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[JoeM86]

Easy and quick software update to the WiiU -> remove the mandatory and pointless gamepad -> sell WiiU w/o gamepad for 200$ -> sell infinite digits of WiiUs -> third parties will release exclusive games to a console that's more profitable (lowers graphics -> lowers assets -> lower cost)

Incidentally, improve online services and release GBA games in the Virtual Console; remove the Nintendo Club - NNID - Friend Code - Mii bullshit and propose a unified account like everyone else successfully does: people who actively play videogames, a.k.a. the only real target for any console business that wants to be sustainable year over year, are smarter than Nintendo.

Remove region lock, actually listen to gamers like Sony and Microsoft did.

In short, Nintendo has super easy choices in front of it, but they're stubborn, archaic, close minded and control freaks.

Removing the GamePad would not be an "easy fix".

Also, Nintendo Network is technically a unified account now. Miis aren't "bullshit" and friend codes are gone, though they cannot be removed from the 3DS. eShop purchases are now linked to it somewhat too as evidenced by seeing eShop activity for both 3DS and Wii U in both 3DS and Wii U now. They just need to make a way for you to unlink it with one console and link it with another so that your purchases can carry over. Other than that, it is unified, it is a single account. So how, pray tell, is their NNID account system "bullshit" and needing to be removed? By complaining about NNIDs and Miis, and even Club Nintendo, it gives the impression that you don't actually know what they are.

As for region lock, would it be nice to remove it? Sure. Would it actually make a difference? No. Region locking only matters to a very small, yet very vocal, portion of gamers.

Also, the Wii U being cheaper, without anything to differentiate itself from others, in no way guarantees sales. In fact, I argue that it'd make the situation worse.

 

[PotionBleue]

remove the Nintendo Club - NNID - Friend Code - Mii bullshit

It sounds like you don't even know what you're talking about
I don't see how the Club Nintendo (not Nintendo Club), NNIDs or Miis are “bullshit”. Are you seriously complaining about free goodies and avatars? These are the last of Wii U's problems. They are not even problems.

 

[papercan55]

Still waiting for a nintendo game that my little sister can enjoy, every main title nintendo has released so far has had a time limit on it, which for my little sister is a big no.
mario u
luigi u
pikmin 3
mario 3d world

all have time limits, and all have stopped her from enjoying them.
please Nintendo, at least give an option for really slow players like my sister.

 

[javac]

All I can say is if it's for the better so be it.

 

[enzo_gt]

Great, informative OP. Will be interesting to see if Nintendo can learn from their mistakes through a restructure, and perhaps accelerate towards modernity in various aspects of platform and game development that they have been lagging in for the past 8 years.

 

[JoeM86]

Great, informative OP. Will be interesting to see if Nintendo can learn from their mistakes through a restructure, and perhaps accelerate towards modernity in various aspects of platform and game development that they have been lagging in for the past 8 years.

They did restructure last year. Obviously the results of it won't be known/clear until later this year/2015 due to how business decisions work.

Fingers crossed it'll make a difference. Nintendo don't deserve this.

 

[Bob Coffee]

as someone who purchased a wii U in December, i have to say despite being "underpowered" Ive had a shitload of fun with NSMBU, 3d world, and wonderful 101. and the gamepad streaming is a godsend when i want to play on my bed without the tv on. the console makes sense once you use it, the problem is without using it it seems gimmicky.


3d world is selling consistently now, and if they get content out there in 2014 i can see the console having a bright future. about 75% of the wii u's problems(and ps4 and xbone for that matter) is there's simply not enough out to justify buying the system. the wii U is in a bit better position with good content for now. the other 25% is the piss poor job of marketing Nintendo has done for the console, the wii U isnt the 3ds, it doesnt have pokemans to back it up. Non gamer consumers dont know wtf it is, without explaining it to them. calling it the wii^2 or something denoting that its a more powerful console than the original wii would have done wonders for it along with a price drop to $250(about what i paid for mine during the holidays). Nintendo isn't totally doomed, but they need to pick themselves up off the floor, have a powwow and get a gameplan going to fix things for the wii U.

 

[opticalmace]

Still waiting for a nintendo game that my little sister can enjoy, every main title nintendo has released so far has had a time limit on it, which for my little sister is a big no.
mario u
luigi u
pikmin 3
mario 3d world

all have time limits, and all have stopped her from enjoying them.
please Nintendo, at least give an option for really slow players like my sister.

Yuck, I hate time limits in games. Is that new for 3D Mario games?

