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joora on 24 October 2013
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Soundwave said:
Mr Khan said:
UncleScrooge said:
Wii U shipments will be atrocious. I honestly don't see the system selling more than 20-25m units lifetime at this point. 3DS on the other hand should be doing well with Japan finally on track and the US and EU seeing solid sales now.

What interests me more than lifetime Wii U sales is this: Will Nintendo announce a "third pillar" system before the normal Wii U life cycle is over? Where is the point of no return for a Nintendo console - the point where software can't profit due to a low hardware base? Hardware sales are lower than during the GC era but dev costs are higher.

Difficult to say, really. Nintendo may be migrating towards convergence of the handheld and home console anyway. The relative lethargy with which they've pushed the Wii U even going into the critical holiday season (although their 2014 lineup seems more yearlong and robust) while continuing to hammer away at 3DS promotion suggests that they themselves may be looking to write the Wii U off.

At the same time, it could simply lead to them focusing on more profitable (read: less ambitious) software for the Wii U while they wait out the 3DS's lifespan and then move to combine the platforms in, perhaps, 2016?


I think they already have console/portable hybrid machines in their R&D up and running, it probably just won't be feasible to sell them at a sub $250 price point until 2015 or so, which is fine, it will give the 3DS a few more years to squeeze profit.

I also get the sense they are going to look back at getting into the animation feature film business. It's something Yamauchi proposed in 2004, but the DS/Wii took off in such a way that I think Nintendo basically opted against it. But now with Nintendo also dropping a comment about a feature length Legend of Zelda movie ... I think they're going to look to diversify into Japanese animated films that can be marketed worldwide and live action films too. 

There's also Miyamoto's comments that he worked heavily on the Pikmin 3 animated short films, so I think Nintendo will revisit that to give their company a new outlet if their game business is whittled down to one primary console/portable platform. 

Not only to make animated films of existing video game franchises, but if they can create new IP through animation which becomes a hit, then they would have exclusive rights to games based on such an IP, so that could be lucrative also and perhaps is a "safer" way to launch a big IP ... build an audience first through animation then make a game based around it which has an established fanbase already. 

I'm not sure about the idea of a hybrid console - N is already a one horse pony (as in, primarly and only a gaming company), and putting all the eggs in only one basket (hybrid console) is taking a huge risk (because that new console could easily become the next WiiU, and there will be no buffer as 3DS is being now).

I think they will have to expand a bit - the animation is a good idea, and on top of that they could get more into video distribution, since it's not dependant on physical media anymore - and they seem to be pretty good in compression department.

 

My idea of the next generation hanheld would be to keep the same (or similar) concept, as in featuring dual screens - but two variations: one in the shell form, but with all the processing put behind the top screen, which would be detachable and possible to act as a smartphone, featuring a custom version of android (a la amazon) - enabling them total control of the mobile app market. Of course, one could run "serious" games only with the shell extension attached (which would feature an additional battery).

Second version would be a more dedicatied, 2DS-like device, with one large screen, which is separated in two by software when playing games, but can act as a single large screen (tablet) when browsing and similar tasks. 



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