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Forums - Sales - Kinect's early success is a referendum on Nintendo.

noname2200 on 07 January 2011
Erik Aston said:

The success of Kinect...

To a large extent, Kinect doesn't have great content yet.

Is this not a contradiction?  I agree with your general premise re: Nintendo dropping the ball, but I must strongly disagree with this second sentence.  If Kinect does not, in fact, currently have great content, as defined by the New Core, why is it selling at such a lightning pace?  Are you submitting that the New Core is so starved for any content that they will shell out money for what is a largely mediocre product?  Or are you saying that there is only one or two good games on the system, and that the momentum might die soon if more don't arrive quickly?  If it's the latter, I'm curious to hear what you define as great content for the New Core.



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thismeintiel on 07 January 2011

Well, I would agree with the OP if it weren't for one fact.  The Wii had a better holiday season than the 360 and Kinect.  So while Kinect may be popular at this point in time, we don't know its true fate til about mid-late '11.  Either way, it definitely isn't a referendum.



 

pachoo5 on 07 January 2011

I wonder how strong the patents are on Kinect? How similar can motion control systems be to Kinect and still be legal? I think that in the next generation of consoles that Sony and Nintendo will need more than just Wii like waggle to compete with MS's controller free motion scheme. But how will Sony and Nintendo be able to do that?

Theoretically, could Nintendo and Sony just release complete Kinect rip off controllers without it being illegal?

Regardless, the packed in motion control arrangements will be the most interesting aspects of the next generation of consoles (PS4, Xbox 720, next Wii).



pachoo5 on 07 January 2011

Oh, that reminds me, I do remember MS bought a few companies that have most of the patents in the controller free motion technology space, so it seems MS has already preemptively tried to limit Nintendo and Sony from copying Kinect.



pachoo5 on 07 January 2011
MightyGrogg said:

Kinect isn't going to do anything in Japan because Japan hates american hardware & software. The only thing they love from America is the Ipod and Ipad. So don't expect many sales in that market. Where Microsoft needs to market hard in is the EMEA regions. That already gone America. They just need the games and it'll surge forward with no problem. In EMEA, it will be a harder task. This year is going to be interesting.


True, but Kinect has already outsold Move in EMEAA despite it being out two months less. I think in the motion control arena, Kinect is definitely pulling ahead of Move in Europe.



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megaman79 on 10 January 2011
Metallicube said:

Nintendo has simply moved on to other things, while remaining one step ahead of MS. While MS tries to mimic the Wii games popular four years ago with Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures, and a year old dance game with Dance Central, Nintendo is now shifting from the non gamer and focusing more on the ex-gamer with old school type platformers like NSMB and Donkey Kong Country. And it is working. If MS TRUELY wants to capture the Wii audience, they must not go just for the non gamer, because that is only a fraction of the Wii audience. They must also go for the lapsed gamer, with a solid 2D platformer. Though I don't see MS ever doing this. I don't see MS with the ability to make a great 2D platformer, let alone one that is near the quality of Mario or DKC.

Nintendo are also using uinque technologies that set them appart like the Udraw (well its technically third party), balance board, and the soon to be Vitality Sensor, things that MS does not have. Kinects success only targets a small fraction of the Wii userbase, which is why Wii sales remain strong despite an amazing start for Kinect. They will need more than a Wii Sports type game and a Dance game to maintain that success.


This. Some Kinect games are selling well, but why is Wiifit still selling so damn well? Or Mariokart?



“When we make some new announcement and if there is no positive initial reaction from the market, I try to think of it as a good sign because that can be interpreted as people reacting to something groundbreaking. ...if the employees were always minding themselves to do whatever the market is requiring at any moment, and if they were always focusing on something we can sell right now for the short term, it would be very limiting. We are trying to think outside the box.” - Satoru Iwata - This is why corporate multinationals will never truly understand, or risk doing, what Nintendo does.

Raze on 10 January 2011
megaman79 said:
Metallicube said:

Nintendo has simply moved on to other things, while remaining one step ahead of MS. While MS tries to mimic the Wii games popular four years ago with Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures, and a year old dance game with Dance Central, Nintendo is now shifting from the non gamer and focusing more on the ex-gamer with old school type platformers like NSMB and Donkey Kong Country. And it is working. If MS TRUELY wants to capture the Wii audience, they must not go just for the non gamer, because that is only a fraction of the Wii audience. They must also go for the lapsed gamer, with a solid 2D platformer. Though I don't see MS ever doing this. I don't see MS with the ability to make a great 2D platformer, let alone one that is near the quality of Mario or DKC.

Nintendo are also using uinque technologies that set them appart like the Udraw (well its technically third party), balance board, and the soon to be Vitality Sensor, things that MS does not have. Kinects success only targets a small fraction of the Wii userbase, which is why Wii sales remain strong despite an amazing start for Kinect. They will need more than a Wii Sports type game and a Dance game to maintain that success.


This. Some Kinect games are selling well, but why is Wiifit still selling so damn well? Or Mariokart?

It was me, Im at fault. I just got MarioKart Wii. =)



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