If you were Nintendo, what would you do?

[Atariboy]

They tried creating a console that was technologically competitive just a few years ago. Yet they lost to a newcomer for the 2nd generation in a row, dropping to 3rd place in the marketplace. And gamers still tended to overlook them as an option, despite enjoying decent 3rd party support for a time.

 

Much more is keeping 3rd parties away than the horsepower of their systems. Witness the Wii U and its comparability with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, systems that are and will be for a while yet receiving quality versions of most multiplatform releases.

 

They have it right about going their own way, they just need to work on their implementation. Rejoining the videogames arms race isn't going to help. And I wish they'd figure out that they don't need a new "hook" every time out.

 

They tried their best to push the Wii U's gamepad and yet two years in, haven't came close to justifying it where the games are concerned. Innovation is great when it brings something worthwhile enough to the table as justification, but change just for the sake of it doesn't do anyone any good.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Atariboy

[Asaki]

What would I do if I ran Nintendo?

 

Well, one thing's for sure, I would be fired immediately. I would try my hardest to get Virtual Boy on the 3DS Virtual Console, but other than that, I don't think I'd last very long at all.

 

As far as how Nintendo can compete with cellular telephones, I don't think there's anything that can be done with that. Seeing classic NES games turned into touch screen shovelware sounds like an awful idea. People don't want to play videogames anymore; they play Farmville and Candy Crush because they're addicting, but sooner or later, they'll realize that they're just a needless distraction from Facebook. Nintendo is trying to branch into the social media world with the MiiVerse (which they're bringing to the outside world, in some fashion, I hear), but I'm not sure how much they can really hope to achieve. MiiVerse is pretty cool, but again, it's a distraction from Facebook.

 

Gaming was a mainstream fad for a very long time, but it truly feels like they're finally giving it back to us geeks. Microsoft won't be able to survive it, they've hardly been a blip in Japan. Sony? Hard to say, though the PlayStation did hang on for a good while before Final Fantasy VII thrust it into the spotlight. Nintendo? They brought videogames back from the dead after everything came crashing down around Atari...I think they'll be able to pull through again.

 

Next handheld, include an Appstore of some kind.

Uhh...I take it you've never heard of the Nintendo eShop?

[Andromeda Stardust]

The OP and others suggesting Nintendo should concede to the mobile device bracket have no idea how damaging that would be for Nintendo in the long haul. Investors want Nintendo to buy into the mobile games market. Why? Because Nintendo will make fast money and investors get paid. Then they'll dump their stock and invest in something else faster than one can say, "Rip-Van-Winkle."

 

And I don't even need to discuss the logistics of running classic games on a touch pad.

 

To those saying Nintendo should dump the Wii-U /3DS for some unified platform. Sega burned through 5 platforms in one decade: Genesis -> Sega CD -> 32X -> Saturn -> DreamCast, before ditching the DreamCast and going software only. The worst thing Nintendo could do is admit "we effed up" and abandon their flagship product midway through a generation. 3DS got off to a crappy start; it's doing fine now and selling very well despite the rise of mobile gaming. Wii-U got off to a crappy start; it is currently on the rebound with Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta, Smash Bros, and an upcoming HD Zelda. Nintendo would be a damned fool to jump ship now.

 

Nintendo cannot depend on anyone but themselves to bring games, 3rd party devs, and gamers to their system. They released a solid product, if a bit misunderstood by Joe Public. They need to stand by that product and market that thing. One critique I fault Nintendo on was not advertising the hell out of Wii-U like they did Wii/DS. For over a year after I bought my launch console, hardly any ads on prime time TV, just an occasional blip on Cartoon Network. The one Wii-U commercial I saw on TV during 2013 was for Sonic Lost World, which was a 3rd party title. Situation has improved dramatically in 2014, but had Nintendo launched the full frontal all out ad assault like they should have two years ago, they could have been in a solid 1st place right now, rather than tied for 3rd with Xbox.

