Nintendo's Questionable moves, 3DS difficulties

[robzo100]

HappySqurriel said:

robzo100 said:

Consumers' tastes change.  That is common sense.  I think what is clear is that there is a big paradigm shift going on in terms of dedicated devices being overrun by do-it-all devices (smartphones).  That should be clear as day by now, and Apple is the forerunner.

Society's tastes change overtime because of drastic changes like these.  If everybody already has a phone, and it is capable of playing some sort of game, consumers may start to ask themselves why they feel the need to spend 200-300 dollars on hardware, plus 40 dollars on additional software.  Not everybody who owns a Nintendo, Sony, or MS console is hardcore enough to retain their taste in a particular hobby down the long haul.  They eventually settle for less, especially when it's convienent.

So are you predicting the death of the home console because everyone has to own a PC or Laptop anyways, and all these systems have the ability to play readily available inexpensive games?

Both dedicated systems and all in ones have their own advantages and disadvantages, and because of these different advantages/disadvantages the systems tend to be used in very different ways. This creates an asymetric market where both platforms can co-exist and their growth is dependant on their own merits.

I can agree with the asymetry you speak of.  Especially that there are clearly polar opposites avialabe in terms of console platforms.  With portables on one end, and then non portables at the other end (do-it-alls vs specialized).

If this polarity increases then yes, I think your point is valid.  Because the more seperate they become the more individualized their markets are in terms of consumer demographics and the like.  But what happens when they start to collide?  What happens when the line begins to blur?

The Ipad is a step above the itouch in terms of being better suited for deeper play.  And the 3DS is Nintendo's step towards making home console styled games for portables.  So my question to you is this:  Are these two markets getting farther apart (supporting your claim), or are they getting closer together (defeating your claim)?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure either now.  It's a tough question and there is some evidence to support both sides.  And to make matters worse, as I stated in another post, home consoles of today were once known for their portability (compared to the arcade environment at the time where you actually had to travel to the location to play).