Nintendo Is Hurting :(

[Ivo]

To quote Stryker on the Revoking the Seal of Quality blog, "Say what you will about the state of modern gaming, at least shit like Bebe’s Kids doesn’t get released on major consoles anymore."

That is a great point.

I'm not sure it is a good point.

The licensing issue make the good games (slightly?) more expensive to publish and may keep some independent studies from publishing on major consoles.

On the other hand, if really really bad games get published on major consoles you just don't buy them.

I mean, on the PC side there is no licensing deal (although one can argue about the role of Valve in what gets allowed into Steam, but still), there is loads of really really bad games and it isn't an issue at all.

[Gunstar Green]

I think the fact that publishing games on major consoles is a much bigger monetary risk these days is the primary reason, yes.

If I had to compare the shovelware of the old days to today I'd say the "cheap marketing" games of the past have moved on to where they're the most visible and cheapest to produce: Smart devices.

The upside is that these more open markets like the PC are more likely to see the risk-taking, innovative games than consoles, even if they have to deal with a lot more crap games in the process.

[Zing]

"terrible/generic big-budget titles that ended up on the PS3 and Xbox 360."

I really can't think of too many big budget titles that were terrible on either console. Sure, there are some, but it's hardly a trend like shovelware was on the Wii.

To quote Stryker on the Revoking the Seal of Quality blog, "Say what you will about the state of modern gaming, at least shit like Bebe’s Kids doesn’t get released on major consoles anymore."

I feel this is actually harmful for gamers. As gamers, we benefit from having the absolute most number of games available, regardless of the perceived quality. This assumes we can overcome the "paradox of choice" (which most people here seem to be unable given their huge unplayed backlog of games).

[wyatt]

As gamers, we benefit from having the absolute most number of games available, regardless of the perceived quality.

Tell that to Atari circa 1984 lol.

[Retrogamer0001]

This assumes we can overcome the "paradox of choice" (which most people here seem to be unable given their huge unplayed backlog of games).

But I'm gonna play all my games! Honest!

[Jamisonia]

As gamers, we benefit from having the absolute most number of games available, regardless of the perceived quality.

Tell that to Atari circa 1984 lol.

Huge difference between now and 1984 is we have access to tons of game reviews. Before there was no real way to tell which games were good and which were bad. Only magazines, which were often biased as they were produced by the company making the games. Even in early Nintendo days access to info was limited. Now you have a ton of places offering reviews, everything from big companies to so guy sitting in his parent's basement with an internet connection bitching on RB about how this game sux.

[isiolia]

Huge difference between now and 1984 is we have access to tons of game reviews.

There is that, but, as Gunstar Green (at least) already mentioned, we have a wider variety of markets now anyway. At one point, there weren't many options to distribute a game commercially besides getting it on a cartridge, which cost money to build, and getting it into the video game section of a store.

So, these days, with free online/Flash games as an option, mobile games as an option, digital marketplaces as an option, and so on...publishers can choose what actually matches their product.

We've got more choices than ever, but we've also got viable ways to sell games for $1, which is something they didn't have at that time.

[Frag Mortuus]

So according to more reveals Iwata has given us. It seems like Nintendo may finally be doing what everyone has been complaining about for years, and that is a unified online system which will link your Nintendo systems to a single NNID. This will also link purchases made by that NNID to that ID, not the system. I think this is a huge step in the right direction. Now, Iwata didn't exactly say this is what is coming, but it seems that way.

He did say that their short term goal was to "follow the leader", meaning to copy what everyone else is doing. Now, a lot of people are going to complain about this, saying it is just another PS/XB clone and Nintendo will lose their individuality. But I think the opposite. I don't see why they can't create a system on par with the new gen and still keep their cool gimmicks (I.E. motion controls, game pad, linking hand helds with consoles, etc). I think they can do it. The biggest problem for Nintendo, is how do you this and also stay profitable? Or at least not sell your hardware at a loss? That I don't have an answer for, but I think it will be cool to see what changes come around and to see Nintendo integrate some of those features we all want.

[isiolia]

He did say that their short term goal was to "follow the leader", meaning to copy what everyone else is doing. Now, a lot of people are going to complain about this, saying it is just another PS/XB clone and Nintendo will lose their individuality. But I think the opposite. I don't see why they can't create a system on par with the new gen and still keep their cool gimmicks (I.E. motion controls, game pad, linking hand helds with consoles, etc). I think they can do it. The biggest problem for Nintendo, is how do you this and also stay profitable? Or at least not sell your hardware at a loss?

I don't think they're aiming to create something on par with MS and Sony. The direction the investor Q&A indicated that they're going as far as platform development is a unified environment across devices, or simply offering one device. For the examples, Iwata pointed at iOS and Android, not MS and Sony.

Sounds more to me like they want to build their next thing around a mobile SoC they can stick in a portable, in a console, in a docked portable, or whatever. In a year or three, that kind of setup should outdo the Wii U (Tegra K1 may in a few months, we'll have to see), and may wind up able to compete with MS and Sony consoles.
'course, it'll also be the level of power than phones and tablets will have at that point too.

Not saying they are, but, Nintendo could basically do what Ouya is doing, minus the open part. Cost per unit is not really an issue.

[TheRev]

Plan and simple Nintendo needs to listen not just to it's fans now but to former fans and give them what they want, Region free consoles, less Mario Rehash, no more remakes and New and Old IPs.

I want more Kirby and F-Zero, More Kirby is a lock but Old man Miyamoto doesn't want to make another F-Zero so NOBODY WILL.

Nintendo has such a rich and deep IP Catalog they need to dip into it and create new experences with them they can try to repair 3rd party relationships but it won't yeild satisfactory results. Nintendo should open their doors and IPs to Indie Devs to solve that 3rd Party problem what up and comming Indy dev wouldn't love to make a Nintendo game they grew up with fully endorsed by Nintendo?

So that's my take Nintendo needs to get with the times but they also need to get out of this creative bankruptcy. I may not consider getting a Wii U now but there is room in my set up for a Wii and there are a few games in that backlog I want to check out but if Nintendo plays their cards right, I may just pick up a Wii U but only if they do what I just said.