Why Does Nintendo Have A Death Wish?

Allyall · 13-03-2015 4:32am

BetterThanThou wrote: »

I think Nintendo simply has it's own niche, Nintendo are barely even competing with Microsoft and Sony. Brand new, the Wii U can be had for as cheap at 280, whereas the PS4 and Xbox One are 400 minimum. That's a pretty significant difference.

I've seen both the Xbox One and the PS4 sell instore in Europe for less than €300 regularly.

The PS4 hovers around €320 on average, as does the Xbox One.
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00KB2WXJ8/

And they always seem to be on promotion
€320 Xbox One
€299 PS4
€199 PS4 after cashback

Etc.. There are tons more sales like those on every day, they just market it differently than the Wii U.
They all seem to be struggling a little. Maybe we weren't crying out for a new console as much as they'd have us believe. Or not at the launch prices anyway.

Corholio · 13-03-2015 4:49am

nesf wrote: »

Example of pricing problems for platform.

Scribblenauts Unlimited out for about a year. Nintendo Store Download for Wii U £40, Steam for PC €20.

This isn't an in-house title but it's over double the non-discounted online price for PC. You can get it much cheaper than this on PC if you want. But if they want to play it on the Wii U you're shelling out a lot. It's a great game and my kids love it but they play it on PC not on Wii U for this reason. There are some very old games on the download store for £5 but anything released since the Wii U launched is £40-£45.

This is a problem, Scribblenauts is really long past its peak in terms of popularity and sales at that price point. Christ it was in a Humble Bundle on PC and it's still being sold at this price! Can you not see that Nintendo are screwing consumers over here by fostering this price culture?

You could make the same argument with lots of games on the other consoles too. Price comparisons with PC and Steam is a different animal altogether. No one is arguing that Nintendo games don't cost more for longer, but it's simply not a case of greed imo.

da gamer · 13-03-2015 7:28am

Corholio wrote: »

Where are Mario 64 DS and Mario Kart DS €40-50 euro? Both can be got quite easily for €20 or under. Nintendo's games have always retained higher prices for longer, going back many console era's. Some of it is down to Nintendo's pricing but a lot of it is also down to the standard of the games. Paying full price for a new PS4 OR Xbox game has become a ridiculous thing to do considering the quick and substantial price drops that happens, consumers cannot be too happy with that either. At least with Nintendo games you won't feel a bit cheated 2 weeks after when it's half the price you paid for it.

Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo DS) by Nintendo http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0006B0O9U/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_AjOavb0VHMB63
That's approximately 35euro for a ten year old remake of a 20 year old game. I can get a new release on the ps4 for the same price. Also seen it for 40 in gamestop a few weeks ago.

CiDeRmAn · 13-03-2015 8:25am

BetterThanThou wrote: »

I think Nintendo simply has it's own niche, Nintendo are barely even competing with Microsoft and Sony. Brand new, the Wii U can be had for as cheap at 280, whereas the PS4 and Xbox One are 400 minimum. That's a pretty significant difference. The Wii U is for people who want a cheap console they can have some fun with, the PS4 and XBO are for people who are serious gamers. Not to mention, Nintendo essentially have a monopoly on the handheld gaming market, and pretty much have for years and probably will for many more years. And I don't know what their profit margins are, but I'd imagine the Wii U cost a lot less to develop than the XBO or PS4, considering most of the technology has been around for years, for that reason, they most likely didn't need it to do particularly well .

Firstly, the WiiU can be had for around 205 with a game, currently in Argos.
Secondly, the WiiU has certainly not proved to be the gaming touchstone for the casual gamer, rather the prone who are buying it are those who recognise the quality of the games being released on the format and the fact that they can't be player anywhere else. The PS4 and XB1 cater more for the EA playing crowd.
And lastly, the WiiU sales mean that Nintendo have to maximise the limited sales potential of each release, but because they are mostly first party titles they can take the risk of innovating and making the most of the hardware, while the other two have massive budgets for big games and then see whole studios evaporate when the games fail to sell, a rather Darwinian approach and leading to less risk taking and less innovation. Only their respective online stores allow smaller studios access to an audience and may be the source of something original, certainly in larger amounts than physical release on either XB1 or PS4.

