Nintendo is still here

A lot of people keep saying that Nintendo is not doing well and is on the edge of bankruptcy.  Some are saying that Nintendo may become a third party developer and  that Nintendo will get out of the console market.  All claims are false.  Nintendo has made profit every year since 1981. This past year 2012- 2013 was the first year that they have reported loss in sales.  Why has Nintendo sale’s slipped? There are lot’s of reason why Nintendo sales have gone down.  They are in a huge competing market the problem is that Nintendo has not released any of their major franchise titles for the Wii U. Some people don’t even understand what the Wii u is they think it is an extension of the original Wii console.  Maybe that is poor advertising on Nintendo’s part or just ignorance. With xbox and playstation being the two dominating platforms on the market Nintendo does have a tough competition.Nintendo does not allow third party developers to create games for the console.

A lot of Nintendo’s game’s are kid oriented.  It is a shame that some adult’s don’t play Nintendo games but it does make sense.  They are more focused on more adult themed game’s such as Call of Duty and Battlefield series as well as Grand theft Auto.A lot of Nintendo generation kids have grown up and are not into the titles that Nintendo releases.    A lot of Nintendo’s competition may not even be on the console format it may be as simple as somebody playing Minecraft on their tablet or all of the other great titles you can play on tablet or cell phone. With new technologies and new mediums to put game's on that Nintendo can not reach kid's of the younger generation may not use a console for example  Minecraft is one of the best selling games of all time and I think it would be great if Nintendo let them develop for their system it is not happening any time soon.

We should not give up on Nintendo so many people are now day’s. Maybe Nintendo has something up their sleeves and soon we will get some of the first party franchise games.  Nintendo is the staple in gaming and they are here to stay they are what made the gaming community we have today.  At one point people thought video games where just a fad until Nintendo came around and turned the entire industry upside down and I hope they will do it again.

 

I'd like to agree. But honestly, I can't say I do.

Nintendo is losing market share, and has cut the sale price of the Wii and WiiU a lot just to make up - and they still won't sell. Here's a list of issues they have to address first:

