if nintendo went software i don't think its good for gaming.

and if mario and Zelda goes on Sony or Microsoft i think it will be shit like how sonic did when Sega left the hardware business..

Durring the Game Cube era I don't think anyone would have noticed and I'm pretty sure it would have been fine. However this gen pretty much proves that Nintendo and other companies are best as independent groups. This allows for companies to falter and require some innovation to bring to the table.

So no. Nintendo is better as hardware and software company :)

I've not read the replies yet, so I may be repeating something, but yes, it would be very bad. Nintendo gets ideas for some games, and can build a system around those ideas. If they were a 3rd-party company, they'be forced to develop games into a normal box, which would really remove much of the Nintendo charm. I also think that's why Nintendo has said they'll never be a 3rd-party company- they don't want to be defined by someone else's box.

I think this would hurt not only the gaming industry as a whole but us as gamers as well. Remember that Nintendo has always been the innovator of the industry, their competitors take that innovation and try to make it better.

Don't forget...

Donkey Kong Arcade: gave us first story driven game (monkey took your girl, you gotta save her)

NES: gave us Thumbpads, Light Guns, traditional controller scheme, game saves (Zelda), motion controls (Power Glove), 4 player support, beginning of playing with AI (Rob the Robot)

Gameboy: gave us handheld gaming

SNES: gave us improved controller scheme, shoulder buttons (L & R), Playstation brand

N64: gave us rumble, analog stick, in-game targeting system (Z targeting), memory cards

Gameboy Advance: gave us console/handheld interaction

DS: gave us touch screen gaming, dual screen gaming

Wii: gave us motion, IR camera, improved controller design, built in speaker, Balance Board games

As you can see Nintendo is too important to the gaming world. We cannot afford to lose their innovative hardware concepts, they have influenced every game we currently play!

Yes. If Nintendo has been the primary innovator in terms of hardware. Without the NES, we would still be playing games with 1-button joysticks.

nintendo build their hardware around game idea not games for hardware.

So if they had to be a software only house then it's games would never be what they want them to be and how they want them to be played.

Yes, it would be kinda bad.

Nintendo has repeatedly said said that they make their hardware in tune with their software. One always compliments the other. Take the hardware out of the equation and they're playing by someone elses rules - rules that may not necessarily benefit their developers' philosophies. We'd be dealing with completely different games than what they've been making in the past.

People tend to forget how important Nintendo is to the industry, probably because of how little they innovated last gen. The GBA and GC brought pretty much nothing new to the table. I think they were merely updating the hardware for survival, waiting to strike with something like the Wii / DS.

Looking further back in history, or at this gen, has shown that they're pretty damn important, though. You may not like motion controllers, but tons of people have found interest in it. A few years down the line, something may come out of it that interests you. The Playstation wouldn't exist without the NES/SNES, for example.

Yes, it would. I'm actually quite happy we have 3 major consoles competing now. I'd like to see none of them become 3rd parties.

Nintendo has impacted the gaming industry beyond just software. Its arguable, but they have been one of, if not the largest impact on both the console and handheld industries. So I ask, why should they become software only? Especially since they have shown, even after losing the support of nearly everyone, they can still come back and dominate practically by themselves.

On the flip side, ask yourself this. Could Sony or Microsoft ever survive in game development going software only?