 

Looking at their HD competition, Sony and MS are not really making much headway in the console race either. PS3 and Xbox360 are currently selling more games than their replacements. It's a tough world, but Nintendo has the games and franchises that people adore. I'll take the colorful world of Nintendo any day over the dull grays and browns of ultraviolent FPS franchises, or the same dull, boring sports titles released year after year. Poly count is meaningless when it's used trying to create a dark wasteland. Nintendo is all about imagination and creativity. Bright colors create a far more stunning impact visually.

 

I think Nintendo knows what they're doing...

Edited November 16, 2014 by stardust4ever

[omegadot]

Their tablet / phone offerings would have to be pretty badass to matter at all. Perhaps really good voice / internet multiplayer or something. Most people I know have an emulator or two on their phone to kill time and they all work quite well. Even on consoles I have trouble justifying things on the eShop when I know an emulator gives me more flexibility. Of course on a console that involves some trickery to get homebrew going and the Wii U at least gives me the offscreen / onscreen choice to make it more worthwhile. On a phone using an emulator and getting ROMs is trivial.

 

And just to contribute to the crowd voice, I don't think Nintendo is in any real trouble. They may not have the relevancy of their more pioneering days, but that is a natural course of events. I get the most joy out of Nintendo this generation by far and I don't see them disappearing any time soon. Speculation can be a bit of fun, though.

[akator]

Years ago I would understand the complaint about touch screen controls. However, real controls = Bluetooth controller. Surely I can't be the only one who figured that out?

[Andromeda Stardust]

Years ago I would understand the complaint about touch screen controls. However, real controls = Bluetooth controller. Surely I can't be the only one who figured that out?

Yeah but how many people carry around a BT controller in their purse or handbag when they're on the go? Then you need a stand or attachment to display the phone while you hold the controller. People aren't gonna be using that stuff on a bus. Add to the fact a majority of Android and iOS touch apps don't support third party controllers. Apple, Google seem reluctant to release an official controller accessory so there's a complete lack of standards besides generic HID. Gaming isn't high on their corporate priority list so while a tablet/phone/whatever could be retrofitted into a kick-ass gaming device, in principal it's not. Mobile tech is jack of all trades, master of none.

 

The 3DS has a controller built in so it's always there and supported by default! Also the Wii-U gamepad makes for a sweet tablet: I'm typing this post on it right now!

Edited November 16, 2014 by stardust4ever

[akator]

I get it, I like built-in controls as well. I have a Sony Xperia Play that I still use for Android gaming, even though it ancient and underpowered by modern smartphone standards. I wish there were more options for quality hardware with built-in controls in the Android and iOS world.

 

However, I'm not King of the Earth and cannot dictate that people do what I want. Smartphones and tablets are here to stay. As an imaginary corporate leader, I would recognize that I still wasn't King of the Earth and had to go with the trends. Putting my products into the hands of the most people would be my goal, whether I thought those options were perfect or not.

 

Developers like Sega (and many others) figured out to support the Xperia Play controls. Sega's Android ports of the classic games, and even some of the newer ones, are great to play on Android with real controls.

 

There are even more games that support Bluetooth controllers than the Xperia Play controls.

 

For developers that have ignored the demand for real controls, there are controller mappers available that get 95% of non-Bluetooth compatible games working with a controller. It's a one time, under $5 purchase.

 

But we're talking about the future (and an imaginary one at that). If Sega was smart enough to do it, Nintendo would obviously add support for Bluetooth controllers into their Android and iOS apps.

 

Or maybe they wouldn't

[Pixelboy]

What would I do if I were Nintendo? Two words: Phone Boy.

[toptenmaterial]

Have a unified online user ID system. For crying out loud, it's almost 2006 already!