 

[sakipon]

It sounds like you don't even know what you're talking about
I don't see how the Club Nintendo (not Nintendo Club), NNIDs or Miis are “bullshit”. Are you seriously complaining about free goodies and avatars? These are the last of Wii U's problems. They are not even problems.

I agree about the NNID and Miis, there's nothing bullshit in them. As for Club Nintendo I am not sure. How much resources does it take to run the club, produce the limited edition goods and send them off? If it's not much, then fine. But I wouldn't miss the system. It's disappointing how perfectly fine and desirable items that could be sold in stores are reserved for some unnecessary insiders club.

 

[Kouriozan]

Any changes now is necessary.
Well, as long as they don't go mobile crazy and continue taking risk (making games despite knowing that they'll bomb)

 

[papercan55]

Yuck, I hate time limits in games. Is that new for 3D Mario games?

No, there was a time limit for 3dland as well. I assumed that was down to it being a handheld game, sadly i was wrong.
The time limit is fine for a lot of people but my little sister can't enjoy the game because she moves slowly and explores a lot, generally takes her time because she isn't experienced. She got killed because of the time limit so many times that she has now given up, the same thing happened with mario u and pikmin 3.

Nintendo needs a shake up, there games are great but they all seem to have one or two stupid design decisions that can only be down to laziness or being stubborn.

 

[ExFalsoQuodlibet]

Removing the GamePad would not be an "easy fix".

Also, Nintendo Network is technically a unified account now. Miis aren't "bullshit" and friend codes are gone, though they cannot be removed from the 3DS. eShop purchases are now linked to it somewhat too as evidenced by seeing eShop activity for both 3DS and Wii U in both 3DS and Wii U now. They just need to make a way for you to unlink it with one console and link it with another so that your purchases can carry over. Other than that, it is unified, it is a single account. So how, pray tell, is their NNID account system "bullshit" and needing to be removed? By complaining about NNIDs and Miis, and even Club Nintendo, it gives the impression that you don't actually know what they are.

As for region lock, would it be nice to remove it? Sure. Would it actually make a difference? No. Region locking only matters to a very small, yet very vocal, portion of gamers.

Also, the Wii U being cheaper, without anything to differentiate itself from others, in no way guarantees sales. In fact, I argue that it'd make the situation worse.

Removing the gamepad for the OS interface/interaction would be super easy, actually I already use the WiiU without the gamepad, is only for the games or single games' parts that need that. Also, in games like Super Mario 3D World the gamepad is there only for the sake of gimmicks, the mandatory switch to the gamepad is very annoying when you're playing with the more comfortable Pro Controller.

I think I have a fair understanding of how the Nintendo multiple accounts work, I've been using them since the original Nintendo DS. My point is, Nintendo has proven itself incredibly stubborn in developing a unified account for its products: I got a WiiU after activating a NNID on the 3DS, that got the feature only recently, and when I turned on the WiiU I was offered the choice to use an existing NNID: the problem was the WiiU could not accept my current NNID without a system update, so I had to create a fake account just to update the system, then add my NNID, then remove the fake account: in january 2014 Nintendo has just implemented a unified account when competitors have been using it for years and gamers have been asking it for years alike, Nintendo's services structure is simply archaic and beyond times, and it still is because you should not "link" an account to a console, but the other way around, like everyone else successfully did for years.

Incidentally, when I entered my NNID data I put the wrong e-mail address, and the WiiU told me that "maybe" I entered the Club Nintendo (true, it's Club Nintendo, not Nintendo Club, my bad) credentials: so, Nintendo is aware that their system is confusing, NNID should also override Club Nintendo.

Also, NNID should provide a unified account that contains the identity on a single user, but the Miis, and the reason why they were created in the first place, that is provide multiple local accounts in the same console, don't fit very well the equation: in fact, I have to "bind" a Mii to the NNID, and that is, to me, confusing. The Mii should be my avatar in the Nintendo Network, but when I entered the my NNID credentials in the WiiU I was asked to "import" that Mii in the WiiU, thus revealing that there's still a "local" meaning tho the concept of Mii.

Region lock, and the blatant lies of Iwata about it, is just one of those things about which Nintendo should just listen to gamers, like Sony and Microsoft did: Nintendo doesn't listen, they try to 100% control their marketing message and in this age, with conscious and informed people buying their products, they just fail, and the WiiU sales clearly show it, especially if you compare them with the sales of the just released next-gen consoles.

The WiiU being cheaper (but without sacrificing the margin, i.e., removing the gamepad) would increase the sales and would secure the WiiU in its position as a secondary console: more WiiUs below TVs, more third party support.

