Poll: NX and Mobile Make This a Defining Year for Nintendo - Are You Optimistic?

I am just not sure if the NX is releasing this year lol, but I am fully confident about Nintendo. Haven't had a disappointing year from them yet.

Nintendo is fighting an uphill battle, they're going to need something really special to turn things around. I'm hopeful that they can pull it off, but I'm not sure if they will.

At this point in time, all we can do is speculate. I think we should be optimistic without blowing our expectations out of proportions, for it is the best route to disappointment.

Wait and see, my friends. Wait and see.

That last question all depends on if NX releases this year or not.

I'm really hopeful and optimistic about the NX, and that Ninty has learned from past years, but I don't know how they'll tide over until NX.

If it doesn't release this year, I at least want to know what the NX is this year lol. Seriously, it is torture!

Well half the year is already over with barely any releases from Nintendo...

I'm not falling into the hype this time for the NX. Until I see that they implement BASIC features that should have been there a long time ago like a cart on the eshop, more sales, cross-buy, a real account system that doesn't tie purchases to hardware, more internal storage (8 and 32gb systems are a joke, especially considering a lot of modern day games have 40gb+ mandatory installs), and more support from 3rd parties (I want more stuff like muramasa, tatsunoko vs capcom, no more heroes, zack and wiki, red steel 2) I will just cautiously wait and see

I have a WiiU but still haven't replaced my PS3 with a PS4. Hopefully E3 will settle whether to go NX or Neo. Am rooting for Nintendo but NX will need decent third party support to get my money this Christmas.

I am actually quite optimistic Nintendo can pull it together and bring in a new generation of gamers that love their product. However, I don't think I am in that demographic anymore. It has nothing to do with Nintendo games being kiddie or anything, but I can sense a major paradigm shift in the company and the industry in general. I do not want to see a company that I have loved a majority of my life fail, but I don't have any hopes that they are going to cater to me. Which is totally fine. I'll still buy every Mario Kart though!

@GrailUK If the NX doesn't release this year than judging by previous 2 year reveals, they will do nothing more than tease the system. Just to annoy everyone lol

My concern is that if Nintendo don't release the NX this year then how do they plan to support both systems for the next 18 months because looking at Nintendo this past generation, they've struggled to support both consoles let alone now be needing to create games for the launch of a third system.

THAT said, I only recently bought a PS4 and with the Neo coming out I am a little pissed, so there's a chance I might switch over to the NX.. But they need more racing games. The Wii U sucked for my favorite genre. I mean a few years ago I was literally excited for that absymal Hello Kitty kart racing game that I wound up paying full price for upon release. :/ If the PS4.5 gets a Wipeout (doubt it since the company is no longer, right?) I could be persuaded. I was totally looking forward to PSVR too, but not if I have to buy a new PS4 to enjoy it at optimal levels.

So far the year's going well. But I really hope that Zelda U and the NX and it's games aren't the ONLY things Nintendo has up the sleeves. Otherwise, it would be a step up from the last one sure...though nothing spectacular.

New generations are the most exciting thing in all of gaming.

And new Nintendo generations are the most exciting of those.

So ya, needless to say I am definitely excited. New hardware! New ideas! New games! Better online and account systems! Better graphics! Possibly entering an HD era of handhelds!

Yes, yes, yes!

"Are you optimistic?"
Yes I am, but ever so cautiously...

@FragRed 3DS is having a great year. WiiU...not so great lol. Once upon a time, a new Zelda game would have sold consoles. Especially one that boasts to bring a new twist to 'open world'. This, to me, is more exciting than a box with some chips in it. Shame it was marred by rumours which people have taken to heart, that this said game is coming to a 'more powerful' system. Nintendo fan's lust is Nintendo's worst enemy sometimes

@A01 More Nintendo content upsets you? Weeeird...

Super happy with Star Fox Zero right now. All the hand-wringing on the internet meant zilch to my household and my kids are brand new fans of it by this one game alone, then the animated short sealed the deal today — they watched it twice.

Still enjoying miitomo daily, I've got a small but enjoyable group on it.

To this family Nintendo is already having a great 2016.

We need new stuff though! Bring it, Nintendo.

I remember the year after the Wii U was announced people were saying there was no way Nintendo would mess it up and they did, big time. Hopefully the NX releases this year given the total lack of major releases on Wii U and the 3ds (first party wise anyway). I'm expecting some kind of hybrid as they really would benefit having just one platform to develop for.

Then again, Nintendo hasn't exactly knocked it out of the park in over a decade when it comes to home console design so I'll wait and see.

Definitely excited, but trying to keep my expectations in check.

Anyways, I wonder what that second mobile title will be. Most assumptions are that it will be a Mario game. Possible. I think a Mario vs Donkey Kong title is the most likely scenario here, even with the recent title on 3DS/Wii U.

Still hoping for a WarioWare title on mobile. The 3DS needs one too though, so I wonder if a mobile title would prompt backlash despite how perfect it is for mobile.

I think that's one of the ways Nintendo turns me off, the whole "family friendly" aspect makes me gag a little. I understand why they cater to that market though, but I'm not a fan. I guess what was so great about the 90's in gaming was that even though I was a huge nintendo nerd, Sega had the stuff that was basically a big F You to families.

Nintendo really has nothing to lose at this point so I can only expect they'll go as big as possible. However, Nintendo has made blunders at critical times before so I temper my anticipation and expectations quite hardily. I do expect Nintendo will return to form with the NX though. Whether they deliver on the smartphone front... I can't say. I'd hedge a bet on the 'no' side.

How can one be optimistic when all we have are rumors?

Rumours and speculation.

Miitomo is a children's game.

If Nintendo make good games for Smartphones they will do well.

Will Nintendo have a great 2016? Define great.

Will they sell some new smartphone games....yes.

Will they sell two million NX's, If they release it next week, maybe.

I'm officially deciding the Wii U is my favorite console EVER. Bayonetta 1/2, W101, MK8, Smash, SM3DW, The Zelda remasters, Hyrule Warriors, Xenoblade, DKTF, Yoshi, SMM, Pikmin 3, Splatoon, Pokken, Lego City, Nintendoland, Cpt Toad, Starfox 0 and Guard, Darksiders 2 and 2 great Arkham games plus a ton of indies, plus it's genius browser have kept happy for 3 and a half years.

My PS4 has remained mainly turned off aside from Arkham Knight, Broken Sword and an odd game of Madden.

Wherever Nintendo goes NeXt, I'm going to follow.

@Yrreiht

Because the facts might actually depress us!

I am very happy with star fox zero so far so I am pleased with 2016 so far. I have been using my ps4 more than my Wii u but star fox has convinced me to turn it back on. My 3ds has seen some good use this year too. Soon I hope to buy pokken since I loved the demo! Here's to a great 2016!

I would pick up the new starfox if I didn't have to use the gamepad tablet. That's my #1 reason for Wii U games.. As long as they don't use the gamepad, I enjoy them. I have never been able to adapt to that ugly controller. It's too big, it feels like I'm holding a dictionary or a bible, blech.

There should be a option saying "all these NX rumours and leaks are killing my buzz for the console!"

Seriously why can't people just be patient? E3 is what 6 or 7 weeks away? I'm glad for the silence and the silence on Zelda U cause it means this E3 will blow people away And I for one cannot wait.

I'm excited and would love to know more about the NX. However, I'll also keep my expectations in check. Nintendo needs to do well this year and I hope they succeed.

I'd like to hear more about the nx but now I think they are staying quiet for too long now. Its almost may and that's a month away from e3. Need some news now.

I feel like all of these rumors have sent people's expectations for NX skyhigh. The same exact thing happened pre-Wii U.

At the end of the day, Nintendo will very likely release Zelda and the NX this Christmas. Even if I don't like what the NX is, I can still play it on Wii U. That, for me, means it'll be a great year for Nintendo.

@A01 The results of pretty much every poll upsets me. All this blind hype, rein in your expectations people!

I'm not sure. I hope Nintendo do well but you just can't trust them. To say Nintendo will have a great 2016 is a bit optimistic, it's not great so far, sparse game releases and if it's to be a great year it'll only be when the NX arrives. So that only likely gives them 1 or 2 months. Does that make a great year? But I am extremely excited for E3. You can't beat a Nintendo console reveal and launch. And of course we get to see Zelda U properly for the first time.

I want the NX but why have they stopped the amiibo? Wasn't that a moneymaking product? Besides the Kirby ones there is nothing, not even the final Smash Bros ones.

It's going to be a fun year, whether or not the NX comes out.

If Nintendo doesn't show off or release the NX this year, it's going to be pretty painful if I'm being completely honest. Not much to look forward to outside of a potential announcement. Let's hope 2016 is a great year!

@DBPirate Reggie did confirm at last years E3 that they would be talking about in 2016. So my guess is ether at E3 or slightly before it.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't think it's been that sparse between the two systems. If you're a Wii U-only owner, then yeah it's been sparse.

I feel like a lot of people are treating the handheld like it's a sideshow and the home console like it's the main course when we all know for Nintendo it's the other way around.

@IceClimbers I am a Wii U only owner.

@IceClimbers For this cycle, yes, it is the other way around. However, I don't think either should be a sideshow. Nintendo should treat both their home console and their handheld as the "main course."

That's why I'm optimistic for NX, assuming that their teams have been combined.

@IceClimbers Even taking both into consideration, major entries have been sparse. It's been mainly spinoffs and lesser franchises since mid 2015.

I have absolutely zero in either optimism and pessimism. I'll just be enjoying my backlog as I wait for Nintendo to eventually give me my ticket for the hype train.

I'm fairly confident that Nintendo mobile ventures will be successful, but less than confident that I, personally, will enjoy that output. Always willing to give it whirl, though, and can understand the need for diversification into that market.

The only way I'll be disappointed is if NX turns out to be a handheld only. If it's a home console though as expected,I'll be giddy with excitement.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Then yeah, it's been sparse. I own both systems plus a PS4, so I've had plenty to play. Not enough time though!

@DBPirate Agreed. I think it's becoming increasingly difficult for them to treat both systems as the "main course".

@Bolt_Strike Well, if you're looking for only the top franchises, then it's sparse. In that case I could argue the same thing for at least the Xbox One. Just Quantum Break and The Division. Bit harder to do that with PS4 though.

In general, there's been a fair amount between both Wii U and 3DS.

I don't see Nintendo being so secretive about the NX now only to tease it this year and launch next year. That year between the Wii U's E3 and its 2nd showing MS built smartglass, Ubisoft focused on 2nd screen apps and Sony positioned the vita to mimic the gamepad (not that actually happened outside of remote play). 12 Months the Wii U went from interesting concept to generic

If they NX is a twin format of two devices - one library and don't release it till next year. Then sony will just crap out an new PSP. It doesn't have to sell well, they just have to say "you can have that here with our system, the one you probably all ready own" and that would easily give half the ps4 owners an instant pass on the NX. Also delaying the NX an year puts it in ps5/X2 talk time. (sony once again suggested no ps5 recently).

In terms of Mobile gaming, I'm happy Nintendo is doing that it frees the NX up from a causal focus

@DiscoGentleman He wasn't even first. xD

This could be a difficult time for Nintendo, normally the NX would have free reign to play catch up with its competitors. However this year Sony have PSVR and the rumored PS4K both potentially launching ahead of NX which could steal some of its thunder

Don't they kind of have to make the NX a core game system? Clearly the casual Wii market was a bit of a fluke. As shown by the 13 million Wii Us sold. Whether it will be a hybrid or not, hopefully they can get the third parties back this time to make a proper go of it. Otherwise they'll be going the Sega route, which we all obviously don't want.

As a long time Nintendo fan, I am curious to see what Nintendo is coming with NEXT. I'd love to think NX is going to be great, but after this 3DS and Wii U roller coaster ride, I can't be very optimistic about it.

Nintendo has lowered the quality of many of their key franchises on 3DS and Wii U (last example, Star Fox Zero) and has gone backwards regarding the user account benefits, charging twice for the same Wii U/3DS ROMs (NES/SNES). Also, the new "Virtual Console" is smaller than the original Wii Virtual Console. Nintendo has also scared third parties and many of their fans recently.

All of this mean they have not been riding the right way. Of course, they can change and impress me, but they will have to do better than this.

@Someguy333 The Sega route is not as bad as it sounds, as long as the software itself is better, I don't mind what platform it is released for, except mobile phones.

Considering how much Nintendo has restructured itself since the untimely and unfortunately passing of Satoru Iwata, it should be pretty evident that things will be changing. From Nintendo's relatively merging of their home console and handheld divisions, to key executives such as Miyamoto and Takeda being regulated to advisory roles ("Creative fellow" and 'Technology fellow" lol) rather than directorial roles, I'm excited to see what Nintendo has planned for the NX.

To be honest, I've been boooored of not just Nintendo but the whole video games industry for the last two years.
I hope they come up with something exciting soon.

I can't imagine Nintendo not revealing the NX at E3 so am really looking forward to it.

Although to be fair I never buy consoles on day one but I just can't wait to find out what it is and what games are planned for the console.

@VanillaLake If Nintendo were to go 3rd party, I wouldn't want them to go the Sega route

All the rumors are killing the NX interest for me...like, I'm sick of hearing about the NX at this point. Just wait until Nintendo announces it people! As for mobile, "meh".

One week and two months to go~

Nintendo is just about to announce it's Annual profits. . Exact date. . @thomasBW84 ? Once it has done that - we will see a lew of announcements - first up is the next Mobile app. . .I think a Mario gamey type thing. .

@VanillaLake I agree, it wouldn't be the worst thing ever. But, it would just be missing that original Nintendo specialness if it was on a PS4. XD

I just want Zelda, tbh.

