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Soundwave on 17 December 2015
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zorg1000 said:
Soundwave said:
Nintendo needs to forget the Wii and DS. It's never happening again, the market is completely different.

In 2004-2006 they had basically no challenger to casual gaming whatsoever for one, leaving it as something that was completely wide open for the taking.

They also got a bit lucky ... they are not the visionary genius' when it comes to these types of fads that people think, which is why they haven't been able to replicate such success since 2008 (where's that Vitality Sensor, Nintendo?).

The Wiimote was not even create entirely by them, it fell into their lap because the guy who invented it tried to sell it to Sony and Microsoft first but they didn't bite. If they had ... then what? What was Nintendo's plan for that gen?

Even the touch screen on the DS, Iwata admitted they didn't have that idea initially, Yamauchi insisted the device have two screens for some arbitrary reason and once they were forced to do that, then they had to figure out what to do with the second screen so they made it a touch screen.

Nintendo's attempts at making a "gimmick" from the ground have resulted in the Wii U Game Pad and the 3D screen on the 3DS.

You tell me how that's working out for them.

 

Are u directing this towards me? If u are, than u took my post out of context, Nem said their new console will likely be casual focused and not aimed towards us, I was simply saying a device can be casual focused while still offering a solid amount of hardcore titles just like Wii & DS did.

 

I disagree with that to the extent that Wii and DS IMO are singular phenomenons that Nintendo will never be able to repeat. So unless they can do that, then this analogy is pointless to them. 

IMO you can't make a casual and hardcore console simultaenously. The XBox 360 w/Kinect is honestly probably a better example than the Wii, which was heavily casual focused, but even MS can't make that work anymore. 

Fundamentally going forward I think Nintendo may just have to accept that the traditional dedicated home console or even portable gaming device in today's world is a *core* gaming concept. These are devices today that really only people who really, really love video games need to buy these days ... casuals won't because their needs are taken care of for free with a device that has zero buttons (you basically can't get a lower barrier of entry than that). 

Sony is the only one of the three that understood this going into this product cycle, and lo and behold, the PS4 is the only console doing great business. 

If you are in the business of charging people $150-$400 for a piece of dedicated game hardware today and then asking the same consumer to give you $30-$60 for each game ... you are in the hardcore gaming business whether you want to accept it or not. No casual who "can't figure ou that darn PC because it's complicated" needs a dedicated game platform anymore. 

Just like people who buying dedicated cameras these days (mainly DSLRs) are likely to be very much into photography moreso than the "average joe" for whom pictures on their smartphone is "good enough". But 10 years ago, that 'casual photographer who just wants to take vacation photos and family photos' would buy a dedicated pocket camera at least. But today the market for that (basically a "casual/kinda hardcore camera") is dead. No one buys these anymore:

The same thing is happening in the game business. 

I know Nintendo loves this concept of making something "for everyone" ... but I think they may have to accept the cold, hard reality here ... you can't build a strong business in gaming any more if you are going to treat hardcore players like they're secondary to casuals. Because hardcore gamers are the only ones buying dedicated hardware anymore (that goes for the 3DS too).