Who will be the next hardware maker to exit the market?

[Raticon]

Yes, Nintendo is in a better situation than Sega was in that they have more money and a better IP, but they still have a heck of a bigger legacy to carry around and no matter how much money a company has got, it tends to drain away rapidly if something goes south.

I might sound like an asshole here but come on, the U has been out for just over 3 years now and they have sold just about the same number of Wii U's worldwide in that time as they sold Wii's in 1 year in the US alone. If i worked at Nintendo i'd be freaking out.
Heck, the Dreamcast was on the market for about 2 years only and managed to sell 9 million consoles in that time and that was considered so bad Sega pulled the plug on it.
Granted, they had other problems back then compared to Nintendo now but considering the mad sales of the last generation where Nintendo crushed everyone selling 100+ million consoles in 7 years, averaging about 14 millions a year at the same time Sony came 3rd with a paltry 84-or-so million consoles sold. That is the reference i'm using here.

Don't think i'm some kind of Nintendo hater, i like my Nintendos as much as any gamer, i own the NES, SNES, N64 and the Wii and i really want them to succeed. I admittedly don't own the U but i'm looking to get one myself now that the price is dropping, but a new U with Mariokart 8 is going for about 340$ where i live so i'll wait a bit. I just see the monumental task they got ahead of themselves and with so much hype and expectation going around i actually see the NX as the make-or-break console for them in the hardware scene, but i understand if you disagree.

[Flojomojo]

I don't think sales relative to competition or unusual successes of the past matter as much as many people think they do. Market share doesn't matter as much as profit and general financial health. Nintendo hd some bad years but they're back in the black now. Sega was mismanaged for years in addition to its lackluster sales, I don't think the Dreamcast is relevant here.

 

The Wii was a surprise hit and did way better than expected.

 

Put another way: Porsche doesn't have to make and sell more cars than Toyota to be a financial success. Apple can have a tiny slice of the smartphone industry market share and still take home all the profit.

 

The Wii U is more like Mac vs PC, but I think the same principle stands: you don't have to be #1 to be doing well enough. As others have said, the market is big enough for many players.

 

Of course, I barely care about the business side of this, I just want good games and lots of choices.

 

This might be an amusing "claim chowder" thread to revisit in five years. Five years ago, Gartner, Forrester, and the conventional wisdom said that Windows Phone would take off in a big way and eat up more than half the smartphone market share. Nintendo NX could be an epic flop, it could be a neat but poorly supported thing like Vita, it could be a late blooming success like 3DS, it could be another surprise hit like DS. Remember when DS came out, and they didn't seem to have confidence it would do well as its own thing, and kept the GameBoy line going as a hedge? Nobody knows what's going to happen next.

[Raticon]

Fair enough, but the reason Porche is selling far less than Toyota while still being financially viable is that their cars are massively more expensive and cater to an entirely different portion of motorists. We already had that in gaming with the Neo Geo being pricey and powerful, and enjoyed a similar market share because of this. It wasn't accessible for everyone in much the same way as a Porche isnt.

Market share matters more than people think, especially in software and hardware. Few developers are going to care to put the time and funds into a port their successful games to a console that has such a small market share it won't bring the money back and turn a profit. Look at EA when they decided to drop FIFA and NHL for the Wii U a few years back, Sure it was about more than market share, weak hardware was another issue but put that into perspective and you won't have the choices you like on any scale because there isn't many developers working for the console. There are many examples of this in gaming and you know them.

Of course Nintendo can still be financially successful without even selling a fraction the consoles of the other companies, but is that what Nintendo want? Is it what we gamers want? Games bring the customers, and more customers attract more developers. Nintendo has enough IP to supply games of their own unlike for example Sony, but don't you think that the public will eventually want more than just Mario, Zelda and Pokémon?