  • Their target audience is children. That's fine, but creating a walled garden isn't the job of a hardware manufacturer, but the software developer and the parent or legal guardian of said child. A parent shouldn't let their children play Amnesia, for example. But it isn't the job of Microsoft to keep Windows from letting people install it on their OS if they want to. Nintendo doesn't yet get that, and it needs to (Ministry Of) #StopIt!
  • Children have limited funds. Adults have much more funds. Creating a limited target audience is nice, but it greatly limits potential income, which in turns harms how much money one can spend on game and/or hardware development.
  • Nintendo isn't a good hardware manufacturer. That isn't it's focus. It's always been about the software and games first, the hardware is more of an afterthought. And weak hardware has been the Achille's Heel of recent Nintendo console releases for a while.
  • Lacking DVD support and BluRay support hurts Nintendo a lot. It makes people have to go out and buy a separate device to sit on their table on underneath their TV. It's more money for the consumer, and they don't like spending more for something which is included by default with other consoles. Integration is the future, and that's something Nintendo needs to learn.
  • Apps are a big deal. People like to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, listen to Spotify, and more. It's a big advantage to have those things, since it allows gamers and users to enjoy various forms of content through a single device. People don't like to pull out a remote to get onto a different device to do each thing. Again with the integration. In a world of consoles that are very much PC-like, Nintendo needs to get onboard with multi-tasking, and allow for multiple forms of media consumption using applications, optical media, and possibly including DVR-like recording on the device (using HDMI-In).
  • Nintendo has a lot of great franchises. But keeping third-party developers from launching any titles just meant that Nintendo had very few titles on their console. That isn't a reason why people would want to use or buy it. If there are only a few titles, for me on a given console, which isn't supported by third-party developers, than there is less things to interest me in buying said console.
  • Nintendo has never really figured out who their most hardcore fans are, or who is willing to spend big bucks on their franchises. It's the nostalgic adults who grew up in the 80s and 90s, that's who. The adults who grew up playing Zelda, Mario, Pokemon and more. These are the guys and gals who now are in their 20s and 30s. They love emulators, they love Nintendo, they love all this stuff - because it reminds them of simpler times of their lives, and nostalgia can really make someone buy something. Look at gog.com - many games on there might be horrible by today's standards, but people buy them. Because of nostalgia.
  • People don't like single-player games as much anymore. Because people don't like isolation. They want to share things, interact, albeit they prefer interaction through digital means rather than in person or by phone (the social media and texting change, anyone?). Nintendo could make a huge sale is they made an MMO in the Zelda universe, or a Pokemon MMO. They've got loads of great franchises, but refuse to give their more adult fans the franchises they want in the format they want. So these adults don't buy the games, meaning Nintendo is losing money it could have otherwise made easily. And kids don't like Pokemon games as much these days; they prefer CoD (in spite of the age restrictions), Battlefield, Borderlands, and other such games. Kids want to play with things they aren't ready for. Kids are also very vulnerable to peer pressure, so if there's a game which everyone plays at a given school or club, those kids will play said game so they can relate and interact with their friends. Teenage and even adult gamers are like this as well, but to a lesser extent. With less games and less formats and less flexibility in this genre, it makes it difficult for someone to go buy a console for just a few games that might interest them.
  • Nintendo also doesn't allow people to download ROMs or use emulators. I mean serious, what the h*ll Nintendo? If Nintendo launched a legal executable of Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Fire Red, Emerald Green, Sapphire Blue, Silver, Gold, Black, White, Heart Gold, Soul Silver, X and Y, than Nintendo could make a small fortune. Sell it through Steam, sell it with DRM, it doesn't matter. Piracy is a problem with distribution and pricing. Nintendo doesn't even have to develpop the game or polish it; just package an emulator that's locked to only run that one ROM, and you're done with it. Maybe give said emulator a small, themed UI at launch, and you're ready to go.
  • Smartphone and tablet games are getting a lot better. And people who spend 300$ or 500$ on a phone might not have the budget to buy a console as well. Why not sell games on those platforms as well, to get some extra cash, and just disable online play or multiplayer as to keep with the walled garden theme "in order to protect children" (a common excuses and debate-ending tactic of those who refuse to engage in intelligent conversation or logical dialogue).
  • Nintendo's controllers aren't PC-compatible... why?!? If Nintendo just launched their controllers supporting PC, I'd buy it. It's a great motion sensor, and it's very easy to use. I think other gamers would also buy one if PC support was added. It may seem small, but it makes a big difference, and it could give Nintendo a very nice cash injection.

Overall, here's how I see it. Nintendo is a company that's being run by idiots who don't get what their hardcore fans want, the managers and directors refuse to take advantage of quick-and-easy ways to gain instant cash by re-releasing their old games for PC, mobile or other titles. They persist, stubborn as all heck, determined to use proprietary hardware that doesn't sell and doesn't perform well, in an attempt to gain more money? They close down their hardware and games, and don't sell their old titles, refuse to re-release them even through there are plenty of people willing to buy them at the drop of a hat, and they refuse to let people use their hardware the way they want to.

In essence, the way Nintendo is being run is consistent with how they've run their business in the past. And that worked fine - back then. Now it doesn't. People have changed their habits, their tastes, the way they consume media, the way they buy games, etc. And Nintendo hasn't caught up. They have a 20th century business strategy in the 21st century, and they haven't caught up with the times. Yes they've updated their graphics and gone full-blown 3D, but their corporate and sales strategy remains the same, and their philosophy is the same as it was when they launched.

