It’s Not That Nintendo’s Doomed; They’re Just Not Very Relevant Right Now

The company isn't going anywhere, but that's not it's biggest problem. ScreenCritics thinks it will take more than the NX to fix it's irrelevancy to the wider gaming discussion.

[S2Killinit]

What the heck is wrong with articles like this? Nintendo is relevant. Watch them bring an awesome console inthe NX. Cant believe this stuff gets a pass.

[Shaun2k5]

Nobody in the mainstream talks about Nintendo, to many the Wii U doesn't exist. That's the discussion point of the article. Read the article, don't just jump at the title like a fanboy.

[S2Killinit]

"like a fanboy"? Is it fanboyism if I don't want people to write off a console maker just because they had one console that didn't sell too good, even though they had some of the best exclusives?? How can I be a fanboy for Nintendo when my console of choice is Playstation?

I'm not a Nintendo fanboy, I just don't like it when articles/people say things that are unfair or narrow minded. Articles like this hurt the gaming habitat.

[jcnba28]

Yes because Wii U is the only product they sell... let's forget about all their amazing games, IPs, amiibo phenomenon and 3DS.

[Zeldafan64]

The title of the article is very unprofessional, of course he doesn't need to read it first with a title like that. What the author is saying is that Nintendo needs to pay off the gaming media like Sony and Microsoft have done in order to get the positive articles to flow in and the insane amount of negative articles to stop. Quality products speak for themselves and Nintendo delivers quality games in spades.

[GordonKnight]

If the Wii U didn't exist to ppl, then there wouldn't be all this hate toward it. Everyone knows about the Wii U and most of them have a few Wii U games, that they wish were 3rd party.

[Segata]

3DS and amiibo exist. Wii U must have done something right when PS4 adds a touch pad and Xbox copies the gamepad idea to an App on a tablet. Games like Fallout4 and Metal Gear Solid V. Wii U may not have sold a bunch but still had an impact,similar to Dreamcast to a lesser degree. It was the first system to sign with Unity and have others follow after. It had an impact like it or not.

[Hoffmann]

Stop living in the past like Nintendo itself. They are a company from yesterday and without their 3DS they wouldnt be much bigger than some of the bigger third party developers like EA or Activision now.

[S2Killinit]

"without their 3DS", Isn't that a slippery slope? I mean, without Windows Microsoft would be like IBM and Toshiba. Without the Walkman or Playstation Sony would be out of business, Without iphone/ipod Apple would still be holding a 3% share of the computer market against MS's 97%.

This is what I'm talking about. Lets not hate on Nintendo guys. Its stupid, we need to make sure all these console makers survive. Don't make the mistakes we made with Sega DreamCast only to look back years later and regret not having supported Nintendo when they deserved it.

That's all I'm saying.

[Hoffmann]

I really don't hate Nintendo and believe the article writer there has nothing against Nintendo at all, it is just that they lost touch with the gaming audience and lost more and more ground since 1996. That's why I think the headline and topic of the article is pretty valid.

Than there are the commenters like you that ask "what the heck is wrong with the article" and I wonder what the heck is wrong with comments like that :-)

Don't take it as a personal attack please, I don't know you and don't dislike you, but your mentioned statement and also the one that the NX would be awesome makes me wonder why you believe that even. I mean, we know almost nothing about the console.

[S2Killinit]

No offense taken. I KNOW what you mean. And i was mostly referring to articles that bash Nintendo even before they release their console, not this particular article specifically. There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism like the valid points you mentioned. Its just that I believe the only thing Nintendo lacks is the reserves of cash that its competitors are sitting on. I just dont want to have to see Nintendo go, because of none-gaming related shortcomings. That's why i want them to pull out of this.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed.

Selling less hardware, selling less handhelds, making less games, making less money doesn't sound like being relevant to me.

[lipton101]

theyre relevant in handhelds... That's it. Have fun with your NX. I can't see myself ever buying a Nintendo console again unless it's for my daughter

[Ark_]

Well, I think Nintendo would be fine with that - buying one for your daughter I mean.

[Realplaya]

Then don't buy one and move on.