EDIT: yes, this will indeed be a very fun thread to go back to in 5 years.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Raticon

[Bill Loguidice]

The only caveat to sales of the Wii U not mattering much is that it looks like it's going to be, by far, Nintendo's worst selling console (of course, the Virtual Boy will unlikely never be unseated if you want to include all Nintendo products that use interchangeable games). The GameCube sold about 21 million by the time it was officially discontinued, and it looks like the Wii U won't get anywhere near 20 by next year, when it will likely be discontinued.

 

There is a lot that goes into a console's success, including momentum. Nintendo let the Wii languish in its waning year and a half or so, which I think hurt the Wii U (and hurt the continued use of the Wii branding). The 3DS is in its inevitable decline (and of course we already know it won't even get reach half the sales of the blockbuster DS once its officially discontinued), so combining that with the Wii U's relative outright failure, it doesn't give Nintendo much momentum going into the launch of the NX. It will either have to be an undeniable gaming proposition on its own that will get the gaming masses excited (and obviously some of the more casual gamers), or Nintendo will have to amp up the marketing to the types of clever levels that they've failed to achieve in a number of years. That's a lot to ask.

 

I'm not going to bet against Nintendo pulling it off, but I think it's also silly not to acknowledge the significant challenges they face. There's a reason they're diversifying in ways they would have scoffed at even at the relatively recent height of the Wii's sales trajectory. And again, it's one thing to have lots of money in the bank, but they're still a public company and still have to answer to investors.

[Bilnick]

I don't think sales relative to competition or unusual successes of the past matter as much as many people think they do. Market share doesn't matter as much as profit and general financial health. Nintendo hd some bad years but they're back in the black now. Sega was mismanaged for years in addition to its lackluster sales, I don't think the Dreamcast is relevant here.

 

The Wii was a surprise hit and did way better than expected.

 

Put another way: Porsche doesn't have to make and sell more cars than Toyota to be a financial success. Apple can have a tiny slice of the smartphone industry market share and still take home all the profit.

 

The Wii U is more like Mac vs PC, but I think the same principle stands: you don't have to be #1 to be doing well enough. As others have said, the market is big enough for many players.

 

Of course, I barely care about the business side of this, I just want good games and lots of choices.

 

This might be an amusing "claim chowder" thread to revisit in five years. Five years ago, Gartner, Forrester, and the conventional wisdom said that Windows Phone would take off in a big way and eat up more than half the smartphone market share. Nintendo NX could be an epic flop, it could be a neat but poorly supported thing like Vita, it could be a late blooming success like 3DS, it could be another surprise hit like DS. Remember when DS came out, and they didn't seem to have confidence it would do well as its own thing, and kept the GameBoy line going as a hedge? Nobody knows what's going to happen next.

 

Your Porsche analogy was kind of fitting. Porsche, while it may have been profitable alone, is owned by the largest auto company in the world, Volkswagen. All of the other niche automakers that used to be independent (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Volvo, etc.) are now owned by much larger parent companies. Tesla is the only niche automaker that I can think of that is independent and I am not sure how long their business model can sustain itself before they are bought out.

 

I wonder how long Nintendo will be independent before someone like Disney, Apple, Google, or Microsoft looks at their IPs and does a Star Wars with them.

[cybercylon]

Would it be out of line or unrealistic to think that Nintendo will offer "NX" as a service to devices other than Android or iOS? Maybe some sort of cloud based service similar to what Sony does with PS Now so you can play older Mario titles etc, on your Mac, PC, PS4.. whatever. Games are rotated in and out every month. Or perhaps they develop new IP as appropriate to the audience for those systems. New Mario, Zelda, etc games remain on their own hardware though.

 

Yes, I am tossing out a crazy idea, but it already seems like Nintendo is figuring out ways to branch out.

