RolStoppable said:
The GBC was not a whole new console, that's why Nintendo counts the GB and GBC as the same system. Nintendo's launch titles for the GBC were DX versions of Tetris and Link's Awakening which is just about the weakest and laziest launch lineup you could have for a new system; the reason why Nintendo's GBC launch titles were such low effort games is because the GBC wasn't considered a new system, but merely a hardware revision. Likewise, GBC exclusives (transparent cartridges with different shape that made them unable to be inserted in a GB) were not present at launch. The hardware revision GBC eventually transformed into a quasi-new system over time because color was so much of a selling point that both Nintendo and third parties considered it worth it to leave out the userbase of the original GB eventually. But before then, black cartridges (compatible with both GB and GBC, enhancements when played on a GBC) were the norm for new releases, making the GBC the same thing as the New 3DS: A revision of the original hardware, not a next generation platform.
A classic example of cherry-picking. By now it should be clear that Switch is most comparable to the DS because Switch is on track to have higher sales in year 4 than in any of its first three years. It should be clear even to you who listed the numbers. The Wii and 3DS had declines in year 3 while Switch does not, so Switch isn't following the same pattern. Switch won't reach the ~30m per year heights of the DS, but its sales trajectory is pointing to a later peak followed by a plateau like the DS experienced. Hardly a coincidence when third party support is so similar between the DS and Switch: Next to no AAA third party games, but a wealth of everything below that helps to sustain sales even during periods where Nintendo's first party is lacking. The DS's major advantage over Switch is the much lower price for the time being; the DS's major disadvantage is the declining strength of first party software in the second half of its life. The DS and Switch might very well end up with very similar lifetime sales, albeit with different sales curves. The DS started slow, had huge sales in the middle and then collapsed fast late because the steep price cut for the backwards compatible 3DS turned potential late adopters of the DS into early adopters of the 3DS. Switch started fast, won't reach the heights of the DS, but is likely to have a longer tail than the DS because Nintendo's one console strategy requires a big adjustment; just like the 3DS was kept around as affordable Nintendo console because Switch launched at $300, so will Switch see extended support because its successor won't launch at a low price either. Switch can pull off DS lifetime sales; it will take more time, but it can get there nonetheless. Must be a scary thought for you that Switch is on pace to sell more than the PS4 lifetime. If that happens, it would be the final nail in the coffin of everything you believed in. Not only did Switch succeed against your predictions, but it looks like it turns out to be a superior strategy to what you've been championing for the past decade. |
lol your posts are always good for a laugh. The numbers are what they are, they're not cherry picking anything, that's 12 years worth of data between two systems. Nintendo does have problems in years 4/5 and its happened to several of their systems. Whether a decline happens to the Switch, no one can really say with any certainty one way or another. Year 4/5 is where the climb up the mountain becomes a lot harder.
The Switch is selling primarily off traditional Nintendo IP, no gimmicks and crap needed, so that basically blows your theory about everything having to be like the Wii to sell. No it doesn't. Didn't you say dual analog sticks are death because they're too complex? Seems to me like the dual analog setup on the Switch is doing OK. The Switch is doing just fine and is not needing to be carried by a casual audience. I predicted a hybrid console like ages before most of this board came around to it to boot, I called the "set it down on a table and share a controller" setup too (from their old VS Game & Watch line) I don't recall you even coming close to guessing something like that.
The Playstation 4 is going to sell, what 130 million+ units? I doubt Sony really gives two shits about someone talking down their success in the business lol. Their network services have years where they're making more than XBox or Nintendo's entire game divisions. They're probably doing something right.
Last edited by Soundwave - on 29 April 2020
