Michael Pachter has been called a lot of things — not all of them repeatable on a family-friendly site such as this — but many of his harshest critics seem to miss the point of what he is actually saying; his job is to ensure that people invest their cash wisely and not to placate over-zealous fans. Nevertheless, his comments generate heat, stir debate and garner an incredible amount of interest — not all of it positive, it has to be said.
Given that his standing among Nintendo fans probably isn't all that great right now, we thought it was high time that Pachter was allowed to put across his own point of view. With that in mind, he graciously agreed to sit down for an interview. What follows is pure Pachter; it's honest and sometimes brutal reading for Nintendo lovers, but the man speaks an awful lot of sense and has an uncanny appreciation for the industry we all love.
Stow away your pitchforks and douse those flaming torches — it's time for a Pach Attack.
Nintendo Life: Firstly, let’s clear up a major misunderstanding - you don’t actually hate Nintendo, do you?
Michael Pachter: No, I don’t hate Nintendo at all. I think that they have missed several opportunities on the hardware side, waited too long to provide multiplayer options and generally have alienated third party publishers across the board. Each of those missteps is likely to cost them in the next console generation.
NL: Your predictions have generated a lot of heat online, but Nintendo fans tend to forget that you’re just doing your job: protecting investors from ploughing their money into a company which won’t give them a return. Do you ever get frustrated when people misconstrue your advice as a personal attack on individual companies?
MP: Nothing frustrates me. You accurately described my job; I don’t think Nintendo is a good investment, as I don’t see the company returning to its past success with its current products in a more competitive environment. Investors tend to behave rationally, so they accept my comments as rational and thoughtful. People who have an affinity for brands — or a political party, or a religion, or an alma mater — tend to be less rational and more emotional. It’s part of the job.
"If Nintendo can somehow convince third parties to develop exclusives and to develop cross platform games for Wii U, it has a chance"
NL: You’ve had a lot to say about the Wii U lately. What specific challenges do you feel it faces during its lifespan in order to achieve success?
MP: I don’t think that the Wii U can succeed without a lot of third party software support, and don’t see third parties supporting it until it grows its installed base. Those things are correlated: a small installed base means less third party support, and the installed base can’t grow without third party support. If Nintendo can somehow convince third parties to develop exclusives and to develop cross platform games for Wii U, it has a chance. However, with games like Battlefield and GTA coming out without Wii U versions, it doesn’t appear that the third party support will be forthcoming any time this year.
NL: According to recent figures, the Nintendo Wii has sold 99.38 million units in its lifetime. Even the most stubborn of Nintendo fans will admit that the Wii U is unlikely to hit that total, but what are your predictions for the system? Can it achieve a healthy install base?
MP: The Wii U is closer to the GameCube (23 million) than to the Wii (99 million). At its current price point, I think it will sell as well as the GameCube. If Nintendo cuts price to $199, it will probably sell better than the GameCube. If they cut price to a point below $199, it should sell much better than the GameCube. All of this is dependent upon Microsoft and Sony pricing their new consoles above the Wii U price; if they price below, I think the Wii U is in trouble of underperforming even the GameCube.
NL: What impact will the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox will have on Wii U sales?
MP: PS4 and next Xbox will impact the Wii U if competitively priced, and will impact it less if not competitively priced. Let’s wait and see what the price points will be.
NL: You’ve previously expressed the opinion that the next generation could fall short of people’s expectations from a graphical perspective. Does that not play into Nintendo’s hands?
MP: Yes, if graphics are a driver of console adoption, Wii U will have a chance. I actually think that software is the driver, and although Nintendo has better first party capability, it is likely going to fall far behind in third party support. Ultimately, that is going to hurt them more than competitive graphics will help them.
"If they cut price to a point below $199, it should sell much better than the GameCube"
NL: With devices such as Ouya and GameStick attempting to marry android gaming to the living room TV, do you think they pose a genuine mainstream threat to Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft?
MP: I don’t think Ouya and GameStick are a threat to console gaming, any more than YouTube is a threat to TV viewing. They may have an impact on legacy console sales, but that is minor.
NL: It seems that everyone favourable to Nintendo - from fans to Satoru Iwata himself - are urging patience to let Wii U grow. Where do you draw the line? When can a console be considered a commercial failure?
MP: Patience is fine, and I’m sure Wii U sales will pick up when more software is released. I’d say we measure the success of the console after its third holiday. Sales as of the end of 2014 are probably a pretty good indicator of whether the console will succeed or fail.
NL: Software support has been an issue for the Wii U; why do you think Nintendo has struggled to secure key titles when the original Wii enjoyed such robust support at a similar point in its lifespan?
MP: First party software development is fully within Nintendo’s control. It seems to me that their internal studios started too late to support a holiday 2012 launch — they should have started in 2008 or 2009 — and that is solely the responsibility of the CEO to assure. I think third party support is a function of both the company’s relationship with third parties and whether Nintendo is prepared to help fund development. There is pretty good support from Japanese third parties, and relatively little support from others — with the exception of Ubisoft. I think that speaks to Nintendo’s relationship with each of those companies.
NL: From a purely gaming perspective, what are your thoughts on the Wii U itself, and the software you’ve seen so far?
MP: Nintendo first party games are really fun. I don’t particularly “get” the GamePad controller, and it seems like the lower half of the DS to me. I’m not a huge player of DS titles, so the controls are largely lost on me. I don’t understand games like ZombiU, for example, as I think they would be more fun with conventional controls. I understand the features of games like Call of Duty — which really does use two screens — but I think that we’re unlikely to see much support from third parties going forward. As a console, I don’t really think that the Wii U is anything special.
"I don’t particularly “get” the GamePad controller, and it seems like the lower half of the DS to me"
NL: Given that the 3DS had a poor start, did its recovery impress or surprise you?
MP: Yes, the 3DS is fine, and I was surprised at how strongly it is selling. However, the comparison to the DS is disingenuous, as the DS saw its sales virtually double when the Lite version was released, and I don’t see a doubling of 3DS sales happening ever. It will sell 15 million a year, and will make money, but I don’t see it selling 30 million a year, ever.
NL: How do you feel the rise of smartphone gaming has affected the portable side of Nintendo’s business?
MP: Tablet and smartphone games cut into the more casual end of Nintendo’s addressable handheld market, and definitely so at the older end of the demographic range. My guess is that 70% of DS sales were to people between 6 to 17 years old and the balance to older people. At least half of handheld players favour more casual games, and as those people buy smartphones and tablets, they are getting their gaming fix for free and are setting aside the handheld. Smartphones and tablets — especially the [Amazon] Kindle — are beginning to penetrate the younger demographic, people between 12 to 17, and I think that Nintendo’s addressable handheld market will continue to erode. I don’t think it will drop to fewer than 15 million hardware units per year, but that’s half of the former market.
NL: Another transition being made is the shift from physical to digital retail; how do you feel Nintendo is dealing with this tricky move?
MP: Nintendo is doing well with the eShop, and has executed quite well, although a bit late.
NL: Gaming is available in lots of different flavours these days - full-price retail, free-to-play, downloads for less than a dollar...what can all of these price points exist in tandem? Or do they represent different “tiers” for different quality experiences?
MP: Different gaming experiences are healthy for the industry, particularly at different price points that begin with free. More people are exposed to gaming, making it more likely that a greater amount can be charged for high quality experiences.
NL: It seems that everybody loves to play backseat analyst and so ideas of what Nintendo should and shouldn’t be doing fly wild online. Considering business analysis is your job, what are some steps that you feel Nintendo should be taking to secure their long-term success? Basically, what would you be saying to the head guys at Kyoto right now?
MP: Nintendo blew it by ignoring online multiplayer until 2012. That’s why I thought we would see a Wii HD in 2009 or 2010, because it was time for them to get serious about competing with Sony and Microsoft. I’m not sure that they can recover and think that they may have blown it on the console side forever. I think that they should consider exiting the console business — but keep the handheld side — unless they have a clear plan for success. “Be patient” is not a clear plan for success.
"Nintendo...really seem to understand the type of content that will resonate on a global scale, and I think their success with software demonstrates that"
NL: Regarding the games industry in general, it’s become clear that western games are gaining more significance on a global scale when compared to Japanese games. Does this create an issue for Nintendo as a Japanese company which relies greatly on its domestic internal development studios, or is Nintendo somewhat exempt thanks to the evergreen nature of its key franchises? How long can Nintendo rely on Mario and Zelda before gamers get bored?
MP: Nintendo is more immune to shifts in culture than most Japanese developers. They really seem to understand the type of content that will resonate on a global scale, and I think their success with software demonstrates that.
NL: You’re a pretty busy guy. How much time are you able to spend actually playing games?
MP: I play around an hour a day, and three or four hours each day on weekends.
NL: Your responsibility in your day job, as we understand it, is to highlight if Nintendo is likely to make significant profits. Stepping away from that and considering the company’s stated goals and cash reserves, do expect them to stay in both the home and handheld console industries for years to come?
MP: As long as Satoru Iwata is president, I expect Nintendo to continue to do exactly what it is doing.
NL: Can Nintendo become an attractive target for investors again?
MP: As long as Nintendo continues to do what it is doing, I don’t expect the stock to be attractive to investors.
Thanks to Michael for taking the time to speak with us.
Comments 215
Nintendo is working behind the scenes probably. Stealth is key.
"If they cut price to a point below $199, it should sell much better than the GameCube"
Oh dear.
He makes fair points, but I still like to believe that Nintendo has something going on behind the scenes that will change the company's fortunes.
I honestly cannot believe that a company could consciously do as bad a job with the Wii U as Nintendo is doing right now. They're waiting for something. They have to be.
If they sell it below $199 Nintendo would lose a whole lot of money.
I´m a bit sceptical about WiiU´s future. I have heard lots if critism regarding its design. For some people it is enough not to buy it. Not everyone wants to deal with huge touch screen controller.