Now we're seeing the fallout. Gamers have seen this, hardware enthusiasts have seen this, analysts, hardcore fans, those who suffer from 80s/90s nostalgia syndrome... only the Nintendo managers and directors haven't seen this. And rather than adapt, they persist, stubborn as all heck, saying the world should change and adapt to their business strategy, and continuing to make games hoping the consumer will adapt to their business, rather than Nintendo adapting to better serve their customers. I don't think I need to give you a conclusion about how that's going to end... but suffice to say, unless the board of directors, chief officers, and all people at the top of Nintendo either change their attitude or get fired for incompetence, they'll run a once-great company into the ground so fast it'll make Microsoft's Ballmer (Microsoft CEO retiring) look like an amateur at incompetence in comparison, and might even make Don Mattrick blush (he quit his position running the X-Bone team to become CEO of... Zynga? yeah, because he did so well with X-Bone).

So yeah... no, dude. Nintendo has made stupid decisions, and now they're paying the price. Darwin once said the species that survives isn't the strongest, nor the most specialized, but the one that adapts the quickest to changes in it's environment. The same can be said for companies. And right now, there's no more of a perfect of an example than Nintendo.

I hope nintendo dies.

Nooooo... Don't say that :(

I second this, but only if it means that management, executives and directors all get fired and replaced by people who have better ideas. Nintendo isn't a bad company, and they don't have a product or bad games either. They have overpriced, under-performing hardware with management that is out of touch with what 21st century consumers want. Nintendo suffers mostly from bad management, and if that changes, I can put my heart behind them easily. If they don't get their act together, I think they'll become the next Sega.

Dude thanks for taking the time to read over what I wrote I really appreciate it. Sometime's you have to see two side's to see the whole story.  You have put together a very valid argument and it has changed my opinion on some aspect's of if Nintendo will be around or if the will die out like Blockbuster.  Blockbuster could not change with the time's they no longer exist but Netflix went with the trend and now they are still here. I agree with most of what you say and I think that is why Nintendo is doing so poorly right now.

 They have put up a huge wall around their general audience I agree with that and you added that a lot of kid's that grew up during the reign of Nintendo 90's kids have big buck's and are willing to buy Nintendo product's I can kind of agree on that.  The "kid's of the 90's" have the option of buying three consoles I think Nintendo would be last on their list mainly because like what you said Nintendo doesn't offer dvd or blu ray on their console. So the only reason an adult or "90's kid" would buy the system is if they where die hard fan's of Nintendo and really liked the games that Nintendo put's out. When Nintendo announced the new Smash Brother]s for Wii U some of my gaming friends where like yeah I want to get that but I dont want to have to buy a wii u for one game.  I think Nintendo better get on the ball and start putting out games that their core audience enjoy's to play.  I don't understand why they have not put out any real good game's in my opinion for the Wii U.

 I totally agree with you on the fact that Nintendo need's to support third party developer's.  There are a lot of game's out there that I think would go great with the wii but they don't support third party developer's which yes that is a huge dent into them I think they need to change with the time's and support third party developer's  

Nintendo need's to have a better online option then the one they currently have like you said nobody want's to play by themselves I see kid's on xbox live on playstation network on Steam and they are all playing game's together and Nintendo need's to figure this out.  They need to figure out that kid's like to interact I think sometime's that Nintendo might be too kid oriented.  Why i say I say that is because Nintendo does not allow player's to interact well which this may be to prevent pedophile's from interacting with children but that is such a broad statement though I don't know if I can agree with myself on that.  

A lot of Nintendo's current sale's are not off of the Wii U it is with their hand held market.  A lot of kid's now days have a Ds or 3ds or a 2ds kids play on the hand helds more than the system's mainly because it is a lot cheaper parent would rather have the kid's not on a televison all day playing a game but off by themselves away doing their own thing that is just my opinion. The graphics on it are better than what we had growing up using the old Super Nintendo and the Nintendo and the graphics are better than that of the N64.  

I do agree that Nintendo at the current moment is being run by idiot's if they do not change they will go bankrupt it has happened to the best.  I agree with a lot of what you say and I thank you for writing a really great valid reply it has changed my opinion I think if Nintendo does not change soon they will become like Sega and I think they should use avenues such as Steam and GOG to sale game's on instead I think people will find other way's to play the game's they way they want to play them. 

