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Soundwave on 15 December 2015
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pokoko said:
Soundwave said:

 

Change the rules then. 

Why do you have to follow one path or the other? 

That's what NX needs to do. Change the rules. Because right now the game is rigged so that Nintendo can't win. 

You cannot make a console that's simulatenously cheap for kids and powerful enough for older gamers and third parties. That is inherinetly a compromise that will always cripple Nintendo's chances. 

NX needs to destroy the traditional definition of what "hardware" is entirely IMO. It's not 1983 anymore, you can change the concept nowadays, in fact it's probably long overdue. Most of the "rules" that we as gamers think are neccessary are just things that are done today because well that's how it was done in the 1980s.

NX should be a *platform* (like Steam is) rather than a specific piece of hardware, and I think Nintendo is going that route.  

I almost think it may not be a bad idea if "NX" feels more like a non-Nintendo hardware line ... which just then happens to have all Nintendo games as exclusive on top of all other types of content. 

That's what I just said.

You can't be unique just to be unique, you have to target specific consumer groups.  Know your audience.

As far as changing the rules, I've said in other threads that I think the NX is going to focus very heavily on bringing mobile and browser games across different platforms.  The 3DS is scoring big with those in Japan right now.  My guess is that they're going to try to blur the line between game types, which is largely artificial to begin with.  Their game plan, I think, will be about unification with the lower segment of gaming rather than the higher segment.

 

To be honest I don't see that approach working on its own either. Why should I buy a Nintendo handheld to play mobile games I can get for free on my iPhone or iPad or my 8-year-olds $90 Samsung tablet? 

The last Mario x Puzzles Vs. Dragons underperformed big time too. I think Android app compatibility would be fine, but it can't be the chief selling feature for a Nintendo device, it has to be like a bonus. And also there are serious pricing issues here ... you can't charge $30 or even $20 for Android games. Probably not even $10. 

My personal feeling is that NX is no single device. I think there should be a cheap base console but a high end console too. There should be a cheaper portable model, but a higher end one too. And yes I think they can go even further by incporating things like easy hardware upgrades (so for example if you buy the cheap console, you can easily upgrade to the higher spec one 2-3 years later if you feel like you've outgrown it rather than buying a PS5). And Cloud hardware sharing is good too ... allowing people with even the lower spec machines to enjoy maybe higher end games. 

To me, that would be a nice game changer. Instead of picking one audience, they should embrace plurality. It's the trend in electronics anyway ... Apple accepted the fact that some people simply like a bigger screen phone instead of forcing them to buy a one screen size. The result? Their marketshare, which was starting to decline to Samsung is now gaining again and Samsung has been really hurt. 

People want choice. It's 2015 not 1988. Stop making hardware like it's 1988.