[TheObscureGamer]

.Have ever single nes,Snes,Virtual Boy,n64,Gamecube,Wii,Gameboy,Gameboy Color,Gameboy Advance,DS and 3DS title able to be downloaded/and or played on the Wiiu

 

.make an accessory to make said console's controllers work on the Wiiu

 

.make a new Alex Kidd game(this would go great as a 3DS eshop title)

 

.make every single SG-1000,Master System,Genesis,Saturn, Dreamcast and gamegear title work on the Wiiu

[Andromeda Stardust]

.Have ever single nes,Snes,Virtual Boy,n64,Gamecube,Wii,Gameboy,Gameboy Color,Gameboy Advance,DS and 3DS title able to be downloaded/and or played on the Wiiu

 

.make an accessory to make said console's controllers work on the Wiiu

 

.make a new Alex Kidd game(this would go great as a 3DS eshop title)

 

.make every single SG-1000,Master System,Genesis,Saturn, Dreamcast and gamegear title work on the Wiiu

1) Many of those games are in copyright hell. Plus are you gonna pay the ESRB license fee on every one of those games? Many of the Wii VC games blew anyway and never sold enough to break even. No wonder Nintendo is currently sticking to "safe" systems and games. Blame Wii owners for not buying more VC titles. I downloaded tons, but I'm in the minority it seems.

 

2) They did. See also the Wii-U Game Cube Adapter. As for the other controllers, N64 controller sucked and the CC/Pro have buttons for everything on the retro pads. The Pro controller is awesome btw. I don't understand why people hate it.

 

3) Call Sega and ask them to do it.

 

4) Again, call Sega. Outside of the Genesis, which was on Wii VC, there is very little nostalgia for Sega systems in the US.

Edited November 18, 2014 by stardust4ever

[Video]

Uhh...I take it you've never heard of the Nintendo eShop?

The Eshop is not an appstore though (I guess you could count "only your companies games" as Apps" But I'm talking a bit more useful than that, where's the developers aps, sound player aps, video player aps...netflix? Vudu(well, 3DS might not can handle those, I don't know" Emulators, for stuff besides Nintendo's own systems? Yeah, even if nintendo intentionally crippled it, so you couldn't play the bazillions of free games out there, there's still tons of real aps that they are missing. And like I said, having those available on a system with a real control interface? Even if it's a bit underpowered, what wouldn't be to love there?

 

To the people that think the free games would rui them....sure, I have a ton of free games on my kindle. I PLAY my 3DS and PSP more (control makes all the difference)

Edited November 19, 2014 by Video

[Andromeda Stardust]

The Eshop is not an appstore though (I guess you could count "only your companies games" as Apps" But I'm talking a bit more useful than that, where's the developers aps, sound player aps, video player aps...netflix? Vudu(well, 3DS might not can handle those, I don't know" Emulators, for stuff besides Nintendo's own systems? Yeah, even if nintendo intentionally crippled it, so you couldn't play the bazillions of free games out there, there's still tons of real aps that they are missing. And like I said, having those available on a system with a real control interface? Even if it's a bit underpowered, what wouldn't be to love there?

 

To the people that think the free games would rui them....sure, I have a ton of free games on my kindle. I PLAY my 3DS and PSP more (control makes all the difference)

On the 3DS, there is a calculator app. There's a guitar tuning app. In the US, there's a youtube app and a netflix app. There are apps in Japan and europe to teach english. Then there's that region-free Louvre Museum app.

 

Ithink the better question to ask is why don't more developers release non-game apps? When the DS first came out, I thought it would make the perfect PDA device. But now if I had need for such a device, I'd buy a tablet. There must not be much need in my life though because I currently don't own one...

 

Nintendo makes game devices. Nikon/Canon make cameras. Garmin/Tomtom make GPS navigation systems. iOS/Android are jacks-of-all-trades, but masters of none.

[Asaki]

...I guess you could count "only your companies games" as Apps"...

Pet peeve of mine: games are not apps, they are games.

 

But to the point, the eShop has plenty of games and applications that are not developed or even published by Nintendo. I'd wager to say they even outnumber Nintendo's offerings.

 

...where's the developers aps, sound player aps, video player aps...netflix? Vudu(well, 3DS might not can handle those, I don't know" Emulators, for stuff besides Nintendo's own systems?

