Topic: Wii had a good time, but...

The software makes the console. What would you need a TV for if you couldn't watch any channels or movies? Not too much. But what if you wanted to watch High Definition TV but only had a Standard Definition TV? You would simply have to stick with your usual channels until HD became the new standard! But until then, the picture quality would be quite irrelevant, because the channels that featured your favorite shows would still be there! So yeah, until the majority of the consumer households are HD I don't think we should point fingers at Nintendo... But if their next isn't going to be HD I'll be pissed! >

This an awesome thread.
I can definitely see where you're coming from, CowLaunch. And I agree that many gamers might not cry over Nintendo abandoning the home console market. However, I only play Nintendo systems, and would be hard pressed to switch over to another company should they leave.

/me stares at title

OH! “Wii had a good time, but...”
Wahaha, I get it XD

Anyway, the next step up from motion controls would have to be something like Natal, and I don’t think Nintendo would make that step to a completely controller-free console. (Or at least I hope they wouldn't.)
So I think Nintendo, and everyone else, is stuck on the step with motion controls, with the only way to improve consoles is with better graphics and whatnot. This means they'd only be making Wii 2 and Wii 3 (they wouldn't be naming them that, of course), and in a way, the Wii would be Nintendo's last console.
Then again, it could just be my very sucky imagination that prevents me from imagining the step between motion controls and Natal, and just because I don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Those smart folks at Nintendo are sure to come up with something.

I think the Wii is sweet, and, I would be SICKENED(!) if they stop at this one. It's the best gaming system of all time. Unless you like games where you have to shoot people in the head and you want it to look real when you do it, then I could see not being super into it. I have loved tons of the Wii games and in particular the Nintendo Wii games (as in games made by nintendo). I like the DS(light/i), but my heart belongs to the Nintendo home console. If Nintendo stopped making consoles, I would never buy another company's system, I would just be uber ticked and miserable with just my DS.

I think that's a very narrow view of the possibilities. There are a lot of other ways to improve a console. The OS would be the most obvious. They could add more features to that. They could improve network capabilities. They could support 3D, if that is at all practical by the time the next console is due. They could go download-only (they won't, but they could).

...hopefully Nintendo has better ideas than I do, but there are certainly other areas to improve on or innovate other than graphics and controllers. I do hope they improve both, though. Graphics are obvious, but I'd like a default controller that doesn't require a million attachments. If you add up all peripherals and controller extensions, the Wii is the most costly system if you want to be able to play all its games, especially if you want multiple controller sets.

Obviously all you people don't read Nintendo Power. In an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto (or Satoru Iwata can't remember) he said that it would be impossible for them to stop making consoles because he said that Nintendo shapes they console around their software (to a point). So if they can't make consoles, how can they use their unique creativity on someone else's standards?

And think about this: shooter games will slowly fade out just like fighting games that were more popular in the 90s than shooter games are now, and Sony and Microsoft heavily rely on shooters to keep them alive, just as the NeoGeo relied on a lot of fighting games. And graphics will only go so far. Once again Sony and Microsoft rely on graphics more than gameplay. So what will happen then? Most likely Sony, Microsoft, or both, drop out of the Video Game race. Mario will never go away, Zelda will never go away, and Nintendo will never go away from consoles or handhelds.

The Wii Being Nintendo's Last Console: Probably not, but it does have a chance of happening, even if it's very, very low.

Nintendo Going Handheld Only: I would think the whole company would fall under before Nintendo would go handheld only, but it's not so far off when you think about it.

Remember what happened to Sega games when they left the console market...

that made me laugh its a great system but certinly not the best

Obviously we don't believe everything we read in an obviously biased magazine. There is absolutely no reason Brawl or New Super Mario Brothers couldn't work and work better on a competitor's console, and as for other games that use motion controls, they'll soon be able to do that on other consoles, too. This is just how businessmen speak to the press. They say things to make their company look important.

The Neo Geo was never a huge hit to begin with. It was much, much too expensive to be popular. The versus fighter was primarily an arcade phenomenon, and its descent in popularity coincides with the fall of the arcade scene. The first-person shooter is showing no sign of losing popularity in the near future.

I remember. Didn't they just continue making bad games? Now if only they'd leave the software market, too... But honestly, there must be some explanation for this. Did they lose any key staff? Maybe they simply lost too much money churning out all that terrible hardware to hold onto the people or resources they needed. Hopefully Nintendo would be smart enough not to let this happen.

