Nintendo to compete by producing games
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Tagrineth said:
i know i'm being very materialistic.... u know, i'm a material girl in a material world... (<---SORRY THAT WAS BAD
)but what would be the point of Nintendo making a next gen console if it can't at least come close to whatever MS or Sony have to offer... they might as well just focus of Handhelds, and even then they still have Sony's technology to match (IF this PSP is really as powerful as everyone seems to think)...
london-boy said:i know i'm being very materialistic.... u know, i'm a material girl in a material world... (<---SORRY THAT WAS BAD
I don't mean one that will be clearly inferiour in every way or anything...
I just mean, a step up more like what Dreamcast was - not technically as impressive as the current three consoles, but visually just as good for the most part.
I think that Nintendo should just try to focus on making another well-balanced console like the GC. I personally think that a lackluster launch, coupled with two years of a somewhat stagnant first-party line-up, is responsible for Nintendo's current position. I definitely think that Nintendo can still be a profitable company without having to compete to have the all-encompassing features of the XB2 or PS3.
By 2005, I don't think that there will be any real incentive for Nintendo to offer DVD or HD-DVD support for the home console. DVD has penetrated the home consumer market at an amazing rate, and I don't think that that DVD movie support (or lack thereof) will have any real impact on the GC2. (I personally have three DVD playing machines at home TODAY.) Time Warner Cable is already offering digital cable boxes with TiVo features, and I suspect that MS plan to make the XBox the all-in-1 cable/dvd/tv box is going to fall short since cable companies are now starting to offer these features in their digital cable boxes. In fact, these features will eventually be integrated into television sets anyway, leaving the console makers no choice but to offer GAME consoles.
Nintendo needs to launch the GC2 as close to the other consoles as possible, but it needs to have a serious line-up of games to launch. Another launch with last-generation rehashes (Wave Race, Rogue Leader) and lackluster first-party launch titles (Luigi) will do far more damage to Nintendo than lack of DVDR+ support or whatever else the XB2 or PS3 are going to offer.
By 2005, I don't think that there will be any real incentive for Nintendo to offer DVD or HD-DVD support for the home console. DVD has penetrated the home consumer market at an amazing rate, and I don't think that that DVD movie support (or lack thereof) will have any real impact on the GC2. (I personally have three DVD playing machines at home TODAY.) Time Warner Cable is already offering digital cable boxes with TiVo features, and I suspect that MS plan to make the XBox the all-in-1 cable/dvd/tv box is going to fall short since cable companies are now starting to offer these features in their digital cable boxes. In fact, these features will eventually be integrated into television sets anyway, leaving the console makers no choice but to offer GAME consoles.
Nintendo needs to launch the GC2 as close to the other consoles as possible, but it needs to have a serious line-up of games to launch. Another launch with last-generation rehashes (Wave Race, Rogue Leader) and lackluster first-party launch titles (Luigi) will do far more damage to Nintendo than lack of DVDR+ support or whatever else the XB2 or PS3 are going to offer.
Ooh-videogames
Regular
Nintendo been saying this all alone that hardware is not their main concern, but that making great games are. I believe GC2 will be powerful in creating graphics for games, but as far as it playing movies, sending email, being connected to cell phones and having built in Tivo or any other thing that Sony come up with to add to a system they won't be apart of it. The point of buying a videogame console is to play games not send email, record television shows.
You'll probably get built-in modem and harddrive but other that it will be what its supposed to be and thats a gaming system. The only way I see Nintendo going the same route as Sony is merging with Matsushita(Please correct spelling if wrong) which wouldn't be a bad idea in my opinion.
Hopefully Nintendo will match Sony and MS(CPU,GPU).
You'll probably get built-in modem and harddrive but other that it will be what its supposed to be and thats a gaming system. The only way I see Nintendo going the same route as Sony is merging with Matsushita(Please correct spelling if wrong) which wouldn't be a bad idea in my opinion.
Hopefully Nintendo will match Sony and MS(CPU,GPU).
I think this statement say exactly what it says. Without reading between lines. They don't want to focus on competing with other hardware manufacturers and focus on making fun software.
I think there's anythng in there that say they will release a console not technically as powerful or capable as MS or Sony. If that's the case they will just loose money again.
I think there's anythng in there that say they will release a console not technically as powerful or capable as MS or Sony. If that's the case they will just loose money again.
Yeah, I doubt that GCN2 (please God let them not call it this.. ) will be the least capable next-gen console.. at least not on purpose. Nintendo will probably take the route they took with the GCN and make its features useful for gaming only.