Sure a price cut would make it sell better, but I honestly doubt it would help Nintendo to drop $100 off the price tag. I think they would lose big on that.
I think the Wii U is doing poorly right now because Nintendo released it too early so as to get a head start on their competitors, but a head start doesn't help much when you don't have a lot of good first party software. Anyway, that's just the way I see it.
Also, a lot of people blame Nintendo for not having enough good first party Wii U games, and while I think that's true, if Nintendo had held onto the Wii U until a lot of first party games were ready, I imagine people would be saying, "Come on, where's the Wii U?!"
The wise one has spoken.....
....kill the wise one!!!
I used to hate Pachter back in DS days, but then I grew up. I don't think we'll be seeing the price drop anytime soon. $200 would only pay for the GamePad and about $50 of the hardware. They can't rely on only software.
I'm sure Nintendo's got a plan, they just aren't going to come out and say it.
We'll see what happens...
Unlike PS3 which also had a slow start wii u didn't start with a near neo goe price tag for its console, really don't think wii u has the same room to maneuver in terms of price, unlike 3DS I really don't see wii u being able to bounce back I'm afraid.
I agree with a lot of his points, even the comments at the end about Iwata that seemed to be a vague reference to Nintendo only changing its terrible approach to console marketing if Iwata steps down. I like Iwata as a person, but he is not a good CEO. He's repeated the same mistakes over and over and nothing will change in terms of third party support and unecessary software droughts unless a change is made at the top.
I still think he is a terrible video game analyst.... The idea that Nintendo would be better off exiting the console business is just crazy. Their software output, quality and quantity would collapse... instead of taking risks in releasing titles that are not well known or popular would become nonexistent because they would rely strictly on what works and contains the least amount of risk.... So yes, we would still get Mario/Zelda/Smash/MK/Pokemon, but we would never get any of their other less popular gems Fire Emblem, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Pikmin, Starfox, Punch Out, etc.
Also this idea that Nintendo should compete with Microsoft/Sony on the power front is another headscratcher by Patcher.. We already have TWO platforms that are a spitting image of each other, why in the world would it make sense for Nintendo to try to be the third wheel.. I couldn't imagine anything dumber than 3 consoles with identical software libraries... 2 companies with identical software libraries are bad enough.
If Nintendo started to compete on performance they would get bounced out of the console market so fast it would make Patchers head spin, but maybe thats what he wants.... Nintendo's approach to remain the budget console, family friendly will always work for them because they sell their system at or NEAR cost, which enables them to play the console game for as long as they wish.. Because of this they can remain profitable with only 20 million units sold.
.... If anything, we should be more worried about Sony with their legendary debt problems, and taking the loss leader approach means they absolutely HAVE to sell gangbusters or they lose billions of dollars, see PS3 for example for a financial disaster.
Just these two differences between Nintendo and Sony means Nintendo will always be in the console market, but Sony and Microsoft could be out if only one generation goes terribly wrong and they don't sell their obligatory 75 million consoles to break even point.
@C-Olimar
See PS3
EDIT: Actually, Sony thought PS3 was gonna sell like hotcakes, but then when it bombed, they had no plans.
Nintendo probably already knew everyone was gonna be all weird and not buy the console, then boom.
We'll just have to see.
@Reala And I'll disagree. Nintendo sells the Wii U for a pretty small loss, which manufacturing prices/compontents will drop in price pretty quickly... I see them becoming profitable on each console sold by the end of the year, so they would have room to drop the price to coincide with the launch of ps4/nextbox.
So if they were able to drop their price by the end of the year, they would return to being profitable on every console sold by mid-next year.... Nintendo is in a much stronger position to withstand a much bigger storm... if there really is going to be another video game collapse this gen, I'd wager my own money on Nintendo surviving with their at or near cost approach. Sony/Microsoft, taking the loss leader approach would be bounced from the console market in another industry collapse because they absolutely must sell a certain amount of systems to even recoup their money from selling at such a large loss per unit.
I have faith in Nintendo. They've pulled out of tough scrapes like this before.
Oh look it's him (Michael Pachter) again. I'm offended by his "tend to be less rational" comment in the second question at the end of Micheal Patchers answer.
@bizcuthammer that is sadly true.
It is good to read the complete interview and not just the usual out of context bits of mr. Pachter's thoughts.
Thanks for the interview guys.
I'm actually surprised to say that I agree with the majority of his points, especially about Nintendo's lack of third-party support and online capabilities. Not so much about the price cuts and mobile market cutting into sales, as its been shown that people are willing to have both a portable console as well as a smart phone. A price cut may help, but in the end people wont buy the thing until it gets more games, so while a price cut can boost sales with software out, a price cut in its current state will do very little.
However, I have to ask a question with regards to this:
"NL: What impact will the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox will have on Wii U sales?
MP: PS4 and next Xbox will impact the Wii U if competitively priced, and will impact it less if not competitively priced. Let’s wait and see what the price points will be."
If we should wait and be patient until we know pricing information (or indeed, any information at all about the next Xbox) then why were you so willing to say both the PS4 and the "Durango" will sell 85-95 units each? Why are you so reserved in calling a conclusion now, but a month ago were able to say that PS4 and Durango would be runaway successes?
the wii u is what it is, a console in between the behemoths of nintendo, much like the gamecube in bewteen the n64 and the wii, it will never sell as well, however their next system will be the game changer, im predecting it now...
the Nintendo WiiDS
or maybe the NES2
or just simply "The Nintendo"
lol glad i grabbed kid icarus yesterday
Don't care. He's still a professional troll who just talks out of his butt.
@HeroOfCybertron Because he's right. I've been on GoNintendo quite often and the comments to anything Pachter says is the same: "He sux. Why should we care? He's dumb!" or something like that. EDIT: See the above comment too.
If you are blindly loyal to something, whether it be a company or whatever, you will support it no matter what, even if they make mistakes.
Considering the 3DS, Vita, and Wii U all had relatively weak launches, I'm just going to start thinking that a console doing poorly in its first 6 months is now the rule, not the exception. Besides, the specific number of Wii U units sold doesn't really matter, so long as it's profitable enough for Nintendo to keep making home consoles.
I disagree with Pach on his "third-parties across the board" bit. Western third parties, sure, but honestly who would get a Wii U/3DS to play their games? Nintendo has a Wii U collaboration title with Atlus (who is also making SMT4 for 3DS, and gave us a new IP in the form of Code of Princess), Sega recently said they have a Wii U project or two in the works, Konami made a 3DS Castlevania, Square has Bravely Default and Deus Ex, and Capcom is making Ace Attorney 5 and Monster Hunter for Nintendo systems. That seems like pretty healthy third party support to me.
michael pachter speak sense.. listen to him nintendo and get 3rd party games and then sony and microsoft is totally lost this competition..
Still disagree with a lot of what Pachter has to say, but I'm a gentlemen, I don't hate the man. I still think the opposite on many of his predictions, though.
I have no idea how many times I've said this now, but....
Nintendo can't afford to cut the price at this time. If they do, they'll lose a helluva ton of money. Right now even, it's selling at a loss. Sorry, Pacter, look at the facts.
How can you be so rational if you personally don't get the product? You already have a small bias in your head that will effect what you think based on your own personal thoughts.
Wii U has acquired everything PS3 can do and more, without failing in the process.
Sony took a dive pushing high capacity discs and expensive components that were basically equal to Xbox 360, and were unnecessary when looking at the bigger scope of things.
Wii U is more efficient, functional, and powerful because of those strengths.
The only thing Wii U can't do is play bluray and dvd non-game content, but neither does Xbox 360(yet), and theres tons of streaming services where you don't even need a disc to watch a movie.
Lets not forget that today is today, and the Xbox and PS are nowhere, but we have a better product on the market in comparison. Wii U.
As for the games. It takes SO much longer to make games now adays. Why is it so hard to wait for games? They don't just sit there and play darts.
Pachter - "I don’t particularly “get” the GamePad controller, and it seems like the lower half of the DS to me. I’m not a huge player of DS titles, so the controls are largely lost on me. I don’t understand games like ZombiU, for example, as I think they would be more fun with conventional controls. I understand the features of games like Call of Duty — which really does use two screens — but I think that we’re unlikely to see much support from third parties going forward. As a console, I don’t really think that the Wii U is anything special."
I guess it's true... you can't teach and old dog new tricks.
I've owned many home consoles from the NES to WiiU, as well as PS3, played more hours than I'm proud to admit, and I must say i enjoy the WiiU and it's new control scheme more than any other.
If nintendo gets good games then it will be fine.
Nice nob in getting Pachter to even do the interview w/ a website called NintendoLife, he must have been thrilled
Good read.
@C-Olimar That is what I am thinking. I think the worst part is that how do you launch a console with no system seller games ? Mind boggling!
@3Dash He isn't saying they should cut the price. He saying it will sell more if they do.
MP: First party software development is fully within Nintendo’s control. It seems to me that their internal studios started too late to support a holiday 2012 launch — they should have started in 2008 or 2009 — and that is solely the responsibility of the CEO to assure.
That's exactly what I've been wondering for the last six months. I just don't understand why they haven't been working on stuff to have it ready for launch, or launch window. It's not like they were pumping tons of quality stuff out for the last few years of the Wii or the first couple of years of the 3DS, so just what have they all been doing? I know the good games will come eventually, but it's the most underwhelming first 6 months of any console I've known. The Wii U has no more games I want to play right now than the PS4 or new Xbox do.
@SCAR392 Why do you act like being able to do a bit better than what a last gen system that came out 7 years ago can do is this great achievement, the PS2 was much more capable than the N64 so hurrah for Sony back then.
@element187 I totally agree. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Nintendo games feel at home only on Nintendo consoles, powered or underpowered.
Nintendo doesn't need anything to distract them now. The games are coming. And besides, the system fails to sell, and Nintendo justs keep looking? Thought not.
