The Q&A portion of Nintendo's latest investors briefing has just gone live, and while the official English translation hasn't arrived yet, Japan resident Cheesemeister3k has posted a summary which covers the key points.
Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima addressed a lot of different points, including the renewed focus on 3DS and general profitability, but the most interesting portion relates to NX, and its new release window of March 2017:
Q: You indicated that building up software is the reason why NX will be released in March 2017, and I know development takes time, but I don't think there's any reason in missing the year-end sales season. When the GameCube was launched in September, I recall that President Yamauchi said that, "It is absolutely imperative that we do not miss the year-end sales season," and after the 3DS launched in February and NX will miss the year-end, making an impression that Nintendo's conventional thinking has changed. Why is NX launching in March?
A: There is no change to our thinking about launch timing. When launching hardware, "How much software can customers play?" is important. Launch timing must be based on that. Customers having more money to spend during the holiday season is one big factor in starting then. But our integrated hardware/software business doesn't end that year, but is something that can continue to be played for several years so we think that "releasing something proper" is the most important thing. By that, we don't think "holiday season timing is a must" but rather that we should launch when we can provide something proper. That point has not changed.
Regarding the focus on 3DS, Kimishima had this to say:
Q: It seems the great reduction in the Wii U hardware sales forecast is influenced by the timing of the NX release, but how about 3DS?
A: This fiscal year, the 3DS has big titles as previously presented, and in sufficient quantity. Both hardware and software will make large contributions to sales. Also, while Wii U sales are forecast to drop to 800,000 units, the upside is that we can focus on the 3DS.
He also addressed NX's software lineup, and the company's aim to ensure that the console will be "profitable" from day one:
Q: While NX details are not being announced today, I want to know about its effect on results for this fiscal year. Previous launches have not had enough titles and were therefore slow to start. Can you promise to have a proper lineup at launch? The Wii U was a net negative, so also in consideration to cost, please tell me how the first year of the NX will contribute to results.
A: As the concept and other details of NX will be announced another time, I will just answer the points of your question. As you said the software lineup will be built-up. Having a full software lineup when the hardware launches is one reason for the NX launch timing. Also, we must be in a state to release titles not just at launch, but continually afterwards. We are planning for it to be a platform that will be played for a long time. Next, about cost, we aren't thinking of the hardware being unprofitable. When the Wii U launched the exchange rate was that of a very strong yen, and so that we don't have that kind of a situation again, launching as a loss-leader won't be what makes up our business, so that's how we're progressing with NX development.
He also claims that NX, smarphone games and download content will more than make up for the poor performance of the Wii U:
Q: While the forecasted sales for the Wii U this fiscal year are extremely weak, NX contributions to profitability seem to be included appearing to be numbers showing that, "We have some confidence in the NX, which will start with a sprint." Do you believe that the new NX will be able to cover for the decline of the Wii U?
A: We have forecast Wii U sales of 800,000 units for this fiscal year, a decline from 2.4m units last fiscal year. In terms of what will cover for it, essentially, the NX and smart device businesses will be central, and also, the download content business is included.
[source twitter.com, via nintendo.co.jp, nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 204
Well he would say that now wouldn't he? Spin it any way you like Kimishima but missing Christmas is a huge mistake. I believe it's down to manufacturing issues of NX rather than lack of ready software. They've had years to get software ready, Pikmin 4 is probably sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting for the NX to arrive. If they can't get parts for the NX in time then everything has to wait unfortunately. It's not by choice that it's coming next March.
And pretty much confirmed that we're getting no more new Wii U games.
Bottom line, I believe the software would be ready, the hardware wouldn't.
well he is right, it doesn't HAVE to launch in the holiday season and there is no rule that says it has to either
They would get boned by Holiday season, because it's obvious they have nothing ready other than maybe Zelda U for NX to show, and there are still games from MS and SONY that could be released by the end of the year. He just doesn't want the Wii U all over again with barely anything worth a damn to play.
The Nintendo 64 and GameCube both launched in the Spring in Europe, so it is possible.
"Having a full software lineup when the hardware launches is one reason for the NX launch timing. Also, we must be in a state to release titles not just at launch, but continually afterwards. "
It only took 2 handhelds and 2 systems for nintendo to finally realize that having great games at launch and continued releases afterwards is important. I'm just glad to see that they finally realized that it's an issue. Took em long enough. I'm interested to see what games they have planned for the NX now that I know it wont be getting the anemic support that the wii u got right out of the gate
Having a full software lineup when the hardware launches is one reason for the NX launch timing. Also, we must be in a state to release titles not just at launch, but continually afterwards.
standing ovation
To me personally a christmas launch is not necessary. I will buy the console for myself and to be honest march is just fine. The good thing is that after the whole Wii U thing I'm still interested about their new product. I just want to see it first and be confident about there being enough games. Not necessarily third party but games generally. I've been happy about the amount of cool indie games on Wii U and that is something I'd like to see on NX as well.
If 2017 brings us Zelda, Pikmin 4, a brand new 3D Mario, a new IP from Retro and Smash NX Edition that would be great. 2018 can focus on Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 9, Super Mario Maker 2-ish, maybe a Metroid/Donkey Kong and a new Xeno game from Monolith.
@A01 It could also point to underpowered hardware. AGAIN!
I am happy and content with my Wii U and will patiently wait for Nintendo new console next year....but until then i will have the popcorn and arizona ice tea ready to read the silliness that will occur until then! LOL!
Nintendo need to enter the real world. Xmas release is so important. They literally cannot afford to fail with the NX.
Going to be hard to swallow until we see the NX, its lineup, the price tag, etc. Given the company's track record the last few years, have to question any of their strategies.
I'll believe it when I see it. Nintendo's perception of a ''full lineup'' does not necessarily match my own. After E3 last year Reggie stated that he thought the presentation had enough content, and we all know how that was.
So if the full line-up consists of a game that was being developed for the previous console now being sold as a main hook, two third-party quickies and maybe Pikmin 4, that will be a pass.
Personally I think this is a good idea. The PlayStation VR will likely be a major hit during the Holiday period and backed by its brand name that is seen in better light these days than Nintendo's amongst the general, non-dedicated gaming public.
Basically any advantage they'd seemingly have launching in the Holiday season would be wiped out by that and it seems by a lack of compelling software.
If the launch line up is strong and competition is less prevalent, people could be swayed to at least take a look at it during a March 2017 launch.
The comment about the games lineup makes me feel a little better......
I'm glad it's not coming out before Christmas because I'll be broke from buying everyone else's Christmas presents. I buy all of my gaming systems for myself.
@Oubie Spla2n.
@Neon_Blues Oh dear...
oh oh @Damo! Don't type so rushed! Small sentence incosistency in the first sentence with the use of commas !
"live, and while the official English translation hasn't arrived yet, but Japan"
"live, and while the official English translation hasn't arrived yet, Japan resident" etc etc
Question: Will our Virtual Console titles transfer for free to NX? Or do we have to pay for NES titles for the 4th time after Wii, 3DS and Wii U...
Yeah and whose fault is it that there isn't enough software to justify a holiday-season launch? It's yours, Nintendo!
I understand why the shares dropped, if I were a shareholder I'd be pissed that NX isn't launching in the spending season. Nintendo should have done everything possible to launch this year.
The ramifications for this failure are huge. It also means NX will miss out on the big annual titles, such as CoD and Madden or w/e. NX won't be able to advertise itself alongside those titles, which is going to have a huge (negative) effect on sales.
Must be customisable for it to last a long time cos nothing seems to last these days
If they indeed are planning a meaty launch line-up and upcoming games on the next several months, it could be a good thing to generate increasing momentum towards Christmas 2017. In the middle a good E3 2017 presentation, good buzz about the system on media and it might work out for the best. They are forfeiting the battle this year, to prepare for the bigger war to come.