I can see a HDD, maybe built-in network.. but no TiVo-style capabilities or DVD playback.
) will be the least capable next-gen console.. at least not on purpose. Nintendo will probably take the route they took with the GCN and make its features useful for gaming only.I can see a HDD, maybe built-in network.. but no TiVo-style capabilities or DVD playback.
Well...this news piece can be seen with optimistic eyes, or with what probably means...and taking into account Nintendo´s recent business practices, here´s what I think it means.
Nintendo doesn´t want to invest as much money as Sony and MS into the R&D of a new console. It also isn´t planning to sell a machine at a loss, unlike like the other two competitors, and is going to stick to their market (kids). And as we all know, a machine as powerfull as PS3 will be can´t be made without aggressive research, or aggressive pricing (both PS3 and Xbox2).
I´d say that it´s fully expected that Nintendo will have the weakest console at launch by a considerable margin.
Nintendo doesn´t want to invest as much money as Sony and MS into the R&D of a new console. It also isn´t planning to sell a machine at a loss, unlike like the other two competitors, and is going to stick to their market (kids). And as we all know, a machine as powerfull as PS3 will be can´t be made without aggressive research, or aggressive pricing (both PS3 and Xbox2).
I´d say that it´s fully expected that Nintendo will have the weakest console at launch by a considerable margin.
Well, I read the article as saying that they'll release a substandard console next gen which will let them sell the system @ profit, @ launch, and be able to throw up polygonal representations of their cast of cute cudley mascots (and make more profit).
But then again, I don't like Nintendo
But then again, I don't like Nintendo
Tagrineth said:
Nintendo´s core market is kids, I never thought anyone would get mad about stating a fact. That doesn´t necessarily mean, that their entire userbase and games is made of and meant for kids. And I don´t ever remember stating something like that.
The main point of my post was basically what zurich posted, making a cheap with decent hardware, but still underpowered compared to the competition console, that will be able to make a profit, while also trying to launch with a game starring one of their main rosy cudley characters.
I disagree with that. Besides the actual Purple Cube fiasco the GCN's main problem has been piss poor marketing (everywerhe in the world except Japan). That's why the PS2 has kicked it's ass imo.
As far as a "substandard console" that has'nt hurt the PS2 any against the technically superior Cube and Xbox. Nintendo will just make a console that the casual mainstream can't tell the difference between just like now. Ask most casual buyers walking in the local EB or BB what system is the most powerful (or has the best looking games). Inevitably you'll here "Playstation 2 ..mayun!". MS has sunk a fortune (and is still losing big$$)on the XB for what?... ... to wrestle with the scrappy old dog Nintendo for 2nd place. Nintendo has seen that if you make a machine that is cheap yet still produces graphics that appeal to everyone this is plenty enuf. It's safe smart move if this is actually the case.
Link
Nintendo's profit hit by sales slowdown, strong yen
Thu May 22, 8:43 AM ET Add Technology - AFP to My Yahoo!
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's top video game maker Nintendo (news - web sites) said its net profit was depressed by a sales slowdown and the yen's strength in the year to March while its rivals faced mixed fortunes counting on hit software.
Nintendo, the maker of popular hand-held Game Boy Advance and home-use Gamecube consoles, reported a group net profit of 67.3 billion yen (560 million dollars), down 36.8 percent from a year earlier.
It ended a two-year run of record net profits, which had been bolstered by brisk sales of consoles and software titles.
Nintendo's recurring profit fell 49.1 percent to 95.0 billion yen on sales worth 504.1 billion yen, up 9.1 percent, Nintendo Co. Ltd. said in a statement. Overseas sales accounted for 74.8 percent of the total.
The creator of the popular Super Mario software has been locked in a price war around the world with Microsoft's Xbox (news - web sites) console and Sony's PlayStation2 (news - web sites).
Last month, Nintendo slashed its earnings forecast after worldwide sales of Gamecube consoles and software were hit by the popularity of PlayStation2.
For the year to March 2004, the group's net profit is forecast to edge down 3.4 percent to 65 billion yen while recurring profit is estimated at 110 billion yen, up 15.7 percent.
Its sales are forecast to expand 9.1 percent to 550 billion yen.
"Software publishers began to reorganise their business to cope with a commercial environment that had become even more severe," the statement said.
"Software titles had increased, pushing development costs and advertisement costs up," Nintendo said, adding that "sales concentrated only around a handful of hit titles."
The group's sales of game consoles tumbled 13 percent to 275.2 billion yen and those of game software lost four percent to 227.1 billion yen.
