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phaedruss on 12 July 2014
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Arkhandar said:
Have you been messing with my mind? Because I've been having that same idea for quite some time now. :p

It all clicked when Mr. Iwata mentioned on an investor's meeting that he was trying to redefine the concept of a platform. It doesn't necessarily need to be the hardware itself, but rather a source of entertainment content. Let me explain:

Take Art Academy for example. Is it wise for fracture you software across 4 different consoles, all with different content, lessons, backgrounds, templates, etc.? Of course not. Software like this should be a platform in on itself and have standardized tools, lessons, templates, etc. across all consoles. And when you do have a solid base, start selling expansion packs (aka DLC nowadays) such as Pokemon Art Academy. The potential is there for Mario, Zelda, and every other Nintendo franchise. The downfall is that they have no base to build upon.

Nintendo has been trying to do this with Wii Fit, but so far has failed miserably with the recent installment. This kind of software wasn't made for yearly releases like Plus and U. They should have stick with the base game and build upon it through expansion instead of charging full price. The Fit Meter is another wasted potential. Wii Fit on the go with Nintendo 3DS could perfectly be a great substitute for the Fit Meter and further enrich the Nintendo ecosystem.

And like you said, Mario Kart 7 and 8 were understandably pure resource vampires but with tons of wasted potential. Why not expand on the base game with new characters (real ones, not Pink Gold Peach) and a full back catalog of retro stages?

Tons of potential to monetize.


Yes exactly. There is a ton of room to monetize while providing a big value to your customers at the same time. I think Nintendo could really "innovate" in this area. They would have to be careful about how they do it and be willing to adjust their prices if the community seems to think that a particular add-on is too expensive or something, but they could really bring a huge amount of value for all of their titles.