[Lonnie18]

No dude they had their change, failed too many gamers, they are doomed!

[Zeldafan64]

There are A LOT of people out there who don't want Nintendo to be relevant, as evidenced by the amount of disagrees you've gotten for your comment here. The title of this so called "article" is very unprofessional, anyone without a bias against Nintendo or just has common sense can see that.

[Stealth20k]

Shitty articles coming out of the woodwork

[Shaun2k5]

Shitty because you don't agree or because it makes points about how Nintendo's PR strategy has left them with no mainstream coverage?

[Stealth20k]

Shitty because they are factless and sensationalized and generalized.

E3 is not the only place to get mainstream coverage, in fact, E3 has been seeing DECREASES in attendance, viewership, ect.

[Hoffmann]

Ahh..Stealth20k is always there when a commenter or article does not praise his favourite video game company. Sir, your shtick is becoming annoying.

[Stealth20k]

not about praise, it is about being fair and honest. This article and many articles are not when it comes to Nintendo.

[Zeldafan64]

Why is it that you, superchiller, sk8ofmind and others always say the same thing about us Nintendo fans damage controlling when that's not what we're doing? If you look at most all of our comments history all we want is for things to be fair and balanced and the only times we come in to stick up for Nintendo is when things ARE NOT fair and balanced. Us Nintendo fans are FAR MORE OPEN to constructive criticism than anyone else I've seen on this site. Since when is wanting things to be fair annoying or wrong or both? Never is the answer.

[jcnba28]

And you aren't? lol

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

For someone irrelevant, there sure seem to be a lot of people interested in what's coming next from them, lovers and haters alike.

Whether you're smart enough to see it or dumb as bricks and blind as a bat, it's a fact that all eyes are on Nintendo right now, and that shows they're FAR from irrelevant.
You don't pay attention to things that don't matter, which is what irrelevant means.

[LOL_WUT]

Well to be fair, the WiiU had a lot of people speculation too, and it's relevancy in the console business since then has all but vanished. People have their eyes on Nintendo but not for the reasons you think. ;)

[Stealth20k]

"{it's relevancy in the console business since then has all but vanished." Only until NX launches and it has the best first year lineup of any console in the history of the business

[Shaun2k5]

"All eyes are on Nintendo"

Where? There's no discussion in the mainstream of them outside of their mobile exploits. Nobody wants to talk about the Wii U because no one is buying the Wii U. There's zero buzz among casual gamers for Nintendo's next console. I'd call that irrelevant.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Only in your circles, maybe.
I talk about it with others quite frequently, and know quite a few sites where it's a very frequent topic of discussion with many people other than myself.

Don't lump Nintendo in with irrelevancy just because YOU stopped giving a s**t about them.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Skipping E3 is continue to make them even more irrelevant.

Stupid move, but we are talking about Nintendo, a company that has been known to make some historically stupid moves.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Wonder- Buddy....they just sold their worst selling console in history. Sony nor MS have EVER sold a console with so little sales LMFAO!

From 12 million......compared to 40 million and 20 million. Whats sad....they had almost 4 years to sell more, even 1 year with NEITHER competition.

No on cares. You could keep trying to destperatlly make it seem as if Nintendo is still "kool" but the market, FACTS etc show otherwise.

Were are their sales? If they are so relevant....WHERE ARE THEIR SALES?

Why are the making LESS MONEY? Why are they selling LESS handhelds then last gen, less consoles then last gen and making LESS GAMES?

Wonderful seems like he is this guy

http://memes.doublie.com/wp...

lol sorry but you don't have facts to support your claims, just bs, name calling, insults and over all tears. "I talk about it with others quite frequently, and know quite a few sites" ? LOL! Oh...they in the MILLIONS bud? I can know a few others that love to talk about the N-Gage, doesn't make it relevant bud.

Do you got some sales to support you're claim or nah?

[Hoffmann]

Saying something is irrelevant is something very different than saying something is not very relevant right now.

[_-EDMIX-_]

"For someone irrelevant, there sure seem to be a lot of people interested in what's coming next from them, lovers and haters alike"

How does that translate into sales bud?

They sold less handhelds, less consoles, made less games and are making less money.

