[quote name='Rig']I'll agree that some of Nintendo's actions were, well, downright baffling, but I don't believe that they are the cause of their own "downfall?" That's not the word I want, but oh well. For starters, I know people (quite a few actually) that have illegal copies of Xbox and PS2 games, so I can see why Nintendo went with the minis. Also, why does this mean they lose third-parties? It is easier to make a GC game rather than a PS2 game yes? I believe the reason third-parties dislike the Cube is becuase the PS2 and Xbox are the "cool" systems to own. I know many people own these systems, but don't really play many games. Yet, these are who the market caters to. Sure, the GC controller doesn't work well with fighters, but seriously, do you care about fighters? Personally, I do, becuase it is my favorite genre. That didn't stop SouCal II from doing well. IMO, the control style they used was very good on the Cube. Fighters don't sell that well anyway, in most cases. I agree that Nintendo has made some bad moves, but saying they are causing themselves to fail is a little bit of a stretch, IMO.[/quote]
First, I said "downfall" b/c Nintendo used to lead the market in home consoles. They were a juggernaut back in the heyday of 8-bit and 16-bit systems. Now they are a pathetic shell of their former selves.
Second, Nintendo's insistance on weird formats for copy protection reasons is ridiculous. Yeah, some of your friends have illegal copies of Xbox and PS2 games. So? Those systems still sell FAR more copies of legal games than the GC does. Look at GTA:SA and Halo 2. Those in the know could have gotten those games illegally well in advance of the release dates. Yet they still sold over 2.5 million each, and probably still selling well. Nintendo's anti-piracy ways are stupid and is one of the things that has hurt them in the long run. Also, it's not like it's simple to play illegal Xbox/PS2 games. It's something involved and the average person has no clue how to do it. The type of people that participate in this are few and far between.
Nintendo loses 3rd parties because of their unorthodox format (which costs more to make), higher licensing fees, and lack of an installed base. Why would a company want to pay money for a GC release when not many people have the systems? This means it won't sell as well as the Xbox/PS2 versions. A game publisher does not care if a system is "cool". This is ridiculous. They want to sell the most copies of a game that they can. They do this by publishing on the systems that have the greatest user base. Simple.
Also, Nintendo is arrogant and does not care too much about 3rd party publishers, so they don't even try to cater to them. This has been stated in many interviews of Nintendo higher ups! This leads to the controller. Like the N64 controller, the GC controller was designed for ONE game primarily. Miyamoto, while good at creating games, seems kinda close minded when it comes to games other than his own. He wanted a controller with one big button to do as much as possible in his Mario game. Like the N64 controller, which was designed with Mario 64 in mind. 3rd party games suffer when they try to adapt to this awkward design. Yes, the controller DOES matter very much, since this is how you, the user, interface with the system.
Due to their actions, Nintendo is not the market leader they once were. Granted, they rule handheld gaming, but they have no competition. Also, they tried something unique with the DS and I don't believe it is doing as well as the GBA was at the same time in it's life. I think many people will get a PSP since Sony systems are the market leader right now. Even if the games aren't so good, people will still buy it.
Nintendo has put themselves in a niche market now. You only buy a Nintendo system to buy Nintendo games, not anything else. This is what people need to realize. I already have. I was a Nintendo fanboy for years until I realized what they have done. I still think they make some of the greatest games ever. But they are not good with hardware. They are quickly becoming like Sega was. I bought my GC to play Nintendo games, the Zeldas and Metroids. For everything else I get the Xbox or PS2 version. I hate reading letters in the gaming mags about how "game x isn't coming to GC". Don't expect it to, unless Nintendo publishes it.
Nintendo doesn't need to innovate with hardware, b/c they haven't done so. They always talk up how their next console will revolution gaming, but have they ever done it? See another thread about what they are saying about their next system. I would say it is mostly hype and will be no different than Xbox2/PS3. If it is too radical, people won't buy it anyway. See: Virtual Boy. Each new console generation will be more powerful/better graphics/etc. They only thing that will change in the near future will be how we interface with it. Nintendo should pull out of home hardware and do what it does best: make the best games in the world.