The "sound player" comes pre-installed, you don't have to download it. Video players: the eShop offers Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube (and rumor has it that the New 3DS's web browser will support HTML 5 video). Besides "Nintendo's own systems", the 3DS eShop also has emulators for Sega Master System (I think?), Sega Game Gear, and the Sega 3D Classics line emulates arcade and Genesis. Nowhere near what the Wii offered, seems like Nintendo's not feeling as ambitious over VC as they used to be.

 

Not sure what "developers aps" are. Do you mean like Petit Computer or Gomba?

 

To the people that think the free games would rui them....

They're experimenting with the free-to-play model with Rusty's Real Deal Baseball and Steel Diver Sub Wars, and a couple of times they offered Zelda: Four Swords for free...other than that, with Club Nintendo, they're practically giving out free games every month.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Pet peeve of mine: games are not apps, they are games.

Um no, technically, an "app" and a "game" are exactly the same thing. They are both downloadable software that runs on a closed platform. The difference is games provide interactive entertainment, and an app tries to fulfill some other need or service besides gaming.

 

Assigning categories based on the type of user interaction the software provides, does not change the fact that both games and apps have similar internal structure and are handled by the device in exactly the same way.

 

iOS and Android devices have "games" but they are more "app" centric. Nintendo eShop have "apps" but they are more "game" centric. Also the fact that iOS and Android use touch screens almost exclusively and completely lack built in buttons or official controllers as their primary interface, makes them very ill-suited to games which employ traditional mechanics.

[Asaki]

Um no, technically, an "app" and a "game" are exactly the same thing. They are both downloadable software that runs on a closed platform.

 

I disagree =) I don't care if cell phones think that "app" means the same thing as "program" or "executable file", it's just an annoying marketing gimmick to me.

[+pboland]

Make the handheld and the console be one and the same. Or at least share a common hardware core, allowing for the pool of software to be shared across both lines along with many other savings.

 

With so little outside support, Nintendo's biggest issue going at it alone is that they don't have the resources to release more than a handful of games a year on each platform (This also causes slow starts along with long end of generation lulls where 1st party releases virtually stop as they prepare for new hardware). I've said it before, but they're essentially fighting a two front war and losing.

 

They need to find a way to consolidate their forces to achieve the greatest effect instead of spreading themselves too thinly. They're not terribly far from breaking even as it is, but if something like Super Mario 3D World with this upcoming generation could be sold to all next gen Nintendo hardware owners, I think that's a game changer.

 

They very well might be able to make this nearly closed Nintendo system a very profitable enterprise and be able to support it with a steady stream of quality 1st party software, instead of going months in-between releases of significance.

 

And do a good enough job of it, the 3rd parties will naturally eventually return as they chase their customers.

 

If they do another closed console and closed handheld without this commonality and don't get a miracle like the casual craze the DS and Wii enjoyed, I'm not sure we'll see Nintendo's shareholders stand for another round of hardware investment the next time around.

 

Get it wrong over the next 2-3 years and it very well might seal their fate where hardware is concerned, which as far as I'm concerned would be a great loss to the gamer and the beginning of the end of Nintendo's magic and standard of quality.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Just keep in mind that by linking the hand held unit and the console unit, Nintendo would need to dumb down the console a little more than they do now. You can't have the power of a full blow console in a portable and still be affordable.

 

What they could do in the short term is make the console and DS talk to each other better. The DS should have been an extension to the console, yet still be used by itself. Then they wouldn't need the WiiU tablet (the DS could serve that purpose). To honest, I never understood why nintendo didn't somehow link the DS with their consoles and use it as a multifunction controller. Think of it like a Sega Deamcast controller with VMU only better.

[Xot]

They tried creating a console that was technologically competitive just a few years ago. Yet they lost to a newcomer for the 2nd generation in a row, dropping to 3rd place in the marketplace. And gamers still tended to overlook them as an option, despite enjoying decent 3rd party support for a time.

