That's just the typical PR position on older systems. Especially the "kids will love it!" and "it's cheap!" lines. Video game companies ALWAYS pledge their support of the obsolete systems until the audience dries up.
So Reggie was recently interviewed by forbes, and there's a bunch of interesting stuff in the article.
Here he is dropping subtle hints about the online service:
I’m not going to tell you exactly what it’s going to look like. We’ll share more about that next year. But what I can tell you is that our vision is to have a robust online environment that not only provides the mechanism for you to have your multiplayer experiences and matchmaking, those elements are minimum. Our goal is to provide that extra Nintendo twist, and that’s what makes our company historically so effective. We don’t do things the same way everyone else does. We relish being different. We see that difference as an element that makes us more compelling to the consumer. And so having that differentiated experience is what we are focused on and we’ll unveil more next year as we’re closer to the launch of the service.
And here are his comments when asked about Nintendo's back catalog:
Again, [as far as] details around Nintendo Online and what that service is, we’re gonna deal with that separately. Regarding our back catalog, we are in an incredibly fortunate situation that we have a robust back catalog. Not only robust in number, but robust in truly best of all time types of games. Our strategy today is to leverage that with the NES Classic and SNES Classic. And we believe what we’re offering at a set price is a fantastic value for the consumer. And a way not only for adults like myself to relive playing the Super NES and all of the great games on that platform, 21 of them, but that it provides an opportunity for new players to experience all of this great content. And we think that is a fantastic way to do it. It’s both rekindling nostalgia but also creating a passion for Metroid, creating a passion for intellectual property that newer players may just not have ever tried. And we think that is a really effective strategy. So that’s what we’ve done with the NES, that’s what we’ve done with the SNES. Again, what the future looks like we’ll talk about in a different setting. But we believe monetizing our content, exposing it to consumers in that way is a great execution of our strategy.
That doesn't sound too good for the Virtual Console. I still think it's going to be a subscription service tied to Nintendo online though.
What I find very telling is Reggie's answer to the question about the continued support of the 3DS:
The role for Nintendo 3DS, as a family of systems that range from a hardware standpoint, from $79.99 to $199.99 and has a back catalog of well over a thousand games, we see this system doing two things for us. One, it's an entry vehicle. If you're a mom or dad, you're trying to take care of multiple kids and to give them a great experience that you feel good about, couple of 2DS as a holiday purchase, is a fantastic value. And again, [you get] access to all of this great content.
Similarly, if you're an active gamer, and there's a particular game that you have to get your hands on, and it's only available on 3DS, well then buying a 2DS XL or a 3DS XL is a great way to scratch that itch. That's the role that it's gonna play for us. It's gonna be an entry vehicle, a vehicle where you have to play a particular game that's only available as part of the library of games for 2DS and 3DS. That's the play. And from that perspective, it's been very effective for us, and we believe it's gonna continue to be very effective.
This past weekend I was in Florida. I'm going through a Walmart, I'm going through a Target. I'm looking across the landscape of consumers, and not every consumer is going to be able to afford a piece of $299 hardware plus a couple games, maybe some Amiibo. It's a $400 or $500 proposition. With Nintendo 2DS and 3DS, you can satisfy a lot of holiday gifts for $100 to a $200 purchase. That is a key strategic advantage.
This answer, combined with the one about classic games, gives some insight into Nintendo's mindset when it comes to hardware.
1. Nintendo is not interested in consolidating their game libraries onto a single hardware platform. Just the opposite, in fact.
This may seem like an anti-consumer position at first, a way for Nintendo to squeeze more money out of their existing customer base by forcing them to buy more and more hardware to gain access to their entire catalog of games. But there's actually some pretty pro-consumer arguments to be made for doing things this way.
