Nintendo Slashes Profit Forecast by Four-Fifths

[Pedro Negrin]

I'm glad this is happening; and with the move not selling the gameing industry might finally get the shake it needs.

 

[Laser Priest]

Maybe this will be a wake up call.

Hopefully Nintendo will start making some good ideas.

We need a new Handheld. And no, that does not mean releasing another version of the DS. And adding 3D functionality doesn't make it any better.

 

[duchaked]

"well that didn't work...let's make the Wii print money again. bring out the Wii 2! anyone got a sillier name instead of just slapping on a 2?"

Wii U!

 

[Baresark]

I see your point, but I don't see the Wii U as a huge gamble at this point. No one can be sure what the price point is going to be, but you can bet it will be competitive to current offerings of the Sony and MS.

You're correct there. It has to compete with Sony (PS3) and Microsoft (Xbox 360).

I don't think they "shunned" anyone either.

Tell that to the folks running Operation Rainfall. Nintendo is intentionally withholding three high profile Wii games from the US market. Why? Because Nintendo feels those games don't fit into the market profile of the US; specifically, the games are (as they openly admitted) "Not casual enough".

They simply offered something that had just enough at a cheap enough price that you basically couldn't not own it. They are great at business, and there is no doubt in my mind they are not going anywhere. They still have the market completely cornered on the hand helds, and the price cut of the 3DS is only going to solidify that further. They will make less profit off of the 3DS, but still make a profit.

That I agree with. The 3DS is looking to be Nintendo's future lifeline.

Also, I don't understand your second point. Watched the other companies saturate the market with what? And how is that Nintendo's fault?

Nintendo has almost completely neglected hardcore gamer for the last 5 years; relying primarily on first party titles and casual shovelware for profit. Off the top of my head, I can think of a total of 4 (among HUNDREDS) of Wii titles that didn't fit into either of those categories.

Because Sony and Microsoft didn't challenge that market, Nintendo was able to pull ahead in profits. However, the Wii U is a (pun inbound) U-turn for the direction of their company; at E3, Nintendo marketed the Wii U directly to hardcore gamers.

The only way I can see the Wii U not having a good launch is if the launch lineup isn't any good. I think they literally NEED to have a staple IP on release. I do agree that the Wii was a runaway success, one that may very well be impossible to repeat, for anyone.

The Wii *was* a financial success; no doubt about that. But that success came at a price.
Nintendo sacrificed the goodwill of hardcore gamers through years of neglect.

Meanwhile, Sony and Microsoft have taken over the entirety of the hardcore console market and that is my second point.

As a personal note, I still feel cheated for having purchased a Wii. It's a useless white brick that sits in my den with no games I care about.

But I don't agree that motion controls are just a gimmick as so many people seem to thing. The games done well with motion controls were fantastic. It's just that far too many developers did not make the Wiimote control well.

Just a few thoughts.

I disagree. The motion controls never felt natural to me, and most Wii titles I played felt like they would have controlled better with a regular gamepad.

Wow, I just received about a week and half of responses in one refresh. I don't know why I wasn't getting it.

OT: I forgot about project Rainfall. That was complete crap, you are right about that. Also, I don't think that the Gamecube was devoted to hardcore gamers as well. They had some exclusives that were hardcore oriented, all of which later came out on the competition. But, the Wii has some hardcore aimed games as well, not as many as the gamecube did though.