No problem. =)

I liked what you said, and I think you did make some good points. You just didn't take as much into account as I did when writing your blog post, which narrowed the focus and scope or the points you were making. Sometimes it's good to take a step back from any feelings for any particular company, and look at the industry as a whole. Sega tried doing this, and so did Atari, and they no longer make consoles or any hardware (well, almost none).

Personally, I find this whole "to protect children from pedophiles" argument to be invalid. There are ways to protect that, many of which parents should be aware of before making any purchases. For example, set up user profiles and passwords for parental supervision. Determine who can buy what online, determine who can use voice chat or text chat to interact, and so forth.

A hardware developer isn't there to keep parents from being responsible for what their children do online or in their time spent gaming. A parent has to be responsible, and if a child is willing to give out personal information online to a stranger, he might be willing to do the same over the phone, texting, or anywhere else. Honestly, the idea that putting a child in a walled garden to protect them is invalid, because it makes them more curious; and curiosity is a strong thing in children.

It's best to demonstrate and educate, rather than conceal and dismiss. If parents are unwilling to educate their children and are unwilling to take responsibility as a parent, and don't care to be involved with their children, then they're probably bad parents in the first place and it's more likely that their inaction and disinterest in their childrens lives is more likely to harm their children than the chances of them interacting with pedophiles online - after all, it's not like you go speak to somebody on XBox or PlayStation and there's a 1 out of 4 chance you'll be speaking to one. It's random.

If parents simply educate their children to not turn on webcams, and never give out any personal information, it can work. Maybe disable microphone and text input, and it'll be done. Parents can't ignore the digital revolution - much like Nintendo can't continue to have their 80s and 90s business attitude in this modern day, so to must parents also adapt to fit the digital revolution. It's important parents understand the technology their children use - for their children's sake. (I know. I just used the same argument typically used against openness, and reversed it to be used against parents who don't want to take responsibility for what they allow their children to be exposed to.)

People don't like single-player games as much anymore.

Most of their games are multiplayer, though..?

Nintendo also doesn't allow people to download ROMs or use emulators

No one does. But Nintendo was the first to have their store offer roms and things like that to play on the Wii.

 


Nintendo's controllers aren't PC-compatible

Yes they are. There are adapters, Which are needed by th other console controllers as well, and Bluetooth.

 

Yes, Nintendo does support multi-player games, but not through online play. If their target audience can't play online, it limits how much interactions kids can have with each other. This limits the amount of peer pressure to buy a console. In the end, it's an unnecessary limitation which is part of their 80s and 90s businessmen mentality of "walled gardens are what consumers should want". Giving people what the businessmen want to sell them, and not what the consumer wants to buy is not a good way of running a business, unless you plan to run it into the ground. Nintendo should have learned this by now, and hasn't adapted to the changing times.

The lack of an open platform for online play has made Nintendo seem "more safe" than the racial slurs, insults and innuendos seen on XBox Live and PSN, but it keeps more people from interacting. It's best to just give parents the control and responsibility to limit the amount of voice, webcam, text input and emoticon conversation their children can be exposed to. Let them pick and choose what they want their children to be exposed to. Here's an example:

Imagine a YouTube video, of a Nintendo employee (speaking in the language which the console is setup to run in) telling the person setting up the console something like this: "Hello, and welcome to the Nintendo family. Before we continue to set up your WiiConsoleThingyMehBleh, let's set up some user profiles. First, let's set up a parent account. Make sure nobody is in the room before you type it in, and make sure you remember it or write it down somewhere. Great, we got that all set up. Now let's make some other user profiles."

After a few users are set up, the voice continues asking: "We've got those accounts all set up. But before we continue, let's check to see what each one can or cannot do."

It thens goes through a list of items, such as:

- Allow user to send voice using microphone over the internet. (Yes, No, Application-Specific Custom User Settings.)

- Allow user to dend webcam image over the internet. (Yes. No. Application-Specific Custom User Settings.)

