Why doesn't Nintendo redesign its consoles anymore?

[OmegaMaximum]

Well the way I see it, there really is no reason for Nintendo to redesign it's systems. The N64 sold pretty well, and for the 90's the styling is pretty slick. The GCN is pretty solid, and like the Wii after it, is already about as small as feasible, while yes they could make them smaller, it'd just be an unnecessary waste of time, money and resources.

The NES redesign made sense, the top loading style generally makes the games play better then it's front loading brother, and the controller was redesigned to feel more comfortable. The lockout chip was removed because having it on the circuit board caused some problems with the power light, and the RCA jacks were removed, because the way they're consolidated onto the board, they cause the image to have black lines in it, and removing them made the RF output better quality video.

The SNES was redesigned because the SNES literally printed money, Nintendo completely dominated the 16-Bit era, they could have done pretty much anything they wanted and we probably would have bought it, because Nintendo was king of the hill at the time, no question about it.

And with the whole Genesis thing, the Model 2 is just one of the nicest, smoothest looking systems I've seen, especially when combined with the SCD and 32X, the styling just works. While I like the Model 1, it still has the smooth look and feel to it, it definitely showed age by the 90's, it just looked like a left over piece of the 80's and especially coupled with the Model 1 SCD being, while cool, very delicate and kinda sketchy in the engineering side of things.

Also, about the sound hardware, the Model 1 outputs Stereo sound from inside it, while the Model 2 doesn't, but the Model 2 adds that back in when you buy a Model 2 SCD, the Model 1 needs the extra wire when connecting to a Model 2 SCD, so that the Stereo from the Model 1 is bridged through to the SCD, instead of treating it like Mono it then understands it as Stereo.

[Breetai]

...Nintendo completely dominated the 16-Bit era, they could have done pretty much anything they wanted and we probably would have bought it, because Nintendo was king of the hill at the time, no question about it....

Only if you lived in Japan. Nintendo was NOT king of the hill in any other region.

In North America, it did not dominate. In fact, it was losing by a fairly wide margin until Sega shot themselves in the foot with the 32X mess in the last part of 1994. In 1993, Nintendo only had 37% of the 16-bit market. Guess who had the rest? It wasn't NEC. By the end of 1994, Sega still had a 55% market share (Donkey Kong Country really did help Nintendo at the end of '94). By the time Nintendo took the 16-bit lead in 1995, the 32-bit era had already begun. Sega won the 16-bit wars during the 16-bit era in North America.

In Europe, the Mega Drive was the top selling system; not the SNES. In South America, the Mega Drive dominated the SNES.

The only region where Nintendo "dominated the 16-bit era" was Japan.

[ApolloBoy]

Also, about the sound hardware, the Model 1 outputs Stereo sound from inside it, while the Model 2 doesn't, but the Model 2 adds that back in when you buy a Model 2 SCD

Nope, the Genesis 2 outputs stereo audio from the AV port, no Sega CD needed. In fact the audio from the Sega CD (both models work on the Genesis 2) is routed through the Genesis 2's AV port, so there's no need for a mixing cable in order to get stereo sound like the model 1.

[RadarScope1]

Companies redesign hardware to make it smaller, cheaper and more efficient and possibly to add features (or, if you're Sony, subtract features you previously said were very important).

Nintendo has a habit of making small, sleek, efficient hardware that works well right out of the gate, so they don't need to improve upon it much. Nintendo, much like Apple, have built high profit margins into the core of its business model by using technology that is slightly outdated at launch but appeals to the masses thanks to really smart design choices, great content and lots of marketing.

[flamepanther]

Also, about the sound hardware, the Model 1 outputs Stereo sound from inside it, while the Model 2 doesn't, but the Model 2 adds that back in when you buy a Model 2 SCD

Nope, the Genesis 2 outputs stereo audio from the AV port, no Sega CD needed. In fact the audio from the Sega CD (both models work on the Genesis 2) is routed through the Genesis 2's AV port, so there's no need for a mixing cable in order to get stereo sound like the model 1.

I think this is a common misunderstanding based on the fact that only the Genesis model 1 will provide stereo sound while connected using an RF modulator. The RF modulator mixes the two stereo channels together, but on the Genesis 1 you've still got stereo out from the headphone jack, which you can plug into your stereo system. If you're using composite AV cables, then there's no difference that I'm aware of.

[Hobie-wan]

I think this is a common misunderstanding based on the fact that only the Genesis model 1 will provide stereo sound while connected using an RF modulator. The RF modulator mixes the two stereo channels together...

Which makes it mono.

If you're using composite AV cables, then there's no difference that I'm aware of.

Genesis 1 only outputs mono from the AV jack.

http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/genesisav.htm

[pakopako]

Well the way I see it, there really is no reason for Nintendo to redesign it's systems. The N64 sold pretty well, and for the 90's the styling is pretty slick.

True. Look at how the PSx and Saturn looked. Though had carts been more affordable, the N64 could have been reduced as the PSone proved. (Not sure how well the PSone sold as portable home-consoles tend to get... niche *coughNOMADcough*)

The GCN is pretty solid...

Remove. Handle. Please.
Actually, the GCN did get a redesign, two if you count the Panasonic Q; all later models removed the digital-output port.

[flamepanther]

Genesis 1 only outputs mono from the AV jack.

http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/genesisav.htm

That seems like a huge strike against the model 1 Genesis. Now I'm even more confused why people think the second model is worse for sound.

[AppleQueso]

Genesis 1 only outputs mono from the AV jack.

http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/genesisav.htm

That seems like a huge strike against the model 1 Genesis. Now I'm even more confused why people think the second model is worse for sound.

It's not really a "huge strike" at all, since you can just use the headphone jack + a Y cable and get stereo sound easy. It's how I do it.

The model 2 simply doesn't sound as good. It's all muffled and tinny compared to the model 1.

The GCN is pretty solid...

Remove. Handle. Please.
Actually, the GCN did get a redesign, two if you count the Panasonic Q; all later models removed the digital-output port.

What's wrong with the handle? I found it rather convenient...

[Opa Opa]

What's wrong with the handle? I found it rather convenient...

It is convenient. My Gamecube has seen some traveling in its day and the handle was perfect for moving it around. I wish more systems were built as sturdy, compact, and portable as the Gamecube.