Nintendo GOing Forward.

[Fourth Storm]

Seeing as that Nintendo are sticking with their current pricing scheme with the new 3DS, I think that they will keep it for the next generation as well. Probably just one sku at first and at about $200 to start (gives them some room for future price cuts and early adopters are used to paying a premium). Honestly, their biggest issue is software price, which Iwata has indicated they are exploring ways to modify via some type of loyalty program.

All digital is the status quo for kids these days. There are alot more kids downloading games on smartphones and tablets than going to Walmart and picking up $40 game cards.

 

[east of eastside]

Not sure about the bold part. Nintendo wants their console to be family friendly and suitable for all ages especially youngsters. Buying digitally only isnt exactly kid friendly. Not to mention that they most likely would want kids to nag parents for tangible Nintendo "toys" when they get to stores,

That's reasonable, but the view of that might be different in 2016-17 and digital already has some family friendly aspects to it. It's a bold move, but it gives Nintendo the advantage of distinction, and the low profile of the hardware w/o disc drive presents some real marketing and cost advantages. Wii U can still be sold for kids that want 'tangible' software w/ a friendly $199 price point...the first years of the new console might see a recycling of Wii U software, anyways, so the fact it's all digital won't be that big of a deal to the kids market. The conventional console course has failed for Nintendo and I think it is time for them to try the 'Apple TV' route.

 

[Rodéric]

the pad is the best part of the system. I hope next gen they simply design their handheld to be the pad

I agree, it's akin to an Occulus Rift, except it doesn't shut you from what's happening around you, which IMO is a plus. (I expect young adults and teens to disagree.)

Not sure about the bold part. Nintendo wants their console to be family friendly and suitable for all ages especially youngsters. Buying digitally only isnt exactly kid friendly. Not to mention that they most likely would want kids to nag parents for tangible Nintendo "toys" when they get to stores,

I could see a series of Amiibo like figures that would represent titles and unlock them on the console using NFC.
So kids would buy a miniature/figure in a shop, unlock the game at home and wait for the download to finish. (Not as good as having physical disc to play immediatly but a good alternative maybe.)

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I agree, it's akin to an Occulus Rift, except it doesn't shut you from what's happening around you, which IMO is a plus. (I expect young adults and teens to disagree.)

What are the similarities between the two in your opinion? I personally don't see too many, if any.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Nintendo's design direction post-N64 has always been low cost, low power with a tendency to do its own thing hardware-wise, there is no reason it will stray from that now, none.

Except from the little fact that they managed to lose the largest chunk of their brand value and have been posting their largest losses ever year-on-year?
And this happened in no small part due to 3rd party developers ignoring the platform because its hardware is so crappy compared to the new generation?
And Iwata as CEO has been getting the lowest approval rates ever within shareholders?

Yeah, apart from that, there's no reason.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Nintendo's design direction post-N64 has always been low cost, low power with a tendency to do its own thing hardware-wise, there is no reason it will stray from that now, none.

Except it hasn't been working apart from Wii's anomalous behaviour. If Nintendo want to change how their company grows, they need to change behaviour and strategy. 'Going large' is one of those options and that has historical precedent as it helped Nintendo get to where they are in the days of trumpeting their awesomely powerful hardware.

 

[Rodéric]

What are the similarities between the two in your opinion? I personally don't see too many, if any.

Besides the relief aspect, there's little difference, both are windows to another virtual world, one is in your hands the other stuck to your face, and that's about it.
Adding relief wouldn't be an issue for Nintendo given they already have the 3DS...

 

[Rodéric]

Except it hasn't been working apart from Wii's anomalous behaviour. If Nintendo want to change how their company grows, they need to change behaviour and strategy. 'Going large' is one of those options and that has historical precedent as it helped Nintendo get to where they are in the days of trumpeting their awesomely powerful hardware.

The NGC wasn't under powered at all.
The Wii certainly was though and it sold very well.
Nintendo completely fucked up Wii U marketing, the name is all wrong, even Wii 2/Wii HD would have been better, and they failed miserably at communicating that it was a new console and not an accessory for the Wii, and what was novel about the console to their Wii customers.
(Sunday I was in a supermarket and someone asked the Wii U demonstrator if that was a Wii, was suprised it wasn't then asked what was new in that "Wii U"...)

Anyway that's off-topic ;p

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Besides the relief aspect, there's little difference, both are windows to another virtual world, one is in your hands the other stuck to your face, and that's about it.

VR is a world apart from 3D. One is a window into another world where you are sat watching that other world, and the other transports you into that other world. It's the difference between watching a TV documentary on the African savannah and going on holiday there. Where, partly, where every sense except sight and sound has been numbed!

 

[DuckThor Evil]

both are windows to another virtual world, one is in your hands the other stuck to your face, and that's about it.

Well the perceived image size in these scenarios are worlds apart. To be honest I find your comparison totally absurd, similar to if someone was saying that watching a movie on a phone is basically the same as watching it in Imax theatre.

 

[Rodéric]

Well the perceived image size in these scenarios are worlds apart. To be honest I find your comparison totally absurd, similar to if someone was saying that watching a movie on a phone is basically the same as watching it in Imax theatre.

