Shadow1980 said:
So, third parties are apparently still willing to release games for Nintendo platforms, but most have neglected to port their biggest, most important titles because of Nintendo's hardware design decisions. And without proper third party support Nintendo will never have a console that sells more than 30 million units. Attempting to go the Wii route a third time after the Wii U showed how much of a crapshoot the "less powerful but less expensive and gimmick controller-driven console" model is would be, well, "Did I ever tell you the definition of 'insanity'?" With motion controls and touchscreens being really the only two notable non-standard control inputs for games, it's hard to think of what kind of new gimmick controller they could come up with this time, and other risky hardware design decisions (e.g., the rumored "Fusion" concept; extra emphasis on "rumored") would probably be ill-advised as well. Nintendo needs to make a system that's a standard console, something that could compete on even terms with the PS5. Third parties will develop for such a system. Why wouldn't they? I honestly think they don't care which systems the sales come from. So long as the hardware is something suitable for their major AAA releases, they'll release for it. Nintendo wouldn't even have to pay extra to get third parties, like that other guy referenced in the article suggests. None of this means Nintendo has to stop innovating, but innovation needs to be on the software front, not the hardware front (incidentally, most "innovation" and advancement in gaming was only possible due to better hardware). They can continue pushing their big-name games in new directions, and they can even continue implementing Wiimotes & Wii U gamepads as optional accessories to enhance certain games or tap into any remaining market for motion gaming, asymmetric multiplayer, and/or off-screen play. But at its core the ninth-gen Nintendo console should be a conventional, powerful system. If it's not, then Nintendo should content themselves with yet another third-place finish as it'd be something that appeals only to those who like Nintendo games, which is a market only 20 million strong at best.
A conventional Nintendo system with solid third-party support and the right marketing will likely do quite well. Sure, it won't be some phenomenon like the Wii was, but I think they could keep pace with the PS5 in terms of sales, eating into Sony's market share and possibly crowding out Xbox (assuming MS releases a console next generation). 60-70 million might not be as good at 100 million, but it's a helluva sight better than 20 million. Most gamers are quite fickle with no real loyalty to any of the Big Three, especially in America, and they'll go with whoever they feel offers the best deal, and I think with the proper marketing and whatnot Nintendo could position themselves as the best and biggest bang for your buck. As for those who are Nintendo loyalists, the ones who also demand third-party games would have little reason to buy another system in addition to their Nintendo. The main reason I got a PS4 when I did was for third-party games, and there's probably quite a lot of other Wii U owners who bought one of the others as well because of the Wii U's lackluster third-party support. Had the Wii U been a conventional system that shared 90% of the same games as the PS4, I might not have bothered with the PS4 until much later in the generation (I still like some of Sony's exclusives), and some people I know probably would have been satisfied with just the Nintendo system.
Field of Dreams was right: If you build it, they will come. If your system is palatable to third parties, they will develop for it. If your system has all the big third-party games, it becomes a more viable choice for gamers. A console maker neglects third parties at their own peril.
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