Well, it's certainly better launching a little later with a proper software lineup than a little earlier without it, imo, so I think it makes sense to delay the launch if it's necessary to get a decent amount of software ready out-the-gate. But, missing the holiday season is a pretty big deal too, so there is some compromise being made. None of that matters at all, however, if the actual system itself isn't particularly exciting or compelling to both gamers and developers beyond a few decent launch titles. Sure, it might get initial sales with a strong launch lineup and from those most loyal Nintendo fans jumping on board day one, but I'm interested to see what is has that will help it succeed beyond the launch, which is always going to attract a decent number of hardcore Nintendo fans anyway. Even the Wii U had a decent launch in terms of sales numbers, as I recall, and look where it's at now. NX needs to be far bigger and better than that short-term thinking.
See you all next March.
I like this guy. I'm sure NX will be great.
I'd like to see the launch line-up for myself before November so if they can do that, great!
Right now it kinda seems like they're just throwing stuff at the wall to justify their actions.
The good thing about launching in March is that the Summer will be over quicker for the Fall and Holiday games to arrive.
PS: Wii U's legacy will always be THE YEAR OF LUIGI
@Oubie At first I thought you were being hopefully optomistic, and then I saw "a new Xeno game from Monolithsoft" and you killed. I could see those other games happening...but both Xenoblade titles has taken over 3-4 years to develop. There is absolutely no way they will have a titles that soon.
So NX misses holidays and E3. When will they show it, when no one notices? The games not ready part I can get, but they need to show it to build hype. Sweet words only get you so far.
ok then..
Kimishima gets business. No use sending the NX out to the arena if it isn't strong enough to compete at the moment. Give it time to build up strength at the weakest moment of the other two and strike with a big and diverse lineup of games. Beautiful.
Just saying, they don't need to show it off but an idea of what it is like would be nice.
Last console (both home and handheld) were under Iwata's leadership, so I'll give Kimishima the benefit of doubt - at least for me, NoA was run better when he was in charge.
Iwata was an excellent developer amd a great guy, but he wasn't a businessman. With Kimishima is a completely different scenario, so he may be focusing on having a profitable launch instead of just releasing on X date.
I'm good with his responses.
Launch games, what is a full software lineup?
How many games are in 'a full software lineup?
A Christmas launch with a killer Mario game and say two other typical Nintendo games would keep most of us happy for a few months, any 3rd party games would be a bonus.
That way the 'full' line up will still be with us in March and the Christmas market sales will start the NX off running.
@zool It's better to have a big and diverse lineup to keep everyone happy rather then a few that will only keep the core fan set happy.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Slán!
If they launch NX without a killer software lineup, then they'll repeat the mistake of Wii U again. Remember only having nintendoland and ZombiU for 6 months before pikmin 3 came out? It was terrible...!
@zool A Mario game and a couple other Nintendo games? Leave it to the third parties to fill the gaps, you say? That was the Wii U launch window in a nutshell.
Nintendo should not make the same mistakes again. There are plenty of different ones to be made. =p
There is no written rule that says a console must launch in time for Christmas. Its better that Nintendo take their time to get it it right rather than rushing it out for the holidays. Also people seem to forget that PS2 also launched in March
March isn't even that far from Christmas. People could easily save the amount of money required (instead of buying/being bought gifts), depending on their circumstances, of course, and wait the three month period. If the games are fantastic, when it launches may not be a big factor in influencing it's sales.
This tells me two things: NX isn't a heavy hitter like the ps4 and/or they really do have zero software to offer us. Nintendo needs more time to create their launch titles since 3rd party might not be there (yet?).
@Samurai_Goroh its not quite the same. The Wii did not have a full launch lineup, but according to Nintendo's boss, come March 2017 there will be a full lineup for the NX.
So release the NX with a couple of games at Christmas, catch the wave and at the same time tell us what the full line up will be in March. I could live with that.
Let's get real here. Why does he pick March? Because it's the end of their fiscal year period. If they had a choice they would rather launch 2017 CHRISTmas season. Announce that and stock would've dropped the lowest ever. I'm not buying into this we need more games at launch. 3 months really doesn't make much of a difference.
@tysonfury I agree. I think the games would be ready but they've run into manufacturing problems with the NX and have had to delay the launch. Not a good omen going forth.
Screw you Hiroshima, u said WiiU owners would get support til the end, like Iwata said about the wii, gamecube, so on and so on...
Last time I'm buying a day1 nintendo console
...unless there's a Metroid at launch...
Nintendo is always actin' so surreptitiously....smh.
Doesn't matter. The days of me buying Nintendo console's on Day 1 are over.
@buildz
"March isn't even that far from Christmas. People could easily save the amount of money required (instead of buying/being bought gifts), depending on their circumstances, of course, and wait the three month period. If the games are fantastic, when it launches may not be a big factor in influencing it's sales."
Yeah, but I find that is a really tough point to sell when there's PS4s and Xbox Ones with tons of "sale" signs attached to them during the busiest shopping period of the year. March is just a terrible time to launch a console. It seems like they really wanted to launch around the holidays, but found that their software wasn't ready, or there was manufacturing problems, or whatever. Given the circumstances, it is probably better to wait until the pieces are totally there, but man, the NX hill just gets steeper and steeper to climb. By March, people have finished paying their xmas bills, travel plans start, the weather gets warmer, etc. Unless they pull a marketing miracle, I don't see how non-Nintendo people are going to care when it launches. I dunno, I'm just not feeling too good about this.
@zool If it was released at Xmas,it'll get buried underneath all the hype of PSVR and 4K.A "killer Mario game and say two other typical Nintendo games" isn't going to convince anyone that things are going to be any different and it'll be the Wii U all over again.It'll be off to a bad start that it probably wont recover from.A March launch,when they can hog more of the attention with a quality software line up and steady releases through the year all building up to a huge 2017 Xmas and there's no reason the NX will be surrounded by the negativity that plagued the Wii U from day one.
2010, 2012: people moan about sparse launch line ups for the current generation Nintendo consoles
2016: people moan that the next generation console will not launch with a (potentially) sparse launch line up
This is the Internet - people moan ...
Missing the holiday period will obviously cost them sales in the short term, but I'd prefer them to take their time with the launch and do everything right.
As long as it works, they can take as long as they want. People are getting worked up for no reason.
Nintendo's week has been a life imitates art of the 1977 movie "Heroes". Where Fonzie met Han Solo and Kansas' "Carry On My Wayward Son" was put to very good use. Except on VHS where the song was cut out, much to the chagrin of everybody.
Kimishima as Vietnam vet w/a vision Jack - Henry Winkler
Eiji Aonuma as rabbit farmer Ken - Harrison Ford
NX as a shoebox full of earthworms
Wii U as Monroe, Winkler's Vietnam buddy
E3 as Eureka California
Nintendo fans as Carol - Sally Field
Here's the trailer - doesn't hold up well in 2016 I'm afraid, but it gets the point across. (Well maybe only if you've seen the movie.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yO8f7rPlrA
Here's an entertaining summary. More entertaining than anything Nitneod has done this week anyway.
http://www.thebetamaxrundown.com/heroes-1977/
"Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man,
Well, it surely means that I don't know"
@Desy64
Hiroshima? Really...?
That's fine, but could you at least give some details on what the NX even is?
I'm shocked to see people here always rush to the conclusion way ahead of time, and don't tell me it's a theory, it's called a nothing-happened-yet nonsense. Those business men know what they're doing to make a profit, and you people speak like you've travelled to the future.
Kimishima is on the point: why you want to release a console with a rushed little software line-up on holiday season, when you can make a proper line-up ready in March. Making games isn't as cheap and easy as they used to be. It takes time and money, and those particular people don't get to see their family more often.
@Desy64 Boom. You really told that Hiroshima chap.
This is how you release a console outside of the holiday season. Still one of my favorite E3 moments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfDyy8DTOtw
I will be celebrating my Xmas this year in a virtual world courtesy of Sony. Like many others, I will be buying the 'New PS4' bundled with PSVR. While I can afford to buy NX in March, but I won't. I'll be too busy going through the PS4 library of games.
Nintendo finally gave me an excuse to buy PS4. Thanks Mario maker.
I can understand his reasoning for all of this.
I just don't understand the lack of NX at E3 (what I view as incredibly stupid and frustrating move) and the delay of Zelda (which hurts and pisses me off).