You're pushing things, but I found the Wii U pad to be better than the Occulus Rift anyway.
You move your head in one case, your hands in the other case, the first has a lot of drawbacks and doesn't really immerse you as you seem to think, because of the difference between what you see and what you experience (ie body informations).
Anyway that's just my opinion based on using both devices, your mileage may vary.

(I would only partially agree about the movie, after all you would get the story part just fine both ways, but it's true a big screen & good sound setup enhance the experience a lot. [And are also the only reason blockbusters are worth watching. So maybe people should only use smart phones and we'd get better movies ].)
Again off-topic, not worth pursuing and pointless to talk about tastes anyway.

 

[liolio]

OT but IMO VR is more a financial coup than anything else, the guys that were involved into occulus made some nice money I guess when they were bought by FB.
Now others brands are trying but I see no future for such tech outside of professional applications, it alienates one-self completely from reality, I expect a strong resistance to it from customers.
3D like augmented reality is a more sensible approach, whether or not it has been successfully implemented or not is another matter.
/OT

For its handheld, if Nintendo releases it by 2017 as some expect I would consider us lucky if we get something akin to a RK3288 linked to LPDDR4.
For the home console, it should not be their primary concern, getting their handheld right is of greater importance.

 

[Nesh]

The NGC wasn't under powered at all.
The Wii certainly was though and it sold very well.
Nintendo completely fucked up Wii U marketing, the name is all wrong, even Wii 2/Wii HD would have been better, and they failed miserably at communicating that it was a new console and not an accessory for the Wii, and what was novel about the console to their Wii customers.
(Sunday I was in a supermarket and someone asked the Wii U demonstrator if that was a Wii, was suprised it wasn't then asked what was new in that "Wii U"...)

Anyway that's off-topic ;p

Ha you cant imagine how many people were buying Wii U games and came back to the shop complaining they werent working on their Wii.

 

[east of eastside]

Except from the little fact that they managed to lose the largest chunk of their brand value and have been posting their largest losses ever year-on-year?
And this happened in no small part due to 3rd party developers ignoring the platform because its hardware is so crappy compared to the new generation?
And Iwata as CEO has been getting the lowest approval rates ever within shareholders?

Yeah, apart from that, there's no reason.

Nintendo is never going to mirror Xbox or PS's business model, never. Nintendo makes money from hardware and first-party software, primarily, with long sales legs. It's not rational to expect that to ever change because it is fundamentally contrary to their operating philosophy and business structure. The market isn't interested in playing third-party multiplatform games on Nintendo consoles.

Except it hasn't been working apart from Wii's anomalous behaviour. If Nintendo want to change how their company grows, they need to change behaviour and strategy. 'Going large' is one of those options and that has historical precedent as it helped Nintendo get to where they are in the days of trumpeting their awesomely powerful hardware.

It's just not going to happen ever... The market stopped wanting to play third-party multiplatform games on the 'kiddy' Nintendo console, Nintendo lost that audience when N64 went cartridge. Nintendo would have to mature Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc., into $60 million budget games and acquire development studios to support that in order to attempt to change its image and draw back that demographic. Then it would have to sell hardware at break-even or loss and count on selling enough 3rd-party games to be profitable from licensing revenue...a totally unrealistic departure from their lifetime business model and operating philosophy. Not gonna happen.

Nintendo must concentrate on being the must own 2nd console, or the Apple TV that plays Nintendo games. Nintendo needs to further embrace digital and really pursue a modern, relevant ecosystem, hardware focus is the opposite direction.

 

[east of eastside]

Nintendo will sell a low cost, all-digital console that will allow it to sell at a mainstream adoption price, piracy-free in China. I just hit the marketing grand slam.

 

[Fourth Storm]

It'll be low cost with some type of gimmick. You can bet on that. Just the gimmick won't be as high cost as the Gamepad. I wonder if there's any truth to that Sharp free-form display rumor. I'm inclined to believe it for some reason. Seems Nintendo-like in that they could put control help right next to the button if the buttons are in the "hole" that is described. But that would only really work for the handheld, where you are looking down all the time.

 

[Grall]

Dunno what to think about a donut-shaped display with buttons inside of it. No, I don't think that would be a good idea. You'd partially cover the screen with your hands for starters, and a screen like that, how not-cheap would it be? More so than a regular, I'd wager.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Yeah, I find it hard to believe it will actually be donut-shaped. I can see them embedding a stick and some buttons into the screen, though, so maybe the rumor got embellished a bit in transmission. I'm skeptical of the application of such a feature myself, but they realistically do need something to differentiate them from the sea of cheap tablets/mobile devices.

 

[Rodéric]

Whole padlet as a screen ?
Panoramic view ?

Dunno

 

[Grall]

What possible use could a free-form display have that's not 100% gimmicky?

Gimmicks failed Nintendo this generation, not only can the wuupad as a whole be seen as a gimmick, it is also packed full of other gimmicks (camera, IR diodes, NFC reader, stylus, etc) and none of it has done them a damn bit of good.

Free-form displays are difficult to utilize uniformly. Especially where ports are concerned. "Yeah, but Nintendo isn't interested in ports!" Tough shit, because they can't sustain themselves on just their own titles. Thus they better re-evaluate their strategy for the next generation, or they're not going to last very long.