Is Nintendo holding the industry back?

[IamLEAM1983]

No, they're not. Nintendo's chosen to focus on the consumer base it's already conquered and to push its classic IPs more than third-party software. House Mario's support for "hardcore" gamers is an excessively grudging concept, and it's easy to see that they're generally shooting for universal appeal.

What's the best way to guarantee you claim that, from a technological point of view? Foster a few innovations to catch the eye of the tech-hounds, but stick to basics, otherwise. Nintendo's more interested in being democratic than being bleeding-edge, hence why they've only now joined the HD Console gang. Wider market penetration is also what motivates stuff like the existence of the 2DS or the Canadian Wii Mini.

Microsoft is pushing for the status of a ubiquitous platform with the use of typical living-room features. They want Joe and Jane Average to consider the Xbox One as a valid DVR device and as a sort of one-stop entertainment hub. That means cutting-edge hardware, especially if you're looking to penetrate the increasingly demanding market of the "core" gamers.

Nintendo's strategy is different. They're not for offering functionality, they're for streamlining the user experience. That means keeping things simple. It also means you won't be able to expect a 4K-compatible console from them for a while, seeing as it'll take a while for 4K televisions to become democratically priced.

On the other hand, Sony's more liable to try and throw a bone to the bleeding-edge crowd, even as it's trying to outgrow its earned reputation as the producer of overpriced hardware.

 

[TrevHead]

It's a staple on the Escapist forums apparently.

The majority of the users on the Escapist don't hate Nintendo. They are just either apathetic, or don't care for them.
However you have a vocal few that want to see the company burn to the ground. With their worst crime being Mario releases every few years.

Well PC gamers do have a habit of putting tech before the games, which in here translates into alot of hate for the Wii and WiiU.

Never understood the true haters who want to see Nintendo crash and burn though. :S Maybe it's because they don't buy N systems or play their exclusive games they see them as irrelevant and shouldn't exist, same as some ppl think about retro 2D games. "Eww who plays those old kiddy games? It would be better if they never existed to make way for more games I like"?

The next gen is here too, and with that fanboy shit as ppl champion their preferred console and take a dump on the others.
It's quite easy to see that most ppl plan to buy a PS4 what with all the "Is Nintendo/MS doomed?" threads we see on gaming forums.

 

[Snotnarok]

Of course Nintendo isn't holding the industry back, because everyone is too busy ignoring them for them to have any kind of pull. The Wii started off as something but 3rd party software devs quickly realized their stuff wasn't selling, so why put in heavy development times? For the WiiU Nintendo is having to contract out devs to put stuff out exclusive content for their WiiU because no one else is bothering to make anything besides half assed overpriced ports and with the new devices on the horizon it's a wonder how long will it be before the WiiU has the same issue as the Wii? It's an if, not certainty don't get me wrong.

The 3DS is not going ignored because their handhelds sell because of a large fanbase so it's usually easy to make games for it and make your money back.

I don't hate Nintendo, I take some issue with their odd corner cutting (no CD/DVD playback, missing headphone jack in GBA SP, no backlight in Game Boy Pocket despite Japan getting one, lack luster in built memory for Wii, WiiU etc) but it's by no means a deal breaker as the GBA SP is one of my favorite handhelds of all time and I just got a 3DS XL and have found it really entertaining. But I feel the above is true, their devices don't carry enough 3rd party pull to hold anything back, the CURRENT generation was certainly holding things back with devs trying their damnedest to squeeze every ounce of power and even taking away from the field of view of the player in some games to keep up.

Yes, PS3, 360, Wii were holding things back as they lingered longer than any generation and were not up to the tasks for the graphics and games consumers and pubs demanded of them despite some amazing games coming from them.
This new generation of consoles has me worried as they seem to be getting less and less user friendly and easy which was their biggest charm, drop a disc in and play now it's updates, DLC that have to download, the games have to install, DRM is coming up as a problem, online fees, games are becoming more expensive to buy and typically less content down to no manuals, it's becoming a question of how much more problematic can these devices become before more people jump to the PC platform.

 

[Dragonbums]

Perhaps he took my advice on taking a break. He gets so worked up in the Nintendo threads that he could possibly snap, and he's only one strike away from a ban so I said that perhaps he should take a break from the site so as to not get in trouble.

That makes sense. I remember it was either the 2DS thread or something similar, but a few users were goading him by stating they there is a good chance many users on the Escapist do these anti-Nintendo threads just so they can piss him off. I couldn't find said comments again, but I was going to reply back in response to how that's a pretty shitty thing to do and such an action didn't hold an ounce of humor for me.

it wouldn't hurt to branch out of their safety zone from time to time.