@rjejr The Fonz is a great choice!
@RantingThespian
The lack of an NX showing at E3 is absolutely insane. I don't even know what they're thinking anymore.
Kimmy will attend E3 for the first time this year. He looks too old to be dancing with Reggie and Miyamoto.
Personally, at the moment I am not upset at all about the nx's March 17 launch day. When it is ready launch then it is ready to launch. What I am upset about is the no show at e3 it's inexcusable nothing more. We are owed more information than what we have by now. It's a real @#$% move by these guys to not give us answers as to what this thing is that they want, and frankly NEED, us to buy from them.
@bezerker99 Heeeeyyyyyyyy!!
On the bright side, we will be entertained by hoax and rumours for many months ahead!
Just a lot of words, in my opinion. Kimishina-san strikes me as a very conservative businessman in the traditional bureaucratic mold. My guess is that, despite his claims of a large launch lineup, the NX will still find itself with just a handful of games on day one, followed by a slow and steady trickle of very good first-party games. This man is not a shaker, and he's not gunning to break with "the Nintendo way" as we've come to know it. He and the board are hoping mobile revenues will allow them to maintain healthy profits and therefore not have to change the way they have grown used to doing business.
I bet Tekken will be a launch title.
So basically Nintendo are more concerned about the NX having a good launch rather than rushing it and having a bad launch, yes it may be dissapointing for it not to come in time for christmas, it totally makes sense!
I like what he says, but I won't buy the NX at launch anyway. My exams will be in April and it's probably better to wait the first few months and till E3 to see what the next releases will be.
@Azooooz You hit the nail right on the head. Game development isnt as quick and cheap as it used to be. Sometime I feel many people have no idea what its really like for many devs
It seemed Nintendo's choices were
A) Support Wii U and launch NX late, keeping some fans happy but putting the success of NX at risk, or
B) Launch NX in 2016 and risk upsetting Wii U fans by abandoning it.
But no! It turns out there was hidden worst option C) Launch NX late AND abandon Wii U in 2016. Well done the Department-of-Shooting-Ourselves-in-the-foot.
@electrolite77 I couldn't say it better. I'm done with defending them. This makes no sense. And his answer for WiiU's fate was only "bananas, NX is coming"
Greedy bastards
@Desy64: Please watch your language - Octane
@MoonKnight7 honest mistake (about kinishima's name)
@Spoony_Tech
Personally I now think it will be late 2017.
And given Nintendo's track record I'll believe that Nintendo are 'in a state to release titles not just at launch, but continually afterwards' when I see it.
I think it's a huge mistake missing the holiday 2016 especially with NOTHING coming out for Wii U (except Paper Mario, but let's face it, 1 game is not enough) until Zelda comes out in March (if it even comes out then, I don't even know if I believe them anymore). NIntendo never played by the rules though, they always step to the beat of their own drum so who knows. Maybe this will work out for them, but I, for one, am skeptical.
It easily has to do with this.
AMD promised everyone their next generation CPUs and Polaris GPUs would be ready for market in late 2014.
AMD delayed them both for reasons until mid 2015
AMD then delayed them to early 2016.
AMD recently delayed them to an end of the year launch with full production in Q1.
(it's a big deal to PC gamers and PC users).
Sharp is the process of a massive takeover by Foxconn or Innovation (Japanese). They've pretty much been forced to delay all new parts and products until the takeover finalized. that won't be a for a few more weeks.
These are Nintendo's two biggest suppliers of parts and chips.
You obviously cannot force your suppliers to overcome issues.
I mean Nintendo 64 was delayed a whole year due CPU and GPU yields. The system was originally planned for Spring 1995.
Even Apple and Samsung (two biggest consumer electronic companies) are rumored to be pushing up their new product launches to avoid U.S. Holiday season due to it being too over crowded these days.
So Basically they have rushed NX and have not enough games at launch...
Still it is crazy to miss holiday season, why not to launch it for Xmas 2017 then?
Claps!
This is a very understandable and logical decision especially based on what failed the Wii U. A new approach, a new attitude, and a fresh start can be a great turnaround for Nintendo as a whole.
I'm looking forward to it.
I'm afraid I do not have a lot of time to stop and look through all the comments. I just had a quick thought about this. In the United States we have a bit of a saying that you do not change the president when a war is going on, you don't change your mind and you continue with your plans in a serious situation like War.
I just realized that Kimishima is supposed to have a second vote to either become full president of Nintendo or step aside for somebody else and only in September. Delaying the system might be his way of encouraging them to stick with him until the system is out. By that time it'll be too late, he'll be president for multiple years under contract.
They will sell 3 million NX no matter when it launches. Might as well get those sales in March then another 3 million Xmas of 2017 with some 1 million in between. 7 million sold in the first 9 months would be a huge boost to Nintendo and a nice start for 3rd party support
Having a new Pokemon game this year is going to help the bottom line considerably and lessen the impact of not having NX for Christmas.
I'll wait again just like I did for Wii U to see what software is available and how they handle the VC transfer.
Maybe they will clean up the video quality of VC titles this time around and introduce scanline filter options (like blarg's filters) and get rid of the blurry edged pixels?
NX cannot be just a Wii U 0.5 update for me to buy another system... And it can't be some console box without software to run on it either.
@A01 Console manufacturers, Sony and Microsoft, sell their consoles at a loss. In other words, the put $500 worth of specs but sell it at $400. Why do they do that? Because they hope to recoup the lost money thorough sales of services like PS plus, Xbox Live, etc. Nintendo chose to get apart from this group an focus on developing a good gaming machine that makes money. In other words, Nintendo can sell 1 Wii U and they will make money from it. Sony can sell 100 PS4 and they will lose A LOT of money. Obviously, every strategy have their respective risk. Nintendo by selling such a unique console can align developers. Developer can choose not to develop games for them, like the Wii U. Also, they stay out of the mass market, where people only care for graphics, sounds, etc. Most publishers love this market because they can sell millions of games. There are 40 million PS4 and 10 million Xbox Ones out there. In total there are 50 millions machines out there with equal powerful hardware that can play similar games. Activision can develop a game for the PS4 and just port it to the Xbox One. However they cannot do that with the Wii U. Because Nintendo want to make money from the console, they cannot use expensive specs like the PS4 or the Xbox One. Plus, they hay the Tablet gimmick . So Activision cannot easily port a game to their console. They would just rather not focus on the Wii U.
@jcgonzmo I believe that is true initially (selling at a loss) but there is a point in time when hardware becomes profitable as cost of manufacturing decreases due to components become cheaper. I think I read Sony broke even on PS4 at the 10 million unit mark.
EDIT: Sony stated PS4 starting becoming profitable in May 2014, it took PS3 3 years to reach that mark.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/23/sony-hirai-ps4-profit/
I wouldn't mind if they launch NX Christmas 2017. There's just this problem of Wii U not getting too many new games at this point.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE If you look back on this site, quite a few months ago, a spokeswoman for AMD stated, the the NX GPGPU is the biggest they have made for a home console. It has also been built to the exacting standards Nintendo wanted.
Square Enix tweeted, "From Early Dev kits. what we can do, can only be done with immense power and cutting edge technology".
I really don`t think NX will be under powered. I hope I am not proven wrong.
@Mr_Zurkon Sony never made a profit from the PS3. Right up until the PS4 launched, it was still costing Sony approx. £600 to produce each unit, and were selling for around £250.
That is the reason they had to sell off their laptop division, close down 2 offices (loosing around 5000 workers), closed all their Sony Centers. They needed the money just to bring the PS4 to the market.
As of February this year, the ONLY part of Sony that was making ANY profit, was their insurance service.
@akaDv8R that's not true, it started to make money in 2010.
@Yorumi Making money, and making a PROFIT are two different things. Check your facts first buddy.
So Nintendo is officially dropping the Wii U right now....
Stupid stupid stupid.... This pisses me off as a Nintendo loyalist...
@Mr_Zurkon You need to check out the history of Sony and their consoles. Yeah, they made so much profit from the PS3, they just felt like selling off almost two thirds of their entire business.
I have faith in you mob boss.
