Nintendo Is Exactly Like Oprah Winfrey With Laryngitis

For those not familiar with Oprah, welcome to Earth

For everyone else I'll continue

Oprah makes anything a hit. She could have a book about the viscosity of pudding on her show and by the end of the week it would be in the top 5 best seller's list.

Just from Oprah saying "I like this" people rush out in droves and buy one too thinking "well if Oprah likes it it's GOT to be good!"

Nintendo has that same power. Anything Nintendo makes is thought of as good right from the gate with the mentality "well if Nintendo makes it it's GOT to be good!"

The problem is that Nintendo never extends that power to it's third parties. Sure they'll have some on the stage for an E3 or a Tokyo Game Show but when it comes to the REAL meat and potato they're silent (like Oprah with laryngitis, get it? the title? oh nevermind)

You never see Nintendo ads that embrace the third party software, because of this it's forgotten as being inferior.

Ok, know how we all hate getting third party accessories? The awful controllers? the inadequate batteries? The Wiimote add ons? Know how if you're going to buy an accessory or a controller you're going to spend the extra 5 bucks and get the first party item?

Well this is how the software works too. These people trust Nintendo, heck a good chunk call the Wii a Nintendo. "Stop playing with that Nintendo and do your homework!" "Ok, shut off the Nintendo, time for bed" "Grampa thought the Nintendo was a toaster so there's bread stuck in it"

All Nintendo needs to say is "Madden for the Wii is as close to the NFL as you can get and the only place you can play it is on the Nintendo Wii" and these people would gobble it up.

Also let me point out that being reccomended by Oprah is NOT advertising. Commercials run durring Oprah and they don't see sales spikes any different then what is seen during popular shows in her time slot.

Oprah needs to actually feature a product for it to sell into the stratosphere.

That's what Nintendo needs to do. Raving Rabbids can run ads for hours about how it's a great game and it'll sell ok because it's a solid franchise. If Nintendo comes out and says that it supports Raving Rabbids and the only place to play it is the Nintendo family of hardware it's numbers would skyrocket

Nintendo still distances itself from third party devs. The only way they'll accept them is if they merge with them (Namco Bandai) otherwise they're left to fend for themselves. Nintendo is the only company to do this and it has come back to burn them time and time again generation after generation

This is what Nintendo is still not doing and what they must change going forward.

Everyone else sees this too right? It's not advertising that's holding them back right now, it's that they're not embracing the people they're in business with

While there are some great third party games that should had done better, it's not really nintendo's responsibility to do other developer's jobs for them.

While there are some great third party games that should had done better, it's not really nintendo's responsibility to do other developer's jobs for them.

goblaa

Exactly, it's up to third parties to support themselves.

Plus, I've never heard of anyone calling the Wii a "Nintendo" :P

but really, all i can think of is "well, reggie loves to talk about how third party games are awesome". i dont know what exactly you want them to doBrunoBRS

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"]but really, all i can think of is "well, reggie loves to talk about how third party games are awesome". i dont know what exactly you want them to doJordanElek

Dude, it's been "the Nintendo" for 20+ years. Allow me to illustrate.

Typical phone call, 1990 - it rings, and I answer: Yo.

Bud caller: Yo, man. What're ya doin'?

Me: Playin' Nintendo. Whatchoo doin'?

Bud: Nintendo.

Me: Yo. That's rad.

Bud: Yo. What's happening tomorrow? Wanna play some Nintendo over here?

Me: Sounds cool.

Fast forward a few years...ring...ring...

Me: Yello.

Bud: What're you doin'?

Me: Playin' Nintendo.

Bud: You 'playin' it loud?'

Me: Dude, I always 'Play it loud!'

Same deal, late nineties...

Me: 'Sup?

Bud: Nothin' much - kickin' back, playin' some Nintendo, havin' a Bud. 'Sup witchoo?

Me: Not much, dude. You get that expansion pack yet?

Bud: You know it.

Me: Sweeeeeeeet. Makes Nintendo even more rad, right?

Bud: ...Dude...did...did you just say 'rad?'

The only time it was ever any different was when my one friend got a GameCube and I didn't...phone rings...I check the CallID...

Me: Duuuuude! What. Is. Up?

Bud: Not much, just playin' the 'Cube (said smugly).

Me: Yeah, I'm playin' the Nintendo, too.

Bud: Dude...still...?

I had something to say about Oprah when I started to type, but I forgot what it was. Good analogy, FWIW...

Dude, it's been "the Nintendo" for 20+ years. Allow me to illustrate.

Typical phone call, 1990 - it rings, and I answer: Yo.

Bud caller: Yo, man. What're ya doin'?

Me: Playin' Nintendo. Whatchoo doin'?

Bud: Nintendo.

Me: Yo. That's rad.

Bud: Yo. What's happening tomorrow? Wanna play some Nintendo over here?

Me: Sounds cool.

Fast forward a few years...ring...ring...

Me: Yello.

Bud: What're you doin'?

Me: Playin' Nintendo.

Bud: You 'playin' it loud?'

Me: Dude, I always 'Play it loud!'

Same deal, late nineties...

Me: 'Sup?

Bud: Nothin' much - kickin' back, playin' some Nintendo, havin' a Bud. 'Sup witchoo?

Me: Not much, dude. You get that expansion pack yet?

Bud: You know it.

Me: Sweeeeeeeet. Makes Nintendo even more rad, right?

Bud: ...Dude...did...did you just say 'rad?'

The only time it was ever any different was when my one friend got a GameCube and I didn't...phone rings...I check the CallID...

Me: Duuuuude! What. Is. Up?

Bud: Not much, just playin' the 'Cube (said smugly).

Me: Yeah, I'm playin' the Nintendo, too.

Bud: Dude...still...?

I had something to say about Oprah when I started to type, but I forgot what it was. Good analogy, FWIW...

ImbaIance

Really?

So it's logical to assume that people also call the PS3 a "Sony" and the Xbox 360 a "Microsoft"? :roll:

While there are some great third party games that should had done better, it's not really nintendo's responsibility to do other developer's jobs for them.

goblaa

Really?

So it's logical to assume that people also call the PS3 a "Sony" and the Xbox 360 a "Microsoft"? :roll:

J_Ford

No. It's not logical. But for cultural significance in a historical context, it is certainly true in Nintendo's case, even through to the Wii. Personally, I usually say 'Wii' just because it takes less effort to pronounce, but have heard plenty of others refer to the machine simply by its make. It's akin to the way people talk about their cars: "My Subaru gets 20 miles to a gallon, but that Dodge my wife drives gets about 22."

Still not logical, but I have also referred to various iterations of the Playstation as "the Sony", but have never called an X-Box a Microsoft, except where Microsoft is synonymous with "poo".

Also, my memory returned. The only Oprah episode I ever watched was the one where Gene Simmons was one of her guests. He made her blush, and it was epic.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

Really?

So it's logical to assume that people also call the PS3 a "Sony" and the Xbox 360 a "Microsoft"? :roll:

JLF1

Exactly, if you refer to the Wii as a "Nintendo" you could technically be talking about any system they've made.

All that does is cause confusion.

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.

So it's logical to assume that people also call the PS3 a "Sony" and the Xbox 360 a "Microsoft"?J_Ford

You know what I don't hear any more though..... "Put down that Sega controller and GO OUTSIDE!!"

Exactly, if you refer to the Wii as a "Nintendo" you could technically be talking about any system they've made.

All that does is cause confusion.

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.

J_Ford

The people that say that is usually non gamers and don't know the full name of the consoles.

When I was young and my mother wanted me to do something else than play games she would say "turn off that Nintendo and do something else" It didn't matter if it was a SNES, NES or N64.

I've actually heard both Playstations and Xboxs been called a Nintendo by people because "Nintendo" is synonymous with gaming.

Exactly.

Especially when discussing a system one would usually refer to the Wii and not just Nintendo altogether. When discussing a certain system you refer to that specific one otherwise you'll have people thinking "N64", "Gamecube", "DS", etc, etc. Thus confusing the others you are trying to discuss with.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

Exactly, if you refer to the Wii as a "Nintendo" you could technically be talking about any system they've made.

All that does is cause confusion.

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.

JLF1

The people that say that is usually non gamers and don't know the full name of the consoles.

When I was young and my mother wanted me to do something else than play games she would say "turn off that Nintendo and do something else" It didn't matter if it was a SNES, NES or N64.