I don't see Nintendo themselves doing that any time soon to be honest. That would be like asking Valve to make a non shooter based game.
They did try with bringing more mature games to the Wii U by really upping the graphical capabilities of the system, by they are still snuffed by the majority of the game industry devs. I pray that the new monolith "X" game will prove them wrong and show them just what you can do when you take the time to learn the system.

 

[The White Hunter]

So the touchscreen and motion capabilities weren't pioneered by Nintendo?

Also, even if Nintendo had absolutely no innovation, how would that be holding the industry back? It's not like they are actively going around a kneecapping competitors by being slow on the uptake for graphical capabilities. Just because they used for an entire generation after everyone switched to disc didn't leave everyone in the dark ages.

I just...don't understand at all. >.<

Don't forget the cross shaped Dpad that EVERYONE is now using since their patent on it expired. Or anologue sticks as we know them today.

Nintendo innovate quite a lot and do some very peculiar things in their time and with their giant money pile. They really aren't holding the industry back in the slightest, they just do their own thing.

 

[Verlander]

No, extortionate development costs as a result of a narrowing demand by a jaded audience with no loyalty to a brand or the scene who are actively involved in the trade-in industry are what's holding the games industry back.

Also, I object to the idea that Nintendo produce "casual" games. Actual casual gamers play FPS.

 

[Bocaj2000]

They're not holding the industry back. Their problem is that they are holding themselves back with their lack of new IPs. They take great risks with their consoles though... an interesting contradiction.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I think Nintendo is holding themselves back more than anything else.

Afterall, it's not like the other companies are desperately trying to measure up to Nintendo.

So Nintendo clowning around with motion and touch screen controls won't hurt anyone but themselves.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

No, that is ridiculous. They're just doing something different from everybody else. At absolute worst they're holding themselves back (that being a statement I would agree with a in a number of cases).

Edit- FUCKING NINJAS!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

If anyone is holding the industry back it's Sony and Microsoft because their continued insistence on raw power is pushing a culture where graphics are held in higher priority to gameplay and substance.

 

[Josh123914]

*looks around* Where the hell is J-e-f-f-e-r-s ?
Seriously, this is his element.

Anyway, INB4 J-e-f-f-e-r-s (btw, huge pain typing your name), Nintendo can do its own thing and make a profit, primarily because unlike the other 3 options, Nintendo isn't competing for the same market share.

Every week or so I hear several people on this site say how their sick of Xbone's crap, or the PS4's lack of exclusives and how their jumping ship to PC gaming (or vice-versa, e.g some guy tired of upgrading his laptop every ~year or so.)
but you never hear this same argument with the WiiU, or 3DS.

 

[Ishal]

Never understood the true haters who want to see Nintendo crash and burn though. :S Maybe it's because they don't buy N systems or play their exclusive games they see them as irrelevant and shouldn't exist, same as some ppl think about retro 2D games. "Eww who plays those old kiddy games? It would be better if they never existed to make way for more games I like"?

It's not so much that they hate Nintendo as much as they dislike (to varying degrees) the Nintendo fanboys. Nintendo's strength is its in own IP's. Most Nintendo gamers buy their systems strictly for those Mario and Zelda games, not all are eager to embrace new titles like W101 like apparently Jeffers was. I'm not a console fanboy. I have a PS3 for Killzone, Ace Combat, Dark Souls and a few others. I have a 360 for Halo and some others. I play tons of games on PC. My tastes in games are varied so I'm less likely to be a console fanboy than your average Nintendo gamer.

A lot of people don't understand how the Wii sold so well. They look at the strong games that come out for other consoles, think they're the bees knees, then they see the sales of those compared to Wii and.. :O <---- their faces.

There is a latent fear as well, that there ARE growing problems with the other consoles and ways of development. They (and I) don'e want to see other consoles fail because its variety... and variety is a good thing. When you have people like Jeffers come in and say "Nintendo will still be around when all those other companies have spent themselves into oblivion." you don't get how that could rub some people the wrong way? Who wants gaming to be dominated by any one company? Nintendo or anyone else?

 

[Roxas1359]

I don't see Nintendo themselves doing that any time soon to be honest. That would be like asking Valve to make a non shooter based game.
They did try with bringing more mature games to the Wii U by really upping the graphical capabilities of the system, by they are still snuffed by the majority of the game industry devs. I pray that the new monolith "X" game will prove them wrong and show them just what you can do when you take the time to learn the system.