I was talking to my BrotherInLaw today about the future of Nintendo, as we both used to be Nintendo DieHards. We both kinda agreed on the fact that Nintendo has become a great cheap system to buy your kids. I will definately buy another Nintendo home console when I have kids but I really doubt I buy another until then. As for the next Nintendo Handheld, I will be buying it day one (not another iteration of DS though). Im not saying that the Wii doesnt have games for older gamers, it doesnt have enought to satisfy my gaming needs as a sole console and its just too expensive to own multiple consoles and keep up with all the games, so I will be sticking with the more powerful HD systems. I have a 360 and PS3 and like the PS3 best as a personal preference, but I will more than likely never have a sole Nintendo home console. I just like the HD Powerful Consoles, I really do. Once you invest in a HD Tv, Surround Sound (with Amplified Powered Bass Support) HD system and run it in all its glory it is a truely remarkable experience

Nintendo is a Japanese company and I have read from a lot of gaming journalist's how the Japanese market is shrinking video game wise and they make more games on handhelds now than next gen consoles because they can't move as many copies as they used to.

It saddens me people get so riled up and what would seem angry over a hypothetical question.

It's an intreresting idea however somewhat unlikely at this current moment in time

I mean: theres been a few developers hop out the gaming market ever since the industry really began. Atari left the market because it became over saturated and they lost a lot of money, Commedore, Amiga and Sinclair also bowed out due to money and the fact they clung for years onto their 8-bit or 16-bit system and any attempt to move forward alienated their old userbase. Sega bowed out because they were bleeding money from wounds infected from the defeat of the Saturn, infighting among Sega of Japan and Sega of America and Sony's aggressive PS2 marketing far outdid the Dreamcast's

Nintendo in comparison doesn't actually suffer from too many problems: the N64 suffered due to Nintendo being too heavy handed with NES and SNES devs but they put a lot into what they had to work with after several dev deflections to Sony. I think from then on Nintendo recogised that their own dev studio was the true golden goose, if Mario 64 hadnt been as stunning as it was back in 1995 I think possibly that they might of been in the same boat.

But then Nintendo released Gamecube which struggled in the market but had a fairly respectable userbase all the same. Nintendo continued to put effort into their own titles and managed to woo some devs back to them for some Gamecube titles. During that Game Boy Advance showed up and that attracted more people back to Nintendo - then they hit everyone with DS which shocked and intrigued people as I recall.

Now with Wii Nintendo's managed to get up to higher ground and surviving fine (not to mention DS Lite and DSi) and starting to build bridges with developers. Really the only way it can go horribly wrong for them is if Wii 2 or whatever they call it turns out to be a brainfart of Virtual Boy sized proportions and the next Handheld generation somehow gets it wrong or is trumped by someone else. Or something like Mayamoto or Iwata dies

As for games: I'ld actually agree with the Quote that Nintendo games couldn't be made on another system. Nintendo knows its systems inside and out and what they are truly capable of and sometimes this shows in a Nintendo game: most people mention how Warioware: Smooth Moves feels like the Wii was made for it or how attuned to DS Kirby: Canvas Curse is. I don't think it would be quite the same if Nintendo put their skill to a system they don't know quite so well. I imagine the games would still be good but there would be something missing

Nintendo + Doubt, usually results in a pleasant surprise. I have faith, and eagerly await details of the next piece of hardware, which of course, I shall buy.

The thought of Nintendo not developing hardware beyond this generation, makes me sad.

I don't think Nintendo will be leaving the home console market any time soon, however with the development of handheld systems since the Game Boy, such a departure wouldn't seem to me to be as much of a 'tragedy' (from my erstwhile fanboy perspective) as it would have done in previous generations. Probably still not entirely welcome, but I'd be fairly content with such a situation where Nintendo continued to make games on a handheld console.

Overreact much?

@Link Hero...... dude its a hypotherical question Basically it Cow Launches opinion that IF Nintendy did drop out of home consoles they would be fine because the RULE the Handheld Market and always will.

@y2josh.... yep them Japs even bought the PSP Go for awhile though they have finally seen the error of their ways finally.

As someone who loves nintendo if saddens me that the only defense fanboys have is TEh Hardcore systems only have shooters. Please read this list .

Lost Oddesy- RPG-360
Last Remnant-RPG-360
Star Ocean 4-RPG-360,PS3
Final Fantasy 13-RPG-PS3,360
Fozra 3-Racing-360
Grand Turismo-Racing-PS3
Kameo-Platformer-360
Rachent and clank- PS3

thats just to name a few.

DS is cool, so I wouldn't mind too terribly. Besides I seem to like the handhelds lots better anyways; without the VC my Wii would collect dust, especially now with this PS2 and two FF games in the mix...But that's just me.