Topic: Nintendo Gets Investor Support for GBA

[KDR_11k]

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Originally posted by: odifiend
At least Microsoft knew enough to price its console with its competition.

Hahaha, HAHA MWAHAHAHAAA! Sorry, just couldn't hold it. I mean, they launched the thing at 480 Euros and only dropped the price to 300 after they realized noone's going to buy it at that price!

[mouse_clicker]

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Sure they do. It relates to consumer good will. If you're an Xbox owner and the Xbox performed better than you expected then it's likely you'll buy the followup. If you're a Cube owner and the Cube performed below your expectations you might think twice before buying the followup.

But the Gamecube has sold better than the XBox worldwide, so I don't say the XBox did "good" and the Gamecube did "bad" without using different comparisons for both. Hell, relatively both consoles BOMBED compared to the PS2, but we don't see that comparison very often. Ignore expectations, which, like I said, are wrong more often than right, and look at the numbers- you can't say the XBox is doing well without saying the same for the Gamecube, and vice versa. You can say the XBox did BETTER than we thought, but that doesn't mean it did well. Or you could say the Gamecube didn't do AS good as we thought, but that doesn't mean it did horrible. Regardless, you can't use different comparisons for both consoles and then expect to compare them to eachother. It's like measuring one car's speed in miles per hour and another's in kilometers per hour and then announcing a winner based on those numbers.

[kovu_br]

A console's success can be measured just by units sold (I don't agree with this parameter, but still it's not wrong), but it's a short-sighted comparison. The thing is that Microsoft proved with the X-Box that it can be a viable force in the console market, that it won't just say "Screw you guys, I'm going home" and leave it's system in the gutter if things go bleak. Now when Microsoft releases it's next console people won't see it as the newcomer looking for a quick buck, it'll stand shoulder to shoulder to Sony's next and Nintendo's next. Besides, as noted before, the X-Box wasn't created to generate cash, it was created to show everybody that their comitment to console gaming was serious, so I'd say that the X-Box was a success, and I bet Microsoft thinks the same, it may not have sold well but it sure was successful. Plus, it also showed the developers that it was a viable plataform for their games, so you can bet that 3rd party support won't be a problem for the X-Box 2.

Lord knows what Nintendo wanted with the Gamecube, but I'll tell you what it didn't want to: Fix the mistakes regarding 3rd party support that plaged the N64. Nintendo, for better or worse, plays the game by it's own rules, and they design their consoles for their own needs, not the needs of other developers. As much as they say they lowered licencing fees and made the Cube an easy machine to develop for they still ignored everything the PS2 had (And like it or not the PS2 is the standard of this generation) and created the least viable plataform to develop for in this generation. Most people buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games, but instead of changing that (And build *the* console to own) they're contend with it, therefore right now Nintendo makes great "secondary systems" as most Cube owners have a PS2 or a X-Box as their main system. And right now I'd say that of the big 3 Nintendo has the worst image with the public and with developers, regardless of how well the Cube performed, and that doesn't bode well for it's future.

Of course, as long as there are people like me (And like most of you, I bet) Nintendo will sell consoles but right now I'd say that Microsoft has a bigger chance of dethroning (Bet I wrote that wrong) Sony than Nintendo. Not that I think Sony can be removed from the top anymore...

Oh yeah, and on topic: That's good to hear and I hope Nintendo delivers on those expectations, otherwise their stocks may plummet again after this year's E3.

[theRPGFreak]

I think that you missed my point Ian. What I meant that is that the NGage and XBox's targets are more focused on adults. The XBox has little to offer those who are at the age of 6 and the NGage is also aimed specificlly at adults. Sony's system is at all audiences, so that is what makes it an easy system for consumers to want to buy. With the PSP however, sure I could see an even balance of games on it that appeal to all audiebnces but it will be the price that brings it down in comparison to the GBA.

[Ian Sane]

"What I meant that is that the NGage and XBox's targets are more focused on adults. The XBox has little to offer those who are at the age of 6 and the NGage is also aimed specificlly at adults. Sony's system is at all audiences, so that is what makes it an easy system for consumers to want to buy. With the PSP however, sure I could see an even balance of games on it that appeal to all audiebnces but it will be the price that brings it down in comparison to the GBA."

Okay, that makes more sense.  And it made me think of something.  If the PSP is designed to be more than a portable game system and has a lot of extra features then it's pretty likely that not too many kids are going to own one.  Therefore it would be a waste of time for any games targeted to younger gamers to be released for the PSP.  If it's a scaled down Palm Pilot the only people who own one are going to be tech savy adults so games like Ratchet & Clank for example wouldn't sell with that target market.  Ironically the first PSP game to be shown, Death Jr, also probably wouldn't be popular with that market.

I think that adding extra functionality to the PSP could very well be what prevents it from reaching it's full potential.  The Playstation brand has been popular because it has something for everyone.  However if the PSP is for adults (whether intentional or it just turns out that way) then the advantage is immediately with Nintendo as the GBA (and I assume the DS will as well) is a system that has something for everyone.  By trying to make an all-in-one machine Sony may very well be giving up what has given them an advantage.

I think that same problem could translate to the PS3 which would give Nintendo a huge opportunity since they provide a more balanced lineup than Microsoft.

[KDR_11k]

Now if we add Sony's falling PS2 sales to the mix, I'd expect a letter to arrive at Sony HQ with a single word written in it: "OWN3D!"

[WuTangTurtle]

As much as i dislike Sony, I do want them to be in the portable gaming market.  Competition brings the best out of everyone, and I would just like to say that the Gameboy hardware series IMO has evolved very slowly.  I'm not sure but from what i remember Game Gear had better graphics than Gameboy Color.  I bet Sony will squeeze into the market but i bet there sales will drastically drop after its release and prolly be competing with The Wonderswan in Japan or the regular GBA.

Whatever happens im just glad about the DS because so far it looks like a huge stage of evolution for the portable market I bet this wouldn't have happened if Sony didnt decide to go portable.

[Bloodworth]

Shaolin's right about the evolution of the GameBoy market.  Nintendo has stated that as long as the current generation has healthy sales, they aren't going to be revealing anything about the next step.  Since the GBA SP was in development before the release of the GBA,  we can be sure that they always have that next step in mind.  The one thing that's kept Nintendo in the lead is gently balancing technical power, portability, price, and battery consumption.  

I mentioned that price is important because portables can easily be lost by younger gamers, but the other thing to keep in mind is that a portable is pretty much a personal device.  When you buy a home console, that's something that everyone plays and can watch along with, and when someone leaves home, that gives another family member a chance to play.  Portables aren't as easily shared; you leave home and you take it with you, plus to play multiplayer games, you need to have more than one in your household -- and many people do.  So yeah, it's going to be very interesting to see how the first real portable contender since the Game Gear turns out, and whether it can overcome some of these hard traditional barriers.