Retr0gamer · 13-03-2015 9:24am

nesf wrote: »

Example of pricing problems for platform.

Scribblenauts Unlimited out for about a year. Nintendo Store Download for Wii U £40, Steam for PC €20.

This isn't an in-house title but it's over double the non-discounted online price for PC. You can get it much cheaper than this on PC if you want. But if they want to play it on the Wii U you're shelling out a lot. It's a great game and my kids love it but they play it on PC not on Wii U for this reason. There are some very old games on the download store for £5 but anything released since the Wii U launched is £40-£45.

This is a problem, Scribblenauts is really long past its peak in terms of popularity and sales at that price point. Christ it was in a Humble Bundle on PC and it's still being sold at this price! Can you not see that Nintendo are screwing consumers over here by fostering this price culture?

The same can be said for Microsofts store (Sony in fairness have brought in permanent prof drops). On the MS store Halo Reach was going for about 80 euro iirc.

da gamer wrote: »

Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo DS) by Nintendo http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0006B0O9U/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_AjOavb0VHMB63
That's approximately 35euro for a ten year old remake of a 20 year old game. I can get a new release on the ps4 for the same price. Also seen it for 40 in gamestop a few weeks ago.

Mario kart is 25 and both can be gotten complete from trusts ebay sellers for 10-15 who won't sell you a bootleg.

Business 101 pro tip: the market sets prices, not Nintendo. Basic supply and demand.

noodler · 13-03-2015 9:54am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Business 101 pro tip: the market sets prices, not Nintendo. Basic supply and demand.

The next time you start a post with this or any variant of "pro tip", I will track you down and KILL you! :pac:

Retr0gamer · 13-03-2015 10:31am

noodler wrote: »

The next time you start a post with this or any variant of "pro tip", I will track you down and KILL you! :pac:

I'll change to the GI Joe 'Know you know and knowing is half the battle' if it will make you happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pele5vptVgc

nesf · 13-03-2015 11:20am

Corholio wrote: »

You could make the same argument with lots of games on the other consoles too. Price comparisons with PC and Steam is a different animal altogether. No one is arguing that Nintendo games don't cost more for longer, but it's simply not a case of greed imo.

What is it then and why isn't it greed? The price comparison is valid, there is a console premium due to reselling but it's not over double the PC price, normally it's 10-20% at most at launch. This is also a digital copy so resale isn't an issue (it's a valid reason for the premium with disc copies).

Retr0gamer wrote: »

The same can be said for Microsofts store (Sony in fairness have brought in permanent prof drops). On the MS store Halo Reach was going for about 80 euro iirc.

This doesn't make it better. Activision pulls the same crap with PC standard pricing on CoD but you still get good sales discounts if it's a title from last year. A fair few PC publishers don't like sales and you'll get 20% off at best but that's very rarely combined with premium pricing 12 months after release unless it's some tiny niche publisher who can't expect good volume (although this seems to be changing as niche games when heavily discounted can sell extremely well sometimes).

Pedro Monscooch · 13-03-2015 11:28am

http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/13/8206887/nintendos-3ds-beats-out-ps4-and-xbox-one-for-february-hardware-sales

I'm confused. Does this mean Sony and Microsoft have death wishes now too? Hold me OP.

Dayum · 13-03-2015 11:40am

Pedro Monscooch wrote: »

http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/13/8206887/nintendos-3ds-beats-out-ps4-and-xbox-one-for-february-hardware-sales

I'm confused. Does this mean Sony and Microsoft have death wishes now too? Hold me OP.

Evidently.

PS4 is doing very well indeed. It's sold over 20 million units. Microsoft has shit the bed. But Nintendo recorded extraordinary losses last year.

You may like Nintendo games, fair enough. But you can't argue with facts and the figures don't lie. Nintendo are recording losses.

kunst nugget · 13-03-2015 11:50am

Dayum wrote: »

Evidently.

PS4 is doing very well indeed. It's sold over 20 million units. Microsoft has shit the bed. But Nintendo recorded extraordinary losses last year.

You may like Nintendo games, fair enough. But you can't argue with facts and the figures don't lie. Nintendo are recording losses.