In regards to switching from a virtual console like online storefront to plug-and-play consoles, the value here comes from a reduced reliance on emulation software. Nintendo insisted on writing and testing optimized emulation software for each virtual console release, which forced them to start over from scratch with each new console generation. Not only did this result in an agonizingly slow trickle of game releases, it also forced consumers to repurchase software they had already bought less than five years ago, with only a minor discount to compensate. And even with all that precaution, some emulation bugs still managed to sneak through, such as the infamous pause menu invisible Link bug in the Wii release of Ocarina of Time. Plug-and-play consoles solve this problem, as you can build the hardware and software from the ground up to complement each other. And since the classic games are decoupled from the modern hardware platforms, consumers no longer have to worry about losing access to their classics library when they decide to retire their latest Nintendo machine.
In regards to continuing to support their low-end handhelds like the 3DS in addition to their high-end handhelds like the Switch, that's a more difficult decision to justify from a consumer standpoint. But the 3DS does offer certain features that the Switch doesn't, chief among them being access to a touchscreen in all play modes. Nintendo could continue to make touchscreen-mandatory games for their low-end machines and touchscreen-optional games for their high-end machines.
2. Nintendo sees value in giving consumers price options.
This point runs somewhat counter to the first. Nintendo may be continuing to support the 3DS because they still want you to buy one in addition to a Switch, but at the same time, they understand that not everyone needs a New 3DS XL with all the features that includes. For many consumers, the bog standard 2DS is good enough.
Right now, the Switch and the classics line are still very new. But I see a future where Nintendo offers price options for both, in much the same way that they currently do for the 3DS. The profit margin on the current model of the Switch is tiny, so it's unlikely to ever receive a price drop. Nintendo is more likely to pursue lower cost hardware revisions as a way to entice consumers on a budget. Likewise, deluxe models of the classic devices with expandable game libraries also seem like something Nintendo will experiment with.
We're going to deliberately hold exclusives to particular platforms so gaming enthusiasts have to buy multiple hardware statement to "scratch that itch" is anti-consumer no matter how you want to spin it.
Well, yes.
This is the Nintendo Thread, so I wanted to present my conclusions in a way that would be palatable to Nintendo fans, so they wouldn't be dismissed outright.
But that statement in particular really felt like Reggie letting the P.R. mask slip and revealing that the reason why Nintendo will continue to support a two platform business model is because they know their fans will begrudgingly buy both to gain access to exclusives, no matter how much they may complain about it.
So Reggie was recently interviewed by forbes, and there's a bunch of interesting stuff in the article.
Here he is dropping subtle hints about the online service:
I’m not going to tell you exactly what it’s going to look like. We’ll share more about that next year. But what I can tell you is that our vision is to have a robust online environment that not only provides the mechanism for you to have your multiplayer experiences and matchmaking, those elements are minimum. Our goal is to provide that extra Nintendo twist, and that’s what makes our company historically so effective. We don’t do things the same way everyone else does. We relish being different. We see that difference as an element that makes us more compelling to the consumer. And so having that differentiated experience is what we are focused on and we’ll unveil more next year as we’re closer to the launch of the service.
And here are his comments when asked about Nintendo's back catalog:
Again, [as far as] details around Nintendo Online and what that service is, we’re gonna deal with that separately. Regarding our back catalog, we are in an incredibly fortunate situation that we have a robust back catalog. Not only robust in number, but robust in truly best of all time types of games. Our strategy today is to leverage that with the NES Classic and SNES Classic. And we believe what we’re offering at a set price is a fantastic value for the consumer. And a way not only for adults like myself to relive playing the Super NES and all of the great games on that platform, 21 of them, but that it provides an opportunity for new players to experience all of this great content. And we think that is a fantastic way to do it. It’s both rekindling nostalgia but also creating a passion for Metroid, creating a passion for intellectual property that newer players may just not have ever tried. And we think that is a really effective strategy. So that’s what we’ve done with the NES, that’s what we’ve done with the SNES. Again, what the future looks like we’ll talk about in a different setting. But we believe monetizing our content, exposing it to consumers in that way is a great execution of our strategy.
That doesn't sound too good for the Virtual Console. I still think it's going to be a subscription service tied to Nintendo online though.