If the NX is gymped in any way ( CPU, RAM or GPU) or has another gimmick control scheme shoved down my throat, I will purchase a PS4.5 or the Xbone to satisfy my needs for more games...
Both the Wii and the Wii U were such a let down for me...
Nintendo... Death is one the line (Hardware speaking... They always have great software)
@akaDv8R you need to fact check. Sony stated they were able to reduce manufacturing costs of the PS3 by 70% from 2006 to 2009.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-manufacturing-costs-down-around-70/1100-6214569/
Yawn
@akaDv8R I hope this is both true and untrue...
Yes powerful, but Nintendo needs to go with closer to standard tech as ports are to hard to do for Nintendo systems.
@akaDv8R Ya I don't think so either. They couldn't afford to make that mistake again.
@Danrenfroe2016 I am sure Bandai stated that they have now gone over to x86 architecture, finally ditching Power PC.
@FlameRunnerFast Yeah I went too far with the Xeno prediction haha. That's really a 2019/2020 release.
"By that, we don't think "holiday season timing is a must" but rather that we should launch when we can provide something proper."
That's great and all, but it's managements job to make sure they release something proper that is also during the ideal time frame (holiday season). The fact that Nintendo wasn't able to get this done in time is a huge strike against management at Nintendo.
Something is wrong with their leadership.
@Desy64 Almost there: 'Kimishima', with an 'm'.
Or, if you want to be a fancy-pants (and have almost nobody understand you): '君島'.
I don't really care about the holiday season and I don't get why everyone is so fixated on it for a NX release.
Having a proper software lineup is way more important than a few extra sales (that don't do any good in the long run), or to say it with Iwata's words: Software sells hardware.
So in that regard, I think it's a really clever decision.
@LinkSword The Wii U (at least in North America) had 27 retail games at launch, the problem wasn't quantity, and it never is, it's diversity and quality. The lineup I would say was also diverse, but the choices every developer made, including Nintendo, made the Wii U launch lineup look kinda boring and dated.
It's clear that developers were scrambling since the only really innovative games were Nintendoland and ZombiU. The only other exclusives were NSMBWU (while good, not a reason to buy the Wii U day one) Sing Party (a casual karaoke game with no real online component), ESPN Sports Connection (a substandard sports mix) Game Party Champions (a substandard party game) and Rabbids Land (a substandard board game).
The rest is a selection of ports of games we have already seen, or launched just before the Wii U's debut, some dating back to 2011 and earlier. Now some are great, and take some advantage of the Wii U gamepad, and others are just a strange choice all together (Mass Effect 3 I'm looking at you). When looking at this lineup it's easy to see why few people bought in, we can compound that with the confusing marketing, but that's another tale.
He's either acting responsibly by taking the Wii U launch into consideration and only launching NX when enough games are ready, or he's confident enough in the NX that when the details are revealed it will capture the imagination of customers and they will buy it whenever it's released. I would go with the former.
@getyourak With respect, we don't know the true extent to which Mr. Iwata's death caused the workings of the company to judder.
Ideally, everything would ne on time and ready to go for the critical periods of the year, but the loss of a President - especially one as visionary as Iwata - is likely the cause some serious upset, and we've already seen some heavy restructuring which may have taken time to adjust to.
I know Mr. Kimishima's role has largely been to 'pick up where Mr. Iwata left off' and continue with the same strategy, but it could well be that things were thrown far enough off course that it simply makes sense shift focus from Q4 2016 into 2017.
With that in mind, I think it's probably still too early to start overtly questioning the management.
Come March 2017, if the NX still releases with a threadbare lineup, then I think it would be appropriate.
Well I hope this fabled software includes the mainstream third party titles. If they don't have EA and Activision at the very least on board it won't matter what amazing Nintendo games they put on the system....just like it didn't for the WiiU.
If Nintendo manages to get some decent 3rd party games then I'm totally ok with this.
I'm not happy, but I guess I will be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
@MadAussieBloke
Thank you. Finally someone that sees through Nintendo's and all their silly talk. They have been feeding the public this drivel for almost two decades. Promises of third-party support and constant supply of games.
I can't wait to hear Reggie say "there will be no drought on the NX because we learnt from ... blah blah..".
A console with only Nintendo games and childish online practices (no chat) is never going to sell well. Wii U again anyone?
The other half of the matter is that until the hardware is revealed, we will never quite know how the consumer reacts.
A weaker or equal console to the new PS4k and I will be surprise if it sells 3m in its first year. I honestly think it is going to be far weaker, with 4gb of RAM....this is Nintendo after all.
Wii U launched during the holiday season, and look how it turned out. He's absolutely right that a robust launch library and consistent release schedule over time are more important than launching at the end of year.
Day one and launch window buyers are going to be core Nintendo fans so a March launch doesn't really make any difference imo, They can then build up the library over the year leading into the next holidays with a strong library of games with a few new big hitters launching Oct/Nov when people who own other consoles may be more likely to be looking for some new hardware as the X1/PS4 turns 4 along with bringing parents in and people buying it as gifts in general.
On a separate subject, @Damo, would it be possible to use a more flattering image of Mr. Kimishima in article headers?
I know he doesn't quite have the boyish charms of Mr. Miyamoto; or the foxish, mischievous allure of Mr. Aonuma, but nearly all the pictures used by the site seem to have him doing his best impression of a disgruntled amphibian. I'm sure he has a more flattering side.
Look, I even found a picture of him smiling!
Doesn't he look happy!
@Yorumi Aaaaaand your point?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't know, I think if lots of games were ready, or even something close to ready, then surely more than just Zelda would be playable at e3? Not being able to manufacture enough product to bring to market would not stop them promoting that product at the biggest trade event of the year.
@alasdair91 yes they can. They have oodles of money. They are still making a profit, even if it is 't as much as it used to be. Better to wait and have a good launch lineup rather than push the machine out for Christmas with nothing to play.
The Super NES launched in the summer of 1991 and it was very successful.
@Yorumi Correct. That is precisely my point; there are multiple factors that go into a console's success or failure, and it's not necessarily determined by launch date. I guess I should have been much more specific so that I could avoid having the argument-addicts on this site latch onto me.
@Maxz Well if the plan of going with Mr. Kimishima was continuity then they failed based on your assumption they lost time switching over arrangement. No matter what the exact reason is though them missing out on the holiday season and coming out after the PS4K has had an entire holiday head start is a huge failure by upper management.
@Dakt ......"Please understand."
@Yorumi Ugh. Dude, I know all that. I never said that a console's success is ONLY determined by software, or that it's ONLY determined by launch date. The absence of a specific point is not an implication that I was stating the opposite of that point.
The more I think about it, the more I begin to see the potential wisdom for launching in March. Some people will be SUPER hyped (like me) and save money received as Christmas gifts to buy an NX at launch. For the rest of the market (the overwhelming majority), that will give a good seven or eight months before the holiday spending season starts for 2017 for Nintendo to show the world WHY they should buy an NX. After the Wii U, only hardcore Nintendo fans are going to be chomping at the bit to get this system; I think that allowing time to deliver a good, solid line-up and entice disillusioned players before the next holiday season is actually a good idea given the company's current situation.
It's at least a valid strategy even if it doesn't play out the way Kimishima-san hopes it will.
I think March is a good time, at least for me it is. Gives me time to save up for the NX, and enjoy the Wii U for one last year I still have tons of games to play on Wii U, and I still have TMS #Fe and and Paper Mario to look forward to, so I'll be fine for games. Next year it will be great to get a NX and the new Zelda, and whatever great other games are coming.
And if you think about it, by Christmas 2017, we will have games to choose from, know what is coming for the system thanks to E3, and hopefully that will get the system really good sales.
There seems to be an assumption that PS4 Neo will launch in 2016, when that's never been confirmed. There were rumors that it would launch in March 2017 actually (that was before the NX news).
Obviously, with the news of NX coming in March, Sony might try to push the release forward a bit to launch Holiday 2016, but that's only if they can. Manufacturing and all that.
