Topic: How to solve Nintendos 3rd party problem...

[Spak-Spang]

Most of us that are thinking about the future of a joint system...realize the limitations and the trade offs...which is why we don't see this happening next year.  Probably not next console generation...but it could happen in 5-10 years.

Look at the level of graphics being achieved NOW by the Vita and tablets of the world.  Yes, those machines are not cheap...but they could be a heck of a lot cheaper in 5-6 years.  In 10 years we could definitely create games at standards that gamers will expect and developers can afford for a portable/console hybrid...and it wouldn't have to break the back to buy. 

Honestly, Nintendo would just need to keep in it in the $249.99 price point.  Since it is also doubling as a console system.  Then Nintendo could have a package that is 199.99 without the TV hookups if gamers desired.  A later purchase could include such features.

I like the idea of a charging pad, console docking system that houses the components to hookup to the TV, have additional USB ports for hard drives, and even 4 ports to charge 4 controllers. 

[Agent-X-]

I predict that in a decade from now, home gaming graphics will have escaped the limitations of screens. It could be the Oculus Rift or something that completely turns gaming on its head.

[Spak-Spang]

I predict that in a decade from now, home gaming graphics will have escaped the limitations of screens. It could be the Oculus Rift or something that completely turns gaming on its head.

Perhaps.  Though, I notice my own tastes keep on drifting towards the classics with every advancement we make in gaming.  Give me old arcade games and SNES any day over what is being released today on most systems. 

[Ceric]

10 Years from now Industry will be hard pressed trying to find the next big thing.  We have pretty much caught up to most Pre-90's Sci Fi in the device area.  Next big thing is going to be true halography and that debatable unless its interactive porn

[Mop it up]

In the future, Call of Duty will be played out by real people, commoners forced to battle for the amusement of the rich.

[Ian Sane]

Ten years from now I fear that casual free-to-play cellphone games will be so popular that no one feels they can make money with videogames in any other model and that dedicated videogame systems will be extinct.  I think there will always be an audience for such a thing but it ultimately depends on someone feeling that that market is worth releasing hardware for.  That's my worst-case-scenario but I'm quite worried about that possibility.

Every company wants big mainstream hits and are afraid to take risks so I don't see anything truly groundbreaking in the next ten years unless it comes from someone outside the current big publishers.  Who's going to pay for Oculus Rif when they're scared to make anything that isn't a first person shooter?  And while Nintendo introduced motion control they would only introduce something groundbreaking if it was cheap.

[NWR_insanolord]

You really should check out some of the indie scene. I won't argue with your analysis that the major players are very risk-averse, but smaller developers are putting out all kinds of great and creative new things.

[Stogi]

You guys ever buy one of those little arcade sticks that includes like 20 some games and plugs into your TV directly?

[MegaByte]

You really should check out some of the indie scene. I won't argue with your analysis that the major players are very risk-averse, but smaller developers are putting out all kinds of great and creative new things.

Yeah, at this point, there's very little coming out that I care about from the big publishers outside of Nintendo. But there's an incredible amount of stuff coming from the indie devs.

[the asylum]

Something else I've been thinking on, Nintendo needs to become re-standardized if they want to attract third parties again. By that I mean, things like 4-player support with the gamepad. Nobody wants to go buy several different controllers that only work for a handful of games. This should have been present on day one.

Also something they need to do is make a real serious effort to show that they're serious about the core audience. EAD is responsible for the bulk of Nintendo's AAA titles. There is NO reason why they should be working on things like Wii Fit. Wii Fit is something that should be saved for outsourced bottom-stringers. You could train a team of monkeys to make Wii Fit. Who knows? Maybe if EAD wasn't saddled with casual bullshit, they would have had the where-with-all to discover the true price of HD development alongside the rest of the industry- you know, back in 2006. Imagine how many Wii U's they could have sold if Pikmin 3 was a launch title.

[Adrock]

There is NO reason why they should be working on things like Wii Fit. Wii Fit is something that should be saved for outsourced bottom-stringers. You could train a team of monkeys to make Wii Fit. Who knows? Maybe if EAD wasn't saddled with casual bullshit, they would have had the where-with-all to discover the true price of HD development alongside the rest of the industry- you know, back in 2006. Imagine how many Wii U's they could have sold if Pikmin 3 was a launch title.

Wii Fit and other casual games are already made by much smaller teams with much smaller budgets than Nintendo's core titles. I'd even argue that the reason their casual titles performed so well is because they weren't just cobbled together by a bunch of interns on their spare time. The concept of such titles may have sold initially, but the quality is what made them hits, what kept people coming back. I understand that a lot of people don't like casual games; they're nothing more than a distraction for me every now and then (I had the opportunity to buy Wii Sports Resort today, but didn't because I couldn't justify spending $20 on it). However, I really doubt that their development is in any way deterring Nintendo from releasing more core titles since, as already stated, casual titles are developed by much smaller times to begin with. Nintendo's problems go far beyond that.

As for Pikmin 3 at launch, I think Wii U would have sold around the same amount. The problem wasn't launch. The problem was the gaping hole in the release schedule after launch. Even if you put Pikim 3 in the middle of the gaping hole instead of at the end of it in August, you're left with two smaller holes filled with only Pikmin 3. While it's a nice game to have, it's hardly a system seller.

[Ian Sane]

You really should check out some of the indie scene. I won't argue with your analysis that the major players are very risk-averse, but smaller developers are putting out all kinds of great and creative new things.

I see two problems with relying on indies to "save" gaming:

1. Indie devs are limited by budget so there is only so much they can do, particularly with 3D games that are much more expensive to make than 2D ones.

2. The kids today are tomorrow's devs and will be influenced by the games they play.  Indie games lack exposure so the kids are more likely going to be playing the more mainstream titles and being influenced by them for good or bad.  It's for the good of videogames as an artform that the most popular games are also the best.  Hell a big reason why the indie scene is making good stuff is because they were influenced by the days when Nintendo was the market leader in consoles and you could say the best games were also the most popular.