What I find very telling is Reggie's answer to the question about the continued support of the 3DS:
The role for Nintendo 3DS, as a family of systems that range from a hardware standpoint, from $79.99 to $199.99 and has a back catalog of well over a thousand games, we see this system doing two things for us. One, it's an entry vehicle. If you're a mom or dad, you're trying to take care of multiple kids and to give them a great experience that you feel good about, couple of 2DS as a holiday purchase, is a fantastic value. And again, [you get] access to all of this great content.
Similarly, if you're an active gamer, and there's a particular game that you have to get your hands on, and it's only available on 3DS, well then buying a 2DS XL or a 3DS XL is a great way to scratch that itch. That's the role that it's gonna play for us. It's gonna be an entry vehicle, a vehicle where you have to play a particular game that's only available as part of the library of games for 2DS and 3DS. That's the play. And from that perspective, it's been very effective for us, and we believe it's gonna continue to be very effective.
This past weekend I was in Florida. I'm going through a Walmart, I'm going through a Target. I'm looking across the landscape of consumers, and not every consumer is going to be able to afford a piece of $299 hardware plus a couple games, maybe some Amiibo. It's a $400 or $500 proposition. With Nintendo 2DS and 3DS, you can satisfy a lot of holiday gifts for $100 to a $200 purchase. That is a key strategic advantage.
This answer, combined with the one about classic games, gives some insight into Nintendo's mindset when it comes to hardware.
1. Nintendo is not interested in consolidating their game libraries onto a single hardware platform. Just the opposite, in fact.
This may seem like an anti-consumer position at first, a way for Nintendo to squeeze more money out of their existing customer base by forcing them to buy more and more hardware to gain access to their entire catalog of games. But there's actually some pretty pro-consumer arguments to be made for doing things this way.
In regards to switching from a virtual console like online storefront to plug-and-play consoles, the value here comes from a reduced reliance on emulation software. Nintendo insisted on writing and testing optimized emulation software for each virtual console release, which forced them to start over from scratch with each new console generation. Not only did this result in an agonizingly slow trickle of game releases, it also forced consumers to repurchase software they had already bought less than five years ago, with only a minor discount to compensate. And even with all that precaution, some emulation bugs still managed to sneak through, such as the infamous pause menu invisible Link bug in the Wii release of Ocarina of Time. Plug-and-play consoles solve this problem, as you can build the hardware and software from the ground up to complement each other. And since the classic games are decoupled from the modern hardware platforms, consumers no longer have to worry about losing access to their classics library when they decide to retire their latest Nintendo machine.
In regards to continuing to support their low-end handhelds like the 3DS in addition to their high-end handhelds like the Switch, that's a more difficult decision to justify from a consumer standpoint. But the 3DS does offer certain features that the Switch doesn't, chief among them being access to a touchscreen in all play modes. Nintendo could continue to make touchscreen-mandatory games for their low-end machines and touchscreen-optional games for their high-end machines.
2. Nintendo sees value in giving consumers price options.
This point runs somewhat counter to the first. Nintendo may be continuing to support the 3DS because they still want you to buy one in addition to a Switch, but at the same time, they understand that not everyone needs a New 3DS XL with all the features that includes. For many consumers, the bog standard 2DS is good enough.
Right now, the Switch and the classics line are still very new. But I see a future where Nintendo offers price options for both, in much the same way that they currently do for the 3DS. The profit margin on the current model of the Switch is tiny, so it's unlikely to ever receive a price drop. Nintendo is more likely to pursue lower cost hardware revisions as a way to entice consumers on a budget. Likewise, deluxe models of the classic devices with expandable game libraries also seem like something Nintendo will experiment with.
We're going to deliberately hold exclusives to particular platforms so gaming enthusiasts have to buy multiple hardware statement to "scratch that itch" is anti-consumer no matter how you want to spin it.
Well, yes.