 

[Tookay]

In the end, NSMB Wii wound up being kinda ho-hum. By that I don't mean that it was a bad game, but that it came with lot of the bad habits of Nintendo's other Wii sequels (pointless waggle/motion controls, recycled content, notoriously forgiving difficulty level, etc.). It was "good enough" as people really missed that type of Mario game, but given Nintendo customers' solid track record of moving on when they don't like where the software is going (see: decline in sales for 3D Mario vs. 2D Mario, market resistance to Aonuma Zelda in favor of games with more perceived freedom, the Other M trainwreck), Nintendo should have known they would have to do more than simply make another NSMB sequel to keep the 2D Mario comeback going.

Some of this stuff isn't even true (sales-wise) or even relevant to the expanded audience. Your apparent hatred for Aonuma Zelda doesn't even factor in the fact that the series generally did well on the Wii (especially TP). And the complaints about difficulty or whatever are so internet nitpicky it doesn't even represent the family that purchased NSMBU for their 7 year-old, who is sufficiently challenged by his first Mario. We've got to move beyond this insipid "forum opinions = consensus of the expanded audience" mindset here.

As for the rest of your point, I think Freezie KO pretty effectively rebutted your argument. Nintendo did plenty to try and win back the Wii crowd. Hell, they front-loaded the first year with as many Wii reprises (Wii Sports+, WiiPlay U, WiiFit U, NSMBU, DKC:TF, Game and Wario, arguably Nintendoland) as they could get away with. The games themselves may have been half-assed or unappealing, but that's because there's no where else to go with that crowd or no new way to spin it. The expanded audience wasn't going to be excited by the prospects of any future installments of these Wii series again, no matter what they did.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Aquamarine, Nintendo's share price has gone up more than 50% since hitting its multi-year lows in February of last year, and it has confounded me to no end. The company's dire situation has actually become more apparent since then.

But now it makes total sense. Investors are expecting a bad earnings report and banking on the company switching strategy.

IMO they're going to be totally disappointed. Nintendo hasn't been building anything these past few years. They haven't been making studio acquisitions in order to execute a future strategy, they have no forthcoming hardware, they haven't done anything. They're just a company gambling on a gimmick to sell hardware so they don't have to do the hard work of actually building new IPs, new studios, and strengthening third-party relations.

Ha, they're screwed. Short NTDOY right before earnings and you might can ride the price down from $16.50 to the 12ish range.

So their new big office and putting together their home console and handheld hardware divisions is nothing? Or the introduction of NNID across their systems and Miiverse? They are gearing up their resources for upcoming struggles, it might take some time till we will see the real benefit of these changes, but the WiiU failing doesn't mean they are doing nothing or don't invest in the future at all.

They dropped the price this fall on a system which already was being sold at loss, introduced new attractive bundles with Wind Waker and NSMBU/Luigi U and had a GotY contender ready for the holiday season. I agree that they still need to improve their overall messaging and marketing effort when it comes to WiiU, but let's not act as if sales of the system can only go down from now on. With Smash and MK alone they have 2 titles in their pipeline which are bigger than anything released last year on WiiU.

They are also about to unveil their first F2P title or cloud services like PokeBank. Miiverse is online and on Smartphones. The online Web eshop can't be that far either. They have increased their digital sales in the last quarters on the eShop and are getting better with deals and promotions.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Miiverse or the browser would be ridiculous to use without the pad.

Second screen app to perform that kind of interaction with either a 3DS or a normal smartphone. New simplified interface a bit friendlier to controller only use.

 

[JoeM86]

Removing the gamepad for the OS interface/interaction would be super easy, actually I already use the WiiU without the gamepad, is only for the games or single games' parts that need that. Also, in games like Super Mario 3D World the gamepad is there only for the sake of gimmicks, the mandatory switch to the gamepad is very annoying when you're playing with the more comfortable Pro Controller.

I think I have a fair understanding of how the Nintendo multiple accounts work, I've been using them since the original Nintendo DS. My point is, Nintendo has proven itself incredibly stubborn in developing a unified account for its products: I got a WiiU after activating a NNID on the 3DS, that got the feature only recently, and when I turned on the WiiU I was offered the choice to use an existing NNID: the problem was the WiiU could not accept my current NNID without a system update, so I had to create a fake account just to update the system, then add my NNID, then remove the fake account: in january 2014 Nintendo has just implemented a unified account when competitors have been using it for years and gamers have been asking it for years alike, Nintendo's services structure is simply archaic and beyond times, and it still is because you should not "link" an account to a console, but the other way around, like everyone else successfully did for years.

Incidentally, when I entered my NNID data I put the wrong e-mail address, and the WiiU told me that "maybe" I entered the Club Nintendo (true, it's Club Nintendo, not Nintendo Club, my bad) credentials: so, Nintendo is aware that their system is confusing, NNID should also override Club Nintendo.

