One mistake many platform loyalists make is assuming that the respective bosses of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo only play on their own systems and don't acknowledge the existence of rival consoles. In recent years we've seen that perspective become increasingly outdated, with top-level execs admitting publicly that they not only own "other" gaming systems but love them to bits.
One such exec is Sony's Shuhei Yoshida, who has previously revealed his admiration of Nintendo's output. As you might imagine, this undercover Nintendo fanboy couldn't resist checking out the Switch during the recent hands-on event in Tokyo, and was snapped doing the rounds:
https://twitter.com/q759793343/status/820208381797527552
What will Yoshida take back from the event? Who knows, but we'd guess he'll be first in line come Switch launch day. Once a Nintendo fan, always a Nintendo fan.
[source pushsquare.com]
Comments 49
This isn't surprising from either a Business Rival perspective or a Gamer perspective.
Business Rival Hat: Hey what is my competition doing? I should check it out.
Reasonable Gamer Hat: Hey new game system from Nintendo! I like Nintendo games! I should check it out.
This isn't news. Yep, it is Monday alright.
Edit: For Damo: Yes, I read the "random" tag. I am not changing what I've said. First time I've been on a site and had one of the employees try to take a shot at me though.
I would like to think that the execs gift each other their consoles....
No console wars here....
Good old Shu has openly admitted that he loves Nintendo. He bought two Wii U's at launch. One for him and one for his kids.
He has many WiiU at home and is a fan of Nintendo.
You could also find him on Miiverse
I have to give credit to the Sony and Microsoft executives for always being so cordial to Nintendo. You never hear Nintendo praising its rivals.
@Marshi This. Seriously, the guy bought two Wii U's. Nobody bought a Wii U, and this buy bought Two. His Nintendo Fanboy creds are legit.
@Ryu_Niiyama While this isn't news he doesn't have to publicly say anything good about the competition.
Even outside Nintendo enthusiasts like Yoshida, the arrogance of the 90s' console wars has mostly left the industry to live among the audiences. Last time Sony allowed themselves even a remotely "Nintendon't"-ish joke (and even that much I'm retelling from what I've read maybe fourth-hand), Nintendo ended up on top of the generation and Sony ended up making PlayStation Move. Nowadays, there's room for every industry player who can hook some install base, owning more than one console isn't uncommon (for a sane gamer, it's just more games at the end of the day) and Sony has their own studio famous for imaginative and authentic titles anyway. I would likewise feel zero surprise if we learnt of Nintendo big wigs enjoying some Tearaway or LocoRoco in some of their spare minutes.
And speaking of LocoRoco, competition is another relative of invention at the end of the day, too. Without Nintendo and all the money they have shoveled up from the handheld market, would we even have PSP or Vita?
(The most universe-warping irony, though, is that without one certain addon project and one certain contract of discord, we might not have any of the six chapters of PlayStation legacy to date. Oh Irony, your second name is Life)
If he had a pre order, it's now cancelled.
And but...but...but they're not competing in the same market. Ya, right!
@Ryu_Niiyama he's avid gamer and a pretty big nintendo fan, he had 2 wii u's btw. one for him the other his daughter if i recall.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE i highly doubt that the guy had 2 wii u's you know he also is super excited for Zelda Botw.
and to people saying he isn't, i'll leave this here (if it's against rules sorry)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd2FgTExpZo
Insider reports say Shuhei Yoshida has been struggling to figure out how many ice cubes to put in his glasses of fine wine he buys from PS4 sales, and is hoping the Joy Cons can help him out.
One of the reasons behind me hoping the best for the Switch is for other consoles to go the hybrid route.
Which will make the lack of Vita successors make more sense and will also mark the Xbox family's handheld debut.
@kenrulei
It's not against any rules, and it's cute to boot.
@Spoony_Tech He doesn't have to vilify them either. Only in "fanwars" or with unprofessional people do you get snark and derogatory comments. Like I said from either a business rival or from a gamer perspective there is nothing surprising about Yoshida's actions. Not really sure why anyone would expect otherwise.
EDIT: LOL someone proved my point today on the latter.
Probably just there to steal the technology for PS5.
@nhSnork "would likewise feel zero surprise if we learnt of Nintendo big wigs enjoying some Tearaway or LocoRoco in some of their spare minutes."
That brings to mind this lovely E3 2013 image/story of Miyamoto playing Tearaway on Vita at the Sony booth:
http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/06/e3_2013_shigeru_miyamoto_enjoys_a_moment_with_tearaway
@Not_Sure...the Switch is a big portable with HD graphics, no dual screen or 3D, has a "share button", and online subscription for multiplayer with a "free" game of the month. Sony is totally copying Nintendo ...oh wait
Love this! And I hope they can cooperate since I don't see Sony getting behind a new portable!
