teigaga said:
This is interesting but doesn't change the point. Why didn't people buy both systems since the Gamecube was so cheap? The truth is once people have one gaming system they're quite content with that for the rest of the generation. Even if an NX undercuts the PS4 in price, it'll likely be a similar position to the gamecube but even worse considering PS2 only had 1 year advantage instead of 3. |
It doesn't sound very convincing to me. People are always willing to buy new products as long as they find them attractive. If poeple was satisfied with what they have we wouldn't have consumerism to begin with.
I can think of at least three good reasons why it didn't sell very much, even as 2nd console.
One reason is that people simply didn't knew it. The console was barely advertised and at the time you couldn't get nearly as much information and footage online as today.
Another reason is of course terrible marketing, or more precisely terrible marketing positioning. In the eyes of consumers the Gamecube wasn't seen as a suitable 2nd console, because Nintendo didn't market it as such. The image of the Gamecube was quite incoherent: it was indeed a more powerfull machine than the PS2, it had adult-themed and horror games, just the kind of games you expect to see on PS, but on the other hand it was less expansive and it looked like a toy. So uninformed people just saw it as a cheaper, lesser (or kiddy) verion of a Ps2.
Third reason, Nintendo just didn't have the proper hit-game to appeal to a largely wider market. Mario and Mario Kart were quite uninspired (though not everyone would agree), Zelda took that cel-shading approach that alienated some of its fans, Metroid was great but not a really mass appealing game. The only true hit they had was smash bros.