Also, NNID should provide a unified account that contains the identity on a single user, but the Miis, and the reason why they were created in the first place, that is provide multiple local accounts in the same console, don't fit very well the equation: in fact, I have to "bind" a Mii to the NNID, and that is, to me, confusing. The Mii should be my avatar in the Nintendo Network, but when I entered the my NNID credentials in the WiiU I was asked to "import" that Mii in the WiiU, thus revealing that there's still a "local" meaning tho the concept of Mii.

Region lock, and the blatant lies of Iwata about it, is just one of those things about which Nintendo should just listen to gamers, like Sony and Microsoft did: Nintendo doesn't listen, they try to 100% control their marketing message and in this age, with conscious and informed people buying their products, they just fail, and the WiiU sales clearly show it, especially if you compare them with the sales of the just released next-gen consoles.

The WiiU being cheaper (but without sacrificing the margin, i.e., removing the gamepad) would increase the sales and would secure the WiiU in its position as a secondary console: more WiiUs below TVs, more third party support.

So you're complaining that Nintendo took so long to make a unified account, and then suggest scrapping it to make a different one? That is illogical.

The Nintendo Network ID is going to be their unified account and you need to get over that. Should they have implemented it sooner? Perhaps, but that in no way means it's "bullshit", as you put it.

Also, how is binding a Mii to your NNID "confusing". It is doing exactly what you suggested. However, as the implementation of NNID comes after the 3DS's launch and the cross between both consoles after Wii U launch, they need to add features for importing and merging to the users. Not doing so would be horrific.

Finally, again, as for the GamePad, removing it will remove all that's unique about the system. It won't sell better just because of it, and it would gimp many of the games that are out and in development for it. It'd be far more damaging to Nintendo. Just because you find some uses "gimmicky" does not mean all are and that it should be removed.

 

[cyberheater]

People keep focusing on the hardware but in my opinion I believe the software is too expensive at retail and in the eShop which is an significant barrier to me especially considering the alternatives such as Sony's PSN+ which offers extraordinary value and is a compelling to the consumer.

 

[JoeM86]

People keep focusing on the hardware but in my opinion I believe the software is too expensive at retail and in the eShop which is an significant barrier to me especially considering the alternatives such as Sony's PSN+ which offers extraordinary value and is a compelling to the consumer.

Because games on the PSN are so cheap? I went through on my friend's PS4 on Wednesday and saw the prices: £52.99, £54.99, £59.99.

How is that better than Nintendos, which are typically £34.99, £39.99 and sometimes, albeit ridiculously, £49.99?

Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are stuck with having to charge RRP for their online titles due to how retailers grab them. They state that they cannot attempt to undercut their own recommended prices outside of sales else they will stop stocking their products. It's a horrible situation, but it's not exclusive to Nintendo so you should get over it.

Just because Sony have started throwing things behind a paywall and try to placate it with free games does not mean it's better than Nintendo.

 

[Mpl90]

Great thread, Aquamarine, as always.

My opinion on the matter.

Will there be changes in their policies? We all hope so. There are many things Nintendo get right, but so many others they get wrong, unfortunately. Iwata already started a rework of the internal teams, by merging handheld and home divisions for software development. And that includes OS development as well. Moreover, they're still hiring peole.

Will these changes make them go on mobile for developing games? Hell no. Yes, investors are saying "go to mobile! Put next main Pokémon there! Gazillionss!!!!!!1!1!!1", but they perfectly know that such kind of move would make put their handheld business in danger, and that's something they won't do. But mobile offerings that promote their console titles? Yes, of course! That's how mobile can actually help Nintendo! Nintendo Direct App, Miiverse App, eShop app, upcoming releases promotional apps...that's what to do.

So far, Nintendo has always looked at the internal market first and then at what happens overseas. Things could change, making both Japanese and Western markets important sources of infos for their next consoles, but this is why I'm so curious to know their plans fir the next handheld. 3DS is by far the biggest console over there, but mobile is bigger than the whole console market nowadays (which says certainly a lot about other consoles now, but that's not the only reason...). So, wheter they look at Japan or the whole world, their next handheld console will try to capture some of the mobile environment.
A phone which is also a console? No, that would cost way too much, would not be considered for traditional offering and would suffer against Apple, Samsung, etc.etc.
A console that allows easy porting from mobile platforms + some possible lite phone-likeoffering (a much more advanced chat...Nintendo Call?) + Wii U-like graphics (which should come for cheap in late 2016, given how 4GB LPDDR4 DRAm already happens next year), all for a good price, $199.99 max? That's a good possibility. Despite the possibility of Vita being the last traditional Sony handheld (thus, leaving open space to Nintendo in the traditional market), they must not relax in third party relationships over there. Moreover, creating tools for easy portings from Western devs (especially if the console support modern shaders) is essential for expanding its offering outside of Nintendo + Japan, as I've explained in my thread about what Nintendo should learn from UK.