PSN made more money then all of Nintendo. Talking about how bad Wii U is....isn't the same as actually buying it. What is being talked about is how its a joke, failure etc, not how its great, has great games etc.

Consider, we have many PS4 articles, but many of them are talking about its record sales.

Wii U is relevant for the wrong reasons, its a shining example of just how bad a console could perform and an embarrassment for Nintendo. Calling folks "dumb" or "blind as a bat" etc doesn't actually change the facts you legit never want to face.

They sold less consoles, sold less handhelds, made less games, MADE LESS MONEY. Nintendo in terms of the MARKET are becoming extremely irrelevant as FACTS will indicate.

[jholden3249]

Sony too sold less handhelds this gen. WAY less. Less than even Wii U. And the generation prior, they sold less consoles. Everyone has ups and downs. Nintendo just had a major down.

But nobody wants to talk about Sony being irrelevant for the Vita. All kinds of excuses why that doesn't matter. It's a double standard.

Yes, Nintendo home console has been 1/3 as relevant as Sony and 1/2 as relevant as MS this gen. And Sony's handheld has been 1/4 as relevant as Nintendo's. It's all ups and downs. But it seems a number of people have a personal agenda- a desire, to see Nintendo fall into permanent irrelavance across the board. Which is why they over exaggerate their relevance now and hold a double standard for Nintendo's home console woes vs Sony's handheld woes.

And besides- since when do core gamers care about what's relevant or popular? I don't know about you lot, but I'm all about the games. The GAMES. And I played some great games on Wii U this generation. And 3DS. And PS4. And Xbox One. Even Vita. I'm all about the games. Most others are all about games- provided those games are on the popular system they pledge allegiance to. Any others will be negated and dismissed, along with their respective console. Probably because people determine their own worth and value by the popularity of the console they serve. All other consoles are a threat to the spotlight and a threat to the success of their console.

So as soon as a new generation approaches on the horizon, fear strikes the hearts of these fanboys, and the "irrelevance" propaganda begins. A war of words to silence the threat. Even little Nintendo with their 13 million Wii U sales, and yet people still feel threatened by the next console. Because they KNOW things can change. They KNOW the Wii U means nothing when it comes to the next console. They only pretend otherwise to further the slander and paint a picture of irrelevance, hoping to sway others to ignore them.

Bottom line. People are taking video games way too seriously nowadays. It stopped being about the games more than a decade ago. And you can all downvote me to hell for this. Doesn't make these words any less true, no matter how much you deny them. And everyone here knows it's true. Every last person, though not a soul will ever admit it.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Jholden- "Sony too sold less handhelds this gen. WAY less. Less than even Wii U. And the generation prior, they sold less consoles. Everyone has ups and downs. Nintendo just had a major down"

Agreed. I don't disagree, the PS Vita is doing just awful, but Sony at least consistently actually sells 90 plus million units of console each gen.

In the same respect Nintendo sells at least 60 million handhelds each gen. Sony tried with handheld and only got PSP doing well, Nintendo only got Wii in regards to successful consoles.

Both might want to consider dropping the other format. Sony dropping handheld, Nintendo dropping console.

"But nobody wants to talk about Sony being irrelevant for the Vita" ? That isn't what this article's about thoug bud, completely irrelevant. We can't just take EVERY article and state "Well nobody wants to talk about ______ ".

What does that have to do with the topic at hand?

In regards to relevance, let the sales speak for that bud. When a console moves 12 million units in 4 years, something is seriously wrong. IN THE SAME RESPECT something is wrong when something like PS Vita moves 12 million units, but when we have that artlce talking about PS Vita being a failure, lets talk about it. As for now....its completely irrelevant and some strange attempt to strawman or bypass Nintendo's current situation.

[lipton101]

Ask a layman what the Nintendo NX is. You'll get a doe eyed stare. Ask about the ps4 or Xbox and they'll immediately know what you're talking about. A Nintendo console is no longer relevant in 2016. Good thing they have handhelds

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

If they aren't relevant why the hell do you continue to talk about em?
Why keep approving the negative Wii U and NX hate?

