A look back on statements calling Nintendo gimmicky

Ever since Nintendo launched the DS, the company has been touted by its competitors and many gamers as gimmicky. And though Wii still has to prove itself as a sustainable novelty over time, things are solid for now.

With that, 1UP revisits comments made by Sony that Nintendo’s DS and Wii are just a gimmicks. From the article: “With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen. But I fear that it won’t have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick – so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that. — Phil Harrison speaking to MCV, 08/26/2005″

This isn’t to say Nintendo is fully immune from product myopia which leads to short-lived products, but I think its safe to say the company has learned valuable lessons from its past and recent successes.