How is Nintendo successful?
- Thread starter VG_Addict
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Game cards makes sense in my opinion. They're far harder to pirate, and modern 'cartridges' (high capacity SD cards) hold a shit load of information and they're not liable toget scratched or chew up the same amount of space... Apparently they also use less power?
Economically speaking there's a couple of reasons why Nintendo is performing quite well.
1: Greater production cost and sale price parity.
Nintendo simply lose less money when bringing out a new console. This covers a WiiU style advent, but it also immediately bolsters the company's profit projections whena console/handheld takes off.
2: Proprietary access that boosts first party sales and reinforces hardware uptake.
Simply put, Nintendo are the most productive games company in the world. It also helps that their games are often incredibly well received. To put it plainly, there's only one real place to play Nintendo games... and Nintendo games are more often than not highly desirable to play.
3: A ridiculously fiscal conservative-orientated philosophy.
Nintendo is weird in that they are incredibly cautious with capital reserves. In fact, Nintendo could release a WiiU level disappointment every year until 2035 and still not go broke. With full hardware dev cost and initial shipment run cycle and everything.
4: Proprietary tech partly fueled by hardware development cycle.
Kind of the reason why Nintendo experiment with their handhelds and consoles. Also why Nintendium is in everything .... it can even say your life. Some ECG machines even run on Nintendium.
Economically speaking there's a couple of reasons why Nintendo is performing quite well.
1: Greater production cost and sale price parity.
Nintendo simply lose less money when bringing out a new console. This covers a WiiU style advent, but it also immediately bolsters the company's profit projections whena console/handheld takes off.
2: Proprietary access that boosts first party sales and reinforces hardware uptake.
Simply put, Nintendo are the most productive games company in the world. It also helps that their games are often incredibly well received. To put it plainly, there's only one real place to play Nintendo games... and Nintendo games are more often than not highly desirable to play.
3: A ridiculously fiscal conservative-orientated philosophy.
Nintendo is weird in that they are incredibly cautious with capital reserves. In fact, Nintendo could release a WiiU level disappointment every year until 2035 and still not go broke. With full hardware dev cost and initial shipment run cycle and everything.
4: Proprietary tech partly fueled by hardware development cycle.
Kind of the reason why Nintendo experiment with their handhelds and consoles. Also why Nintendium is in everything .... it can even say your life. Some ECG machines even run on Nintendium.
Because people are buying what they're selling, and liking it..?
Unless I have a different interpretation of 'succesful'.
Unless I have a different interpretation of 'succesful'.
Addendum nailed it in the first post.
They're really careful with their money and staff, they put out frequent, quality, colorful games with exceptionally tuned gameplay, they practically have a monopoly on our childhood game icons, good R&D wing, etc etc. And despite how negative their old-mindedness can be at times, it also gives them a certain sense of honor (leading to the bigwigs taking a pay cut instead of dipping into the rainy day fund or firing people)
Since they have really reliable sales, and they're really careful with their resources, it's a given that they'll do pretty well. Maybe not gangbusters all the time, but as a youtuber I used to respect once said "You bet against them at your own peril"
They're really careful with their money and staff, they put out frequent, quality, colorful games with exceptionally tuned gameplay, they practically have a monopoly on our childhood game icons, good R&D wing, etc etc. And despite how negative their old-mindedness can be at times, it also gives them a certain sense of honor (leading to the bigwigs taking a pay cut instead of dipping into the rainy day fund or firing people)
Since they have really reliable sales, and they're really careful with their resources, it's a given that they'll do pretty well. Maybe not gangbusters all the time, but as a youtuber I used to respect once said "You bet against them at your own peril"
One of the keys is that they don't compete on the terms of the other hardware makers. They play to their strengths.
With that logic, how are consoles sucessful when they are behind mid range PC's?VG_Addict said:
i'm being facetious, themost powerful console each gen and the most successful console rarely seems to be the same.
fun games is the key. you could say Big N milk's it's franchises, but who doesnt?
Having a specific brand identity and well-established demographic targets, mostly?
We could debate the pros and cons of Nintendos offerings all day. But at the end of that day, its still a clear distinctive product. Take the Xbox or Playstation and they're prettymuch interchangeable outside of the slight control difference. Other then the smatterring of exclusives (and MS and Sony's exclusives tend to follow exact same genres and styles as mainline third party titles, while Nintendos have their own identity)
There is merit to owning A PS and Nintendo, there's merit to owning Nintendo and an Xbox. Its hard to say there's much merit to owning a PS and an Xbox.
We could debate the pros and cons of Nintendos offerings all day. But at the end of that day, its still a clear distinctive product. Take the Xbox or Playstation and they're prettymuch interchangeable outside of the slight control difference. Other then the smatterring of exclusives (and MS and Sony's exclusives tend to follow exact same genres and styles as mainline third party titles, while Nintendos have their own identity)
There is merit to owning A PS and Nintendo, there's merit to owning Nintendo and an Xbox. Its hard to say there's much merit to owning a PS and an Xbox.
Because they?re practically the charming equivalent of Disney for the gaming industry, where there?s even something for adults to like. Mario and Link are universally recognized characters, and unless we enter a nuclear apocalypse (probably even still then if they went back to their roots of selling playing cards) Nintendo will never have a shortage of willing, smiling customers.