Face it. You guys care. You just hate to admit it.

[Stealth20k]

This is the truth. It bothers them when Nintendo does anything right. Wii U hardware sales are the only thing they can point too

[jcnba28]

Well said.

[just-joe]

Not relevant, and yet we get numerous reports and rumors about their next console, along with even more opinion pieces about how doomed and out of touch they are. Seriously 4 of the articles trending as of now are Nintendo related (this one included).

[ZeekQuattro]

Nintendo is so irrelevant that countless people post or write articles everyday talking about how much they hate a company they claim they don't care about. Think about how retarded that is for a second. lol The company is so irelevant Sony and other studios are trying to ink movie deals using Nintendo characters. So irrelevant in fact Universal is working with Nintendo to create a park centered around the brand. Did I mention how irrelevant they are? So irrelevant that many retail chains sell Nintendo themed merchandise. The very fact that some individuals desperate for clicks keep bringing up the company makes it relevant. Why else talk about something that supposedly no one else isn't talking about. Because people eat up doom and gloom especially if it means Nintendo games end up being ported to other consoles. Hilarious.

[Gol3m]

All the parks and clothing lines mean nothing unless they make the NX a traditional console with traditional control methods and actually go after the market with some more mature content and less kiddy stuff

[superchiller]

They really are irrelevant to the vast majority of gamers and developers. And it's entirely their own fault. They are arrogant and closed minded when it comes to gaming hardware, preferring to make whatever gimmicky system they want, with poor specs and missing features, and then expecting developers to make games for such hardware, and gamers to buy into it. While that approach worked (for a while) with the original Wii, it failed miserably for the Wii U.

Now all they have is a vague promise for a "brand new concept", with absolutely nothing else to offer. No one even cares about their products and games anymore.

[Stealth20k]

Don't you ever get sick of being wrong?

"No one even cares about their products and games anymore." They are consensus media Publisher of the year right now and have already sold more software than any publisher this year. Nobody cares? haha

[Stealth20k]

I see now. It is one or two trolls ruining rational nintendo discussion for the rest of us.

[gamerb6]

With all these hate articles Id say Nintendo is very relevant. If they wasn't relevant then no one would be talking about them.

All these Sony fanboys running scared that Nintendo for the first time in a long while may have a game changer up their sleeves that might be better than their favourite console.

When people are scared, they panic, "people fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer" this is why there are so many of these rubbish hate articles about.

[MasterCornholio]

Let's wait and see what happens.

:)

Kind of like we did with the Wii U.

[originaljohn]

This silly discussion is very simple. What IP does Nintendo own, that's what make them relevant. Relevant enough to put those IP on their own hardware.

[jcnba28]

Lol and the Nintendo hate articles continue!

Nintendo is not relevant ? Hmm let's see..

- 3DS owns the handheld market, has ZERO competition
- Wii U has the highest attach rate of all the 3 consoles out right now
- Nintendo is currently building a Disney land like theme park
- Miitomo so far has been a success on mobile

The list goes on. I wonder why N4G approves these rubbish articles, it really damages their website's reputation.

[Picnic]

If Nintendo blow people away with the power of their console, keep the basic RRP about the same as Xbox One currently sells for (and allow people to buy nonessentials as accessories) and make Realistic Mario in a top graphical engine and have all 1st party WiiU games available on day 1 for download instead of backpat, Nintendo will still make good profit and all gamers will be happy. Sorry if you own a WiiU and would like backpat but you can still play those on your WiiU if you don't trade it and it'll ensure that people who never owned a WiiU can't just get a whole second hand library, losing Nintendo money.

[Segata]

Also poor taste to use Iwata as the header. That further adds to this as clickbait/flaimbait. If you honest and not going got attention seeking you would have use Kim or a Nintendo logo. This is poor poor taste.

[Realplaya]

I find it funny how people say no one is talking about Nintendo. But wasn't it not to long ago that people and websites were all in a tizzy about the controller. Then everyone was trying to guess what kind of system it was. And the day it was coming out. There are ton of articles about Nintendo regardless good or bad.

Where i m from they say you can tell you are on the haters mind because they can't keep your name out there mouth.