- Allow user to send text, images or files over the internet? (Yes. No. Application-Specific Custom User Settings.)

(And then the same goes for receiving anything over the internet, like hearing voice chat, receiving text, or receiving webcam images or files.)

- Allow online games? (Yes. No. Application-Specific Custom User Settings.)

- Allow online purchases of games, music, content using the Nintendo Store? (Yes. No.)

- Limit the games and content this user can access with age restriction? (Yes. No.) [If yes, set up the age resitrction according to the country's laws and age rating system. ESRB, and so forth, you get the idea.]

- Limit web browser and video watching? (Yes. No.) [This would disable things like Firefox, Netflix, Hulu and so forth.]

(For Nintendo to remain age-appropriate as it has wanted for so long, it could have an automatic pr0n filter included, regardless of the profilt or settings or user account, even the master account.)

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What I suggest is to allow Nintendo to allow third-party companies like Steam to sell and distribute legally the emulators and ROMs that Nintendo has to offer, as a means of getting more money. Nintendo wouldn't have to allow online multiplayer if they think pedophiles are a danger to children, but it would still allow those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s with Nintendo consoles in our houses to enjoy the games we loved as children. It gives Nintendo a much-needed cash injection for very little work. Barely any need to polish the game, and since there are plenty of emulators out there already, it wouldn't take Nintendo that much work. They've got people who design operating systems already, so designing an emulator for PC for console classics like Dreamcast, N64, SNES and the original NES would be easy. Same goes for GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advanced and even the 2DS.

Also, if Nintendo wanted, they could design an Operating System for PCs designed around a closed-source version of Linux meant for PCs, which would still provide a good closed-garden environment they so love. But it allows gamers to have one more way to consume content they love and cherish.

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Nintendo controllers aren't PC compatible *out of the box*. They can be rigged to work for PCs, yes, but they aren't designed for it, and it doesn't work easily or all the time or very well for that matter either.

Nintendo should realize that getting it's content out there for more people to enjoy and buy is more important for the financial success of the company than selling over-priced and over-hyped consoles which lack any sort of meaningful features of wide game selection to choose from. If Nintendo just kept up with the times, they could blow Sony out of the water, and parents would love them for it. Right now, Nintendo just isn't selling well because they've burnt too many bridges, their strategy is failing, and they can't seem to get their act together, and their managers and directors can't get their heads out of their Ruby Slippers long enough to see that they aren't in Kansas (erm... I mean the 90s) anymore, Toto. (Sorry, I was watching The Wizard of Oz playing to the soundtrack of Dark Side of the Moon.)

Nintendo went the more powerful route with the Gamecube and got bitten on the ass back then and it might be something that has kept them thinking they can still make under powered consoles. It seems as though their management are still stuck in the 90's and early 2000's when it comes to the gaming industry, they're really lucky the ds and 3ds have sold so well or they'd really be in trouble

Very true. However, right now Nintendo needs to realize that it's games alone aren't enough to bring gamers to their big flagship console.

Maybe Nintendo should just abandon the livingroom, and go for mobile entertainment with 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS. Nintendo can't keep making these types of flops forever. Either they need to really step up their console game, or they need to step out of it.

They're banking a lot on the release of SSB, Zelda and Donkey Kong Country to save the Wii U. Last roll of the dice really with it but the way everything is being marketed is extremely poor atm too so it's more than just the gaming side of things. If they fixed that it would go a long way towards making them relevant again. To me they're part of a niche where the Wii U is purchased as a side console next to either a PS4 or Xbone which only works if they have the sales figures they had from the previous Wii.

It hurts seeing the way they are conducting business now, I grew up with their consoles and they look like they could be another Sega very soon.

I agree. Nintendo is marketing the WiiU as a console for kids, not meant for serious or hardcore gaming. Much more of a casual, lighthearted game. These days, that isn't impressive, and the lack of functionality, features, eye-popping/eye-candy graphics and online multiplayer makes Nintendo's console seem more like a toy for toddlers, rather than a piece of serious gaming hardware.

