| RolStoppable said:
The failure of the N64 and GC is rooted in the software and hardware though. Everything beyond consists of just minor factors. No amount of marketing can save a poor product in the long run and neither was price ever a real issue for these two Nintendo systems. An interesting question is why did the GC worse than the Nintendo 64 despite having vastly better third party support, i.e. receiving most multiplatform games and more games overall in its lifetime? And how could the Wii with worse third party support than the GC when it comes to quality software outsell the previous two Nintendo systems combined with ease? Why did Wii sales collapse eventually? The right answers to these questions lead to an unsettling truth that puts world views upside down. The N64 and GC were not traditional consoles, they were abominations. Once you step out of the Nintendo fanboy zone, you begin to realize that these generations were not a time of evolution, but rather an era of destruction of the original values. Once the tradition was restored, Nintendo became successful again. Once the tradition was abandoned again, Nintendo's business started to fall through the floor. Within Nintendo, there are two opposing directions that do not mash. Whichever one happens to be the dominant one at a given time decides over Nintendo's fate. |
If you deny the fact that the N64 released at a time where 3rd parties were yearning for another manufacturer to make consoles, and were sick and tired of Nintendo's 3rd party policies.
If you deny the fact that Sega portrayed the Nintendo systems as kiddy and Sony piggybacked on that.
If you deny the fact that the N64 sported cartridges, while the Playstation and Saturn sported disk-based media.
If you deny the importance of FFVII as an exclusive to PS.
If you deny the immense marketing strength of Sony at the time, and its deep involvement in the movie (media) industry.
If you deny the piracy that helped propel the Playstation and drive it into many people's homes.
If you deny that the Gamecube came out during the Playstation's prime.
Then yes, probably you would argue that the N64/GC failure is rooted in the HW Interface and SW offerings.
And also, was the PS2 traditional or something else, according to your definition?