@Jaz007
That's why they're still around, but even Vita uses carts, so how is that better than say, SD card which is more accessible or mini DVD?
Things from 2006 are still relevant, but Netflix came out for consoles. First on Xbox 360 as an app, and Netflix gave away a disc to run the app on Wii and PS3. I still have those discs. Wii U can run Netflix like any other device, and it still has high capacity discs.
Wii U just took everything worthwhile from last gen and incorporated it into their console. There is literally nothing better in the game market than Wii U as of now for gaming and movies. Music isn't that far out of the question either.
We can look at ports that were the only available games at this time all day, but Wii U has only had few games come out for it built from the ground up, if any.
He has a few good points, but overall I disagree with his views. For example I think he puts way too much emphasis on online multiplayer. I mean, it's a nice feature for a game, but not fit for all games, say 3D-Mario and Zelda.
And I can't forgot that this is the same guy that believed Wii would bomb. Nearly 100 million consoles later it's pretty safe to say that he was utterly, completely wrong.
@LzQuacker Now you're offending me.
NL actually interviewing MP. You guys are awesome.
@element187 you summed up my thoughts exactly, thanks!
Great interview. Thanks NL.
i see the wiiu selling somewhere between the gamecube and half of what the wii sold
"I don’t understand games like ZombiU, for example, as I think they would be more fun with conventional controls. I understand the features of games like Call of Duty — which really does use two screens."
I honestly don't understand this rhetoric at all.
Wow, maybe he's not such a jerk afterall... He does make a lot of valid points, but Nintendo to exit the console war? I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Sell the Wii U below $199? I'd buy one for sure, but they would lose their shirts.
Tbh, this guy makes some fair points here, but I really have no respect for his opinions when he says things like "Microsoft will win due to TV tuning and skype", yeah sure. I'm sure many gamers will be buying Xbox's for that, and I'm sure the people who love TV and skype (Who already have TV and computers for that) will rush out for an Xbox. Brilliant prediction.
I'm actually suprised he wasnt so harsh on the eShop, I find the download speeds on it simply unforgivable, I hope to never download something at 3GB, seeing it can take 30-40mins to download 1GB for me. Now if Nintendo can get that sorted, and I hope add a universal achievement system and improve their implementation of accounts (Those 2 things just make me feel its still behind), then Ninendo's put everything in the console I'm happy with and have miiverse as a bonus, which I love
He sums up the impact of IOS gaming, perfectly, I think.
Can't say I agree on his opinion re third part support though. The console is getting cross platform releases. And surely exclusives like Monster Hunter, Bayonetta 2 and LEGO city can stand toe to toe with those titles that won't be on the system, this year.
If software is what drives the install base, and if cross platform releases only matter to people who own one console, I don't understand his assessment on third party support. Unless its based entirely on GTA
@SCAR392 I find my PS3 better for movies than my Wii U. I find playing DVDs and Blu-Rays is a better function than TVii. It would also be better to compare the Wii U to PS4 than PS3. Doing things a bit better than last gen is expected not an achievement. The Wii U also has loading times that are slower than last gen consoles too. The Wii U also doesn't make getting a PS3 obsolete either because it's had 7 years of games that the Wii U will never get.
@Jaz007
I would go even further and compare PS4 to Wii U. Move is basically Wii remote, and the new camera is basically Kinect.
The load times are slow because they are still working out the OS like any new console does. Anyone who seriously thinks Wii U will be how it is now for it's entire lifecycle need to think about it, for real G.
PS3 was arguably WAY worse than Wii U, launch wise, so I don't get what the big deal is.
Pachter still doesn't ever get it right, in fact you would be rich right now if you put money on the opposite of what he predicted. The gaming industry is very different than the housing market or technology. Nintendos and Apple are proof of that time and time again.
@Jaz007
Oh ya, and we could argue that PS1-3 will never get SNES, NES, Sega Genesis, etc. games. Do you see how relevant that is when we bring all the consoles ever into play?
Well he makesmsome good points in that Nintendo was slow to get into the online gaming world and still has yet to provide much in 1st party that really reinvents their franchise into online....Now come out with 16 player mario kaet or SSBM online with ladder tournements or Wii-U pokemon MMORPG and all that wouod change overnight. Look at something simple like Mii-verse which is a nice little idea that let people express themselves and talk about games. There is a lot of conflict in his statements like they are exectuting in eShop but are too late, that users will be underwhelmed by nextgen graphics but this doesnt greatly help Nintendo and that other next gen will hurt Nintendo if they are priced compeditively. My question is what does that mean? I can tell you they won't be $300 and thats for damned sure. I am saying the 'pro' packages will be $500 and it is not their history to bundle games so with a game and second controller it will be closer to $600. If wii-u can do a pro bundle with game and pro controller for $300-350 it will be considerably cheaper. I also somewhat agree on the 3rd party but not so much on multiplatform.....Nintendo more needs 3rd party exclusives which I think they are showing they can get with things like Bayonette2, W101, and FExSMT. Another interesting point is that 3rd holiday point so at least that can chill out those that say wii-u is already a failure....that cant be determined until for quite a while.
Playstation had the eye before 360 was even released and move is not a copy of the Wii. http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2010/09/witness_playstation_moves_origins_on_playstation_2]
My point about the years of games was that PS3 is not obsolete yet. It also has new games that the Wii U isn't getting to keep it from being obsolete. I was also just pointing out that the Wii U does have some problems that last gen systems don't have. I look forward to the day Wii U loading times aren't painful. Edit: Crud I messed that up Edit: ok all fixed now.
I'm glad you guys did this interview. Much more interesting than just posting a quote that may not have the proper context.
Thanks for the interview. Some good points (notably third party support, a drum we've been banging in the forums here for quite some time), some mixed messages and some oddly place negativity.
What I do find confusing is that he seems to base his forecasts in terms of 'this is where A is at and this is where B will be'. Surely an accurate and legitimate prediction should look into the future to an equal degree, playing the probability game across both fronts? The only answer I can come up with is that he has better insider sources at some companies than others and isn't prepared to make an educated guess on the others. It seems a poor way to do things though.
@Jaz007
I know Move isn't an exact copy of Wii remote. My point is that Sony released a motion controller 4 years after Nintendo did.
Just like Kinect isn't an exact copy of PS Eye, but Nintendo had the right idea to release it first, and Kinect made a better camera than PS and released it first.
The only thing PS did better was having high capacity discs first. All the consoles are still relevant, but PS4 is late to the party with motion control which is a big part of gaming for alot now.
They were 4 years late to the controller, and now they will be 3 years late with their camera. The devices Sony has don't add anything more than what was already available, and they were late.
Your link is broken BTW.
Hey NintedoLife, Great article. It is nice to see a consolidated Q & A with Patcher about Nintendo versus just snippets of him "bashing" them.
There is all this Doom and Gloom about Nintendo as of late. Furthermore, Patcher's comments about investors and their lack of interest headed forward I find disheartening. However, Nintendo has been around for what? about 100 years? I know that there may not be a tremendous amount of data on the subject, but what about a feature piece on Nintendo's stock/financial viability/health over the past say 15, 25, 40 years? The Big N was in a bad situation with the gamecube and was able to make a huge come back. I don't believe people take enough thought to consider the long term health of a company such as this when they start yelling "Wii U is doomed, it has already failed, 4 months out of the gate" ? How has Nintendo faired compared to Sony or Microsoft financially speaking in the last several years? I know Sony/Microsoft have other sources of revenue than just games but, how is Nintendo doing versus the gaming divisions of Sony and MS? Just a thought.
My respect for Pachter went up by 4.2%
@C-Olimar I really agree. I feel like Nintendo is waiting to make a move and maybe they'll do that at E3?
What's important to understand is that analysts think BACKWARDS. They pay close attention to historical data to predict how companies (and the market) will perform going FORWARD. They aren't fortune tellers. Any investor will tell you that the market can (and often does) change overnight. Michael Pachter understands where the West has gone in terms of gaming and he's right.
At least, for the moment.
There are many dynamics at play here. If Nintendo keeps playing the same cards and squeezing every last drop out of their IP's until they're dead, Pachter may be right. However, companies do change course and if Nintendo starts thinking ahead rather than trailing behind, they can become a viable company to invest in. The marketing clout that new Xbox and PS titles carry is enormous in the U.S. and if they aren't getting ported to Wii U, the console looks less and less attractive to buyers. I'm excited to see how things play out. Personally, I hope Nintendo rebounds and I think they can.
@Peach64 I second the first part of your statement in that WTF have Nintendo's internal teams been doing as nothing much has come out for Wii other than ZeldaSS since 2010.
I disagree in that wii-u isn't quite 6 months old and is getting some better stuff now like MHU, Legos, and NFSWM. Plus I like old school platforming so Mario 2D is good by me. Also I bought Vita and its first 6 months was horrible and both PS2 and PS3 first 6 months was bad as well. Even x360 first 6 months was poor other than Oblivion coming out in Spring of 06. Please tell what consoles you bought that the first 6 months just knocked you sox off? I have owned them all and can't give you one that came out of the gate like gangbusters
New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold 30 million copies at full price with no peripherals packed in despite being a 2D platformer.
The GameCube had its price cut in half after just one year, and it even had most of the major multiplatform titles arrive in great looking versions on top of some of the best reviewed games of the generation arriving from Nintendo themselves.
I don't think a price cut would work nearly as well as Pachter thinks it would, but I always respect his analysis of things, and having watched Pach Attack for years, I know he's a pretty good guy all-round.
The 3rd party exodus from wii u is pretty telling, wouldn't be surprised if there where more games in development for PS3 and 360 both of which are due to be replaced, than there are for the wii u right now, whether wii u succeeds or fails wont affect the fact that it will still get strong 1st party support like zelda etc, so it should still be fun to own all the same
@SCAR392 The move didn't get great support, but the technolgy is far suprior to the Wii motion Plus. Also did you mean to say that PS3 was late to the party or did you mean PS4?
@SCAR392 I like the fact that you are comparing six year old consoles to a brand new one:D
@SCAR392 You sir are an extreme fanboy xD Everytime you compare the ps3 to the wii U i laugh so hard Playstation 3 released in 2006 Wii u released in November 2012...
OT: Still i like my wii U I love to play mario with le girlfriend ^^ and Nintendoland.. I think Nintendo will do fine with wii U As soon they release a new mario kart
@Sanquine
Well, there's a such thing as Sony fanboys, too. Everyone's a fanboy, I guess.
It's not really an insult to compare Wii U to last gen. We wouldn't even have Wii U without last gen. That's how next gen works. I just think people underestimate Wii U alot, so I have to bring up key points and features people already like, which showed up last gen first.
@Sanquine
Oh ya, and PS3 would have been the strongest computer in the world in 1998. I would estimate Wii U would have been the strongest computer in the world in 2001. That's not too shabby on a mass market scale.
EDIT: The Wii U does use top of the line chips from 2008 BTW. PS3 was using chips from like 2004 or something... Plus there's the GamePad. That's still pretty current, especially with NFC catching on because of Skylanders.
@SCAR392 and what does that have to do with the price of tea in china?
He is certainly more intelligent and knowledgeable than most of us but he is clown with agenda
1.who are his clients?, what they expect are they serious investor or only short therm speculators interested only in quick cash
2.he is not gamer he is not interested in good games but he is interested in sales, market flushed with bi monthly releases of military shooters are exactly what he and his clients expects
The interview in itself is a mess
Nintendo alienated 3rd parties long ago in fact the 3rd party publishers and developers never find much success on Nintendo platforms with the exception of Square, Enix and Capcom, and occasional movie tie-ins, they never found much success on Nintendo platforms and yet Nintendo flourished without them so there is no correlation between their support and Nintendo success.
They can succeeded without them as they always did, his concern is not Nintendo wellbeing but profit of his clients
The smartphones and tablets are far more dangerous for Playstation Vita than for Nintendo 3DS simply because Playstation fans are driven not by quality but by cool factor this is exactly why mediocre games such as CoD Declassified sells better than most Sony 1st party games, in fact most Sony 1st party games are of no interest for most Playstation owners just look at their offering every single game released on Playstation 3 last year bombed on market. No one expect 3DS to perform on the same retail level as DS, in fact DS was exception as Wii was. The success is not determined by comparing to PS2 or DS sales they are only exceptions.
I thought wii U had more 3rd party than wii already? We already had call of duty, and now were getting assasins creed and watch dogs, maybe im missing something if so please point it out, and I feel he's right, its mainly software, the only reason why we didnt get some games for wii U is because developers werent sure whether itd be a good bet to release borderlands and bioshock, they werent willing to risk it because theyd have to be developing for it before wii U came out
if nintendo drops the price of the wii u and announces a line of AAA titles at E3 it will be very competitive against the holiday release of the other companies consoles.
This guy says a few true things but then adds a spin to it that just doesn't work. Just because he doesn't see the value in wiiu doesn't mean consumers don't
The biggest problem with wiiu is that the mainstream just doesn't know about it or think its the same console. Nintendo is sure to recover those missteps this holiday I would think. 3ds hasn't even seen a Pokemon release and now it has new monster huntercoming. These consoles will do fine unless Nintendo just royally f things up.
Lovely how people around here asked "less Patcher" and you guys decided to even interview him XD
Anyway I can't avoid to disagree with almost everything he said >O>;
Then again he is the pro doing his job, I have no experience or knowledge for judge properly his opinion, but I can still do my job of fan and cheer for Nintendo to succed and prove everyone the NINTENDO POWER ^_^
He is too often playing the "obvious-card". ..like these people who tell you about your future at TV.
The idea that a Nintendo console should be trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft just blows my mind especially when the AAA industry came out of that Gen in utter shambles with Sony stock apparently junk no less! If Nintendo just stays profitable and they will they have a lot more businesssense than the other companies.
He is right about mostly every point he makes, but I do think he is too extreme in assuming. If Nintendo made a blunder by waiting too long for online multiplayer, for example, he says they would be gone "forever" if they left the console business because of it. That's a bit of a stretch, as there are many more advantages that Nintendo can offer other than online multiplayer, that people still want. like innovative controllers and software. Just because Pachter doesn't "get" the GamePad, doesn't mean everyone else doesn't.
I'm glad to see that he spared the time to do this interview, and happy that Nintendo Life did it. I don't hate this guy, as that would be stupid because at the end of the day it's just video games and he's just doing his job, but I still think that even though he's right, he's just a bit too "extreme" in his assumptions to sound realistic and "rational" to investors, while what he is saying is actually unrealistic.
Let's not compare it unnecessarily to the Wii. I think it's absurd to not view the Wii's success as somewhat of a "fluke." It's very rare for a home console to achieve that iPod-like status. I still love my Wii, heck of a lot more than most people on the internet do (still has the best exclusives, IMO), but it was very hot, and then it simmered.
I don't want Nintendo to merely survive. I want them to thrive. I own a WiiU, I think software-wise it's a little bit better than those who don't have it would think, but I third the ongoing question of "What has Nintendo been doing in preparation for Wii U?" I know they'll likely release Mario Kart U and Super Mario 3D U this year, and that was what turned around the 3DS, but I pray they're not pinning ALL their hopes on that. I feel they NEED to be cooking up something, or else this will be a very unsuccessful outing in terms of market-share. I don't want GCN-like total sales. I want this console to be robust enough to stand up well against the PS4 and 720.
Also, I completely disagree with @element187. I own all three consoles, but the 360 and PS3 do not have the exact same library. This is what I meant earlier by saying that the Wii still has the best exclusives IN MY OPINION, but if we're just statistical about Wii exclusives vs. PS3 exclusives, on GameRankings, the PS3 has both more 90+ and 80-89 scoring exclusives than the Wii. If any hardware library is really lacking, it's the 360, which has only 6 90+ exclusives, and 34 80-89 exclusives (that's actually more than I remembered. XBLA does really have a good library). Compare Wii: 11 90+, 43 80-89 and PS3: 12 90+, 52 80-89. Sure you can say that you "like" the Wii's exclusive library more than the other two consoles (as I do), but it's clearly false to say the PS3 and 360 have the same library, especially since Sony has been either purchasing or striking deals with smaller studios.
Pachter is a Vulcan.
Why not ask about his terrible predictions regarding the DS, Wii AND 3DS? That's 3 misses, you don't get to say "told you so" with a 25% accuracy.
Online multiplayer only matters to hardcore gamers, Nintendo lost their support when the PSone came out. No way the Wii U would be doing better with that.
@SCAR392 i did report this by mistake...i really tried to make a simil to sega
His answers to the last 2 questions are somewhat contradictory.
Obviously he can't see the future, but the reasoning behind most of predictions seems valid/reasonable. I think most of his hate comes from having his words twisted and choosing 'shock' statements to drum up interest in his presentations/seminars. That second last answer could be construed as a personal dislike of Iwata, but either way, Pachter clearly believes 3rd party is key. And Nintendo is definitely struggling in this area. No battlefield will hurt the big N.
@vdallos: no big deal, we figured it out. :3
Wow long comment thread. Interesting interview. I am a definate fanboy, but I see where he is coming from. Nintendo really isn't for everyone, as with all things, but I think they will be fine overall. I am glad that he agreed to do this interview, it does increase my respect for him more than just a little.
He does make some genuine points,online multiplayer sucked on the wii,all this business with friend codes,wtf was that all about,and here I am with my wii u bought on launch day with only 2 games zombie and tekken , where are all the awesome first party games let alone third party..
Hmm i wander if this interview was done before or after that price cut in, Europe was it? Well that def did not help, but over in Japan with new games coming out it double the Wii U sales with out having to cut the price. This really should have been address in the interview i personally think. But, I, as well think there is somethings in the works that NIntendo is keeping secret that we dont know about. Didnt they also say there are new franchise Nintendo has been working on? We havent seen those yet so who knows.
@SCAR392 Im not hating on wii U:) I even love the console. Because i think it will become the ps2 of this generation ( With JRPG's).The game pad is really awesome i agree. But now when i bought a wii U and heard the announcement of the PS4... I just wonder: Was Nintendo to early with releasing the Wii u?
But now i do not care : Monster Hunter Ultimate on my wii U sucks up my time and Persona 4 the golden on vita sucks my time up on the go ( Hopefully in a couple of months bravely default)
@AtomicToaster Your avatar * Child memories*
one thing is certain: Xbox720 and PS4 will NOT be priced lower than Wii U. As a matter of fact: expect a Wii U price reduction and lots of special "value for money" packs as soon as the other two hit the market. And that is also the moment to pull out all the marketing stops. Methinks that will be Nintendo's strategy
As normal, Pachter hits the nail on the head. While it's not great to hear, Nintendo are in a bit of a mess right now and should have launched a Wii HD in 2010. Although I can't say I agree that they've blown their chance in the console market, they could just abandon Wii U early and sort it out that way
Great interview. I agree with a lot of what Pachter says; Nintendo does make some questionable decisions. I'm not even sure I'd invest in them if given the chance.
Why do people keep forgetting how nintendo works? Both Sony and Microsoft RELY on 3rd party support when the big N does things the opposite way... All its going to take is something like smash bros. to start it then a mario kart and everything else they throw out there... They're going to be just fine
"As long as Satoru Iwata is president, I expect Nintendo to continue to do exactly what it is doing."
"As long as Nintendo continues to do what it is doing, I don’t expect the stock to be attractive to investors."
So basically, as long as Satoru Iwata is president, he doesn't expect stock to be attractive to investors?