It's sad that Nintendo hasn't realized this. Remember when SNES used to have really hardcore, immersive games? Like Contra, Final Fantasy, The Secret of Mana, and others? Nintendo used to have great third-party developers helping make amazing games.

Then later, Playstation came around and started to show people you could play CD music, DVDs, and eye-popping graphics in an all-in-one gaming system. They showed it could be done for an affordable price. The PS2 became one of the world's most iconic and cherished gaming consoles because of this, in league with the SNES, original NES and Atari 2600 due to this. Nintendo just never realized that people don't want 50 different devices to do 50 different things, they want 1 device to do 50 different things.

People like apps. That's why smartphones have such versatility, same for PC. Apps extend the functionality of a device. But Nintendo doesn't want people to do more with their device, they want them to do less with it. No DVD playback, much less BluRay, barely any games, hardly any online multiplayer (just local), no MMOs, etc.

Even among kids past 10 will likely say that the WiiU is a console for kids younger than them. Kids aroung 12 or 13 want to play BF4, CoD: Ghosts, and that sort of thing. Nintendo just doesn't have anything to keep the audience they market their games for interested in buying their products, and the fans of their franchises (who have the money to keep Nintendo going) aren't getting anything from Nintendo whatsoever - really, it's only overly-paranoid parents who don't want to take responsibility or watch what their children are doing who would be interested in Nintendo consoles, due to their walled-garden mentality.

It means that Nintendo is on a suicide nosedive, because they just don't realize that unless they start opening up their consoles so their customers can do more with it, and so third-party devs can make games to help sell the console, they won't leave. Unless of course Nintendo does the un-thinkable and releases an MMO version of Pokemon for the main console, or an online multiplayer Co-Op version of Smash Bros with online tournaments. Even a Zelda MMO or Zelda with online multiplayer Co-Op might work. But Nintendo just doesn't get it. They're a 90s company with businessmen who can't get their heads out of the 80s trying to mass-market a console for people in 2014 - and they just have become outdated and obsolete due to this. The franchises aren't the problem - it's the management, who made bad decisions and who should take responsibility.

This basically sums up why I dislike nintendo and the fact all their first party games are just rehashed crap that theyve milked for 3 decades. All their games have no multiplayer,online that is, the interesting stories arent there and there is no complicated or fun gameplay. Mario is a god awful franchise, a rock is more interesting than mario. They need games like mass effect not Marion with simple stories of go save the princes and jump on Stuff, oooooh how interesting and fun. Then there are all these grown man defending a company, doctre81 is the biggest fanboy I have ever seen.

Agreed. I hope Nintendo figures this out. They've got great games, but they aren't really pushing the industry forwards, and they aren't innovating anymore.

I wish I had a reason to like Nintendo. But as of right now, I think I'd probably buy an old SNES or Gameboy Color/Advanced rather than buy a Nintendo WiiU. Their 3DS XL may be nice, but I don't think I'd buy it just for a few games.

Agreed completely with the both of you, one other thing is they need to stop trying to be 'innovative' with their consoles as it's not getting them anywhere this time. They will still sell heaps of Mario and Zelda games so they probably won't change their philosophy since they see it's still making them some money. When EA, one of the most universally disliked 3rd party publishers, says that they won't make games for your console you know you're in trouble.

Here's to hoping the Wii U is the catastrophe that was needed to make them pull their finger out and realize what gamers in 2014 want.

Well, yes and no. Nintendo has been innovative before. N64 with their at-the-time brilliant 3D was amazing. Analog joysticks were something interesting to bring back, since the SEGA Genesis and the SNES lacked them. The SNES had amazing graphics at the time.

And the Wii remotes were (and still are) brilliant controllers for motion sensing.

The thing is, Nintendo takes big leaps that happen every 5 or more years. They need to pick up the pace with the rest of the industry.

