250°

Whether Nintendo Likes It Or Not, They Are In Trouble

DigiBytes:

When I was growing up as a child, Nintendo was king in the video game space. Everyone and their brother had to have a NES, SNES, Gameboy, and others. This was a different time. This was a time before smartphones and tablets when if you wanted to play games on the go, you had to buy a dedicated gaming device and if you wanted to play at home, you had to buy a home console. Even though PC gaming was big during those days, it offered a different experience.

In today’s market, we have smartphones and tablets that will play games for a dollar or even free. Even though these games do not offer the same depth of a dedicated handheld or gaming console, its enough to scratch the itch. People are now buying their kids iDevices instead of Nintendo gaming consoles, drawing away the market that Nintendo has built their business around. There are many other factors that are leading to the decline of Nintendo’s marketshare.

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Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II4020d ago

Its going to be extremely difficult for them to compete with the ps4 and 720 who will have every 3rd party game going and they will have thriving online services and far better specs, they will do ok when they release their big 1st party titles but they will lose ALOT of revenue because of third party , the cods and battlefields will only thrive on psn/xbl and not nintendo network as its too new and only starting out against established services.

LOL_WUT4020d ago

Totally agree with this article. Good read ;)

Theyellowflash304020d ago

LOL! You're one of the biggest trolls ever. I post article discusses an objective look on the Wii U situation and you say wait till E3, but a doom article you read and agree before E3.

You're a joke, not a gamer.

mcstorm4019d ago

@Theyellowflash30 if Nintendo are in trouble then so are sony. The PSV is selling around the same as the WiiU and the 3DS is selling very well like the PS3 at the moment.

All this doom and gloom is not true. Yes sales are not what they were for the Wii but it is in its 1st year and the 1st console of the new gen.

No one knows if the PS4 or Next xbox will sell well. Everyone said the 3DS was dead and look at what happened. The same was said about the PS3 and that came back. Hell it was even said that the 360 would be walked all over by the PS3 yet it was not.

No one knows what will happen over the next few years. The technology industry is a strange business and just like Android was selling poor at the start and it is now the number 1 selling OS in the world or it was said Nokia cant turn things around and here we are 24 months later with sales growing for them year on year.

Once the Next xbox and PS4 have been out 12 to 24 months and we see who is supporting which consoles and who has what games ect we will then be able to see who is doing well and who needs to worry.

Root4020d ago

You know they said with the Wii U that they wanted third party support for the Wii U most likely to get PS3/360 gamers to change their opinion on the company and make them want to buy a Wii U....this is what they wanted, their goal, if it wasn't then they wouldn't be doing such a bad job right now.

The problem is though despite their 1st party lineup this Xmas, what PS3/360 gamer is going to buy a Wii U when they will be saving up or be asking for a PS4/Nextbox instead.

They've just executed all of this poorly. They had the plan they just didn't think it through at all. At some points I feel like they don't know what they are doing or what they actually want.

Shnazzyone4020d ago

Whether fanboys like it or not. Nintendo is not really in trouble. They are still sitting on billions upon billions and are in far better shape then their competitors due to intelligent managing of their major franchises. According to the internet Nintendo has been doomed since the gamecube, They've always been wrong. Just deal with it.

R00bot4019d ago

Exactly. Sony is in more trouble, especially if the PS4 doesn't do really well (even if it does go well, if they're selling it at a loss they might be in trouble).

Sony is in a pretty bad financial situation, I was surprised when they announced the PS4 because the PS3 was just picking up steam.
I don't want to see Sony go, but if they sell at a loss (or don't sell well at launch) then they're in danger of going bankrupt.

tl;dr: Sony's PS4 has to sell well (and not at a (large) loss).

Theyellowflash304020d ago

Yeah cause Wii needed COD and Battlefield?

This article is horrible and it glosses over the fact that Sony and MS have their own problems.

Nintendo is in trouble? How's Sony doing with that Vita? The Wii U is outselling the Vita and the Vita has been out for way longer. Just assuming Nintendo won't get third party support is speculative and premature.