@Ryu_Niiyama It clearly says "Random" in the article title, so you're right - this ISN'T news.
But then again, we're not JUST a news site. Something people still don't seem able to grasp.
@Damo I read the tag. I realize that sarcasm is hard to read in text but whatever. My comment still stands that it isn't surprising given that Yoshida is a gamer and a business rival. However if you want to take shots at me for no reason, be my guest. Have a nice day.
I think it's probably safe to say that while the three companies do like each others consoles, they probably don't like each other as much.
Vita U confirmed.
Doing homework and taking notes in preparation for the PS5
@thesilverbrick Yes, yes they do. Like just a few months ago when Nintendo celebrated Xbox's 15th anniversary: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/11/nintendo_of_america_wishes_xbox_a_happy_15th_birthday
@the-madprofessor I stand corrected. Glad to see Nintendo can be congratulatory, too.
C'mon Vita 2!!
We were so close with having a Sony version of Switch if Vita and Vita TV were somehow combined. I'm hoping this means another look at Vita. (^_^ )
@pandarino
Wait, Nintendo is copying Sony by not using 3D or a clamshell dual screen? You mean kinda like a Game Boy Advance?
But no, I get it, Nintendo is guilty of copying from the competition, too. Though I wouldn't really consider the innovation of HD as copying, it's just a natural step-up in graphics. Who would've expected Nintendo's next handheld to still use a 480p display?
My comment was mostly a joke, but come on, you have to admit Sony trying to replicate the Wii Remote for the PS3 was pretty bad! You got my name wrong, by the way.
@YeshaYahu5417
"Magic act": $457
"Bad translations": $0
"Awkward dude in labcoat making odd body gesture for sequel": $180
"SEGA taking 5 seconds to say 'present'": $180,000
Knowing this thing STILL has more retail games in the first 6 months than your Vita?: Priceless.
@Stu13 Actually the Vita U sounds like the best console ever. I thought the WiiU would be a wonderful hybrid console portable. It kind of failed at the latter starting with Lego City not supporting Off-TV. I thought Vita would be a wonderful hybrid console portable. The games were disappointing (then missing), and Remote Play with PS4 is a stuttering mess with poor controls not intended for the unit, and everything has a weird choppy framerate.
Vita U is my ideal console!
He's probably thinking " ha ha ha well that was poop! the PS4 is safe for now"
@Damo Gosh, now you're acting weirdly.
I'm sure that Mr. Yoshida just wanted a look at Nintendo's swan song (oooooooooooooh) *covers mouth with four fingers, eyes wide *
Shuhei Yoshida-san has already stated that he owns and has two Wii U's in his home so it's not that surprising. These days the execs from the big three are all pretty good willed toward each other unlike 15-20 years ago. Still good on him for taking the time to play the new console after waiting in line like everyone else. I'm a Nintendo fanboy about as big as they come, but I still have the other current gen consoles and love the games they produce.
@NEStalgia I have a Vita and tech wise it is a great console, I mean who aside from Sony would make a portable game console with an OLED screen? The specs on it are pretty cool but I think the price may have been an issue to it's adoption rate. It has a lot of great games in many genres. I think the other big elephant in the room for the console was those darned memory cards. The largest 64GB card still typically goes for over $100. I would image that if Sony made another model today it would likely have MicroSD like the Switch though.
@dodgethis "I'm sure that Mr. Yoshida just wanted a look at Nintendo's swan song (oooooooooooooh) *covers mouth with four fingers, eyes wide *"
Looks at PS4 numbers.
Looks at WiiU numbers. "ooooooooh"
Looks at 3DS, DS, Wii numbers. Weeps silently.
We all like to judge Nintendo's competitiveness by looking at their home console in the west, but let's not forget the 3DS is their main console, not the WiiU. 3DS may not have sold DS levels of amazing, but 3DS's total sales are still greater than PS4 and XBone combined. Ninty is very much a serious competitor. Just not with ALL their product lines. I doubt the maker of the Vita would be quick to judge a single failed platform as a sign of defeat
@Nico07 Yeah I really liked the Vita when I first got it. I thought, especially with Remote Play it would be the be all end all. And then it fell apart. It's a neat system. It feels good in hand overall. The OLED screen might have been a source of trobule though. The "weird" refresh rates I suspect are related to early OLED limitations and it makes games feel like they all have bad input lag. But the bigger problem was cost of development. As an HD console it has dev costs not unlike a home console. DS succeeded because it wasn't a console for players, it was a console for developers, to be able to make content like they used to in the 16 bit era. Thus devs built an impressive library which brought players. 3DS continued that tradition of "going back in time" dev costs wise. And the library shows it. Vita on the other hand, was a handheld, with the handheld install base that implies for the west. Nobody wanted to spend that kind of dev money on the handheld install base (especially a handheld that doesn't have Pokemon on it...) when they could spend less on the handheld that DOES have Pokemon on it. So much like WiiU, once 3rd party support dried up (fast), there was only so much that could be done with it. The very idea of "it's a PS3 in your pocket" is what killed it. The idea that it wasn't pocket able with those thumbsticks sticking out hurt it next to 3DS as well. Meanwhile it had too small a screen to be able to play games with complex HUDs, and lack the required buttons to play ports from PS2/3 properly. It was always in between.
