• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Does Nintendo need to become MS/Sony to compete?

Status
Not open for further replies.
On what platform?

1. They would need to sell 30% more due to license fees, whichthey currently dont need to pay
2. They would need to sell to an audience that doesnt care about mario, zelda, pokemon type of games (look for example how sonic racing sold on ps3)

Nintendo fans wouldn't magically disappear if they went third party.

You realize getting out of hardware would cut them out of a huge chunk of their current profits right?

In what way does the Wii U constitute a huge chunk of their profits?
 
You are looking HELLA sad, son.


Seriously.

What's wrong with them going 3rd party for their console games? They can focus on the 3DS and continue to make money from their console games without having to worry about the hardware. Nintendo games will sell like CRAZY.
 
We don't need more homogenization. Even if you don't like Nintendo products or games, the industry needs their influence and output.

How else would Sony get their ideas ;P

/jk

But to be serious, it seems that MS/Sony are crowding themselves into a very similar market. Look that their high budget IP, basically the 20-30 year old crowd.
 
Fanboys of whom?

Nintendo can live on. As a 3rd party developer.

You are one brazen junior

They need to get their technology on par with what Sony and Microsoft are doing. There is a widespread perception that Nintendo is backwards in a lot of ways. Not just in terms of hardware, but also (especially?) regarding their online services and their lack of a unified account system. Being on even footing in this regard can only help them. They can still be unique and offer things the other guys don't, while attracting third party devs and making sure their users have a modern experience.

It is really difficult to be different yet still try to compete with Sony and MS on hardware and features. That is really hard to do.
 
I'm not uninformed. But if they don't go 3rd party, then what are your suggestions? Because they can't compete in the premium hardware market anymore, and the Vita TV will see to it that their marketshare is eroded from a budget perspective.

Honestly, if they don't go 3rd party, how many units do you expect them to sell on consoles? 3 million (as an absolute max) is what I reckon. Now, compare that to GTA V...

They need to funnel all efforts into recruiting talent for first party studios and come up with their own games/ new IPs. Obviously they don't want to match specs with the rest of the consoles, and that's fine. Nintendo needs to let certain 3rd parties skip out on their platform, and focus on beefing up their own IPs, new and old. I'm hoping they realize this by now.
 
Well imo they could still innovate and do their own thing while playing nice with all the other kids in the playground in order to get their toys in their sandbox.

Doing their own thing and their own thing only certainly won't get them bankrupt or doomed, but it is only getting them so far.

Also, "compete" can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. If they want to steal some sony/ms gamers/buyers, they need to become more like them, yes. If they just want to have lots and lots of buyers, they only have to make things that lots and lots of people would want, regardless of what sony and ms do. I think that is true of any company in any market.
 
I'm not uninformed. But if they don't go 3rd party, then what are your suggestions? Because they can't compete in the premium hardware market anymore, and the Vita TV will see to it that their marketshare is eroded from a budget perspective.

Honestly, if they don't go 3rd party, how many units do you expect them to sell on consoles? 3 million (as an absolute max) is what I reckon. Now, compare that to GTA V...

The Wii U is in trouble, but Nintendo's not going to give up over one bad selling console. The 3DS is doing well and they have tons of money in the bank. They also aren't selling their systems at a loss.

Believe me, I'm no Nintendo fanboy, it's their fault the Wii U is doing like shit, but anyone saying they will go 3rd Party just looks looks like an idiot.
 
I think it's fine if they don't compete in with Sony and Microsoft over control of the living room. Right now, they have control over the mobile space with Pokeman, MH, and a ton of other games. The Vita continues to flounder and MS is looking to the phone market to make up for the loss.

I see Nintendo dropping the home console at the end of the cycle and including some sort of wireless connectivity to your TV so you and your friends can play on the big screen together.
 
They need to get their head out of their arse.

Their online is still a generation behind, they still churn out the same first party titles year in, year out, and they seem completely oblivious to everything that's going on around them.
 
You are one brazen junior



It is really difficult to be different yet still try to compete with Sony and MS on hardware and features. That is really hard to do.

Nintendo never believed in loss leading. That was Sony's strategy and later MS took the same route. Nintendo always wanted make a profit on hardware from day one. And they need to conservative because they don't have other divisions propping them up.
 