@Mario_Fart You don't need to, I picked up a ps4 at launch and the releases have been slower than the Wii U. I found myself just not gravitating towards the trickle of games that are there. It's a mainstream box for COD and fallout, and has a ton of remasters. It's been collecting dust for months while I have spent a ton of time on the U.

E3 this year will already have Zelda and the NX, which by default are both more exciting than anything from E3 2015 so I'm pretty optimistic about their E3 performance. The make or break for the NX will be whether or not third parties properly support it. I personally enjoy Nintendo's innovative controllers, but if ditching them in favor of a simplistic, normal controller is what's necessary to get third parties developing on it, than so be it.

@IceClimbers By going the Sega route I mean becoming a third party that has not to worry about hardware. It does not have to end like Sega, though. Nintendo is quite different, has always been in a better position, has lots of IPs, lots of developers and talented people, it has not to end like Sega who is basically making mediocre Sonic games. I think it would be actually good for Nintendo, they would have more money and more time for developing games and will not have to worry about selling their own hardware.

@VanillaLake Oh, I knew what you meant. I'm just saying that I'd hate to see Nintendo end up like Sega. There's the right way to go third party, and then there's the Sega way. What's happened to Sega is rather sad to see.

@Someguy333 Yeah but right now Nintendo struggles to sell their own hardware and they have to invest a lot of time and money on that, with mixed results.

Rare was a very small studio. Some years after it was bought by Microsoft, many of the original staff joined "Playtonic" to create Yooka-Laylee. If they are fine, and they are not rich, because they needed a crowdfounding campaign, why wouldn't be fine Nintendo?

I know it frightens some people, but if we think of it, Nintendo is big and rich. If they became an independent developer they could be the best, like they once were somewhere along the line.

I have absolutely have no trust in Nintendo geting it right! For me they haven't really made a decent decision since the N64 days. Mini disc was stupid, wii wasn't aimed at gamers and the wii u has been a commercial disaster! Mess this up and they'll probably lose any good will they have left with fans.

@IceClimbers I think there are talented people in Sega as well, they have produced many good games and franchises (I love those Mega Drive Sonic games). Sega has taken too many risks in the past, and has always been in a worse situation compared to Nintendo, that has been more conservative. Also, many people has left Sega, including Sonic's creators. There are many reasons why Sega has ended like this. However, I still have hope in Sega and they could make great games again if hiring the right people.

Nintendo is clearly in a better situation, they have many resources and many of the developers have stayed there.

@IceClimbers You do realize that they aren't that poor to consider going third party right? I mean yeah, eventually at some point, Nintendo might no longer be around but that will take YEARS to happen.

Comparing them to SEGA personally is just plain dumb. The reason why SEGA ended up as a third party isn't because of dumb moves they did or because of their CEO's that screwed them up.

Its because they simply weren't that into making consoles because they are simply dedicated to arcade gaming and they left the console business because they want to just continue making arcade games while at the same time, develop for consoles as well.

If you look at SEGA, they are only so strong at the arcades and never were they interested in the console market. To them, its a mere experiment to get into the console market.

Nintendo on the other hand is dedicated to making "Interactive toys" that people play with them and Consoles is one of them. So saying that they are going to be third parties sounds like them giving up their dedication and passion which is simply absurd and lame.

@Boxmonkey Except Nintendo may just be the wealthiest company in the industry that exclusively makes games. Just because the Wii was not targeted at "hardcore gamers" (god do I hate that term) does not mean it was a bad idea. It made them more bank than Sony or Microsoft made that gen. Also while the Wii U is not appealing to the masses to the core audience it has been a huge hit and have had huge software attach rates that other companies would dream to have. Overall Nintendo is not in a bad situation they are just in a rough patch that can be turned quickly with some smart and risky plays.

Also, lets not do revisionist history the N64 was not even close to a flop and the Gamecube did about as well as the Original Xbox only being outsold by a few million units. The Gamecube was instrumental in rebuilding relations with 3rd parties. Also on a whole Nintendo made a profit and the GCN was far more capable of a system than the PS2 (that is why every port of a GCN game to the PS2 came with massive cuts in graphical fidelity and FPS count). The true story of that gen was the PS2 ridding high on the DVD boom of the early 00's and using underhanded tactics to strangle hold developers that came back to bite them in the early parts of the 7th gen. Also the Gamecube was also in retrospect had one of the best game libraries of any Nintendo system.

Also you can argue Nintendo was being too safe with the N64 as making a CD based console was a huge risk because the Saga CD, The Saturn, Turbo CD, The 3DO, PC-FX, The CDI and even Apple could not penetrate the market with a CD based console. Sony was the one who bucked the trend and set the standard thanks to aggressive marketing and getting Squaresoft on board during the boom of the JRPG in the US. Also the N64 brought games that are still today referred to as the best of their respective genres and real game changers.

I have a lot of hope....

50 days to go....

That's a tricky one for NX

All the Major Western markets want are shooters, GTA games, realistic sports, M-rated games and AAA Blockbuster games.

This is why everything else is bombing on Steam, PS4, Xbox One.
Hell Microsoft and Sony's first party games are now struggling to sell 1M in West outside of Halo 5 and Uncharted.

This is also why PS4 is a raving success on par to outsell PS3 and tie PS1.

Xbox One is doomed because it isn't laser focused on that group.

Wii U was seen as having kiddie and "casual" games like every Nintendo system before it and not giving gamers what they want just like Nintendo has done with every system.

If Nintendo wants to regain gamers in the West, they need to showcase software for NX that is only AAA Blockbuster, realistic sports, shooters and full of blood and gore.

If Nintendo decides to show bright colorful games, Zelda, Pokemon and Mario etc... the media and gamers will decry them as kiddie and "casual" games with NX forever carrying on the tradition of Nintendo hardware bearing the kiddie and "casual" labels (even if it offense certain subtypes of gamers).

Sure Nintendo could make an NX userbase of 10-60M out of handheld and console for people who want T — E rated games in the West.
But it would be very lacking in shooters, GTA games, realistic sports, M-rated games and AAA Blockbuster games due most Western third parties refusing to support it because it lacks a userbase made of gamers.

Gamers in the West don't play games with bright colors, animish charactes, etc... They are very reluctant to buy T — E rated games too.
They also hate playing on systems that have a userbase made up of women, children, nerds, Nintendo fans, parents etc...

This why Sony, EEDAR and NPD shows the PS4 userbase is almost exclusively 15-35 year old Western males, which the industry calls "hardcore" gamers (Yes I hate this term, but we can't avoid it and if you don't fit this group accept what you are instead of going off the deepend).
This userbase mainly plays shooters, GTA games, realistic sports, M-rated games and AAA Blockbuster games.
They seemingly for whatever reason ignore everything else that is released on PS4.
Same thing to a slightly lesser extent on Xbox One, due to slightly more diverse userbase.

Wii U userbase consist of people who aren't "hardcore" gamers and are willing to buy most decent games.
This has lead to indies for the most part doing better, T — E rated game selling better on Wii U than the other systems, and small companies doing better too.

For whatever the reason is "hardcore" gamers don't want anything to do with the rest of the industry to a devastating effect.
They also wanted to be catered to exclusively and will respond negatively if the center of attention deviates from them.

So this means Nintendo has two choices:

1) Make a play for the "hardcore" gamers at the expense of everyone else. Though this means no traditional Nintendo software, no games like Mario, Zelda, DK, Splatoon because they will drive the "hardcore" gamer away like they did on Wii U, Wii, GC, SNES, and NES (Thankfully the "hardcore" don't bother with handhelds and PC for the most part).

2) Make a system that is for everyone aka kids and "casuals" with a diverse software offering and hopes that the "hardcore" gamers and the companies that sell to them don't turn the public against you.

So what are you?

A "hardcore" gamer who is playing those games on their PS4s while constantly insulting and scowling at every one else seeing them as kids and dirty "casuals".

Or everyone aka kids, "casuals", nerds, women etc... as Sony, NPD and EEDAR state. We play all the other games.

I always believe

@Tekshow i feel better now. Thanks for the perspective! might just upgrade to New 3DS... unless nx has a mobile component

@Xenocity You want to know something funny. My little sister's boyfriend who is about 17 totally regrets getting the PS4. He just says there is nothing on there that interests him all that much and has been for the most part disappointed with every game he owns. He comes to my place (what can I say I'm the cool brother) and he drools over the Wii U and wants to play Smash, Splatoon and Xenoblade (and he is not the only one in my area). I think the hardcore audience is starting to fragment off more and more and Nintendo can seize on this with the NX. They just need to get those third parties on board (namely EA and Activision which is what killed the Wii U).

@VanillaLake Yeah, they probably will have to go third party no matter what. The NX probably can't beat the other two. Perhaps it is their best option. It will just be unfortunate to see for their core fans. But, yeah I will still play it on my PS4, no problem.

@Someguy333 Yeah, probably that way it will work better.

@Socar "So saying that they are going to be third parties sounds like them giving up their dedication and passion which is simply absurd and lame".

The most important part of Nintendo are the games rather than the systems, many of the old games still sell well on Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console, as mere ROMs. I don't think that becoming a third party means giving up their dedication and passion. Playtonic has become a multiplatform developer where many ex Rare member works, would you say that they gave up their dedication and passion? And it's a "poor" team compared to Nintendo, which is, as

@Wexter said, the wealthiest company that is dedicated exclusively to video games.

My favourite consoles ever are SNES, N64 and GameCube. It's really hard to choose one, specially after reading Wexter, I usually choose SNES because I was a child back then.

However, when I see Wii and Wii U, as much as I love some of their software, I feel that Nintendo would be better as a third party developer that is focused on making games and not struggling to create and sell hardware. Yeah, Wii was a big success, but I prefer what Nintendo made before that. And why would Nintendo waste resources on making mobile phone games? Oh yeah, because some mobile phone games are the most profitable video games ever. But again, I like what Nintendo was doing before the Wii. After Wii U, I can't see how Nintendo can have a significant piece of the hardware cake, but I can see Nintendo being much more successful if they go to basics and focus on creating software. Not just software but masterpieces that many more people would buy on whatever platforms they are released for (hopefully the big games are not for mobile phones).

It's a great big unknown at the moment. A big part of me thinks Nintendo is turning the dial even more towards the casuals this year and NX will heavily be focused on that. If that turns out to be the case that it's pretty disappointing personally as I've found very little enjoyment in the games they make for that crowd.

Until it's all revealed however, there's still hope the NX is the console longtime Nintendo fans have been waiting for. There's no reason why a 3D Mario, a new Metroid Prime and Pikmin 4 can't be ready around the end of this year to launch alongside Legend of Zelda on NX, with ports of the Wii U's biggest hits to help out the line up.

E3 can't be as bad as last year. That was CLEARLY not want Nintendo wanted to show at E3, but the Wii U bombing forced their hand. They had to move Wii U titles to the next machine and it left them with nothing, so they had to fill it with spin-offs. Hopefully this year is when they show us what the real teams have been working on for the last several years.

@Mario_Fart The New 3ds is a freaking joy. The library is now one of the best ever and the backward compatibility with DS is some major icing. I don't think you can go wrong picking one up whenever. Although- E3 is barely over a month away now!

@VanillaLake Agreed.

@Socar What? Sega was near bankrupt. They were forced to go third party. They'd have continued making hardware for at least one more generation otherwise.

@Peach64 "There's no reason why a 3D Mario, a new Metroid Prime and Pikmin 4 can't be ready..."

Except a new Metroid Prime isn't in development, or at least as of E3 2015. If one started development since then, don't expect it until 2018. Besides, they still have to space their games out a bit.

3D Mario and Zelda should be good for launch day as far as 1st party goes. Have Smash 4 and Pikmin 4 release in February/March.

The Wii reaction was like " Nintendo Renamed Its 'Revolution' Console What?! " ... the DS launch reaction was "Mediocre Launch Library" (ArsTechnica), same with the 3DS launch and then the Wii U launch.

The NX launch will hopefully be something "What were they thinking ?!" ... "Nintendo should just make games for other consoles" ... a couple of years after release, it will dawn on everyone that its the most awesome gaming thing ever made.

@DiscoGentleman I`m 100 % lame, but what can I do ?
And You are a true gentleman !

@VanillaLake TBH I would expect Microsoft to pull out of making consoles before Nintendo. Their gaming division has never been profitable and some of their executives have expressed a desire to sell off the Xbox brand.

I personally don't want any of the big three to exit the console business. Competition is a good thing. I'm still sad Sony won't make another handheld. I love the Vita, it could have been a hit outside of Japan if Sony had even remotely tried to make it one. The 3DS succeeded only because Nintendo knuckled down and refused to give up on it.

@Allspice While competition is a good thing, I can see the market going from 3 competitors to 1 very easily due to Microsoft and Nintendo bowing out.

@IceClimbers And you rather just Sony? I mean nothing against the PS4's success, but Sony as a company is still not healthy in the slightest. If the PS4 was not a success right out of the gate and they had another PS3 debacle they could have gone belly up throughout their entire gaming division.

Microsoft is still the most profitable company in the world. At worst the Xbox division and brand will be sold off to a company like Samsung or they just keep it for press reasons. Nintendo has so much disposable income that they can post a loss for the next 20 years and still be fine. They are not leaving hardware anytime soon as long as it still makes them money no matter how niche it is. The one company who can"t afford weak hardware sales right now is Sony. I mean if the PS4 Neo or whatever flops it may hurt them hard in the long run compared to the NX just being modestly profitable or Microsoft just keeping the Xbone out on the market for a few more years to recoup some losses.

@Project_Dolphin Not much if at all. The original Xbox was never profitable. The 360 was only making profit late in its lifespan the Xbone is only just now making a slim profit. Microsoft puts out devices to check receptiveness of consumers even if they make a loss on it (remember the Zune?). They can do this due to Windows and Office being huge money makers for the company. On the flip side while the Xbox Division gives them good press it is not a huge money maker for them. They would rather sell of the brand than just drop it, I believe due to the time and money they have invested.

For example they bought Rareware (now Rare) for $375 million and have never made back any profit from that investment into that company. They also purchased Lionhead Studios in 2006 and they closed their doors in 2016.

@Allspice Not sure about Microsoft stopping Xbox, as the Xbox 360 was successful and Xbox One is recovering, plus Xbox gives them good press and marketing advantage. I agree about competition being a very good thing, so I hope Microsoft does not give up. Sony is too arrogant every time they are first. To be honest, any of they three gets too dumb when they are first in the race.

@VanillaLake Microsoft actually have reported to have lost close to $3 billion on the Xbox brand between 2003-2012. Even the 360 was not profitable enough to balance the books because it was losing them money till 2008.

I'm fairly optimistic that the 3DS' successor will do just fine, if it's priced reasonably at launch. The 3DS was/is a great machine, and has an excellent library. I don't see why the next in line wouldn't be the same.

On the other hand, Nintendo's track record lately has been middling at best and I'm not as optimistic about the next home console. I see them going ahead with even more remasters, remakes, and weird control schemes, which I find less exciting.

@IceClimbers IMO that would be even worse. Sony isn't exactly doing very well. IIRC Sony's only division making a profit is the PlayStation division. They have been struggling for years. No one is buying their various electronics anymore, they have moved on to other brands. Sony is lucky Microsoft and Nintendo took such big missteps this gen, that's the only reason they "won".

@VanillaLake Successful? Yes. Profitable? No. As a whole they still haven't made a profit with their gaming division. By that I mean the money they put into creating the Xbox/360/One.

And yes, I completely agree. All three of them get pretty arrogant when they win. I still facepalm when I think about the things Sony said about the $600 price tag on the PS3...something like "people will get second jobs just to buy one" or something. Ugh.

@Allspice They also said "The new generation will begin when we say so" and then PS3 flopped until the early price reduction.

About Xbox, still not sure, I found this, it's from 2015 and Xbox One has improved since then, so:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-22-hows-xbox-doing

Xbox is more than the console itself for Microsoft, it's also Gold subscriptions, etc.

Zelda and Metroid's 30th Anniversaries SHOULD make this a defining year for Nintendo!

There's a reason I've been gaming on my SFC. I've given up on a modern Nintendo. There are plenty of great games for the Wii U but I'm not holding my breath for great things out of the NX/mobile.

@VanillaLake As I said $3 Billion loss on the venture between 2003-2012 and that includes the 360. Microsoft has never made back any of that investment.

Look at what they have done to their first party studios. Rare basically a shell used for IPs and Lionhead is now gone. 343 is basically just to make new Halo games same with The Coalition just for Gears of War and Bungie and Epic Games are not working on them, the original studios are not making them. I think Mojang is just really Minecraft, but that is a brand they can use and they just released the game on Wii U and they spent $2.5 Billion just to own it (and Mojang is not the Xbox Division it does its own thing). They also are starting to migrate their exclusive software to PC. Does that sound like something Nintendo or Sony would do?

I loved my 360 and the Xbone does seem interesting at times, but Microsoft the Xbox Division is not their focus and has never nor will probably never will be a strong pillar in that company.

@VanillaLake Last I heard they had like a $3 billion loss on the Xbox division over the ten years it had been around. Even though it's doing well now, it's still not profitable overall.

For me, Nintendo has been making decisions that have only been "meh" or "wtf" recently, but I'm staying optimistic for this year.

Honestly, I'm about a hundred times more interested in Zelda U than the NX reveal as far as E3 is concerned, but that's not to say I'm not curious about the latter.

I'm going to wait and see.I 'm not optomistic nor pestimistic. I'm just going to see what NX is.

I am always in Nintendo's corner. I love the company and I appreciate all the wonderful games they make. I hope they have a strong year and I hope their E3 is impactful (a-la 2014). From what I have read, quite a few large companies wont be at E3 this year so Nintendo could really steal the show. Anything will be better than 2015.

Miitomo was a pleasant surprise and I thought it was a first positive step for Nintendo and DeNA. I am excited for their first mobile games and I hope there is another one that launches right after E3. Finally, I am fed up with NX crap. We have had endless speculation since March 2015 and I am exhausted. Nintendo needs to release some information soon or I highly doubt this console comes out in 2016.

Still no details on what the NX even is, and mobile is a known dumping ground for half-assed games, something nintendo has proven they aren't above. Hoping for the best but I really don't like the direction they're going

I think I'd be much more interested in and excited for the NX if my Wii U (and Wii for that matter) backlog was completed. But I still have...6~8 Wii U games I gotta beat. And that doesn't even count the eShop games, which is around a dozen or so... sigh why do i do this to myself.

I think the Nx will release in May 2017.

This year's E3 is in the bag assuming NX is amazing and Zelda U/NX will be there.

@aaronsullivan
All of the above is me and my family's exact situation. Now if e3 can just blow us away...

If Nintendo continues like they have been, the NX will meet with controversy in a new idea, it will launch with a weak lineup, and drop price a year into its life. PROVE ME WRONG NINTENDO! I want to love this!

I haven't turned on my WiiU or 3ds in several months. Hopefully they pick things up.

I love Nintendo, but if they don't have the basic online capabilities of the other consoles or the technical power to house third party games then I won't be supporting them this time, at least not at launch.

You would think those two things are a no brainer, but you really can never tell with Nintendo. Sometimes they are brilliant and ahead of their time, but just as often shot themselves in the foot. You really never know which company will show up.

@Wexter
When you said "Microsoft is the most profitable company in the world" I knew there and then nothing factual will be in your post.

@IceClimbers
I agree with you. As much as fanboys try to dodge the truth, the sales don't lie.
Nintendo can make the greatest console ever made, their "Kiddie" status will always hurt them.
Nintendo released some of the best software in their history on the Wii U, it is still the worst selling console since the dreamcast.
No one apart from their fans care for a kiddie console.

This is 2016 and as long as Nintendo remains "kiddie" only people posting on these forums will buy the NX. Poor online gaming quality with no chat only appeals to a few people. Nintendo fans.

Their image isn't working to generate mass sales, it just appeals to an evaporating fanbase.

Nintendo's strive towards innovation could very well be their downfall. They always wanted to make unusual hardware to differentiate from their competitors but ended up wasting developing time trying to shoehorn meaningless features into the hardware gimmick. The recent Starfox on Wii U is the best example.

They have talented people who can direct innovation in gameplay and making them fun without relying on any gimmick. The best of their games are based on solid game design. Those games that rely on hardware gimmick just looks silly on hindsight. Blowing into the mic? Looking into a binocular in 3d with motion control? Looking up and down on your TV and Wii U tablet in a frantic game?

Please Nintendo just focus on what you do best: traditional solid game design. This new Nintendo CEO is not a gamer like Iwata, and he wants to speed up game development time and mass produce them like a factory. People already felt the degrading quality in many recent games. It won't be long before MarioKart or Zelda becomes a yearly title like CoD or Assassin's Creed. Don't trade quality with quantity!

