Soundwave on 16 April 2013
| xxbrothawizxx63 said: I feel like more than the western support issue is the fact that there is a ridiculous stigma among teenagers and even children regarding Nintendo products. After the Wii and DS, it's no surprise that Nintendo was given the "kiddie" label and I'm afraid it'll be a hard one to shake. As a 3DS owner and a high school upper classman I've experienced these sentiments first hand. On several occasions, after taking out my system I'd be greeted with "Oh my god, you still play DS?" as well as snickering, sympathetic head shakes, sighs. They aren't necessarily doing this to hurt me (even some of my friends have said this to me) but instead unknowingly falling in line with what is considered "cool". It's simple, Nintendo is no longer "cool" other than in certain circles. Until Nintendo can reinvent themselves as a company producing products for both young children and teens the slow sales will probably continue during off months. Don't get me wrong, that isn't every teenager. Several of my friends and people I have classes with have admired my 3DS (especially once I got an XL) and inquired about the system's price and game library. Most of them have said they want to get one in the future. The problem is, this group is people is small compared to the many that fell Nintendo products in general, especially the DS (many still don't understand the fundamental differences between 3DS and DS), are for little kids even though they enjoy their time with Nintendo products when they're given the chance. |
Yeah handhelds were never "cool" in the West (PSP tried to push this angle but eventually failed), but yeah, now that smartphones are everywhere I have to imagine they are completely cannibalizing what kids gravitate to once they get to junior high school and by high school it's probably a lost cause for Nintendo/Sony.