Sure. Like every former first-party turned third-party managed to stay as relevant as they were when they were first-party, huh?

Sega is still around last I checked.

Nintendo never believed in loss leading. That was Sony's strategy and later MS took the same route. Nintendo always wanted make a profit on hardware from day one. And they need to conservative because they don't have other divisions propping them up.

Wii U is sold at loss. Might even be a bigger loss now based on how badly it's selling.
 
They competed fine the last generation. The Wii U's problem is that the gamepad is not an interesting enough addition for its cost.

I think if the Wii U came out at $200 and did not include the gamepad at all, it would be doing well.
 
Nintendo will be fine, the strat is good, for me at least. The other two are just under powered PC's with a couple of exclusives.
 
I think they do, won't buy any Nintendo console as my main platform until they can match the multiplayer and third party experience I've come to expect.
 
I remember Sega fans saying that too.
If Sega put out the same types of games they did at the end of the Dreamcast era there would still be plenty of Sega fans.

Their output now isn't nearly as solid, so the fanbase isn't as strong. Stop pretending like you dont understand the difference.
 
There's nothing stopping Nintendo from putting out a machine thats at least CAPABLE of a performance level somewhere in the same generation to satisfy third parties, AND keep making the software they want to make.

They just chose not to. A Wii on the same level as an Xbox 360 would have outsold the ps2, easily.

"but, the GameCube!" You say. The GC gave the most anticipated console of all time an 18 month head start, then launched with a design targeted at the grade school set when demographics were skewing older. Don't do those things and you'll be in good shape.

Spending money on new studios and new ip at the rate sony is couldn't hurt either.
 
The Wii U is in trouble, but Nintendo's not going to give up over one bad selling console. The 3DS is doing well and they have tons of money in the bank. They also aren't selling their systems at a loss.

Believe me, I'm no Nintendo fanboy, it's their fault the Wii U is doing like shit, but anyone saying they will go 3rd Party just looks looks like an idiot.
Everyone knows that development costs can only increase for each console cycle, and Nintendo has been underperforming in hardware sales since the N64.

How do you think Nintendo will be able to compete (and make money) when their hardware userbase will not warrant such "extravagant" spending, and where they can't get revenue from 3rd party license fees because no one wants to work with them anymore.

Nintendo will never ever be able to go toe to toe with Sony and MS again. The market just won't allow it, and to do so will be financial suicide.

I think Nintendo have one more console left in them. Maybe. But hardware is certainly not their forte anymore.

Nintendo should focus on its (software) strengths, and leave the hardware up to the big boys.
 
Nintendo will be fine, the strat is good, for me at least. The other two are just under powered PC's with a couple of exclusives.

That is interesting, is MS/Sony's competition Steamboxes? Steam is a good contender for full featured OS, the steamboxes are powerful and they have the games too with tons of indies.
 
They can't compete, so they have to be unique.

This is false. They can compete if they do things to become competitive: hire, expand, get a new direction and ideas, invest in knowing tech and services. But they don't want to move they asses to become competitive. They prefer to cling to old ideas from the mind of old japanese suits and release akward hardware and call it "unique". They still release awesome games, but if they don't even bother to aknowleddge what their competition is doing, there is no way users are going to bother to chek their home console out, even if they release the best game ever.
 
If Sega put out the same types of games they did at the end of the Dreamcast era there would still be plenty of Sega fans.

This is an error.

Part of the reason Sega had more studios back then was because they made more money as a platform holder, via licensing fees.

When Sega when 3rd party, a huge revenue stream was lost. With that revenue stream lost they couldn't pursue as much projects as they did when they were a platform holder. They weren't making the same amount of money to do so.

Why don't you guys get this?

If Nintendo went 3rd party, you could say goodbye to their output.
 
Sega is still around last I checked.



Wii U is sold at loss. Might even be a bigger loss now based on how badly it's selling.


Are they really tho?

Sega puts out less games and most of them are ass and don't come over here... So is being Sega really a good thing?

If Nintendo goes 3rd party you need to realize that the situation would be a lot worse than it is now. I'm talking bleeding talent and becoming even more conservative.

So if it ever came to them going that route.... It wouldn't be the nintendo we all know and love. Let's just say the ead guys probably would stick around on this situation... Why would you?

It's why it is often a silly proposition.

