What would happen in the future if let's say Nintedo, gets pushed out of the hardware business and it then keeps making software? What would happen to the nintendo's franchises? Would they go down in quality?

What if Mario goes down like Sonic. Sega's best games were when they were making hardware. So would Nintendo be like Sega if it in any way stops making hardware?

I'll have to say no though, if Myamoto is still on board then they could retain quality in the games. Maybe Mario and Zelda games will still be the same quality they are today.

So what do you guys think?

This thread was written in 2005, and was just now finally posted

Hell no. This is not going to happen, but if it did, Ninty would continue to be one of the biggest if not the biggest software dev and publisher. Imagine a Mario multiplat... or a Zelda.

First, I don't see Nintendo getting out of the console business. They are very smart and design a system to be profitable right out of the gate so they don't have to worry about playing catch up. So even if the Wii hadn't been a monster success, they still would've come out well ahead. If you can be successful at making consoles to make money, you can make a lot of cash. It's big risk, big reward and Nintedo always has taken the risk and gotten the big reward.

However, if they did and started making games for other consoles, it would be a little sad at first since most of my life, there has always been a Nintendo console. I would look on the brightside though and realize that I would need possibly only one console to get all the great Nintendo games and still get some of the other exclusives and other games that haven't been on Nintendo consoles the last few generations. As for quality, I don't think it would go downhill. As long as they learned and mastered the inner workings of the console, they would continue to produce excellent games.

I worry more about when Miyamoto and others behind their great games start to retire. That is more scary because at some point, that will happen. Hopefully they have some new talent capable of the quality we've seen from Nintendo for over 20 years.

The premise of your post is inane. "Let's play the crazy what-if game!"

Agreed. This is more of a when question than what if. *shakes head*

Your scenario could never happen. If Nintendo stops making hardware then it will drop out of the videogame business. Nintendo would go back to making cereal before they start making games for other systems.

I wish I still had a link or something. I have to look it up. At one point someone speaking for Nintendo said that they will never go to plain making software. That if they ever stop making hardware, thats because they are no longer in business at all. Let me see if I can find it. Not that what Nintendo said years ago probably still applies now.

Virtual boy is the only nintendo console that they have lost money on... so no they will pretty much never quit making consoles.

Ok, this is not what I originally read. It's too recent, but it's a statement from Iwata.

http://www.dsfanboy.com/2007/11/07/nintendo-wont-stop-making-hardware/