N64 and GC failed because of reasons that were not "they couldn't stand out".

Had the N64 used CDs, we'd probably have a very different history now, they were coming from the successful SNES after all. Not to mention, it suffered constant delays, releasing a full two years after the PS1. That's a lot.

The GC failed to offer any multimedia features, and the DVD player was a huuuuge selling point for the PS2 early on - while the Xbox offered a killer app from day one, plus pushed online multiplayer on consoles. Not to mention, the design was more like a toy, in a time when people already wanted electronic devices for gaming. The proprietary media, which stored far less than a DVD, also hurt them.

So the N64 and GC were traditional consoles, but had severe flaws that prevented them from being more successful - which allowed MS and ESPECIALLY Sony to grow in the industry.

Not even Sony can keep a traditional console for long. Everything is already on PC. Sony's E3 made me want to play 4 PC games(Shenmue, FF7, SSV, No Man's Sky), and only one exclusive(TLG). It's ridiculous to think Nintendo, who always failed at this, can now start being successful.

Even if they had CD/DVD drives, I doubt the sales would have been much better. Playstation was just way too big to compete with the standard weapons and still is outside of US/UK

Nintendo could afford to invest in a really souped up high tech console, but they've never been a company who has felt comfortable about operating on a loss. This is why they are reluctant to drop the price on the Wii U. Yes, selling it at a lower price will increase sales but not enough to make a real difference at this point. The only reason the 3DS received such a huge price drop was because that was the core of Nintendo's business and the system was still brand new. They could not afford to have that fail.

I also think Nintendo sees that competing in an arms race is pointless because it did nothing for them with the N64 and GameCube. I think it's time that they perhaps found a middle ground. They shouldn't compete with Sony and Microsoft in an arms race. At the same time, they shouldn't use hardware that is too dated. What they should do is talk to publishers and developers and get a basic idea of the type of hardware they want to work on in the future and try to put out something that is somewhat powerful. Think of it as comparing Dreamcast to the other 6th gen systems. That way, Nintendo could still maintain a competitive advantage with pricing while still making a profit and having something that third parties can still put their games on.

With handhelds, Nintendo figured out the winning formula to a successful handheld system a long time ago. They learned from the beginning that a handheld could never capture that living room experience of a console and so they shouldn't even try. Handhelds should be their own thing. Sony still hasn't learned this. Ever since they entered the handheld market, Sony has tried to provide the console experience on a handheld and because of that, they could never compete with Nintendo in a pricing war and could never make Nintendo's profits fro their handheld system. Not to mention, the consequences of trying to capture the console experience on a handheld is that everything is going appear to be watered down and cheap. Because Nintendo presented the handheld as being radically different, you never felt like you were playing a watered down console...except when you played ports of console games. Super Mario 64 just isn't the same without that analog stick.

I think it is pretty safe to assume the N64 would have at least gave the PS1 a run for its money had it used CDs. People say that Nintendo had a pretty terrible relationship with third-parties, so maybe the PS1 would have triumphed still. But take, for example, FFVII. Would it be a PS1 game if the N64 used CDs? We'll never know for sure.

This!

This thread is fantastic. Please keep going.

If I may ramble to myself a little bit:
I may be in the minority (or maybe not) but I do not think it would be wise for Nintendo to try for a more traditional console. I don't want them to either. Some of you may remember how I commented on Nintendo's attitude towards third party developers, and how they wanted to stick out from the other console manufacturers and not blend in - in regards to playable games on their devices. Whereas before I may have considered that a holier-than-thou attitude, at this moment I can respect Nintendo for having that viewpoint. Offering gamers a unique experience should arguably ensure Ninty a place in the market; no matter if it is a big or small one. I am not sure how well they would compete if they developed a similar rig to that of Sony and MS. That isn't to say that they would be incapable; I just think that 3 companies fighting over the same pie (+PC) cannot all win. Ninty would have to spend more money to ensure third party releases and higher specs, and I do not think their slice of pie would be large enough to cover that expense satisfactorily (in comparison to their current stance). Can I refer to the GameCube when I make this statement?

There is my opinion ^^^^

Squaresoft got really pissed at Nintendo due to Secret of Mana being forced to get released on the SNES when it was originally meant to be for the scrapped SNES CD, resulting in a lot of cut content. They were willing to jump ship from day one, so FF VII would have been a PS exclusive anyway. That's also the reason why Nintendo didn't get any game from them anymore until FF: Crystal Cronicles on the Gamecube
, and even that meant a lot of sweettalking from Nintendo to recieve it.

Thank you for your ironic remarks, while you don't contribute at all with the thread with your obvious knowledge of the matter, instead using sarcasm to imply "I know a lot more than you, but will not display my vastly superior knowledge".

It's people like you that are fantastic! Never change.