Going 3rd party is a last resort type thing
 
Two Pokemon games a generation are practically enough to keep Nintendo afloat all on their very own

Nintendo is going to have to make some big changes in order to stay relevant over the next decade but they're never going to become MS and Sony because they don't have the same kinds of experience and connections as those companies do

It's funny that everyone's convinced that if Nintendo ever went third party it would effect the quality of their games

all it would mean is that suddenly all the top ten sales charts will be filled with Nintendo products, unhindered by the (lack of) success of their own mainline console
 
They competed fine the last generation. The Wii U's problem is that the gamepad is not an interesting enough addition for its cost.

I think if the Wii U came out at $200 and did not include the gamepad at all, it would be doing well.

Not at all. Wii hardware and software fell off a cliff in 2010, and Nintendo hasn't had a hit since. They went from indisputable market leader to selling less than the competition YOY, and will be passed by either Sony or MS if not both within 1 to 2 years.
 
No - I ignore Sony and Microsoft because I'm not a fan of their approach to gaming - let Nintendo do what Nintendo does best

Underperforming?

I'm sorry, that's kicking a dog while they're down and rude of me. I apologize.

I don't think Nintendo can even "become MS/Sony" at this point. They're toxic to third parties and have been for a long while and haven't actively tried to fix it.
 
They just need to find and produce and provide content. More quality content. Do what Nintendo did best, which was allow gamers to play good games. They don't need to compete, just don't make mistakes. Modesty and quality and avoiding the gaming of the video game market will serve them well, but they need to stop being afraid and put cash into games. Indies, platforms, simple but quality graphics but complex gaming and lots of variety.

Nintendo, go back to your roots. (just avoid the bad business practices of the past, licensing weirdness, megalomaniacal region control, etc.)

edit: premium hardware? fuck "premium" bullshit. leave that to Apple. Let Xbox try to become the 'living room appliance'. I want to play games.
Do shit right and I might buy that WiiU2 this Xmas.

Well said. The lack of quality first-party games between launch and Pikmin 3 was a huge blow to the perception of the console. The 3DS had a bunch of good games this year. It's too bad that even just one of Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, Mario and Lugi, or Fire Emblem couldn't have been a Wii U game instead.
 
No lol

That won't stop people from assuming this every single time a disgruntled gamer says they'd like to see more powerful software and more fleshed out OS features, though.
 
Well, I’m old so I remember when Nintendo was huge because their consoles were the places you could play practically every game. Not just Nintendo games.

But they’re not in that position anymore and haven’t been since the N64 - a longass time ago.

At some point, Nintendo decided they did not want to compete with Sony and MS to become a standard platform for major third party games. So now they’re just the Nintendo console. You buy their box if you want to play their games. But not if you want to play the majority of major 3rd party games. And that kinda bums me out. All I see is them getting further marginalized if they keep trying to push this strategy.
 
"Nintendo gonna Nintendo" has kept them the only company of the big three to stay in the black since 1981 iirc. Even if they go in the red at some point in the future, that represents an uncontested profit for at least 30 years. Neither Microsoft nor Sony can really say they've ever done the same.
 
This is false. They can compete if they do things to become competitive: hire, expand, get a new direction and ideas, invest in knowing tech and services. But they don't want to move they asses to become competitive. They prefer to cling to old ideas from the mind of old japanese suits and release akward hardware and call it "unique". They still release awesome games, but if they don't even bother to aknowleddge what their competition is doing, there is no way users are going to bother to chek their home console out, even if they release the best game ever.
I think the saying is "adapt or die".

It's too late for Nintendo. Their track record speaks for itself. Sega did the same thing for its DC console, and even though they released good games, no-one gave a shit. Not the "fans" and not the industry.

The Wii U is Nintendo's Dreamcast. Nintendo should adapt, and go 3rd party, or be prepared to carry on fighting a losing war.
 
With their IP they would not "be" Sony or MS if they released an equally powerful console. Imagine a console with all the newest 3rd party games along with the best 1st party games. You know, how it used to be on the SNES?
 
Well, I’m old so I remember when Nintendo was huge because their consoles were the places you could play practically every game. Not just Nintendo games.

But they’re not in that position anymore and haven’t been since the N64 - a longass time ago.

They haven't had good third party support since the SNES. the N64 had horrendous third party support and software droughts galore.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom