Well, that came out of nowhere, LOL.
Yeah, I don't have any "secret source" inside Nintendo guys. It was a joke--I went out of my way to pick absolutely ridiculous stuff to poke fun out of the goofy ass rumors about Nintendo on NeoGAF. I don't think there's anyway in hell we'd see a Nintendo phone, or a new powerhouse console next year, or an M-rated Zelda. Didn't expect people to actually believe all that stuff. :p
But yeah, Nintendo. Their projections for the WiiU were stupid to begin with, given how so many key titles STILL don't have a proper release date yet. Still, I doubt anyone expected sales to drop from 2012's, seeing as they only had five months of sales for their 2012 results. Even the Gamecube and Dreamcast managed to sell better in their second year on the market. Between that and the banner sales the Xone and PS4 are getting, its clear that Nintendo has a unsalvegable dud on their hands. Just like Sony does with the Vita (as much as it pains me to say so, as I love mine).
The 3DS's numbers being cut disturbs me just as much, though, if not more.
2013 was a banner year for Nintendo. The sheer amount of top-shelf software they had was nuts:
- Pokemon X/Y
- A Link Between Worlds
- Luigi's Mansion 2
- Animal Crossing New Leaf
- Shin Megami Tensei 4
- Tomodachi Collection
- Monster Hunter 4
- Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Dragon Quest VII
- Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
- Etrian Odyssey IV
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
- Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies
On top of all that, they released the 2DS, a cheaper entry point aimed squarely at kids. During the holidays, there were all sorts of crazy deals and bundles available. Target had the Zelda XL bundle for something like $130 at one point. All of this led to the 3DS topping the sales charts around the world for almost the entirety of the year, even in November when the new consoles were released.
But even with all that, the 3DS is still set to sell LESS than it did in 2012.
I was wondering what Nintendo could do to fix this...but considering the life cycle for the GBA and the original DS (4 years and 6 years, respectively) I think 2012 and 2013 are the best years the 3DS will get. Indeed, it's likely Nintendo is already making their next handheld.
Even with stuff like Bravely Default and Smash Bros on the horizon, there's simply no way that then software output is going to match last year's--and it would have to exceed it to have a real impact. With the company seeing three consecutive years of losses, I highly doubt we'll be seeing across-the-board price cuts either. Hence there really isn't much Nintendo can do to boost sales at this point.
So the question then becomes: what next?
It's pretty clear that the 3DS is not going to catch the way the DS did. So what does Nintendo do with their next handheld? Will the next device even be a separate handheld, or would they offer a gaming slate with HDMI out tjhat fills both console and mobile roles simultaneously? Because I can't think of what else they can do at this point.
Nintendo is at a crossroads. What direction they take from here is going to be interesting to watch, to put it mildly.
ha ha there was a great debate about your blog among the Pixlbit staffers. Sparked a lot of discussion.
LOL I saw it. XD
As I said, I checked the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1st.
Me too. I was REALLY tired.
LMAO good call. :p
Oh you, I can't believe I bite the false rumors you posted :P
Honestly, call me a fanboy but I still think the 3DS will last more and i'm still hoping for a sale boost on the Wii U (and IMO, it has a better library of games than the current one of the PS4 and Xbone).
I would've been with you on the WiiU before they announced the adjustments. But if they expect it to sell LESS than it did in 2012...I think the system is finished. I can't think of a single console that recovered from that.
There was a reason that I picked up a 3DS this past year, those games were amazing. I think that the 3DS could still have a banner year as far as software is concerned. I just that we might have to wait until 2015.
The kind of output we saw on the 3DS would be incredibly difficult to match for any of the big 3. And I can't think of how Nintendo could match it.
I don't think there's a problem with the 3DS per se, I think things are down all over. The figures may not be what the DS's were but they are always at the top in terms of numbers sold.
The Wii U is another story altogether and represents a dropped ball. I'm only sorry I wasn't in a position to pick the one with the Mario and Luigi games up when it was on sale for $249 after Christmas.
With the WiiU's current performance, I doubt you'll have to wait too long for that.
And yeah, it's likely that no dedicated gaming device will ever sell at DS levels again. The mobile market is too fragmented now. Makes me wonder what they'll do with their next handheld.
*shakes fist* Damn it, Gigantor!
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL XD
I'm looking forward to Prof. Layton on 3DS next month but what else is coming out for 3DS this year. I haven't heard a peep. That worries me.
I'm hoping the Wii-U gets a price drop to like $199. I'll be getting one at that price. Funny though, there's only two games I want for it Pikmin 3 and Zelda Wind Waker HD. I wonder what's coming for 2014? I haven't heard anything other than the possibility of another Star Wars Rogue Squadron game. THAT would light my fire.
Smash Bros (the first handheld version ever) and Bravely Default come to mind, along with the new Kirby game that just came out in Japan and Yoshi's Island.
Smash is the only one that will have the same impact as, say, Pokemon X/Y or Animal Crossing IMO.
Like Matt Snee said-- you got us good, man! But for real...they better not make an M-rated Zelda game. That would be a serious sin.
Ugh, it's nauseating just thinking about it. I hope they never do that.
You are partly right in a rumour since. Nintendo has planed to abandon the Wii U Here
I don't buy into that TBH. They'll stick with the WiiU for another couple of years, I think.
They need a system selling game,and they have not made it yet. I want a never seen before JRPG with stuff that would make you sell plasma just to get a system.
I will probably buy a 3DS XL this summer so there is 1 they can chalk up. lol
The DS, like the PS2, was an unusually successful system, and I doubt any console will ever match either one of them. But the 3DS still has life in it. I think it will match the sales of the Game Boy Advance (80 million), and perhaps eventually match the original Game Boy (100 million). In any event, it's the best handheld gaming system I've ever played and really is a sort of iPod for (good) gaming.
I see what you did there, LOL.
I expect 70-80 million lifetime, too.
Got me, lol. Should of figured it was to good to be true.
;)
May have been a joke, but I still want an M rated Zelda - Oh wait. Darksiders.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/01/08/apologies-to-joe-mad
In that perspective it sounds to me that the Forbes article I read about the inside source who's seen specs for NIntendo's new system might hold more relevance now. If that's the case I look forward into owning a WiiU when it goes down to bargin bin prices. We still got a whole year to go though so we'll have to see.
