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[Interfectum]

Further translation:" we also don't think it affects sales as much as the internet does "

And that is a very stupid, shortsighted thought process.

Nintendo is leaving so much money on the table by not leveraging their fanbase / IP with a straight forward, easily portable, perk filled Nintendo account system that spans across all of their hardware.

 

[Jomjom]

Further translation:" we also don't think it affects sales as much as the internet does "

Even if we get an account system akin to sony/MS I'd still bet all my fish that digital purchases won't suddenly be a," buy on Wii U and play on 3ds for free!" and the Internet crusade will continue without missing a beat.

Yeah if that's their stance, that's not a company I want to support at all.

If all of their decisions are, "even if this is a standard feature on virtually all devices that can access an online store out there, if it's not going to result in substantial sales, fuck it!"

 

[entremet]

To be fair, he works for NOA. They march to the beat of NCL. He's really between a rock and hard place.

NCL is responsible for basically everything, including region locking and lack of accounts.

 

[Anoregon]

The funny thing is, for all the shit me and other people rightfully give Nintendo for their just laughably pathetic digital infrastructure, when the time comes that they finally get their shit together I am fucking there. Imagine a unified account across consoles and handhelds that allowed crossplay of virtual console releases. I can't be the only person who would fucking jump at that shit.

 

[Tobor]

I like how we are now treating Scott Moffitt like someone who knows the ins and outs of a networking system and how him saying barely anything when he is a MARKETER is indicative of an ineptitude from Nintendo.

Sorry, the only thing this reinforces is that Scott Moffitt is useless.

There are still only a few possibilities as to what is going on.

1. They know its an issue and can't figure out how to resolve.
2. They know its an issue and don't want to resolve it.
3. They don't know it's an issue.

All three of these indicate incompetence in multiple levels of leadership. From the system architects and engineers all the way to Iwata.

Moffit is just the messenger, but the message would be shit regardless of what he said. There is no valid excuse.

 

[CronoShot]

Meanwhile, at NCL:

 

[SpookyBlackFish]

Good. You acknowledged it, now go further and solve it.

 

[xJavonta]

They merged the DSi store into the 3DS eShop, but they kept the WiiWare store separate from the Wii U eShop. They're dealing with 4 different marketplaces so I assume there's some complications on their end, and a whole lot of risk for things messing up. I mean it sucks, don't get me wrong. But it's not like Iwata is sitting there with a big red ACCOUNT SYSTEM: ON switch that he's just refusing to push.

Come the fuck on. There's no excusing this.

Nintendo is a HUGE corporation. If they really wanted to, they could and would have this stupid shit sorted out.

 

[Sanic]

I still maintain that this is purely a business issue for them.

They have the technical chops to fix the problem, and they choose not to.

 

[Petrae]

That's cool, Mr. Moffitt. I'll continue to not buy anything on the eShop. Just recently spent cash on a 3DS XL because there are some good games out there, but your digital strategy-- or lack thereof-- means that I'll be buying physical content only. There's a lot more money that I *would* spend digitally, but your company's glacial pace in "solving a problem" that nearly every other digital marketplace solved years ago means that money goes to them instead.

Moffitt's a verbal sewage machine who makes Fils-Aime look golden by comparison. At least Fils-Aime has a schtick.

 

[Terrell]

It's like Nintendo exist in some sort of parallel universe to other companies and wonder why they are struggling when the fail to provide the basic, expected functionality of any modern gaming device.

You mean like backwards compatibility?

There are still only a few possibilities as to what is going on.

1. They know its an issue and can't figure out how to resolve.
2. They know its an issue and don't want to resolve it.
3. They don't know it's an issue.

All three of these indicate incompetence in multiple levels of leadership. From the system architects and engineers all the way to Iwata.

Moffit is just the messenger, but the message would be shit regardless of what he said. There is no valid excuse.

I think there's more than 3 possibilities when you're dealing with millions of customer dollars. But hey, if we want to boil it down to that point, perhaps no issue is ever more complex that a multiple choice question.

 

[ascii42]

the 3DS is giving them trouble if you read the full quote, its as i expected, the 3DS still goes by the FC system, which is better then wii and DS DC system but still behind wiiU's actual account system

The PSP didn't have a store or an account or anything like that when it first came out. Sony managed to connect it with PS3 accounts later.

Nintendo should be able to figure something out.

 

[Zoramon089]

This. If Sony or Microsoft were in their situation they'd be crucified.

And Nintendo isn't being? Have you been covering your eyes?

 

[vagabondarts]

When they figure it out maybe I'll be back, in the meantime they are dead to me.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

No, it's not "whatever you want to call it". It's definitely criticism.

 

[level44]

Just one of the reasons i don't plan on getting any Nintendo consoles in the future. Sad but they only have themselves to blame.

 

[Warm Machine]

Doesn't Nintendo have a record of who bought what digitally? In many cases they also have a record of who bought what physically as well, at least with GameCube games. They need to comb through those records and build a database of ownership. Imagine if they announced that your physical versions of the Gamecube or DS games you bought and put the code in for we're now available to you digitally if you want them. People would actually seek out the store and start downloading them.