That's the wisdom of Switch. It doesn't compromise it's home console capabilities to become pocketable, but still remains a mobile device. Instead of trying to be a "Wii U in your pocket" it's a "Wii U you can bring with you" - rather than trying to be something it's not. It draws from the WiiU, 3DS, and Vita's lessons.
@NEStalgia Honey, are you comparing the sales of a six year old portable to that of a console half its age? Rookie move. And then to joke about Yoshi-boy's reaction to the sales of consoles released more than a decade ago. heheheh. Oi Yoshi. You abandoned the Vita you dastard! You won't see me buying a PS4 if that's the way you treat your customers! My effing Vita keeps switching itself on and off, conveniently, just outside of it's warranty. Pshh eff you Yoshi. I'll stick with Sega, thank you.
@dodgethis While the age gap is true, it's still key that we're comparing TWO 3 year old consoles to one 6 year old console, and the one 6 year old console is still ahead. And we're not adding WiiU's sales and Vita's sales to that mix either to account all platforms. Still, Nintendo's very clearly a serious competitor, and the DS remains the industry's high water mark and will remain that way for some time, possibly forever given the rise of competing tech.
FWIW, I'm a Sony fan as well as a Nintendo fan. Microsoft OTOH seems like the lost one, sales aside, they're fighting resistance in their own management. At least they're not obnoxious like they were in the 360 era.
@thesilverbrick Yes you do http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-congratulates-microsoft-on-xboxs-15th-ann/1100-6445460/
You don't see it too often because Nintendo is the oldest company. The others probably see them with respect and admiration because of their legacy, that's all.
@Ryu_Niiyama I didn't take a shot at you, I merely pointed out that, as you said, this isn't news. Because it isn't. It's tagged "Random".
I was agreeing with you, if anything.
@Damo Again I know sarcasm is hard to read in text but correct me if I am wrong that this part of your post wasn't a snarky potshot.
"But then again, we're not JUST a news site. Something people still don't seem able to grasp."
I took that as you are implying that I was one of those people that didn't grasp the nature of the site since you felt compelled to point out the tag. I think I made a pretty fair assessment of your response. Feel free to clarify however.
@Ryu_Niiyama You're not the first person to post "this isn't news" on a piece that is tagged "random". That's really all I was getting at.
And having re-read the original post (and your first comment), I don't get what issue you had with it - I wasn't saying that it should be surprising that Yoshida is into Nintendo stuff, I actually pointed out that it's the norm these days for execs to openly show their admiration for rival platforms. My opening point was that fanboys make the mistake of assuming their lords and masters share their unnatural hatred for the opposition.
they consider the vita a legacy system now, and don't see a handheld in their future. the switch might make them rethink that. the vita successor might come and could be a ps3 portable with the switches docking capabilities. they could even go all out and make it a ps4 portable with switch docking capabilities.
People seem to forget that there are different segments of the gaming population to target.
Amazing g. Some "fans" should take notes. You don't always have to hate on the "competition" just cuz of your loyalty.
this not even based on "hate"
this is just you checking what other companies are doing, i used to work at a alcohol company doing stats and other stuff and i always got invited to other companies parties to try their stuff and what not
is a typical business practice
This is typical business practice for companies, but that doesnt necessarily mean presidents or CEOs do the legwork themselves.
Armchair nintendo analysts now rub elbows with company leaders apparently. "Oh, thats just Shigeru, we hang out on Tuesdays with Reggie, no big deal...."
They've gotta check it out themselves before they can try to copy it.
"I don't remember making this Vita"
@Damo Ok. Acknowledging that tone is hard to read in text I am more than willing to chalk this up to a misunderstanding. If you say that your response was intended to be benign, then I will take you at your word. Thank you for clarifying.
@AlexOlney Well Sony is "reconsidering" entering the handheld market again according to some sources. I really feel with the WiiU and the Vita both companies were trying to reach a similar goal but Nintendo got it right first with the NS.
He'll take back 3 Nintendo Switches lol.
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