Should Nintendo go handhelds-only?

[Fat Hippo]

From everything I've heard, Nintendo actually makes money from selling the Wii U itself, unlike their competitors. So why should they back out? Even if they won't have the same market share, it's still not a money losing business for them. Unlike Sony or Microsoft, who won't be seeing any profit from the current generation for years to come, with all the resources they've already sunk into it.

 

[Thandran]

From everything I've heard, Nintendo actually makes money from selling the Wii U itself, unlike their competitors. So why should they back out? Even if they won't have the same market share, it's still not a money losing business for them. Unlike Sony or Microsoft, who won't be seeing any profit from the current generation for years to come, with all the resources they've already sunk into it.

Doesn't the PS4 break even through one or two software purchases on top the PS+ subscription? Way I've understood it seemed like Sony had a robust business plan when it came about this years generation.

Unlike Microsoft. *cough*

 

[lapan]

Another thing, Nintendo has never shown itself to be interested in staying on the cutting edge of hardware...

If you want the "cutting edge of hardware" you shouldn't buy a console in the first place.

So far the WiiU is the only next gen system that has any games that interest me.

 

[Kyrian007]

I have heard I can use controllers with it too, for those action games that won't work well with virtual controls. I have even heard I can use the Wiimote.

Too bad you didn't go Android, I've been able to use my Wiimote to game on my last 2 generation droidphones (even before on the totally weak 1st gen Huawai Ascend my work gave me.) No jailbreaking required, it's a free app. And as long as you properly set up the commands it works for every game I've tried.

But as far as the op's question... no. I'll agree with the previous poster, Nintendo has the only current gen console I'm interested in buying. Yesterday's PS announcement peaked my interest, but if that works on anything I HAVE a PS3 and a PC. I'll just get it for those. Nintendo is just the better console right now. Better exclusives, better prospects for exclusives, and the #1 reason for me... FAAARRRR better hardware.

Yes, better. Maybe not more powerful, but history has taught me (and should have others) that Nintendo makes a quality product. Sony and Microsoft make a product designed to just barely outlast their warranty. And often times they can't even manage that much functionality. I consider last gen a clear Wii win just because when 360 and PS3 sales finally picked up I imagine most of those sells were people buying replacements for bricked, redringed, and non-reading consoles. While on the other hand every single nintendo console (I have them all) still works and has never needed repair. Other than my still working Dreamcast (good work Sega,) that isn't true of ANY other console.

So no, Nintendo should not go to handhelds only. They make the best product. In the long run it's better bang for your buck... because it's the only console WITH a long run.

 

[stroopwafel]

Dedicated handhelds aren't going to last much longer, they are in competition with mobile devices where games are sold for cheaper and some mobile devices come cheap with a contract. For example, I now have an iPhone 5s for $100 with a 2 year contract. Don't know the specifics but I am pretty sure the hardware in the 5s puts the 3DS to shame. One thing I can tell you is that the cameras are about 100 times better in the iPhone.

I don't think so. Specs on Iphone may be better but the games are garbage. Shovelware and time wasters for waiting rooms, the alternative for a crummy magazine or staring out the window. Dedicated handhelds are the platform of choice when you want quality gaming on the go(or even at home considering the ease with which you can pick up and play these games).

They aren't even the same market for that matter. 99% of Iphone users probably wouldn't buy a dedicated handheld if they couldn't play games on their phone, so it isn't even a loss for Nintendo or Sony. The original DS(and to an extent the 3DS) showed like no other there is still a bright future for handhelds as long as the games are there.

 

[michael87cn]

No, I think it will be bad if we eventually only have 1 console company... it's bad enough that we lost Sega.

Diversity is a good thing! ...Nintendo has just been having a hard time lately, but there's still a chance for them to make some great console games, damnit.

 

[smithy_2045]

Dedicated handhelds aren't going to last much longer, they are in competition with mobile devices where games are sold for cheaper and some mobile devices come cheap with a contract. For example, I now have an iPhone 5s for $100 with a 2 year contract. Don't know the specifics but I am pretty sure the hardware in the 5s puts the 3DS to shame. One thing I can tell you is that the cameras are about 100 times better in the iPhone.