MP: I don’t think that the Wii U can succeed without a lot of third party software support, and don’t see third parties supporting it until it grows its installed base. Those things are correlated: a small installed base means less third party support, and the installed base can’t grow without third party support. If Nintendo can somehow convince third parties to develop exclusives and to develop cross platform games for Wii U, it has a chance. However, with games like Battlefield and GTA coming out without Wii U versions, it doesn’t appear that the third party support will be forthcoming any time this year.
He's right.
"NL: What impact will the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox will have on Wii U sales?"
Fix dis please I love Pachter
"NL: Gaming is available in lots of different flavours these days - full-price retail, free-to-play, downloads for less than a dollar...what can all of these price points exist in tandem? Or do they represent different “tiers” for different quality experiences?" This too needs fix
I'd like to add, I personally like Nintendo's fringe place in the market. I like that they're outside the scope of what Microsoft and Sony offer. The results are unique game offerings - not just a third console with the same titles as the other two. For me, I look at Nintendo as a company doing things the other two don't, and frankly... can't.
These are fantastic, concise and spot-on comments from Pachter, if maybe going out to a deaf audience (seems people here jump all over him). I wish he were wrong, and it's interesting and sad what he says about Iwata. Nintendo really needs fresh leadership, and it seems there is something else keeping him there if he's still there after the 3DS launch and the Wii's missed opportunities. He's a dinosaur in a digital age now, get out before it gets any more ugly.
Also I think he's being harsh because he has to. To an investor you want to see either the nuance of a company possibly on the rise, obviously shinning bright, or clearly faultering. Nintendo is clearly faultering right now and theres no reason to be coy about it from his perspective. If they make some smart moves to fix things then that will change but theres no reason for him to forecast roses when no one is watering the garden.
I like that idea of it being a 'fringe' console with unique offerings but it can't work that well if it wasn't intended to. I liked the prospects for WiiWare for that same reason, that's how I got to this site when it started, but it didn't get proper marketing to stay alive and the indies bailed on it. For truly 'indie' fringe titles now a home computer is more reliable. Nintendo wants to be a big player but won't play with anyone else. If they could let go of the big image then it might be great as a more niche console, and I do agree that it could have a big sleeper following if they can cut the price a lot and really court tiny download games like crazy; won't happen, though.
@Bingly
I know ps and xbox all have the same games (except first party exclusives) while the nintendo's have 1st party exclusives and unique third party titles, thats why I have a ps3 and wii and not a ps3 and xbox, I get more fun and unique games with this kind of combition of consoles
@MickeyTheGreat lol yup
@Jaz007
Move IS a copy of the Wii because Sony STOPPED developing it. It wouldn't have been finished had it not been for the Wii's success.
How do you not understand ZombiU's gamepad controls?
I will go on record by saying Mr.Pachter gets credit for doing the interview and congratulations to NL for doing some good journalism, excellent work.
Normally I can't stand the guy, and this interview didn't change that. However, he's got some valid opinions and quality points, but he also contradicts himself constantly. He doesn't hate Nintendo, he just seems to hate Iwata, the Gamepad and being wrong about the 3DS.
@swordx The kinect isn't a copy of Wii and neither is move. The only thing that could have happened was encouragement to finish what they already started. Inspired to finish is the only possibility here. Copy, however, is not.
@SCAR392 #8
Did you just double the price of the gamepad?
Wow, that was a good interview. He makes some fair points, I still think the Wii U will sell way better than the Gamecube though.
Much better then the older ones where we get about a sentence out of him. That said, I still think Nintendo has a chance in the home console market.
People actually buy this guy's excuses? He has nothing to do with what people do with their cash. He is a liar, and a paid troll to reduce the value of Nintendo as a company. It's very simple.
@BossBattles Come down. He doesn't get payed for controversy. He gets payed to help people with their investments.
@Jaz007
LOL. i see it differently.
What's not to "get" about the controller?
If people can't see what the real game is here with this guy, you probably don't see quite a lot of things in this world that are manipulating you.
interesting...i guess young kids really don't understand that much about reality. Give it 20 years.
Hm. Awesome interview. Although I still don't agree with him on most things, I have gained a bit of respect for him. I do think the Wii U has a bright future (stating as a gamer and Nintendo fan) with the amount of first party exclusives releasing (Pikmin 3, Mario Kart U, Super Mario U, Smash Bros. U, Wind Waker HD, X, etc.), a hand full of third party exclusives (Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101), Wii U sales should increase a very good amount. If those don't drive up sales, Nintendo has a real problem.
@BossBattles
Do you want to back any of that up with evidence?
I'm gonna say this from the bottom of my heart, and I care about all my fellow gaming enthusiasts so I mean this, if you truly care about what this person says you need to plant a tree immediately
He has some fair arguments. But I still believe that Nintendo will turn some tables.
I'm a big die hard Nintendo fan, but I don't understand all the hate towards Pachter. If you watch his show Pach Attack, you'll realize he's actually very logical and critical of a lot of other things. I think his negative reputation comes mainly from fan boys. I do agree with some of the things he criticises about Nintendo.
Rewind a few years back and Sony couldnt sell its PS3, it even started giving them away as part of TV purchases. In terms of build quality the xbox and PS3 are plagued with RROD and YLOD issues and we are suppossed to believe that Nintendo should leave the hardware business .....lol. As far as multiplayer is concerned Mario Kart Wii was released in 2008 and Nintendo is still supporting its multiplayer. EA is talking about shutting down the servers for Fifa 11, so as far as I'm concerned Nintendo look after their customers and ignore the shareholder rubbish that Patcher is talking about. He is an armchair critic if I have ever seen one, ignoring the negatives of the other consoles, glossing over the issues and focussing only on money money money. Anyone for Fifa 13 multiplayer in two years time? oh sorry, the servers are shut down, but thank you for spending your money, oh and Fifa 15 is available for purchase. Now that is what I call success!!! sarc.
I very much agree with him on the missed opportunities side. I sort of agree with the 3rd party argument, but I still think Nintendo's own games are the biggest selling point when they are released. I do think that this console will sell better than the Gamecube, but not as good as the Wii. A price cut as large as he is talking about would be a big loss for Nintendo, however. Not really sure why he doesn't "get" the gamepad though. I imagine there's a great deal of potential in the controller, and we will see in due time. One article I read was talking about how the gamepad could bridge the gap between home console games and PC games that are only easily playable with a computer mouse, and I think that's a valid point because of the touch screen. I also agree with him that Nintendo has better first party support but is likely to fall behind on third party support. I hope they don't fall behind though.
I don't speak ill of people unless they really deserve it so let me clarify. Pathetic Pachter is a fraud. A charlatan. His whole deception is based around taking things that aren't 150% guaranteed to succeed and poking holes in their weakness (which every system before and in the future will have MANY). So he is taking absolutely NO risk with his predictions. The hilarious thing, if you're smart enough to realize it is, even though he cheats like this, he still is almost always wrong. He might have been relevant sometime in 80s.
Anybody, and I mean ANYbody, could do what he does. Look how simplistic his comment above is: "a small installed base means less third party support, and the installed base can’t grow without third party support". That is his major "find". I've known chimpanzees who've dug deeper into industry trends than that
Nintendo Japan and America has internal analysts as well. If someone knows what the company really needs to do, it's them. In some aspects, Pachter's statements are just side-comments. Has fair points, but not all is actually true.
@shinobi88: I can tell you're not an investor. Right now is not the time to take risks
@Zyph: Well if that were the case, then they'd probably look for a new CEO, considering Iwata was way wrong in the past as well
@vdallos
What? I didn't see what you said or meant.
@Jaz007
I meant that when PS4 comes out, it will be 7 years late, based on how it will be using a combination of Wii and Kinect motion control style gameplay that have been around for a while.
None of my posts have been to contradict what Pachter says in this article about the Wii U. I didn't even read much of what he said in the article. The only point of my two previous posts was to point out how much of a fake, pathetic loser he is.
Anyone with brain cells can see that the Wii U is not a prime candidate to become a mega seller. The truth of the matter is that Nintendo SHOULD'VE been dead in the console business years ago. They were playin with SERIOUS fire when they built the Wii with graphics tech that was a generation behind and almost no online capabilities. But the Wii just happened to have the coolest, most revolutionary gimmick EVER (that's no exaggeration). I knew some seriously hip college age and above cats who weren't really into gaming anymore but they all had a Wii to play at parties.
Ninty took the same gamble with the WIi U, using current gen graphics tech when the next generation of graphics was well known to be less than 2 years away and their online still not the cream of the crop. But they were bankin on that gamepad gimmick being just as cool, and revolutionary as the Wii Motion controller & 'chuck were. But it ain't. Not even close. And worse, PS3 and Xbox 360 can already do pretty much the same gimmick, albeit not quite as well as Wii U.
It's gonna take a miracle for the Wii U to start catchin sales fire like the Wii once did. Like a price drop down all the way down to $200 kinda miracle. The facts, and these facts are plain as day, is that if the other consoles can do everything you can do and more, they can do it with much better graphics, and they can do it with a competitive price, you're in a world of trouble. It's a situation not even a portly Italian plumber, sword wieldin elf, and babealicious bounty hunter together can fix. MAYBE, and this is just a maybe, Captain N: The Game Master has the kinda power Ninty needs...
Pachter doesn't like Iwata does he?
Look, everyone knows Nintendo can do better than this. All we need is them to realize is that we want lots of Nintendo games at launch. Don't try and be friendly to third parties by letting them release whatever crappy old port they want at launch. Where has that got you Nintendo? It failed with the 3DS's launch and it failed again with the Wii U's launch. We've had poor old ports of games instead of new games. EA has all but walked out on you. The Rayman fiasco. For gods sake Nintendo, just make some games of your own, lots of them, and watch the system and your games sell. And then talk to third parties who will be begging you to let them make games for your console. Not the other way around.
To be honest, I kinda feel like we need to cut him some slack. Because at this point, I really wouldn't feel that affected if Ninty stopped it with consoles and just worked with handhelds.
