@abHS4L88 @JRLennis You're lucky, then. I remember renting a Nintendo Gameboy for a week back in 1990. Tetris became my obsession for that week. When it was over, my neck was so sore that I could hardly move it for days. And that was just playing Tetris. I couldn't imagine what a full-blown RPG would do to me, especially now that I'm older. :(
Perhaps video game companies do spend too much on marketing and spectacle. Maybe informed gamers would prefer less glitz and more substance. The problem is that informed gamers are no longer the desired audience for these companies. It's the casual crowd. Casual consumers need to see a lot of bright lights and scantily clad models to get excited about a product, or at least that's the mentality of the company execs. The people who really care about substance in gaming is a stagnant demographic, from their point of view. That said, I might admire Nintendo for taking a lower profile at E3 if not for the fact they're doing it for a disingenuous reason. We're not deceived. Nintendo just doesn't have a lot to show this year.
I put Iwata up for being honest about Nintendo's missteps with the Wii-U. Communicating clearly with consumers is especially important when the company is in a difficult position. Consumer confidence in the brand can be spurred when the company acknowledges it has a problem and is actively working to correct it.
You notice that he mentioned the Japanese audience first instead of saying they would deliver information to everyone? Maybe I'm reading too much into that, but the fact that Iwata will be heading up Nintendo of America - from Japan - and still has a Japan-centric mentality may signal increasing pessimism about overseas markets.
Anyway, skipping E3 at a time when Sony and Microsoft are about to bring out the big guns is one of the worst marketing moves Nintendo can make, assuming there's any other move for them TO make. It suggests that the first party titles they are developing are not yet at a state of completion that can be showcased to the public. That means more than likely that those games will not be ready before the PS4 and X-Box 3 launch. This is abysmal timing, and gives undecided gamers that much more incentive to skip Nintendo this generation.
I'll say it again: Nintendo screwed up by unveiling the Wii-U too soon. If it were still under wraps they could at least give us the illusion that they had a strong hand. Now everyone knows their hand is weak.
You know, these games would sell even better if the big consoles could play them, too. This would be an instant buy but for my hatred of handhelds. Who wants to play a 60+ hour RPG on a tiny screen and test the limits of neck pain staring at it?
@dre256x It ISN'T a good strategy. A few 1st party games are not enough to keep up with Sony and Microsoft's upcoming marketing push. They'll be able to tread water for a little while, but when the competing systems finally do come out, they'll flounder.
@nintendoboy16 @Patohua1 Sega and Atari didn't leave the hardware market because they wanted to. They left because they had no choice. When you make mistakes in business there are consequences, and Sega and Atari made many. (Kind of like Nintendo is doing now.)
"Cutting costs" sounds like reflex corporate speak when nobody really knows how to right the sinking ship. What, are they suggesting that they've been wasting money up to this point? I don't buy it.
The bottom line is that Nintendo released the Wii-U too soon, before there were enough games to support the system, and before they knew what next-gen would truly entail. Now they are in the unenviable position of having a new but underpowered system with an underperforming library at a time when Sony and Microsoft are about to flex their marketing muscle. Since Nintendo cannot very well develop another system in response, their only play is the Mario and Zelda card. No matter how good those games turn out to be, it will not be enough to keep up with their competition. Whoever is responsible for Nintendo's business plan needed to lose his job a long time ago. Now it's too late.
Nintendo will not die, but the Wii-U will be their last foray in the mainline console market. They've made too many mistakes to remain a major player.
@Hurvl Games have become big business, and movie makers want a piece of that business. Sadly, they aren't looking at the right games to translate into films. Prince of Persia wasn't bad, but they can do better.
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