This is the Nintendo Thread, so I wanted to present my conclusions in a way that would be palatable to Nintendo fans, so they wouldn't be dismissed outright.
But that statement in particular really felt like Reggie letting the P.R. mask slip and revealing that the reason why Nintendo will continue to support a two platform business model is because they know their fans will begrudgingly buy both to gain access to exclusives, no matter how much they may complain about it.
If it helps, Nintendo is just doing the exact same thing every other successful video game hardware maker has done, and this is zero indication they will support two systems permanently. Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
@Ivan Hunger That's a good post, and when combined with your pull of Reggie's quote, I think you've now convinced me that we won't be seeing VC on Switch for a good long while. I had been thinking maybe mid-2018 or earlier, then leaning maybe second half of 2018, and now I'm thinking it won't be next year.
It would/will, of course, be terrific when we get it - I'd drop $ on Super Mario World and a host of other games on day one, and actually, I'd probably pick up the entire Mario catalogue in short order, despite having already purchased these games countless times in the past (including on Wii VC) - but with a ton of other stuff to play on Switch right now, I don't feel the need for it as much as I expected I would.
(I know others disagree and have either played a lot of the indies we're getting or else just have VC as a higher personal priority. So YMMV. I just... I'm good with the Switch release calendar right now. Big stuff hitting, tons of indies hitting. 2018 is a bit of a mystery, but I'm optimistic.)
After Reggie lied about friend codes I try to take what he says with some grains of salt. But if the online service comes out and there's still no sight of VC stuff that's going to be a pretty big bummer. The SNES Classic solved most of my wants but the portability and the expectation of eventual VC is one of the reasons I got a switch.
If Nintendo wants to keep things separated, I don't really want to keep supporting that business model. It's great for Nintendo, not so great for me.
Yeah, given how violently successful the Classics are I wouldn't be surprised if VC doesn't come at all to Switch, or comes in a limited fashion. There was always that promise of how paying for online will get you access to one VC game a month -- that could be seen as a value-add without undermining the Classics too much. Though that promise was made before the NES Classic avalanche.
Switch: 3947-4890-9293
+1
Handsome CostanzaAsk me about 8bitdoRIP Iwata-sanRegistered Userregular
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
We're going to deliberately hold exclusives to particular platforms so gaming enthusiasts have to buy multiple hardware statement to "scratch that itch" is anti-consumer no matter how you want to spin it.
There's an easy solution, as consumers: Don't buy into the bullshit.
+3
Handsome CostanzaAsk me about 8bitdoRIP Iwata-sanRegistered Userregular
edited October 2017
Hori's releasing a Skyrim accessory pack. Comes with joycon grip, case, cleaning cloth, and screen protector for $29. The case looks to be similiar in design to the Mario Odyssey case:
Really tempting to have a portable skyrim and it's been long enough that playing it again may seem fresh. But it's really hard to play unmodded vanilla and with a controller when I got the special edition already sitting in steam.
Handsome CostanzaAsk me about 8bitdoRIP Iwata-sanRegistered Userregular
I specifically avoided playing Skyrim on my new gaming pc so I could have a fresh experience on the Switch. I've had multiple different "runs" of the game since it's release but none of them really made it past the "explore around and maybe do a quest or two" phase. When it comes out for Switch I'm going to make my first real effort at completing the game. Honestly though I'm more excited for the possibility of Bethesda games on the Switch than I am for Skyrim itself.
Fallout 4 would just be so much more enticing. Maybe Skyrim's easier to port? I dunno...
Skyrim is a lot older and has a lot less graphical bells and whistles.
Fallout 4 didn't exactly run amazingly when it launched either. They've had a lot of time and an enhanced edition to work on Skyrim.
It's still kinda weird but make sense, I'm not sure the Switch could handle Fallout 4 without some major dev time. (Also Skyrim is a better game overall)
griddlers.net More than you can solve in a lifetime. Currently working on what may be an amusement park? 80 separate 40x40 puzzles that form into one big picture.