Battlefield and COD don't run the gaming industry, and neither do shooters.

Everybody was saying the same BS when the 3DS launched. The graphics suck, the Vita is better, Sony will have more third party support.....blah blah blah.

Nintendo is fine with the Wii U, developers aren't stupid, they will put there games on all three platforms to make more money.

G20WLY4019d ago (Edited 4019d ago )

Man, you're hilarious lol

Whenever someone's talking sales and says "Wii U", you just shout "Vita" back! Does that make it okay?

I'm assuming you're at school, so it might help you to think of it this way: if you fail your exams, is it okay, as long as your mate does too? Or would that have nothing to do with your predicament? ...Correct answer is option 2 btw ;)

Knushwood Butt4019d ago

Developers won't port to Wii U if it won't sell.

CoD Black Ops Declassified (Vita) dwarfs Black Ops II (Wii U) in sales.

Neonridr4019d ago

Does it make it ok that people claim that the Wii U is doomed after 5 months, but the Vita was out for over a year before sales started to pick up?

Does it make it ok that everyone said, "just wait for the bigger games, then Vita will do better" but they aren't willing to give the Wii U the same slack?

typical Sony fanboys defending one thing, but attacking another..

Realplaya4019d ago

@G20WLY If you can shout how the Wii U sales are doing why can't he throw in Vita? They were the last two products released hence forth they are the newest products from there perspective manufacturers.

With that being said Nintendo isn't worried they know the system isn't just selling without any games. They aren't stupid and they know they need to create games but not just any games they have to be high quality games. They purposely aren't talking about there games until E3 which is right around the corner. Reggie mentioned games will pick up and that's because Ninttendo still ask everyone to be mum on big game news. When E3 hits it's expected for a full PS4 reveal and a big Microsoft console reveal they will talk about specs or maybe not and show off glorified versions of the same games. That may be all fine and dandy with there faithful fans because they can brag how much power there system has. IMO it takes a good developer about a year to make a good game even longer to make a great game if you do the math developers have had how much time with the Wii U about roughly half a year. If we expected developers to release a high quality original game and turn a profit in 6 months then we are all crazy.

The unknown is how much of a hardware hit Sony and Microsoft are willing to take because lets do the math at the current specs and hardware package Ninteno takes a 50 dollar hit. The new Xbox and playstation will be more powerful and Sony and Microsoft aren't afraid to pass the cost to consumers. All these people on the forums talk like they know everything but lets see them open there wallets when the time comes.

Neonridr4019d ago

@G20WLY - I did not mean the fanboy comment to be pointed at your direction. I was mereley pointing out that a LOT of people defended the Vita left and right while sales struggled and they merely said wait for the price to drop, or wait for the games. But they won't give the Wii U the same treatment. It's been out for almost a year less, but they are already to jump on it and label it a failure, yet no real 1st party games exist on it.

I should have clarified that, my apologies.

G20WLY4019d ago

@Neon, no offense taken, thanks for clarifying and acknowledging I wasn't being a fanboy, but neither can I sit back while someone else acts like one - whether Sony, MS or Nintendo :)

Trunkz4019d ago

@G20WLY

You can't talk trash about one but not the other, everyone wants to attack the sales of the Wii U but defend the sales of the Vita... Stop acting like fanboys and just accept but both will be fine in the long run.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4019d ago
booni34020d ago

What a melodramatic piece. I agree with some of what he wrote but not all of it. The 3DS is doing very well, with Luigi's Mansion 2 clearing sales of one million units, demonstrating a relevant install base. There are also many hot titles that either recently released or will soon be released for the 3DS, such as: Etrian Odyssey IV, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Project X Zone, Bravely Default, I really could go on.

Apple didn't kill the DS and won't kill the 3DS or the Vita/PSP. The markets are different, video game fans will still want dedicated devices. The article calls out Nintendo in general yet mostly focuses on the Wii U.

I agree that the Wii U is in bad shape right now but name one new gen console that hit the ground running. Many of them took a year or so to build strong momentum. The Wii U's library is what's hurting it, nothing more nothing less. It definitely has a "greater later" factor going for it, what with new HD Zelda, HD Wind Waker, Smash Bros. 4, Bayonetta 2, etc. On the way but not here quite yet.