 

If by this you mean the GameCube, the limited storage size of the minidisc became a significant hurdle sooner rather than later. Remember Tiger Woods being on two discs? I would argue that because of that the Cube wasn't technologically competitive, although it was certainly closer that Wii or Wii U.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Don't know why, but I thought the N64 carts and Game Cube minidiscs were cool and unique because they were different. I know it didn't help Nintendo in the long run, but I still enjoy the games from that era. 5th and 6th generations were certainly the "Golden Age" of 3D platformers.

 

Does anybody know if Wii-U supports dual layer game discs (405nm blue diode laser like Blu-Ray, 25Gb per side for up to 50Gb) or are they single layer only? I know Wii supported dual layer 8.7Gb game discs, but few games besides Smash Bros Brawl and Metroid Prime Trilogy and a handful of others used it. Wii-U Deluxe only has about 25Gb memory without a HD so retail download of dual layer games might be impractical.

 

I don't think it really matters though because the 3rd party publishers are all pushing the x86-64 AMD boxes that Sony/MS are putting out. PowerPC derivative consoles are dead it seems and mobile is doing ARM.

[cimerians]

They tried their best to push the Wii U's gamepad and yet two years in, haven't came close to justifying it where the games are concerned. Innovation is great when it brings something worthwhile enough to the table as justification, but change just for the sake of it doesn't do anyone any good.

 

I never use it unless I'm forced to. I like the 'traditional' pro controller and wish they would have released a standard system with that instead. Maybe put the money into making the console more powerful to compete or whatever....but I guess some people love it so maybe I'm in the minority. Still I dont care, I dont use it.

[cimerians]

Don't know why, but I thought the N64 carts and Game Cube minidiscs were cool and unique because they were different.

 

They should have went with CD and DVD respectively. Like Sega, Sony and Microsoft did.

 

But what do I know? Here they are in 2014 making motion controls and tablet controllers and they did very well with the Wii. They are the definition of being "different".

 

Sometimes there are financial reasons for being different too. Piracy is one of them for example....

[magikarpow]

To contest IPhone gaming I would release about 10 free mini-games on the 3DS eshop and encourage other companies to do the same. There may be microtransactions and ads, but still.

 

I would revive a few old franchises. They are already reviving Star Fox, so why not throw in F-Zero, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Balloon Fighter, or Mother/Earthbound.

 

Then, release some crazy awesome Smash Bros 4 DLC.

 

Release console connection, like Sony. What is mean is if you downloaded Super Mario Bros. on the 3DS you can get it on the Wii U.

 

Lastly, release a new redesign of the Wii U and give it more power to keep it "next-gen".

[Amstari]

I think you hit the nail on the head. Just keep in mind that by linking the hand held unit and the console unit, Nintendo would need to dumb down the console a little more than they do now. You can't have the power of a full blow console in a portable and still be affordable.

 

What they could do in the short term is make the console and DS talk to each other better. The DS should have been an extension to the console, yet still be used by itself. Then they wouldn't need the WiiU tablet (the DS could serve that purpose). To honest, I never understood why nintendo didn't somehow link the DS with their consoles and use it as a multifunction controller. Think of it like a Sega Deamcast controller with VMU only better.

 

I think this is where they are heading in the future. If you have Smash Bros. on the 3DS you can use your 3DS to control Smash Bros. on the Wii U. With the new redesigned 3DS there is another analogue stick and shoulder buttons so it now has the same amount of buttons as the Wii U game pad.

 

I don't think Nintendo need to do anything different. Just keep making great games and trying different things. They are not going to go out of business, some of their greatest consoles (N64) were not the best sellers.

[Asaki]

The DS should have been an extension to the console, yet still be used by itself. Then they wouldn't need the WiiU tablet (the DS could serve that purpose).

I read a review recently where they said they weren't sure if they were going to allow multiplayer games to use more than one gamepad, but that they might allow the 3DS to perform the same function.

 

I know that's not exactly the same thing, though. I wonder if the 3DS is powerful enough to stream the video lag-free...Netflix and YouTube take quite a dip in quality on the 3DS, but that's not even apples and oranges, that's like apples and mayonnaise.