On the one hand, portable Skyrim would be neat. Though "portable" in this case just means "in the bathroom". Plus I'm a sucker for the Nintendo costumes.
On the other hand, $79.99 no fucking thanks. Especially since I bought the PS4 version for about $20, and never really played it much to boot.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
Is that a huge surprise? The Enhanced Edition launched at $60 when it came out last year, and I'd imagine the engineering effort to port it to Switch and add motion controls was at least comparable.
griddlers.net More than you can solve in a lifetime. Currently working on what may be an amusement park? 80 separate 40x40 puzzles that form into one big picture.
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
70 million 3DS systems have been sold worldwide so far. When it'll reach the end of its shelf life in 2 to 3 years or so, it might end up at 80 million, which was what the GBA and PSP reached. Plus, software sales have been incredible - over 50 games on it have sold 1 million copies or more, and 7 games have sold 10 million copies or more.
The 3DS is not a commercial failure or a disappointment in any way, shape or form.
Fallout 4 would just be so much more enticing. Maybe Skyrim's easier to port? I dunno...
Skyrim is a lot older and has a lot less graphical bells and whistles.
Fallout 4 didn't exactly run amazingly when it launched either. They've had a lot of time and an enhanced edition to work on Skyrim.
It's still kinda weird but make sense, I'm not sure the Switch could handle Fallout 4 without some major dev time. (Also Skyrim is a better game overall)
Skyrim is also more positively remembered. People who like Fallout 4 will still say the main plot kind of sucked or that it lost a lot of the ways past games gave you multiple options to solve problems.
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. PSP owners didn't buy Vita or 3DS, and much of the DS market also evaporated. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Getting back on topic, this is why we have Switch. And Switch has managed to reverse Nintendo's down years beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Well, guess I better write Nintendo a letter and inform them that the 3DS' success doesn't really count and that they better throw away the millions and millions of Yen they made it selling it. They'll be disappointed, but I guess they're just gonna have to move on.
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Well, guess I better write Nintendo a letter and inform them that the 3DS' success doesn't really count and that they better throw away the millions and millions of Yen they made it selling it. They'll be disappointed, but I guess they're just gonna have to move on.
I'm not sure how you can consider Nintendo's worst-selling portable to be a "success," especially since the 3DS's lack of sales (combined with the Wii U disaster) caused Nintendo to endure years of losses and crappy profits. But I'll agree that Nintendo has definitely moved on. To the Switch.
The 3DS' expectations were probably set high because the wii was petering off and the wii u flopped instantly and they wanted to keep projections up.
same way the first tomb raider needed to sell 10m copies to "break even" even though it was square who needed to break even since they just dumped an entire truckload of money into remaking their mmo they had already dumped an entire truckload of money into.
so yea, the 3ds is a failure in that it didn't prop up the company by itself i suppose.
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Well, guess I better write Nintendo a letter and inform them that the 3DS' success doesn't really count and that they better throw away the millions and millions of Yen they made it selling it. They'll be disappointed, but I guess they're just gonna have to move on.
I'm not sure how you can consider Nintendo's worst-selling portable to be a "success," especially since the 3DS's lack of sales (combined with the Wii U disaster) caused Nintendo to endure years of losses and crappy profits. But I'll agree that Nintendo has definitely moved on. To the Switch.
The project's only a failure if it doesn't make money. Presumably, the 3DS does, or they wouldn't keep selling it.
Switch Friend Code: SW-4598-4278-8875
3DS Friend Code: 0404-6826-4588 PM if you add.
Is that a huge surprise? The Enhanced Edition launched at $60 when it came out last year, and I'd imagine the engineering effort to port it to Switch and add motion controls was at least comparable.
I think it came out on steam at 40, but it seems to have hit consoles at 60. Rapid drops after that as you'd expect but yeah. Weird!
Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Well, guess I better write Nintendo a letter and inform them that the 3DS' success doesn't really count and that they better throw away the millions and millions of Yen they made it selling it. They'll be disappointed, but I guess they're just gonna have to move on.
