Prophetic 2005 Lost Garden article: who else has read it?

[johnlucas]

celine said:

Very very good article. Thanks.

Here a interesting paragraph :

" As a side note, folks who argue Nintendo should just make games for other platforms are completely missing the point. Nintendo needs to control their hardware platform in order to force innovation to occur in the control mechanisms. Other console manufacturers who rely on the hardcore audiences and standardized genres don’t see this need. They would happily standardize the console platform and make it into a commodity. Microsoft has historically made major comments about having one universal development platform.

The moment Nintendo loses control over their hardware, they lose a major competitive advantage in terms of creating new genres. "

If Nintendo go out hardware gaming business, they will go out gaming business.

My viewpoint to the letter. I told a friend this personally. Control is Nintendo's greatest strength. To control the process and development of hardware and software, of machine and game, of controller and on-screen play, THIS is why they are the bedrock of the industry and are able to shape the game the way they do.

This is why the comment from a Nintendo executive saying "the moment Nintendo leaves the hardware business is the day Nintendo leaves the software business". Don't know if that was Yamauchi or Iwata (probably Yamauchi) but it's the truth. The greatest exclusivity there is is those of the Nintendo brand. NO ONE else will ever see those games on another system.

When you look at the time in the 80s before the Famicom/NES with games like Donkey Kong and the quality of the game in look and play between the different systems, this will become crystal clear. Perhaps this is why Nintendo wanted to make their own consoles to begin with. Looking at how poor their games were on other systems. Outside of the initial Color TV Game I think this is what further compelled Nintendo to make their own hardware. And thank God Coleco put Donkey Kong on the Adam on the 1984 CES tradeshow pissing off Atari in the process. Nintendo was forced to go it all alone and gaming could never be more thankful for that turn of events.

John Lucas