People don't want more screens to look at. They want better UI, more information, and better looking screens. People don't want fancy, flashy graphics if the gameplay sucks. And also, people want to do more with what they buy, not less. Specialized devices aren't selling as much as multi-purpose devices. Blackberry phones don't sell well because they lack native app support, among other reasons, and the messaging system isn't that compatible with phones from Apple or running Android.

The thing is, Nintendo needs to stop trying to use gimmicks to bring people to their console. In my opinion, it's time for Nintendo to just release a custom OS or application (like U-Play or Origin) to keep with the walled-garden mentality they like. That allows people to use their machines for whatever purpose they like.

Nintendo just needs to realize, they're just one company making hardware, software and games, and in this world it isn't enough. It's time they drop their hardware division like a bag of old hammers, and stick to the games they're best known for. It's time for Nintendo to drop the hardware nonsense, and let gamers play the games they love how they want to.

Nintendo Isn't going sega for a good while. That said they definitely need to suck up their ego to make the changes needed to do right by the Wii U. I agree online gaming needs to be improved and modernized. I mean stuff like that which has been mentioned earlier not stupid subscription services. They need to take some more of that 10 billion in the bank and get more great games that cant be had elsewhere. Then they need to take the hit and drop the price again to something more like 250. Maybe bundle it with mario cart or some other system seller.

What they absolutely shouldn't do which I hear a lot of people say which is just abandon the system. The loss of faith that that would cause is one of the only things I can think of that could potentially make them go sega this generation.

I don't think the WiiU needs more of a price drop. What the WiiU needs is more games, less gimmicky hardware (you can only look at one screen at a time, Nintendo! we aren't chameleons, Nintendo, our eyes don't move independently!).

Nintendo could be innovative. How about giving each person who buys the console (originally) a lifetime subscription to the Nintendo service, so a stolen console won't have any online functionality and will deactivate/brick itself if it connects? Keeps people from stealing the WiiU - not that anyone would want to steal one right now anyways, but you get the picture. =P

Nintendo just needs a bit more "oomph!" power. Nintendo has a lot of money, but right now each time they put money into a new console, it ends up being a steaming pile of %#$$@. Nintendo needs to get its act together, and stop trying to tell its consumer what to do with the games they buy, telling consumers how to play the games they bought, and if it can stop trying to get people to use the consoles they bought they way Nintendo wants them to, that'd be great. But as of right now, Nintendo is just trying to control and smother their players, and it's pushing them away. It's like having a girlfriend who wants to go with you everywhere, including the bathroom, and maybe get surgery done so you're both physically joined at the hip. It's wayyy to creepy, and it makes you want to run away screaming while flailing your arms like a madman (or Logan trying to protect bears). Like in this video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=08zVKjctGO4

(OK, I'm exaggerating a bit. But Nintendo is being wayy to creepy. Imagine if Chevrolet, Fiat, Honda or Toyota started implementing features in their cars to only let you drive the way they want, or if they made it so you could only do with your car what they allowed you to do with it. That's the point I'm trying to make. It's a bad business model, and it's creeping out consumers who feel smothered, and it makes them feel like they're buying hardware that's pre-nerfed, crippled and handicapped out-of-the-box. Not exactly what people think of "awesome". Overall, Nintendo doesn't get it, and I hope it kills their hardware division in a few years so they can get back to making games, but without controlling a platform and without trying to use puppet strings on their customers.)

The hardware is the hardware. It is too late to change that. Truthfully I don't really care too much about the power of a Nintendo system as long as their focus makes sense. Given the market for Nintendo systems it makes sense to me for them to aim to be the least expensive and not really take part in the graphics war as the console kids call it. But it would have been nice if they were making something remotely close to the other two and not completely ignoring them.

Or at least if they are going to make a system that is a toy (which I am fine with) they should price it like a toy. I mean they launched a system with out any good games with pretty much the same visual quality as what everybody already had in their living room at the price of what those systems where in 2005. I am not sure what they were expecting.