This would essentially mean the hardware has to be locked down by now.

So in theory this should help give us better guesses at the specs as it would rule out certain things.

 

[Graphics Horse]

If you're going to combine the handheld and console power I think the only sensible way is using the handheld as a controller. For example game like Starfox would draw its second screen natively instead of being streamed across.

If you want to imagine you can just get power boosts by 'plugging in' a handheld, you might as well support plugging in of random phones and tablets for extra power too. The power of the crowd.

 

[Davey Cakes]

The power of the crowd.

*chortle*

 

[MoogleWizard]

nintendo's problem is that there aren't enough of you so they have to shoot for more expanded audiences somehow. Creating home consoles that cater to you and people like you is proving to be unsustainable.

Well, if they want to also cater to the "dudebro AAA" audience then they're in a bad position. First because of the kiddy stigma and because they're launching when PS4/Xbone have already been on the market for a few years, and have established user bases. If they make their console a little more powerful than those, they could get third party games for a few years from a technical standpoint (which still doesn't guarantee third party support) - until PS5 and the next Xbox release and the NX will be underpowered again and a successor will presumably still be some years away. At the same, the system would have to be more expensive than Nintendo systems usually are, which will likely hurt their sales (I think the higher than usual for Nintendo price was one reason for the failure of the Wii U). So, I'm not sure that catering to third parties and audiences that already bought the other consoles makes much sense. But the casual crowd has moved to mobile and is gone, too.

I'm glad I'm not the CEO of Nintendo! I'm excited to see what they come up with, whether it's a traditional console, an iPhone/iPad-like handheld/stationary approach or something different.

 

[AntMurda]

nintendo's problem is that there aren't enough of you so they have to shoot for more expanded audiences somehow. Creating home consoles that cater to you and people like you is proving to be unsustainable.

Nintendo's problem is they don't fully understand how to approach or cater to their existing enthusiast audience. There are certainly way more potential console owners than "10 million". The Wii U is a clear case that not every person with affinity for the company - automatically jumped in. I would bet all the older gamers here, have a good deal of friends who used to buy products from Nintendo, but have not been on the train for quite a few years. Then you have generations of entry gamers, playing with their parents smart phones and tablets.

Expanded audiences are long gone - Nintendo has publicly acknowledged that. QoL and Android/IOS are basically attempts to develop products for that expanded / non-gaming audience. In addition they are trying to lure children back into Nintendo through entertainment ventures (theme parks) and collectible card / figurines (Amiibo). When it comes to dedicated video game systems, Nintendo's plan is for better efficiency on expenditure and honing in a realistic consumer base.

 

[LegendofLex]

Nintendo's problem is they don't fully understand how to approach or cater their existing enthusiast audience.

Every single Nintendo console that wasn't specifically designed for the purpose of broad market expansion (hint: the only ones that were are NES, Game Boy, DS, and Wii; the rest were based on performance improvement over their predecessors) has seen substantial decline compared to its predecessor. It isn't just a Wii U thing - your enthusiast base is always a tiny fraction of your overall addressable market.

 

[KingJ2002]

The rumored dev kits mentioned that:

“Nintendo would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use.”

I expected the home console will be similar to the Apple TV... but this sounds more in line that the new system will essentially be a mobile device and the home unit will be an extension of it.

Not sure i really like that...

 

[Mihos]

The rumored dev kits mentioned that:

“Nintendo would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use.”

I expected the home console will be similar to the Apple TV... but this sounds more in line that the new system will essentially be a mobile device and the home unit will be an extension of it.

Not sure i really like that...

It's like a wiiu, except the game pad can be used without the console, and the console can be used without the gamepad.

 

[Rurunaki]

*cross fingers* that Nintendo fixes their online infrastructure.

 

[GhostTrick]

nintendo's problem is that there aren't enough of you so they have to shoot for more expanded audiences somehow. Creating home consoles that cater to you and people like you is proving to be unsustainable.