@Yorumi No. To summarize my first post, I said that launching with a strong library AND making sure that there's a consistent release schedule of good games is more important than just launching during the Holiday season at all costs. I never said that there aren't other contributing factors in a console's success, or that the launch library is a make-or-break factor by itself. Everything you've said since then has essentially just supported my original point, but you're framing it as an argument because you're just a habitually disagreeable person, apparently, and you seem to look for disagreement where there is none.
I'm perfectly fine with people replying to my comments, but it's beyond annoying to me that if I don't make sure to cover every possible angle of an issue, it means that I have to fire off a dozen extra comments clarifying what I meant because someone will invariably jump to a thousand conclusions if I leave anything out of my original post.
@Spanjard lol the Nintendo boss with a tekken name has spoken!
There's really no winning is there? When nintendo releases a new console, people complain that there aren't enough first party games launching simultaneously. But if they delay the launch so there are plenty of first party games releasing people complain.
I'm super excited for the future of Nintendo. I've got mobile games and apps to look forward to. The NX is exciting even if I don't know anything about it. There's still 3ds games coming out I want and plenty of old games on my list to get. Plenty of wiiu games I'm still playing.
I'm excited and looking forward to what Nintendo is bringing out. I'm going to stay optimistic and upbeat.
I hope the fact that Nintendo isn't showing NX at E3 this year means, that we're getting Nintendo Space World back. We got new NWC in 2015. One can always dream, right? And I don't personally see NX launching in March 2017 as a bad thing.
@Yorumi I'm biting YOUR head off? Okay, I apologize for that, but I get really tired of people arguing with everything I post on this site, so hopefully you can see why that would bother me.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Shligo style 😂
To be honest, I think one of the most important things Nintendo needs to focus on with NX is how they brand it and how they market it. They got very complacent in those areas with Wii U. NX needs to A: have a name and an identity that actually appeals to people that aren't already die-hard Nintendo fans (so, something that doesn't have "Wii" in the name and doesn't look like a Fisher Price toy), and B: actually receive some marketing attention from Nintendo so that people are aware that it even exists.
Some kind of streaming device?
@Yorumi That's possibly true, but you started off by assuming that I said things that I didn't actually say or even imply, and then replied by outright saying that my whole comment was wrong, and then listed a bunch of different examples as to why it's wrong. It seems appropriate for me to be at least a little defensive in light of that. Anyway, I'm ready to move on now.
Every time they decide to go against the grain regarding marketing and launches, they end up shooting themselves in the foot. I love Nintendo and want nothing more than for them to succeed, but this deluded arrogance is getting old. This may end up being their last mistake regarding hardware, and I don't mean that in a good way.
Kimishima definitely has a different business sense from Yamauchi. He's not the tyrant that Yamauchi was, which may explain the willingness to miss the crucial holiday season. (The people who make games, software, and hardware have their own lives and need for breaks/leave/downtime too, they're not the gaming public's slaves.) That said, missing this holiday in particular is still a bad move, because it gives Sony free reign to build up support for the PS4 VR with little or no competition, in addition to Nintendo killing their own initial momentum for the NX. (Nothing to show at E3, which forces them to show it somewhere else, and then selling it in March, a bad time for pushing big electronics purchases.)
From a humanist perspective, I don't mind this, because it gives them more time to do what they will. They're not beholden to me or anyone else. However, this decision is VERY bad for business, and makes for a feeble attempt to salvage the publicly shown results of their fiscal year, by launching new hardware at the end of it to pad out an otherwise abysmal showing. This is a sign of weakness in the face of adversity.
@Desy64 Um, Hiroshima is a city, not a person... XD
My fear is the NX has Xbox One specs or slightly worse and they didn't want to show it during e3 because they know it'll be completely outclassed by the competition. Hope I'm wrong but with Nintendo lately you can't help but wonder and dread.
Nintendo fanboys are afraid as usual because they saw the future ahead of the console release and they try to make things look bad by saying that NX is bad and is going to be underpowered like the Wii U.
I have never had a problem with "underpowered" system, as long as it bring me an enjoyable experience.
@3MonthBeef Well, I would say to look at the last two big cases of consoles trying to avoid launching at the same time as their competitors to try to get a headstart,then plan for the long game... The Saturn and the Wii U. And look at how they turned out.
And wouldn't the NX be considered early 9th gen hardware? (Unless we consider the Wii U to be 7th gen, which I think many here would disagree with.) So it doesn't matter in that regard, for the PS4 VR to launch at the end of the 8th gen to bookend it, if the NX is going to kick off the 9th gen anyways.
Who can say if VR will really take off? The point of launching NX at the 2016 holiday season would be to say, "VR is not ready to make a big difference yet, and this, the NX, is proof of that." That opportunity will be missed, allowing themselves to lose potential market share to VR (which is going to use some of the same GPU architecture anyways, including AMD's Polaris), giving away a potential foothold to Sony's relatively affordable VR offering compared to other VR competitors.
This is a sign of weakness, a complete 180 degree turnaround from business decisions like launching the Wii directly against the PS3 launch, as if to say, "The better option this holiday is our more affordable and accessible new offering, rather than that Sony behemoth which costs more than twice as much." What happened to Nintendo's fearlessness in the face of adversity? It seems to have evaporated...
@Uzuki I also wonder how much of this is EA and other 3rd parties not whispering in his ear? I mean the biggest issue 3rd Parties had when supporting Wii U was it was hard to port for and not enough time to get their software ready for launch. With EA having a meeting with Nintendo just a few months ago could we see titles like Mass Effect Andromeda at launch? I mean it would make sense considering how many big name 3rd party titles are coming out in 2017 that Nintendo is not trying to get those publishers on board for NX. I mean Square Enix sounds like had dev kits for a while considering how they talked about Dragon Quest XI around a year ago, but how many other big publishers have had time with the dev kits. Sounds like not many considering Tecmo Koei just got some not too long ago. Sounds like this decision was to help 3rd parties as well as 1st parties have time to get ready for launch.
@Yorumi They[Sony gaming division] just enter the black this fiscal year...
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't think so. The Wii U released pre Christmas, but built up a boatload of bad press due to its OS being clearly unfinished, slow, creaky, glitchy and not launch ready, no VC, barren EShop, add in the large dry spell of no software afterwards and Nintendo weren't willing to combat the bad PR that was steamrolling the console.
It took close to a year before Wii U OS approached release standard, now the system is a dream.
Nintendo are best holding the system until they are actually ready. Plus Nintendo don't have anything to compete against Sony and Microsoft this Christmas, the console would just get swept up in the PS4K hype train.
@liveswired: Please watch your language - Octane
This is garbage, the best news we have frim Nintendo is that we have to wait. Let's see, after E3 that sucked last year with almost no content for Wii U and no real games this year except Starfox which was short, now this E3 we may get Zelda, which can be bought on new NX system next year. Nintendo you have failed and have lost my interest. What the hell have they been doing for two years? I don't have a DS, so I was hoping for next system or some suprise Wii U games. I should have know they would mess this up.
@Toadthefox
That's the thing right there. Nintendo has limited resources, hell everyone does.
How on earth can Nintendo hope to have enough titles ready for the NX in a year and at the same time announce new Wii U titles at E3? Yet I have read people are excited about E3 and Wii U. Fanboys, eh.
What they have been doing for the last two years is a good question. Becoming irrelevant in the mainstream console business and selling silly plastic toys and going mobile.
You know, preparing for their home console business to crash and burn.
@LinkSword
Last year did have enough content. The problem was that all those games were announced prior to settle the minds of Nintendo fans poopydooping out post launch. Had they not shown their cards early, it would have all been new reveals and people would have been happy.
The fact is the lineup was strong. It was just already known, and therefore the awe factor of new reveals was lacking. A mistake I doubt they'll be willing to repeat again.
@JaxonH: Please watch your language - Octane
@PlywoodStick
What do you really value most?
Do you value a perception of a strong Nintendo console, or an ACTUAL strong and healthy Nintendo console?
If launching early hurts the lineup, would you be willing to sacrifice that lineup for the sake of "looking strong" to competitors? I think sometimes (and please don't think I'm accusing you of this by any means), people get a little carried away with wanting Nintendo to appear strong, more than they want the lineup and experience to actually be strong.
