Nintendo announce: Nintendo NX

[wco81]

Did Nintendo cheap out with the WiiU?

I thought the stupid tablet controller was so expensive and took up too much of the BOM that they couldn't use more powerful CPU and GPU even if they wanted.

I don't know if more powerful hardware will produce better sales and greater 3rd party support. I just want it to advance the state of the art and push Sony and MS to raise the bar further in response.

In 2016, 4K TVs with HDR will be in the market, along with 4K Blu Ray. These may or may not sell well but at a minimum, a console released that year should have 4K disc playback for movies and full 1080p rendering with 4k upscaling at a minimum.

Otherwise, it'll be more of the same.

 

[Rikimaru]

I'm sure PS4 and Xbox One can handle 4k blu-rays just fine.

Nintendo never made (and never will) a video disc playback.

 

[wco81]

What about Netflix and other media features?

Maybe part of the reason Nintendo sales have been so poor is they're out of touch with what people want or perceive as the value proposition of their products?

 

[Rikimaru]

Wii U had Netflix and Amazon from the start. Wii was a very popular Netflix machine some years ago.
Also Wii U has/had shows aggregator from streaming services and comments on shows (America only). Nintendo TVii. It's like better and social xbone features, but no one cares.

The thing is Nintendo does not like to pay any royalties (aka "proprietary" DVD in GC and Wii, no Dolby support even in Wii U, toslink). In cases of apps, app developer does that.

Should have started at 18:19

 

[wco81]

OK, they don't want disc-based movie playback but the general comment about the need to push the envelope specs. wise stands.

Other than the Wii, their consoles have suffered for being perceived as being behind the technological curve, over and over again.

Maybe they'll finally try a different tack, to see they get different results.

 

[ShyGuy]

Well, exclusive games matter a lot and always will.

Then how do you explain PS4's unbelievable success ? Are people buying them to play Knack, Killzone, Driveclub and The Order (none of which have a metacritic over 75) or are they buying them to play the latest and greatest versions of Fifa, CoD, BF and AC ?.

Now the XBOX ONE is getting trounced by PS4 but it's sales are still above the 360's sales launch aligned and again are people really buying an XBOX ONE to play Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5 and a Halo Remaster or the great selection of third party games ?.

WiiU has an incredible selection of exclusive games from fantastic new instalments of the 2D Mario, 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Smash, Donkey Kong, Pikmin and Bayonetta series to brand new IP's like ZombiU, Lego City and Wonderful 101 and it's sales are still beyond disappointing even after several price cuts and bundles.

All of that data leads me to believe that third party games are far, far more important to a consoles sales than first party exclusives are. Do exclusives help ?, of course they do but they are no longer the reason people buy a particular console IMHO.

If Nintendo do not have some brand new Wiimote like concept up their sleeves then they should build a cheap console which is powerful enough to get third party ports from PS4 and XBO because those games have fanbases just as large, if not larger than Nintendo's first party IP's nowadays.

The specs I mentioned earlier would allow them to launch in late 2016 for $349 with a small loss per console sold and have the best versions of third party games for at least three years. With 16GB's of GDDR5 RAM it would also be powerful enough to receive downports from PS5/XB4 third party games well into the early 2020's.

 

[east of eastside]

The market that would shift from PS4/X1 to play a slightly superior port of a mainstream third-party AAA game on NX is effectively non-existent and not commercially viable.

It's a matter of perception that the average kid that plays CoD, GTA, or Halo equates Nintendo as kiddy/family brand and would not choose to play those titles on a Nintendo console.

Nintendo stopped being in the mainstream third-party console conversation in the late 90's.

Nintendo would not waste its dollars building a PS4/X1 x 1.5 console for the sake of attracting a non-existent market.

 

[wco81]

You mean like they did or claimed to do with the Wii U having greater performance than the 360/PS3?

 

[ShyGuy]

The market that would shift from PS4/X1 to play a slightly superior port of a mainstream third-party AAA game on NX is effectively non-existent and not commercially viable.

