Nintendo's biggest problem is Nintendo

here's a pretty good opinion piece from polygon which sums up nintendo's recent failures and impending challenge with the switch. link to the article, full text below:

The video gaming world owes much to Nintendo, something that is easy to forget.

It was Nintendo which, following a crash of interest and sales in video games in the early 80s, managed to not only revive the industry, but reinvent it. The Nintendo Entertainment System brought with it a series of defining firsts. The NES did much to kickstart the medium’s steady rebirth and evolution from children’s hobby to sophisticated, meaningful medium.

But the Nintendo of today faces a seemingly endless stream of struggles. And the company’s biggest challenge as it fights to survive an epic console failure in the Wii U is, it seems, the company itself.

This year couldn’t be a more stark example of Nintendo versus Nintendo.

For each wonderful, innovative bit of tech Nintendo rolls out, Nintendo is right there to make sure there’s something to put people off.

Take just the last month.

Announced in July, the NES Classic Edition is a tiny, almost hand-sized remake of Nintendo’s original 1985 video game console. The perfect replica, only smaller, comes with 30 games built in, a single controller and the ability to plug into a television via HDMI to deliver the classic games in high definition.

The adorable retro remake was instantly embraced as a must-have for the holidays. Fans flocked to stores to pick up the $60 treat. Perhaps too many fans.

The device soon sold out everywhere, and quickly.

Nintendo stepped in to do what Nintendo does best these days: Get in the way of its own success.

The company declined to say how many of the devices were shipping to the U.S. They wouldn’t initially even say where you could buy them. Dedicated video game retailers and big box stories reportedly received as few as 10 or less of the consoles on launch day.

As the scarcity grew, so did the demand.

Nintendo remained diligently silent on where to pick up the consoles, when they would be coming or how many would be delivered.

A substantial grey market bubbled up in the vacuum created by Nintendo’s silence.

Soon, the only reliable place a person could buy the $60 remake was on eBay for $200 to $300 a pop.

As stalwart fans camped overnight in front of stores with hopes of paying the stock price for the tech, eBay was at one point selling one of the devices every 18 seconds.

In the final three weeks of November, Nintendo sold nearly 200,000 of the remakes in the U.S. alone. Or to put it another way, Nintendo sold nearly as many NES Classics in its first three weeks as it did the Wii U console in its last six months. While that might sound like a lot, it’s important to remember that it still doesn’t approach the numbers of a full console’s launch. For instance, Sony sold more than a million PS4s on launch day in North America.)

But what could have been, should have been, a wonderful moment for Nintendo was twisted into a marketing train wreck with fans and parents either having to wait in lines to find out they couldn’t buy the thing or pay four times the asking price on eBay.

Nintendo either greatly mismanaged the manufacturing and distribution of the console, or simply didn’t understand its own market. And it wasn’t the first time, the same exact issues befuddled the launch of Nintendo’s cute little Amiibo figures.

Earlier this week, Nintendo had another chance to win over fans.

The company, once famously reticent about bringing any of its games or characters to the smartphone, released its first full, real game to the iPhone.

Super Mario Run is a game designed to strip down to the basics, the elements of the classic Nintendo Mario games that have moved so many consoles and forged so many happy memories. Mario automatically runs to the right of your phone screen. Players simply have to tap on the screen to tell him to jump to collect coins, traverse the landscape and do little tricks.

It’s a fun, hard-to-put down nostalgia engineseemingly designed to bring Nintendo fans back into the fold. Unless you try to play it anywhere there isn’t a cellphone or WiFi signal.

Nintendo, it seems, showed up to rain on Nintendo’s parade.

The company, which has a history of allowing its fears of piracy to adversely impact the games it creates that dates back to the ’80s, decided the best way to prevent someone from stealing its $10 game was require an online check-in before and after after every little game you play. Don’t have a strong enough connection, or none at all because you’re on a subway, in an elevator, on a plane or simply live out in the country? Then you get a big error message that prevents you from doing anything with the $10 app you just purchased.

There always seems to be that little twist, the dulling of excitement built into Nintendo’s products and games these days. It’s the product, I think, of a company with one foot firmly nailed in the past and a company struggling internally to redefine itself.

And unfortunately, Nintendo needs the goodwill of fans, of players of everyone right now. Following the disaster of the Wii U, the company can’t release another failed console and remain an independent, platform creator. With the Switch, Nintendo’s still secretive hybrid portable and home gaming system, the company has a big chance to not just catch up, but leapfrog the competition.

They have the innovation, they have the games. I just hope that when Nintendo fully unveils its new system next month, and the price they’re asking people to pay for it, that Nintendo doesn’t show up to ruin everything.

Brian Crecente, writing for Polygon

aint no body gonna read that sh*t

we already know Nintendo has been sucking balls for years now.

That was a good read. It highlights some of their frustrating decisions made this year.

They are very hard to understand, sometimes making decisions that just seem completely off the wall.

Nintendos biggest problem is they are constantly 20 years behind the other 2.

I am not even joking when I say this, but all they do is remake the same N64 games in gamecube graphics in HD with an added annoying gimmick claiming innovation.