 

Discussing what hardware should into Nintendo's next offering is another thread I guess. What gives it the best chance for success? Go with x86-64 as with the other consoles? Is some ARM processor good enough? The former makes more sense, but for it to make sense, something would need to be released sooner rather than later.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Your Porsche analogy was kind of fitting. Porsche, while it may have been profitable alone, is owned by the largest auto company in the world, Volkswagen. All of the other niche automakers that used to be independent (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Volvo, etc.) are now owned by much larger parent companies. Tesla is the only niche automaker that I can think of that is independent and I am not sure how long their business model can sustain itself before they are bought out.

 

I wonder how long Nintendo will be independent before someone like Disney, Apple, Google, or Microsoft looks at their IPs and does a Star Wars with them.

Wouldn't the child company have to agree to the buyout? I think recently Nintendo was trying to get control of 51% of it's own shares to prevent such an event.

 

Historically, I have seen buyouts go south after the child company got absorbed. Just look what Microsoft did to RARE.

[Flojomojo]

Wouldn't the child company have to agree to the buyout? I think recently Nintendo was trying to get control of 51% of it's own shares to prevent such an event.

 

Historically, I have seen buyouts go south after the child company got absorbed. Just look what Microsoft did to RARE.

That RARE deal was amazing for Nintendo, though, what a windfall for them and a whole bunch of nothing for their competitor.

 

If Nintendo were to "pull a Star Wars," I would think they'd do everything in their power to do so on their terms, much like Lucas did. I wouldn't mind that if it were done well. I think Sony is the only real contender, though. It would need to be a Japanese company, Google doesn't really get video games, and Apple doesn't seem to care much about them. Microsoft probably has the cash, which is necessary but not sufficient.

 

I know NOTHING, it must be stated. I'm just a dork who likes certain kinds of electronic games. If Nintendo brought out Donkey Kong 4 in an 8-bit style, I'd think it was amazing but it would sell like 74 copies.

[Andromeda Stardust]

That RARE deal was amazing for Nintendo, though, what a windfall for them and a whole bunch of nothing for their competitor.

 

If Nintendo were to "pull a Star Wars," I would think they'd do everything in their power to do so on their terms, much like Lucas did. I wouldn't mind that if it were done well. I think Sony is the only real contender, though. It would need to be a Japanese company, Google doesn't really get video games, and Apple doesn't seem to care much about them. Microsoft probably has the cash, which is necessary but not sufficient.

 

I know NOTHING, it must be stated. I'm just a dork who likes certain kinds of electronic games. If Nintendo brought out Donkey Kong 4 in an 8-bit style, I'd think it was amazing but it would sell like 74 copies.

While I would hate for Nintendo to be sold, Apple or Google would absolutely ruin the company. Microsoft is just uggg, so Sony would be the best bet.

 

Also Nintendo wouldn't trust their IP to a non-Japanese company. But it would be weird though. Imagine Sackboy and Mario together in a game. Almost as weird as Mario vs Sonic and the Olympic games...

[Shawn]

I think the next company to exit the hardware market is probably gonna be COLECO

[Raticon]

I think the next company to exit the hardware market is probably gonna be COLECO

Nah man, as someone further up said: You have to actually -enter- the market before you can exit it ?.

[cybercylon]

While I would hate for Nintendo to be sold, Apple or Google would absolutely ruin the company. Microsoft is just uggg, so Sony would be the best bet.

 

Also Nintendo wouldn't trust their IP to a non-Japanese company. But it would be weird though. Imagine Sackboy and Mario together in a game. Almost as weird as Mario vs Sonic and the Olympic games...

 

I wouldn't worry about something like that happening in the foreseeable future, though I guess I did entertain the question when I asked how much their IP is worth. I think Nintendo would go through the rounds as a third party developer long before that. Apple is a hardware company, and I don't think they care too much about buying something and putting a dog in the fight. Google is a service company, and this doesn't seem like something they would add to their portfolio. Sony is an outside chance, but there are doing fine with what they have. No way Nintendo would sell it self to Microsh_t.