The next "gimmick" (if there's one) is going to be another interesting factor. In my opinion, they should go with haptic tech, the real evolution of touch screens, something far more akin to DS and Wii eras compared to 3DS and Wii U, but that all depends on costs. Next handheld can't be over $199.99 (basic SKU, at least).

 

[Lagspike_exe]

They can launch smartphone games only as a secondary revenue source. If they sold Mario games for $5 on the Appstore, they would need 10x the sales to match the revenue of 1 retail game and that's before Apple takes 30% cut. It's not a sustainable business for them.

Great OP, btw.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I hate that Iwata has to answer to investors. I really fucking hate it.

I mean, where have the good times of spending other people's money without absolutely no oversight gone?

Jokes aside, could you expand on this a bit please?

 

[Anth0ny]

Finally, again, as for the GamePad, removing it will remove all that's unique about the system. It won't sell better just because of it, and it would gimp many of the games that are out and in development for it. It'd be far more damaging to Nintendo. Just because you find some uses "gimmicky" does not mean all are and that it should be removed.

"All that's unique about the system" has managed to sell about 4 million units worldwide since launch in November 2012.

It would sell better because it would allow Nintendo to drop the price on the Wii U drastically, and presumably allow them to sell each console at a profit.

Nintendo's two biggest games of the year, Smash Bros and Mario Kart, don't/barely use the gamepad. They don't seem to be behind the thing with their software... So why should it be included with every console? What does it do other than drive up the price? Consumers obviously aren't interested in it. They are better off trying to sell a $250 or $199 HD Nintendo box at a profit than a $299 HD Nintendo box with a weird, unappealing, expensive controller at a loss.

 

[JoeM86]

"All that's unique about the system" has managed to sell about 4 million units worldwide since launch in November 2012.

It would sell better because it would allow Nintendo to drop the price on the Wii U drastically, and presumably allow them to sell each console at a profit.

Nintendo's two biggest games of the year, Smash Bros and Mario Kart, don't/barely use the gamepad. They don't seem to be behind the thing with their software... So why should it be included with every console? What does it do other than drive up the price? Consumers obviously aren't interested in it. They are better off trying to sell a $250 or $199 HD Nintendo box at a profit than a $299 HD Nintendo box with a weird, unappealing, expensive controller at a loss.

Would they really be interested in a less powerful console that does the same as every other though?

 

[Kouriozan]

Oh and I strongly agree, the next financial will be interesting.
I'm more interested by the Q&A session.

 

[Chris1964]

As we all know, Nintendo is struggling right now in its home console business. Wii U sales are far below corporate expectations.

Wii U will be far below corporate expectations at the end of FY but it's not alone. 3DS looks to have big problems meeting forecast outside Japan.

 

[Anth0ny]

Would they really be interested in a less powerful console that does the same as every other though?

But it's not the same as every other console.

The difference is, and always has been, the exclusive, first party software. Mario is what's different. Smash Bros is what's different. It is blatantly obvious that the gamepad is hurting them more than it's helping them at this point.

A $199 Wii U to go alongside the software they have lined up for 2014 looks pretty fucking attractive to me. No gamepad required.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Nintendo games on cell phones? They're gonna somehow "fix" WiiU's problems by cheapening the value and appeal of the 3DS?

 

[ExFalsoQuodlibet]

So you're complaining that Nintendo took so long to make a unified account, and then suggest scrapping it to make a different one? That is illogical.

The Nintendo Network ID is going to be their unified account and you need to get over that. Should they have implemented it sooner? Perhaps, but that in no way means it's "bullshit", as you put it.

Also, how is binding a Mii to your NNID "confusing". It is doing exactly what you suggested. However, as the implementation of NNID comes after the 3DS's launch and the cross between both consoles after Wii U launch, they need to add features for importing and merging to the users. Not doing so would be horrific.

Finally, again, as for the GamePad, removing it will remove all that's unique about the system. It won't sell better just because of it, and it would gimp many of the games that are out and in development for it. It'd be far more damaging to Nintendo. Just because you find some uses "gimmicky" does not mean all are and that it should be removed.

I don't think I can explain myself better about the NNID: I don't want it to be scrapped, I'm glad there's finally a NNID, I'm just criticizing the fact the its still not full featured as it should be.