 

[Kai Dracon]

I do think a lot of people haven't been paying attention when they repeat something like "Nintendo just wants to resell you stuff, that's why they have no accounts". I don't really think that's most of it. It's Nintendo that has gone out of their way - possibly even to their detriment - to provide backwards/forwards compatibility in both console and portable hardware. And device sometimes necessarily complex system and content transfer features.

At most, they're only guilty of the oft-cited claim when it comes to a separate virtual console on Wii U and 3DS given some of the same games are available on each VC. But I think on the whole, their reluctance to structure their digital services like most other companies is based on other concerns.

 

[Wolfenstein7]

How? It's 2013

 

[Oppo]

I still maintain that this is purely a business issue for them.

They have the technical chops to fix the problem, and they choose not to.

I agree, but "greedy, not stupid" doesn't play all that well either.

 

[phosphor112]

Imagine if the account system fucked up. Just imagine the clusterfuck that would be.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Forgot to mention, this is a NoA comment...which probably has jack all to say about this. These shots are called by the stupid stubborn suits in Japan.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

How? It's 2013

Nintendo got stuck in a time warp around 2004, so now they're a few years behind.

Please excuse the mess.

 

[djplaeskool]

That "... or whatever you want to call it." Line makes me think it's still a long way off...

 

[wsippel]

Come the fuck on. There's no excusing this.

Nintendo is a HUGE corporation. If they really wanted to, they could and would have this stupid shit sorted out.

Nintendo is tiny compared to Sony, and Sony couldn't get it right. They got hacked and PSN was down for ages, leading to lawsuits and damaging their image. Apple and Google are even bigger, true IT companies to the bone, and their DRM doesn't work at all, as evident by the insane piracy rates. You sure it's just "stupid shit"?

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

The funny thing is, for all the shit me and other people rightfully give Nintendo for their just laughably pathetic digital infrastructure, when the time comes that they finally get their shit together I am fucking there. Imagine a unified account across consoles and handhelds that allowed crossplay of virtual console releases. I can't be the only person who would fucking jump at that shit.

Nintendo would never allow you to only pay once for something they can charge you twice for.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Nintendo needs to hurry up with this shit.

 

[HypnoDarkrai]

It's beginning to sound as if they have no intention of solving this problem

 

[Mitsurux]

That's not how it works on Wii U at all. The account is tied to the device, it's not account-centric at all. If I buy a new Wii U, I can't recover my Nintendo ID on it and re-download the games I own. How does someone so high up at Nintendo not know this? Or maybe he is just bullshitting his way out of the question?

was thinking that same thing... that wasn't my understading of how it works..

But a few interesting things to note is that:

Club nintendo can track digital purchses over multiple platforms
The Mii Verse Web application allows you to sign in with you Nintendo ID

They have alot of the needed peices in place and functioning at some level...

 

[Andrew J.]

Do people really switch hardware miid-generation that often? I've got a launch Wii U and a early 3DS and I plan to stick with them basically forever, so accounts being tied to hardware doesn't matter for me. I take it that's somewhat unusual?

 

[CambriaRising]

It cannot be that hard.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

Nintendo is tiny compared to Sony, and Sony couldn't get it right. They got hacked and PSN was down for ages, leading to lawsuits and damaging their image. Apple and Google are even bigger, true IT companies to the bone, and their DRM doesn't work at all, as evident by the insane piracy rates. You sure it's just "stupid shit"?

Apple piracy rates?

PSN still being alive and with better rep even after the hack?

 

[mclem]

The fact that they're using the term 'problem' to describe it is, I think, a good sign.

 

[Shaqiri1287]

Please understand.

You would think Nintendo could just hire somebody from XBL or PSN to teach them how the internet works.

 

[onipex]

It still baffles me people are that naive to think "Nintendo don't know tecnology and the internets".


The obvious "problem" they haven't solved is how to adapt the business model correctly, since they can release the same game and get the same people to buy it several times, why give that up? If they ever make an unified account I wouldn't be surprised at all if my 3DS VC games don't replicate along all my Nintendo hardware. It's not them being tecnologically impaired, is them liking money.

I agree. Nintendo knows that people are going to re-buy these games on another system so they don't want to give up the extra money. They also don't want to put things behind a pay wall yet. Soon they are going to move to a cross buy account system and have to put it behind a pay wall.

 

[Nethaniah]

Do people really switch hardware miid-generation that often? I've got a launch Wii U and a early 3DS and I plan to stick with them basically forever, so accounts being tied to hardware doesn't matter for me. I take it that's somewhat unusual?

I'm currently on my third 360. Dat failure rate.

 

[AwRy108]

It still baffles me people are that naive to think "Nintendo don't know tecnology and the internets".


The obvious "problem" they haven't solved is how to adapt the business model correctly, since they can release the same game and get the same people to buy it several times, why give that up? If they ever make an unified account I wouldn't be surprised at all if my 3DS VC games don't replicate along all my Nintendo hardware. It's not them being tecnologically impaired, is them liking money.