I've actually heard both Playstations and Xboxs been called a Nintendo by people because "Nintendo" is synonymous with gaming.

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

J_Ford

Excuse?

I don't even see the need of an excuse. What's the harm in calling a N64 a Nintendo?

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

JLF1

Excuse?

I don't even see the need of an excuse. What's the harm in calling a N64 a Nintendo?

Because if one person in the household knows then they could tellthe others what its called, or if non gamers hear the person who does know talk about a specific system then they would also know that way.

So yeah, theres no excuse for non gamers not to know when they can be informed.

[QUOTE="JLF1"]

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

Exactly, if you refer to the Wii as a "Nintendo" you could technically be talking about any system they've made.

All that does is cause confusion.

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.

J_Ford

The people that say that is usually non gamers and don't know the full name of the consoles.

When I was young and my mother wanted me to do something else than play games she would say "turn off that Nintendo and do something else" It didn't matter if it was a SNES, NES or N64.

I've actually heard both Playstations and Xboxs been called a Nintendo by people because "Nintendo" is synonymous with gaming.

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

JLF1

Excuse?

I don't even see the need of an excuse. What's the harm in calling a N64 a Nintendo?

Its fine to call an N64 a Nintendo, but when one is normally discussing a certain system and what not one would specify. Not just say "Nintendo". Thats what I believe.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

And most people that are non gamers usually have at least one person in their household that would know, so theres really no excuse.

My grandma is a non gamer and even she knows to refer to the Wii as Wii.

JLF1

Excuse?

I don't even see the need of an excuse. What's the harm in calling a N64 a Nintendo?

I've referred to the NES as a "Nintendo" or "NES", SNES as a "Nintendo" or "SNES", a N64 as either "Nintendo 64", "64" or "Nintendo", the GCN as "Cube", "Nintendo", "GCN" or "Gamecube", and the Wii as mainly just "Wii", hardly ever as "Nintendo", which is a first for all of the said generations.

I'm not a fan of Oprah, so comparing Nintendo to her doesn't really excite me.

Because they're five different "Nintendo" systems so if you just say "Nintendo" which one are you talking about? Only the Nintendo Entertainment System should be refered to as "Nintendo" :P

Knight-Owl

[QUOTE="Knight-Owl"]Because they're five different "Nintendo" systems so if you just say "Nintendo" which one are you talking about? Only the Nintendo Entertainment System should be refered to as "Nintendo" :P

[QUOTE="Knight-Owl"]Because they're five different "Nintendo" systems so if you just say "Nintendo" which one are you talking about? Only the Nintendo Entertainment System should be refered to as "Nintendo" :P

[QUOTE="Knight-Owl"]Because they're five different "Nintendo" systems so if you just say "Nintendo" which one are you talking about? Only the Nintendo Entertainment System should be refered to as "Nintendo" :P

aransom

[QUOTE="aransom"]

[QUOTE="Knight-Owl"]Because they're five different "Nintendo" systems so if you just say "Nintendo" which one are you talking about? Only the Nintendo Entertainment System should be refered to as "Nintendo" :P

Knight-Owl

Brilliant topic. Brilliant points. Brilliant references. The one issue though is that Nintendo never really looked outside to the other gaming companies, let alone help advertise. I can't see THE Shigeru Miyamoto or Satoru Iwata going outside of the world of Nintendo and promote/feature a 3rd party product. That's just not what they do. Not to go too much into system wars, but sony and microsoft know that they're console cannot succeed at all, any time without 3rd party support, and Nintendo can. I like the idea of Nintendo doing that to push forward 3rd party devs, but that's not what they ever do.wiifan001

agreed

Exactly, if you refer to the Wii as a "Nintendo" you could technically be talking about any system they've made.J_Ford

No, because if you were speaking technically, you would specify. Nintendo is a household name, applicable to a line of video game systems, period. They don't make much of anything else, so when you say "Nintendo" it's universally understood what you mean according to the context. It is very much like the example above, where you refer to the refrigerator by its generic label, or my previous example regarding automobiles. It's the way people talk in real life.

All that does is cause confusion.J_Ford

To whom?

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.J_Ford

Yeah, they pretty much are "just called 'Nintendo'" in dialogue where the context refers to the system at hand. Have you ever had a real conversation with a living person, or is "txtng" the only form of communication you are familiar with?

