Why Does Nintendo Have A Death Wish?

Dayum

It seems this company attracts incompetence like shite attracts flies...

Back in the 90's Sony approached Nintendo about designing a CD based system and leaving the old cartridge tech in the dustbin of history. Nintendo initially liked the idea but then backed out at the last minute because, thinking they were Gods gift to the gaming industry, they wanted a bigger cut from Sony's project. Sony were furious and launched the new technology anyway - it was called the Sony Playstation instead of the Nintendo Playstation. Sony subsequently went on to bury the Nintendo 64 and it hasn't been something the company have bounced back from.

But they're still making mistakes! This is a company that simply refuses to come into the 21st century. Literally nobody at Nintendo has heard of the internet. It's like witnessing a car crash in slow-motion. And now the Youtube disaster whereby they're denying themselves free publicity by shutting down channels that play their games and locking commentators into closed-shop, fully-fledged Nintendo mouth-pieces and taking a massive cut from their earnings for the privilege.

Apart from the branding nightmare fiasco of the Wii U (was anyone sacked for that?) Nintendo had a golden opportunity handed to them in 2012. Microsoft and Sony's systems were ancient in tech terms and consumers were craving a new piece of hardware. Nintendo could have released a powerful console and drew third party developers and publishers onside and attempted to regain a large market share. What did Nintendo do? Release the Wii U.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this company gone from the hardware world in a few years. They've got a few billion in cash but they'll never be as big as they once were. Good riddance, I say. Incompetence of the highest order.

Generic Dreadhead

This again?

Have you a Wii U?

Allyall

I'm pretty sure you have many of your versions of events arseways.

But anyway..

Dozen Wicked Words

Nice history of Nintendo, can't help thinking there are a few of tiny omissions. Gameboy, DS, 3ds or Wii ring any bells. Got this odd feeling they did quite well.

super_furry

They pretty much own the handheld console market and while they may have made a misstep with the Wii U they still make money on every one sold.

Generic Dreadhead

Didn't I essentially read here before that (para-phrasing here) essentially Nintendo have enough cash assets to literally buy out Sonys Playstation division and Microsofts X-Box division. And before you all get all PCMR on me, remind yourself of all the PC developer stalwarts that have been junked in the last few years.

super_furry wrote: »

They pretty much own the handheld console market and while they may have made a misstep with the Wii U they still make money on every one sold.

And aren't other home consoles sold at a loss, expecting to make the profit on games at a later stage?

johnny_ultimate

Their handheld business is still a massive success. The Wii U has continued gaining traction thanks to an increasingly enviable software selection (and this year looks set to be the strongest yet in that respect). Commercially it's fair to say Amiibo have surpassed all expectations, and while I still think they're utter nonsense I'm glad it has offered the company a blockbuster hit. And hey, they're still profitable: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-01-28-wii-u-still-underperforming-but-nintendo-predicts-profit

Gaming would be a significantly blander place without Nintendo. They still make games that are among the best of the best, and the Wii U is home to several all time classics. They still take creative risks other hardware manufacturers, publishers and developers wouldn't dream of taking, and can find new life in the most seemingly over-saturated of ideas. Their consoles are wonderfully idiosyncratic beacons in a vanilla hardware world.

Have they made errors of judgement? Absolutely, like every company has. But Nintendo have fought back from worse situations than they're currently in, and even if they retreat to handheld only or a hybrid console next generation no doubt they will continue surprising and innovating, because that's what they always do. Who the **** cares what the resolution is when they're so much fun? (although it is worth pointing out many Wii U games are little technical miracles)

Nintendo understand pure, unadulterated fun, creativity and joy in a way no other company does. In short: Long live Nintendo, because they are magnificent bastards.

Generic Dreadhead

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Nintendo understand pure, unadulterated fun, creativity and joy in a way no other company does.

I whole heartedly agree with this!

When other companies try you end up with things like Sunset Overdrive

Retr0gamer

Dayum wrote: »

It seems this company attracts incompetence like shite attracts flies...

Back in the 90's Sony approached Nintendo about designing a CD based system and leaving the old cartridge tech in the dustbin of history. Nintendo initially liked the idea but then backed out at the last minute because, thinking they were Gods gift to the gaming industry, they wanted a bigger cut from Sony's project. Sony were furious and launched the new technology anyway - it was called the Sony Playstation instead of the Nintendo Playstation. Sony subsequently went on to bury the Nintendo 64 and it hasn't been something the company have bounced back from.