Problem with relying on X though is if Nintendo decides to actually localize the game itself. It was other people gathering money together that got Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower localized because and not Nintendo, as they had no plans on localizing the games at all. Combine that with the region locking and GameStop buying exclusive distribution rights and we've got the formula for what happened with Xenoblade Chronicles again if Nintendo doesn't step up localization efforts, or at least gets rid of the region locking part. But they don't wanna do that because then they'll lose money as the costs of games in Japan is staggeringly high for certain genres and titles.

That's always been Nintendo's biggest problem, they try to make it so their hardware is difficult for pirates to easily exploit (in this case region locking and unique discs/cartridges), so they use their own hardware to try and pull it off. However it's obvious that it isn't working as the Wii U is technically the most hackable console on the market, something that was similar for SEGA when it came to the Dreamcast.

As for not branching out that's something one must do sometimes, you gotta take risks and get out of your comfort zone sometimes because there can be very interesting results from it. From your Valve example, I don't think Portal is considered a shooter really, or DoTa 2 for that matter so yes they've gone out of their comfort zone.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

Do you think Nintendo is holding back the industry? I say this because they seem to always be the last to follow trends, such as CDs, online, and HD. They're always behind the times, and maybe they should drop out of the console race.

I'm not even going to talk about console manufacture that you speak and instead address a huge fault of your opening post, accusation with no proof. Do you have any proof to back your claim? Cause if not than we can dismiss this whole topic as jimmy rustling.

 

[Roxas1359]

Nintendo is really the only innovative company out of the big three, so no, they're not holding the industry back. If Nintendo were to suddenly drop out, the video game industry would inevitably meet its demise.

That is sorta an overstatement I think, and an extremely bad one at that. That's like saying that the entire sweets industry was gonna die when Hostess went out of business. The video game industry would indeed take a hit yes, but it wouldn't just up an die because one console manufacturer dropped out of the race. Didn't happen with SEGA dropped out of the console race did it? No, the industry would live on still with Sony, Microsoft, and PC gaming because PC gaming has never actually died per say, despite what people would say. Plus with indie games and Kickstarter being so popular now that definitely would never be the case of the industry dying entirely.

When a void is made, usually something comes to fill it. When Atari was dying out, Nintendo came in and took it's place, and from Nintendo joining in eventually Sony did, and when SEGA dropped out Microsoft took it's place. It's evident that something will always fill in the void for this industry really so that's just how it is. Nintendo isn't the end all be all god of the gaming industry that if they were to die, something that would probably never happen, then it wouldn't mean that the industry would just come to an end or meet its demise.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Nope, not really, like others have said if anyone holds Nintendo back in some way, it will be Nintendo itself. Nintendo likes to stay independent of the other two, and funny enough despite being slower when it comes to their console tech, Sony and Microsoft usually emulate them in the end. Focus on looking the best and having ridiculous budgets is what is harming the industry at the moment, something the other two are far more guilty of in the first place.

Also, if video game progress is determined only by amazing graphics, no backwards compatibility, not focusing on being dedicated gaming machines, and putting in pointless online and social media components, I will happily stay in the past thank you very much.

I'm not saying Sony and Microsoft are as awful as I made them sound, but they have their priorities(Microsoft especially) wrong more times than I would say Nintendo does. Even if it's because of the things Nintendo decides not to do rather than what they do.

 

[irok]

No, that'd be Microsoft, the Xbox 360 has been holding back graphics for awhile now while Nintendo chose to sidestep out of the hardware race by doing things like etrian odyssey and fire emblem , not graphically demanding but still dam good all the same

 

[Roxas1359]

I didn't say it would die immediately. With the only innovator (in the console race) out of the game, the industry would slowly die of starvation of new things.

And as I said, with indie games and Kickstarter being as popular as they are now then we don't have to worry, especially since all 3 consoles are now catering to the indie development. Plus there are still innovations in the other companies as well so innovation never will really die either. Saying Nintendo is the only real innovator is completely wrong. Yes the are most obviously the biggest ones, but they aren't the only ones at all.

 

[rob_simple]

Oh look, VG_Addict has created another thread with an inflammatory topic and then failed to respond to any of the valid criticism laid out against him/her.

Seriously guys, check his posts, he is doing this a lot, I don't know why you all keep taking the bait.

Still, OT: Who are they holding back, except themselves, if you actually believe that? Unless Sony and Microsoft are just waiting to copy them again then who cares what Nintendo choose to do.

 

[Giyguy]

Ironically, the company who doesn't change their main games much is actually the last bastion of creativity that the industry has.

Nintendo is ahead of the times, it ain't holding anything back.