How Nintendo will win...and still lose.

Stay objective through this - you may find it painful. These are my thoughts on the next console cycle for Nintendo.

We the faithful Nintendoites, yes those of us that have even been with the big N since NES will be a little left out this cycle. Why? We aren't the target audience. I think Wii has the chance to take off huge...and the games that follow that flood will be different than what we are used too. They won't be geared towards us - instead the *new* crowd will be the target group for sales....take a look at brain training games - way too many people jumped on that bandwagon. Do you train your brain in minutes a day? Everyday? Since it was released? Didn't think so. I wonder if the next time I do play if the kind Dr. won't make some sort of remark about 'Oh!! I thought you died!!' Anyway - getting OT here.

To the current gaming community as a whole...the Wii will be a flop. Why? Because it won't have the titles other systems have...that must mean a flop....right? It's so weak compared to the 'real' consoles of Sony and Microsoft.  Pffft. I don't expect to have a whole whackload of titles I *have* to own....but I will end up with the ultimate Nintendo catalog of games. Thanks VC, you're the best!

Most gamers won't care about all the other channels on Wii - I certainly don't. I have stated for years along with other N users that I want a game machine - not a computer. Now it's interesting to me to see so many of those same people change their opinions and say how great the channels are. I think they suck, I want a game machine, I want the ultimate Nintendo - not a toaster / blender / ice machine. BUT, Nintendo has to go that route, why? The other group they are targeting. I now refer to them as 'The Others'.

So Wickerman....you are sounding pretty moody and downright hateful right now? Sup with that?

Fear not - Wii can become a powerhouse in the industry and if the cards are played right (and so far they are) this thing is going to be gigantic. The way Nintendo will win will be with 'The Others'. That massive group that will love the idea of having channels and Mii's and the simple fun games. Those that aren't full on into games will be the ones that can catapult Wii into the history books.

The rest of us will be hungry. Sure we'll still get all the great titles we demand, less we take our money somewhere else. And VC - we'll all end up with loads of great games to enjoy, both new and old.....but remember when I spoke of Brain Training (look up towards the top of this)? That's what stands a VERY good chance of happening to Wii......one successful title on say....fishing.....and BOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll have 'Swordfish Derby 2007', 'Bass Fishin', 'Salt Water Fishing Tournement', 'Catfish Cottage' and countless others that to us - will be total crap. To some of 'The Others' - they will be heaven. We win, we lose and still we're all happy.

Guard your exitement, prepare for lots of games you don't want and have patience.

Hope I worded this properly - I did the best I could at the moment.

i too think that Nintendo is doing a good job and that they will come out big in the long-run. But what I can't understand is this:
Why would Nintendo try to attract a new audience, the kind of people who rarely or never play videogames, and not have commercials. To some kids at school I would say "I am getting a Wii in November" and I always get one of two reactions, "did you say weed?" or "what is that?"
it really defeats the purpose of trying to attract a new audience, if you are not going to tell them about it. :roll:

Well, I dont see Nintendo's marketing to "others" as a bad thing actually.... they still plan on making actual games that the hardcore fans like us enjoy, they are just trying to expand the possibilities of games.  Think about it, are we really seeing anything on Wii that we wouldnt have seen had they not tried to market to the others? No.  We still have Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and a few new IPs.... its already more geared to our type of gamer than the GCN was, so I really have no problem with ninendo's strategy.

As for wii channels, dont take this the wrong way, but perhaps you are too old to understand what is good about having multimedia on a console (yes, I said old lol).  My generation is a lot more into electronics and multimedia than any generation before us, the multimedia functions are aimed more at teens like me and the middle aged rather than people in your age grou[... so I can see why youd say it sucks.  However, its just like the game marketing issue, would it really be any different had their been no Wii Channels at all?  No, it is still wii, just now we have wii channels as well... plus Nintendo isnt shoving it down our throats like Sony is witht he "supercomputer"

yea, even if you hate the idea of Wii channels, they are still there just in case you are ever interested in them. I personally think that the Mii channel online is awsome, I hope you have a friend list on that, so only your friends or your friends' friends can visit with you.

I am part of your generation REVfreak, and I agree with you to an extent. Yes, we all like multimedia, but when it comes down to it, how many 14 year-olds are actually going to be using some channels like the calender or photo album. I don't know about you, but I plan to stay far away from channels like that.

I personally think that the Mii channel online is awsome, I hope you have a friend list on that, so only your friends or your friends' friends can visit with youRadSnake

:lol: maybe so - i'm not hating the other channels, they just don't pique my interest any. i have no plans to use the browser. sure - i'll make a Mii, i really won't care what it loks like or anything.

i also don't see marketing to others as a bad thing - quite the opposite. i think that while we still get our crack rock in the form of zelda, metroid and mario along wioth some sprinklings of RE and others...we'll see longer wait times in between these titles, maybe - it's what i'm expecting. twilight princess was supposed to come out a year ago for the cube, now it's a launch title. do you think we'll see another proper zelda console titles before 2009? and what after MP3? there'll always be countless mario games.

let me word my point his way - say 10 million Wii units sell in the first calender year of release. i don't think we'll be seeing the vast majority of those people here. we may not see any increase here (gamespot) because they are a different breed.....BUT i think ultimatley this will benfit us in some ways - longer dev times on bigger name franchises that now have more money in the bank to dev with = even better games.

:lol: maybe so - i'm not hating the other channels, they just don't pique my interest any. i have no plans to use the browser. sure - i'll make a Mii, i really won't care what it loks like or anything.

i also don't see marketing to others as a bad thing - quite the opposite. i think that while we still get our crack rock in the form of zelda, metroid and mario along wioth some sprinklings of RE and others...we'll see longer wait times in between these titles, maybe - it's what i'm expecting. twilight princess was supposed to come out a year ago for the cube, now it's a launch title. do you think we'll see another proper zelda console titles before 2009? and what after MP3? there'll always be countless mario games.

let me word my point his way - say 10 million Wii units sell in the first calender year of release. i don't think we'll be seeing the vast majority of those people here. we may not see any increase here (gamespot) because they are a different breed.....BUT i think ultimatley this will benfit us in some ways - longer dev times on bigger name franchises that now have more money in the bank to dev with = even better games.

wickerman2004

AMEN

:lol: maybe so - i'm not hating the other channels, they just don't pique my interest any. i have no plans to use the browser. sure - i'll make a Mii, i really won't care what it loks like or anything.

i also don't see marketing to others as a bad thing - quite the opposite. i think that while we still get our crack rock in the form of zelda, metroid and mario along wioth some sprinklings of RE and others...we'll see longer wait times in between these titles, maybe - it's what i'm expecting. twilight princess was supposed to come out a year ago for the cube, now it's a launch title. do you think we'll see another proper zelda console titles before 2009? and what after MP3? there'll always be countless mario games.

let me word my point his way - say 10 million Wii units sell in the first calender year of release. i don't think we'll be seeing the vast majority of those people here. we may not see any increase here (gamespot) because they are a different breed.....BUT i think ultimatley this will benfit us in some ways - longer dev times on bigger name franchises that now have more money in the bank to dev with = even better games.

wickerman2004

"A delayed game eventually will be a good game, while a bad game will forever be a bad game,"

i too think that Nintendo is doing a good job and that they will come out big in the long-run. But what I can't understand is this:
Why would Nintendo try to attract a new audience, the kind of people who rarely or never play videogames, and not have commercials. To some kids at school I would say "I am getting a Wii in November" and I always get one of two reactions, "did you say weed?" or "what is that?"
it really defeats the purpose of trying to attract a new audience, if you are not going to tell them about it. :roll:

RadSnake

Ok heres my perspective on the next cycle of consoles. There is alot of hype behind the Wii. People are saying all over the internet the PS3 was a mistake for Sony and Xbox 360 was a mistake for Microsoft. This is partially thanks to the fusion tour. Nintendo is no longer looking to build a system thats a toy. Look at the gamecube and the Wii's design. It's for everyone.

Thats Nintendo's aim. Instead of aiming at the younger market they are starting to see the whole picture. They want to make games for everyone... that means kids, teens, and adults. Look at Metroid. It's their first Nintendo FPS since the N64.

Now is the industry reacting? Oh ya. Kindom Hearts has said that they are going to sit back and wait to see what the next game will be built for. That means they have doubts... Doubts that the graphic race isn't going to control the future of the console market. The Wii is the perfect system for an action rpg like KH. They know this. If it sells, them among many other game producers are going to be running to Nintendo to make games.