For the first time in my life, I think I actually agree with you, Jason.:P

As long as Nintendo doesn't go overboard with your idea (e.g. Nintendo heavily advertising a -1/10 Dora game) I think it would definitely help third-parties that aren't as well known as Nintendo.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

No, because if you were speaking technically, you would specify. Nintendo is a household name, applicable to a line of video game systems, period. They don't make much of anything else, so when you say "Nintendo" it's universally understood what you mean according to the context. It is very much like the example above, where you refer to the refrigerator by its generic label, or my previous example regarding automobiles. It's the way people talk in real life.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]All that does is cause confusion.ImbaIance

To whom?

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.J_Ford

Yeah, they pretty much are "just called 'Nintendo'" in dialogue where the context refers to the system at hand. Have you ever had a real conversation with a living person, or is "txtng" the only form of communication you are familiar with?

Its so true its evil

No they aren't all just called "Nintendo" or when the systems came out they'd all be sold as "Nintendo". But they weren't Therefore they all have a specific name and should be called by those names. Knight-Owl

[QUOTE="Knight-Owl"]No they aren't all just called "Nintendo" or when the systems came out they'd all be sold as "Nintendo". But they weren't Therefore they all have a specific name and should be called by those names. aransom

Nintendo doesn't even know how to sell their own stuff, so I doubt a kiss from Ninty will do much for 3rd parties.clicketyclick

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]

No, because if you were speaking technically, you would specify. Nintendo is a household name, applicable to a line of video game systems, period. They don't make much of anything else, so when you say "Nintendo" it's universally understood what you mean according to the context. It is very much like the example above, where you refer to the refrigerator by its generic label, or my previous example regarding automobiles. It's the way people talk in real life.

[QUOTE="J_Ford"]All that does is cause confusion.ImbaIance

To whom?

Each system has it's own specific name, NES, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii.

They're not just called "Nintendo.J_Ford

Yeah, they pretty much are "just called 'Nintendo'" in dialogue where the context refers to the system at hand. Have you ever had a real conversation with a living person, or is "txtng" the only form of communication you are familiar with?

Nintendo may be a household name, that doesn't mean you refer to everything they make as "Nintendo". The Super Nintendo wasn't called The Super Nintendo for nothing. The Nintendo 64 wasn't called The Nintendo 64 for nothing. The Nintendo Gamecube wasn't called The Nintendo Gamecube for nothing. The Nintendo Wii wasn't called The Nintendo Wii for nothing. If you're going to abbreviate what it's called then they'd be called SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, not just "Nintendo". Just saying "Nintendo" can mean you're talking about/referring to anything they've made.

And as it was previously stated, the only Nintendo system that should be called Nintendo, is the NES.

When I say I'm going to play a video game I say I'm going to play a game on my Wii, or I'm going toplay the Wii.I don't say I'm going to play my"Nintendo", orI'm going to play a game on my "Nintendo",that doesn't make sense. No one else that I know of, or have ever talked to refers to anything Nintendo has made as just Nintendo.

It causes confusion to anyone. If I had friends come over to play a 4 player game, I'm not just going to tell them ok guys, we're going to play my "Nintendo".

Seen as how I have all my systems laid out and displayed ready to use they'd likely ask which one, if I didn't tell tell them right away they could think I meant the SNES or N64, when really I meant the Wii. That doesn't sound like confusion to you?

Sure Nintendo is in the title of all their systems/handhelds, they're not just referred to as Nintendo. Even Nintendo themselves doesn't refer to their products as just Nintendo. Whenever they're asked questions in interviews or whatever, they call the system by it's proper name.

When Reggie Fils Aime talks at the Nintendo E3 Press Conferences, do you ever once hear him refer to the Wii as just Nintendo. I sure don't. He addresses the Wii as the Wii because it's called the the Wii.

And on your last point, when did I ever mention that I texted or used a cell phone? :?

When I say I'm going to play a video game I say I'm going to play a game on my Wii, or I'm going toplay the Wii.I don't say I'm going to play my"Nintendo", orI'm going to play a game on my "Nintendo",that doesn't make sense. No one else that I know of, or have ever talked to refers to anything Nintendo has made as just Nintendo.

J_Ford

Just saying "Nintendo" can mean you're talking about/referring to anything they've made.