 

That said, I don't think it is too hard to imagine a streaming service to other devices as part of NX.

[Flojomojo]

If you enjoy the whole "what's up with Nintendo" discussion, this is worth a listen, featuring the former indie czar from Sony as a guest.

http://pca.st/y49b

[bretthorror]

Currently listening to that podcast, pretty interesting. Those guys get it, but the average gamer just doesn't understand Nintendo is always gonna be the alternative, usually smarter company. Nintendo does make mistakes like the carts on the N64 and the tablet on the Wii U, not to mention the poor name that doesn't differentiate itself from its predecessor.

 

I honestly believe Nintendo will never be the primary console out there, no matter what they do. They could have the best library out there and it wouldn't matter. Microsoft can buy whatever they want and Sony is a well known brand. Every Playstation console has sold like gangbusters. A 40 year old thinks of Nintendo as video games, but a 20 year old thinks of Playstation as video games. The average gamer does not want what Nintendo is offering but the people who do want it are exceptionally fond of it. They want the CoD's and shooters of the world. It's just not Nintendo's gig. Business people always want to just compare the big 3 consoles, but it's not that simple. It always does come down to dollars but that doesn't mean Nintendo wants to be the next Microsoft or Google and try to own the world. In my mind, at least, their perspective is so much difference and down home than Sony and MS. Any analyst with half a brain knows that Nintendo can't compete with those guys at their own game as it's been proven time and time again, just like Sony couldn't mess with Nintendo on the portable side. If tomorrow Nintendo decided to flip its entire business around and focus on FPS and the industry leading console hardware, I don't think the CoD gamer would care... they're already getting what they want on Playstation.

 

Let's say GTA and CoD were on the NX. Is that really enough to make gamers leave Microsoft and Sony for them? I highly doubt it. It'd be great to have those games on a Nintendo system, but in the end it just doesn't matter because the average person wants an all shooter/violence library. I love that stuff too, but Nintendo's library will never be like that. They're selling apples when the others are selling oranges. Using the Wii as an example, Nintendo had Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy 1/2, three games that are widely regarded as three of the best in history. Still, the average gamer won't give them credit. The Wii has 3 of the top, say 20 games of all time on it and still it's mocked as a shovelware console. Gimme a break. That male 18-30 demo is just not gonna give up their violent action games. Not that they should, but that's not necessarily Nintendo's audience. Comparing Nintendo to MS/Sony because they're all in video games is like comparing McDonald's to a 5 star restaurant. Sure, they both deal in food, but for entirely different demographics.

 

The easy answer for the rich, corporate bullshit analyst types is to make the most money by targeting the biggest audience. That's fine and dandy. What Nintendo investor with half a brain would think they could ever match the Wii's success or that in this day and age a portable console is gonna sell as well before even if it literally blew minds because of phones and tablets? I doubt any. The absolute irony of it all is the one company of the big three actually making money on video games, video game IPs, etc is the one that gets no credit and shit on at every turn - Nintendo. I don't even care, but it's so hilarious to see so called hardcore gamers yapping at the mouth about consoles sold or even industry people blind to the fact that Nintendo is more profitable in gaming than its competition.

[Andromeda Stardust]

^^Well said!

[Unbeliever]

...and here I've been thinking of joining Nintendo (again) with a 2DS. Why, you ask? Well, maybe you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Simple fun. Cheaper portable gaming machine. Mario and all my childhood favorites. I've been spending some serious time thinking of what makes me happy as a video game player. My gaming has been pretty stagnant lately, so I've been seriously spending all this time (being unemployed gives you time to think) about what I would like to do for gaming and how I would like to be now that I'm close to the 50 mark. I mean, besides hunting for jobs every day in most of my spare time and interviewing like crazy.

 

As Kosmic Stardust said, Nintendo is an entirely different animal in the gaming market and always has been. The company will probably never appeal to the younger gamers who want shooters such as Gear of War or Halo or God Of War. I agree that they will probably never be the "top", and some of their ideas over the decades have been a little over the top (Virtual Boy), but that's what makes Nintendo interesting.

