I think of the industry in terms of human development from an embryo to a healthy adult.. John Lucas, Nintendo is more like the brain of the industry. It knows how to allocate its resources to support various appendage (trends and ideas) across the vastly different needs of the body (the various peoples of the world). Sony is more like the skeletal structure..it provides a place for organs and other vitalities to lay (3rd parties), but without the brain providing analysis and unbiased skill at assembling the skelton blue brint, the skeleton could not exist (natal development) at its full potential, merely a cancer or a skeletal disease (cough CD-I). Microsoft is like the musculature, it commands tremendous resources from the brain, taxing it heavily...but it also must rely on the flexibility of the skeleton to accomodate the brain's knowledge of trends...The latest trend that Nintendo saw was how casuals were being indoctrinated into gaming with more realistic experiences. What they noted was that the experience was too difficult for potential gamers who were starting with no experience. So they expanded on what Sony did with PS2, giving more support to 3rd parties by making their games more accessible to the masses, with easier control schemes...and by making non games for people who will never enjoy traditional arcade/goal oriented play like we do. If Microsoft or Sony knocked Nintendo out of the hardware business, I think it would be equivalent to the industry becoming a vegetable. Nintendo is the company that has the uncanny eye for the onset of greatness with the ability to deliver on it. They know it too. An interview with Miyamoto a few years ago said he expected GTAIII to be a huge hit in the west when he read about 'how much freedom' was possible in the game, well before the game was released. Sony was pleasently suprised by the hit, Nintendo was simply annoyed that they couldn't get it on their hardware, they knew it would be big. The reverse seems to be rarely true. Sony was not aware of the potential of Pokemon, Nintendogs, Goldeneye 007, Halo on competing systems. Peter Moore at least worked for Sega, so he has some idea of how much insight Nintendo has into the industry. There is no doubt that Sony created a much better environment for 3rd parties with PS1, but that allowed Sony to benefit from surprise hits, they certaintly didn't plan them. In terms of Microsoft, long term, I think they could be the company to end Nintendo's profitability because they have more experience with software, and billions more to spend. But Sony is certaintly no slouch, and it appears Nintendo has survived their best shot at knocking them out (PS2-PSP). With Microsoft's goal this generation to get like a 30% market share, and Sony's not to come in 3rd, it seems like Nintendo has finally 'rebuilt' the body (shedding that excess fat and muscle decay...), and is ready to become the force that brings gaming even more mainstream.
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
When there are more laws, there are more criminals.
- Lao Tzu
