| spemanig said:
By all digital, I mean that the primary way to get games is via download. I think the NXDS will be digital only, but I think that the NX may unfortunately do both, though recent comments make me feel that they may just ditch discs altogether, which would be the right way to go. If you think that that isn't a game changer, then I have nothing to say to you on that. The unified platform ties in directly with the digital platform. They are one and the same. It doesn't work without being all digital. A unified platform means that you can take your gaming library where ever you want on whatever certified hardware you want. That won't be seamless without being all digital, unless you think that the NXDS will have a disc drive or that the NX will go back to 1990 and run on cartridges. Nintendo directly confirmed that their membership program will reward players who buy a lot of games with discounts on more games. How is that going to happen physically? Printed out coupons for Gamestop? No. Sales on their digital software. With a unified, digital, platform, you just buy a game and own it everywhere. Buy the game on the NXDS. Maybe a year later you decide you want an NX console. You just log in and are able to download your entire library to the new system, no problem. Because of cloud saves, all of your save files are transfered over as well, so you can literally pick up from where you left off. Have a friend in, I dunno, London with an NX while you have an NXDS? Wanna play a round of Smash? No problem. Unified platform has cross play. Playing Monster Hunter NX on the console, but have to go to work? No problem. Bring your NXDS and play on your lunch break. Cross save automatically syncs your saves so that you can pick up from where you left off without a hitch and cross buy means you're only purchasing the game once. There may even be a "download for both" option that has the game automatically download itself on both consoles without needing to boot both up separately. A unified platform only works when its digital, and it's only revolutionary when its digital. Somebody has to force the future on us. That someone will be Nintendo with the NX. Not hardware innovation. Not Software innovation. Firmware innovation. |
If they were to use your strategy, they would be assured to sell even less consoles than WiiU.
All digital will never work with consoles because of one major stumbling block - retail sales. It works with phones because phones are mostly secondary to the main goal - subscription plans. Phone manufacturers manufacture phones only, they let others fill it with software. Phone digitalization exists because a great percentage of downloads are free of charge.
PC digitalization works because PC manufacturers just make computers or components, they let others fill it with software.
In both cases, retail stores that sell phones and PCs are not invested in filling them with software. They are chasing profits from subscriptions on phone services (or just a dandy margin on a full priced phone) and solid margins on computer components.
Console space, however, is very different. Consoles don't generate much profit, they are often even loss leaders for the store in order to move a high margin product - a video game. In the instance in which the retailer would lose any and all potential gane sales, and be just constrained to selling big boxes for a $2 profit, they just would not. They would just choose not to stock NX completely. Why waste 2 square feet of precious shelf space on a $2 generating (or losing) item, when the same space can be filled with 20 video games generating a total of about $150 profit. Gamespot, WalMart, Target etc. are certainly aware of that.
That is one of the main reasons Microsoft did not go (and they could have, they had all systems in place) full digital with XOne, and why digital games on XBL and PSN still cost the same as in the store, although all logic and expenses say they should be cheaper digitally.
And, of course, by going all digital, Nintendo would ensure themselves to lose about 75-80% of potential global market from the places that have crappy or expensive internet. And one of those countries is USA, their largest market, a narket in which ISPs have a lot of power and where limiting bandwidth and non-flat internet is very prominent.