I say, let Nintendo worry about the marketing and the pros and cons of release timing and all that jazz. As gamers the number one thing we should care about is a strong launch lineup. Many here lamented the Wii U lineup and lectured Nintendo on ever doing it again. Here we see them actually taking action- in fact they are even willing to give up the advantage of a holiday release in order to ensure the system has games and a steady lineup of games coming after release.
I say we should respect that for what it is. I do understand that they are taking a big hit by missing the holiday window but at the same time, they would be taking a big hit if they released the system without sufficient software and were crucified by the press for repeating the mistakes of the past, yet again. And the press can make or break a console.
@3MonthBeef
Exactly...
It always happens that way. The PS3/PS4 is a good example. Especially when PS3 first came out, almost every video game news outlet had doom and gloom things to say about it. Now look at Sony. Same thing is going to happen with Nintendo.
@PlywoodStick To be fair, Hiroshima is also a family name (though not a very common one).
For example, do you remember who came 31st in the 1960 Rome Olympic Marathon?
No?
Are you sure?
Well, if the fact has somehow managed to escape you, it that was a certain Mr. Kurao Hiroshima!
Now I suggest you immediately forget that piece of knowledge and replace it with something more substantial. Most things would qualify.
@JaxonH Untrue. Plenty of things they were banking on as their relevant content had been neither revealed nor leaked before the Digital Event, such as Federation Force and Triforce Heroes, but those still failed to impress thoroughly. Paper Jam was not known about, either, and while fans appreciated it that wasn't nowhere near enough to save the whole presentation. Same goes for Mario Tennis, which honestly isn't even worth the time discussing at this point. The list goes on.
The Legends leak kind of sucked for them, but again, it was basically a port of a spin-off game, so leak or not that would have hardly been game-changing.
Then you had major stuff that had been announced for a good while and people were looking forward to seeing more of, such as Starfox Zero, which actually had a lackluster showing in the opinion of many regardless.
So basically, there was a whole bunch of newly announced software, and yet the E3 failed to be memorable for most fans following it. So, quality-wise, there obviously wasn't enough content. Your mileage may vary and yadda yadda, but the bottom line is that people from Nintendo such as Reggie thought the Digital Event had enough content to please fans whereas I disagreed entirely, so I don't see why there won't be a repeat of the same problem with the NX lineup.
The NX has the potential to be the 'essential' console to own as long as Nintendo sticks to what they do best with reapplied focuses:
the couch-play; getting on board with mainstream online integration for multiplayer and social connectivity by making their networking system less convoluted and more universal platform (Miitomo + Miiverse); make less gambits on favoring gimmicks over the traditional gaming market (though they do have a place); utilizing ALL of their key and beloved franchises (more F-Zero, Star Fox, Metroid, console-based Fire Emblem, MORE SIN AND PUNISHMENT along with resurrecting triumphant returns from classic franchises like Earthbound and Custom Robo (And maybe the one-off Geist? That game was cool.) minus a focus on the Mario fare; emphasizing their legacy by offering backwards compatibility for their virtual console titles or by instating a new system; ... and by garnering more third-party support for those who wish to exclusively own a Nintendo console because I think that's a fair assertion to make.
Did I leave anything out?
@LinkSword
They did what they could to show new software that was left over that hadn't been announced yet and no it absolutely didn't make a big impression. Because Star Fox had already been revealed. Because Xenoblade X had already been revealed. Because Fire Emblem Fates had already been revealed.
They did have some new stuff to show but it was more out of an effort to scrape something together of what was left that hadn't already been let out of the bag.
Imagine if nearly every game they showed at E3 was a brand-new reveal. That would've been one for the history books.
@JaxonH Zelda U had also been revealed for years, yet new footage of it would have been amazing for just about everyone. A game being announced already does not mean it can't bring hype via new information/footage - they just failed to pick either the games or the right angle to advertise them. Starfox Zero's presentation being the case for the latter.
In any case, you are straying faaaar away from my point. My point was that Reggie felt their content was enough to please the fans, whereas I entirely disagreed. THEREFORE, there's a good chance the same will happen with the NX lineup, especially as far as I'm concerned.
@Yorumi
I totally agree.
It's so different now in the Internet age. I was ok with the Wii U launch lineup (I loved New Super Mario Bros U and NintendoLand- Metroid Blast, Zelda and the Pikmin games were classics) and there was Sonic Racing Transformed, Batman Arkham Knight, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty. It was the post-launch lineup that was slow. Until Pikmin 3 we only saw Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Lego City Undercover, Injustice and Sniper Elite 2.
Really it's the lack of third-party and Nintendo's inability to support two simultaneous platforms when they don't have that third-party support. A lot of people rag on Nintendo for not having enough games but if you really think about it they put out a heck of a lot of games. It's just that they're trying to support two entire platform's solo, while other consoles get the benefit of 50+ developers, all contributing to the spread.
I don't know. Personally the way I see it is there is only X number of games that are going to be developed in total each year across all platforms. If I own all three of them and both handhelds then I'll never miss out and I really won't care if any of them get a drought. Because no matter which way the percentile of games is split up among them I'm going to get access to them all regardless. I suppose those who use Wii U as their main console, without a 3DS to supplement, are hurt the most. That's why I always advise people- Wii U is awesome fun with lots of goodies, but unless you're a part-time gamer or buying late-generation with piles of backlog to dig into, you really need a 3DS or another home console to supplement.
"Also, we must be in a state to release titles not just at launch, but continually afterwards."
Pretty much the most important statement that needs to be read.
@LinkSword
I don't think Reggie thought it was enough new content. I think he thought it was enough content overall. But even if that was the case who cares what Reggie thinks- he is totally irrelevant and just makes PR speech. He has no control over what games are in development.
As we all know the generation for Wii U is winding down. I guarantee you that starting last year they switched over at least half of their development teams to NX. Which is naturally going to leave a gap in releases and announcements for these last two years while they transition. As if supporting two platforms simultaneously wasn't stretching them thin enough, imagine how much they are stretched thin when they have to transition into a new generation of platforms. Now they have to keep games on both their current consoles while at the same time developing the lineup for their new console. If you look at things through that lens of reality I think it's a little easier to understand why more new games weren't showing last year and why we won't see much this year either.
BUT, with that said, it will pay off for us in the end when they finally revealed the NX. The last 2 E3's lacking announcements will finally pay dividends as all that software they've been working on that wasn't shown, is finally put on the table.
The Wii U is DEAD! DEAD, I tell you! Thank you, Nintendo, for screwing us all over with a system that has a less-than-4-year lifespan and potential moneymakers like Pokemon Snap 2 that don't get made! (PS2 would be AMAZING and perfectly suited for the system.) I'm fine with Nintendo focusing on other stuff, but they seem to not realize that they need games for their CURRENT system, not their new one.
The "proper" thing to do is launch Zelda for wii u this year as promise to the people who supported wiiu and waited for Zelda all thse years. Then move on to NX on 2017
I had it preordered since 2013, go ahead and release it again for Nx on 2017
If they dont do that and hold on to it so it can be released for NX first I'll never buy the NX and I wont care how good or amizing it can be. I'm done with this BS and lies
On 2013: Wind waker HD remake to give something to the fans while we wait for zelda u they said.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR THE REST OF 2016????
@JaxonH You say Reggie just does PR speeches and little else, which is very true. But are you implying Kimishima is necessarily any different when it comes to his claims on future plans and so on? I'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but at the end of the day he has yet to prove anything remarkable about his leadership and where it's leading Nintendo.
Bottom line - it's fine if you want to be optimistic about the NX reveal going forward, but after being let down again and again I for one adamantly choose to remain skeptical until something - if ever - changes my mind.
@LinkSword
I can't say I blame you- I really can't.
But I would leave you with these words: Nintendo has made a lot of mistakes but they have also done a lot right. It's a cutthroat industry and they are still around 30 years after NES. Despite the market shifting to AAA, handhelds being overtaken by mobile and complete abandonment of 3rd party industry, they still managed to make their latest console a viable and entertaining platform. That's no small feat.