/thread

 

[Kai Dracon]

Do people really switch hardware miid-generation that often? I've got a launch Wii U and a early 3DS and I plan to stick with them basically forever, so accounts being tied to hardware doesn't matter for me. I take it that's somewhat unusual?

Sometimes things break and some people would prefer to pay more for a new system rather than a repair fee for a system that's out of warranty.

There also seem to be a noticeable number of people who repeatedly sell and rebuy game consoles when they're bored with the current line-up of new games for the year. Personally, I've always found that kind of wasteful but it's something people really do.

 

[DragonSworne]

Sad true is Nintendo just simply does not see the problem with their account system. They probably wonder why people are even complaining.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Do people really switch hardware miid-generation that often? I've got a launch Wii U and a early 3DS and I plan to stick with them basically forever, so accounts being tied to hardware doesn't matter for me. I take it that's somewhat unusual?

The problem is that its 1) archaic compared to other platforms and 2) Not futureproof, so the prospect of losing your shit is very, very real.

 

[Kazuma Kiryu]

Nintendo is tiny compared to Sony, and Sony couldn't get it right. They got hacked and PSN was down for ages, leading to lawsuits and damaging their image. Apple and Google are even bigger, true IT companies to the bone, and their DRM doesn't work at all, as evident by the insane piracy rates. You sure it's just "stupid shit"?

Piracy rates? Network hacks? What does that have anything to do with people asking for a proper account system?
I'm guessing we have to wait for nintendo's proper account system which will be piracy free and their network will never be hacked.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Sometimes things break and some people would prefer to pay more for a new system rather than a repair fee for a system that's out of warranty.

There also seem to be a noticeable number of people who repeatedly sell and rebuy game consoles when they're bored with the current line-up of new games for the year. Personally, I've always found that kind of wasteful but it's something people really do.

Or yknow people who want to be able to lend or share their download library but can't because of Nintendo's terrible account system.

 

[FZZ]

Lmfao.

Please understand.

Imagine if the account system fucked up. Just imagine the clusterfuck that would be.

Nice.

Anyways, I still think this is an issue that had to do with NCL and the board of directors.

 

[googleplex]

The PSP didn't have a store or an account or anything like that when it first came out. Sony managed to connect it with PS3 accounts later.

Nintendo should be able to figure something out.

Or hire someone that can with the metric-fuck-ton of cash their sitting on. It 2013, there are zero valid excuses for this. If Nintendo is ether unwilling or unable to create an unified account system in this day and age, then Nintendo deserves to fail.

 

[Giygas AF]

Just now making HD games? Still not understanding how unified account systems work? Is Nintendo literally on a deserted island somewhere? Can they just not hire literally any systems/software engineer that has worked with literally any major company in the last decade to fix this?

 

[KarmaCow]

This sounds like the same non-news we've been hearing for a year now, just with a bit more PR coating. They have said Miiverse is coming to the 3DS by the end of the year, but who knows what that means. Talk is cheap and they have had years to work this out.

 

[valouris]

the 3DS is giving them trouble if you read the full quote, its as i expected, the 3DS still goes by the FC system, which is better then wii and DS DC system but still behind wiiU's actual account system

this should be fixable with an OS update..

It is pretty unacceptable that they don't have a unified account system.
I could actually believe it is because they haven't found a way to "solve" it their way, and they are not just milking people for VC games. I'm not going digital for full games until an account system is in place.
A Nintendo account system and their VC library and their BC coommitment would mean you will ALWAYS be able to play everything they have ever released on every system they release from now on. Holy crap.

 

[pvpness]

And that is a very stupid, shortsighted thought process.

Nintendo is leaving so much money on the table by not leveraging their fanbase / IP with a straight forward, easily portable, perk filled Nintendo account system that spans across all of their hardware.

Meh, maybe. I'm just assuming they've done the research and base their decisions on that.

Just like I assume that Sony /MS have done the research on paywall'd mp and find it doesn't have a meaningful affect on sales either. They lost my sale, but I wouldn't feel right saying they're leaving scads of cash on the table because I really don't know.

I'm sure once Nintendo finds a way to benefit from a unified account system, we'll get one.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Or yknow people who want to be able to lend or share their download library but can't because of Nintendo's terrible account system.

... we just got through months of angst over Xbox One and the prospect of killing physical games because digital is evil and destroys game sharing.

I kinda got the impression that anybody who really wants to be able to lend and share games goes physical anyway, regardless of the platform.

 

[RionaaM]

Yeah, unfortunately there are no other companies that implemented a good account system to track digital purchases between different devices. No such thing.

Oh, except for Sony, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Samsung, Valve, EA, Ubisoft, Amazon and many more which I don't feel necessary mentioning.

... we just got through months of angst over Xbox One and the prospect of killing physical games because digital is evil and destroys game sharing.

I kinda got the impression that anybody who really wants to be able to lend and share games goes physical anyway, regardless of the platform.

No need to kill one to allow the other. That's something MS got wrong originally with the Xbone.