As far as I can tell from the last quarter I can find reported on, it had started to return to profit…

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/10/nintendo_returns_to_profit_as_wii_u_sales_show_signs_of_life

Pedro Monscooch · 13-03-2015 12:07pm

Dayum wrote: »

Evidently.

PS4 is doing very well indeed. It's sold over 20 million units. Microsoft has shit the bed. But Nintendo recorded extraordinary losses last year.

You may like Nintendo games, fair enough. But you can't argue with facts and the figures don't lie. Nintendo are recording losses.

You skipped the article, only read two words and adopted your own context to them. Much like how I imagine you developed most of your arguments in this thread. Makes it a bit pointless to talk to someone like you. Good luck, I've games I want to play today on PS4, Wii U and Xbox one.

Dayum · 13-03-2015 12:12pm

Pedro Monscooch wrote: »

You skipped the article, only read two words and adopted your own context to them. Much like how I imagine you developed most of your arguments in this thread. Makes it a bit pointless to talk to someone like you. Good luck, I've games I want to play today on PS4, Wii U and Xbox one.

You left out PC.

Retr0gamer · 13-03-2015 12:39pm

Dayum wrote: »

But Nintendo recorded extraordinary losses last year.

You may like Nintendo games, fair enough. But you can't argue with facts and the figures don't lie. Nintendo are recording losses.

It was hardly extraordinary losses though. What got Nintendo worried and was the extraordinary thing about it was that it was the first loss the company has recorded since it entered the videogame industry.

da gamer · 13-03-2015 1:18pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

The same can be said for Microsofts store (Sony in fairness have brought in permanent prof drops). On the MS store Halo Reach was going for about 80 euro iirc.

Mario kart is 25 and both can be gotten complete from trusts ebay sellers for 10-15 who won't sell you a bootleg.

Business 101 pro tip: the market sets prices, not Nintendo. Basic supply and demand.

So your telling people to buy preowned games now because of Nintendos refusal to slash prices on 10 year old games?

On the same site, which I find to be one of the cheapest to buy games-
Mario vs donkey Kong 2 ds released 2006- price- £37.99
Diddy Kong racing ds released 2007- £28.00
Mario party ds released 2007- £27.32

They are just three examples, I could show 100 more. These games are all close to 10 years old. You can go on all you want with your business models and sale and supply theory. That's greed plain and simple. Those three games aren't any more special than say a good ps2 game that would have been released around the same time.
I'm not arguing this point anymore because some people seem to never be wrong. I've thrown my opinion out there and backed it up. Now, despite their prices, long live Nintendo!

ThisRegard · 13-03-2015 1:22pm

Games don't stop being good because they're a year or two old.

Having said that, I don't think I've paid full price for a Wii U game recently anyway.

gizmo · 13-03-2015 1:23pm

Why are people blaming Nintendo for the prices of games being sold at retail that they more than likely don't even manufacture anymore?

ghostchant · 13-03-2015 1:41pm

da gamer wrote: »

So your telling people to buy preowned games now because of Nintendos refusal to slash prices on 10 year old games?

On the same site, which I find to be one of the cheapest to buy games-
Mario vs donkey Kong 2 ds released 2006- price- £37.99
Diddy Kong racing ds released 2007- £28.00
Mario party ds released 2007- £27.32

They are just three examples, I could show 100 more. These games are all close to 10 years old. You can go on all you want with your business models and sale and supply theory. That's greed plain and simple. Those three games aren't any more special than say a good ps2 game that would have been released around the same time.
I'm not arguing this point anymore because some people seem to never be wrong. I've thrown my opinion out there and backed it up. Now, despite their prices, long live Nintendo!

Nintendo aren't setting those prices - the sellers are. The above games aren't even in print anymore. If I decide to try and sell my PS2 for 1000e that's hardly Sony's fault is it?

CiDeRmAn · 13-03-2015 2:35pm

It's a complete red herring, there are only a few key games that haven't been discounted, everything else can be found in the shops discounted, as long as you are willing to look.

readyletsgo · 13-03-2015 3:23pm

To get the topic back on track, when Nintendo are down in system sales they produce some of their finest games and that's what's happening with the WiiU for the past 3 years. It was the same with the gamecube and people fall over themselves now to get those old games. The same will happen in 10 years time with WiiU games. Xenoblade Chronicles X, Zelda U, new IP Splatoon this year alone will sell ok but not mega numbers. Beware of future scalpers lol.