If you think Nintendo's hope is to be another PS4 or Xbox One, you're delusional. This market is crowded and shrinking. Its a fact. Nintendo's only way is to bank on their IP and exclusives. Except this time in quantity and quality, unlike Wii U. More like the 3DS.

 

[AntMurda]

Every single Nintendo console that wasn't specifically designed for the purpose of broad market expansion (hint: the only ones that were are NES, Game Boy, DS, and Wii; the rest were based on performance improvement over their predecessors) has seen substantial decline compared to its predecessor. It isn't just a Wii U thing - your enthusiast base is always a tiny fraction of your overall addressable market.

You don't think the Wii U was designed with broad market expansion in mind? It absolutely was. They thought that adapting controls to a tablet would facilitate a wave of consumers who found the controller as familiar.

 

[Ushay]

Please dont fuck this up Nintendo. I'm dying to play a true HD Zelda and Metroid.

 

[StevieP]

You don't think the Wii U was designed with broad market expansion in mind? It absolutely was. They thought that adapting controls to a tablet would facilitate a wave of consumers who found the controller as familiar.

It's a complex dual analog pad (note - those are too complex for general audiences that go beyond existing gamers) with a touchscreen in the middle. Not a tablet. They may have said tablet, but that's because their marketing and messaging for the console was atrocious. As soon as you relegate yourself to a normal dual analog pad as your primary control, you've already told your expanded audience customers to fuck off.

 

[Anth0ny]

One other question that came to mind. Do you think that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play online with the NX Platform? If so, do you think Nintendo will offset the price by offering a free game or two a month?

I think they should, not sure if they will.

If they do, they'll absolutely do a PS+ style "free games every month" deal. And considering Nintendo's back catalogue, it might be the best monthly subscription service out of all three consoles.

Online fees would hurt Nintendo and that's the last thing the wounded company needs is another setback.

I'd be shocked if they started charging for online.

SHOCKED.

More money would hurt Nintendo?

Console gamers have shown that they are willing to pay for online. There was absolutely NO issue going from the free PS3 model to the paid PS4 model. In fact, PS4 is kicking ass. Hard.

Assuming Nintendo pulls off online properly (and that's a HUGE assumption) I don't think anyone will have a problem paying for NX online services.

 

[atpbx]

If I were Nintendo, I would probably be looking at a tenth of that number, because unless it's something incredible, it's not going to shift that amount in its lifetime let alone the first year.

 

[Mr Swine]

About the trending Nintendo console sales. Isn't it a big possibility that the NX console might sell worse than Wii U? Like 5-7 million units LTD? I really really hope that NX reverses the trend but that might not happen

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

There's not enough people interested in buying a Nintendo console for their IPs and their systems just doesn't attract the "dudebro" audience, and that ship has sailed. This isn't news.

It's going to be hard, if not impossible, to court third parties, when the PS4 will have a stupid install base next year and the XB1 will be healthy as well, especially since they won't want to be the first ones to take the plunge, knowing how third party games sell on Nintendo consoles post-PS1.

I'm not sure why people seem to think NX is going to be the saviour of Nintendo in the console space. Apart from the Wii which targeted a different market, Nintendo's sales have been on a downward trajectory.

 

[Übermatik]

Please dont fuck this up Nintendo. I'm dying to play a true HD Zelda and Metroid.

I'm convinced they can pull it off.

One of my favourite Zeldas of all time was Twilight Princess. I loved the styling, the graphics (at the time) and it's general attention to detail. It felt like a (excuse me for saying this) AAA Zelda game. Metroid Prime 3 gave me that same feeling. On both counts they were so close to making games that echoed everything good about the originals, whilst bringing the series into the world of contemporary game design.

I don't know, it's difficult to explain... Don't get me wrong, I don't want a Skyirm Zelda or Halo Metroid. God no. But I want a big, atmospheric, clever Zelda/Metroid title again.