Nintendo have always owned the first-party market with nothing even resembling competition, be the times good or bad. The only real problem I have with their current situation as a consumer is a lack of a steady release schedule, and a lack of diversity, among other things. As a lifelong customer, I feel they've can do so much better. They have so many IPs that have been gathering dust for years now. The hardware is more than good enough as it is; this is not part of their problem unless you're a highly shallow individual, and unfortunately for the rest of us, a majority of the gaming consumer base are.

The way the consumer base has "evolved" (though Darwin would scoff at this usage of the term), Nintendo are never going to be "top dog" again unless they sacrifice damn near everything that makes them good in the first place. Trying to become market leader (which isn't necessarily a badge of honor these days) should become a priority only when they manage to get back to where they once belonged with pleasing their already established fans, which they've failed to do with innumerably many stupid and archaically-minded business decisions over the past ten years.

I can't in good conscience say that I have overly positive or negative hopes for Nintendo this year... the ball's in their court now.

I'm mainly on the handheld side, so I've been fairly happy. I just wish there were a lot more Virtual Console ports, and Nintendo stopped charging us full price for the same games on every new console. There are so many fun old console titles I wish I could play on my New 3DS, sigh

I'll also never understand how Mario Kart 7 missed the boat with DLC. And I don't mean DLC for stuff that should (and was) in the release version. But new tracks, karts, and characters!

All I'd really want is more fun games, but even then I'm fine with holding off on getting a new console since there's already too much games I gotta finish on 3DS, Wii U and PC. Then there's also plenty of games I still wanna get like Bayonetta 1+ 2, Hyrule Warriors, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and many other games.

So unless you don't have a big variety of genres you like and own only one console, then there's a bunch of games you can play until Nintendo announces their next console.

Zelda U is the case of overhyping a product with nothing. And that exact instance has carried over to the NX. I've been let down by this company so often these last 20 years, I think I'd be more excited by a Vita price cut.

IF they give us SOMETHING about the Nintendo Xbox (True YouTube NLife fans get it)

Question: do we know which day Nintendo presents on E3?

@Solid_Stannis
Own the 1st party market?
Including 3rd party exclusives, I'd sacrifice Bayonetta 2, Mario 3D and Smash for Bloodborne, Ratchet & Clank, and Uncharted 4.
Particularly when the supporting cast includes No Man's Sky, Horizon, I Am Setsuna, and Tales of the Sea. All the more when you add every multiplatform title that would never touch Nintendo, and every developer who has ever compromised their vision to fit Nintendo's box.
Aside from Skylanders, Nintendo pushes nothing but first person, so it's pretty hard to see through the rose tinted bias, but Nintendo has missed more often than hit this generation.
For every Smash, there's been a Devil's Third. For every Fire Emblem, there's been a Chibi Robo. Forgive me for not having the time to wait for Nintendo to deliver enough to make another console worthwhile.
Question: How long until the 'NX' is even worth investing in?
Wii U took 13 months, if not 19. If the NX hits, 2 months is all they'll get. And that's if VR doesn't take off.
If VR does exceed the overly low mark, NX needs to be must have Day 1. And Nintendo's pride is precisely why it won't.

I'm waiting on a 3ds successor myself.

I'm not getting the NX so early like I did with the Wii U. Nintendo lost my faith with the Wii U having so many issues. No third party support, ancient online system and downloadable software attached to one console. I really like the gamepad as a controller, but man, it's forced way too much . Unreplacable Gamepad ( I can't even buy a DLC without the gamepad since my broked, they don't let me give them money , WTF Nintendo...). I'm patiently waiting for them to star selling separated brand new gamepad, but seems like that day will never come...

@Hotfusion They are ranked 4th according to Fortune in 2015. You also understand that was hyperbole right? They are ranked insanely high in profitability. Bill Gates is the richest man on this planet after all. But my point stands that Microsoft is not going anywhere in the gaming scene and the Xbox has lost Microsoft a ton of cash. They would probably rather sell it if you ask me because it is so well known as a brand.

http://fortune.com/2015/06/11/fortune-500-most-profitable-companies/

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

While I have your attention you should look up how much Sony lost on the PS3. I will give you a hint it is roughly the amount they made on the PS2.

All that talk about NX probably not releasing this year....Yeah, go ahead Nintendo, release it end of 2017. Hurrah, another year wasted (no home-console sales, another year without many home-console releases).

No of course Nintendo must (and shall) put the Wii u to rest this year, and release the NX. Another year without any noteworthy Wii u titles would piss off the people even more!!

I mean: If it doesn't get released by the end of the year, it won't suddenly be released during spring 2017. It will then be the end of 2017. And of course they won't spoil resources on Wii u releases that year, production has moved to NX.

@Henmii The only reason I can see in delaying the NX till next year is to see how VR plays out, that's it. releasing it next year will be the same as the Wii U's launch, too much chatter about the next gen for their rivals. Hell this week we've had people asking Sony's head what the PS5 will be. (sony's suggest the PS5 wont be a thing again).
if it doesn't hit this year, then Nintendo will use another E3 to promote it and you just know like the Wii U its gimmick will be copied by then (smartglass, VIta/ps3 and ubisofts companion apps) The NX needs a launch similar to fallout 4... announce and launch within 6 months.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised to find out the NX is an handheld first hybrid designed to let the Wii U die with out a real replacement and then a true home console to launch around their rivals next systems

@Haiassai they are usually the first day, so all their news gets buried under Xbox/ Ubi news on day 2 and then Sony on day 3

(totally get why Nintendo started doing year round directs, though I hope with the NX Nintendo has a stage show)

"Honestly I wouldn't be surprised to find out the NX is an handheld first hybrid designed to let the Wii U die with out a real replacement and then a true home console to launch around their rivals next systems"

Do you mean new versions of old consoles (PS4K, for example) or truly new consoles (PS5, for example). If its the latter, we have to wait another few years, please no!!

TBH Im not happy that my console is dead after 3 short years and now they expect me to dish out cash again just so I can keep playing nintendo first party titles. In comparison xbox360 and ps3 lasted about 10 years. Im not very excited about NX, the wii u might be my last nintendo console.

I don't care about mobile apps or mobiles in general to be fair. They have destroyed normal gaming by bringing in "Free to Play" where for you to get anything good you have to pay. And unfortunately Nintendo has fallen in to this.

They need to release NX this year because I'm winding down my Wii u.

@Wexter @Allspice I went to sleep.

Honestly, and I don't know if it's all the rumors or just the fact that I love nintendo...but I can't wait to see what's in store for the next console, and I'm looking forward to E3 to see what they have in store. I like the Wii U, but with having to wait months and months for a new game to come out, and the fact that it's now been 4 years waiting for a new Legend Of Zelda console game, it's beginning to give me doubts (even though I'll never get rid of it or put it away).