So this is my conclusion. A year from now, alot of people will have tried the Wii and realize its actully fun. After that, Nintendo is going to have to start making more consoles, because people are going to be buying them like its the biggest thing since toilet paper. Not just that, by next year they will be selling for $200. They are cheap. :D
Bayleon

I know this is probably a nonexistent problem elsewhere, but being the Nintendo fan that I am I cant help but notice.  Oh yeah, and I also think that Wii will have a price drop sometime next year.  I predict a price drop in Spring when new colors come out

[QUOTE="Bayleon"]Ok heres my perspective on the next cycle of consoles. There is alot of hype behind the Wii. People are saying all over the internet the PS3 was a mistake for Sony and Xbox 360 was a mistake for Microsoft. This is partially thanks to the fusion tour. Nintendo is no longer looking to build a system thats a toy. Look at the gamecube and the Wii's design. It's for everyone.

Thats Nintendo's aim. Instead of aiming at the younger market they are starting to see the whole picture. They want to make games for everyone... that means kids, teens, and adults. Look at Metroid. It's their first Nintendo FPS since the N64.

Now is the industry reacting? Oh ya. Kindom Hearts has said that they are going to sit back and wait to see what the next game will be built for. That means they have doubts... Doubts that the graphic race isn't going to control the future of the console market. The Wii is the perfect system for an action rpg like KH. They know this. If it sells, them among many other game producers are going to be running to Nintendo to make games.

So this is my conclusion. A year from now, alot of people will have tried the Wii and realize its actully fun. After that, Nintendo is going to have to start making more consoles, because people are going to be buying them like its the biggest thing since toilet paper. Not just that, by next year they will be selling for $200. They are cheap. :D
REVOLUTIONfreak

I know this is probably a nonexistent problem elsewhere, but being the Nintendo fan that I am I cant help but notice. Oh yeah, and I also think that Wii will have a price drop sometime next year. I predict a price drop in Spring when new colors come out

i agree rev - marketing will play a key role for N this time around. word of mouth might be a pretty good as well, but they need to spend some money and get the thing is different peoples faces - maybe we won't see everything they do - but they need to be doing more than previous efforts.

my eb doesn't have anything about Wii or PS3 up right now - they have moveed everything around though. the DS has a huge section of the wall in the back - but it's 360 you see first when you walk in the door. cube titles are also in the back by the ds....but they are only only shelf space wide - ds is 2. (each space is about 4 feet wide) ps2 still has huge facetime - but it's been moved to another side.

i agree rev - marketing will play a key role for N this time around. word of mouth might be a pretty good as well, but they need to spend some money and get the thing is different peoples faces - maybe we won't see everything they do - but they need to be doing more than previous efforts.

my eb doesn't have anything about Wii or PS3 up right now - they have moveed everything around though. the DS has a huge section of the wall in the back - but it's 360 you see first when you walk in the door. cube titles are also in the back by the ds....but they are only only shelf space wide - ds is 2. (each space is about 4 feet wide) ps2 still has huge facetime - but it's been moved to another side.

wickerman2004

^ Blasphemy! Change your name to heathen!

Heh... j/k. But we'll see what happens in '07...

I know this is probably a nonexistent problem elsewhere, but being the Nintendo fan that I am I cant help but notice.  Oh yeah, and I also think that Wii will have a price drop sometime next year.  I predict a price drop in Spring when new colors come outREVOLUTIONfreak

no, in my local ebgames, they recently changed everything around and now PSP has a hole wall to itself, on another wall it is XBOX 360, another is PS3 and another is XBOX. then in the very back of the store they have 1 or 2 rows of GC games and the same amount of space for DS games!!!! They have posters everywhere for Wii, but they are not even getting a Wii demo!!! sometimes, big retail chains piss me off.

First of all you arent really being objective. You are basing all of this on how there are things of the Wii that you dont like or you arent used to. Not all of these are facts anyway. I'm sure that there BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHls, and wi fi compatability it is absolutely idiotic for someone who is supposedly a Nintendo fan to say that it will be a flop. That is my viewpoint you can take it or leave it. Who knows maybe the definition "true Nintendoite" has changed over the years.JackKrauser04

YOU SIR MISSED THE POINT - BY MILES. :|