On the ps4 vs xbone vs WiiU, WiiU clearly is the system with the best games by far! I have a ps4 sine June last year, I bought the H-HDREMAKE of The Last of Us cause god dammit it's an amazing game, but that's it. Nothing else has interested me, and I honestly haven't turned on the system since then, and that's looking more like next spring when U4 comes out before I switch it on again tbh. Bloodbourne looks interesting but I'll wait for reviews and price cuts. (Such a bloody shame Resident Evil Revelations 2 isn't coming to WiiU. I just don't understand that, it would sell to the 10 million WiiU owners as we are starved for a game like that. kinda bit of a kick in the face for 3ds/WiiU owners who supported capcom and got it on launch AND loved the crap out of the first one on the 3ds)

The Order can wait till it bombs down to €15 new in smiths or gamestop or argos in the summer for me. Yes it got good to great reviews, but it's not going to be 70euro forever, where as Nintendo games will keep their prices at 40 50 or 60 (where ever you buy your new games) until Nintendo release their budget priced versions, which a lot of the wii games talked about here are now, €20 mario and zelda wii sports etc.

But in saying all that, Internet and accounts wise, YES, they really need to get the finger out and stop expecting people to transfer all their games over to new systems with transfers or getting Ninty to do it by sending your system to them or even just ringing them to do it (in a way). That pisses me off so much with them going into the DLC arena as of late.

But if Ninty were not here, you would have xbox which Microsoft see as a massive burden that they could potentially shut down (or sell onto sony or nintendo) and Sony? mega death for them in all departments except for the playstation department, so with that in mind, Nintendo are still very much the head of the video game industry and ONLY work in that industry. They can take their sweet ass time if they want.

Phew! Long rant

spookmaster · 13-03-2015 8:57pm

da gamer wrote:

Your probably right. Anyway I'm not arsed getting into a my console is better than yours argument. I'm a Nintendo fan, and more importantly I'm a gaming fan. When Nintendo do something right, it can be the best thing in the world. But in my opinion they don't do it often enough anymore

I agree completely. As a gaming fan of all systems, a debate about 'libraries' is not worth getting into. Nintendo prices are unfair in my opinion, in comparison to so many cheaper games on Steam, PS4 and Xbox. For the price of one DS game I could buy 10 superior games on Steam sale or on PS store during sales season. Nintendo have done so many great things in the past, but lately I cannot justify shelling out for a WiiU or DS when I will only be able to afford one game for it every couple of months. I understand Retrogamers point about shelf life, but that doesn't help my wallet. One Nintendo game versus 10 Steam games/3 or 4 PS4 games? I know what I'd buy.

spookmaster · 13-03-2015 9:00pm

Dr Bob wrote:

Huh? The Stanley Parable was one of the best and most interesting releases in the past few years. ..

I've played Stanley Parable and unlocked all endings, and although it is interesting it is hardly one of the best releases in the last few years.

CiDeRmAn · 13-03-2015 9:35pm

spookmaster wrote: »

I agree completely. As a gaming fan of all systems, a debate about 'libraries' is not worth getting into. Nintendo prices are unfair in my opinion, in comparison to so many cheaper games on Steam, PS4 and Xbox. For the price of one DS game I could buy 10 superior games on Steam sale or on PS store during sales season. Nintendo have done so many great things in the past, but lately I cannot justify shelling out for a WiiU or DS when I will only be able to afford one game for it every couple of months. I understand Retrogamers point about shelf life, but that doesn't help my wallet. One Nintendo game versus 10 Steam games/3 or 4 PS4 games? I know what I'd buy.