With of how many games were shown to come out this year on 3DS and Wii U, it definitely looks like they've been hiding a bunch of games that will be on the next system. Since I've been into nintendo (since the NES days)...every final year of their current system, they barely have anything come out on it due to working on their new one. This could be true right now, as there is a lack of games coming to Wii U (Star Fox now, a Fire Emblem Game and Paper Mario are the only things I see). Maybe nintendo has a bunch more games coming or maybe they've been hiding a bunch for their next console.

The only thing I don't want to see, is the NX come out and all they put out with it, is all of the old Wii U games, upgraded...that would be a slap in the face at the Wii U owners.

Other than that, Miitomo was good for a while, but it loses its momentum with only answering questions, listening to questions and changing outfits. I wish they would add some update, where you can add items to your room or more...this could give them more money for people to buy that stuff. Maybe the Pokemon game will be a little better.

@Wexter @Allspice

So basically Xbox 360 and Xbox One are good sellers but Microsoft spends $ billions in purchasing studios while other of the studios became independent. Why did they pay 2.5 billions for Minecraft's developer? That is absolutely crazy, they bought it late and expensive, when this game momentum was already ending. If they had foreseen its success and bought it right away, it would be a different story. To do it late and for that crazy amount of money is just crazy. Now I know how did they lose close to $3 billion.

As far as some of the other comments on here go, I think nintendo could stand strong if they released their next console in mid-october...would give them a step up with a bundle for it for the Black Friday-Christmas-Holiday season. If they release it after that, it MAY NOT work out to their advantage. If Sony and Microsoft's VR works out for them (and I'm still doubtful about it, even though they're selling out on preorders), then nintendo could make something of this and add it to their next console (the NX, not waiting until another console I mean). Nintendo will have a lot to keep up with all the other companies, but if they want to get back into the game, they need to work on their relationships with 3rd party companies, and make games that not only cater to the strong nintendo fans, but everyone in general. They need more than just platformer adventures, they also need everything else in the genres to go with them...and besides Wii Sports, what ever happened to their sports franchises...haven't seen them around for a long time!

@Nintendian I agree with you except that I don't think the new CEO can make things worse than Iwata.

@JLPick For of this you can be sure: Nintendo is porting the good Wii U games to NX while we get some amiibo festival and stuff. I am going to be generous and accept that, but then they should give us something in return that is free for them anyway. They should give us an extensive and cheap Virtual Console both on 3DS and Wii U, with the games that they have developed 20 years ago having a reasonable price (not €10 each). They should give us cross-buy. They should give us the best they can give, because we bought this console three years ago and now it's dead, with the biggest third party release being Lost Reavers (...) and the best first party games released one year ago. And now they expect us to be excited about NX and mobile apps?

It's all about the quality of marketing.

And by "marketing" I don't just mean advertising. If they clearly target and position the NX they'll be successful and if they're confused as to who their target audience is (as was definitely the case with the Wii U) they'll fail.

It's difficult for Nintendo because the games media and online community heavily favour very intense, long and in-depth experiences with a competitive online focus and a superficially "mature" design - it's not a surprise that they reject Nintendo games and I think they are unlike to buy a Nintendo console under any circumstance. Unfortunately (for Nintendo) these groups are highly influential and probably still need to be courted in some way.

The family audience, the more "casual" games and Nintendo's dedicated fanbase want pretty much the opposite. Many parents would actually be turned off from buying NX if (for example) the next GTA were available on it.

I think with games like Splatoon, Mario 3d World and Mario Maker Nintendo have settled on a very clever and clearly defined design ethos that's perfect for these groups. If they can carry that on and pitch NX accordingly they'll be ok.

Miitomo is interesting, but it's the My Nintendo rewards that keep me coming back. I probably wouldn't have bothered otherwise. Same with future mobile apps; I'll need the My Nintendo incentive.

The NX is either going to be great or the final nail in the coffin depending on what is legit and what isn't.

NX needs to be more like Wii and less like Wii U. Nintendo fumbled really badly in this gen.

@Mahe Problem is that Wii U was based on the Wii concept and the Wii concept had already expired one year earlier, as the last Wii year was empty.

Nintendo hasn't really given me a reason to be excited so far this year. But e3 is coming up, and I am pretty excited for that. So the second half of the year definitely could be much much better.

Any of these things will make my 2016:
-Traditional 3D Mario
-...wait, that's it.

@Socar Were you around for the 90's? "The Saturn is not in our future." Remember that quote by Bernie Stolar at E3 1997, only 2 years after the Saturn's (rushed) release by insane executive decisions? Remember all those uneccesary peripherals, and the disastrous 32X situation, while overcharging/bungling for the Sega CD? Remember all the effort put into cool (but unneeded) projects like the Nomad, instead of making the Saturn backwards compatible like the Mega Drive was with the Master System?

Sega's executives screwed up BIG TIME. And Sega of America's executives were the worst of the worst.

I'm quite optimistic for Nintendo's future and for E3. I mean maybe that's just me being optimistic as usual but I'm very excited. Nintendo has never let me down in all my years of gaming. Whether they announce NX or not, I think they have quite a lot of games under their belt to announce. I don't even personally think E3 2015 was bad for Nintendo. I think their only mistake was that they dropped their two big bombshell announcements right before their E3 presentation. (Roy+Ryu in Sm4sh, and Earthbound Beginnings). So this lead people to think that the E3 presentation was a bit bare. At least that's what I think. Whatever the NX is and whatever comes in the next month or so, I know for a fact, it won't disappoint.

With the DeNA capital alliance, the first (and hopefully last) truly abysmal home console sales failure in the Wii U situation, the almost total lack of overall market presence by Nintendo currently, and the conversion of their traditional handheld console market into mobile and NX... Nintendo is no longer fully in control of their own destiny.

Even a mere 5 years ago, all of these things were nearly unthinkable. Many people have made a complete 180 degree turnabout to support Nintendo's direction now compared to 5 years ago. I've only witnessed this kind of spin elsewhere in politics and religion. It's truly amazing to watch.

That said, Nintendo has a herculean effort ahead of them... Maybe even an Atlas type of burden on their shoulders. They now have the task of completely starting over from scratch... For everything. Branding image, marketing, company conduct, business deals, game library breadth, interface and controls operations... It is necessary to shed their old skin, it wasn't going to keep working, no matter how much we want to convince ourselves everything is okay.

The question that remains, is... Will we be a significant part of the new skin? Or will the NX/Mobile strategy make it look like we were the primary market of the Wii by comparison?

One of three things will happen: either Nintendo will almost completely abandon their core market for the general market (making even the Wii look core focused), languish in their lack of focus again like with the Wii U, or undergo a Renaissance on the level of the N64, with the popular draw of the SNES. Here's to hoping it's the latter.

@PlywoodStick Good post. Only the most loyal fans follow, according to Wii U sales. Most Nintendo fans are disappointed but they don't post on here as much. Nintendo should listen to them, to us. I was not very excited about the Wii U and 3DS but got them, now I'm more pessimist about NX, but I want to see what Nintendo has been doing.