 

 

....but I guess some people love it so maybe I'm in the minority.

I wouldn't say I -love- it, I think the batteries run out way too quickly, but I do find myself using the screen an awful lot. A lot of times, especially in multiplayer, I find myself looking at it instead of the TV. I wish, in games like Mario Kart 8, it let you have the whole gamepad screen to yourself (instead of duplicating the split-screen), but I guess that would be a tiny bit of an unfair advantage.

 

I don't have a Pro Controller yet, I haven't found a reason yet to need one. It is less cumbersome than a Classic Controller, but I can't justify that for the price. Maybe some day in the future.

 

I would revive a few old franchises. They are already reviving Star Fox, so why not throw in F-Zero, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Balloon Fighter, or Mother/Earthbound.

There was a new Excitebike game, downloadable for the Wii, called World Rally. It's pretty decent, I got it free through Club Nintendo.

[Atariboy]

Just keep in mind that by linking the hand held unit and the console unit, Nintendo would need to dumb down the console a little more than they do now. You can't have the power of a full blow console in a portable and still be affordable.

Yeah, they won't be able to go head to head against Microsoft and Sony where horsepower is concerned. But they haven't tried that since the early 2000's anyways.

 

I think they could get something approaching the power of the Wii U in a handheld when they replace the 3DS line and the Wii U in a few years. Look at the Vita which isn't terribly far removed from the PS3 for an example that's several years old now. And in my proposal, the hardware may or may not be an all in one device. What's most important is the internal commonality.

 

If they still want a dedicated handheld, it could be scaled back. 480p visuals for instance instead of 1080p, allowing for a more economical system where form factor, cost, and battery life are concerned while the console version is able to dial things up to full 1080p.

 

What's most important is that all their programming effort goes towards a common goal, instead of the splitting of resources that happens now. And there would undoubtedly be many other savings as well thanks to advantages that commonality would provide even if the console version and the handheld version are two different devices.

 

The DS should have been an extension to the console, yet still be used by itself. Then they wouldn't need the WiiU tablet (the DS could serve that purpose).

Wii U is doing this with the 3DS, but it only serves as a controller for Super Smash Brothers 4.

 

The problem with your proposal though are the limitations of the 3DS. Look at aspect ratio and resolution for two examples. The 3DS touch screen is 4:3 while the Wii U gamepad is 16:9, and its resolution is just a fraction of the Wii U's 480p for the touch screen stream. And that's just where the screen itself is concerned.

 

If by this you mean the GameCube, the limited storage size of the minidisc became a significant hurdle sooner rather than later. Remember Tiger Woods being on two discs? I would argue that because of that the Cube wasn't technologically competitive, although it was certainly closer that Wii or Wii U.

GameCube was definitely in the fight and very much competitive. It had its limitations (You forgot to mention how it lacks R3, L3, and a left shoulder bumper), but sure does every system.

 

I think disc capacity issues were overblown. I think it played a role in 3rd party support eroding a bit earlier than it did for the Xbox. But for several years, GameCube saw a ton of 3rd party support. If a game was on both the Xbox and the PS2, chances are that it was also on the GCN. And a multiplatform release almost never was in 3rd place in its GCN form where visuals and such were concerned.

 

GameCube even enjoyed a nice selection of 3rd party exclusives like Resident Evil 4 (Which ended up being too good to remain exclusive). And it wasn't too unusual for what otherwise would be a system exclusive, typically on the PS2, to see its only other version arrive on the Cube.

 

Yet after losing to Sony its first time out the gate and falling to 2nd place, they fell to 3rd against Microsoft on its first try. I think they've been wise to go their own way, they just have to figure out the best way to go about it.

 

They should have went with CD and DVD respectively. Like Sega, Sony and Microsoft did.

GameCube was DVD, just not full size DVD. It was a problem for large games since even if a publisher was willing to go to double disc like Capcom with RE4, it raised their per game production cost.

 

But it wasn't nearly the issue that the cartridge format was for the N64, which really represents where their console troubles all seemed to start.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Atariboy