 

[AntMurda]

It's a complex dual analog pad (note - those are too complex for general audiences that go beyond existing gamers) with a touchscreen in the middle. Not a tablet. They may have said tablet, but that's because their marketing and messaging for the console was atrocious. As soon as you relegate yourself to a normal dual analog pad as your primary control, you've already told your expanded audience customers to fuck off.

That's no different than the DS where the touch generation line - pretty much ignored D-Pad and array of buttons buttons and went full touch screen. Brain Age, English Training, Cooking Guide, Nintendogs, etc.

 

[The_Lump]

If I were Nintendo, I would probably be looking at a tenth of that number, because unless it's something incredible, it's not going to shift that amount in its lifetime let alone the first year.

And what would be the point of launching a console where you only expected to sell 1.2M in the first year?

 

[Anth0ny]

About the trending Nintendo console sales. Isn't it a big possibility that the NX console might sell worse than Wii U? Like 5-7 million units LTD? I really really hope that NX reverses the trend but that might not happen

there's absolutely a possibility

I find it hard to believe they'll manage to put out a product less appealing than the Wii U, but then again I found it hard to believe they'd manage to put out a product less appealing than the Gamecube, and here we are.

 

[Turrican3]

nvm

 

[4Tran]

About the trending Nintendo console sales. Isn't it a big possibility that the NX console might sell worse than Wii U? Like 5-7 million units LTD? I really really hope that NX reverses the trend but that might not happen

It depends on where the floor is for Nintendo home consoles. If it's around 10 million, then there's a good chance that the NX will outperform the Wii U by default. But if it's lower than that, then if the NX is a poor product, it might do quite a bit worse. Without this information, I think that it's fairly easy to assume that the NX console will do better than the Wii U as long as it's pretty good. However, being "pretty good" may prove to be a difficult task.

I'm not sure why people seem to think NX is going to be the saviour of Nintendo in the console space. Apart from the Wii which targeted a different market, Nintendo's sales have been on a downward trajectory.

It's because the alternative is to see Nintendo bow out of the home console market and that's not a palatable outcome to a lot of Nintendo fans.

 

[10k]

I'm convinced they can pull it off.

One of my favourite Zeldas of all time was Twilight Princess. I loved the styling, the graphics (at the time) and it's general attention to detail. It felt like a (excuse me for saying this) AAA Zelda game. Metroid Prime 3 gave me that same feeling. On both counts they were so close to making games that echoed everything good about the originals, whilst bringing the series into the world of contemporary game design.

I don't know, it's difficult to explain... Don't get me wrong, I don't want a Skyirm Zelda or Halo Metroid. God no. But I want a big, atmospheric, clever Zelda/Metroid title again.

Oh I feel exactly the same way. And Galaxy 1 and Fire Emblem. That first year for the Wii was full of ambitious projects that expanded upon the franchises and seemed massive in scope.

Compared to the Wii U output which is relatively safe.

If they come out swinging with the NX like they did the first year of the Wii I'll be happy.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Third party games sold A LOT on the Wii.

Of course 99.9% of them are not the kind of third party productions we're talking about, but basically you're stating the good old "Nintendo console owners only buy Nintendo games" which, for the Wii, is a blatantly false assertion.

I'm using Wikipedia here, so bare with me:

1. Wii Sports (bundled, so we'll take that as is)
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Wii Sports Resort
4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
5. Wii Play
6. Wii Fit
7. Wii Fit Plus
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
9. Super Mario Galaxy
10. Mario Party 8
11. Wii Party
12. Super Mario Galaxy 2
13. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
14. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (not developed by Nintendo, but with Nintendo characters/publishing)
15. Donkey Kong Country Returns
16. Link's Crossbow Training
17. Just Dance 2

The 17th best selling game on Wii is third party, the other 16 are Nintendo.

There are a handful of titles below that, like Just Dance and Sonic Colors and Guitar Hero, but the point remains.... third parties really didn't sell the Wii as much as first party.

 

[Soulscribe]

I hope they've learned their lessons with the Wii U coz they honestly fucked up all the major tentpoles of a successful product. Confusing title, usability dissonance, weak marketing, weak support, no eye on trends, interface was jacked up...