And they appear to becoming even more lazy/cheap by doubling down on the switch. Instead of porting 2 games, now they can just make 1.

@stuff238:

"I am not even joking when I say this, but all they do is remake the same N64 games in gamecube graphics in HD with an added annoying gimmick claiming innovation."

That's a bit of a stretch... :/

Not much of a stretch at all.

Nintendo will fail.

@doubutsuteki:

I don't think they remake the same games since the N64. Franchises will naturally have their similarities, of course.

Second statement has no relation to the type of games Nintendo create.

Nope, you're right: It'll fail regardless of games. But if it had some original and innovative games coming out for it, it could do less badly in the marketplace, but right now it seems it doesn't.

@doubutsuteki:

We will have to wait and see. All we have to go on so far is a 3 minutes and 30 second demonstration video.

Personally, I'd like to see the Switch work out. I like gaming on the go.

Nothing except for a tablet or smartphone with built in buttons is going to cut it for me, I'm afraid. And certainly not something with a custom Nintendo OS on it.

@doubutsuteki:

Well, I personally wouldn't know. I don't play many video games on a tablet or smart-phone. I do know there are excellent titles on those platforms but I get my portable fix on the 3DS. It has a blend of meaty games and quick games that I like and the attention it gets from game developers is something that I hope Switch can deliver on.

The OS doesn't matter to me.

What I look for in a portable gaming system is something I can play on the go but something I also want to invest time in even when I am at home.

Polygon, an organisation which declared us gamers dead. It's dead to me.

Good article, and sums it up pretty accurately.

I wonder if it has to do with Nintendo Japan making too many of the big decisions... maybe they should let the American arm do most of the decision making. I don't know...

lol..we'll see. when switch is revealed and released.

Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild (from what we've seen) are all vastly different games.

Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy 1 & 2 and 3D World are all vastly different games.

I really don't understand how Nintendo has this stigma but Naughty Dog releases the same game with shinier graphics 4 times and people praise the games to kingdom come. Makes ZERO sense.

The problem with Nintendo is the 120 years old people that are in charge of Nintendo

lol yeah, they just care about money, which is understandable, but it won't sell anymore.

So much ignorance in this thread...

Surprisingly well written article especially when you consider the fact its from Polygon (lolPolygon). The Switch will most likely fail to catapult them to relevancy. I predict Western 3rd party abandoning it due to its extremely underpowered hardware. Diehard Nintendo fans will buy and love it but I think the rest of the gaming population will ignore it unfortunately. It's too bad, Nintendo have so many great IPs and innovative ideas when it comes to actual videogames but the people who run Nintendo are stupid as hell. They are too stubborn to change and evolve with the times.

Linked a Polygon article to back up claim.

Credibility instantly lost.

Anyway, Nintendo's market has always been everyone, they want anybody to be able to pick up a video game and have fun.

Good intentions, but video games are a niche market, so it's no wonder people have turned to Microsoft and Sony to cater to their hobby.

@xdude85: Hopefully Nintendo can save us, imagine a world where all the games cater to adult males. What a sad industry it would be. Games designed for everyone die on such devices.

I just want them to keep making their games. They may be few and far between but we still get an amazing game here and there.

People love to hate on NES Classic here. And I completely agree they suck at serving the consumers- they didn't ship enough units, they aren't telling us when there will be more or where to get them. And it's also missing a handful of games. But I'm happy to have mine since day 1. And I can't wait for the day SNES Classic arrives. The library that thing could have gives me goosebumps.

Nintendo is doomed

OK.

I happen to be playing Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma now which was released for PC in addition to the PS Vita and the 3DS.

@doubutsuteki: That game is awesome on the 3DS cause you can take notes and post to Miiverse.

Why'd you wanna do that?

Will it allow you to play the game in 1920x1080 with x16 MSAA? And in the original japanese dub with subtitles in the english version?

I'm pretty tired of NIntendo's shitty distribution of their cool stuff. Missed out on stuff like the Majora's Mask new 3DS model and Fire Emblem Fates Special edition. Good thuing I didn't have much interest in the NES Classic or I might have gotten screwed over there too.

I know I stopped taking them seriously after that bullshit Bayonetta 2 review.

@doubutsuteki: Cause its fun and doesnt need those other gimmicks?

Haha. You're fun-ny.

Apparently it looks really crappy on the 3DS even compared to on the PS Vita:

http://gematsu.com/2016/04/zero-time-dilemma-ps-vita-3ds-screenshots

There are frame rate dips on the 3DS version, as well, according to this review: http://wegotthiscovered.com/gaming/zero-time-dilemma-review/

so are we just going to ignore the article and bash the source? polygon isn't a monolith. they don't sit down the singular entity known as "polygon" and make it write every article. like other sites, including this one, they have some shitty reviews and articles, but it's telling that you aren't bothering to refute what's written in this piece.

@doubutsuteki: Its still more fun on 3DS.

I'll take the superior version on the superior platform, thanks.

@doubutsuteki: Dont fall for the gimmicks mate, 3DS version is superior.