Finally, this is Nintendo. They've never been "in trouble" and that won't change once the Wii U hits its stride.

Erdrick4019d ago

i think new fps games could actually be really awesome on wii u - you've got the gamepad for mini map, and better aiming control with wii remote+ than traditional analog sticks.

AKR4019d ago

1.) - SPECS ~ Haven't made a console "come out on top" from since the NES vs. Genesis days. PS1, PS2, Wii and DS all got the most sales in their generations, despite having the weaker specs.

2.) - Nintendo's online services are in their infancy, but didn't XBOX LIVE and PSN start out in an infant stage too? Now look at them? They didn't really go *boom* until the release of the 360 and PS3. Besides, Nintendo Network has already shown it's got the "right stuff" to compete with XBOX LIVE and PSN. You do realize that with the release of the new hardware, everything is also going to start from 0 again, right?

3.) - Nintendo lose revenue from little third-party support? Cute story, my friend. But - Fun Fact for ya. Out of the Big 3 ~ Nintendo has the HIGHEST revenue. Sony and Microsoft have gaming DIVISIONS, outside of the other parts of their companies. And speaking of Sony, it's doing the WORST financially. They even just had to recently sell their U.S HQ. They've been pulling through 8 years of losses, ever from since the launch of the PS3. If anything, you should be worried about SONY "losing a lot of revenue". PS4 is going to be more expensive. The economy still hasn't picked up. Development costs for games have risen. Point is, Sony is the pretty much the only one who literally can't **afford** to sell like the 7th-gen.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4019d ago
Root4020d ago ShowReplies(4)
KingKelloggTheWH4020d ago

I think they will be better off when E3 comes around,though they waited to long on all the games they are gonna show there.

Donnieboi4020d ago

The article IS on point. I tried to give Nintendo more slack since E3 is coming up, but if the latest reveal of games are any indication, then it looks like more sequels, less new ip's.

Theyellowflash304019d ago

Nintendo has new IP, you just fail to find them.

1. Xenoblade
2. Project X Zone
3. HarmoKnight
4. Dillions Rolling Western
5. The Last Story
6. Pandora's Tower

Ck1x4019d ago

They can't read those! For some reason they just look for anything with Mario in the title, because they think that's all Nintendo makes... Silly trolls
Somebody should put out a "Nintendo IP for Dummies" book, I'm sure it would be a best seller:-)

ThePsychoGamer4019d ago (Edited 4019d ago )

Project X Zone isn't a new IP nor is it owned by Nintendo, It's part of Namco's X series of crossovers that includes games like Namco X Capcom, X Edge, and Street Fighter X Tekken.

Theyellowflash304019d ago

@ThePsychoGamer

Project X Zone is technically a new game though. Just because you use cross over characters, doesn't mean it isn't new.

For example, PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale. That game is a new IP or original game, even though it uses different characters from different games.

And you need to do your research, Project X Zone was developed by Monolith Soft, which Nintendo owns.

Ck1x4019d ago

Lol! As Sony is launching their new system with sequels and a few new IP's that most of you won't even try out. So I noticed that most of you try and diminish the quality of Nintendo's games by calling them sequels, rehashes and the same crap constantly. But reviewers would jump all over this if that was even remotely the case and most Nintendo games score very high... Its not like these people are throwing Nintendo a free pass or something. Most news sites are trashing the WiiU left and right, so I know they aren't going to throw them a bone when it comes to reviews! But before people judge why don't they answer this. What groundbreaking gameplay mechanic did Sony include in GoW3(over GoW2) or in Uncharted 3(over Uncharted 2) that made the games so different?

Show all comments (66)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1016d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref5d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde5d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19725d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville5d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21835d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos5d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
isarai6d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref5d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan5d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19726d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref5d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde5d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19725d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier5d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto5d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21835d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts5d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts4d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel12d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8811d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing11d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS11d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder10d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218310d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.