You have to at least admire their tenacity over the years, their commercials, their showings at various electronic expos. I really don't think, as Kosmic Stardust said, that Nintendo will ever be the primary console, but they certainly do serve a unique role in video gaming overall for those that want something "different".

Edited January 24, 2016 by wolfpaw1966

[cybercylon]

Does the average person think of the Wii library is only full of shovel ware or is that they don't want to play Mario games, etc? There is plenty of shovel ware that shows up on the other consoles.

 

I don't know what average gamer thinks or even what that statement means these days. I will keep my opinion about COD, GTA, etc to myself other than to say that never enters my house. That said, I like Fallout games too as much as a good Mario game, but probably most of my time is spend playing jrpg, even niche ones. So, that means Sony consoles get more of my attention.

 

Anyways... I never voted in the poll. All three are going to be around for the foreseeable future.

[Bilnick]

Currently listening to that podcast, pretty interesting. Those guys get it, but the average gamer just doesn't understand Nintendo is always gonna be the alternative, usually smarter company. Nintendo does make mistakes like the carts on the N64 and the tablet on the Wii U, not to mention the poor name that doesn't differentiate itself from its predecessor.

 

I honestly believe Nintendo will never be the primary console out there, no matter what they do. They could have the best library out there and it wouldn't matter. Microsoft can buy whatever they want and Sony is a well known brand. Every Playstation console has sold like gangbusters. A 40 year old thinks of Nintendo as video games, but a 20 year old thinks of Playstation as video games. The average gamer does not want what Nintendo is offering but the people who do want it are exceptionally fond of it. They want the CoD's and shooters of the world. It's just not Nintendo's gig. Business people always want to just compare the big 3 consoles, but it's not that simple. It always does come down to dollars but that doesn't mean Nintendo wants to be the next Microsoft or Google and try to own the world. In my mind, at least, their perspective is so much difference and down home than Sony and MS. Any analyst with half a brain knows that Nintendo can't compete with those guys at their own game as it's been proven time and time again, just like Sony couldn't mess with Nintendo on the portable side. If tomorrow Nintendo decided to flip its entire business around and focus on FPS and the industry leading console hardware, I don't think the CoD gamer would care... they're already getting what they want on Playstation.

 

Let's say GTA and CoD were on the NX. Is that really enough to make gamers leave Microsoft and Sony for them? I highly doubt it. It'd be great to have those games on a Nintendo system, but in the end it just doesn't matter because the average person wants an all shooter/violence library. I love that stuff too, but Nintendo's library will never be like that. They're selling apples when the others are selling oranges. Using the Wii as an example, Nintendo had Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy 1/2, three games that are widely regarded as three of the best in history. Still, the average gamer won't give them credit. The Wii has 3 of the top, say 20 games of all time on it and still it's mocked as a shovelware console. Gimme a break. That male 18-30 demo is just not gonna give up their violent action games. Not that they should, but that's not necessarily Nintendo's audience. Comparing Nintendo to MS/Sony because they're all in video games is like comparing McDonald's to a 5 star restaurant. Sure, they both deal in food, but for entirely different demographics.

 

The easy answer for the rich, corporate bullshit analyst types is to make the most money by targeting the biggest audience. That's fine and dandy. What Nintendo investor with half a brain would think they could ever match the Wii's success or that in this day and age a portable console is gonna sell as well before even if it literally blew minds because of phones and tablets? I doubt any. The absolute irony of it all is the one company of the big three actually making money on video games, video game IPs, etc is the one that gets no credit and shit on at every turn - Nintendo. I don't even care, but it's so hilarious to see so called hardcore gamers yapping at the mouth about consoles sold or even industry people blind to the fact that Nintendo is more profitable in gaming than its competition.