I'm not sure how you can consider Nintendo's worst-selling portable to be a "success," especially since the 3DS's lack of sales (combined with the Wii U disaster) caused Nintendo to endure years of losses and crappy profits. But I'll agree that Nintendo has definitely moved on. To the Switch.
The project's only a failure if it doesn't make money. Presumably, the 3DS does, or they wouldn't keep selling it.
Oh sure, it made some money. Just not nearly as much as Nintendo wanted it to, and way lower than all its predecessors. And Nintendo had to lean on it hard because, at that point, they really had nothing else to sell.
Mind, I'm not saying the 3DS was a failure, just surprisingly soft for a console. And, when combined with what's happening with the rest of the portable market, a pretty clear indicator that continuing on the same path isn't the greatest idea. Hence Switch.
Switch: 3947-4890-9293
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Handsome CostanzaAsk me about 8bitdoRIP Iwata-sanRegistered Userregular
edited October 2017
Doom requires 32gb to download on the Switch, according to Nintendo UK.
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Well, yes.
This is the Nintendo Thread, so I wanted to present my conclusions in a way that would be palatable to Nintendo fans, so they wouldn't be dismissed outright.
But that statement in particular really felt like Reggie letting the P.R. mask slip and revealing that the reason why Nintendo will continue to support a two platform business model is because they know their fans will begrudgingly buy both to gain access to exclusives, no matter how much they may complain about it.
If it helps, Nintendo is just doing the exact same thing every other successful video game hardware maker has done, and this is zero indication they will support two systems permanently. Especially considering how big a sales disappointment the 3DS was.
It would/will, of course, be terrific when we get it - I'd drop $ on Super Mario World and a host of other games on day one, and actually, I'd probably pick up the entire Mario catalogue in short order, despite having already purchased these games countless times in the past (including on Wii VC) - but with a ton of other stuff to play on Switch right now, I don't feel the need for it as much as I expected I would.
(I know others disagree and have either played a lot of the indies we're getting or else just have VC as a higher personal priority. So YMMV. I just... I'm good with the Switch release calendar right now. Big stuff hitting, tons of indies hitting. 2018 is a bit of a mystery, but I'm optimistic.)
If Nintendo wants to keep things separated, I don't really want to keep supporting that business model. It's great for Nintendo, not so great for me.
SniperGuyGaming on PSN / SniperGuy710 on Xbone Live
it's sold 67 million systems to date worldwide....
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...and sold under Nintendo's expectations every single year until last year, when it was helped by low expectations and a Pokemon Go boost.
Plus the annual sales bell curve started nosing down much faster than the DS did, even when accounting for lower sales levels.
There's an easy solution, as consumers: Don't buy into the bullshit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0764KWY86/
Resident 8bitdo expert.
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"You never should have come here!"
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
It's practically become its own separate franchise, hasn't it?
http://store.steampowered.com/app/385250/Paint_it_Back/
http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3331/Logic_Puzzle_Pack/
Skyrim is a lot older and has a lot less graphical bells and whistles.
Fallout 4 didn't exactly run amazingly when it launched either. They've had a lot of time and an enhanced edition to work on Skyrim.
It's still kinda weird but make sense, I'm not sure the Switch could handle Fallout 4 without some major dev time. (Also Skyrim is a better game overall)
SniperGuyGaming on PSN / SniperGuy710 on Xbone Live
griddlers.net More than you can solve in a lifetime. Currently working on what may be an amusement park? 80 separate 40x40 puzzles that form into one big picture.
On the other hand, $79.99 no fucking thanks. Especially since I bought the PS4 version for about $20, and never really played it much to boot.
Bwah?
SniperGuyGaming on PSN / SniperGuy710 on Xbone Live
Is that a huge surprise? The Enhanced Edition launched at $60 when it came out last year, and I'd imagine the engineering effort to port it to Switch and add motion controls was at least comparable.