About the Mii, maybe I can explain myself better with an example, follow the steps:

1) I just turned on my 3DS and opened the Mii Creation Center, then modified my current Mii (removed the glasses), the one bound to NNID: the 3DS wifi was disabled, and the console didn't notify my about anything.

2) I turned on the connection on the 3DS and opened Miiverse, the interface was weird: the bottom button showed my current Mii but my posts showed the previous one, the one with glasses.

3) I'm currently playing SM3DW on my connected WiiU, I opened Miiverse and posted something: the Mii in the post is the old one, with glasses on.

Do you understand now what I mean by "local" Mii? If I change the identity associated with the NNID I expect the console to update the data on Nintendo servers, or at least tell me that I need connection to do it. The system doesn't seem to be designed well, still, and the NNID seems to be another account attached to the others instead of a complete overhaul.

What is unique about the system is exclusive games, not the gamepad: the gamepad is a really nice add on, that can do wonders on certain types of games, but it's not mandatory, and has serious design problems (it's uncomfortable to use, the battery is a joke and has very limited range). The Pro Controller is much better to play games.

What's unique about the WiiU are exclusive, tailor-made games, and the WiiU has already a unique interface, the Wiimote Plus: it's established, it works well, it's cheap and it's usable by anyone. In fact, the choice to base the Wii on motion controls was a winner, and Nintendo sold loads on Wiis. But as a gamer I'm not seeing in the gamepad a value SO BIG to make it mandatory for everything: I'm sure I would buy the gamepad for the remote play feature if it worked at decent range, but I would have preferred a cheaper WiiU with optional gamepad.

 

[Log4Girlz]

What are the chances of Nintendo buying all stock and becoming a private company like Dell did?

 

[cyberheater]

Because games on the PSN are so cheap.

I specifically said PSN+ (Playstation Plus).

As an example. You can get right now Uncharted Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Blueblaz Continuum and Grand Theft Auto for free on Vita.
This service cost around a £5 a month. There are also a heap of quality free games on PS3. Playstation Plus offers the consumer significant value for money. This is the area that I feel that Nintendo really needs to start competing in.

 

[scytherage]

I see no more info here than we had for the past few months, all just ridiculous speculation

 

[JoeM86]

I specifically said PSN+ (Playstation Plus).

As an example. You can get right now Uncharted Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Blueblaz Continuum and Grand Theft Auto for free on Vita.
This service cost around a £5 a month. There are also a heap of quality free games on PS3. Playstation Plus offers the consumer significant value for money. This is the area that I feel that Nintendo really needs to start competing in.

Difference is that Nintendo games are typically long sellers. Games such as those listed and the majority of other software is that they have huge sales at the beginning, then die off, so offering them for free a year or two later wouldn't do much damage. With Nintendo games, however, their games can stay at the original price and still sell rather well throughout the life of the console.

 

[cyberheater]

Difference is that Nintendo games are typically long sellers.

You are implying that Nintendo software sells strongly over a long period of time. Recent sales data states the opposite of that with titles that drop off a cliff shortly after release.

 

[squall23]

But it's not the same as every other console.

The difference is, and always has been, the exclusive, first party software. Mario is what's different. Smash Bros is what's different. It is blatantly obvious that the gamepad is hurting them more than it's helping them at this point.

A $199 Wii U to go alongside the software they have lined up for 2014 looks pretty fucking attractive to me. No gamepad required.

If Nintendo were confident enough in their 1st party selling power, they wouldn't have had any problem making a console that can rival the other 2 in terms of power and sell it for a loss.

 

[Pie and Beans]

What are the chances of Nintendo buying all stock and becoming a private company like Dell did?

High since thats what the majority of their "warchest" has always been for. Wont happen this year, or probably next, as it would require serious mumblings of investor mutiny to instigate it.

Great OP as ever Aqua. I'm pessimistic that anything will change at all after this briefing and even after Q4's total roundup. Iwata is clueless and I'm not seeing the level of investor heat on his tail that would force such things. Indeed its the constant game of token appeasement being played where we'll probably get some release dates for MK and Smash, and Miiverse for Smartphones as if thats going to turn anything around at all.

I'm beginning to think the hybrid console/handheld successor to 3DS is going to need to come in at Holiday 2015 since the 3DS YoY growth just isnt there to justify leaving it too long on the market and they need to jettison the stink of failure to their last hardware effort by actually getting a launch right since the Wii (DS launch wasnt particularly spiffy at all remember either). Its going to be a tough one because it needs to be Vita level, but also incorporate enough whizzbang wow tech like Valves poke at controllers perhaps and some "HOT RIGHT NOW" smartphone features to turn the tide against even that market erosion, but still come in at a $200 pricepoint. Oh and completely renovate the way they do their digital business and software OS side of things and push subscriptions to content utterly steeped in ritual feel good mechanisms.