It's a matter of perception that the average kid that plays CoD, GTA, or Halo equates Nintendo as kiddy/family brand and would not choose to play those titles on a Nintendo console.

Nintendo stopped being in the mainstream third-party console conversation in the late 90's.

Nintendo would not waste its dollars building a PS4/X1 x 1.5 console for the sake of attracting a non-existent market.

The point isn't to attract PS4/XBO players to the system (although if NX offered all third party games at 1080p/60fps I'm sure a fair few would jump ship), the point is to offer a system that doesn't have month after month of absolutely nothing in between first party releases.

A healthy, thriving platform has the big name AAA third party games, indies and a few big exclusives per year. Releasing another Nintendo only box will only serve to shrink their audience more than it has already shrunk on WiiU. Nintendo consoles are on a downward sales trend outside of the mainstream fluke that was Wii, coincidently that also goes hand in hand with less and less third party content available on the consoles as the years have gone by.

 

[orangpelupa]

if they can go hand-in-hand with microsoft't crossplay initiative, have more powerful console, 100% no region lock, attracted multiplatform games...

 

[east of eastside]

The point isn't to attract PS4/XBO players to the system (although if NX offered all third party games at 1080p/60fps I'm sure a fair few would jump ship), the point is to offer a system that doesn't have month after month of absolutely nothing in between first party releases.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/...chitecture-for-next-portable-console-systems/

"If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms."

Iwata specifically mentioned console/portable cross-platform software as the means to address droughts. The "Nintendo only" and closed ecosystem strategic aspects of the NX/NextDS are given away there..

Again here..

"Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples."

A healthy, thriving platform has the big name AAA third party games, indies and a few big exclusives per year. Releasing another Nintendo only box will only serve to shrink their audience more than it has already shrunk on WiiU. Nintendo consoles are on a downward sales trend outside of the mainstream fluke that was Wii, coincidently that also goes hand in hand with less and less third party content available on the consoles as the years have gone by.

Iwata wants to create Nintendo version of iOS/Android. This is a Nintendo only box.. Don't think about it as shrinking the market, but offering a new more modern, integrated way to deliver the Nintendo experience more profitably while attracting back people that found 3DS/Wii U unappealing concepts. This is a strategy where they are staying with their niche, but finding a better way to serve and execute that strategy. Trust me that it is Nintendo's dream to become as self-contained of an ecosystem as possible.

 

[Cyan]

Then how do you explain PS4's unbelievable success ? Are people buying them to play Knack, Killzone, Driveclub and The Order (none of which have a metacritic over 75) or are they buying them to play the latest and greatest versions of Fifa, CoD, BF and AC ?.

Now the XBOX ONE is getting trounced by PS4 but it's sales are still above the 360's sales launch aligned and again are people really buying an XBOX ONE to play Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5 and a Halo Remaster or the great selection of third party games ?.

WiiU has an incredible selection of exclusive games from fantastic new instalments of the 2D Mario, 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Smash, Donkey Kong, Pikmin and Bayonetta series to brand new IP's like ZombiU, Lego City and Wonderful 101 and it's sales are still beyond disappointing even after several price cuts and bundles.

All of that data leads me to believe that third party games are far, far more important to a consoles sales than first party exclusives are. Do exclusives help ?, of course they do but they are no longer the reason people buy a particular console IMHO.

If Nintendo do not have some brand new Wiimote like concept up their sleeves then they should build a cheap console which is powerful enough to get third party ports from PS4 and XBO because those games have fanbases just as large, if not larger than Nintendo's first party IP's nowadays.

The specs I mentioned earlier would allow them to launch in late 2016 for $349 with a small loss per console sold and have the best versions of third party games for at least three years. With 16GB's of GDDR5 RAM it would also be powerful enough to receive downports from PS5/XB4 third party games well into the early 2020's.