I do appreciate where you're coming from, and, I'm not going to tell you to not be skeptical. But I would remind you that Nintendo has their back against the wall right now and history has proven that a fight for survival will bring out the best in anyone. This generation was a wake up call. Do not discount the effect of just 13 million Wii U sales on Nintendo's game plan going forward.
And Kimishima may not have yet proven himself to us yet, but, the man has been running companies the majority of his life and successfully I might add. He may not be the John F. Kennedy of Nintendo presidents but he doesn't have to be. He just has to steer the ship adequately and set Nintendo on the right track in this new era.
For what it's worth, his foresight into the failure of Wii U before it launched, combined with the rumors and whispers of Nintendo employees understanding the score and giving this new console everything they have as if it were the Super Nintendo again... this gives me much hope.
Besides, the worst case scenario is: the console fails, third parties abandon the platform and Nintendo is left supporting it alone again. That is the absolute worst possible scenario that could happen and we've already seen it before, with Wii U. And Wii U has a pretty good library for being a worst-case scenario console. So, I can live with the worst case scenario for NX. I'll buy my third party games on PS4 and fill the gaps with 3DS/successor. And just pick the ripe fruits of NX as they come. And the best case scenario is not as good as people think it is. So what if the NX sells great- I don't see a dime of that money. So what if it gets third party games- I can play those on other consoles already. There's really no benefit whatsoever for me if NX succeeds in flying colors, and no consequence whatsoever if it fails.
@Project_Dolphin
There is some merit to that.
Money is not an issue for me. I'm not rich- I'm just middle class, but I make enough to buy all the games I desire on all 5 platforms, all on day one.
As I count my retail games, I have...
Wii U: 59
PS4: 55
X1: 8
3DS: 79
Vita: 42
PS4 has less games despite there being 10 releases to every 1 Wii U title. Granted it's been out 1 year less but still, the point remains.
The numbers speak for themselves. It's not how many games a console gets, it's how many games WORTH BUYING a console gets. And for the paltry number of releases, Wii U has my second largest library of all 5 current gen platforms. That's not bad.
Thing is, There are games on every platform that I simply refuse to miss. People say they won't buy a console for one game. But there's never just one game. There's never just 10 games. There always dozens and dozens of games that you can find on any given platform. ESPECIALLY on Nintendo, where the majority of the games are exclusive and not available to purchase elsewhere.
The reason I only own eight games for Xbox is because the majority of its library is shared with PS. Which is proof that getting third-party games makes absolutely zero difference if you're already buying those games on another console anyways. Which is why third-party multiplat games never sell well on Nintendo- people are already buying those games else where and have no need for them on a Nintendo console.
@Dakt If rumors are true that the NX is both a home system and a handheld, the problem of droughts (which wasn't a problem until the end of the Wii) should be rectified as it would double the number of games per year. The other thing they could do to rectify the problem is outsource more and fund proposals from outside Nintendo more
Us: You're not just telling us what we want to hear?
Nintendo: No sir, no way.
Us: Because we just want to hear the truth.
Nintendo: Oh. Then I guess we are telling you what you want to hear.
Us: Didn't we just tell you not to do that.
Nintendo: .....
Us: Ok then.
My impression from Kimishima going by previous statements is that he knows business pretty well. I have faith in him knowing what he is doing, so if this is mainly his decision I support it and believe he has a plan we do not fully understand just yet.
A lot of talk to basically say the NX and it's games aren't ready.
One of my other theories to the March 2017 release is Nintendo doesn't want to release the NX and have it completely dwarfed by the PS4 1.5, so they want to see exactly what the PS4 1.5's specs are at E3 first, but that's me being hopeful that Nintendo hasn't completely ditched the core gaming market already.
I'm fine with a March release, it is indeed far more important for Nintendo to have games to play both at launch and continuing afterward. Personally, I want Nintendo to make games that simply look super awesome to play to the average consumer. Something like a new 3D Mario that's not like 3D World, for example. I'm not saying 3D World isn't fun, but compared to what Mario 64 was when it came out, it doesn't seem as "cool." Mario 64 introduced so many awesome abilities for Mario, like throwing Bowser all the way across the dang arena! But 3D World was more slow-paced and limited; the final boss wasn't even a fight! Instead, Bowser just sat on a giant POW block like an idiot practically asking for Mario to knock him off. Mario is my favorite series, so I want an awesome new Mario game to play on the NX!
i think putting just one word like that between quotation marks makes it look like irony. consider this: donald trump is a very "smart" person.
He sounds confident. I'm worried about 3DS yes it's awesome but I feel it's aged and is in need of an Hd display
@Wexter I was actually discussing with my friends earlier how that makes sense. To keep mouths and leaks from running they probably only gave early dev kits to a small amount of devs to work on and kept them under a tight NDA and hoped they had a nice lineup for the holidays. Due to some hardware delays happening in Japan at the moment that could also have some impact on the how many units they have made to the point where there isn't enough consoles made for worldwide release. This would also give them time to give out more dev kits and polish up their ports for proper releases.
@Maxz Nope, I'm gonna carry that trivia with me for as long as I live.
@JaxonH Well, I hope you're right... Cause if not, Nintendo's screwed in the 9th gen.
@JpGamerGuy90 precisely. Lately I've only been wondering and dreading what Nintendo will do.
A Christmas 2016 release would put them at odds with the Neo and PSVR, as well as giving themselves, and third parties, less time to have games ready for the NX launch.
Releasing next year is the smarter decision.
@PlywoodStick
I hope so... time will tell.
But, if they do end up screwed, at least we don't have to be. They've proven with Wii U that they won't leave their gamers high and dry, regardless of what misfortune falls their way. I take comfort in knowing NX could fail miserably, but sure as truth Nintendo will support it to its dying breath.
The Internet's a funny place... It's amusing to see all these comments from people agreeing with Kimishima after a lot of those same people were screaming at him a few days ago regarding the delay. He hasn't been in charge long enough for me to think anything of him, good or bad. But I will say this: so far, he's been solid, up front, transparent, and spits it like it is. I can appreciate that where everything else that comes out of Nintendo's mouth is fluffed PR statements and Fils-Aime-ish marketing geekspeak.
@Project_Dolphin
I've seen this theory raised before and I understand what you're getting at. I only need a couple of really worthwhile games to justify a console purchase.
I do believe though, that for a manufacturer to sell their console they need the biggest software library possible. Even if each user only bought 6 games the 6 you'd want would be different to the 6 I'd want and different to the 6 choices of millions of others. The more games, the more chance of your library being appealing.
Of course, whether Nintendo's best chance of achieving that is via third-party support or pooling their resources to put out 20-30 games a year themselves on one format is another debate altogether
@PlywoodStick Well, I hope you find some creative applications for it.
Anyway, aside from running a couple of Olympic Marathons, I don't believe Mr. Kurao Hiroshima (or anyone who bears his surname) has had any any major say in the business decisions of modern day Nintendo. So even it's probably a bit unfair to blame him for our video gaming woes, as the earlier poster was doing.
I get that a lot of people are disappointed by the prospect of not getting an NX for Christmas, but honestly, if this means two or three more awesome launch games then it's totally worth it in the long term. Nintendo cannot rush this thing out.
So the whole thing about "not abandoning the Wii U" was just a lie. Yeah, nice way to start your leadership, Kimishima!
Missing the holiday season may not seem like a sound business decision, but I think it will pay off in the long run, as it won't be seen as a joke like the Wii U and will probably attract more third parties to it too, hopefully preventing the destructive downward spiral the Wii U found itself in.
Also, it gives me more time to scrape together the funds I'll need for the console and some launch games, haha...
A huge part of this decision that I think people don't entirely get is that the "holiday season" is not nearly as important in Japan as it is in the rest of the world. For one, people don't trample other people to death on Black Friday here (because there is no Black Friday here) so that they can spend the most money on the most things to give to the most other people. At Christmas, children typically receive only a single present, and it's usually not some big huge exciting gift that they've been desperately clamoring for. New Year's is the biggest, most important holiday here, but for most people it's spent with family eating tasty things and watching incredibly boring television and going to bed at 9pm. Once again, the children receive gifts, but it's money. Obviously there ARE periods when people spend their money like crazy in Japan, but if anything March seems like it would be a great time here since it's when the school year and the fiscal year ends, and everything starts anew in April. It's a time when people are looking to try something new and are probably a little more likely to part way with their money because of it.