 

[cw_sasuke]

You are implying that Nintendo software sells strongly over a long period of time. Recent sales data states the opposite of that with titles that drop off a cliff shortly after release.

Which recent sales data would that be ? Or are you just talking about Top 10 NPD sales where multiplattform games are dominating. Nintendo games are the top sellers on their systems and arent the problem - that would be like Sony and MS putting stuff like The Last of Us, GT6 or Halo up for free a month after release.

The reason why most of these titles end up on PS+ are because they arent selling anymore and its a way to promote the next product or DLC for that IP/game. Nintendo First Party games arent their problem, its quite different its the reason why their consoles are and will be relevant at all.

 

[Chindogg]

You are implying that Nintendo software sells strongly over a long period of time. Recent sales data states the opposite of that with titles that drop off a cliff shortly after release.

Are we talking last couple months recent or last couple years recent? Historically, Nintendo software continues to have much longer legs than their competitors.

As much as I like PS+ as a consumer, it sets a really bad precedent in pricing. It conditions consumers to expect far, far cheaper prices for what's supposed to be AAA games, basically crippling studios to the new market expectations. Don't believe me? Look no further than the sales vs reactions in this forum to Rayman Legends. People expected the game to drop significantly in price, so the sales were lackluster at best. Like clockwork, the game hit bomba sales and it became a self fulfilling prophecy.

Nintendo should bring back Greatest Hits pricing again, but no way should they devalue their games to PS+ pricing.

If Nintendo were confident enough in their 1st party selling power, they wouldn't have had any problem making a console that can rival the other 2 in terms of power and sell it for a loss.

Yes because this has really been their logic for almost two decades now.

 

[Aostia]

I certainly welcome big changes if Nintendo becomes far more aggressive and appeases their core fanbase the most (and I don't just mean Mario games every month of the year, I mean 3rd-parties, new core IPs, stuff that will make the press go nuts in a good way but NO mobile games please), and as long as their motto for quality never changes.

People will miss iwata so much. All people that was criticize him over ds, wii, 3ds and wiiu
casual underpower different interface will see what a real casual turning point is after his departure.
Will recognize his effort to pure gaming too late.
Will miss miss first and third party exclusive contents on proper gaming console.
Will understand too late that he was not the one who f*cked the old traditional nintendo but the one who invented ways to protect it in a very hard environment.
If a big change will be, and it will happen soon, it will follow inventors wills, and those are the opposite of what gaf wants.

 

[malboroking]

I wonder why some people here are asking for drastic changes like going mobile and/or third party instead of Nintendo fixing what they've been doing wrong since the N64 days.

- Re-invest in the West.
- Start reaching out to third parties.
- Design competitive hardware with third party input in mind.
- Put a competent online system/OS in place.
- Start making new IPs that appeal to the current market.

That's it. If Nintendo commits to these five steps and sticks to them, they will turn it around. Maybe not in a single gen, since it's hard to erase nearly two decades of mistakes overnight, but within a couple hardware cycles.

All they have to do is reach out to third parties and create IPs that appeal to a mass market? My god, its so simple! Why haven't they tried to do these things before?

 

[Mpl90]

High since thats what the majority of their "warchest" has always been for. Wont happen this year, or probably next, as it would require serious mumblings of investor mutiny to instigate it.

Great OP as ever Aqua. I'm pessimistic that anything will change at all after this briefing and even after Q4's total roundup. Iwata is clueless and I'm not seeing the level of investor heat on his tail that would force such things. Indeed its the constant game of token appeasement being played where we'll probably get some release dates for MK and Smash, and Miiverse for Smartphones as if thats going to turn anything around at all.

I'm beginning to think the hybrid console/handheld successor to 3DS is going to need to come in at Holiday 2015 since the 3DS YoY growth just isnt there to justify leaving it too long on the market and they need to jettison the stink of failure to their last hardware effort by actually getting a launch right since the Wii (DS launch wasnt particularly spiffy at all remember either). Its going to be a tough one because it needs to be Vita level, but also incorporate enough whizzbang wow tech like Valves poke at controllers perhaps and some "HOT RIGHT NOW" smartphone features to turn the tide against even that market erosion, but still come in at a $200 pricepoint. Oh and completely renovate the way they do their digital business and software OS side of things and push subscriptions to content utterly steeped in ritual feel good mechanisms.