And that there is the uninformed YouTuber story of those events. Nintendo getting out of that deal was the best thing they could have done, they made a complete screw up of the contract with Sony, allowing them to make and publish games for the add on without paying any license fee and also they could make a combination unit without paying anything to Nintendo. The deal was heavily skewed in Sony's favour and it would create a new competitor that would be eating their profits. Now that might have happened anyway in the end but Nintendo didn't facilitate that, it was just excellent advertising and an excellent product from Sony.

Anyway Nintendo will be pretty safe. Their business is based on rereleasing high quality games and in the industry at the moment nobody does it better. It's why the 3DS is still around despite the mobile market, people want nintendo games. They made big mistakes with the WiiU but it's not like they wanted it to fail and with the huge success of the Wii it's only natural they went down that road rather than go for the high tech console and games which is actually looking like a business model which might not be sustainable.

Also just buy a WiiU already, it's still a far better Machine than the One and PS4.

Shiminay

Here's the last time we had this discussion.

TL;DR: Nintendo make a lot of really silly decisions, but make a metric sht-ton of great games and their rabid fanbase will make sure that all sins are forgiven.

johnny_ultimate

OP I notice you make no reference to any actual Nintendo games in your post. What are your thoughts on recent 3DS and Wii U games?

Mickeroo

Cormac... wrote: »

When other companies try you end up with things like Sunset Overdrive

One of the best games of last year?

Generic Dreadhead

Mickeroo wrote: »

One of the best games of last year?

It wasn't an outright criticism, I have not played SO, I was just saying that it, and lets say Saints Row 4 (and maybe Gat Out of Hell) and Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon are some of the very limited "fun 1st and foremost" titles out there recently. Whatever game I picked I'd be lamblasted by someone nattering on about The Stanley Parable or something anyway :P

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

OP I notice you make no reference to any actual Nintendo games in your post. What are your thoughts on recent 3DS and Wii U games?

50/1 OP does not own a Nintendo console or has not played a Nintendo game since Wii Sports Bowling. I will pay using the "Thanks" button. I bet 1 Thanks!

f**k the stanley parable fwiw

ThisRegard

Dayum wrote: »

.Nintendo could have released a powerful console and drew third party developers and publishers onside and attempted to regain a large market share. What did Nintendo do? Release the Wii U.

Power does not a great console make.

The Wii U is my favourite console of the last few years and the games are just so much fun. Games are what's important to me, not bragging rights over CPUs and GPUs.

Q_Ball

Cormac... wrote: »

And aren't other home consoles sold at a loss, expecting to make the profit on games at a later stage?

Sony and Microsoft sell their consoles below cost. As you said, they earn back some money on licensing but also that the cost of the console comes down over the course of its lifetime so that eventually they turn a minor profit.

Nintendo have a policy of not doing this, although I think the WiiU might be the first one to be sold below cost.

Allyall

nesf

The Youtube thing is, well, genuinely worrying. They're claiming they've the right to take a large chunk out of your ad revenue gross, not your net, so it's going to impact very hard on mid sized channels that weren't making that much to begin with. There's no negotiation, there's just a standard cut. I'm not convinced that they have any right to do this and I really hope they try and claim on a review or something on a channel under a major Youtube network.

Retr0gamer

nesf wrote: »

The Youtube thing is, well, genuinely worrying. They're claiming they've the right to take a large chunk out of your ad revenue gross, not your net, so it's going to impact very hard on mid sized channels that weren't making that much to begin with. There's no negotiation, there's just a standard cut. I'm not convinced that they have any right to do this and I really hope they try and claim on a review or something on a channel under a major Youtube network.

This is not really Nintendo policy though, it's their lawyer brigade making busy work for themselves. I'm sure they'll cop on to how stupid they are being soon like they did with Evo and the smash bros fiasco.

Irelandcool

at least we can have comfortable mature debate here unlike some of those click bait and troll videos on the internet.

The_Valeyard

Doesn't really matter,

Steam machines will kill of all competition.

*throws grenade*

mayordenis

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Doesn't really matter,

Steam machines will kill of all competition.

*throws grenade*

Well ideally steam machines would kill off the other 2 pieces of homogenous bland crap, leaving just the PC Master Race and the Nintendo Fundamentalists to somehow combine.

*throws gasoline toward grenade*

ShadowHearth

Every single time I see a "nintendo death thread" I think of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAUY1J8KizU

Cuddlesworth

Microsofts gaming division loses money hand over fist. As a long term investment I have no doubt its still so far deep in the red it doesn't know what black looks like anymore.

Sonys gaming division bounces in around operating profit most years but there net profit is shockingly bad considering sales volume.