Patcher is an analyst, he looks at whats going on now, and then tries to guess whats going to happen next.
Often his points have some validity but then he makes predictions which are never correct, or at lease biased.
For anyone to know what will happen to Nintendo/WiiU (and the other consoles) they would have know every bit of information about the present and future plans that Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Every developer, and Every Publisher has as well as know excactly what every consumer is and will be thinking.
Impossible.
Best thing to do, expect great praise for Microsoft, a mixture of love n hate for Sony and dismissive predictions for Nintendo. (Generaly his comments/predictions follow these rules).
Then when you've seen/heard them, Ignore them, enjoy your gaming console/s and wait to see whats going to happen.
This is a great article, hopefully we see more of these in the future from NL~ As for what Pachter says, I agree. Aside from Nintendo dropping out of the console market - I can't particularly see the Wii U being a huge success but that analysis seems slightly drastic. Still, the majority of the time he is correct and has good reasoning to back up his arguments too.
@Nintenjoe64 SouthP reference, excellent!!!!! The only thing needed is first party games. This console is taking a lot of criticism, but I believe it will survive the blow. About Nintendo's bad decisions, well... The only reason we only hear about Nintendo's mistakes is that the company is the worlds best, greatest and oldest videogamecompany to still make Home and handheld consoles. It's just fun and interesting to hear about the mistakes done by the Big Dawg! t is challenging times sure, but the big N will prevail once again.
Brace yourself. The forum experts are coming.
A lot of what he said was honest truth, some of what he said I don't agree with. But he is an analyst. His job is to look at past, present, and future trends in the major gaming companies. Many of his statements that I and many others disagree with him on are about the future. No one can know it, so really I feel like I just disagree because I hope, and kind of have evidence to believe, those things won't / shouldn't happen (i.e. Nintendo should go handheld only). But I don't hate him. He is trying to do his job the best way he knows how to do it. He isn't trying to antagonize Nintendo or its fans.
I have an honest question: With the kind of power that the PS4 is toting and the fact that the NextBox will be trying to compete with it, is there really anyway that they can price those consoles near or under $350?
EDIT: Also, 3DS took off after the price cut, sure, but the Mario games that came out had a huge effect on it too. The Gamecube was not able to move as many consoles with AAA titles alone. Once we get some more AAA titles for the WiiU (especially one's with Mario in the title. It doesn't really matter how he is involved, his name just has to be in the title in some capacity) to really start making statements. To be honest, I feel like everything else is just speculation until then.
Right, people with affinity for Nintendo tend to be less rational and more emotional in their reactions to Pachter, but that fact alone doesn't imply that all people who accept his comments are rational, nor that his comments are rational and thoughtful.
Right, protecting investors from ploughing their money into a company which won’t give them a return is his job, but it doesn't mean that he does exactly that in the practice. Mostly his information is right but incomplete, only expanding on Nintendo's mistakes, ignoring or diminishing their strengths and opportunities while overrating MS. Incomplete information and his biased analysis (most of the time) leads me to think he uses his job to drive public perception and investment in the best way for him, his business fellows and/or the firm he works, not the best way for investors.
"I’m not sure that they can recover and think that they may have blown it on the console side forever. I think that they should consider exiting the console business ... " (I'd like to think that he missed the word online before the word multiplayer, anyone who expects to be working on this industry should know that online multiplayer is not the only multiplayer mode nor the most important one, and as analyst he should know Nintendo had multiplayer since NES and DK arcades in the 80s) ---sarcasm start--- Yes, because everyone has that much interest in HD and multiplayer, the industry and its components will remain the same from now, changes and new opportunitites will never arise again in any area and Nintendo has no more money ---end of sarcasm---
But yea, I agree he doesn't hate Nintendo, he just protects his commercial interests (which are not in Nintendo). He gets money ruining the perception of Nintendo with fallacies (that isnt hate). Here are a couple articles with the information to back me up.
http://playeressence.com/microsoft-and-sony-are-closer-to-going-third-party-than-nintendo-lets-get-the-facts-straight/
http://playeressence.com/pachter-loses-his-mind-ram-equals-innovation-xbox-720-wins-because-of-skype-tv/
@shinobi88
None of my posts have been to contradict what Pachter says in this article about the Wii U. I didn't even read much of what he said in the article. The only point of my two previous posts was to point out how much of a fake, pathetic loser he is.
so you are going to show us all what a 'fake, pathetic loser he is' by not taking the time to even read what he says.
sigh.
The Wii U isn't selling well so I can't see how people can argue Patcher's points. I don't really care for Patcher but he is spot on. No third party support will leave Nintendo gasping for air. Unless Nintendo has something special to show at E3 then they are pretty much done for they have no major console selling games scheduled for this year. How do you release a console with no major 1st party games and no major 3rd party games ? Mind boggling at best.
Nintendo should have either waited another 2 more years and made their console more powerful than the PS4 and new Xbox and have Zelda U as a major seller at launch. Thats how I would have done it.
Wow. I honestly expected a better response from the users of this site, especially considering the completely fair and intelligent Pachter just provided. I guess he summed it up best in this quote:
"People who have an affinity for brands — or a political party, or a religion, or an alma mater — tend to be less rational and more emotional."
In my opinion, Pachter is correct. While of course not everything he predicts will end up happening, but I believe he has a good guess on the future. This guy is intelligent, and I respect him for that.
@element187 He starts out by saying people need to be rational. I enjoy my Wii U, but the fact of the matter is there is many different forms of entertainment available for the average consumer. Even more so than 2005/2006.
Pachter is right when he says Nintendo may have lost the home console wars by going with the Wii, when the on-line multi-player explosion occurred.
I am optimistic that Nintendo can continue to deliver good games. However, I am actually a bit worried because for the last 6 years, Nintendo has been working in SD. HD is a different ball game. They are also trying to figure out on-line. I personally felt it was a wasted opportunity not shipping both Nintendo Land and NSMBU with-out on-line. I played those games, beat them, and will never touch them again because I feel it would be fun to play Nintendo Land or NSMBU with friends that don't live close to me. That is what Nintendo's competition offers.
I really do not believe we will see a lot of software from Nintendo this year. I feel they are struggling with development of HD games, which is part of the reason they are releasing Windwaker: To learn how to make games in HD with a road map already there. . .
MP:"Ultimately, that is going to hurt them more than competitive graphics will help them."
Competitive graphics? The WiiU doesn't even have that. Just about every game on the WiiU is only 720P, the console has 3 super slow 1.2 GHz power PC cores (pretty much an abandoned CPU architecture) and only 1 GB of RAM. It has been said by tech gurus that the Wii U is only 1.5x the power of a 7 year old Xbox 360. That would have been OK had it been released 4 years ago, but the 360 is not the one to beat anymore, it is on its way out being replaced by much more powerful Xbox hardware as well as the PS4. The PS4 on the other hand has 8 CPU cores that are 400 MHz faster each, has 8 GB of super fast GDDR5 RAM, and a newer more capable GPU. To add icing on the cake, it also plays Blu-Ray disc. It isn't even close in the graphics department, I am suprised he doesn't even know that, if he did the assessment would be even poorer.
I still hate him. It seems to me like Damien was keen on sucking up a good amount to him. His job is to give an analysis but the way he does it is so disingenuous and he largely attacks Nintendo. Not to mention he's incorrect most of the time, like when he said the 3DS was a failure but then it turned out that it WASN'T. Just ridiculous.
@Peach64 I've been asking myself the same question since... Well, since last E3, actually. I keep expecting announcements, and apart from that pretty nice Nintendo Direct in February, there's been nothing. I do believe all this "doom and gloom" stuff is nonsense, but if this year's E3 comes and goes with no more than Mario Kart and a 3D Mario, Nintendo is going to see some serious, serious financial losses. Especially when you consider the fact that they're pretty good at revealing a title and not releasing it for two years after that! It's incredibly unsettling how long they've gone without giving us games. I'm a Nintendo guy at heart, and it's pretty painful when I get the occasional little flash of a wish that I wasn't...
Gotta say I never liked this guy
@Wintendo So anybody who disagrees lacks intelligence?
If you think this thread is full of nonsense, I'm honestly not sure where you have been in the past. With this having more insight than the past single statements that have caused the craziness that is fanboyism, there are a lot more 'respectfully disagreeing' comments here than the usual Pachter bashing mob that turns up.
What's just as bothersome as the Pachter hating is how the usual people who turn up to 'call out' them also seem to forget that not all who disagree are out to make him look like a fool and are brainless.
Ask yourselves one simple question....
Why is it ONLY this guy that gets quoted dozens of times a year? Is he the ONLY analyst in existence? He focusing only on Nintendo most of the time and its negative. He is NOT legit. He is paid to ruin the perception of the company.
Please, go find analyst #2. Stop it with Pachter. He is an obvious shill.
@The_Fox Evidence? Sure, meet me at the courthouse tomorrow, and i'll show you my documents and graphs. It doesn't take "evidence" to know something. I know school teaches you to believe whatever you are told in books and that is "truth", and TV tells you to believe them, and politicians tell you to believe them, but no, only trust YOURSELF and discover how to sharpen your discernment skills.
Its very simple. Where are all the other analysts? Why is he so nintendo-centric? Why is he necessary? he is not. Investors know what they are doing without some chump blabbing ever other week with his spin on the company, where he always slants negative.
C'mon kids. wake up.
@BossBattles
It doesn't take "evidence" to know something.
this is a depressing thread.
Actually nobody should take anything that's written in a book or viewed on TV seriously. Was it really necessary to interview this guy when we have already heard the same spiel for the last ten years anyway.
The article has been up for 10 hours now and we're only at comment #153. looks like these traffic tactics are starting to fail miserably
@Chriiis Read my comment again, and explain to me where I said "Everyone who disagrees lacks intelligence". It's fine to disagree, but showing extreme fanboyism is not. And you know what? Most of the comments are showing this. And I have been around here for awhile, thank you.