Because they're the only console maker that realized before it was too late that consumers wanted a quality product, that they could use for more than a year before it broke, bricked, or needed repair. Every Nintendo console I have ever owned... still works. That isn't true of any other console. PS, PS2, XB, ps3... disk stops reading after a year or 2. 360... doesn't even really need much of a response about how fragile that thing is. Nintendo is successful because it is a quality product... physically. Superior in build quality if not performance. It turns out most people will trade a slight performance downgrade if it is the alternative to buying a product that will inevitably self-destruct shortly after the warranty runs out.
The Paradox Podcast (great listen for anyone who wants to learn more about the games industry, by the way) brought this up in one of their first episodes: Nintendo is successful because they are targeting a demographic that no other console developer is. Beginning with the Wii, Nintendo decided to shift away from "core gamers" to families and casual gamers and they've been sticking to that ever since.
By offering affordable consoles with diverse game line ups they are tapping into a market that Sony or Microsoft doesn't care about (because those customers will not dish out $400+ for a console) and a demographic that's unlikely to ever game on a PC. It is also a demographic that wants more involved gaming then what you can achieve on a smartphone. Nintendo are basically entirely unopposed in targeting one of the largest marketing segments of gamers and have been for the last decade.
This is in addition to all those things Addendum said.
By offering affordable consoles with diverse game line ups they are tapping into a market that Sony or Microsoft doesn't care about (because those customers will not dish out $400+ for a console) and a demographic that's unlikely to ever game on a PC. It is also a demographic that wants more involved gaming then what you can achieve on a smartphone. Nintendo are basically entirely unopposed in targeting one of the largest marketing segments of gamers and have been for the last decade.
This is in addition to all those things Addendum said.
I mean, I could probably take my old GameCube and use it to beat my PS4 to death with nothing but cosmetic damage.
Longevity counts for a lot when you're selling stuff to parents and young adults. Baring some cosmetic warping and an issue with the antenna strength on first gen jpycons, the Switch is almost indestructible.
Plus, they may not always make a great game, but they (almost) never make a bad game.
Longevity counts for a lot when you're selling stuff to parents and young adults. Baring some cosmetic warping and an issue with the antenna strength on first gen jpycons, the Switch is almost indestructible.
Plus, they may not always make a great game, but they (almost) never make a bad game.
They're not. They are going to crumble and be destroyed soon and then we will be rid of this blight on the world that is Nintendo. Then Nintendo's silly fans will cry and I will drink their tears...
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Ok, not really, but somebody should play the role of unreasonable Nintendobasher in this thread.
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Ok, not really, but somebody should play the role of unreasonable Nintendobasher in this thread.
This. Nintendo has made some very good games over the years. Quite a few of them in fact. Last year they made, in my opinion and the opinion of several others, the two best games of the year.Saelune said:
Another advantage is that they are small, which is useful on handhelds and semi-handhelds (the switch).Addendum_Forthcoming said:
They're "behind the times" in terms of power, which then impacts the number of third party companies who will develop for their systems.
But power is not always the most important thing. They are not behind the times in terms of hardware innovation, creativity, or gameplay.
The games they produce are often of a very high quality. They are a games company. Success is not a surprise.
But power is not always the most important thing. They are not behind the times in terms of hardware innovation, creativity, or gameplay.
The games they produce are often of a very high quality. They are a games company. Success is not a surprise.
i dont think they are constently behind. For innovations they are actually often ahead. it was of course especially true in the 80's. the NES, and they way they handle quality control was a big factor in the relaunch of the consoles market after the crash of the early 80's. The gameboy was the best handheld device of it's timeeven if the game gear was more powerfull, the snes hade the mode 7 and the super fx chip that gave us some incredible games. the aborded nintendo dd actually gave us the playstation, and the nintendo 64 gave us modern 3d controls. the wii popularised motion controls on other consoles, and set the base for the controls used in VR. of course when you ding innovating things, sometimes your produce failures. virtual boy, the wiiU are the first to come in my mind.VG_Addict said:
that said, yes their consoles are underpowered, but as long as they can put quality games on the consoles on a regulary basis, they will be fine.
They make good ga--
Yeah, pretty much this, plus a few others. Nintendo may not get business, but they do get making video games.Saelune said:
Think I would probably consider myself some sort of Nintendo fan. Not in the usual assumption of the word "fan." As don't currently own any console or game of theirs, am planning to eventually. Nor bother talking about them much either. But everything they make is pure quality enjoyment and don't screw over the essence of their work with shady practices that undermine the main experience just for some extra dolla. Personally, if I trust a developer to always make something of great memorable quality, then I count that as being a fan of them, or their work. That's all it takes. Does a person need to own anything or collect every overpriced bit of laminated bumfluff while defending any accidental burp of their inebriated CEOs in the morning toilets (which are different from the afternoon toilets btw) to be considered a "true" fan? That's a little materialistic and religious for my tastes.
Umm, anyway. They make the wholesome good stuff that people enjoy. That's all they need. More Metroid prime would be nice though.
Umm, anyway. They make the wholesome good stuff that people enjoy. That's all they need. More Metroid prime would be nice though.
Nintendo is a game developer. Microsoft and Sony own game developers. But Nintendo is gaming, and only gaming. That's it. They make gaming consoles and make games for those consoles. Until Iwata died, Nintendo was wholly run by game devs! Microsoft and Sony are not.leet_x1337 said: