170°

Stick to What You're Good at Nintendo; Make Games Not Hardware

With a wealth of franchise characters, and a lot of great in-house software developers, shouldn’t Nintendo think more about games than hardware and seek a little help?

"Nintendo’s influence on the gaming community provides an image so evocative that speaking the very name of the Japanese developer is able to draw out childhood memories as though you were fondly remembering a rite of passage. Close your eyes and imagine it for a moment; what the word Nintendo represents. The Mushroom Kingdom and all of its perils. Late nights spent stealing coins and breaking friendships in Mario Party. Learning to fly an arwing, or drift on mute city, or edge guard against Marth players. More than a list of games, Nintendo is a culture of innovation and creativity, which makes you wonder why they would ever bother limiting themselves to one console in the first place."

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dedicatedtogamers3718d ago

^^^

Agreed. The only "bad" hardware I can think of was the Virtual Boy and maybe the Micro GBA, but their hardware is always very solid and built with quality (and often affordability) in mind. Even when it comes to features I don't enjoy (like the Wii-U tablet or the 3DS's 3D) it's still quality.

But no, we don't need that. Nintendo should just do software. They should go 3rd party. That worked out great for SEGA, didn't it?

badz1493718d ago

What is this ignorant article do getting approved? Nintendo has always been about hardware! More so than Microsoft which started as a software company!

Most of their hardware are built solid but the only thing holding them back is almost always their own unwillingness to take even a little loss.

mcstorm3718d ago

Nintendo should not go Software only as it will not be the same Nintendo. In a way Nintendo make amazing games on there own consoles and games that stand out and use the consoles the way they were created for. It was the same with Sega. Since going 3rd party Sega have not quite been the same and Nintendo would not be the same.

The 3DS is selling fine and it now looks like the WiiU sales could be on the up and people keep forgetting that a console dose not have to be the best selling to make money esp the numbers the Nintendo big ip's sell in. How many ip's on the xbox and PS4 have kept there value like Mario Kart has?

Nintendo will be fine and are not going anywhere.

abzdine3718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

Nintendo games cannot run on any other machine because they always use a specific feature of the console.
Nintendo makes amazing hardware so they can push creativity while making games.
they have to continue doing both and that's what they're probably gonna end up doing.
makes me really wonder how many Nintendo consoles the writer really owned

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3718d ago
jakemail3718d ago

I think apple and nintendo need help making their machines, apple is to expensive and both of them don't want to make an os up to date with the other ones.

3718d ago Replies(4)
OtakuDJK1NG-Rory3718d ago

I see what you did there Shokio lol

Chrischi19883718d ago

3 out of 2 of their latest techs, could be considered as one of the most successful pieces of hardware ever made. Just because the Wii U had a bad start, you all act like Nintendo is done forever. Pretty much shows, that you the writer of this article is biased as fu**. OK, 3DS is not that successful, but DS was, 3DS is still super successful and proves the point of nintendo needing more games on Wii U.

Still, 3DS proves this article wrong, not much else to say here...

CAB18023718d ago

LOL, does people know that he is sarcastic?

3-4-53718d ago

They always make the hardware that doesn't fail and stays working for decades.

They actually make THE BEST hardware in terms of quality.

How don't people comprehend this.

Have you ever owned a Nintendo system ?

My NES,SNES, my N64 & Gamecube have ALWAYS worked flawlessly. Even STILL.

Same with controllers.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3718d ago
AKR3719d ago

People love to knock N down for not making "cutting-edge" hardware; and yet, their hardware has always been praised. They always make their hardware with durability, quality, and an inviting price tag; no to mention the features themselves are very innovative.

I have a very hard time genuinely seeing a game like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby or the others doing well on other platforms. "Casual" games rarely do well on PS and XBOX, depending on what it is. They M-Rated stuff are what tops charts on those platforms.

Nintendo should stick making innovative hardware for their innovative games. They've stated this on several occasions; don't know why we're still discussing this.

zeal0us3718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

The problem is that games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Kirby aren't release back to back. There is a gap in between their releases. During this gap Nintendo is more vulnerable to things like low sales and bad press.

If you haven't notice this what they are going through right now, bad press and low sales. Nintendo needs third-party support. It is what keep system sells up during the gap. On the flip-side publishers don't want to make games for a system that isn't selling well.

Nintendo needs to do more than make innovative hardware for their games. They need to reach out to more publishers and developers. They need to be more open outside ideas(this does not mean westernize their franchises btw). They need to adapt and evolve as a company so this situation they are going through won't repeat itself.

MEsoJD3718d ago

The hardware is the reason I haven't purchased a WiiU. I enjoy Nintendo's software, but I don't want another dust magnet like the Wii. They need to convince people that there's longevity in their home consoles.

X1PS4WiiU3718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

Someone on Gaf posted Nintendos financial gain from selling hardware, and its A LOT.

Having full control over the architecture of hardware, really allows them to take full advantage of making their software. They can create their own world, and they're doing that, with the eShop and Miiverse.

Nintendo brought us many innovations, and has pioneered this industry(d-pad, analog stick, wii remote, rumble pack, triggers, gameboy, ect.), because they make their own hardware.

I hope they continue to make hardware.

KonsoruMasuta3718d ago

"Someone on Gaf posted Nintendos financial gain from selling hardware, and its A LOT."

People don't get this. A nice bulk of Nintendo's income comes from hardware. Getting rid of their hardware would get rid of a bulk of their income.

porkChop3718d ago

Nintendo didn't create or pioneer analog sticks, d-pads, or handheld game consoles. The Wii Remote also wasn't all that new as Sony had already been working on the Move back in the very early PS2 days. The problem I see is that so many people attribute innovations with Nintendo, and it's usually the innovations that Nintendo had no part in creating.

Vegamyster3718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

They made them popular/perfected them, also the technology in the Wii-Mote was shown to both Microsoft & Sony before Nintendo.

http://www.computerandvideo...

SpiralTear3718d ago

Even if Nintendo didn't "create" any of these things, they certainly made them more appealing and palatable to gamers. Nintendo got them to work and become integral to gaming from thereafter.

For one, the Game Boy remained the definitive handheld system line all the way up to the Nintendo DS. That's nearly 15 years of prominence. 15 years of challengers and none of them could top the Game Boy.

You can argue that these devices existed before Nintendo used them if you want, but once Nintendo implemented them, these ideas became recognizable and standard for the industry. Nintendo gave those ideas legs.

porkChop3718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

Yes the tech was shown to Sony and Microsoft before Nintendo. Sony turned it down because it was expensive and they were starting work on a superior piece of tech, and Microsoft probably just wasn't interested in motion at the time. But that doesn't change the fact that A) Nintendo didn't create the tech, and B) they weren't the first to develop a form of motion control for a console.

And I never said Nintendo didn't perfect those features. X1PS4WiiU claimed that they were Nintendo's innovations and that they had pioneered them, which just isn't true.

Chrischi19883718d ago (Edited 3718d ago )

That is like saying Apple did not pioneer Tablets^^

There were tablets before, but non of them were successful or any good, until then, same goes for anything about Nintendo.

And they were the first, they were the first to release it and use it, the first is the innovator, say what you want, but Playstation Move was a failure, came years later and had absolutely no meaning in gaming, unlike the Wiimote.

You dont need to downplay it here, it just lets you look really ignorant and dumb. Sony turned it down, isnt that their own fault? They didnt believe in it and Nintendo did, they pushed the tech, Sony was afraid to lose something and did what they always did.

It is funny, how you act like Sony has innovated anything^^ Sony did not use anything, they were not the first and if they were the first to have seen this tech, then they made very bad business decisions. Then again, you do not know, for how long Nintendo worked on their Motion controlls, you just know Sony did it during PS2 times, but guess what, Nintendo also did it during that time, because they released motion controlls, with the console and not years later. Who is the innovator? The one who works on tech for years and doesnt do anything with it or the ones to usefully utilize the tech and be the first to use it in a good way?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3718d ago
Sincere01213718d ago

Should Sony just stick to what their good at and just make hardware as they have never been able to compete with Nintendo when it comes to software.

elninels3718d ago

I agree that sony is nowhere near Nintendo's status in first party developing, but the games the make meet sales estimates, unlike Nintendo's hardware.

4logpc3718d ago

Nintendo hardware is just fine.

LOL_WUT3718d ago

3rd party devs say otherwise ;)

R00bot3718d ago

No, they don't. Only EA has said that. Other devs have all praised the hardware.

Show all comments (55)
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?"

purple1013d 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 ☝️

Zeref2d 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.

DarXyde2d 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.

PhillyDonJawn2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

MrBaskerville2d 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.

shinoff21831d 23h 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.

Profchaos1d 22h 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 1d 22h ago
isarai3d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref2d 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.

MrNinosan2d ago

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

mkis0071d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

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

Einhander19722d 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.

2d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19722d ago

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

2d ago
2d ago
Zeref2d 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.

DarXyde2d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

BehindTheRows2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Zeref2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Chevalier2d 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.

Tacoboto2d 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.

shinoff21831d 23h ago

Yay steam

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

Tacoboto1d 20h 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 1d 20h ago
Hofstaderman2d 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?

crazyCoconuts2d 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.

Xeofate2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

crazyCoconuts1d 9h 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

FinalFantasyFanatic1d 17h 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."

XiNatsuDragnel9d ago

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

banger888d 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.

Jingsing8d ago

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

PRIMORDUS8d 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.

mastershredder7d 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.

shinoff21837d 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.

80°

The Nintendo Partner Spotlight Sale Is The Perfect Excuse To Get These 6 Gems

Huzaifa from eXputer: "The Nintendo Partner Spotlight sale event has discounted a number of worthy titles on the Switch. Here are 6 of them you should check out."