And much more expensive, in fact: $39.99 for the game on 3DS - the poorest version. It hasn't even seen a european release on physical media for the 3DS: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/zero-escape-zero-time-dilemma-3ds

https://twitter.com/aksysgames/status/660213398949359617

Otherwise it means importing from the U.S., like if it was 1990.

Why would anyone do that when the game can be had much cheaper in its best version: http://store.steampowered.com/app/311240/

yup, me too. Havent bought a 3Ds game for a couple years now.

@doubutsuteki: Cause its funner on 3DS, cant put a price on excellence.

don't feed this troll.

I think you meant to say "can't put a price on stupidity". Your stupidity is just that - priceless.

If you don't like Nintendo, you don't like Nintendo. Wanting them to be like Sony or Microsoft is fucking dumb.

I like Sony for being Sony, I like Nintendo for being Nintendo, and I like Microsoft for being Microsoft.

This fanboy crying isn't getting anyone anywhere. In the time it took to type out your moronic opinions, you could be enjoying a game on a system you like.

@Ghost_Dub: did you read the article? This is about Nintendo always doing something incredibly obtuse with each right move they make, not comparing them to Sony/MS. Though it'd be great if Nintendo WERE like them in this respect, then we'd have a gaming company that was actually competent in business as well as making games. Thank God for Nintendo's sake the talent of their developers can help offset the imbecility of their upper management. Though apparently, even that will not be enough if these executive dinosaurs don't remove their heads out of their asses and stop shooting themselves in the foot at every possible turn.

Next up:Switch has AO DRM.

@doubutsuteki:

I heard great things about that series but I haven't had the chance to play it yet.

Currently playing Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies and Pokemon Moon on 3DS.

@MirkoS77: You're suggesting Sony and Microsoft are both perfect in the consumer's eyes? That's absolutely laughable. Boy, the things cows and lemmings say here are quite fantastical.

Those game companies have sold their soul to vicious third party companies who put out 90 percent crap these days. Now, I'm in no way saying Nintendo are any better, but are stupid in other ways. At least their first party titles (for the most part) are of much higher quality than their console competitors.

Sony and Microsoft have a large base of followers, and they can sell a lot of systems to these followers, but what have they actually done right, except tying software to accounts instead of systems? Nintendo have said they are changing to that formula with the Switch. Achievements and trophies? Those aren't necessary for gaming, most pc gamers think of Steam achievements as an afterthought. Paid online? Yeah, pc gamers have rejected that practice as well.

All you're really left with is a cultuistic following of semi-brainwashed consumers and fans who will buy whatever systems Sony and Microsoft put out. They sell well. Woohoo, a lot of things sell well that are crap, which proves consumers aren't always the smartest of people. They follow stupid trends and simply like what's popular. At any time their success could change overnight like any consumer brand.

After seeing the shortlived but huge success of Pokemon Go I'm surprised Nintendo doesn't make their own version for phones ... one that actually has good gameplay in the long term. Would be a cash cow for them. Seriously, license Pokemon Go and make a sequel that mixes in the gameplay quality of actual Nintendo Pokemon games.

@Ghost_Dub: Where did he suggest they were perfect?

Everything you're saying about Sony and MS, Nintendo wants that crap, as you call it, on their console. Nintendo announced they same partners as the other two and hope they still around to make the Switch sell. Nintendo is selling it soul too by your definition. The PS4 and X1 are not crap, they are consoles and the Switch being portable isn't any different. Just a console, less powerful, but still just a console. I think Nintendo has the cult following out of the three. Hell, most Sony and X1 owners love Nintendo if I had to guess, but Nintendo let them down over last two generations. Gamers want Nintendo games and great third parties on one console.

Hipster, down with the establishment.

@nintendoboy16: Infusing highly questionable politics into a review renders it void. There are things to say about morality but that review is like giving the review of a car to a person who objects to fossil fuels and spends the whole review discussing climate change. Stick to the game.

@princeofshapeir: Yes I'm going to ignore everything polygon says because its official policy was to attack gamers and our culture. I don't need their opinions, and I don't need their site. I know games better than the majority of people especially the hipsters posing as serious reviewers on sites like these.

For all the good Nintendo has done for the gaming industry, I don't think they are necessary anymore. They simply don't make products the majority of gamers care for and don't seem to have a desire to change. They peaked during the SNES era and have headed towards a downward spiral ever since. If Nintendo announced they were getting out of the video game industry tomorrow I think most would be able to move on quite fast.

The sad truth is that Nintendo is just a shadow of its former self. Its a hard reality to accept given how great they use to be.

I'm always seeing Nintendo get heavy amounts of criticism, and outside of the cow and lemming war with each other, both Sony and Microsoft get free passes on the shit they do, especially in the mainstream media.

What you're saying makes no sense, because what I'm seeing from Nintendo absolutely is nothing like PS4 or XB1 with the Switch. They are doing something totally different, something desperately needed in this stagnating industry.

It's not surprising at all to see morons concerning themselves more with power than fresh games. If I'm a hipster for wanting change and originality, you're a corporate slave for licking the establishment's boots.

I mean, are you really content with games taking a decade to develop, or and endless sea of annual rehashes, sequels and remakes?