Well, we have Nintendo, which is basically a Japanese company, and we like to think that the things Nintendo Europe and NoA say reflect the Japanese Nintendo, but in all actuallity, they really don't.

Nintendo isn't paying attention to its fans or detractors. They are paying attention to Nintendo, and what they think is the best thing to do, with software and most notably hardware. Always have.

With Sony and Microsoft, you get a lot of reaction to the fans, and customer feedback.

Nintendo, not so much. Let me explain.

Point 1: Earthbound - We always like to talk about how Nintendo pleases the American hardcore fans. They don't. Earthbound, lol. They do what they want to do with seemingly no sense behind it.

Point 2: The freakish nature of the Wii and DS - Detractors abounded. What did Nintendo have in mind with them? Hardcore fans certainly didn't know.

Point 3: Keeping quiet - Nintendo is the hardest company to predict. DS, Wii, Wii-Fit. You never know what they are gonna pull out next.

I can't even think of one instance where Nintendo has ever caved to what hardcore fans wanted, when it wasn't a complete coincidence. It's like Square-Enix and their FFVII remake. Rabbid fanboy begging for years, and they might as well just spit in your american faces, lol.

However, to my point:

This is a GOOD thing. Contrary to our selfrighteous Internet 2.0 experiences, most of the time, the Internet doesn't know what is better for Nintendo, than Nintendo does.

Despite the millions of brains around the world, do you think that anything but the DS or the Wii could have brought Nintendo to the path they are on right now?

Would the internet have thought Wii-Fit was a console mover?

If the Internet had its way, we'd have Mother 4 on the Gamecube 2, which would only be available from Ebay since it was discontinued 6 months ago.

Unlike every other company in existance, Nintendo does not care what its customers think. Because of this, Nintendo is able to keep bringing us weird, quirky inventions like the DS, and names like "Wii" which when we first see, we cringe a little bit, and the competition is like "Yes! guarnteed win for us" and then months later, the guarnteed win guy is working for Atari, and Nintendo is producing the two fastest selling consoles of all time, simeoultaneously, and we got the new competition planning motion contollers, and touch screens for their future, and at E3, we once again don't know what the hell Nintendo has up its sleeve, but whatever it is, it certainly wouldn't have been created because fans begged for it.

Nintendo doesn't see past Nintendo headquarters. The bosses don't play other companies games, or many games at all for that matter. The best game developer in the world doesn't even know what console Rachet and Clank is on, and we have a Wario 2d platformer that looks like I would slap my mama to play it. Wario 2d platformer, wtf, lol?

Nintendo + WTF = Epic Win

Point made.

Im still remember what are Nintendo fans reactions while Ninty reveals Wii Fit, I hope we dont have that same reaction again :(

I do agree for the most part but Nintendo, like every company is dictated by its sales, if WE dont like a game and dont buy it, it doesnt get a sequel, no matter how much Nintendo or Miyamoto love the game themselves. The only reason they dont release Earthbound in the west is becasue they dont believe it will be profitable.

While I applaud them for the Wii and its game changing concept, you have to consider that it was Sonys success that forced them to reconsider their strategy so drasticaly, although the DS was a start to that idea, if the N64 and GC had been the market leaders I doubt they would have made such a drastic departure from the path MS and Sony tread.

I agree. My take on analogies will be:

Nintendo = Blizzard
Microsoft = EA
Sony = Square Enix

@nine0nine - I agree with everything you said. I would add, however, that Nintendo has a bit more "balls" than MS and Sony, because they have been the 3rd place console with the GC and 64, but didn´t try to desperately copy the winning consoles (not to my knowledge). But, obviously if they couldn´t sell enough to support themselves, they would be forced to listen to the consumers.

Someone more clever than i am said that you can not ask the consumer what they would like ...

I agree with that and to your post ...

nb : more explanations on that may be found in MalStrom blue ocean article.

Let's just say, if I were in charge of creating a game, only a selected few would be able to play it.

Absolutely right. Sony stole the market with the PS and even more so with PS2, something Nintendo didn't see coming in their arrogance. They even developed the PlayStation with Sony! But no, cartridges were the way forward.
Now it's completely the other way around.  Sony was the arrogant party ("I want people to take a second job for the PS3", wtf?) and Nintendo steals the market. If you're in the lead there's no incentive to change.

In two generations maybe Microsoft will be the one, or Apple, who knows.

lolwut. They scrapped it because the contract was extremely bad for Nintendo, not because they thought cartridges would rule the earth.