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loves2splooge on 08 May 2011
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RolStoppable said:
loves2splooge said:

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And the NGP will basically be relegated to niche status outside Japan. It will be even less successful than the PSP outside Japan. The smart device gaming market has been really hurting the PSP and it will also hurt the NGP. As for Japan, I think it comes down to the pricing. The 3DS has a huge profit margin apparently but the NGP's profit margin will likely be slim. So Nintendo has more leeway for price cuts. If the NGP isn't that much more expensive than the 3DS, it should win I think. Historically we've have seen the PSP perform strongly against the DS even at higher price points (look at amazon.co.jp. The PSP's are actually more expensive there than the DSi's and the PSP is tearing up Japan like a ravaging tentacle monster. Apparently the PSP didn't get a price cut there like they did over here.)

This is pretty much the same thing as in another recent thread, you know which one. Price really isn't the deciding factor here. It's all about the games.

If you look at the timeframe when the PSP has been outselling the DS you will notice that the amount of big and semi-big games released for Sony's handheld is considerably bigger, so it's not shocking to see gamers choosing the PSP over the DS recently despite the former having a higher price. Therefore the conclusion that the NGP should win if it's only marginally more expensive than the 3DS is flawed. It will mainly come down to third party support and if they choose to abandon Nintendo, then, and only then, Sony has a real chance.

In case we will be looking at equal support, Nintendo should have no trouble to stay on top. Their headstart will mean that their library will always be ahead of the NGP in the number of available quality games and lower price combined with Nintendo's advantage in the first party department should seal the deal. Of course this doesn't mean that the 3DS will ever sell at the same ridiculous pace as the DS did in its peak years, but that most likely won't be necessary to beat Sony anyway.

Well yeah, the PSP can get away with a higher price point because the Japanese third-party software is very strong there right now. With the software backing, NGP could get away being a little higher in price. And theres something like 48 Japanese developers that are supporting the NGP. http://kotaku.com/#!5744522/uncharted-leads-the-psp2s-first-game-lineup By pigeonholing itself around 3D, I think Nintendo sealed the 3DS's fate. When you call the system 3DS, basically everything on the system has to be stereoscopic 3D. Nintendo is gambling a good 5 years at least (assuming it plans to stand by the Nintendo 3DS and not screw over the people who bought one) on a gimmick. Sometimes gambling on a gimmick pays off. But I don't see it paying off this time. 3D is a gimmick that pisses a lot of people off (a large minority of people can't see in 3D and others get headaches or sick from it). The 3D fad is fading in Hollywood as well. And if you are going to pay $250 just to turn the 3D off, the Japanese are going to think "I might as well get a NGP."

I don't know why Nintendo has this idea in their heads that they need a gimmick every single time now. The Wii and DS didn't sell because of the gimmicks. They sold because the games were fun. Eyestrain, headaches, nausea or not even being able to see the damn effects is not fun.