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Soundwave on 31 August 2015
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spemanig said:
Soundwave said:

Retail is still a big part of Japanese culture, lining up at the Akihibira district to get a new games, etc. etc. It's not like the US. 

I was in Japan earlier this year, it's really eye opening actually. Arcades are still a huuuuuuge deal there, they're everywhere. 

Even porn shops (lol), full *floors* of physical DVDs still, I was kind of like "do they know you can get porn on the internet now?". And this is not like one speciality store of something, this is a staple of their retail enviornment. 

Beyond that I really doubt on the 3DS/Wii U (the relevant Nintendo platforms) that digital downloads of games are maybe 10-15% at best.

Also loathe it or not, Miyamoto has said he still considers games to be like toys, and he likes that they have a physical connection to people:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-13-miyamoto-nintendos-game-ownership-policy-should-operate-like-a-toy-company

"What's really important is viewing Nintendo almost like a toy company where we're making these things for people to play with," he said. "As a consumer you want to be able to keep those things for a long time and have those things from your youth that you can go back to and experience again.

 

I don't honestly care one way or another, I just don't see it happening. 


I think that has more to do with physical being the primary form of advertized media on those systems, rather than because they are preffered as a form of media period.

Nothing in that quote indicates a reluctance to go all digital or a preference to physical media. "Things to play with" describes every game he's ever made, and "keep those things for a long time" can refer to digital games as well. You can "go back" and place VC games you played when you were younger, as many do.

I see it happening next year.


I don't really see what that would be based on though. 

90% of Nintendo's software sales even now are physical, and given that they are a notoriously stubborn, old fashioned, company that tends to fixate on the kids market (giving a kid a voucher card for a game for Christmas for example ... not exactly the same as getting Mario 3D World in a box) ... I just don't really see any inkling that they would go full bore in this direction.