Now now, I don't hate Nintendo either. But there's no denying they're in a rough spot now. But it's Nintendo we're talking about. Another Pokemon will come around or something, and save the company.
What if Nintendo buys a western developer? Will that help them to expand their games catalog? Which western developer might really help Nintendo if bought?
@Wintendo I also suggest you re-read my comment, where did I say you made that claim? I read your comment and my point was that you certainly didn't spare making his intelligence known while pointing out only the negativity of the disagreeing comments; Not everyone who is in disagreement is some hater.
Granted, we have the usual haters, but there are also plenty of those this time who have disagreed in a more respectful manner than usually. This thread is way more tame than the majority, if not all, of the ones in the past bringing Pachter's claims to light.
Showing extreme fanboyism may be bothersome but so is acting as if those who disagree are pretty much all mindless sheep.
Michael Pachter on how he does his job: "I guess..."
MARIO...
can...
SAVE...
ANYTHING!!!
Even if the Wii U sells barely more than the Gamecube, if it makes money then what is the issue, that it only made $500,000,000 instead of $1,000,000,000?
It's amazing how different a person can seem on a 170 character Tweet compared to a well rounded interview. Great piece!
@tripunktoj True! Very nice finds. Patcher does get paid to slander Nintendo in a nice way.
To analyze seems to be part of my nature. LOL. Hey I mostly agree with you at times Pachter.
Nice interview .
hmm idk if its just me but i rly like the interviews that you guys make
anyway hmm odd but i find my self agreeing to most of the stuff he says till about the end were he goes vague o.O but eh nintendo is more in the middle of things from failing or success they can still get things to work if they try like he says they need to work on multiplayer and third party but i think they already know this
we already know games are coming soon but will it be enough?
EDIT: but didnt we agree that we didnt want more from this guy? xD
"No, I don’t hate Nintendo at all. I think that they have missed several opportunities on the hardware side, waited too long to provide multiplayer options and generally have alienated third party publishers across the board. Each of those missteps is likely to cost them in the next console generation."
Waited too long to provide multiplayer? WTF are you talking about Pachter, the NES, the Super NES, N64, the GameCube, the Wii and even the Wii U all had games that utilize multiplayer support. There's a reason why the N64 and GameCube had four freaking controller ports and why the NES & Super NES had multi-tap adapter. Get the fact Pachter, don't just make up lies.
Pachter was right. Right up until Friday when Adam Orth accidentally revealed the new Xbox's vital weakness.
Always on DRM!
Lol, they're finished. Nintendo and Sony are saved (I had written off the wii u too but I didn't expect Microsoft to jump off a cliff).
The only thing he says that makes sense to me is that Nintendo need to try to get as many software developers on board as possible. Nobody "got" a lot of Nintendos new ideas and some were really bad like power glove but the point is they are a company that. tries to push things in different directions and take risks
"but Nintendo fans tend to forget that you’re just doing your job" - the question came out like MSNBC interviewing Obama. Should have been more aggressive and ask tough questions in my humble opinion.
For example: "With all due respect, Mr. Pachter. You have had a terrible track record over years. Many of the predictions that you proudly and boldly made turned out to be completely false. Why do you feel that the industry should take what you say seriously?"
And reading the comments, yes, the Move is a direct rip off of the Wii in design (controller + analog stick separately on the left) - they just did it worse, because there is no d-pad on the Move on the right (dual play). Move really sucks in every way conceivable.
Meh. Call me old fashioned, but I still down't like him!
"As long as Nintendo continues to do what it is doing, I don’t expect the stock to be attractive to investors."
At the time you were publishing it, Nintendo's stock was increasing by 3%...
He's right, we should wait until the end of 2014 before saying Nintendo is doooooooomed.
His job is to warn investors, and right now they aren't in the best shape. But a lot of people I know are wanting it for smash bros. So that's when I think it should start getting to respectable levels.
199 bucks for Wii U? So we're selling at a loss at 349.99, so the obvious solution is to... Be in a bigger deficit?
I know he's only doing his job, and I agree with him: the Wii U isn't a good investment FOR THE TIME BEING, but what I don't understand is why he endorsed so much the PS4, calling it "impressive and revolutionary" when the only difference in gameplay is the tiny touchpad =P
This is his tweet:
Check out the extremely unique and intelligent answers I gave in this interview with @nintendolife. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013
How the hell one could rate and advertise OWN answers as "extremely unique and intelligent". I am sorry but this is disgusting to me. But maybe this is some moden marketing style?
Shame on you Nintendo Life for posting flame war bait Pachter quotes.
I can't wait to hear his comments when sales of PS4/Durango fall off in Jan. 2014 after the holiday season. Fact is all 3 systems are going to sell less than this generation - maybe less than the last 2 generations. The fad is over. Gaming is still around, but the boom of the consoles is gone.
@SkywardLink98 indeed they would, but that's not a reason not to do it. Microsoft and Sony lost a lot of money too by doing so and while Nintendo succeeded with their strategy with the Wii, they won't with the WiiU. If they'd put the WiiU down below 199$, the Userbase would grow faster, third parties would get more attracted to the console and in the end, Nintendo would make profit as they'd sell far more of their own games to a bigger audience than they'll do now. Still they'd make a loss with console sales, but come on. Look at the WiiU sales and tell me, that this would be worse than it is now? Microsoft would have had no chance on the console market EVER if they wouldn't have sold the first XBox at a loss. All the time. Even with the XBox 360, it took them years until they made profits. I don't wanna cover pachter but I don't like ignoring some failures nintendo made either.
He seems like another person here. Seems like he jokes when on video...happens to some people i get.
He seems critical but he's really forgiving a lot, i always say that i will wait until 30 November 2013 to see how Wii U's doing, he says to watch the 2014 Holiday season before saying if the Wii U is doomed or not.
He surprised me.
I bet other sites now will ravage this article to quote out of context only what fits them.
It's been always like that.
Just when I think this idiot can't get any worse he makes statements such as:
I don’t understand games like ZombiU?? Like wtf
How often do you play games: I play around an hour a day, and three or four hours each day on weekends. - Makes him an expert clearly
Someone push him off a cliff already.
Pacther is never right about anything. I don't know why anyone even listens to him. He said the PS3 would outsell the Xbox360 in its first three months (no one remembers this? SERIOUSLY?)
He is full of hot air. Considering that we are going to hit a video game dark ages the moment the Nextbox and Ps4 comes out, Nintendo will be sitting there with all the third party support that can't afford to make games for either consoles (nor will they want too as the moral issues standing behind the concept of never actually owning a game you buy); in the end Nintendo will come out on top.
No one is going to want to buy a console that HAS to be online for you to play your games. It just wont happen. No, its not like steam, steam offers games dirt cheap, Microsoft wants the full sixty dollars, and even then you'l never own the game officially.
he does make some fair points (for a change)
but Nintendo still need to secure better third party support, i think that if they included the pro controller with the console it would have a bit better support as many developers said the main problem was the gamepad (looking at you Square Enix)
but we all know the console will start to sell really well once they bring out the big first party games like Zelda and then with a bigger install base the third party support should increase
i still have faith in Nintendo and firmly believe that the WiiU will be a success, not as much as the Wii but still a success, it's just going to take a bit of time and not be instant like the Wii was
all we have to do is wait
XCWarrior
I can't wait to hear his comments when sales of PS4/Durango fall off in Jan.
The only problem i see with the PS4/Nextbox is there price, other than that i think these two consoles selling quite well. Usually consoles are updated every 5years with the exception of the PS3/Xbox, there is no way people are going to go out and buy a six/seven year old console knowing PS4/Nextbox are around the corner with the exception of a few. Sales always drop towards the end of a consoles life and towards new hardware, i can see people also buying a Wii U once the softwares out and it's dropped in price again with the exception of a few. £300 is a lot of money to ask for a console which is out dated in some people's eyes as soon as the next gen hits, and to add to that fact poor 3rd party support in some ways Nintendo need to step into the 21st century.
And if people think the Nextbox will hit with an always-online features you must be out of your mind, rumours are not fact. What happen too the PS4 with it's digital only games, anti-pre-owned-games etc, we all know how that turned out we all know Microsoft are stupid but not that stupid.
Saw this guy in a Sessler interview where he downplays some of the more troublesome things about the triple A industry as well as tell us that the new Xbox and PS4 will be "wonderful consoles" even though we haven't even seen Xbox yet. Then he goes on to say that the WIiu is a "Terrible product."
The Wiiu certainly isn't a "terrible product". If this new console is going to be a success, Pachter isn't going to be the guy that knows his bootie from his elbow on what's going to sell Wiiu units. He's been dead wrong so many times before I just don't understand why he's given so much attention. Because he says negative things about Nintendo products? He's been doing that for eight years now even when the last consoles from Nintendo were commercial successes.
@twilight_link He said in the article that he plays games for an hour a day on weekdays and four hours a day on weekends.
He's most certainly a gamer. If you watch Pach Attack, you'll hear him talk all the time about how good certain games (often ones with less-then-steller sales) are.
It's just that his job is to make financial predictions.
Great interview. Lots of interesting and professional questions.
I've never seen Pachter at the Mensa Meetings. I'm glad I'm not an investor - I wouldn't want to have to listen to that mouthbreather give me advice.
This interview kind of ignored the fact that the Wii was extremely successful. What is his take on that? Was the Wii's success based on factors that aren't sustainable? During the Wii's lifespan did Nintendo make mistakes that began to be really felt only after the 3DS and Wii U came onto the scene? Is it simply impossible to repeat that kind of success?