I have heard I can use controllers with it too, for those action games that won't work well with virtual controls. I have even heard I can use the Wiimote.

Despite the competition from smartphones and the like, the 3DS has been an enormously successful console for Nintendo. There's also the fact that there's still a considerable demand from gamers for devices that are specifically for gaming as their first priority.

Yeah the chalkboards are hilarious. As for Pokemon saving everything, that shit isn't going to fly forever. Hell, people have to be getting tired of the same ol same ol.

Pokemon X/Y broke records. "Over 1.26 million copies of Pokémon X and Y were pre-ordered in Japan, not including copies bundled with Nintendo 3DS hardware, making it the most reserved Nintendo 3DS title to date." And from personal experience, myself and 4 of my friends (all in our early 20s) bought a 3DS solely for this generation of Pokemon. There's plenty of life left in Pokemon, particularly if they maintain their relatively well spaced release schedule.

 

[Conza]

Just a thought. I don't even have an opinion as of time of posting in this thread and may not even vote in the poll. I was just wondering: "You know, if I knew that every new first-party Nintendo game was going to come out on the 3DS, I wouldn't have to be on the fence on whether or not a WiiU is worth buying. Also, I find that the handheld first-party Nintendo games are more fun. Another thing, Nintendo has never shown itself to be interested in staying on the cutting edge of hardware...Twilight Princess was a Gamecube game ported over, Skyward Sword could have been on the Gamecube if they'd ditched the motion controls, same for Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2... Maybe Nintendo should just streamline their efforts into being a handheld company..."

Like I said, not saying it should happen or that I necessarily want it to happen, but it's just something I was thinking about.

P.S. I'm posting from work and the page won't display properly which prevents me from searching to see if this hasn't been discussed recently enough to merit a re-visit. I apologize if it's a re-hash of a recent topic.

Needs a poll.

Yes, Nintendo have basically never been in the lead in terms of graphics, but they're gap post Nintendo 64, has made their consoles laughable, and not a real competition to the Sony and Microsoft counterparts of a similar/same generation.

I think the WiiU should be seen as a last generation console, at best, and they should really focus on bringing a slightly more affordable console that is 90-95% as capable than the current generation, that way it can have all of the 3rd party console titles shared with the other two. If you add that to any unique launch and 1st party titles, it might be the come back they've needed for 15 years.

And either way, it'd be a make or break for Nintendo, and possibly force them into either handheld only, or like Sega, just making games for the other console manufacturers (and possibly PC).

 

[WeepingAngels]

Dedicated handhelds aren't going to last much longer, they are in competition with mobile devices where games are sold for cheaper and some mobile devices come cheap with a contract. For example, I now have an iPhone 5s for $100 with a 2 year contract. Don't know the specifics but I am pretty sure the hardware in the 5s puts the 3DS to shame. One thing I can tell you is that the cameras are about 100 times better in the iPhone.

I don't think so. Specs on Iphone may be better but the games are garbage. Shovelware and time wasters for waiting rooms, the alternative for a crummy magazine or staring out the window. Dedicated handhelds are the platform of choice when you want quality gaming on the go(or even at home considering the ease with which you can pick up and play these games).

They aren't even the same market for that matter. 99% of Iphone users probably wouldn't buy a dedicated handheld if they couldn't play games on their phone, so it isn't even a loss for Nintendo or Sony. The original DS(and to an extent the 3DS) showed like no other there is still a bright future for handhelds as long as the games are there.

Well, as a JRPG player, I am seeing more of a future in the mobile market for the games I want. Enhanced 2D ports like Final Fantasy 5 and 6 as well as new games like Final Fantasy Dimensions and the new Breath of Fire game. I also enjoy a quick game of Yahtzee or Monopoly (not so quick) on the go.

I do have and love my 3DS but I kinda feel like I will be playing more on my iPhone or my sons Nexus 7 than I will on my 3DS or Vita.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Yeah the chalkboards are hilarious. As for Pokemon saving everything, that shit isn't going to fly forever. Hell, people have to be getting tired of the same ol same ol.

