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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Nintendo Could Learn a Lot from Microsoft

Shaunodon said:

I'd rather they didn't. I'm fine with how Xbox is operating now, but that's because they occupy their own space. What I want from Nintendo is more of what they're already doing. If they had to sacrifice some of their current business model and focus just to improve their online offerings, that would not benefit me nor many other people I believe.

There's a few small things here and there they could use to polish up their services, but saying there's 'a lot' they could learn is hyperbolic and subjective. Don't assume everyone has the same vision for a perfect platform.

Agreed. People have been calling on them to improve online experience since Wii. So what do they do? They release Wii U with Miiverse, a tremendous innovation and really fun place to go for me and 4-8% of the Switch eventual sales that bought a Wii U.

But the Wii U tanked, so Nintendo went back to the basics with Switch as it was financially safer. And they have a massive success with this rather simple Switch, so they don't have much reason to enhance online experiences with Switch 2.



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sethnintendo said:

I didn't really pick up that many great points from the video they were basically just praising Xbox game pass the entire time.   There might have been a few points in there but I don't see Nintendo doing what Microsoft does.

Also I don't know if it is a British thing or what but saying Ness and SNess... It is N E S and S N E S. You don't fucking say it like the previous...

We say Nes and Snes in Australia too, well, from what I've heard. 

I don't know many people who know what they are. 



I can only speak for myself, but I don't care about Nintendo online. I would rather Nintendo to continue focusing on couch coop. Nintendo is one of the few companies that have couch coop.



TomaTito said:
Azzanation said:

Than you buy the game using GamePass discount. Than you own it forever.

True, that is also a possibility. Game Pass does help expand peoples horizon and try out new things that they wouldn't have due to the price barrier.

Demos do the same thing though. Kirby has one, plenty to make up your mind whether you want to continue with it. And with Nintendo you know here isn't much point to wait for a discount, unless you're prepared to wait a long long time. Which also means you get good trade in value and no 'regret' when the price drops 2 weeks after you buy it.

Anyway, there's plenty to try out on the eShop and you don't need to download the full game for demos. One of the 'downsides' of game pass was having to download 109GB to try out Age of Empires IV. Then I played it for less time than waiting for the download.



SvennoJ said:
TomaTito said:

True, that is also a possibility. Game Pass does help expand peoples horizon and try out new things that they wouldn't have due to the price barrier.

Demos do the same thing though. Kirby has one, plenty to make up your mind whether you want to continue with it. And with Nintendo you know here isn't much point to wait for a discount, unless you're prepared to wait a long long time. Which also means you get good trade in value and no 'regret' when the price drops 2 weeks after you buy it.

Anyway, there's plenty to try out on the eShop and you don't need to download the full game for demos. One of the 'downsides' of game pass was having to download 109GB to try out Age of Empires IV. Then I played it for less time than waiting for the download.

Not all Switch titles get demos, as the title might not be worth it or too much work for an indie developer, but I agree that a demo aim is to sell you the game.

In the end Game Pass is a rental service when you take it as face value.

Last edited by TomaTito - on 28 March 2022

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Nintendo just needs to keep improving their online services. Definitely don't need to Game Pass things. Microsoft was forced to do something different because they and Playstation make very similar products but the Playstation brand is much stronger so Microsoft had to change their plans in order to stay relevant. Just as when Nintendo came out with the Wii because they realized they couldn't compete on console specs with two much larger companies who could afford to lose massive amounts of money pushing out systems at a loss. Nintendo, other than the Wii U misstep, has been dominant since then. And for Microsoft, Game Pass is the thing that separates them from Playstation now and it is very popular.

Nintendo already found its highly successful niche (focusing more on innovation and play styles than the latest graphics and expensive hardware, and besides handheld systems were always their bread and butter when it comes to HW sales). Microsoft is finding its niche in a games subscription service. And Playstation was able to stick to the standard console product because they had been dominating that since the PS1. It's good that we are starting to see each company do separate things. Nintendo no more needs to learn from Xbox and Game Pass than Microsoft needs to release a hybrid portable Xbox.

Nintendo's pace of improvement when it comes to online is slow, as always, but they are on the right track now and building out their online services of the future. Sure it'd be nice if GB and GBA were already available or if more than one N64 game were coming out each month, but they'll get to them eventually. And yes they need better friend matching/invites options and stronger online infrastructure and need to scrap the silly mobile app to build voice chat into the system. But they are building out an amazing online system and don't need to do what Xbox does.



I have an Xbox series S and I have gamepass. I never used it and probably never will. Just a bunch of shovelware that does not sell with a few good games here and there, games you will never own. Nintendo does not need such trash at all. Nintendo needs to keep pumping out good games and improve the overall on-line experience of these games, like adding voice chat. Voice chat in Mario Kart for example would be really cool.



CaptainExplosion said:
CGI-Quality said:

Wanting new things and needing them are entirely different beasts.

Well if Nintendo doesn't WANT us to use ROM sites, then they NEED to give us an alternative that actually gives us our money's worth.

In fact they don't.  Nintendo doesn't owe you anything and isn't liable for your illegal activity.  



CaptainExplosion said:
xMetroid said:

They are learning with their NSO subscription model. It is getting not so bad rn with AC and MK8 DLC included. The drop rate of games is way too slow tho. apparently Gameboy games are already ready to go up on the service but they are waiting on it. It would make it more appealing. Once they fix their online and offers more media options, add gamecube, gameboy and DS games, then the service will be pretty neat.

I honestly don't need them to make a subscription with all their games, it clearly isn't something they are even close from doing. But they need to start by lowering the price of some games on Switch cause it is just overall hurting some franchises. Xenoblade would probably be a lot bigger if the games weren't at full price still. That Nintendo select line can't come soon enough.

Honestly I think doing the subscription model isn't working out. Things were far less difficult when Virtual Console was still around. What made Nintendo think a subscription service for their games was a good idea?

If the Virtual Console was working out, it would still be around.  Clearly it wasn't making enough money to be viable going forward.  It is hard to find good sources, but I have heard that outside of the top few heavy hitters, most VC games sold pretty poorly.



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CaptainExplosion said:
Chrkeller said:

In fact they don't.  Nintendo doesn't owe you anything and isn't liable for your illegal activity.  

Nintendo's piss poor handling of their backlog is only encouraging unlicensed emulation. Giving us GOOD subscription game services is the only real way to cut down on ROM sites.

The way Nintendo is handling its IP's on older titles is making them big money. They've sold 10's of millions of older titles (from previous generations) on Switch as re-releases/remasters/remakes, and its working for them. They've released NSO+Expansion Pass at the end of this past year with N64/Genesis games. Give them time to expand that library (maybe even to GC and Wii) and it might prove to be a real money spinner and good service for people who like retro games.

They don't need to do anything as drastic as pumping big cash into a service live service like Game Pass. For a Japanese company that is clearly profit driven in all their business decision making, I highly doubt they'd consider a loss leading model and they that they want to involve themselves into that business model - if they can avoid it.

Besides that.. people that are going to use pirated ROMs aren't suddenly going to subscribe to a service to play old games. Same as people who pirate other things.. they're just going to continue doing what they are doing.