Nintendo hasn't been doing very well the last four years but their losses are so low and they have so much money from good business practises that they can continue to lose money at this rate for decades.

If anybody has a deathwish, its Microsoft's gaming division. The company is heading into unknown territory and the xbox is a lead weight around their neck.

nesf

Retr0gamer wrote: »

This is not really Nintendo policy though, it's their lawyer brigade making busy work for themselves. I'm sure they'll cop on to how stupid they are being soon like they did with Evo and the smash bros fiasco.

Hopefully it dies fast. This could kill Let's Play if it became a widespread thing.

Interested Observer

ThisRegard wrote: »

Power does not a great console make.

The Wii U is my favourite console of the last few years and the games are just so much fun. Games are what's important to me, not bragging rights over CPUs and GPUs.

That is absolutely your right and I don't disagree with you, but the Wii U has tanked. There's no getting around it.

Retr0gamer

Interested Observer wrote: »

That is absolutely your right and I don't disagree with you, but the Wii U has tanked. There's no getting around it.

If you discounted consoles that tanked you'd miss out on some of the best videogaming of all time including the Neo Geo Pocket, Dreamcast, Mega-CD, Gamecube and Virtual Boy (yes the thing has very few games but most are pretty great).

WiiU might be tanking but it doesn't matter, it's already got a big collection of amazing games on it and this year promises even more. My PS4 is sitting in my parents place unused at the moment because there's absolutely nothing on it my PC doesn't provide... until Bloodbourne is out.

Dayum

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If you discounted consoles that tanked you'd miss out on some of the best videogaming of all time including the Neo Geo Pocket, Dreamcast, Mega-CD, Gamecube and Virtual Boy (yes the thing has very few games but most are pretty great).

WiiU might be tanking but it doesn't matter, it's already got a big collection of amazing games on it and this year promises even more. My PS4 is sitting in my parents place unused at the moment because there's absolutely nothing on it my PC doesn't provide... until Bloodbourne is out.

The thread title is "Why does Nintendo have a death wish?" as in why is a company making such glaring mistakes that a first year business student could see and not "do you personally enjoy Nintendo games?"

This is not subjective. I understand there are people that enjoy Mario and co. and I did too in the past but I'm speaking cold hard figures here and the stats don't lie. The Wii U is an unmitigated disaster.

Retr0gamer

Again does that even matter when Nintendo are still supporting the system with great games? It might be a problem for nintendo but for anyone that likes videogames it's fantastic.

Allyall

Dayum wrote: »

The thread title is "Why does Nintendo have a death wish?" as in why is a company making such glaring mistakes that a first year business student could see and not "do you personally enjoy Nintendo games?"

Thanks....

Dayum wrote: »

This is not subjective. I understand there are people that enjoy Mario and co. and I did too in the past but I'm speaking cold hard figures here and the stats don't lie. The Wii U is an unmitigated disaster.

You also said (And I'm not pointing out the incorrect parts of your post)

Dayum wrote: »

This is a company that simply refuses to come into the 21st century. Literally nobody at Nintendo has heard of the internet.

and

Good riddance, I say.

Where is the hostility coming from, may i ask? I'm not going to speculate, just a question.

I honestly think, they're the only company taking risks, and moving forward. They're not copying an easily cloned format and releasing the same games as everyone else.. All of their last few consoles have been different.. implemented different ways to play, and My God (for lack of a better expression), made the gaming experience more interactive and enjoyable than pressing button combos.

[I'm just after getting why so many have avoided properly commenting on this. - I just heard myself repeat things I've repeated before :(]

The 'Nintendo MBA Gaming Success' meme/picture may be old, but it suits these threads..

CiDeRmAn

Honestly, this thread title and original post is tantamount to trolling.
We've had this kind of bull before and I'm surprised that anyone would feel the need to trot it out again, unless for kicks.

CiDeRmAn

Shiminay wrote: »

Here's the last time we had this discussion.

TL;DR: Nintendo make a lot of really silly decisions, but make a metric sht-ton of great games and their rabid fanbase will make sure that all sins are forgiven.

That kind of statement is just ridiculous, as if people who enjoy Nintendos output are somehow blind to the companies missteps.
Quite the contrary, if anything we are more acutely aware seeing as we have more experience with their hardware and software and so have more insight into issues, such as tying game purchases to consoles instead of accounts.
Plus, a WiiU owner is more likely to own another current gen console, yet still enjoy buying for the Nintendo format, probably because the likes of Mario Kart 8 is unsurpassed on the PS4 or XB1.