Yet tons of gamers buy that shit EVERY ITERATION, and most buy BOTH games... I dont understand the appeal, but it is there, and will probably not waiver. IMO Mobile phone and tablet gaming will NOT destroy dedicated handhelds until actual buttons are either factored into the design of EVERY phone, or there is a blue tooth controller/controller case in EVERY phone box.

I think Nintendo could keep those alive by Virtual Console alone. If, new handheld gaming wasnt viable, Nintendo could make one, that just allowed you to buy games from every deceased Nintendo console and handheld, and people would still buy en mass.

If Pokemon is the only franchise to keep a Nintendo handheld afloat, then I wouldn't call that a success. Also, Nintendo has never really handled their VC service well. They couldn't fall back on that unless they were willing to support it better.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Dedicated handhelds aren't going to last much longer, they are in competition with mobile devices where games are sold for cheaper and some mobile devices come cheap with a contract. For example, I now have an iPhone 5s for $100 with a 2 year contract. Don't know the specifics but I am pretty sure the hardware in the 5s puts the 3DS to shame. One thing I can tell you is that the cameras are about 100 times better in the iPhone.

I have heard I can use controllers with it too, for those action games that won't work well with virtual controls. I have even heard I can use the Wiimote.

Despite the competition from smartphones and the like, the 3DS has been an enormously successful console for Nintendo. There's also the fact that there's still a considerable demand from gamers for devices that are specifically for gaming as their first priority.

Yes but will that success continue with their next handheld? A single franchise can't carry a platform, especially when that franchise puts out only a few games per generation.

 

[Eve Charm]

Not really as long as the profit is still there. Let's face it, nintendo has been "the third wheel" the last 3 console generations. As long as there is a profit in making the consoles and selling it, and enough profit in the games they make selling them, even if the user base is next to nil they are still making the money to support themselves why not?

When the profits aren't there then it's time to make a move.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Not really as long as the profit is still there. Let's face it, nintendo has been "the third wheel" the last 3 console generations. As long as there is a profit in making the consoles and selling it, and enough profit in the games they make selling them, even if the user base is next to nil they are still making the money to support themselves why not?

When the profits aren't there then it's time to make a move.

They have never been last in handhelds but that future might be coming.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Seeing as how I have a serious dislike for handheld/mobile gaming: no.

The only damn think that still interests me about Nintendo are their exclusive home console RPGs.
They already screwed up Mario, lost Squaresoft and started implementing hardware gimmicks that you *have* to use.
The day Nintendo goes handheld-only is the day they lose me completely.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Going handhelds-only would mean abandoning a huge chunk of the video game market. It would also mean that all of Nintendo's eggs were in one basket, with one failed handheld (Or a shift away from handhelds as smartphone games mature) killing them dead.

Being too entrenched in a single, narrow business model and product line is death in the fast-moving consumer tech industry. If Nintendo is going to stop making consoles, they should just go third party to take advantage of consumers who aren't interested in handhelds.

Also, this stupid "ONLY NINTENDO MAKES MONEY ON THEIR CONSOLES!" meme has been debunked 1,000 times. The Xbox 360 has been wildly profitable. The PS4 and Xbox One are both being sold close to cost already. The only well-selling console that wasn't profitable was the PS3, which was the result of Sony making the thing too complex and expensive to build.

 

[WeepingAngels]

If Pokemon is the only franchise to keep a Nintendo handheld afloat, then I wouldn't call that a success. Also, Nintendo has never really handled their VC service well. They couldn't fall back on that unless they were willing to support it better.

Its obviously NOT the only franchise keeping Nintendo handhelds afloat, unless you are just trying to dismiss any actual factual information into your opinion...

Nintendo has handled their VC service just fine, except for overpricing, and the lack of an account based system. Obviously, if they HAD to fall back on it, then it would be supported much better, since it would be a neccesity.

I am just responding to those who say "ONE WORD: Pokemon....will always save Nintendo handhelds". Actually, what saved the 3DS was the price drop, long before a Pokemon game was on the system.

Nintendo has not handled their Virtual Console just fine. We are almost three years into the 3DS lifecycle and we have no GBA games (except ambassadors) and no SNES games on the VC. You are actually the first person I have heard say that.