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Soundwave on 18 November 2014
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mine said:
JEMC said:

But there is a problem, one that Nintendo themselves created, of perception: Nintendo makes toys.

I know that's not true, I do know, but with their attitude and marketing towards everybody but specially towards the younger audience, they have put themselves in a situation where many parents would buy a Nintendo console for their younger kids because they see them as a harmless and entertaining toy, unlike Sony and Microsoft that don't hesitate to show that their offerings are the ultimate "gadget".

And here lies Nintendo's other problem: the price of its machines. Remember how badly did the 3DS sold at 250 USD/EUR? And how badly the WiiU sold at 300-350 USD/EUR? It wasn't only because of lack of games, but also because consumers saw them as expensive toys. And that means that even if Nintendo had launched a WiiU with the power of a PS4 and with the same price, sales would have been bad, not as bad, but bad nonetheless, because consumers don't associate Nintendo with expensive.

 

 

Tell you some secret - the Wii U didn't sell at 199 EUR !! I've got mine - a WindWaker HD premium bundle - for that price. I was worried to no end as I saw this offer three weeks after it was advertised....

But - the local retailer had stapels of them!! Even on the day Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze was released...

People didn't buy for 199 EUR. Instead they were looking for 399 EUR PS4s...

 

You're right in that Nintendo is seen as a "toy maker". But there lies Nintendos strenght: they need to embrace this to the fullest potential. The GamePad enables creativity on the user side never seen before in games. 

So Nintendos challengers are not PS4 or XOne but the tablets. And Nintendo offers something here those devices can't: integrety and the good feeling that kids only see content suited to their age.

Nintendo sold a ton of DS via "Brain Training" to people who would never bought a DS otherwise.

Nintendo sold a ton of Wii via Wii Sports to people who would never bought a Wii otherwise.

 Nintendo know needs a Wii U title to sell Wii Us to families as neither PS4, XOne nor tablets are a real alternative.

 

Problem is a lot of kids don't want a "kids console" for one. Once kids (especially boys) get to about age 9/10, they start to shun "mom approved" products, they want the console their older brother is playing. 

Also I think families are just fine with tablets, lets be honest just because Wii/DS started the "casual/family" play craze doesn't mean they were entitled to own it anymore than Blackberry is entitled to the smartphone market because they were making smartphones before other companies moved in and stole their thunder. 

To be honest, tablets/phones simply offer a better value proposition to casuals/families. The games are dirt cheap or even free, the interface is so easy to use that 3-year-old can master it (no buttons period, every human being understands the concept of touch with their fingers). So the whole "the traditional controller is a barrier" thing has long since been shattered by multiple devices. Beyond that Nintendo devices are laughably restrictive for most casuals, they don't do anything particularily well but play games, whereas a phone or tablet does 50 different things reasonably well. 

Nintendo just can't compete with that, not even factoring in that their marketing can't touch Apple's. People like Mario just fine, but they don't like Mario *so much* so that they will go that far out of their way to bend to Nintendo's idea of what family gaming should be. 

I can understand from a parent's POV too ... raising kids is damn expensive as is, if little Johnny is just as happy playing a $1 Clash of Clans or something versus a $40 copy of Animal Crossing and a seperate $200 purchase for a 3DS XL (versus a iPad that's already sitting around the house) on top of that $300-$400 console that you know you're going to have to buy too ... as a parent who has to pay for bills, braces, ballet class, hockey equipments, summer camp, etc. etc. etc. for his kids, that suits most parents just fine.