Whatever about PC games you'd have to be stretching it a bit to get 3 or 4 PS4 games, as in buy the most expensive WiiU game and 3 or 4 of the cheapest pieces of crap available on the PS4..
You look at a big title on the PS4, The Last of Us for example, that is still selling for €50 and look at a similar profile WiiU game, Super Mario 3D World, and it too retails for €50.
So, come on now, let's stick to a few bothersome facts instead of carefully selecting things to back up your argument.

spookmaster · 13-03-2015 9:48pm

CiDeRmAn wrote:

Whatever about PC games you'd have to be stretching it a bit to get 3 or 4 PS4 games, as in buy the most expensive WiiU game and 3 or 4 of the cheapest pieces of crap available on the PS4.. You look at a big title on the PS4, The Last of Us for example, that is still selling for â‚¬50 and look at a similar profile WiiU game, Super Mario 3D World, and it too retails for â‚¬50. So, come on now, let's stick to a few bothersome facts instead of carefully selecting things to back up your argument.

The Last Of Us is currently selling for â‚¬25 on PS4, not sure where you are getting that â‚¬50 pricetag from. Also, it is one of the greatest games ever made. I'm not stretching it at all, during the sales I picked up Valiant Hearts, OlliOlli, and Transistor all for under â‚¬15. I would hardly call that line-up 'the cheapest pieces of crap available on PS4' as you put it.

nesf · 13-03-2015 9:52pm

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Whatever about PC games you'd have to be stretching it a bit to get 3 or 4 PS4 games, as in buy the most expensive WiiU game and 3 or 4 of the cheapest pieces of crap available on the PS4..
You look at a big title on the PS4, The Last of Us for example, that is still selling for €50 and look at a similar profile WiiU game, Super Mario 3D World, and it too retails for €50.
So, come on now, let's stick to a few bothersome facts instead of carefully selecting things to back up your argument.

You're comparing a 2013 release and a 2014 release. People wouldn't complain so much if Super Mario 3D World came out last August but if The Last of Us Remastered came out October two years ago people would be salty about a £40 price tag, no?

Dayum · 13-03-2015 9:58pm

A question for the Nintendo fans because I'm genuinely interested in hearing opinions here...

My first console was a NES, then I was given a SNES, went out and bought a N64 and will never forget the amount of time I spent on the Gamecube.....

As someone with a big Nintendo background I cannot fathom why they didn't see a golden opportunity in the market back in 2012 and release a powerful kit to take advantage of the thirst for a new console? They could have taken market share from Sony and Microsoft....

Am I missing something? The Wii U was a joke....

sweetie · 13-03-2015 10:10pm

Dayum wrote:

Am I missing something? The Wii U was a joke....

In your opinion - have you even played it?

Dayum · 13-03-2015 10:15pm

sweetie wrote: »

In your opinion - have you even played it?

Isn't a firms goal profit maximisation?

The Wii U isn't stranding up.....it's not my opinion, it's a fact. My question stands....why didn't they take advantage?

CiDeRmAn · 13-03-2015 11:17pm

spookmaster wrote: »

The Last Of Us is currently selling for â‚¬25 on PS4, not sure where you are getting that â‚¬50 pricetag from. Also, it is one of the greatest games ever made. I'm not stretching it at all, during the sales I picked up Valiant Hearts, OlliOlli, and Transistor all for under â‚¬15. I would hardly call that line-up 'the cheapest pieces of crap available on PS4' as you put it.

Digital only titles?
Perhaps the Nintendo Eshop and their range of titles for the same money would interest you.
Also, I took both prices from one retailer, Argos.
You hunt enough and you'll find bargains everywhere.
If you are talking about typical prices for physical releases, as I was, you won't get anything other than tripe like Knack for around 15 or 20, and you certainly won't get 3 or 4 of them, as you suggested.

Picking and choosing your information to suit your theories is a poor way to debate.

CiDeRmAn · 13-03-2015 11:20pm

Dayum wrote: »

A question for the Nintendo fans because I'm genuinely interested in hearing opinions here...

My first console was a NES, then I was given a SNES, went out and bought a N64 and will never forget the amount of time I spent on the Gamecube.....

As someone with a big Nintendo background I cannot fathom why they didn't see a golden opportunity in the market back in 2012 and release a powerful kit to take advantage of the thirst for a new console? They could have taken market share from Sony and Microsoft....

Am I missing something? The Wii U was a joke....

Your last statement is blatantly inflammatory.
No, its not a joke.
The range of great titles on the console as well as the best current gen titles right now on the WiiU suggest it is anything but a joke.

But this thread is really going no where.

Too much trolling.

Why Does Nintendo Have A Death Wish?

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