@erv not to mention his face!
It's evident that whatever Nintendo does, is what they claim to be the right thing to do. The question is, do they know what the right thing is?
Keep spamming the smart phone games and DLC Kimishima, I wont be there to pick up an NX. But I do look forward to April-2017, where there'll be more lowered projections and missed sales.
Maybe PSN alone will make more than Nintendo did all year...again.
I am glad we have more 3DS titles to look forward to either before or at E3 :+).
I am personally fine with that the NX is coming next year as I know I will have too many games to finish anyway as usual, and it wouldn't get better with additional Wii U indie and VC games ;^^. Still glad to hear that Nintendo are trying to have as good as possible lineup for the NX.
Either way, I guess we will know more in less than 2 months .
I'm perfectly fine with a March release if we means we get a decent amount of quality software right out of the gate like with GameCube and Wii rather than the initial droughts suffered by the 3DS and Wii U.
Finally some vague facts! I could not handle the pressure of these questions if I was president. I'd be like "Dude, it's gonna be great. Relax, it prints money"
Smarter people than us are making these decisions with information we clearly don't have.
Thay being said, I think I more disappointed in the e3 no show. Even Iwata alluded to new hardware warranting stage and floor presence. Is that little ready to show? Is the timeframe (9 months) the issue? Maybe they're looking at the Apple/Samsung model for announcement close to launch, but there are so many more people involved via 3rd parties (hopefully) I can't imagine details not leaking.
Whatever. Rather have a lame e3 than a lame launch. Even Splatoon amiibo Festival will get me Day One haha.
Even though they could get more sales from the NX during the holiday season, with Sony releasing 2 items (VR and PS4.5), maybe it's a good thing they don't release it around that time.
March is fine, since many people will be getting income tax returns, and if it's true at what he said, then hopefully there's more than just 5 games at launch and more throughout the months after. What I always hated about the console releases, was that after the launch, it was a few months before more games started pouring out. Maybe nintendo can turn this system around, and be like the Super NES and NES was, where the games pour out for it. PS4 is getting that way, as it shows that whatever system is the biggest selling of the generation, that system gets dumped with tons and tons of games...Genesis during the 16bit era, Playstation One during the next, PS2 during the next, Wii during the next with 360 close behind and now...PS4. NES was dumped with a lot, but it was basically sitting by itself and Atari was dumped with a lot, but again...basically sitting by itself.
What I'm trying to think of, is that if the NX does come as close as the PS4 (it'll be hard, but it could come in second place for the generation), then they'll get plenty of titles releasing for it, just not as many, but more than what the Wii U has gotten.
I think Nintendo is playing a defensive game now.
Every time they revealed something Sony copied them. From Dual stick and vibration feedback on N64 to Wii's motion control (6 axis) and even Wii U's streaming to the tablet (PS4 streaming to PSVita and Sony's mobile devices).
The creator of Fire Emblem, they know playing defensive has a higher chance of winning. Business is no different from strategy game.
They are just waiting for the competition to put their cards on the table, Kimmy with his poker face will bluffed them into thinking Nintendo has nothing good in their hands.
I bet Sony is more anxious to know about NX than anyone of you.
I really don't care either way. I'm not planning on retiring my Wii U anytime soon since I have only had it for a couple years or less. There are plenty of games left for me to play, so their new release schedule for the NX doesn't bother me. I am disappointed that Zelda U has been delayed to coincide with the new system's release though.
3 months after the Holidays people are ready to spend money again but usually the competitors have gathered all their games together to compete directly during the Holidays. As far as gamer mindshare, there's a good chance Nintendo will have nearly all of it during that launch period.
This is another way of not competing directly with the other guys and this time the hardware and focus may be closer than ever to theirs so it's going to be important to stand out.
Not denying the negatives at all, just pointing out some potential positives to stack beside the stronger software lineup.
@SanderEvers It is a possibility that Nintendo wants to hide their future plans in order to prevent Microsoft and Sony from copying their ideas. We don't know what Microsoft is planning either. It could be an upgrade for Xbox One, a "New" version of Xbox One or just a slim model.
If Nintendo shows their plans in September (Nintendo likes to announce things coinciding with Tokyo Game Show), then there will be seven months until launch to sell the concept. Enough? I'm not sure. Also, in June people will know Sony and Microsoft's future plans, many people will buy them before they know what NX is. So, I'm not sure that it's a good idea not telling what NX is at E3 and I don't think Sony and Microsoft could copy Nintendo so fast.
Why didn't they ask any questions about 3rd party software titles? That's a huge reason why the Wii U was a failure..
They seem to get that they need games, but do they know they need more first/second party developers to produce more games? Would it be wise to venture into more T-rated to M-rated software to shed the family only image that they have?
@alasdair91
Not really, February-March is Tax Return season in the US, and people tend to spend far more money around that time than Christmas.
@Xenocity How like how you came armed with facts. A tip of the hat to you sir.
@Project_Dolphin
So in terms of that 'issue', which way do you think Nintendo need to go? Try and appeal more to users of M-Rated games or not bother at all and double down on what they appeal to now re. Families/kids/Nintendo nostalgic/really serious gamers who buy everything?
@Nintendian
I agree with the general point about Sony copying some of Nintendo's ideas (I wish Nintendo would copy their competitions good ideas more often) but Remote Play predates Wii U by some years.
@electrolite77
The Remote play between PS3 and PSP was done in software, it was so slow that no developer used it. Wii U was the first to implement it in hardware, reducing latency and making it practical. PS4 and Vita's remote play still lagged even though it's also in hardware. I don't think anyone really know how Nintendo did it, I guess those billion dollars R&D pays off.
Just a thought: If Nintendo were designing a VR unit like Oculus Rift, they would've got rid of the HDMI cable and streamed it wirelessly like the Wii U gamepad.
This news doesn't really bother me the least bit, 'cuz my gaming backlog is ridiculous.
The only WiiU game that I'm picking up for rest of this year is Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE, other than that it'll be 3DS, PS3/4 titles:
Legend of Heroes:Trails of Cold Steel 2, Valkyria Chroncles- Remastered, Grand Kingdom, I Am Setsuna, Fairy Fencer f:Advent Dark Force, Star Ocean 5, Odin Sphere-Leifheiser, Atelier Sophie, Guilty Gear Xrd-Revelator, BlazBlue:Central Fiction, Persona 5, 7th Dragon III Code VFD, King of Fighters XIV, and Final Fantasy XV.
So yeah, I'm good.
Hopefully by the time the NX launches in March, I'll make some kind of dent on the games in my 2016 list, maybe even my 2015 backlog.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE You do realize that people will be tempted to spend what little McDonald's paycheck money they have on the latest Call of Duty this holiday season, rather than saving up for a Nintendo console that may or may not be superior to the Wii U, right? There is going to be TOO MUCH competition for Nintendo during that time, so I believe it is WISE to delay it until there is less competition. After all, people can easily use their Tax Refunds on a brand-new system!
@Dakt yep. It's a relatively small company that competes against behemoths. It is run by old Japanese men who think only about keeping costs down. They are very timid. Yes, they are innovative but since the SNES this company has chosen to go the cheap route with hardware and it's cost them dearly so instead of innovation it's more like gimmicks meant to distract us from the weak hardware. They are a software company that won't hire sufficient staff to adequately supply their own hardware. The NX was supposed to alleviate that but even before it's out they are already having issues making enough games. How is that possible? Nintendo themselves haven't really been busy developing so what is going on? I'm telling you, keep your expectations real low
I'm liking Kimishima's style.
Unapologetic, and not reasoning for more than he feels people will need to know.
Alright, I'll sit back expecting to see A LOT of content at launch. It doesn't matter if it appeals to me or not, just more than one to play for months on end. And let's avoid fleshing out the list with new versions of existing/old titles please.
Tap here to load 204 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...