Sure, why not?
Nintendo really are great at making games. I would have loved to play their more recent games on a 360 or PS3. As it is now, I just don't get to play them since I don't see much value in the Nintendo consoles. The only thing they have to offer on their consoles is a few games from their leading franchises. Don't get me wrong, those games are probably stellar, but it's not enough for me to buy a console just for those.
How long can you sustain a console business on first party titles alone?
Nintendo can afford to play the long game here. They're still bringing in lots of revenue from their handheld systems. There's also still a lot of money in merchandising on their core franchises. One failed console isn't going to ruin them.
In my opinion, Nintendo's console problem stems mainly from a lack of vision and a failure to execute. These failings say nothing about their ability to do so, just that they were unable to do so in this case. The answer is simple, cut their losses, and try a different approach.
I don't think the concept of the Wii U is fundamentally broken, it just needs some work to entice third party development and to fix the hardware problems.
They can turn it around. I think it's a good bet they will.
Nintendo is used to developing for old school consoles; boxes with discs or cartridges and where people play together in one room. But when nearly every person has a connected smartphone, an HD TV, and broadband the expectations for a system are well beyond what Nintendo has proven they can do.
Until they accept they don't have the skills to do that part properly or start to believe that it is actually important then they will continue to fail.
The Wii U is a complete failure. At some point very soon, Pokemon won't be enough to keep selling the DS when there's so much many compelling reasons to just buy an iPod touch or iPad.
Nintendo can still make great games, but pretty soon they're going to be making great games for systems that nobody wants because the rest of the games on those systems are years-late ports or just total shovelware garbage.
I couldn't imagine playing Super Mario World on a Genesis, but it wasn't the name on the console that made that game great. There's zero chance I will ever buy a Wii U, but I will probably buy an Xbox One or PS4 at some point in the next two years—once the game libraries for those systems improve. I'd love for Mario or Zelda to show up and help me make that decision.
This gif tells a different story.
The answer to these questions is no. The Wii got a lot of people who would probably never buy a video game console to buy one. But where are they now? How many are shoved under a TV in the spare bedroom at someone's grandparents' house? Why haven't they bought a Wii U yet?
It's because it was a blip. It wasn't sustainable.
Following SEGA footsteps. SEGA is still around.
> Nintendo's been around for a really long time.
Yes, almost since the begining. And they are also the ones to thank for the consoles requiring devkits and NDAs.
It was a concept introduced by Nintendo after the 1983 crash, as a means to control game quality.
So I don't pitty them.
Sega lost all of its influence and talent during the transition to software publisher. They hoped they will become #1 gaming software company but that never happened. Most of their gaming brands (Sonic the Hedgehog and others) took a masssive nosedive in quality or are abandoned, and new brands (like Aliens or Binary Domain) have failed. Sega is still around but it is a mere shadow of its former self. I'd prefer Nintendo to keep taking a gamble instead of giving up like Sega.
I'm not saying the great guys at Nintendo couldn't make great gaming experiences for other platforms. But it would dilute the brand to virtual extinction. Better to fold up the business than throw away their dignity like that.
Nintendo's been around for a really long time. At this point they're just having a few bad years. Let's not start dooming and glooming just yet.