For me if Nintendo Hung up the consoles and went strictly software I would more then likely hang up the Hobby all together. I don't know why I just don't like the 360 or the PS3. I loved Sega with a passion even more so than Nintendo. It pretty much Broke my Heart when Sega Left the console wars. But I had Nintendo to fall back on and it's been a pretty darn good ride with some special Experiences. I would just feel its time to finally hang it up should Nintendo leave the Console industry. It just wouldn't feel special. Of course I wouldnt really hang it up I would just buy games I meant to get and play games that are on my backburner that I never got too. I have enough backburner games to last me a couple years LOL I have only enjoyed 1 peice of Sega software since they became the new Sega. (Phantasy Star Zero) They just don't feel the same anymore. I will get Phantasy Star Online 2 if its announced for 3DS or Wii-U. I don't own a Wii-U yet but Phantasy Star Online 2 would be my system seller
Forget gaming culture....im having a blast with the Wii U. In the last month, i've got LEGO City Undercover, MH3U, Toki Tori 2, and NFSMWU......
NO GAMES!!!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
@BossBattles **applause**
@Windy - SAME. I'm more of a handheld gamer and, call me overdramatic, but if Nintendo stopped making their consoles, I'd probably stop console gaming all together. The only other platform that I'd game on would be the PC for the XBLA indie titles and Steam discounts.
I'm throughly puzzled why Patcher here doesn't "get" the gamepad. Why is a second screen bad again? He puts far too much emphasis on third party support too. I mean, third party support is necessary but not integral to the success of the Wii U.
On the other hand, his observations on the Android/iOS gaming market are pretty spot on. Same thing with him not writing off the Wii U just yet.
@LordessMeep He Definately takes the Drama and passion, out of what is gaming. He probably thinks old guys shouldn't be gaming. That's a bad thing for me to say I have no idea what he thinks. I do think with some of the Advise he gives Nintendo or other Developers/Publishers wouldn't be willing to take a chance on Certain projects that might just do very well. I don't have a Wii-U yet it just hasn't convinced me enough to run out and buy. There are a couple games already out in Japan that were actually released on Wii that could make it to Wii-U that I would absolutely run out and get the system for. One of them is Dragon Quest X
I'm not going to read all these comments so (hopefully) someone already got here, but I registered specifically to say that in all my years in the game biz (including on the 'journo' side), I have never seen such a ridiculous, softball, interview. These questions were so soft that the ball evaporated upon leaving the pitcher's hand.
Utterly laughable and a teaching moment for everything that is wrong with game 'journalism'.
Pro-tip: LEADING the interviewee to your desired outcome--in this case polishing Pachter's shoes--is not valid journalism.
Note: whoever conducted this do NOT quit your day job--game journalism absolutely needs tons less of this and more actual questions with at least a facade of teeth, not this friendly chat over beers at the pub where you help poor old Pachter deal with all those mean people out in the world that just odn't understand him like you do. God help us if you actually land a meaningful interview with someone of note--you'd set a new record for slobbering over your subject.
Nintendolife - releasing articles about Pachter to rile up fans and then talking down to them while releasing an interview that still encourages a fanboy outcry.
"but many of his harshest critics seem to miss the point of what he is actually saying; his job is to ensure that people invest their cash wisely and not to placate over-zealous fans"
Oh please - the continual posting of these articles is entirely focused on reaching those people. You cant enjoy the large amount of views and then pretend you have nothing to do with it.
Pachter is a BSer...
(And wasn't it established awhile ago that the majority of his "predictions" are nothing more than his (seemingly fanboyish) panderings on the console market, and that they're not involved with his actual work?)
The ps4/720 could just suffer as hard as the wii u, if not more because of better graphics witch will cost more to make so you need to sell more games, so the publisher ditches the developers in the worst case it pulls the publisher down to.
The 8 generation of gaming consoles could be a hard one for all 3.
Nintendo just needs to buy SEGA so that they expand the amount of exclusive games.
Unusually I agree with everything he says. Nintendo are heading for another GameCube if they don't make some big changes in the very near future.
I came looking for a Nintendo news site that gave itself some respect. Time to keep looking
@LDXD we'll have to wait and see - wii u looking more interesting to me now anyway.
Hopefully they get another Metroid game going (on 3ds or wii u) soon.
SEGAGAGA said:
The ps4/720 could just suffer as hard as the wii u, if not more because of better graphics witch will cost more to make so you need to sell more games,
I don't get where people are getting games will cost more to make because of better graphics what a load of poop. Maybe you should tell PC devs the same thing seeing how there going have better graphics, and are cheaper than console games.
Less than $199!? What is this madness! How will THAT make Nintendo money?
Im suprized to find he actually makes some very vaild points. I agree with 99% of what hes saying. I like iwata, but i think he should step down
Someone's gotta do Pachter's job, and it can't be easy. Some of his points are fair, though I do think he's kinda overzealous in some areas. I don't dislike the man, neither do I like him, but I will say it must not be easy being him. And even if some of his points are debatable, the fact remains that the Wii U is hurtin'. Nintendo, I wish you a very speedy recovery.
What people fail to remeber is what Nintendo is doing since 2005: They will not play with Sony or Microsoft, Nintendo IS NOT a company to compare to Sony and Microsoft, they start selling video games later; Nintendo ONLY make video games, not PC software or TV and computers; (sight) Patcher only reference Sony and MS markets, this are NOT Nintendo markets, and most of the people out there are not reading fanboys to make their mind to buy a game; why people still think " if Nintendo makes the same mistakes, they will fail"? What mistakes? selling a inferior machine by the time, knowing this was the only way they could prevail in the market, and finding a different path than the PS3 and XBOX360, so they could still sale videogames? PLEASE Nintendo, do the same, and by that I mean, Satoru Iwata had the ba*** to make the DS-Wii move thing I said before, so... he is not going anywhere.
@mariobro4 He's willing to yack to whoever will listen! LOL!! I'm a rookie video game blogger and he even answered my interview questions via email. Totally shocked me. And to think it was easier getting an interview with him instead of Reggie.
When they asked about the 3DS, I wish NintendoLife asked what he predicted would happen to sales with the release of Pokemon X & Y. Pokemon has always been a huge system seller. Keeping Black/2 and White/2 on the DS affected 3DS sales but now Pokemon trainers will have to upgrade to a 3DS to play the new game.
since nintendo games are all about gameplay just get a 3ds if u want to play nintendo games and get ps4/xbox 720 for 3rd parties games problem solved...
@Windy - I don't have a Wii U right now either, but it's more about me lacking the cash and a trustworthy place to import the console from. I see several games I'd like to play, but I'd rather wait around for the first party heavy hitters to arrive.
Can't wait for DQX either, but I'll probably break down and buy a console once a 3D Mario or Zelda is released, which ever comes first.
Nintendo have stated that they make a profit after selling one game
Dropping the price in order to boost sales shouldn't lose them a lot of money in the long run.
And the rest of us can enjoy another ambassador program
Really good interview, glad to see him speak in context for a change! Until I go buy LEGO and Monster Hunter, I haven't turned on my Wii U for over a month (aside from buying the 30c games, which I'll get around to)
@ecesigue
Anything Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft Studios (not the companies as a whole, just their gaming wing) release, and have the ability to cut down Nintendo's sales are in Nintendo's market, whether Nintendo like it or not.
LOL @ Pachter honestly believing there is any possible chance for the neXtBox or PS4 to sell at or below Wii U price point! He even went as far as to suggest a $200 price for Wii U!
Maybe the reason he's an "Xbox fanboi 4 lyf" is because... he thinks inside the box? He described the conditions of 5 and 10 years ago as if they still applied today... marvelously short-sighted! Not to mention addressing trends using afteryears sales figures, instead of appropriately matching units sold to time passed, proportional to past systems...! Pachter once again becomes delicious interweb fodder for the masses!
PC blows neXtBox and PS4 out of the water on all counts, be it technical or economic, not to mention the user chooses if they want to go with a DRM free vendor! Not going to bother with signing up for a P.S. Box... at least Nintendo is trying to... think outside the box!
@shinobi88 I see what you did there! Very good, very good. Green is good!
@tripunktoj Those articles make Pachter look like a cheat and a rogue. Using a host of verifiable links and facts, no less...
After reading this, I think it's reasonable to say that anyone who can't at least see his point is... a tad misguided.
Theres no doubt that Nintendo needs to think further than what they have in themarket currently. The Wii U concept is brilliant and potentially will gain traction once developers get their heads around making games with duel screen (TV and Game Pad), and basically do whats been done for the 3DS. Once there are signs of success Nintendo will then have achieved their strategy, Nintendo will have confidence in consumers to produce further concepts with tweaks and new designs for the Wii U Game Pad etc... and improve hardware specs in the future etc.. First you must try and understand what's important for consumers.
Why is it that i enjoy 3DS games so much? it doesn't have the hi spec hardware as the PS Vita, comes down to good game design and making the most of what you've got. If you have to much, you spread your thinking thin!
Michael Pachter points are reasonable, the only difference like us we know so little whats going on in the background of ones Company. Nintendo are persistent in what they do which you got to give credibly in doing!
I don't understand why Nintendo Life or CNN or any news agency with credence give Michael Pachter any authority. He is Inaccurate about 90% of the time, makes wild claims, infuriates gamers and is an outsider of the videogame industry.
Stop paying attention to this man. He's a huckster, just look at his track record and his job history. He doesn't have the credentials.
I urge you to be the first to ignore him. If he is fooling his clients, let him. You guys should know better, you follow the game industry much closer than he does.
@bunnyking Exactly! Pachter is an OLD washed up hater that obsesses about the demise of Nintendo more than he thinks of his own family. Ever see someone get mad because you like something and they can't understand why? That's how Michael is, and Nintendo Life is basically saying that it accepts obvious hate towards Nintendo as long as its news about Nintendo. That doesn't keep the site alive if Michael gets his wish.
He wants to prove his influence in the gaming industry so that he will gain profit based on his outlook. He would love to brag that he brought Nintendo to an end, fortunately Nintendo will out live him.
If in 2 years Wii U is struggling than maybe this can be considered
i dont agree with him but I respect him
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