Ah, jeez. Now I have an erection at work.
But seriously, this is a THING?!
It sold under Nintendo's expectations because the previous handheld release was the fastest, best selling handheld of all time. If it was such a big dissapointment to Nintendo then it wouldn't be on it's 3rd hardware revision and it wouldn't be one of the 10 top selling consoles of all time.
Resident 8bitdo expert.
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The 3DS is not a commercial failure or a disappointment in any way, shape or form.
Skyrim is also more positively remembered. People who like Fallout 4 will still say the main plot kind of sucked or that it lost a lot of the ways past games gave you multiple options to solve problems.
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No, Nintendo's expectations weren't set on what the DS would do. That very clearly went out the window when the 3DS was released and overpriced. They based their expectations on their own perceptions of the current state of the market and adjusted accordingly.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated their expectations for the next year, taking the previous year's 3DS (not DS!) sales into account.
It missed that expectation.
So Nintendo recalibrated again, taking the second year's weaker than expected sales into account.
It missed that expectation. And so on and so on.
The fact is, while the 3DS' total sales sound impressive, the majority of those sales came in the early part of the 3DS' life, and sales momentum petered out much faster than the DS.
And those hardware revisions? Hardware revisions are a way to try to pump up sales. While both successful and unsuccessful hardware do this, at least for hardware that's expected to have a relatively long life (as most game systems are), Nintendo took it to desperation move territory with the new 3DS. Even on paper it's a horrible idea, but Nintendo needed the sales boost (especially since the Wii U was tanking) and was betting on hardcore fans rebuying systems. That didn't exactly turn things around.
And no, the 3DS isn't selling as well as the GBA. In fact the 3DS is Nintendo's worst-selling portable, barring Virtual Boy. GBA's life to date sales were 81.5 million, while the 3DS is at 67 million. The PSP sold 82 million.
PSP plus DS is 236 million. Though Vita's sales aren't known, it can't have boosted the last generation's portable sales by much at all. PSP owners didn't buy Vita or 3DS, and much of the DS market also evaporated. The overall market has roughly shrunk to one third of its size the previous generation, and the shrinkage keeps accelerating.
Getting back on topic, this is why we have Switch. And Switch has managed to reverse Nintendo's down years beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
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Well, guess I better write Nintendo a letter and inform them that the 3DS' success doesn't really count and that they better throw away the millions and millions of Yen they made it selling it. They'll be disappointed, but I guess they're just gonna have to move on.
I'm not sure how you can consider Nintendo's worst-selling portable to be a "success," especially since the 3DS's lack of sales (combined with the Wii U disaster) caused Nintendo to endure years of losses and crappy profits. But I'll agree that Nintendo has definitely moved on. To the Switch.
same way the first tomb raider needed to sell 10m copies to "break even" even though it was square who needed to break even since they just dumped an entire truckload of money into remaking their mmo they had already dumped an entire truckload of money into.
so yea, the 3ds is a failure in that it didn't prop up the company by itself i suppose.
The project's only a failure if it doesn't make money. Presumably, the 3DS does, or they wouldn't keep selling it.
3DS Friend Code: 0404-6826-4588 PM if you add.
I think it came out on steam at 40, but it seems to have hit consoles at 60. Rapid drops after that as you'd expect but yeah. Weird!
I am fascinated to see how this thing sells.
SniperGuyGaming on PSN / SniperGuy710 on Xbone Live
Oh sure, it made some money. Just not nearly as much as Nintendo wanted it to, and way lower than all its predecessors. And Nintendo had to lean on it hard because, at that point, they really had nothing else to sell.
Mind, I'm not saying the 3DS was a failure, just surprisingly soft for a console. And, when combined with what's happening with the rest of the portable market, a pretty clear indicator that continuing on the same path isn't the greatest idea. Hence Switch.
edit: Source:
https://m.store.nintendo.co.uk/nintendo-switch-game/doom-uac-t-shirt/11590647.html?search=doom
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.