Late 2016 sounds like the best time for next handheld. Next year should be another pretty good first party year for them, then 2015 will be lower and 2016 will be much, much lower. With price-cuts, bundles and maybe another model (3DSi? 2DS in Japan?) they can stay with 3DS till 2016. About tech: in late 2016, you can have a portable as powerful as a Wii U (less polygons, better shaders) for quite cheap, mobile tech is going quick as hell. And I suppose that would be certainly enough, especially with support to modern shaders. I agree that $199.99 is the ceiling they can't surpass.

 

[Pie and Beans]

All they have to do is reach out to third parties and create IPs that appeal to a mass market? My god, its so simple! Why haven't they tried to do these things before?

They did, it saw success, and then they systematically destroyed NoA post-N64 and everything returned to a myopic Japanese focus. Now the reaping.

Late 2016 sounds like the best time for next handheld. Next year should be another pretty good first party year for them, then 2015 will be lower and 2016 will be much, much lower. With price-cuts, bundles and maybe another model (3DSi? 2DS in Japan?) they can stay with 3DS till 2016. About tech: in late 2016, you can have a portable as powerful as a Wii U (less polygons, better shaders) for quite cheap, mobile tech is going quick as hell. And I suppose that would be certainly enough, especially with support to modern shaders. I agree that $199.99 is the ceiling they can't surpass.

This is another situation where in Japan, Nintendo could wait til 2017 even (DQ?, another MonHun) and the 3DS would be surging, but its the rest of the world where their trail off period has its most catastrophic effect. How many Christmas' and birthdays pass in between their kid market and above since they got the 3DS, and how many tablets and smartphones get introduced to them as the new hotness and way to play while Nintendo banks on moderate sales. As you say, the tech world has been elevated to a frightening pace, and old conventions of generations at least in the portable space are not conducive to long term success anymore.

 

[Kokonoe]

That guy is stuck in a Japanese mindset where something like streetpass is actually viable, the western world is all online.

Such a shame Nintendo doesn't realize this.

 

[Amin_and_Azizah]

Nintendo won't make a serious change until their next hardware cycle.

Exactly.

 

[DieH@rd]

Next Nintendo home console needs to have similar architecture like Xbone/PS4. They should just contract AMD to whip them something in the range of those two consoles, made in 20nm, ~2016.

Until then, they can survive current shitstorm with 3DS money, and few traditional 1st party games that will promote WiiU to their hardcore crowd.

 

[Krilekk]

They need to do two things: Hire external devs to work on Nintendo IPs for a) new creative input and b) faster development times and higher output of games. And they have to create a new console without expensive gimmicks.

Then there's the little stuff, make a good online service and such. They should just copy and paste the competition. There's no need to create new solutions when the competition does it best. And no shame to acknowledge that.

Just like Apple Nintendo is bound to the one success they had. The DS. The Wii U is a large DS. Like the iPad is a bigger iPad Mini is a bigger iPhone is an updated iPod Touch. And an iTV is rumoured to be an even bigger iPad. Both desperately need new products.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I don't expect anything big to change until their next hardware. They'll just limp along with the Wii U once they have their tentpole releases out for it and try to salvage all they can from the platform. It's definitely going to be interesting to see where they go after that. The whole thing seems like such a shame when their first party games have been so good lately. They just messed up with the hardware. The gamepad was a really bad idea from a marketing pov. It completely missed the point of why the Wii was a success.

 

[Asd202]

Good post.

Nintendo's FY Estimates:
Wii U Hardware: 9.0 million units shipped to retailers in one year (12.45 million total) (April 2013 - March 2014)
Wii U Software: 38.0 million units shipped to retailers in one year (51.42 million total) (April 2013 - March 2014)

Nintendo's FY Reality:
Wii U Hardware: 0.46 million units shipped to retailers in the first six months
Wii U Software: 6.30 million units shipped to retailers in the first six months

Remaining:
Wii U Hardware: 8.54 million units shipped to retailers in the remaining six months (11.99 million total)
Wii U Software: 31.7 million units shipped to retailers in the remaining six months (45.12 million total)

This is hilarious.

 

[gribbles]

*Stupid Name
*Severly under powered

The original Wii had the same problems and it sold perfectly fine.

 

[Lagspike_exe]

Good post.


This is hilarious.

This is worse than Sony's early Vita predictions and those were hilarious already. This is more like sad.

 

[Striek]

I still can't believe Nintendo made their biggest bets on a new business model with one of their blockbuster, casual friendly, potentially system selling IP's.

Wii Sports Club blows my mind. Its a bad idea horrendously executed.

I would love for someone to bring that up to Iwata at the Q&A. What were they thinking?