You can never count Nintendo out but they really did drop the ball across every category with the Wii U so I have no idea where they're coming from. And any kind of dedicated handheld is gonna be the biggest anticlimax because mobile is the overwhelming platform of choice for most buyers. Embrace that shit or deal with yet another weak cycle.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Seems...ambitious.

I'm very worried for Nintendo now. In the console space, anyway.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I'm using Wikipedia here, so bare with me:

1. Wii Sports (bundled, so we'll take that as is)
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Wii Sports Resort
4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
5. Wii Play
6. Wii Fit
7. Wii Fit Plus
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
9. Super Mario Galaxy
10. Mario Party 8
11. Wii Party
12. Super Mario Galaxy 2
13. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
14. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (not developed by Nintendo, but with Nintendo characters/publishing)
15. Donkey Kong Country Returns
16. Link's Crossbow Training
17. Just Dance 2

The 17th best selling game on Wii is third party, the other 16 are Nintendo.

There are a handful of titles below that, like Just Dance and Sonic Colors and Guitar Hero, but the point remains.... third parties really didn't sell the Wii as much as first party.

They may not have been the best selling games, but they still sold pretty respectably. IIRC, there were a decent number of third party million-sellers on the Wii.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

They may not have been the best selling games, but they still sold pretty respectably. IIRC, there were a decent number of third party million-sellers on the Wii.

21 third party games (still using Wikipedia) broke one million units.

A lot of titles that were likely very cheap to produce and sold to the audience I have mentioned previously.... an audience that just no longer exist on consoles. (Carnival Games, We Ski, Deca Sports etc - Monster Hunter Tri is a stand out though).

 

[atbigelow]

Alright the 32X part makes sense but are you saying the SNES had those SFX processors in the hardware itself? Or do you mean the SFX just having a few things like a polygonal graphics processing unit and sprite hardware, and using the SNES's CPU? B/c I remember games like Mana using SFX carts for enhanced audio, and Alpha 2 using it to store sprites.

I guess the better parallel would be like a Saturn + 4MB cart setup. Actually getting both CPUs in the console and handheld to work in tandem like that would probably indeed be impossible. And I guess w/ a console/handheld setup it wouldn't make sense for the handheld to hijack the console given the console is already more powerful.

Each of those special SNES games that used addon chips had extra silicon physically inside the cart. SuperFX, SuperFX2, SA-1, etc. They did their own unique things (SFX1/2 were RISC processors way faster than the SNES's CPU). The only reason they could do this was because of the physical connection between system and cart. Those didn't work the same media does these days. The system saw them as literal extensions to itself.

Secret of Mana didn't use any coprocessors. Alpha 2 did, though. SDD-1. They used it for compression purposes.

 

[Turrican3]

I'm using Wikipedia here, so bare with me:

I had already removed the message (because I was afraid it would derail the thread) before you posted but obviously the 'net goes sooo fast.
Anyway, I don't really think one can gather the full picture of a software monster which sold almost *a billion* games (!!!) by just looking at its top20. Or even top100 for that matter.

 

[10k]

Third parties will never outsell Nintendo titles but that's not what third parties should aim for. They should aim for "enough". What I mean by that is don't expect your port to outsell Mario or Zelda and be happy if it breaks millions. It's harder to compete with nintendos titles because of the quantity and quality of them released yearly compared to Microsoft and Sony. Those two release what? 3-4 AAA exclusives a year compared to Nintendo? That doesn't mean there isn't room for third parties.

I'm a Nintendo gamer and I buy third party games when I know it's as fully featured as the other ports (not missing modes, DLC, poor performance, etc). If mass effect, Witcher, fallout, etc came to the NX there's nothing I'd love more than to have all those games on the same ecosystem with achievements and such. I wouldn't mind it if it was the worst performing version, at least I get the game. I would take the Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 at 900p30 instead of not having it at all.