 

If the NX is a true next generation console with a next generation online service, and it has all the games I want to play, then absolutely I would game on the NX as my primary console. I am not some brand loyal fan boy, I play where the best games are. When the NES and SNES had all the big name games, those were the systems I used. When the PS1 and PS2 had all the games, I played there. The last couple of generations, Microsoft has been where I primarily play. I hope Nintendo doesn't sell me a PS4/XB1 with a Nintendo label on it. I will not buy CoD, Destiny, or Madden for the NX if it has the same visuals as the XB1 and PS4 I already have.

 

Make the NX truly next gen. 2160p/4k visuals are a must for a next gen system. Have at least a PSN/Xbox Live quality online service. Maybe release some classic games for purchase. It is pretty sad that at one point the XB1 had more N64 games available for it than the Wii U (right after the Rare collection was released there were more N64 games on XB1 than the Wii U VC). I don't care about some hybrid handheld home dockable console nonsense. I have a smartphone for portable gaming that is way more convenient, is just as much fun, and has a gigantic game library for me to bother with a 3DS/Vita style handheld anymore. Just give me a beast of a home console with all the games and a good online service.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Make the NX truly next gen. 2160p/4k visuals are a must for a next gen system.

I hate to bust your bubble, but 4k is a placebo. Seriously, 1920x1080p is close to the resolution of human with 20/20 vision when viewed at an optimal 60 degree field. The only way you'll see the difference with 4k is by examining the screen up close.

 

To build a true 4k gaming machine (not just a fancy upscaler) will require quadruple the processing power compared to 1080p, and likely double the console price. Even most Xbone and PS4 games are rendered in 720p60.

[bretthorror]

If the NX is a true next generation console with a next generation online service, and it has all the games I want to play, then absolutely I would game on the NX as my primary console. I am not some brand loyal fan boy, I play where the best games are. When the NES and SNES had all the big name games, those were the systems I used. When the PS1 and PS2 had all the games, I played there. The last couple of generations, Microsoft has been where I primarily play. I hope Nintendo doesn't sell me a PS4/XB1 with a Nintendo label on it. I will not buy CoD, Destiny, or Madden for the NX if it has the same visuals as the XB1 and PS4 I already have.

 

Make the NX truly next gen. 2160p/4k visuals are a must for a next gen system. Have at least a PSN/Xbox Live quality online service. Maybe release some classic games for purchase. It is pretty sad that at one point the XB1 had more N64 games available for it than the Wii U (right after the Rare collection was released there were more N64 games on XB1 than the Wii U VC). I don't care about some hybrid handheld home dockable console nonsense. I have a smartphone for portable gaming that is way more convenient, is just as much fun, and has a gigantic game library for me to bother with a 3DS/Vita style handheld anymore. Just give me a beast of a home console with all the games and a good online service.

Your post exactly proved my post you quoted as to why Nintendo should not try to be and will not ever be the primary console. If they did what you wanted they would surely be bankrupt in a decade and alienate their actual audience and would never be able to provide an affordable alternative to the mainstream, be good for kids to start with and dismisses their massive portable audience.

[Raticon]

In some of the posts recently i see one of the problems Nintendo is facing right among the statements here. Some posters claim that Nintendo isnt appealing to older gamers because those want violent action games found on ps4 and xbone, yet another just recently is saying that Nintendo isn't appealing to younger players because those want to play Gears of War, Halo and shooters like this.

 

This is interesting as it points to the question of what demographic they will aim at. Is it just older geezers like us who enjoy old-style platformers like Mario or adventure games like Zelda these days?

 

Who is Nintendo going to appeal to? The younger kids who according to some likes Nintendos games and to others apparently rather play violent action a la God of War and CoD or the older gamers who according to some are in fact those that play the violent shooter/fighters yet according to others are the ones that like the Nintendo-style that they are familiar with since decades?