I hope for the best, but I will have to stay down-to-earth.

@VanillaLake The Wii U was only like the Wii in all of the wrong ways. It didn't have a simple and intuitive new control scheme that you could immediately understand what it could do, and it didn't have a lineup that demonstrated its capabilities well.

Wii U was easily Nintendo's worst console overall. It had some fun games for sure, playing Xenoblade Chronicles X atm and it's awesome, but the 3-4 month long wait for every release got old really fast. The Wii U never had a year like the Wii where you could point to one high-profile release per month, I think Nintendo should start over with something new and as soon as possible. Consumer apathy for the big N is at an all time high and I'd wager they aren't foolish enough to delay releasing their last chance to be a major player in the video game industry instead of a has-been that caters to just a small niche. That's not the Nintendo I grew up with and that's not the Nintendo that revolutionized the industry.

@Bolt_Strike Right.

@VanillaLake The Wii U is completely opposite to the Wii. Despite the name, those two are two very different consoles with two very different concepts.

@VanillaLake The Wii concept is still alive in Just Dance. Just watch how that series has kept selling on the original Wii all these years - despite Nintendo themselves cutting off all Wii support many years ago!

Also look at how many people kept buying old Wii games like Mario Kart Wii even after Nintendo's new games had stopped coming. The people wanted more Wii gaming, and Nintendo made a huge miscalculation in thinking that they would "upgrade" to Wii U - a console that so badly misses almost everything that made Wii great!

@Mahe Well, according to Iwata the first time Wii U was showed to the public, it was Wii's evolution. He said something like this is Wii U, it's about We (Wii) but now it's also for You (U), the "hardcore" player. I remember people thinking it was a Wii add-on as the console itself was not showed but only the GamePad.

@Mahe Yeah, they thought every Wii owner will upgrade and that the name would help, but people were confused and disappointed instead.

Super excited to see the new path Nintendo will forge! E3 is SO close! Everyone claiming the Wii U is having a short lifespan??? Maybe by a year at most (if NX releases this year) but 4 -5 years used to be the standard console cycle until Sony and M$ came on the scene. And compared to other ' electronic device' developers, thats like decades (iphone says hi)

@VanillaLake Yeah, I don't think even Iwata believed himself then. In the last years, Nintendo has been utterly confused and seemingly without any clue of what to do.

Question is, have they found their Wii insight again with NX, or is it just a continuation of Wii U errors and confusion?

@Mahe Well, my favourite consoles are SNES, N64 and GameCube so they can look at them, too. GameCube was great, a good hardware, a good controller and all the focus on the games.

@VanillaLake No idea what to tell you. Minecraft is still a massively well known brand name with huge marketing and licencing potential. Will Microsoft ever make back that $2.5 billion? That is hard to say as Mojang has yet to put out their big Minecraft successor on Windows 10 or Xbone... they have not even announced it as far as I'm aware. Microsoft no matter how much we slap our heads over some of their decisions is not going anywhere anytime soon. They have so much disposable capital that $3 Billion loss on the Xbox is just a drop in the bucket and gives them great press. Even if it is more about individual successes rather than the big picture.

If I was a betting man I would instead look at Sony when it comes to potential companies leaving the industry. Some can argue they are just not that great at managing a gaming company as most of their successes have come from others making stupid mistakes or just not having enough foresight. They are not bad at running a company, but I would instead use the term average and inoffensive. When they face legitimate competition they tend to struggle and they cannot afford another PS3/PSVita due to the fact that a number of their other consumer electronics divisions are struggling. They are like the reverse Microsoft right now. They cannot afford to have the PlayStation brand do badly because that is what is holding up a fair bit of their enterprise right now.

@Wexter Yeah, but Sony also has films and music. I agree, PS4 was a huge success right from the start because Microsoft started with those expensive Xbox One Kinect bundles that nobody asked for, and because of the underperforming Wii U. They have Naughty Dog, that I love, but the retro library is more lacklustre than ever before and I really think PS4 should have more than a dozen PS2 games.

Microsoft should not give up Xbox now that they have learnt from their mistakes and are doing well with Xbox One recently. As you said, they have the money.

Nintendo should learn from their own mistakes once and for all! They repeated the same 3DS mistakes with Wii U, but Wii U did not recover at all.

@Project_Dolphin The GameCube was as successful as the Xbox. The PS2 DVD rage won, but GameCube was better than PS2 and is considered by most people one of the best consoles ever.

You are wrong if you think Wii U is going to sell more than GameCube.

@Project_Dolphin

You are talking like Xbox was a success and GameCube a failure, when the reality is this:

Xbox (XB) 24.65 mill
GameCube (GC) 21.74 mill

I like the GameCube, is that ALSO a problem with you?

@Project_Dolphin Let's not give Microsoft too much credit on the original Xbox. They were exceptionally well known in the PC gaming market and was a very big name for the casual audience and had a really killer app in Halo. Also while the GameCube was profitable for Nintendo the Xbox was hella not for Microsoft.

Though even then the GCN is not the perfect example on how to make a games system. While it had really capable hardware and modest 3rd Party support it was not perfect. I think the NX should borrow a bit from Sony and Microsoft's handbook, but still be distinctly Nintendo because their software attach rate is huge even on weaker hardware.

@Wexter I think they could learn a lot from what is Microsoft currently doing with Xbox One: free backwards compatibility, best controller, great user interface. Also, learn from both Microsoft and Sony that is not that crazy to make powerful hardware. Finally, being distinctly Nintendo regarding software, but with higher quality standards like those of SNES, N64 and GameCube.

@Project_Dolphin I did not say it was commercially the most successful but there are very great ideas about GameCube that would work better these days, like top-notch hardware, pro controller, high quality games, etc. It got third party support in the beginning but then the PS2 rage happened.

What does not seem to work at all any more is dated hardware with a gimmick controller.

@Project_Dolphin Funnily, your nickname is the code name for GameCube.

The so called failure that was the Gamecube increased Nintendo's profits by 40%. Nintendo 'paid' for certain Western third party games to appear on the system ; the GC gen , as far as I'm aware , was the last generation they did this. They made more money from Wii Play and Brain Training than Playstation did the entire lifespan of the PS3. Two games made them over a billion dollars. Microsoft have lost billions pushing the XBox since its inception. Nintendo are , by some distance , the least likely of the three platform providers to go third party / exit hardware.

Unless Nintendo makes a drastic change in how they run their company upon the NX's release, based on Nintendo's recent decisions I'm not that optimistic about Nintendo's chances at all. They still seem to be chasing that dream of getting the casuals back they had on the early days of the Wii, which they aren't getting back simply because casuals don't care about consoles anymore.

@VanillaLake "GameCube was better than PS2 and is considered by most people one of the best consoles ever"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... no.

@Mahe That technically GameCube is better you can not deny.

@VanillaLake If you think that "GameCube is considered by most people one of the best consoles ever", you're utterly delusional.

@Mahe OK.