http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000617071552/ - Iwata was quoted in the presentation as saying: “If we cannot expand the market, all we can do is wait for the industry to slowly die.” - If that is Nintendo's attitude, they will have a very, very hard time of it. I know Nintendo has to look big and strong, but that sort of attitude only comes off as shallow and arrogant. This sort of thinly veiled insult of Microsoft and Sony is low brow, and I'm very dissapointed to see Nintendo taking this sort of "If we don't succeed, the sky will fall" attitude. This just isn't the Nintendo I grew up with. Don't get me wrong: this isn't an attack on Nintendo as a games manufacturer. I expressed my love for the company in my very first blog post. However, this shows Nintendo's famous arrogance and single-mindedness in ways previously thought impossible. Needless to say, I don't agree with Nintendo's corporate ideology of insulting the competition and the industry as a whole. A few things need to be made absolutely clear: 1. It is possible to draw in new players without making gimmicks mandatory. Optional gimmicks such as the EyeToy and the DDR mat do the job just as well. Also good are games that are easy to get into but difficult to master. 2. The reason the DS has outsold the PSP isn't because people are so infatuated with the touch screen. It's just that the PSP has remained stagnant since it's already iffy launch while the DS has gotten new games that people want. If the PSP had a good launch and a steady stream of games people gave a damn about, the DS would have been left in the dust most likely. GBA compatibility also helped the DS greatly. Let me make something absolutely clear: The Xbox 360 will be in full swing by the time the Revolution comes out, and the PS3 will have a much better backward compatibility advantage. The Revolution will not benefit from the alignment of the planets the way the DS has. 3. Just how "casual" are the users of the DS? Yes, we've heard of a few women converted to the DS from Nintendogs, but just how many of the DS' sales can be attributed to that? By contrast, how many DS units have been bought by existing Game Boy fans? Nintendo needs to do some serious market research to see just where the DS is succeeding rather than blindly relying on the "cool gadget" appeal to drive the Revolution. 4. The market will not die because of a lack of casual gamers. The only thing that can kill the industry is the complete lack of niche and family-friendly titles. In this regard, the industry is quite safe. Kids will mostly be introduced to gaming by Nintendo. Many of them will become ardent Nintendo fans like myself. However, many more will move on to the consoles that deliver more games that aren't Mario, Zelda or Metroid. 5. If EA is showing interest, Nintendo needs to be extremely cautious. If EA and other companies flood the Revolution with garbage the way they have with the DS, Nintendo is in serious trouble. Now might be a good time to revive the Mario Club review policy. In short, it's not that I'm rooting against Nintendo. I wish they do well, if only to keep gaming from becoming an "adults only" hobby. However, for Nintendo to succeed, they need to stop acting like they're the saviors of the industry and start thinking of themselves as simply another competitor. In short, Iwata and company need to come down off their high horses.