 

If Nintendo isn't aiming to be at the top anymore as so many people here claim they need to choose a niche to aim for as they cant widen themselves too much with a slim market share. Who will be the target?

[Unbeliever]

That is a good question. Who shall Nintendo aim at? What will the NX "be" as a console/portable/both? Where will Mario see himself in 10 years time?

 

A new Mario game just came out for the 3DS/2DS. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Did anyone here buy it? Was it because it was Mario or was it the style of game play that you enjoy? Was it because you are a Mario fan and had to have the game because you have every one one ever created since Nintendo's inception?

 

I personally love the Mario & Luigi RPG/action games. They are fun, colorful, humorous, and fairly challenging but easy enough that even a mediocre gamer such as myself can enjoy it. I'm not so good at Halo, Gears, and similar games. I have neither the skill or the wherewithal to do very well in games that most seem to enjoy these days, so Nintendo appeals to me simply due to the fact that yes, it's "easier" for me.

 

Some of you are extremely good at games. So it's not necessarily the point that you can "beat" it, but what you prefer. Gamers usually embrace all platforms to some degree, old and new. Some of you have been Nintendo junkies since the beginning, but the general sense I get from gamers here is that all styles and types of consoles/portables are open for play and collecting.

 

I think a good way to see where things might be going is looking at what your own kids like. Let's say younger than 13, for example. If you introduce them to the DS portables or a Nintendo console of some sort, what do they think about it? Do they snuggle up to characters like Mario and LInk, or scoff and move to Master Chief or Kratos?

Edited January 25, 2016 by wolfpaw1966

[Flojomojo]

Historically, Nintendo's target audience has been "everybody." Which means teenagers insist on believing general-audience stuff is for babies.

 

I like to believe that I'm resistant to obvious pandering to my demographic and preferences. Of course all these super hero, Star Wars, and Star Trek revivals show that I'm an idiot, because I love them all.

[Bilnick]

I hate to bust your bubble, but 4k is a placebo. Seriously, 1920x1080p is close to the resolution of human with 20/20 vision when viewed at an optimal 60 degree field. The only way you'll see the difference with 4k is by examining the screen up close.

 

To build a true 4k gaming machine (not just a fancy upscaler) will require quadruple the processing power compared to 1080p, and likely double the console price. Even most Xbone and PS4 games are rendered in 720p60.

For a 40 inch screen, there would be no noticeable difference. From everything I have read, there is a difference for screens at or above the 50 - 55 inch range. I don't own a 2160p TV yet, but when one of my older 73 inch TVs dies I will be replacing it with a 4k TV.

 

The NX shouldn't be designed to compete with the PS4 or XB1, it should blow them away. Samsung isn't making the next Galaxy phone to compete with the 3 year old IPhone 4, it wants to beat the IPhone 7.

[Flojomojo]

If they come out with this AMAZEBALLS system that everyone wants, it will cost more than people want to pay. Have we learned nothing from the Game Gear and the Atari Lynx? Do you really need something that's just like PS4 or Xbone?

 

That's been Nintendo's strength through the years, instead of running in a head-to-head spec race, they zoom in from the side with something unexpected. They won't beat the established players on power alone. I think we need to assume there's a reason we don't know anything about NX, because they want to keep it as a surprise revelation.

 

Problem is, all the low-hanging fruit of easy gimmicks have been picked up by someone else or milked dry by Nintendo themselves. More buttons, 3D screens, tilt, touch, social, online, "rear touch," analog, cameras, scrolling, location, health sensors, 3D polygons, mass storage, bluetooth, near field communication ... all nicely handled elsewhere by other things.

 

Battery hasn't been fixed yet. I'd love something super durable that never needed to be charged up. Fast and flexible e-ink plus a solar cell would be neat if implemented in a usable way.

 

Or how about something that isn't a disposable brick of electronics? I'd be most tickled if Nintendo could pull off software as a service better than Microsoft or Sony.