Global Hardware 11 August 2018

[0D0]

Slownenberg said:

0D0 said:

NSW is doing great, but it's also extraordinary how good PS4 is.

PS4 is a 80m sold console against a Nintendo system that is almost new and that has released (or will release soon) almost all of the big Nintendo franchises: Mario, Zelda, MK, Mario Party, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Smash, Splatoon. Some of them are ports, yes, but ports from a console (Wii U) that nobody bought.

Nintendo is coming from Wii U disgraceful years. Many people out there haven't bought a Nintendo console since Wii days and now they have this truly impressive portable console with all Nintendo evergreens (again Mario, Zelda, MK, Mario Party, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Smash, Splatoon, etc). All of this versus PS4 that is at this point almost ubiquitous among console owners and that has already released many of its great franchises a few years ago.

Even though we could say that PS4 is still in its peak season, it's a console that had a fast start (unlike PS3). From 2018 on, it's quite challenging for Sony to keep PS4 as industry leader in sales with this current price, against a new successful Nintendo console with all of its exclusives available in that quite short span.

In any case, September is coming and it's unlikely that NSW will keep the top 1 due to Spider-man and others, but as PS4 gets close to 100m, it'll be no surprise to see NSW wining more and more weeks. Even though, Nintendo soon will be in a unpleasant situation: after they release all of their evergreen games (it will have happened in 2019), what else do they have to compete against PS5?

I think that is a bit of a strange thought. You think Nintendo won't have any games to come out soon? They've barely released their games haha. Heck Switch has been selling well all year despite no major Nintendo games coming out until the holidays in a few months. Obviously Switch will continue to sell without a constant influx of evergreen titles. Also Switch will definitely get another 3D Mario game, definitely at least one more zelda (2d or 3d), 2d mario is probably two or three years away since they're just throwing a port out there for next year, Metroid is coming next year, Animal Crossing hasn't even been talked about yet, the first mainline Pokemon game is coming next year and normally they release 4 per system though I'm guessing it'll take many more resources to make a console version so we can maybe expect one more pokemon game a few years from now, then there's a host of other nintendo franchises that haven't been mentioned. And of course it'll continue getting great indie games and third party support will no doubt ramp up since almost all third parties were caught flatfooted when Switch came out.

I don't get this idea of yours that Nintendo hardware won't sell anymore after they bring out their biggest franchises...when has that ever been the case?! You're saying a system won't sell precisely because of its amazing library of games?? Seems like the opposite of the reality of every system ever.

My question doesn't mean that I think that Nintendo hardware won't sell anymore.

My question is: after they release all of their evergreen games (it will have happened in 2019), what else do they have to compete against PS5?

I'm talking in terms of competition, not saying that after 2019 Nintendo will be doomed. 

Although a library is still a library, after all system sellers are released, consoles usually don't peak anymore. That's been the case for all Nintendo consoles. Besides, another iteration for every franchise might sell less than the previous one. It's the case for Majora's Mask for example, the Zelda after the best Zelda. Metroid has never sold tones, million seller yes, but not really Mario or Zelda material.

Pokemon is another story though. I agree that Pokemon has everything to make NSW sell much more than 3DS lifetime (I'd say that Pokemon is the Nintendo strongest IP, Pikachu should be Nintendo's mascot), but I'm still comparing Nintendo performance against Playstation and not saying that Nintendo has no future.