The reason PS4 is winning sales wise is because of the E3 2013 and some decisions taken by the former CEOs of the Xbox division, maybe power. I dare say that the PS4 has the worst 1st party library of the current gen, by far. :/ But PS4 slogan says: "For you, gamers"

 

[Rikimaru]

The reason PS4 is winning sales wise is because of the E3 2013 and some decisions taken by the former CEOs of the Xbox division, maybe power. I dare say that the PS4 has the worst 1st party library of the current gen, by far. :/ But PS4 slogan says: "For you, gamers"

PS4 is only winning because it's a better machine priced right. It has much more games than xbone. Both have weak exclusives. Maybe Bloodborne will change that soon.

 

[Cyan]

PS4 is only winning because it's a better machine priced right. It has much more games than xbone. Both have weak exclusives. Maybe Bloodborne will change that soon.

The Xbox One has the best exclusives of this generation, save from Nintendo 1st party titles. Bloodborne is just a game which can't change the fact that the X1 has much greater games than the PS4 when it comes to exclusives and indies and content.

 

[chris1515]

PS4 is only winning because it's a better machine priced right. It has much more games than xbone. Both have weak exclusives. Maybe Bloodborne will change that soon.

Forza Horizon 2 is not a weak exclusive. Drive Club is now a pretty good game only missing one of the most important feature private lobbies. Sunset Overdrive or Infamous are good games not very good (85+) or excellent games(90+).

 

[chris1515]

The Xbox One has the best exclusives of this generation, save from Nintendo 1st party titles. Bloodborne is just a game which can't change the fact that the X1 has much greater games than the PS4 when it comes to exclusives and indies and content.

Indie? I know Ori and the blind forest is a great game but PS4 has much more indie games than Xbox One.

 

[chris1515]

The Xbox One has the best exclusives of this generation, save from Nintendo 1st party titles. Bloodborne is just a game which can't change the fact that the X1 has much greater games than the PS4 when it comes to exclusives and indies and content.

I think PS4 sells better than Xbox One because 3rd party content is much more important. UC4 or Quantum Break are important for core gamer. If we add number of the best selling exclusives games on PS3 and Xbox 360 you will see it is 1/3 of installed base at best of the number of 360 or PS3 sales last generation. Take the best sales entries of Halo, Gears of War Fable, Forza, Forza Horizon and other exclusives 360 do the same thing for PS3 and you will find it is not so important and it is very naive because I doubt all Gears of War players never play an Halo games or Uncharted player never play Last of Us, same thing for Forza Horizon and Forza, motorstorm and GT or Wipeout...

 

[Cyan]

Indie? I know Ori and the blind forest is a great game but PS4 has much more indie games than Xbox One.

The list of the upcoming indies running on the X1 is staggering, and Ori aside, games like Sunset Overdrive are highly acclaimed as console-sellers. I also expect quite a few megatons at the E3 this year.

 

[chris1515]

The list of the upcoming indies running on the X1 is staggering, and Ori aside, games like Sunset Overdrive are highly acclaimed as console-sellers. I also expect quite a few megatons at the E3 this year.

And Sony don't have indies games coming??? We don't have any idea of the quality of future indie game on each side. For example I think No Man Sky has too much hype. I am not sure it will be so good. Sunset Overdrive 81 at metacritic and Infamous Second Son 80.

The problem of Nintendo with the Wii U is because the gimmick they tried is bad, branding problem with the name, casual are gone to tablet and mobile and the console was too expensive for casual. The gamepad of the Wii U is a failure. Another problem is Nintendo game development are too long now and too much time between exclusives.

Nintendo need to find a good idea next time for a new console with 249/299 dollars/euros price at launch. And something social because tablet and mobile are successful but far from been like the wii with good local multiplayer interaction.

 

[chris1515]

The consoles have a big advantage against tablet and mobile game it is social interaction. You can connect your Wii or kinect and play with all people even those who don't like videogames and share an experience.

For tablet/mobile games, I think about someone playing alone or online and not thinking about all people near him.