The stronger-than-expected yen in the year affected the group's income before taxes while its net profit was bolstered by sales of shares in affiliates, the statement said.
Nintendo's foreign exchange losses totaled 22.6 billion yen in the year.
The company said that for the current year it would develop game software which can be played with both Gamecube and Game Boy consoles.
It added that its board of directors had approved a share buyback program of up to 14 million shares for 110 billion yen.
On Monday rival Sega reported a return to the black for the first time in six years -- with a group net profit of 3.1 billion yen -- thanks to the success of its gaming arcade equipment businesses and stock sales.
But its recurring profit dropped 37.6 percent, mainly due to the failure of its American football game title in the United States.
Sony's game division reported last month its operating profit jumped 35.9 percent to 112.7 billion yen, due to brisk sales of consoles in the United States and Europe, an increase in best-selling software and a cutback in semiconductor costs.
Also reporting results Thursday, Konami Co. Ltd. incurred a group net loss of 28.52 billion yen, compared with a net profit of 11.4 billion yen in the preceding year, despite brisk sales of soccer game software following Japan's co-hosting of the World Cup finals last year.
Under US accounting standards, it had to write down the value of a fitness club business run by a sport subsidiary.
Namco Ltd. said Wednesday its net profit doubled to 4.1 billion yen, on brisk sales of software for a game in which the player beats drums to music (which game is this btw??).
Nintendo's profit hit by sales slowdown, strong yen
Thu May 22, 8:43 AM ET Add Technology - AFP to My Yahoo!
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's top video game maker Nintendo (news - web sites) said its net profit was depressed by a sales slowdown and the yen's strength in the year to March while its rivals faced mixed fortunes counting on hit software.
Nintendo, the maker of popular hand-held Game Boy Advance and home-use Gamecube consoles, reported a group net profit of 67.3 billion yen (560 million dollars), down 36.8 percent from a year earlier.
It ended a two-year run of record net profits, which had been bolstered by brisk sales of consoles and software titles.
Nintendo's recurring profit fell 49.1 percent to 95.0 billion yen on sales worth 504.1 billion yen, up 9.1 percent, Nintendo Co. Ltd. said in a statement. Overseas sales accounted for 74.8 percent of the total.
The creator of the popular Super Mario software has been locked in a price war around the world with Microsoft's Xbox (news - web sites) console and Sony's PlayStation2 (news - web sites).
Last month, Nintendo slashed its earnings forecast after worldwide sales of Gamecube consoles and software were hit by the popularity of PlayStation2.
For the year to March 2004, the group's net profit is forecast to edge down 3.4 percent to 65 billion yen while recurring profit is estimated at 110 billion yen, up 15.7 percent.
Its sales are forecast to expand 9.1 percent to 550 billion yen.
"Software publishers began to reorganise their business to cope with a commercial environment that had become even more severe," the statement said.
"Software titles had increased, pushing development costs and advertisement costs up," Nintendo said, adding that "sales concentrated only around a handful of hit titles."
The group's sales of game consoles tumbled 13 percent to 275.2 billion yen and those of game software lost four percent to 227.1 billion yen.
The stronger-than-expected yen in the year affected the group's income before taxes while its net profit was bolstered by sales of shares in affiliates, the statement said.
Nintendo's foreign exchange losses totaled 22.6 billion yen in the year.
The company said that for the current year it would develop game software which can be played with both Gamecube and Game Boy consoles.
It added that its board of directors had approved a share buyback program of up to 14 million shares for 110 billion yen.
On Monday rival Sega reported a return to the black for the first time in six years -- with a group net profit of 3.1 billion yen -- thanks to the success of its gaming arcade equipment businesses and stock sales.
But its recurring profit dropped 37.6 percent, mainly due to the failure of its American football game title in the United States.
Sony's game division reported last month its operating profit jumped 35.9 percent to 112.7 billion yen, due to brisk sales of consoles in the United States and Europe, an increase in best-selling software and a cutback in semiconductor costs.
Also reporting results Thursday, Konami Co. Ltd. incurred a group net loss of 28.52 billion yen, compared with a net profit of 11.4 billion yen in the preceding year, despite brisk sales of soccer game software following Japan's co-hosting of the World Cup finals last year.
Under US accounting standards, it had to write down the value of a fitness club business run by a sport subsidiary.
Namco Ltd. said Wednesday its net profit doubled to 4.1 billion yen, on brisk sales of software for a game in which the player beats drums to music
(which game is this btw??).