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Soundwave on 01 November 2014
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padib said:
Soundwave said:

Apple is going to sell 170 million iPhones alone this year. Nintendo probably will struggle to sell 11 million 3DS'. 

That doesn't obviously iPad/iPod Touch or Android devices either, but every time I got to an airport, and I travel a lot for work, the amount of kids playing on their parents iPad/iPhone outnumbers the amount of 3DS' I see by 10:1 easily if not more. 

There isn't going to be a counter-trend here, the smartphone is a real part of people's lives and the first computer interface most kids are getting these days. Like radio, TV, it's just a game changer for society. 

If I was a parent who really didn't give two craps about video games (even if I did), I think I'd be quite thrilled that the kids are occupied playing some free/$1 game rather than having to buy all of them $40 game cartridges. I don't think parents are protesting here and the kids aren't either. 

@last para. Oh no, I know that. I know that it's now the new way of life I get and see that. I am just saying that the craze itself is over, it's now as you said part of life, like a computer. I don't see computer games selling dramatically and it's been almost 30-40 years that commercial games have been coming out for the PC.

That's what I mean by counter-trend. I don't think I disagree with any of your points and I don't think any really challenges my PoV on Nintendo having a chance of seeing the light of day after the smartphone storm settles, and once people have had the taste of how much better their games are.


What I'm starting to realize is that "better" isn't actually always "better". 

It's kind of like walking into a McDonalds or Burger King and trying to tell the people that a three course meal with a nice bottle of wine is better than the food they're about to eat. 

Well, yeah ... ok, but given the choice some people just a $5 burger + fries + and a Coke. Some times you don't want to go to a fancy restaurant and wait 30 minutes for your food to come out and spend $60+ on dinner for two. 

That's kind of the issue I think portable dedicated gaming is running into. On the go, people just want to something simple that hits the spot and does it for cheap ... if they're going to spend $30+ on a game, they're going to do it on one of the "big" consoles. 

At least in the West, this is the dynamic that is beginning to cement itself, the 3DS is kind of in a weird spot, where the games being more complex and more like home console games isn't actually a bonus. 

In either case though like I said, Nintendo is likely already full steam ahead in software development for the 3DS successor. I suspect Mario Galaxy 3 (or whatever the next Mario is) and Animal Crossing next are development for it already. Nintendo is going to want a gaurunteed strong launch this time after the problems with the Wii U/3DS, that's at least one problem that they have control over.