J_Ford

While there are some great third party games that should had done better, it's not really nintendo's responsibility to do other developer's jobs for them.

goblaa

Indeed, but Nintendo can throw a bone once in a while....

An interesting topic and comparison, but in regards to them, there is a distinct and fundamental difference between Oprah Winfrey and Nintendo that potentially plays a major factor into all of this. Whereas Oprah is a person, Nintendo's a cooperation. How is this important? Well, let's think about it this way... It's much easier for Oprah to share her opinion and recommendation about a book and have it be received by her fanbase, seeing as how Oprah tends to connect with her audience in a different and more personal way than Nintendo connects with the owners of its systems. People who watch Oprah's show probably do so because they happen to like what she does and represents as a human being, creating a trust factor from a more human perspective. A typical Nintendo system owner doesn't have this connection with any one major person at Nintendo, so it doesn't present that same human-like vibe. Furthermore, Oprah's not exactly competing with any of the books she's drawing attention to, so it also makes more sense for her to push books than it is for Nintendo to go out of its way for third party games, which do conflict with their own products. From a consumer standpoint, Oprah's suggestion is much easier to understand.

I'm glad you actually brought up third party accessories, as I can now use it to further explain my point. Like you said, people tend to be more inclined to put a few extra bucks into Nintendo's accessories, as there is a trust factor involved there with people being more confident in Nintendo's stuff. And yet, you don't suggest that Nintendo lends a bone to third party accessory-makers in anyway. Well, these same core principles can be applied to the software department, as well. I know that software is probably a much bigger issue than an accessory in most cases, but the situation at hand isn't that drastically different. Nintendo's not out here singing praises about this random and probably pointless third party Wii add-on accessory, and you can't really expect the company to jump through loops to praise third party games, unless the subject of how they are selling come up. That's not to say that they can't talk about them, but I get the feeling you're asking for more than what should be required for any first party company to do, simply because third party developers can't seem to do anything for themselves.

To be honest with you, I think Nintendo has been trying to put third party games a little more in the spotlight, though. If fact, I there are a lot of things people overlook when it comes to Nintendo trying to improve third party relations. Ever heard of Nintendo Week? The first few weeks of the show have been as much about talking to third party developers about their projects as it has with Nintendo on its own games. That said, it still didn't help a game like Spyborgs sell better. Nintendo has also thrown parties at its own Nintendo World Store for third party games (Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution and Muramasa immediately come to mind as a couple of third party games Nintendo has thrown in-store promotions for). However, look at Muramasa's sales, despite the push that has been given by Nintendo. And let's not forget Iwata's comments about drawing more attention to games like Monster Hunter Tri and the Dragon Quest series outside of Japan. None of these things sound like a company that is trying to distance itself from third parties, but rather a company that wants to see these games do well, so they can contribute to the success of their systems in the end.

Last, but not least, you have to understand exactly who it is you're trying to sell games to here and how you're trying to sell them. First of all, I can't say I see something like your Madden example EVER working for Nintendo, especially not as long as the Nintendo consoles remain the worst platform for these games in terms of marketing and quality. Anyone who knows Madden or pretty much any other sports sim almost instantly look towards whatever console(s) that isn't Nintendo's, and it's been this way since the 16-bit days. What you're suggesting is not something that can be controlled by Nintendo at all; it's only when a Madden game decides to make a Nintendo system THE key platform that Nintendo can even hope to make such claims without making everyone look at them like they're foolish. And as long as Nintendo systems also appeal to a large userbase that has no interest in games like Madden, you can't hope for it to change.

People may trust Nintendo, but they trust Nintendo most for its GAMES, not its words. Nintendo can say whatever it wants, but if it's not actually making these third party games, you're not going to get what you're hoping for here, regardless of how much Nintendo talks. If it was that easy, people would have been rushing to stores the moment Reggie mentioned The Conduit, Extraction, and Madworld, but I don't think we'll be seeing any of those games on the November top 10 chart in December. What's more is that not even every Nintendo game becomes a million-selling title, and they have to follow the same rules that third party developers [should] follow if they want their games to do well. Now, if you have something legit that might work, I'm all for hearing it, but as of this very moment, if third party want to see better sales, this is something they'll have to figure out on their own.